Baby, it’s cold outside…
December 4th, 2006 by lafnlabI usually walk into work because a) I don’t have a car, and b) it’s only a mile and a half from my apartment, so it’s no big deal. Last night before I went to bed, I noticed a bit of snow on the roof of the building next to mine. I was a bit surprised, but it wasn’t a lot, so didn’t think much of it.
This morning when I started my walk, I noticed it seemed cold. As I started walking, I noticed my thighs were getting cold. This usually only happens when it’s really cold. I didn’t check the temperature when I left, so I figured it was in the 20′s. As I was walking, and my thighs started getting colder, I began thinking maybe I’m getting too old for this sort of thing. Even though I’ve been through colder weather, I was thinking about how I should have worn long johns and that maybe I couldn’t take it anymore. Anyway, I sucked it up, got to work, put on some coffee and logged into my PC at work. I hit weather.com and found out why I was cold. The temperature was 12, but felt like 2. I didn’t think it was windy, so maybe there was something else at play there, but at least I knew why my thighs were freezing.
It’s not that I’m getting old and can’t hack it. I’ve been in colder weather. I think it was mostly due to a lack of mental preparation on my part. Twenty degree weather is no big deal, but when it gets into the teens and single digits, I have to some sort of mental prep – “Yep, it’s cold out.” I mostly get by by telling myself I’ve been through worse. I’ve camped out in -20 degree weather and when I lived in Alamosa, CO, I remember walking to school in -30 degree weather (uphill, both ways ;-) At least it wasn’t windy. Snow would have been nice.
There must be some sort of phenomena that happens when it’s snowing, because it doesn’t usually seem so cold. Maybe it’s psychological in that the falling snow gives my eyes something to do. Even in the city it can be peaceful when there are few cars out, and I’m walking through the freshly fallen snow. The snow deadens the noise of the traffic and all I see before me is a blanket of powder, glistening in the street lights.
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