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Wednesday, January 17, 2007

"Feels like -13"

That's the first phrase I read this morning, as I turned on the computer to check how I should dress for the day. I think it was officially 5 degrees out, but, apparently, it felt like -13.

I was shockingly grateful for heated shelter as I stepped out of my comfortable condo, walked down the comfortable hallway, rode down on the comfortable elevator, stepped into the comfortable lobby, and opened the outside door to walk uncomfortably to my uncomfortable car.

Then I spent four and a half hours wearing gloves and a scarf in a Chairs Workshop where, apparently, my institution was unable to tap into the deal I have going on at home: indoor heating.

(I was glad to hear on the radio on the way in that Boston-area shelters were able to accommodate guests in numbers well over designed-capacity last night, and were encouraging guests who normally have to be outside by 9 to stay in today. There's a man who, this summer and fall, seemed to live (slept) on the bench outside the building next door to mine. I have not seen him in weeks.)

I've just arrived at my office to find that my colleague Jo biked the four miles to campus this morning - without a ski mask. She said her forehead was crackling. "It felt good, though."

Then, I happened to click on my old Dallas employer's website, where I was surprised to read the following: "Due to inclement weather THE CHURCH IS CLOSED TODAY, JANUARY 17." Curiously, I clicked over to weather.yahoo.com and switched from Wenham, Massachusetts, to Dallas, TX, to see what today has wrought down south. My friends, while we're at "Feels like -1" and are working like dogs, y'all got "Feels like 29" and are sitting at home in your toasty jammies watching the Food Network!

Dear Al, I know, I know, something about ups and downs and long-term effects and oceans and junk, blah blah, but I miss last week's Global Warming.

1 comment:

Mrs. SeƱora Cobbey said...

Yup, it definitely did not feel like -13 degrees here. Ironically, the very first day that I decide to wake up early (5:15 am to be exact) and get suited up to work out, the streets are completely icy. Luther & I sat in front of the TV like school kids hoping and praying that school would be closed (my work is cancelled if AISD is cancelled.) We waited and waited as we surfed the channels and we were rewarded when we saw the AISD cancellation. We were high fiving and yahooing for a good while! Then we went back to sleep, hung out in our pjs, played in the snow, watched movies, Luther studied while I karaoked and Daniel watched cartoons. It was a good Texas snow day.