Winter Fuel for a Snowy Soul

I know it can beautiful. And I know that I would surrender if I can be the dude behind the hand-held zamboni (at 1:07).


Dutch Winter from Kasper Bak on Vimeo.

Sweet-Talked out of the Gray

industrial view from our kitchen window

Third-world, Soviet Union-like grayness for the start of a week is a lot like...like a wearing wet wool sweater, with a blindfold, and maybe tight socks that keep falling down.  and a wedgie.

And it's not even that cold out but the color of the sky has been a constant gunmetal from 7am until the sun supposedly goes down, around 1pm   4:30.  The word 'day' has a whole new meaning in New England, this time of year.  It's really in theory only.

One magical remedy - to this swath of tedious, insignificant weather, and short daylight - that found it's way to me from a sweet, generous friend, came directly from New Orleans. From


s u c r e'  to be exact.

 

The box of macaroons was enjoyed, savored really, except for this glittery, little pink number.  We're trying to save her for tomorrow - which will be another version of a gray day, I'm sure.  And we're hoping she might multiply.

The perfect cup of tea

Day four of wet, cold, spitting drizzle.  What could be more soothing than this ginger hut with my tea?

From not martha.

Under my umbrella-ella-ella-ella

They say rain today. I say bring it.



Because I have a new Judy Jetson bubble shield that allows me to stay dry and look cool.


Scott has one too. And I imagine if he were to run smack into a building, he'd bounce right off.

This amazing invention and other bumbershoots can be found here.

" Bone-chilling temperatures settle over East "

Boston Current Conditions

• 11°F at Logan Airport as of 9:55 AM
• Cloudy
• -2° F Real Feel temp
• 10 mp/h Wind speed
• N Wind direction
• 50% Relative humidity
• 30.23 in Barometric pressure
• 10 miles Visibility
• 1 of 10 Tanning index

It. is. effin'. cold.

Every day of the week I take the T four stops from Brookline Village to work in the Back Bay. I wait outside in the sun. The rain. The fog....smoke. Whatever. For the train. And I usually have something to read or listen to and I have that don't-talk-to-me-look on my face.

Today and tomorrow Boston is supposed to have near record cold.

And I don't mind waiting for the T so much as long as I'm warm.

And to be warm in these sub-zero temps you really have to be either a phenomenally cool and well-financed snowboarder *OR* you have to fully embrace your inner 3rd grade snow-bunny self and dress like Randy.

I tend to go for the Randy look.

I have a coat that looks a lot like some military-issued sleeping bag. I have boots that both look like and make me walk like Frankenstein. And I have mittens that could double as boxing gloves. I swear.

I don't pretend to pass off as anything but warm and square. Illustrated here:



I do worry about knocking people off the sidewalk when I try to pass them...but then again, at least I'm warm.

Further, with all this cold I tend to get a big 'tudy over under-dressed collegiate types. Allow me to paint you a picture (because I couldn't find anything with google and I'm afraid it might seem super creepy if I take a picture of my fellow T passengers right in their face):

Droopy, huge, flannel pajama bottoms, UGGS that seem three sizes too big-so you can adequately shuffle and scuff on the salty, sandy sidewalk, floppy scrunchy (yes! still! to this day!), and some skanky enormo sweatshirt. But no hat. Maybe fingerless gloves. And warm feet. To be sure.

All I want to do is smack them upside of the head and say something like, "It's below zero! Is it better to look cool or be warm!?"

But then not only would I be a big, army green puffy dork, I'd become the cold-weather-are-you-dressed-appropriately monitor. And then I think my family would stop talking to me.