it's cold here.

It is cold here. Last week the temperatures were down in the "teens" and my car hesitated to start when I tried it for work.  We had two days in the fifties but the cold still felt thick--like maybe it's so far inside of me by this point that the actual temperature doesn't factor in. My bones are in frozen hibernation and the only respite is Florida.

My apartment is a basement and the door to the outside doesn't quite close all the way.  I have a long skinny pillow with a design of row houses painted on it that is meant to be stuffed down at the bottom of the door to prevent the air from wafting in down low to the ground.  This is fairly effective, however there is also a gap between the door and the rest of the door frame. I can look through and see a little line of light.  The little pillow doesn't frame the whole door, dang it.  The thermostat is upstairs so there isn't much I can do about this except to turn on the gas fire place when I'm home for long enough.  Then I wrap myself up in a fleece blanket and sit on the brick fire place to warm up.  I've also resorted to running my hands and feet under scalding water in the sink, wearing five layers, doing the dishes more often by hand and making sure to fold the laundry when it is just out of the dryer.

The low body degree issue is compounded by a few things.  For instance I am addicted to ice water. My cells are probably on the verge of explosion because I drink so much water.  There are these insulated no-sweat plastic cups called Tervis Tumblers and they have straws.  These things go everywhere with me full of ice and water.  I probably drink over 150 ounces of water a day, no joke, and my sister commented on how even when she was 8 months pregnant I peed more than she did. It might be a problem.  So it's freezing cold and then I guzzle cold liquids.  No wonder my guts are frozen.  

I am also an outdoors person.  We're not talking camping, I don't have any great desire to be rugged. However I have a real need to be outside and in natural light.  In fact I can hardly stand to be inside during the daylight hours.  Windows help, but since I live in the basement the best option for me is to, obviously, go outside.  So I do.  Sometimes I go for a walk around the neighborhood and call my mom to catch up.  Holding the cell phone turns my hands into ice.  Sometimes, though, I just sit outside on the deck and read.  It's thirty-five degrees and my body is shivering with cold, but I have to be outside.  So I sit there as long as I can possibly stand it and read.  Just finished Kite Runner. Had to read the last few chapters inside.  It helped that it was gray out.

Winter is good for Christmas and snow, but I'll be glad to dismiss it come... March?? Please say yes.