November 16th, 2005

Adaptation

Though it’s still technically Autumn, Winter is right around the corner. It rained most of the day today, but “they” are saying there’s a possibility for snow as soon as tomorrow.

This is not cool.

I grew up in Wisconsin where the winters will push you down, take your lunch money, and call you names. I can remember a specific time when the wind chill was -83° Fahrenheit… and I can also remember going shopping with my mom and my aunt during that stretch.

Here in Indiana the winters are more likely to whine at you and complain that you never hang out anymore, but it’s still annoying. The first year I was here I wore my Spring jacket until the second week of December. Sure, it was a little chilly by that time, but it wasn’t too bad. Since then, though, I’ve lost my tolerance for cold weather. Every year I move the Winter Jacket Breakout up, and this year it looks like tomorrow’s the day.

I still haven’t turned the heat on in my apartment, though. I’m holding out as long as I can on that. I’d much rather sit on the couch bundled up in a sweatshirt and several blankets than have the heat on, for some reason. This really isn’t a change from summer – I like to have the air conditioning on cold enough during the summer that I’m comfortable with a blanket wrapped around me. It doesn’t make sense and it gets expensive, but that’s just how I am, for one reason or another.

David Letterman likes to keep the Ed Sullivan Theater where The Late Show is taped pretty chilly – around 50° by some accounts. When asked why, he generally says “To keep the comedy fresh!” I’d like to think my chilly apartment accomplishes the same thing, but my few visitors would probably tell you differently.

I do like the fact that the cats are more likely to curl up next to me when it’s chilly in the apartment. They apparently don’t realize it’s my fault it’s so cold. I like the extra attention I get from them, even if it is under false pretenses.

I’m sure I’ll fold soon. It’s great to go to sleep at night when it’s chilly, but getting up in the morning when it’s cold is almost more than I’m able to do. The three minutes between getting out of a warm bed and getting into a hot shower are the longest three minutes of the day.

For now, though, I’m happy to bundle up when I get home. As soon as I have to start scraping frost of the TV in order to watch it, though, I’ll probably turn the heat on.

Probably.

5 Comments on “Adaptation”

  1. JClark says:

    I'm the same way, actually. I'm always hot at temperatures that others prefer, so I tend to keep things cool when I can. Laura is always cold, but she's also very cheap (thrifty, whatever) so all I have to do is frame it as a way to save money and she's in. It gets to be around -17 (without the wind chill) here in the winter, but we still keep the heat at around 60-65 degrees (F), which is just about right for me.

    Of course, if we had central AC I'd have to find a different tactic to convince her, though she doesn't seemt o mind running the small bedroom AC for most of the summer.

  2. Brian Arnold says:

    I have to say, New Mexico weather is pretty temperate most of the time. Yeah, the summers get kind of hot, but it's a dry heat, and while I know that phrase is awfully cliché, it's also true that drier heat just doesn't feel so nasty.

    If there's one thing I like about where I am, it's the weather. I wore a long sleeve shirt today for the heck of it, just because I knew it was going to be cooler out today than it has been, as we had our first freeze last night. Even then though, it's not bad and it'll still get up to like 50 today.

  3. Meags says:

    I've been wearing my winter coat, gloves and scarf for two weeks now. It's not cold enough yet for a hat, but there was ice pellets/hail/snow the other night so it's coming.

  4. HP says:

    I'm happy in a tshirt when others are laying on the sweaters. I'm either hot blooded or too fat.

    We don't have "heat" per se here int he House of HP. We have open fires. Now, I am very lazy and not very good at fires, so i don't tend to light them… ever.

    My parents do and more power to em, but I just wander the house wrapped up in blankets instead. The dog hates me for it.

  5. The obscure says:

    I know a lady that keeps her house at 62 during the day, but turns the heat up to 68 at night (exact opposite of how we do it at our house). She says she doesnt like her nose to be cold at night.

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