All Things Profane and Sacred

Oregon has made me into a pussy. I woke up this morning to 50 degree weather and felt frozen to the bone. Put on three layers to walk the dog. Spent said walk fantasizing about being warm.

As I walked, I thought about home. About a certain winters day when I had to take the bus downtown to school to take a film final. I don't remember how cold it was at the time, but it was somewhere below zero. Once you get down there, differences are just a matter of degree (ha ha). I do remember that the wind was sharp and you could hear that humming buzzy noise that means it is damn cold and not about to get any warmer any time soon. The sort of day that no one in their right mind would voluntarily go out into. But I had a final dammit.

Anyhow, the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison is pretty big, so to get to the final I knew I'd be doing some treking. I put on a set of long johns, and then some sweats over that, a larger pair of sweats over those, a skirt, a few shirts and a big coat over that. Then hat, two scarves and mittens. God bless layers.

Went out to the bus stop. Waited in a miserable huddle, looking like an abandoned babuska. Waited. Waited. Waited. Eventually (my roomate said I was out there about 45 minutes-time had really lost all meaning at that point) I came back inside to yell at the bus company. Apparently for some reason known only to themselves, they change their schedule about the same time finals start at the university. Thanks guys. Good plan.

Now that is cold. This? This is nothing. At least I keep telling myself that. But I'm still cold as hell.