I'm like a Yeti

Today I had to work for a whopping thirty minutes. That is due to the fact that Ma Nature has sent hard white pellets plummeting from the sky today. It is also really freakin' cold. It's 20 degrees here! That's 12 whole degrees below freezing! Man can't live in this kind of harsh environ. So I went ahead and went to work this morning, but as soon as it started raining at 8:30, my boss found out it was below freezing by checking the internet and sent me home. I live 5 minutes from my work, but I still managed to skid all over the road once during my trip. Also, my class is cancelled for tonight, so with a lack of obligations, I set up our Christmas tree. That involved trekking to the shed to get out the Christmas stuff and getting sleet in my sandals. Well, they're actually mules, but there was definitely sleet inside them. Well, they're made by a company called Born with a slash across the o, which means they're probably from some place cold where everybody's blonde, so that means they're winter footwear, right? It's cold so seldom here, we are just really ill equipped to handle it. When I sent Ethan's winter stuff up to Utah, his step mom Becky called me to ask if I was going to send his winter coat. I told her that I did send it, it's blue with grey lining, and still in really good condition cause he's only worn it about 2 times. She laughed. She said that was not a winter coat, it was a fall coat. It's not my fault I live somewhere that has almost perfect living conditions! Except for that 6 months of the year when it's 120 degrees, it's wonderful here!

I can't believe she laughed at me. Of course I once laughed at an Alaskan, so maybe it's karma. Funny story. When I was working at FEMA, there was a forest fire in Alaska that was declared a disaster. We didn't get many calls from Alaskans, but the ones who did call were not looking for a hand out, just a loan to help them get back on their feet. I was very impressed by them, but that's beside the point. One day in high summer on an unusually hot summer, a lady called and, as we waited for the computer to load up, told me she was dying cause it was SO hot there on account of a heat wave. I couldn't imagine how hot it might get in Alaska, so I had to ask just how hot it was. She told me it was 70 degrees, and she was just BURNING UP! I should have maintained my professionalism, but I couldn't help it. I started laughing. She said, "Umm, I'm guessing you're some place warm." I said, "Uh, yeah, I'm in Texas." She said, "Oh, I bet it's pretty hot there." "Yep. Outside it's currently 120 degrees in the shade," I replied. She observed that she would die. "Yes. Yes you would," I said.

So everyone that lives in more icy climes can laugh at me if they will, but I've lived here in Texas all my life. I can handle hot. Cold not so much.