"Weather"

I had to work today.  Mandatory OT.  This always happens in December, and it will probably happen in January, too, because of the weird way the water company schedules its billing.  I don't understand it myself, but I'll have to work next Saturday as well, and we'll most likely have at least 2 more OTs in January.  Well, part of it is because of all the holidays, but it's really more complicated than that.

Anyway, it was cold today, but when the wind wasn't hitting me it wasn't all that bad because when you're walking as fast as you can for 3 hours at a time, you tend to warm up pretty well.  I was also "layered up," as my wife says.

Thermal socks for my feet.  My usual work blue jeans with flannel pajama pants underneath to keep my legs warm.  Torso:  a long-sleeved work t-shirt under my work button shirt, over that a quite warm hoodie, over that my work windbreaker.  Hoodie hood on and tied under my chin, windbreaker hood over that, also tied up.  I also had a Thermos™ of hot coffee in my truck.

There was going to be this Christmas party tonight that we were invited to, but my wife has to work tonight so I wasn't going, anyway.  But then I get a call on my cell and I let it go to voicemail.  Later I listen to the voicemail and the message is that the party has been postponed "because of the weather."

This struck me as quite funny.  Weather? I thought.  No rain, no snow, no sleet, no hail, no hurricanes or tornadoes or any otherwise hazardous winds, and it isn't actually below freezing.  What weather?  There is no weather!

I think that some people in this area need to experience real cold just once to give them some perspective.  For me, "real cold" was around 20 below in North Dakota once.  I hope never to experience cold like that again.  When I got back to the truck I drove another 10 hours southeast before I stepped outside again, and in my new location it was around 20 above.  I marveled at how warm it felt.  This was when I was driving a truck, of course.  When I dropped or picked up a trailer, I would have to go around the back and write the number of the trailer down and so forth.  I had to keep the end of my pen stuck in my mouth while I was walking around to keep the ink from freezing.  I had enough of that to last me the rest of my life.