The Cold

It was 7 degrees when I got up this morning. When the sun came up, it dropped to 5 (how does that even happen?) and now, it's 10.

It's cold. Just in case you didn't gather that. And I have to go out in it.

Over the past few days I've slowly begun to take care of little errands I've had to run around the house, things I've been putting off for weeks but now finally have the time to do. I've been living, basically, off of the food I brought home from Omaha, the pizza I froze before the trip up there (which there's still a bit left of) and the snacks and other foods my parents mailed me in my box, and that totally has to stop or I'm going to gain thirty pounds over the rest of this winter break. So, I've been trying to cook a little here and there. Today I plan to make steamed broccoli and rice, for example.

Normally I don't care about gaining/losing weight -- my weight has always fluctuated greatly over the years, but generally I remain about the same size and weight that I've been since I lost a ton of it in 06-07 or so, with maybe 10-20 pounds' difference one way or the other from year's start to year's end. I don't spiral out of control and balloon up, nor do I shrivel and shrink to nothingness. I told Daisy last night that I think I've gained a little weight since we've been together, but it's probably because I'm actually eating now, and eating more heartily -- especially when she's here or I'm there, and I don't have to pay for/cook/eat my own food. As odd as that may sound, I eat what I can afford to eat, and my grocery trips consist of little more than what I need to survive on for another week or so.

I've slowly started to watch through the movies I've collected over the past year or so; I mentioned yesterday that I watched Wreck-It Ralph for the first time. The day before that, I watched The Hangover Part III. Tonight I'll probably watch The World's End, which should arrive on my doorstep via UPS this afternoon thanks to April's Amazon gift card. Before leaving for Omaha, I systematically went through my DVD rack in the living room and packed away everything that didn't need to be sitting out anymore -- stuff I've collected and have already watched over the course of the past year or three -- and boxed it all up to make more room in said rack. I also need to put away my Sega Genesis (which I haven't even turned on for a good eight months or so) and box up my VCR as well. So yes, little things, little chores/errands around the house, things I've been meaning to do for a long time are slowly getting done.

I mentioned before that I had to go out today, and this is true -- as mentioned in my previous post, I do have to go shopping this morning, venturing out into the cold in order to get the essentials I need for another week or two. I'll more than likely put it, once more, on my Discover card, as it has the smallest amount of charges on it compared to my other two cards, but a much higher limit. The money I have in my bank account right now must be saved, as much as possible, to cover bills with over the course of this month until I get paid again. I'm also mailing two Christmas checks to my parents today so that they can be dropped into my bank account back home ASAP to help bring up my total in there a bit, but when it comes to bills they're a mere drop in the bucket -- the total of the two checks is $40 less than what my electric bill is for the month. Luckily, said electric bill isn't due for about another three weeks. This doesn't necessarily matter, though, as in another three weeks I'll have another one that's just as high because of this biting cold.

I suppose it could be worse -- one of my friends from high school who lives in North Dakota posted on Facebook this morning, saying that the actual temperature there is -21. I don't know how people can live in climates like that. I can't fathom it. The coldest temperatures I've ever experienced myself were around -15, when I was in high school and living on top of the mountain back home, and when I first began grad school here in Kansas there were some mornings in the winter where the temperature was -10. I've become less tolerant of the cold over the years -- this morning, for example, by running the furnace near-constantly I've finally gotten the temperature in the house to hover around 65 or so, and I'm still sitting here wearing layers because I'm cold. The only two tolerable seasons in this house are spring and fall; winter is way too cold to keep comfortable and summer is way too hot.

My sinus infection has been basically eradicated already, as I wrote last night, though swooping right back in to replace it in my freshly-cleared nasal passages were my allergies. I'm pretty sure I blew my nose thirty times this morning. I'm allergic, as you know, to changing weather patterns (read: the cold and snow of yesterday), and the dry air being circulated by my electric furnace doesn't help matters any -- it just stirs up dust and dries out my skin. I sincerely long for the days when I can turn the furnace off and open all of the windows again because it's 65 outside.

My hemorrhoid has mostly gone away as well. I'm hoping it completely disappears within the next day or so, especially because the Bactrim I'm taking for the sinus infection seems to have me, ahem, using the facilities more than usual.

Then again, that could just be my terrible diet over the course of the past several days, too. I'm sure it's not helping much.

I checked the road conditions online, even though I'm not driving too far back and forth to go to Walmart. Most main roads are clear, as they've been treated, but as I have to drive 90% of that trip through neighborhood streets that get no plowing or treatment whatsoever, it's more than likely going to be a very slow, hairy drive. I really don't have much of a choice in the matter, though; there's stuff I need and the cats need litter and food.  There's only so long I can wait before I run out of everything important. I plan to take the "easy" route there and back, and hopefully the roads won't be too snow-packed or icy. As you know, the Monte Carlo handles well in snow, as long as it's actually snow, not snowpack. It'll also be the first time I've taken her out of the garage since finals week, as well.

So. Let's get to it, shall we?