California-itis

Each year, for the past few years, I have gotten bronchitis or a bronchitis-like respiratory illness in the fall. This past fall, not only did I not get one, but I didn't even get a cold. Which was amazing considering: a) my stress levels and irregular sleep patterns b) the amount of time I spend in hospitals around sick people, and c) that I now live in a much colder environment requiring bundling when you're outside and heat when you're in. When I was home for Christmas, I realized all this, and smugly gave myself a virtual pat on the back for being healthy.

By the time I got on my red-eye back to B'more, I had the first signs of a cough. And I blamed Southern California.

My cough ran its course and by early to mid-January it was gone for the most part.

But then...I got a bad cold. I thought maybe it was just an encore presentation of my Cali-induced winter cough. A little perk for going out dancing before I was actually ready for such activities. Whatever it was, it went away last week.

But then...I started coughing again. Last night, in fact.

I'd like to continue thinking that my theory still stands. That I don't get sick in MD and that this is merely a continuation of my So Cal Disease. But the half nurse in me knows that is probably not true. Maybe karma is giving me a little kick for wrongfully assuming that the life I lead here is healthy.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...now that I am inside

I had a hard final today and I’m behind in studying for my next two exams, but none of that matters because is it snowing. And that is a VERY big deal. Mainly because I’ve never lived in a place where it snows. And even though I’ve skied several times and traveled to snowy areas, I have very rarely spent a day in a place where it snows a lot. All day long. Until perfect puffy white piles lay nestled onto trees, ledges, and rooftops everywhere.

I always heard—from the people that know—that it doesn’t snow much in B’more. And when it does, it’s not for long, it doesn’t stick, and it doesn’t happen until Jan/Feb. So you can imagine my surprise when I noticed some flaky white things in the air as I drove to school today. And then my surprise when I got out of my final to see the world swept under a blanket of white. This, by the way, makes any city look beautiful. Between each class I ran up to the closest window (along with the other Cali kids) to see if the snow was still there. And each time, I could not help but point out to anyone who was near me that "It was snowing!" The kids from New England really loved that.

During the last few weeks I have been on a bit of a learning curve in terms of cold weather. I’ve learned that my warm jackets from California aren’t warm. And after realizing that the hard way, I’ve acquired a few real jackets and discovered things like “puffers” (wearable down comforters). So now I “know” how to do cold and I’ve got the right materials. When the weather station said there would be snow today, I thought to myself, “That’s probably not going to happen.” And then I smugly put on my leather riding boots and big puffer jacket knowing that snow or not, I’m totally down with the cold weather and can survive anything now that I am a seasoned resident of a wintry city. “Bring it on” I thought, as I left my apartment (where the thermostat is pretty much always above 75).

So I expected cold, but I did not expect to climb another steep section of my “Life in B’more” learning curve. When I walked back to my car after school I noticed that the pretty puffy white blanket I admired all day long also covered my car. Six hours of puffy white blanket, in fact. I almost passed my car ‘cause I did not recognize the shapeless white monstrosity it had become.

I saw other people wiping their cars off before driving with scraping thingies. So I thought maybe I should do the same. I put my stuff inside the car and discovered how heavy a trunk lid full of snow can be. When I finally propped it open, a bunch of snow fell in. Joy. Then, the only tool I could find to scrap my windows off with was a water bottle. The snow had not become icy so it actually worked quite well, but I didn’t have any gloves on. That was fine for a bit, but after five minutes outside shuffling snow off my car with a water bottle, I sorta lost feeling in my fingers.

More things I realized from the day’s adventures: windshield wipers aren’t just for rain; snow melts into water and then you become wet; wear gloves when handling large amounts of icy material outside; and, appreciate parking in an indoor garage.

After warming up and changing into better snow clothes, I went out to photograph the experience.

These are the rain boots the General got me for my b-day. They came in handy during my photo break!

These are snowflakes on my glove.

A Hippopotamus for Christmas

I feel like I'm hibernating. Seriously, all I want to do is sleep and eat sweet potato soup (well, I'll anything that's warm and comforting and right now, that happens to be sweet potato soup). But since I cannot just eat and sleep, and since I have to motivate for finals, I am trying to make my apartment conducive to studying...

...so I decorated for Xmas. The heat is back on and it's nice and warm. And Christmas decorations need thermal PJ's and Christmas music, right?? So I'm not doing much studying. I am, however, being productive in other ways. I'm making a lot of sweet potato soup and working on all your Christmas gifts!!! So you should thank me for being a big fat lazy student.

Here are pictures of my decorations. They're not much but it works. The tree is a living Christmas tree. I am hoping that he brings some good ROI for future Christmases.

Since I'm listening to a lot of Christmas music, I'm learning the lyrics to many random Christmas songs. One of the songs the local Christmas radio station plays over and over again is called I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. It's so annoying and I used to dislike it, but now I find myself humming it throughout the day.

Check out these lyrics:

No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses/ I only like hippopotamuses

Mom says the hippo would eat me up but then/Teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian

What is more fun than a Christmas hippo?

The Cold and the Crab

It's cold. And they turned my heat off for the next 48 hours to fix something. I guess it's better they do this sort of thing now, before the 30/40 degree temperatures turn into 20 degree ones. All the real Marylanders would laugh to hear me complain, but I am a brand new one (been a resident for a day!) So as this California transplant sits here typing I am forced to rely on wearing fleece clothing and keeping a very old heating pad (circa 1970??? stolen from my momma) on my lap.

It's funny. The weather has become so much more a part of my life here. It's almost like a friend or neighbor. Every morning I wonder what it's got in store for the day. And every evening I wonder what the next few nights will be like. And it can vary so suddenly...it always keeps me on my toes. The thing is, I kind of like it. Sure, I don't like being too cold and I don't like when I make the wrong decision about what jacket to bring, sleeping with the window open, or forgetting my umbrella, but for the most part I kind of like it. Each season is an "event" now. It really makes the passing of time more interesting.

In Southern California, I only thought about the weather when we had some. Which wasn't very often. And, in my opinion, there were only three seasons that tended to blend together... clear/sunny/warm, hot/dry/Santa Ana's, and the days of "just-cold-enough-to-wear-that-new-scarf-as-long-as-the-only-thing-on-under-it-is-as-thick-as-a-t-shirt" cold.
Yeah. Right now, I am cold. But I like it. Soon my So Cal blood will thicken up. And then living here in the winter and sporting a drivers license with a CRAB* on it, will feel normal.

It's true...MD drivers licences do have crabs on them. Crab is a big deal here.

Duck, Duck, Goose

It’s cold. And apparently, it’s going to get colder. It made me realize, more clearly, how my Southern California winter clothes just aren’t...well...real winter clothes. My jackets are cute, but they’re not all that warm. And they tend to be all more for a professional/work-oriented look. Some of my sweaters were bought several years ago, when I spent a lot more time in Chicago. With the ever popular low-rise pants trend, my sweaters have become more and more (unintentionally) cropped. Belly-button length. So that when you reach for something everyone sees your tummy. It’s very annoying.

So during this last week, when temps got down into the 30’s and 40’s, I bought some much needed sweaters and jackets. I love them all and can’t wait to wrap up in their warm goodness. One in particular is fabulous! It’s filled with down and goose feathers and it’s like wearing a (stylish) comforter when you walk around. The other day I was walking to the bus (in the dark, at 6 AM in 30 degree weather with an even colder wind-chill) and I couldn’t even feel the wind thanks to my beautiful new jacket. It occurred to me while I stood waiting for the bus with a sweaty back, that I totally get how the ducks do it. That is, how they survive the elements. With my new jacket, I too could become a duck.