Frozen Solid
A quick check of the temperature this morning reveals a deadly Minnesota story and a plot driven by unbearable circumstances. It’s -24 degrees right now. My one goal for this morning, for the whole day really, was to get myself a bearclaw from the local bakery. That plan is shot. Four minutes outside in this air and any exposed skin becomes immediately frostbitten. I actually live in a part of the country where during certain months if you don’t dress properly or if you take too much time lollygagging outside you will die?!? I don’t think I need to read anymore of those epic books about people who endure Mount Everest and live to tell about it. Instead, I raise my glass to my neighbor, who has to start his fucking car in this nonsense. He realizes that he didn’t fill the gas tank last night hopping against nature that the weather would break by morning, now he’ll have to stop and take care of that. He curses a million times under his breath. He’s got to take his little one to daycare and then he’s got to sit on the interstate, frozen in his car, listening to the worst talk radio ever. A funeral procession. He thinks about his job, his mortgage payment, his car payment, the years left to retirement, the years left to the end, his buddies who are golfing in Hawaii right now without him. It’s a grim picture folks. I better raise my glass again to my neighbor. I salute you! Sucker!

As for me, I don’t have my bearclaw, but I do have my fireplace and I do have my computer. I’ll chuck out a few hours of work here while I put more wood on the fire. Then I’m going to put the machine down sit in my most comfortable chair, stare out the window and try not to think about anything for the rest of the day. T.G.I.F. baby.