It is winter, and with winter comes single digit temperatures, additional layers of clothing – and millions of frozen New Yorkers praying for temperatures that do not come with a “wind chill factor”. Personally, I hate the cold weather. When it is warmer in my refrigerator then it is outside, that really ticks me off. But this year, the temperatures have dropped to a level that I have not seen in years.

While it is usually chilly this time of year – this past week it has been so unusually freezing cold that I can not even stand outside for more then thirty seconds without my body starting to uncontrollably shiver no matter how many layers of clothes I have on. This most recently happened to me last night when I went out for sushi. Doug and I went outside so he could smoke a cigarette – and it was so cold that I had to run back into the restaurant before he even finished smoking.

Besides the fact that it is freezing outside, the frigid temperatures have even managed to sneak into my own home. I live in a duplex walk up, and since I have lived here – I have truly learned that heat does indeed rise. The top floor of my apartment is warmer then the first floor – and when I went downstairs the other day to go out – I was still inside, on the third step from the bottom landing and the door was still shut – and I could see my breath.

When its this cold, what are we supposed to do? You sure as hell can’t stay in your house under the covers all day because duty calls, and no matter how many layers of clothes you put on, that cold air still manages to creep inside of you and freeze you to death – and going on vacation is not an option, at least for me because I just came back from one. And the worst part is that according to the “ever accurate” weathermen that we are forced to rely on – this cold weather is not going away anytime soon.

I guess I better bundle up – and stock up on hot tea, chicken soup – and thermal underwear.