Old Man Winter & Me

It's cold as hell outside right now. We are going through some of the harshest arctic air blasts in the last 20-plus years. Right now, it's probably -12 now. Feels a lot colder than that. The heater is not helping at all. Maybe I should be glad for the extra blanket that I have been saving for moments like this. Serves me right for not wearing socks to bed. My feet are feeling the cold breeze from somewhere in here. I remember seeing a picture of a fireman attempting to drink coffee in this weather. One problem: the cup of coffee grew icicles within minutes. That WAS cold. And it was from back home, too, while yours truly was a bit warmer in New Orleans at Dillard. I won't lie-it can get cold down on the bayou during the winter! The domitories did have heat when it was needed (there was a good number of us students from up north attending college at the time...especially from Chicago!). There was I,walking around the campus in shorts in 40-degree weather, trying to prove I can bear the chill. C'mon, what do you think I am, Ice Man from Marvel Comics? Even a life-long Northerner like me will know when it's too cold to bare my browness in public.

I knew it! Right now, as I am typing this diddy, it's colder here now than in Anchorage,AK. 29 degrees up there. -12 here. Go figure. You would think a person who relocates here from America's Last Frontier could at least have a "warmer" winter! It's 20 in Fairbanks,AK. Still warmer than here. Damn! 27 degrees in Nome,AK now! Sheesh! -12 here, -4 way up in Barrow,AK, where basically everything is REALLY expensive. A gallon of milk probably costs about $10. I have been told that Alaska is really cold this time of year. Understood. Who knew Sarah Palin's partial home state had flies in it as well? I even heard that there is a strong Black population (ok, 3.3%) up there in Anchorage. Wow! Tell me that they haven't been asked why do they live in a place where this time of year is lucky to get about 6 hours of daylight. What's that reality shows up there...oh, Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, Alaska:The Last Frontier, to name a few. Not that I watch all these reality shows, mind you. 

Since I saw this weather-related blues two weeks in advance, the only thing else to yak about is that 2014 has arrived...whoopty-shit! The Badgers STILL can't win a New Year's Day bowl game, and the Packers can't defeat the 49ers. I took two of the last few Sundays away from church, one of them was definitely weather-related. The holidays give me the blues, so I'm used to spending them alone in front of my laptop or the TV. No, I am not missing my family back in Brew Town...yet. However,not having my own ride and a source of income has easily been adding to my introverted status. I have been with my church for a year and a half now. Does the congregation really know me? That's something I ask myself once in a while. 

We just passed the first weekend in the new year, and old habits always die hard. I still have insecurities about forgetting the past and what endeavors will come my way this year. And I still have doubts about putting my trust in God. Since I still live with Mariah, I rarely get any time to myself to pray...but for what?  I know HE means well, yet I was forced as a kid to attend church by my Mom, dressing up to the nines, dealing with other folks at Sunday School. My dad wasn't as spiritual, so I stopped going after Mom died in 1979. There I go again, reliving the past while I continue to get older and seemingly not learning anything! I might be the one who needs to see a shrink instead of Mariah if this keeps up.