School's out: It's too cold!

So I'm reading my friends' blogs, and most this week mentioned snow (a rarity in Texas) or freezing temperatures (in other parts of the country). So I thought I'd share more details on what it's like when the temperature is single digits and the wind chill is below 0.

School's out: They actually cancelled school for two days in most districts because it's too cold. Yes, these schools have functioning heaters. We're talking poor and affluent districts. Everywhere. This one really shocked me (though as a child I would have been thrilled).

Too cold to breathe: I found myself barely breathing in for the short walk into my building. When I would, you could feel the cold burn inside. This is also a good time to mention that the best part about my promotion is by far parking in our heated garage. Yes, I pay for it ($5 more than regular parking), but it's worth every penny. The garage is heated, so when I leave work each night, my car is comfortable and the thermometer reads in the 40s. And I will never have to scrape ice or snow in my work clothes again.

Maybe not skirt weather: People still wore skirts on these ridicoulsy cold days, so I thought I'd try. Stupid idea. When the wind would hit, I could barely move.

Dry, dry, dry: With extremely cold temps usually comes very dry weather. (And sunny, apparently. We don't see sun much here in the winter, yet it has been blue skies all week. The weather gods are cruel here.) So my face is dry, my lips, my skin. I can't get enough water.

Mood swings: I had never heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder until we moved here and one of my coworkers said she suffers from it. At times, I've thought it's just another excuse. After witnessing folks during this week, I completely believe in it. Everyone has appeared more tired and crankier this week. (I blame it on being nearly 7 months pregnant.) The cold is depressing.

Hmmm ... and we wonder why we have so few friends visit us during the winter!