Winter in all its Glory

Forgive me, but I'm going to be Debbie Downer for this post. That being said, I'll get right to the point and stop messing around.

Ok, I HATE WINTER. Every year this hatred gets worse and worse. The weird thing is, I didn't hate it as bad when I lived in Bear Lake. And we all know that Bear Lake winters are much worse. But to help prove my point, and hopefully to provide some entertainment, I've compiled a list of why I dread this season every year. 

1. Oh sure, snow LOOKS pretty. But one step outside your door and you're slipping and sliding everywhere. It gets even more frustrating when you have a huge hill to trek up everyday to get to your "Institution of Higher Education." (Some of which is not plowed at all.) Perhaps the only way to safely reach the top of Old Main is to buy a few ice picks and some spiked boots. Either that, or I'll probably buy a sled dog team. I might as well live in the Yukon anyway. 

2. Driving in snow is even worse, and I'm sure no one can testify of this better than Mark. Last year on his birthday he totaled his car because of the cursed white stuff. Granted, driving in snow takes certain skill and caution, but I'm convinced that with every winter that passes, I'm closer to wrecking too. Just a matter of time I guess. 

3. Dressing for the cold is a hassle. Every year I have to sit and figure out what shoes I'm going to wear, and whether or not I should buy a new coat. Then comes the process of picking out the new items. My winter shoes usually end up being more function than form (as is the rest of my wardrobe.)I would love to be able to slip on my usual pair of flats before I head out the door. To top it all off, buying all these things nearly brings me to the brink of bankruptcy. 

4. I'll say this in two words: "Flu Season." The two most dreaded words. It seems odd to me that a season should bring about a deadly illness. Most of my life I've managed to avoid it, only managing to get a weak cold. But this year, as I write this, I am sniffing, sneezing, and hacking everywhere. For the past three days I've been confined to my apartment. The first day I had it, I couldn't move. Every single part of my body screamed out in pain, including my fingers. I went home from work and tried to take a long shower, because we don't have a bathtub. Showers just don't cut it sometimes, and I spent all night dreaming of taking a bath. I convinced myself that when I have a home, I would build a bathtub the size of a swimming pool. Then I would sit in it for seven hours, or until my body would become painfully pruny. Well, shortly thereafter the coughing started, and then the ailment crept northward into my nose, and there it rests. Of course my nose is in a permanent state of being clogged, so I have to breathe through my mouth. (Something I loathe entirely, especially when I sleep.) Luckily Mark was kind enough to buy me a box of tissues, but I've almost used up the whole box in a day. 

I know I'm not alone in all of this. Poor Mark has had his share of the nasty disease himself. Ugh, it just gets so old, you know what I mean?

5. Inversions. If any of you have lived in Cache Valley for a winter, you know how serious these things can get. The other day as I hiked up to campus, I turned around, glanced behind me, and couldn't see anything past the temple. I remember reading about what causes inversions in Cache Valley once. The main causes were the usual; exhaust from cars and other minor industrial fumes. The other contributer to the list was quite disturbing: COWS. Apparently the gases that come from the, uh, "by products" shall we say, are a major contributor to these inversions. Yummy, huh?

Well, I'm kind of tired of ranting, so I'll call it quits for now. I must say that I am looking forward to the tulips, green grass, and blue skies that come with Spring.