i am cold
i could also title this entry "i have a cold" or "it's awfully cold outside." both are true, truer in fact than me being cold actually, but all that would change if i ventured outside for a minute. yesterday morning i started feeling a little under the weather, and getting under this particular weather isn't easy: the wind chill itself dropped down to -40 last night and it's -36 as i write this.
it's the second time in two weeks that it has gotten this cold. the last time was the end of january, the last day of our interim term. i was due to pick up my brother from the airport in the afternoon, and i had to be at school for final presentations. my housemate showed up at the house without his car. he had been driving back to school from the twin cities, and his car had broken down on the trip. so i was going to drive him and myself in to school, at least if my car would start. it almost didn't. it came on and immediately shut off. i tried again, and revved the engine a bit, and it started. i went back inside, to let it warm up a little bit (something i don't often do). just as we were about to leave, our third housemate got up and wished us well--he was planning to stick around the house and stay warm for a little while longer.
we left, turned out of the driveway, drove a tenth of a mile and turned again, and i heard and felt something wrong with the car. i thought it was a flat tire, so we both checked our sides of the car: the front left was flat, and there was a -40 wind chill. our third housemate came and picked us up, getting himself up and out much earlier than he wanted i know. but we made it into school. i listened to final presentations, and then sat in my car for two hours until the tow truck showed up. it was cold in the car. a cop did drive by and ask if i was warm enough. i said yes. i had left on my emergency flashing lights while in at work, and when i got to the car it wouldn't start. after about an hour, it did start up again, and i was able to get a little bit of warmth. once the tow truck was there, everything was fine--i sat in his truck and got warm, then sat around in the shop while they fixed the tire. my brother landed just a little early, and i still didn't know whether the car would be ready soon enough to pick him up, or if he should head elsewhere for a while. but they had it fixed quickly, and i left town for the airport only twenty minutes late. it was a cold day, but it worked out.
this time around, because i'm not feeling well, and because it just makes sense, i'm not driving anywhere today.
we've had some cold weather this winter, more bursts of colder weather and wind than in the last few years--probably since i was in high school. but when i was in high school, i have two memories of weather and wind chills much colder than even what we've had this year.
the first was when i was a freshman in high school. following in the steps of my older brothers and building on my experiences doing sound for my band, i was the sound man for the winter theater production. actually, i was one of three, but i was sort of in charge of this particular one (we alternated who ran the mixer and did the effects cues--it would have been a lot easier even a year later with mp3/cd-burning technologies). there were two days in the week before the performances where school was called off because of the cold: -60 to -70 wind chills. but the die-hard theater director was still having walk-throughs, for most of the day, both days.
even though my family lived pretty close to the high school, my parents didn't want me to be out in the cold, with a good chance of cars not starting, that sort of thing. but more importantly, they thought it was stupid that we'd have extracurricular activities when we couldn't have school. honestly, i didn't really want to go in also, and i thought it was stupid too, but i had the social pressures of my friends calling me up and telling me that they needed me there, and even putting the director on the phone (whom i would have the next year for english class). my friends offered to come to my house and pick me up, all that sort of thing. but my parents didn't budge and instead said they were fine with talking to the director (for some reason, she passed... go figure). this play marked my turning point away from theater (having acted in oliver when my older brothers were running sound, lights, and managing the stage). i still ran sound for another play and helped dismantle sets for another year (this was my favorite part any way), but i moved on to other activities...
the second time that it was terribly cold, cold enough to cancel school, was my sophomore year of high school, the year that we had more snow than any other i've been alive. in addition to numerous 100+ mile round trips to play indoor soccer, i was also playing full time with my band. because three of the four of us were in choir that year, the new choir director had agreed to let us use the choir room and a bunch of equipment to record an album over a long weekend. it happened to be cold then, too: a -50 to -60 wind chill. the choir direct let us into the room the day of school before that weekend. but the first problem was that the microphones and cables had gotten locked away in another room, and we didn't have the key to that, and the teacher who did wasn't going to drive in to school 10 miles (and back) just to open the door for us. so we called up one of my friends who could get in to the microphones. he came through with a little bit of illicit magic (which he had learned from my oldest brother, passed down through a few senior class generations).
once we started, the actual recording went pretty well. this was the last time we recorded tapes (my bands had made and sold tapes quite a few times before)--that summer we became the first high school band in the area to record a cd, which was sweet. but aside from making some pretty decent recordings in a matter of hours, the highlight of the experience was ordering pizza and the impressions done about the pizza guy on the phone, along with discussions of mung, which was our singer's word for the thick saliva/snot junk that collected in the back of his throat and gave his voice a rough texture. i can't remember enough about the pizza guy impressions to tell the story, but if i remember right, it wasn't very nice (but very funny), and was probably doubly unkind given that the pizza people brought us food in the coldest weather of the year.
so there's a few cold weather stories. the craziest cold weather stories i know involve my parents and grandparents, but i'll save those for another time. in terms of my life lately, i've watched a few basketball games this weekend, spent most of my time in bed, and watched the princess bride again (i guess this movie is kind of like comfort food for me: i've watched it a couple hundred times--no joke here--and still love it). it's a good movie for a sick kid, whether it's 1980s era fred savage, or me. it makes me smile and laugh and do all those other things i like to do with movies. it's sort of like this song, something that could easily be a springtime song, but still feels relaxed and happy on a cold day. besides her voice, i like the way she connects words with near-rhymes. her songs don't astound me with their literary prowess, but her aural aesthetics are amazing (she sounds nice).
clam, crab, cockle, cowrie by joanna newsom
that means no
where i come from
i am cold
out waiting for the day to come
i chew my lips and i scratch my nose
feels so good to be a rose
oh don't, don't you lift me up
like i'm that shy
no just give it up
there are bats all dissolving in a row
into the wishy-washy dark that cannot let go
i cannot let go
so i thank the lord and i thank his sword
though it be mincing up the morning, slightly bored
oh morning without warning like a hole
and i watch you go
there are some mornings when the sky looks like a road
there are some dragons who were built to have and hold
and some machines are dropped from great heights lovingly
and some great bellies ache with many bumblebees
and they sting so terribly
i do as i please
now i'm on my knees
your skin is something that i stir into my tea
and i am watching you
and you are starry, starry, starry
and i'm tumbling down
and i check a frown
it's why i love this town
well, just look around
to see me serenaded hourly
and celebrated sourly
and dedicated dourly
waltzing with the open sea
clam, crab, cockle, cowrie
oh will you just look at me
it's the second time in two weeks that it has gotten this cold. the last time was the end of january, the last day of our interim term. i was due to pick up my brother from the airport in the afternoon, and i had to be at school for final presentations. my housemate showed up at the house without his car. he had been driving back to school from the twin cities, and his car had broken down on the trip. so i was going to drive him and myself in to school, at least if my car would start. it almost didn't. it came on and immediately shut off. i tried again, and revved the engine a bit, and it started. i went back inside, to let it warm up a little bit (something i don't often do). just as we were about to leave, our third housemate got up and wished us well--he was planning to stick around the house and stay warm for a little while longer.
we left, turned out of the driveway, drove a tenth of a mile and turned again, and i heard and felt something wrong with the car. i thought it was a flat tire, so we both checked our sides of the car: the front left was flat, and there was a -40 wind chill. our third housemate came and picked us up, getting himself up and out much earlier than he wanted i know. but we made it into school. i listened to final presentations, and then sat in my car for two hours until the tow truck showed up. it was cold in the car. a cop did drive by and ask if i was warm enough. i said yes. i had left on my emergency flashing lights while in at work, and when i got to the car it wouldn't start. after about an hour, it did start up again, and i was able to get a little bit of warmth. once the tow truck was there, everything was fine--i sat in his truck and got warm, then sat around in the shop while they fixed the tire. my brother landed just a little early, and i still didn't know whether the car would be ready soon enough to pick him up, or if he should head elsewhere for a while. but they had it fixed quickly, and i left town for the airport only twenty minutes late. it was a cold day, but it worked out.
this time around, because i'm not feeling well, and because it just makes sense, i'm not driving anywhere today.
we've had some cold weather this winter, more bursts of colder weather and wind than in the last few years--probably since i was in high school. but when i was in high school, i have two memories of weather and wind chills much colder than even what we've had this year.
the first was when i was a freshman in high school. following in the steps of my older brothers and building on my experiences doing sound for my band, i was the sound man for the winter theater production. actually, i was one of three, but i was sort of in charge of this particular one (we alternated who ran the mixer and did the effects cues--it would have been a lot easier even a year later with mp3/cd-burning technologies). there were two days in the week before the performances where school was called off because of the cold: -60 to -70 wind chills. but the die-hard theater director was still having walk-throughs, for most of the day, both days.
even though my family lived pretty close to the high school, my parents didn't want me to be out in the cold, with a good chance of cars not starting, that sort of thing. but more importantly, they thought it was stupid that we'd have extracurricular activities when we couldn't have school. honestly, i didn't really want to go in also, and i thought it was stupid too, but i had the social pressures of my friends calling me up and telling me that they needed me there, and even putting the director on the phone (whom i would have the next year for english class). my friends offered to come to my house and pick me up, all that sort of thing. but my parents didn't budge and instead said they were fine with talking to the director (for some reason, she passed... go figure). this play marked my turning point away from theater (having acted in oliver when my older brothers were running sound, lights, and managing the stage). i still ran sound for another play and helped dismantle sets for another year (this was my favorite part any way), but i moved on to other activities...
the second time that it was terribly cold, cold enough to cancel school, was my sophomore year of high school, the year that we had more snow than any other i've been alive. in addition to numerous 100+ mile round trips to play indoor soccer, i was also playing full time with my band. because three of the four of us were in choir that year, the new choir director had agreed to let us use the choir room and a bunch of equipment to record an album over a long weekend. it happened to be cold then, too: a -50 to -60 wind chill. the choir direct let us into the room the day of school before that weekend. but the first problem was that the microphones and cables had gotten locked away in another room, and we didn't have the key to that, and the teacher who did wasn't going to drive in to school 10 miles (and back) just to open the door for us. so we called up one of my friends who could get in to the microphones. he came through with a little bit of illicit magic (which he had learned from my oldest brother, passed down through a few senior class generations).
once we started, the actual recording went pretty well. this was the last time we recorded tapes (my bands had made and sold tapes quite a few times before)--that summer we became the first high school band in the area to record a cd, which was sweet. but aside from making some pretty decent recordings in a matter of hours, the highlight of the experience was ordering pizza and the impressions done about the pizza guy on the phone, along with discussions of mung, which was our singer's word for the thick saliva/snot junk that collected in the back of his throat and gave his voice a rough texture. i can't remember enough about the pizza guy impressions to tell the story, but if i remember right, it wasn't very nice (but very funny), and was probably doubly unkind given that the pizza people brought us food in the coldest weather of the year.
so there's a few cold weather stories. the craziest cold weather stories i know involve my parents and grandparents, but i'll save those for another time. in terms of my life lately, i've watched a few basketball games this weekend, spent most of my time in bed, and watched the princess bride again (i guess this movie is kind of like comfort food for me: i've watched it a couple hundred times--no joke here--and still love it). it's a good movie for a sick kid, whether it's 1980s era fred savage, or me. it makes me smile and laugh and do all those other things i like to do with movies. it's sort of like this song, something that could easily be a springtime song, but still feels relaxed and happy on a cold day. besides her voice, i like the way she connects words with near-rhymes. her songs don't astound me with their literary prowess, but her aural aesthetics are amazing (she sounds nice).
clam, crab, cockle, cowrie by joanna newsom
that means no
where i come from
i am cold
out waiting for the day to come
i chew my lips and i scratch my nose
feels so good to be a rose
oh don't, don't you lift me up
like i'm that shy
no just give it up
there are bats all dissolving in a row
into the wishy-washy dark that cannot let go
i cannot let go
so i thank the lord and i thank his sword
though it be mincing up the morning, slightly bored
oh morning without warning like a hole
and i watch you go
there are some mornings when the sky looks like a road
there are some dragons who were built to have and hold
and some machines are dropped from great heights lovingly
and some great bellies ache with many bumblebees
and they sting so terribly
i do as i please
now i'm on my knees
your skin is something that i stir into my tea
and i am watching you
and you are starry, starry, starry
and i'm tumbling down
and i check a frown
it's why i love this town
well, just look around
to see me serenaded hourly
and celebrated sourly
and dedicated dourly
waltzing with the open sea
clam, crab, cockle, cowrie
oh will you just look at me
posted by Brett Werner at
2:53 PM
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