Chill

This might actually be a record for me. -39 C with windchill. At temperatures like this I've been told your pee can freeze before it hits the grown. I haven't tested that yet for fear of getting frostbite in my nether regions, and having to explain that to my colleagues in the ER.

"Erm, my bathroom window was open when I went to take a leak"

I'm sure they've heard of that one before. Anyways. Coming from Malaysia and experiencing winters not too long ago (damn, has it really been 11 years??) I've come across some unexpected, even surprising things. Among them:

1. Yes, as Calvin (of Hobbes fame) pointed out, your boogers CAN and WILL freeze. You get pretty little yellow pebbles that you can flick off rather than wipe on the couch.
2. It can still be freezing cold despite the warm-looking and tempting sun. Don't trust what Mother Nature is showing. Check the forecast.
3. Yes, you can write your name in the snow with your pee. It takes a lot of acrobatics, especially if your name is something like "Elizabeth". And the ugly yellow stains last a while.
4. In a weird qwerk of nature, it can rain (yes, rain!!) in the bitter cold. A phenomenon known as freezing rain, when things immediately freeze over upon contact with the grown, essentially giving you a thick layer of smooth ice. Extremely destructive. Despite my rave reviews of the Blizzak LM25 winter tires, my car was stuck 50 m from my home, just last week. In fact, even walking is damn near impossible.
5. Don't mean squat that you can skateboard well (yes, believe it or not); snowboarding is a totally different animal (note to self: avoid doing a totally new dangerous sport just to impress a cute chick from Australia)
6. Yes, you CAN soak in an outdoor hot tub in the winter. In fact, it's probably on the top 10 bodily experiences in my book (right above taking a dump on a high-tech Japanese toilet seat). It's surreal; your body in the warm, almost hot, water, while cold snowflakes fall on your face. Your body is confused. Just make sure you don't soak too long and pass out when you get up (like my friend April did!).

Still, believe it or not, I like winter. Not my favourite season, but I don't mind it. It's a pretty time of the year, and snow can be pretty darn fun.