How quickly we forget.

I'm so cold! It was 17.6 degrees when I left for work this morning (I checked), with a single digit wind chill. And the temperature will be somewhat similar for the next few nights.

I keep having to remind myself that I survived 6 years in drafty old houses in Boston winters, where the weather was as cold or colder for a very long time. And the wind, oh the wind! I even waited for the bus in early mornings and late nights. And walked to work. And had to dig my car out of ice and snow.

This was the dear Harriet House in February 2003. I remember this winter vividly. It was so cold and snowy that year, for so long, and it was only my second winter out of the desert. Thankfully, I guess, I'd had a "mild" winter (as Boston winters go) the year before to ease me into it. Here are some things I remember about that winter:

• The Friday before this blizzard, I (playing the ever-dutiful admin assistant in what felt like a scene from the Keystone Kops), spent 3 hours out in a raging snowstorm trying to get a faculty candidate a cab to the airport. It was utterly ridiculous, but the flight was delayed enough so that he did make it in time. And after all that, he didn't even take the job!

• At one particularly bitter point in January, they had to shut down the harbor ferry between Charleston and South Boston for a few days because the ice was too thick. I remember calling my mom, incredulous. The ocean was frozen! Where did I live? And when could I come home?

• One morning, probably late February, I had the radio on as I was getting ready for work, and heard the current temperature was 23 degrees. I clearly remember thinking, "Oh, it's so warm this morning!". And then, I thought, "Who have I become?!".

• When it finally got to the point in the spring when I saw my first non-frozen body of water, I felt real joy.

Basically, what I'm saying is, I don't deserve to be whining about the weather right now. Many of you are dealing with worse. But, if I learned anything from my time in Boston, it's that you can always complain about the weather. I'm so cold!