Baby, it's cold outside

Ben found out today that I have a blog and, because he doesn't understand why I would do such a thing (or who would read it), he started calling it my "liberal manifesto". (Someday I'll write my "why opposites attract" blog...) Admittedly, it would be difficult not to comment on the Iowa Caucus tonight, with the news websites full of stories with titles like, "Santorum's Anal Sex Problem"... or, at the very least, a juvenile but hilarious look at the word, "caucus".... but, in an effort to prove that I can talk about something other than politicians who have been debating whether states should ban birth control while opposing abortion, yet promising to fix our economic problems while severely limiting public benefits... Yikes, I oughtta digress...

But, seriously, my mind has been on a far less controversial subject today- the weather. Yes, more than an unoriginal yet reliable topic of conversation for those like myself, certain that nothing is more awkward (or terrifying) than silence in an elevator, the weather in Florida is a matter of great interest to an Ohio girl like me.

I will never forget my first Florida Cold Snap. I distinctly remember a Miami newscaster warning listeners of sub-tropical temperatures; reminding his public of the importance of dressing in layers for a high of 65. I recently realized that there's an extreme discrepancy in the way Floridians even talk about weather. In Ohio, when we say, "it's going to be 55 today", not only do we mean that it's finally time to break out our shorts and visit the tanning bed, but we mean that the high of the day is 55. When a Floridian *complains* that it's going to be 55 that day, they are referring to the overnight lows.

That being said, it was legitimately cold here today. When people got a glimpse of the Ugg boots I tucked my suit pants into today, many of them commented ..."but you're from OHIO". Naturally, my response is always, "riiiight, and why do you think I came here?"- but it caused me to think about an age-old myth: does moving South truly "thin your blood"?

I spent some riveting hours in court this morning researching this issue for my readers, as loyal and plentiful as they may be. First of all, blood doesn't really "thin". Your blood either clots easily or it doesn't. If your circulation is bad, certainly different parts of your body can feel cold, since they aren't getting blood all the way down there. This is entirely unrelated to where you reside.

This led me to another brilliant question: why are you always so warm when you're drunk? (aka: where does that liquor coat come from?). Answer (copied and pasted so I don't have to re-type):
One effect of alcohol is to make the skin capillaries dilate. This brings more blood to the skin. Since the heat receptors are close to the surface of the skin, you will feel warmer. However, at the same time, you will lose body heat more quickly. (With enough alcohol, you will be more likely to freeze, but less likely to care whether you do or not.)

So, there you have it. Hopefully you know a little bit more about cold weather and I bet I successfully avoided offending anyone with such a dull topic (except, ironically, Ben, who is still banned from reading my blog).

So, drink up and warm up, wherever you are!