Weird Winter

These are some of the weird things I witness during the winter.

• People wear sandals barefooted. I know it is indoors, but still it is winter. Now it almost becomes a trend to be barefooted. Too bad my feet are not pretty and I tend to hide them in socks and shoes.
• People eat ice creams. I see this very often in shopping malls. At first, I was really shocked. I thought icy treats are the fixed features of summer, but that’s not the case. I have a friend who drinks icy drinks and eat ice creams during the winter and we all admire him and tell him that he is so Americanized that he now has an American stomach. It is true Asians from Asia drink hot teas and even hot water. I mean a lot of people even drink hot water and hot tea during summer, like my grandfather. Once I asked for hot water in a restaurant somewhere in Pennsylvania and the waitress was surprised. I immediately changed to hot tea and she smiled with understanding.
• People wear shirt and shorts to go to a store. I know you can run from your car to the store quickly and no need for wintry clothing, but what if you have a flat tire and have to deal with the jack and the spare tire in the freezing temperature.
• People fix their room temperature at 60F, which is 15C, and everybody has to wear winter clothes indoors. When friends come for a visit, we drink hot water together for warmth and eat soup for our dinner party as a necessity rather than a pleasure. I know the property tax and the mortgages and children’s education are swallowing up all the money. Still, it is rather uncomfortable. And the worst case I’ve seen is moving the backyard children’s playground into the living room so that their little one can warm his little body up by climbing up the slide.
• People drive very fast right after the snow plough trucks finish their job. I don’t understand what is the hurry. I hope it is not going to a nearby bar to drink a cup of beer. Unless there’s a life and death emergency, there’s no need to do that. Do you know about the new pot-holes that you need to stay clear as much as possible? Or those icy patches with zero coefficient of friction?
• People who clear the snow off their car with a comb from their purse. I saw her doing that. It’s the first snow of the season and she’s not prepared. However if she could just wait a moment, I would come to her rescue after I swept my car first. Why a comb? I mean your car is not your scalp. So I had to rush to her aid in case she made scratches on the shining autobody and I had to listen to her complaining for the next two months. Brainless woman goes first.
• Friend who wears a metallic greenish yellow Northface winter jacket, very bright. I have to walk with her and she looks like a ridiculous shining and blinding bulb that can brighten up an entire football stadium. I know you prefer good brand, but your mortgage makes it impossible for you to buy things at the regular price. Still, you shouldn’t choose this hideous color from a clearance rack at this store in lower Manhattan known for selling fake goods.