Us Alaskans

As we all know, it is darn cold. We have been bombarded with the news from all sides. Our relatives have complained about it, our friends have blogged about it, and we have stayed indoors to the point of insanity. I have appointed myself as the lone cheerful person I know and continuously say how much I like the cold crisp air and the clear sunlight. I point out that if it was any warmer we could not throw boiling pots of water in the sky and not a drop come back down. Also I point out the phenomenon that stepping outside at 37 below feels about like plunging into 40 degree water and that we are lucky to live in the medium of air. Sadly though, this doesn't seem to cheer any one up. In fact I have even been told to shut up a few times, surprising isn't it. The world is full of pessimists, you would think that it was never going to warm up by the way these people talk. Admittedly the prophecies of the 0 degree heat wave are vague but we have lived through enough seasons to use common sense and know that it is coming. In fact I am predicting a thaw and another freeze to make the roads so slippery you can skate to town, but when I say this it doesn't seem to cheer anyone up either.
Nothing seems to make these people content, after all we live in Alaska. It is supposed to be cold. When people who live in those other states say brilliant things like, "It is so cold the puddles froze this morning." We must be there to put them in their place. We must tell them stories of sitting in a hot tub at -30 and watching the steam turn to snow and feel it fall on our skin. Stories of lips getting so cold they will not move and we cannot talk. Snowboarding without a mask and our tears from the wind freezing along the sides of our faces. The list goes on and varies for the person, but without them, we are no better than...Californians (well, maybe). And there is nothing better than it warming up 50 degrees to the twenties and walking around in shorts and a tee-shirt. The little tickle of the cold on your bare arms reminds you that most humans would be in agony, but for us Alaskans, it is a 50 degree heat wave.