Winterland, Florida

I have a lot of exciting things to write about. I'm doing plenty of work for other people and our Foundation seems to be finally going places. But please- let me use this Monday to talk about the weather. I know, I've used it for sentimental reasons in the past- to talk about missing my home and family, to vent or to just fill the empty space. But the American weather has been making headlines lately. There are snow storms in New York and DC, curfews and travel bans. Nothing that severe in Florida, but there was a tornado warning a few days ago. And it's been cold. Really cold and for a few weeks now. I'm a bit to the north, so we might get a bit cooler up here than Miami, but I've never seen anything that severe. We've had days where (excuse me for using Celsius as Fahrenheit still means nothing to me) where the temperature would be as low as 6 during the day and -3 at night- and it happens now day after day. Usually, we go up into the low/mid 20's during the day (maybe a bit lower in the winter days like 16?) and 13 in the evening is a cold night. At first I was glad.  It's going to kill the mosquitoes, I thought. They're quite a problem in my warm and wet part f the State that is called "Swamp" for a reason. It's been cold every day for a while and I seem to have only a pair of thicker pants and a winter jacket. I know I'm Polish and I'm supposed to not mind the cold, and it's not the temperatures really, but this Arctic wind that chills you to the bone. Snow was spotted in Gainesville this week, not much, just flurries, but for some of my friends it was the first time in their lifetime. It's not a nice winter. It's just not pleasant. The one thing I've always loved about Florida- the bright sunlight that illuminates everything, giving all colors this amazing clarity and hue like a 3D rendering that I never could describe is gone. Trees wither. Leaves turn to shades you don't see here. I've discovered my apartment is not well isolated. It really feels like the end of the world these days. At first it seemed like fun to switch up the routine a bit - stay at home- finish work, give my Tassimo the run for its money, watch some Netflix. Order pizza. But now I'm ready for Spring. It's 21C Monday before it gets cold again.Welcome to Florida, 2016.