Winter Wonderland

I've learned how to walk in the -10F weather by now - it's really not too bad actually. The snow and ice are generally quite crunchy and make sounds like broken glass with every step. I've gotten better at ducking my chin deep into my coat and breathing through my mouth. But woe is me when I forget and breathe through my exposed nose! It's quite a sensation for the cold weather noob to have one's nostrils insta-freeze.

My eyes water a lot normally, so stepping into the cold means I have to blink constantly to keep my eyelids from freezing together.  Each foray outside is an adventure. Fortunately, my hotel and the building I'm working at are only about 200 yards apart, so a brisk walk to and from is all it takes. People naturally take everything in stride, bundling up routinely before walking outside, and plugging in their cars before entering a building. I look forward to seeing people walking in shorts when the temperature soars to a balmy +10 F.

And it is beautiful here. While the sun is only 'up' for about 90 minutes, there is about 4.5 hours of sunrise/sunset with the sun just below the horizon and the southern sky lit up in gorgeous hues of rose and magenta. Aurora hasn't shown herself yet, but I look forward to making her acquaintance. And of course everything is white.

Unfortunately for me, I brought an incipient bug with me and the shock to my immune system upon arrival was enough to make me miserable the past couple days. Iím clawing my way back now, while still trying to fulfill the mission my employer sent me to do. I hope there's lots of xp and maybe a little gold in it for me at the end.

The best news is my connection is good enough to raid, so I'll get back to our regularly scheduled programming shortly. Thanks to the well-wishers for my journey.