A note on the never

You would think socialization sets after a few years but it some physical functions don't comply as much as mental energy is directed toward obedience. The sun is shining outside, 74 degrees F/24 degrees C are on the lower side of peak temperatures for the past couple of weeks. Oh no, the cold is gone! What can we do?

Of course, crank down the AC, turn the boxes where humans live and work into fridges. Knowing the process doesn't help escaping it. Again, my body revolts. Sweaters and shawls don't help. The suspicious scratchiness starts low in the throat, barely noticeable, rising to full pain during a sleepless night and settling comfortably at the root of my tongue, then sending its messengers to start street protests in my nose, a rheumy, drippy cave by now. No, it's not allergies, no it's not a flu. It happens at least once a year, when the generators start growling, fans start swirling, and ice cubes are for once welcome in a drink.

Which brings me to the next never. Never will I adjust to automatic ice in my free (which I tremendously appreciate) water. Especially not in the winter when drafty restaurants are barely a hide-out from freezing streets. J. said Americans are so happy when they found out about making ice themselves, it still carries today to celebrate that discovery with every liquid intake no matter of outside or body temperature. A radio show dedicated solely to ice-cream confirmed the theory. Apropos drafty. Windows. A constant on my never list. It depends on the newness and upkeep of the house but pushing panes up and down just isn't wired in my European sideways movement to catch fresh air. The less maintained the house the more it becomes an exercise. I am fighting with some particularly stubborn examples at the moment, so forgive my ire. I know they are lovely windows in this country, even some that swing out to the sides. They've just been a minority in my fight for fresh air around here.

Talking about houses, vinyl siding and landlords...but that is ein weites Feld, too wide of a field to farm now. Don't get me wrong, I know I am a guest and there are many things I appreciate about this particular part of earth such as grad school, the diversity, the go-for-it-spirit, bread-and-butter pickles, spaghetti squash, front porches... Yet, some habits on this side of the ocean just so repeatedly irk me and my admittedly often cold-feeling body -- in fact, venting sometimes helps warming up.