In the Deep Freeze

The Northeast is gripped in a polar vortex, so temperatures here in the New York metro area are now hovering around 18F (-8C), accompanied by high winds that make it feel like 3F (-16C).  I took the flannel-lined jeans out of storage today for the occasion.  Wearing a mask helps while outside, it's not just for in-store wear anymore, and topping off with a scarf is now de rigeur.

On the work front, Ginger is on vacation at the home of one of our managers for the duration of the Deep Freeze, so I have a chance to brush the cat hair off of my backpack.  At home, my upstairs neighbor, cursed with a poorly insulated pipe close to an exterior bathroom wall, has to flush the toilet with water poured from a bucket filled in the sink... our landlady told her, "It'll get warmer soon."  In her defense, our landlady hasn't had the best time during the pandemic, she has a unit in upper Manhattan that lost a couple of tenants to the pandemic exodus from NYC.  The last time this happened, she had to hire a handyman to come by with a torch to quickly unfreeze the pipe, then set up a heater inside the wall to keep the flow going... not the sort of solution that can be sustained for long.

It's supposed to get warmer come Monday, though the warming is expected to be accompanied by a snowstorm.  I really shouldn't complain, it's winter in my beloved New York metro area, and this sort of weather is to be expected.  I can get through this, with my fancy flannel pants and a couple of layers of shirts under my water-resistant hoodie... at least I don't have to flush the toilet with a bucket.