At Work Just How Cold...Is Cold?

I've written about being cold at work before. It's not a big deal. I could appeal to HR to get a portable heater, but that requires seeing a doctor and having to be diagnosed with an actual medical condition that requires me to have a heater. I do a fleece jacket that I keep at work for just such circumstances. I've been wearing it for the past couple of months. Our autumn was mild, as autumns in Utah go. But this week it's turned cold. 

My little jacket no longer keeps me warm.

A few years back the building where I worked had their heater die in the winter. It got so bad I had to wear gloves in order get my work done. It hasn't gotten that bad where I'm working now, but this morning I wondered just how cold it was in my cubicle. On my way back from lunch, I stopped by a local hardware store and for a few dollars picked up a thermometer.

The question I now have is, how cold is cold?

The temperature at my cubicle for most of the day was 70º Fahrenheit. Usually the mornings are worse and I got the thermometer at noon. I'll have to see what tomorrow brings. Since I've never had a thermometer at work before, I can't tell if 70º is warm enough or should I feel slighted that my cubicle is colder than other places in the building?

Truth is, this whole experiment is mostly for fun. I've put up with it being a little chilly for years. And I hardly expect the company to make massive changes just to raise the temperature in my area a few degrees warmer. Tomorrow I'm going to also take the thermometer to areas I know are warmer to see just how much warmer they are. Again, it's for fun. Maybe after doing more amateur sleuthing, I will know just how cold at work...is cold at work.

Alas, The Snow Is Gone...

This is what our street looked like back on January 8th, just over one month ago. We'd just been hit with a big storm--I think it followed another big storm a few days earlier. Either way, it was beautiful, cold, but beautiful.

I know many people hate the snow--it causes problems that we don't have when there's no snow. Statistically, it's safer to drive when there's no snow or ice on the roads. That makes sense (even though, if people would slow down, it can be just as safe...). Plus without the cold weather, we don't need to burn as many fires to keep warm. We save on natural gas for the same reason.

I don't have a photograph of what the street looks like today. Look at the photograph above and imagine the same street, just with no snow--none. Temperatures this week have been in the 60s. Even the hardest-packed snow can't survive long with that. And if that weren't enough, it's been raining all day. Yup--the snow is gone.

Every year we get a February thaw, so much so, some of the plants get confused. We'll probably get another snowstorm or two before spiring, but usually the snow doesn't last. It melts pretty quickly. I think the days of a constant blanket of white are behind us, at least for eight or nine months. And that makes me sad. I sure do like the snow.