A strange and wonderful thing has happened to me, and I'm not sure why or how. For a period of time from around 1990 through 1995, I enjoyed extremely cold weather. I mean really cold, with high winds, etc. I liked being out in it. Not sure why. Over the next decade, though, the effect faded until the present, where I find myself ambivalent about cold weather. I can take it or leave it, although I've noticed that my tolerance for cooler indoor temperatures (60-65 F) is still broader than most folks, as in:

"Are you chilly?"
"Nope."
"I'm freaking freezing."
"Feels fine to me."

A little more history. The meteorological bane of my existence, like that of many people, is humidity. When it's really humid, I just can't stand it. Couple it with very warm temperatures (88+ F, don't laugh you people from Texas; that's "hot" to us Pennsylvanians), and it makes me miserable. The humidity makes me feel like I'm wearing a mask made of jello, and engenders the same need to surpress imminent violence that dealing with someone being purposefully ignorant and obstructive (or dealing with beauracrats, but I repeat myself) usually brings.

The wonderful thing, though, is that this summer, I seem to have been reborn without this aversion to heat and humidity. It has disappeared from my being. I first noticed it several weeks ago when Western Pennsylvnia went through a hot spell (high humidity and 90+ temps). I expected to be miserable. But, when I went outside I found it quite pleasant. I knew the forecast, and a part of me could tell that it was both very hot and very humid. I checked the thermometer outside the kitchen window just to be sure. It was, in fact, the dread combination. The feeling, however, was completely different.

It was nice out. I liked it. And for the last several weeks, the effect has persisted. I think it might be permanent.

What has brought this welcome change? Like I said before, I don't know how or why. It's probably physiological, which is just another way of saying I'm getting old. It might be time to get a condo in Florida and buy a golf cart to putt around in. Whatever the case, though, I figure that this gives me a good 20% more of the year that I can enjoy without hiding inside, so I've got that going for me.