Brrrrrrrrr.......

I. am. cold.   Very. very. cold.  Very. very. very - well you get the idea...

This morning, as I drove into the parking lot at work, I clicked on the little button in my van to lower the driver's side window so that I could punch in the code that would let me in. Which is something that I do every time I drive into this lot - it's the only way we can get in to park. So you may be asking then, why is this something that is worth blogging about?

Because of what happened next - as I drove into the lot, looking for an available parking space,  clicking the little button that usually closes the driver's side window allowing me a few more minutes to bask in the warmth that my busy little van heater creates.

Note that I said 'usually'.

Which means - not in this case. And not for the next 5 minutes that I sat in the parking space in my van, giving my finger a workout as I tried to get the window to close - as if I could somehow will it to shut or pull hard enough on that little switch that my brute strength would cause the window to rise the way it's supposed to.

Also note today's current temperature and you can see why this is of concern:

I'd planned on going home for lunch today so hadn't brought anything with me. And the only options within close walking distance from work are our vending machines (believe me, only if absolutely necessary since even the options there are limited) or the gas station across the street. Having decided that candy bars and Little Debbie brownies were not what I wanted for lunch, I chose to drive the 5 minutes to the nearest fast-food option - Burger King.

A 5-minute drive is not normally a big deal. Especially with the heater at full blast and my iPod for company. However, a 5-minute drive with freezing wind whipping into my van is not something I'm anxious to ever experience again.

Would you believe that I didn't think to bring gloves with me today? Normally I just stuff my hands in my coat pockets as I walk into work from the parking lot (and vice versa), so I tend to avoid gloves until I absolutely can't anymore. I may have to re-think that policy after today.

I went into Burger King to eat instead of driving through for one main reason - my hands were numb and I needed to thaw out. Not to mention the line of 438 cars in the drive-thru lane. I picked a seat next to the window so I could keep an eye on my van, thinking that the nice open window could possibly be shouting 'Come take me!' to any potential car thieves out there.

Although if their purpose were to steal a car to get out of the cold, they'd be horribly mistaken to choose mine anyway...

After eating some hot food and thawing out for as long as I could possibly stretch it out, I braved the cold and wind to drive back to work. Trying that little annoying button over and over, of course, still hoping that some latent Jedi powers might kick in and I could 'force' the window to close. Unfortunately, as you can probably imagine, nothing happened.

At least the window was already open when I pulled into the parking lot at work - saved myself about 3 seconds of time it would normally take to open it. Three whole seconds versus hands I could barely feel by this point and the tip of my nose going numb as well...

I've been back inside work for almost an hour now, and my hands are still cold - although I think this typing has finally started to get the blood moving a bit. So I can maybe kind of justify the time I'm spending writing this post during work hours as therapeutic...  Hey, it's working, anyway!

The drive home looms ahead of me tonight - my normal 10-15 minute commute which will feel 3 times as long as I shiver my way to pick the girls up at daycare. And then the short drive home as the cold wind whips into the back of the van where my girls sit. Not an acceptable option to me - I plan spend some valuable work time this afternoon scrounging around for plastic and duct tape. While it may not look attractive, at least if it keeps that bitter wind out, I don't really care.

Oh, and did I mention that the forecast calls for a possibility of rain/snow this afternoon?  Sigh...