Dear SOS,
I was planning on retrieving my cold-weather from home during winter break, but lately low temperatures have left me longing for my parka! What can I do in the short term to thwart nature's icy effects on both my physical and emotional state?
Sincerely,Glacial Guy
Dear Glacial Guy,
I first came to Tufts as a newcomer to all concepts associated with cold weather, such as Nor'easters, and the fact that a 60-degree day qualifies as shorts weather. Although I immediately bought a North Face jacket more feather-stuffed than my down comforter, I can't seem to locate it, and have convinced myself it's in some nonexistent box I've yet to open. In the meantime, I've developed some alternative ways to combat the cold:
Campus Hot Spots. There are some places on campus that are at least 40 degrees warmer than the outside temperature. Try to hit at least two a day, whether by auditing a course or adjusting your passing period route - two possibly extreme steps that are entirely justified through your hopes of maintaining bodily warmth. The list includes:
1) Barnum 008: This large lecture hall used for economics and nutrition classes has become famous for its stove-like warmth. I'm convinced it's due to some sort of delayed outcome from the lecture on female orgasms that was held there last year - it got pretty hot and heavy.
2) Carmichael: Due to its greenhouse effect and the recent institution of a panini machine (part of me thinks that the disparaging remarks I made in a past column were partially responsible for that), Carmichael has become quite the hot spot.
3) Frat parties: Body heat, basements and booze are a heat-inducing alliteration.
4) That weird manhole-ish vent in the sidewalk in front of Miller: Steam emanates from it. Enough said.
5) The Crane Room: This classroom in Paige is notorious for its warmth - though it may be because my class there is taught by last year's Daily-ranked "hottest" professor at Tufts.
6) Those adjustable book stacks in the library basement that everyone secretly fears they will someday get caught between: They seem pretty cozy.
Mental Mantras: There are ways to fight the mental toll that frigid weather can take. One of the more bizarre yet successful tactics is called "One, two, three, Zen," said repeatedly and with extra emphasis on the "z" until body temperature begins to rise. Although the trick's origin is dubious (summer camp, eighth grade) I can attest to its validity, and highly recommend it.
Day-Glo: If the cold weather continues to influence your daily life, and maybe even your mental state, you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder. After my own self-diagnosis, I adopted my own cure as an alternative to light therapy. I call it: "Day-Glo in Small Doses."
The idea is to integrate some form of Day-Glo coloring into your everyday attire in order to shock your senses and stimulate positive emotions (as a student who passed Bio in the ninth grade, I can safely say that such a reaction is scientifically justified).
I recently adopted the habit of using Highlighter-pink nail polish, and every time I'm feeling down, I just glance at my nails to put a smile on my face. Guys can do this too - if anyone asks, just tell them you're pledging AEPi, and they'll probably drop it.
Contact Charlotte to get advice for all your problems at Charlotte.Steinway@tufts.edu.
