WHY DOES IT SNOW?

It may snow here in Barcelona, which makes me scrunch my face up like an unhappy kitten. And then I mew petulantly.


I am newly sensitive to cold. After a break from 18 years of godawful winters (JB je sympathise avec toi...)  the idea of going back for more after comparatively mild weather in France and Spain is... Wah. At the same time, what is freezing cold for my host family here (bundled up in blankets, drinking hot cocoa like it's their business) is t-shirt weather for me. I proved a point (in a rather cocky manner no less) to my friend that I could deal with cold by stripping off my coat and scarf and walking home thus undressed.


It's hard to view most temperatures as drastic when you've lived through what was a 150 degree (F) change in 2011. One month you are dealing with snowstorms and gale force winds, the next you are cranking up the air conditioner and swimming in jungle-esque humidity. Welcome to a mid-continental state with a hardy population.


Seriously though, I came to an oceanic, mild weathered city to sit out a potentially brutal winter. What happens? It snows, damnit. It's THE SAME TEMPERATURE IN MINNEAPOLIS RIGHT NOW. I left the house this morning wearing some light trousers and a thin shirt, and my raincoat. And nearly shivered when I got outside (my pride doesn't allow me to admit to cold above -20 degrees... but it was borderline chilly).


When I go to India, it had better not snow, or I'll cross that line from "put out" to "apoplectically wrathful." The only other thing that plays with my emotions as much as weather is food.

Speaking of which, I calmed myself down this afternoon post-glacial meltdown (PUNS) with a zucchini and cheese snack, as seen above. I've been plotting different recipes to master (anything involving apples) and have found the BEST IDEA EVER. (Not mine, of course, but then again no explorer ever invented a new land/country/continent. They just discovered it).


Thick hot chocolate. I've been tinkering with the best method, and am on the verge of something beautiful. Slightly spicy, steaming hot, and very chocolatey.