Things they do look awful c-c-cold

So remember when it was 65 degrees in January? That was 12 days ago. Right now it's -2 with a wind chill approaching -20. Weather.com says -7 with a -23 wind chill before sunrise tomorrow. I know it's Chicago and I shouldn't be surprised, but this is even colder than it was supposed to be and even for Chicago it's uncommonly cold. It's supposed to stay below 20 - which I usually consider to be the point where "cold" transforms into "bitter cold" - for at least several more days, with nighttime lows in the single digits (factor in wind and we could easily be looking at more below-zero effects). There's also a decent chance of snow for six of the next ten days. Always fun. So in less than two weeks the temperature will have dropped more than seventy degrees. That's horrifying. I can deal with the cold (although it sucks), but to have that 65-degree teaser as a prelude to weeks of bitter cold is just such a kick in the pants.

I never talked about my Christmas presents. Not a whole lot to say, I guess; my parents got me a new flat-screen monitor, which is pretty sweet. Still, I think the best present for sheer thoughtfulness and ingenuity came from Marian, who was up in New Jersey the morning of our "Christmas" (which was really December 29) and brought me back a turkey sandwich from the Millburn Deli, my second favorite food in history. It was delicious in spite of the four-hour car ride it had just taken.

Feliz Navidad

So the Bowl Challenge is off to a hot start. Currently JQ and I are tied at 5-2, and then there's a big group at either 3 or 4 correct picks, so it's still on. Unless you're NU Dave; I think my new rule for making picks is going to be wait for his to come in, then take the opposite for every game. I'm teasing of course, but damn, 0-7? That is a major confluence of bad luck picking. There are quite a few bowls coming up where he picked with the majority, so odds are he gets off the schneid soon, but wow. Previous long 0-fer to start a Challenge? 0-2. So congratulations, Dave - you may not win the Challenge, but you've made your way into history, however ignominiously.

"Back" in DC for Christmas, which is tomorrow. It's been pretty laid back, which is just as well, since work was stressful as hell for the second half of last week. I miss Alma, though.

Business: does anyone out there like Camera Obscura? They're playing Logan Square Auditorium on February 3. I actually know nothing about them besides the name and an album title, but they're playing with the Essex Green, whom I love. (And if you're wondering why I didn't just ask about the Essex Green, I figured you'd be much less likely to have heard of them, unless you are Marc Hogan or someone I told about them.) I suspect Alma isn't all that interested (our musical tastes don't have a huge amount of overlap) so possible company would be appreciated. (If Alma does end up wanting to go, well, even better.) Let me know in the comments.