Well, it's about time. Frosty temperatures have finally arrived in New York City, thrilling / chilling those of us reverse curmudgeons who get clammy and sluggish when the winter weather gets seasonally incorrect. Yep, that's right: some like it cold.

"According to Michael Terman, Ph.D., director of the Winter Depression Program at the New York Psychiatric Institute of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, up to a quarter of the city is afflicted with Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) during the winter months," writes Alexandra Jacobs in last week's New York Observer. "You know those people: pale, lumpy types who buy special sun simulation lamps and talk about moving to California a lot. But what about the reverse problem? Some of us feel down when it's warm out, particularly when it's warm out when it's supposed to be cold and snowy, like as of this writing. The perky local news people bantering about how 'nice' it is outside, when something is clearly wrong, make us mad."

Right on. Seasons and cute woolly accessories -- and the sheepskin coat BG bought in Somewhere Gulch, Utah -- were made for a reason. Even the Times reported yesterday that the tepid temps and snowlessness are actually starting to mess with various ecosystems. Plus the whole point of New York is that you can get anything, anytime*; I don't want to have to go to Vermont to get cold.

Meanwhile, many of you are suffering through a weather pattern that can strike and -- good news -- shift at any time:

Letters on this topic, um, pour into my mailbox every week (if your drought has been only a week so far, don't come running to me). So just one drop of wisdom before we get into the latest highlights. Remember Enuff Already? Within weeks of writing, parched, from her withering vine, she wrote back about a supercute April shower! And along those lines, two of my friends recently had this inspirational conversation:

FRIEND 1: "...I'll never meet anyone like N. and I don't even know anyone to have a crush on!"

FRIEND 2: : "Friend 1, you didn't see N. coming... so you can't see the next one, either. But s/he's there, and s/he'll take you just as much by surprise."

Right on once again. So let's see if we can make some rain, shall we. Snow, even.

* Sometime I'll tell you about the emergency cape delivery.

NEXT LETTER >