Cold Winters, Warm Bars

In these ridiculously cold winters, I remember that we used to go to bars. One winter in my friend's car, far out in the country, the windshield wipers broken, and one of us hanging out the window to clear the front window in the middle of a snow storm.

Other winters, on college breaks, I'd drive to meet friends at the bar in our favorite bowling alley, my green Dodge Dart would get me there, and then when I left in the middle of the frozen night, I would need to twist the little do-hickey on the carburetor and, magically, the engine started.

There was the winter that my ex and I were stuck in the apartment, our cars buried in snow, and we walked down the next street to the college bars. It was that or stay inside until the spring. What else do you do?

When it seems like the snow will never end, and the temperatures will never go back up, it's time to go out and embrace the winter.