dexterity rolls
as a lifelong pedestrian married to a driver who does not enjoy long strolls in inclement weather, i always appreciate when we're snowed in (in bloomington, this meant a real amount of snow; in portland, 1.5 inches qualifies) because i get to bundle myself up and go out on a walk through it and bring back food, a provider.
walking through miles of hard-packed snow and ice, which i know most people don't like because it's dangerous and yes i did fall several times (and almost fell many more; my treadless shoes do me no favors) but imo that adds to the excitement and fun of it? it makes me think of in baldur's gate 3 rolling a dice to see if you're affected by some environmental hazard enough to knock you down or just slow you down or you can pass unimpeded and not to brag but my dexterity rolls irl are pretty good imo.
the defamiliarization of the world by snow. albedo. the concept of desire lines (and always i think of the deerhunter song) and how in icy snow, following in the footsteps of others becomes not just a function of desire (or laziness) but an actual practical tactic to make the walk safer (the previous person's passage breaking the shell of the ground and adding traction for my subsequent steps).
the armor of my uniqlo down coat, which i looked up the receipt in my email and i purchased at the end of november 2016 for $111 and it still keeps me quite warm seven years later (with layers underneath of course) and will probably continue to do for years to come? similarly uniqlo heat-tech long underwear which is the magical technology that makes it possible for me to enjoy the winter. also how the kn95 i had in my pocket for when i got to the grocery store did double duty in breaking the wind chill on the one exposed part of me.
my "touch screen" gloves that weren't good enough at handling a touch screen so i ripped a hole in the right thumb (which made me think of the thing that maybe only actually happens in erotica/porn where a woman is wearing tights and they're so ready to fuck that instead of taking them off that they just rip a hole in the crotch). in related news, the new fleece tights i bought for deborah arrived (i'm thankful to have shoveled and salted the stoop for the mail carrier).
because i was enjoying myself so much, extending my walk "to the grocery store" for a couple extra hours, turning on my live location so deborah didn't fear my death. how quiet the world is with fewer people and cars on the road. walking along the edge of peninsula park, which is all dead now but will be exploding with roses when spring comes. it made me think about stalker, which i was trying and failing to watch all of in one sitting again last week (one of these days, it's on youtube) but thinking of the moment in the movie about a third of the way in where it's been black and white and then they enter the zone and it's ripe with color.
