Cabin Fever

In the summertime, Chicago is a magnificent city. I find myself wanting to spend every minute possible outside: basking in sunshine, smelling the summertime smells (even the not so great BO on public transport), and dining/drinking on the plentiful restaurant patios. Once those open up in April, Chicagoans will sit outdoors even if they have to wrap up in a sweater or a fleece. That's what winter does to us.

During the summer, I catch myself wanting to go out ALL the time. Weekdays and weekends. Happy Hours and All Night Events. Seems like there was always something to do either with my friends or my coworkers. Baseball games become the best excuse to go have a few drinks. My friends and I would take careful note of the weekday bar specials and head out for cheap beers and appetizers, rather than cooking for ourselves and watching reruns at our apartment. Besides, it was summer and we wanted to enjoy it before the snow came crashing in on us.


What I notice about winter is that I never want to leave. Even the simplest errands become immense obstacles when faced with temperatures hovering below 20 degrees and snowy slush covering the sidewalks. I have become the biggest couch potato over the past month, which is something I strive NOT to be. It irritated me whenever I saw my roommates just lying around the apartment watching those awful Road Rules/Real World Challenge marathons, moving only to make some popcorn. Even if I don't really have much to do, I force myself to get out and move around. Leaving the apartment becomes a necessity. Staying away from the couch and the TV is a rule.

But when I had my wisdom teeth out a month ago, I got used to being lazy. I got used to finding something to watch on one of our 205 channels. I (finally) got my Chicago Public Library card so that I can read for free. I started to really like waking up without a headache on the weekends, and being able to start my day around 10 instead of 1. My daytime productivity increased in direct relation to my nighttime laziness.

I've started to think that I've become a lame girl lately. The partying has been drastically reduced and I usually stay in at least one night a weekend. But then I think about going outside, spending time looking for cabs while my feet freeze in the curb slush or holding my hands under my armpits for warmth. And of course I am wearing a lighter-than-I-should-have-on coat since I don't want to wear my lovely white winter coat to the bar and risk spilling and cigarette smell. None of that sounds quite as appealing as relaxing on our pink couch, watching one of my favorite films while my roommate bakes cookies (and lets me have samples of her work). Besides, I'll make up for all my lameness once April rolls around.