Frostnip/bite-ish

[levertovfan]

After a bit under five-ish winters in Minnesota(four years minus winter break during college, half a winter after college, and this winter thus far), I experienced a condition approaching frostbite in my fingers for the first time today. (Frostnip is actually the term for minor frostbite, and it may not have even qualified as that.) It was somewhat freaky. For a while, I just thought it was the result of my fingers going numb from carrying my bags from Trader Joe's the wrong way, but when I started shifting them around, I realized something that felt even more odd than going numb was happening. When I read up on it later, I found out what was going on: the blood vessels next to my skin were starting to contract. It was my own fault for not knowing the conditions and walking the eight blocks from Uptown transit station when the windchill was -15.

A warning to those of you in Minnesota: beware the temperature and windchill, especially for the next day or so.