If it seems like an exaggeration, it's probably just a temperature-related hallucination.

I took a shower this morning (or, more accurately, during the early afternoon that served as my morning) and, although I was delighted by the hot water for several minutes, I was alarmed when the STEAM FROZE IN MIDAIR, forming miniature pieces of ice that then showered back down onto me. Due to poor ventilation and a malfunctioning boiler, Our House In Jersey now features its own indoor weather system. I'll have to consult my Field Guide to Weather just as soon as I can feel my fingers. My goal right now is to promote circulation in my fingers through typing.

Under normal circumstances, indoor temperatures such as this would inspire me to spend the day at a museum or a coffeehouse or something. But our goal this wkend (Maria's, Moray's, and mine) was to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy in its entirety. And so, with a determination not unlike Frodo's, we crawled under our blankets (I used four), sipped our tea (many mugs of it), and finished the last film this evening. Oh, sure, we paused occasionally to huddle around the refrigerator for warmth or turn away the research scientists who came 'round to gather data on the effects of extreme temperature on organic matter. But we did it. We finished the trilogy.

But at a price. The cold, it seems, has gone to Maria's head. She just ran by screaming (forgive me if I spell this incorrectly): "AHAHAHRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH! YAHHHAAAARRRRAAAGGHHHH!!!!!!!"