Snow day blog - three years in PDX

Going through my photos app - I find it perplexing to say that this is my third winter in Portland.

We moved here in June of 2022.

Winter #1: 2022-23
Winter #2: 2023-24
Winter #3: 2024-25

It all checks out, but it feels funny somehow considering I’m about to hit my 3 year mark at this job.

Whatever.

I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on my third winter here while I hope that the TriMet system works well enough to get Megan home from work today.

1. The rain isn’t so bad

I sent a photo to my family group chat today of the snowy streets out my window.

The response?
“It’s raining here.” from my mum.

From the fleeting “we really needed this” San Diego rain to the daily expectation of rain in Portland - I have been able to moderately adopt the “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing.” saying.

Don’t mistake me for enjoying this, I’m just saying with enough insulation and enough GORE-TEX (even if it’s likely to give me cancer) - it’s pretty manageable.

2. Don’t be S.A.D. be glad

Through some random material I saw/read a few years ago that suggests that Seasonal Affective Disorder is a bit of a farce, I have spent the last few years thinking about why winter can bring about the SAD(s)

I move a whole lot less

My average step count in summer ranges from 10k to 12k a day.
In winter we’re talking more like 5k to 7k.

Last June - I exercised an average of 64 minutes a day.
This January? 36 minutes a day.

In summer - not having placed something in our shared calendar was illegal. Sacrilegious. The odds that we accidentally double-booked something was way higher.

Every minute of sunshine was to be enjoyed. I read an article about how the optimization of Summer was what ruined the season for the author, but right now the only thing I can find is an article talking about how climate change has increased Seasonal Depression in hot weather…

Nevertheless, in Winter, the plans don’t overflow in the same way it does in the warmer months.

I feel bad about both of those things

We sleep in longer, and workout less long as a result.
Walking one on one meetings turn into sitting ones.
I get dropped of at the train station instead of walking to it (thank u megan).

Grabbing a quick beverage with pals turns into an obsession with what time the sun sets.

The three years have mostly been a gradual acceptance that winter is going to be winter and I cannot control every little thing about it. Each year, it gets a little bit easier.

3. I love saunas and hot springs/tubs

Finland holds the Guinness World Record for most saunas per capita in the world.

I think they’re onto something. I’m not even talking about the science behind it because frankly I don’t give a damn.

It feels so nice to feel warm warm. I’m also very happy to be human soup when the opportunity arises.

In conclusion.

I think I can deal with this for the foreseeable future.

I had a dental hygienist that talked shit on Portland for my whole appointment because she was moving back to LA and complained that she’s too old to be in the cold because her bones ache.

While I’m sure that’s true… she was also maybe in her early 40s lol

Guess I’ll report back in a decade and some change.