CHICAGO — Sunshine! Glorious sunshine! That is on our mind as we determine how miserable* we are today:
Jan. 12, 2016 Rating: Slightly Miserable (4)
Why a 4? Yes, it's really cold again. Wind chills below zero, a high of 14. But it's not SO bad: the sky is blue, the sun is shining and the snow appears to be gone for now.
More reasons for misery: The cold is biting once again, so if you forgot your hat or gloves at home, you're in for a miserable walk to the "L." Tuesday will be the coldest day of the week. Also, you probably won't win Wednesday's Powerball drawing. Sorry.
Why things aren't the worst: The snow from yesterday was that perfect, light, fluffy snow that makes for easy shoveling. The streets were plowed and salted this morning, which was cool. Did we mention the sun? We really like it. Also, Half Acre's kitchen opens this week which will allow us to drink there for a longer period of time without breaking for silly things like "meals."
*"It's winter! Get over it! Is this news? WTF, DNA?"
If you find yourself saying any of these things, here's our quick explainer about the Misery Index, and why we decided to do it. Is it news? Nope! Is it fun? We hope so!
Introducing the Winter Misery Index
Love it or hate it, Chicago winter is something that unites us. We complain about unshoveled sidewalks, opine about dibs and celebrate those weird 55 degree December days.
The city's reputation for brutal winters keeps unsavory characters out, and that we're OK with. Still, it's fun to complain about the weather, so we decided to start an index that would rate our general winter misery throughout the season.
The Winter Misery Index will consider how many days we go without sunshine (pro-tip: Vitamin D supplements), the temperature, how well (or poorly) our sports teams are doing and just the general vibe of the city. Since this is all in good fun, we'll avoid talking politics or crime here. So that's about it! Loosen up and brag (or moan) about your ability to handle winter.
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