Why I Live Here, Even Now

Take five guys, some chili, beer, and whiskey, a guitar and someone who knows how to play it, and temperatures well into the "Jesus, I can't believe people live here" range, and what do you get? Splitting headaches all around and several incipient gambling problems, for starters.

That aside, it's quieting to stagger onto a frozen lake at 11 p.m. and see nothing but what's illuminated by the moon's reflected light. It's nice too, waking up without a newspaper or internet access, listening to music instead of worrying about what new abomination issued from the White House.

One of my friends keeps insisting he's going to do this full time when he's got enough saved, "live off the grid" he likes to call it. I don't think I could do it forever, or even all that often. This weekend, though, it was good.