The next coworker who looks at me in amazement and says “you’re wearing HOW MANY layers of coats??!!??”* isn’t going to like me very much when I respond.
Look people.
1: This is Upstate New York.
2:Its COLD out there. And there’s nasty white crap falling out of the sky. (we broke cold temperature records for November this week, but not snowfall records, cause see #1)
3: I work in the Garden & Seasonal department, which means that at any random point throughout my day I can end up outside doing stuff for extended periods of time
4: because of #3 I can end up sitting still on a forklift for extended periods
5: because of #’s 4,3,2, & 1 I can go from sitting on a forklift, and freezing my ass off, to having to help toss 50lb bags of wood pellets and sweating my ass off, with no notice
6: because of #’s 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 I need to be able to pull on enough warm coat layers to keep from freezing to death, or to be able to take off just enough warm layers to keep from sweating so much that I give myself hypothermia as soon as I stop sweating. And none of those layers are fancy pretty dress for success stuff either. Moisture wicking, and fleece, and Carhart are your friends when you work like this.
I’ll forgive the guy who just moved up here from Florida (poor kid has had one hell of a shock this past week). The rest of them have lived in this area for most or all of their lives. I shouldn’t be having to explain this!
*The answer to how many layers I have on when its this cold is: long sleeved moisture wicking shirt, short sleeved cotton blend over shirt, long sleeved zip up fleece, quilted lined zip up Carhartt hoodie, quilted lined water resistant heavy duty Carhartt coat. Plus a set of insulated long johns in my locker, so that when I have to go spend an hour in the cold unloading a truck I can pull those on under my jeans, its to warm in the building to wear them all the time. Plus fur lined hat with ear flaps. Plus two layers of gloves.