Opinion: It Is Not That Cold, Says Man Wearing Shorts At Minus Twenty

FAIRBANKS — I’ve lived in the Interior for 38 years and I’m tired of people saying it’s “cold.” It’s a dry cold. That’s different. You barely feel it, because you can’t feel anything.

People ask why I wear shorts in January. I tell them: my knees are from Fairbanks. They’ve seen things. A little minus twenty never hurt anybody who didn’t stand still too long.

Yes, my truck has been plugged in since September. Yes, my eyelashes freeze together on the walk to the mailbox. That’s not cold. That’s just Tuesday.

Rusty Banks is a retired heavy equipment operator and has not been able to feel his ears since 1998.