Feb 10, 2012 | Winter

Far be it from me to complain about the weather (ahem), but Winter 2012 has been a beatdown. This past month Istanbul logged its lowest temperatures since 1979, and it was paralyzed for days by snow, sleet, and rain (albeit in amounts considered Spring-like by most Midwesterners). My studio apartment leaks heat, so even though I'm paying almost $100/month for gas, I sometimes have to sleep on a pallet next to the radiator in the kitchen. The silver lining? At least I'm not in Odessa, where a friend said it was so cold his hands started bleeding.