22 December 2012

Umbrellas in Winter

I am writing this piece from the second floor of Sankt Oberholz, a cafe in Rosenthaler Platz, in the middle of Berlin. As I gaze out the window, looking at the heavy snowfall in the middle of December, I am amazed at how some of the people deal with it. After living in Buffalo for a full 7 years (7 years and 15 days, to be exact), I know what snow is like, and can deal with it.

So, what do you do when there is snowfall in your city? If you ask me that, I'd say one needs to bundle up, and cover every skin as much as possible, including your head. You need some sort of headgear, like a bonnet or something else. You need to protect your ears too. So, given the circumstances, do you think an umbrella would do the trick? Probably not.

And yet, I see so many people here using umbrellas in the snow. Really? There's wind, so the snow will still get to your hair. Yeah, I am known for being meticulous when it comes to my hair, so I actually bring my wax and comb to work, so that I can fix my hair at work, instead of fixing it at home only to be ruined by my hat or the wind, or the snow, for that matter.

Seriously folks. Holding an umbrella against the wind to "protect" your hair from the falling snow doesn't work. It just looks silly. Buy some proper winter attire.

(Crucifixion, from my Art Institute of Chicago Series)