January Blues

I've noticed in my recent perusal of "People Who Post More Than Me" (scroll down, look on the right) that I am not the only one with the January blues. What is it about January? Dumb question: it's cold (see BC, for example; I'm very thankful I don't live in Chicago); the cold can make us sick (see A Room of Mama's Own); and for many of us, we just spent or are still spending a chunk of time away from "normal" or everyday life (see Long Vowels). I, for instance, am STILL technically on winter vacation. I apologize in advance for complaining about time off, but January is a terrible time for whole oceans of unplanned hours, unless you can fly off to a real ocean somewhere and sit on the beach, which I cannot. And the cold can make daily problems, the ones that would be present no matter what the season or weather, seem so much worse.

I'm actually better now than I was earlier in January, when the break stretched out before me like a desolate winter landscape. I've been getting ready for the classes I am teaching in the spring semester, and reading, and generally doing errands no one wanted to do all fall, like taking the spare key to the real estate place in charge of our (rented) townhouse. But this afternoon, I ran out of steam. I have things to do (my list: "files", "tofu meatballs", "Sestina"...), but I don't want to do them, really. My hands are too cold to type, almost-- the basement door was left open last night, and the 10 degree air seeped into our house from below. The house is still in recovery.

So, I thought I would ask a good, old-fashioned QuestionAir question-- how do you beat the January blues?

Here are a few things that have helped me so far:

1. Yoga, even if it's only 10 minutes.
2. Cooking, especially something hearty and complicated (hence the tofu meatballs above).
3. Making lists and checking things off (again, see above).
4. Daydreaming about summer and warmth. This morning I had to drive to College Park and I spent the whole time thinking about how much better it would be if it were summer, even really HOT, 100 degree summer. I'd be wearing a tanktop, sweat would trickle down my neck... My other daydream is to visit this spa, where you can go early and sit in the hottub. If you look closely at the prices, you will see why I am unlikely to visit this spa anytime soon, or ever. Still, I can dream.
5. Making lists and ignoring them. Hence this post-- actually, sitting here typing with a warm cat on my lap is helpful. So far in January I have chosen, rather than to check things off, to see Juno (in the theater) and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (DVD), to go to Arlington, VA for no real reason, to build a fire, to make brownies, to read random plays, and to reorganize my closet. Okay, that last one sounds like something that would be on a list, but it was enjoyable.
6. Remembering that this too shall pass.

Hmm. Are these lame? Maybe other people have better ideas...