“Join us in Minneapolis for a meeting on Januay 7,” said the client.

“Absolutely! What a thrill! Glad to do it,” I replied.

#^)_$%^@$~$!, I thought.

I don’t believe any Fahrenheit temperature should be a single digit. Especially one with a minus sign in front of it. Who the hell has the clothes for that? Minnesotans, I guess. They have weird Lapland hats and fat coats that make them look like Weebles but they appear to be toasty and they don’t seem to fall down.

I definitely don’t have the proper wardrobe anymore, not since I left Chicago in 1994. If I could have found a down-filled burka here in Dog Patch it would have been just the ticket.

Instead, I hauled out stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day for 14 years. Boots that hurt then and hurt now. To a heavy and slightly dog earred jacket, I added fuzzy gloves and a scarf purchased at our only clothing store, the Fashion Bug. I topped off the ensemble with a black shawl borrowed from a friend. When ready to go, I looked sort of like an overweight Zorro. But I almost couldn’t move.

This is the kind of trip where you assume failure every step of the way. The airplane will ice and flutter to earth somewhere just outside Boise. Snow leopards will eat you if Yetis don’t find you first. At best, you will be permanently snow blind. At worst, you will be somewhere just outside Boise.

Oddly, Minnesotans are not fazed by all this white stuff. They all made it through the drifts to the morning meeting, cheery and no worse for wear than shiny eyes and rosy cheeks. Hardy Scandinavian stock, ya hey dere.

And it turns out it was a great meeting. No wonder people trudge through this kind of weather to get to this kind of ad agency to receive this kind of work. Even the airline was feeling the love. It automatically upgraded me to first both coming and going even though I have barely achieved the frequent flier level of Lead.

The only downer? My client has been promoted so I won’t get to work with him anymore. A new boss. Paranoia.

I’ll miss him and I guess I wish him well. But mostly? Rob, if you’re reading this I’d like to say, “#^)_$%^@$~$!”