"Dude, Where's Your Coat?"

Once, while thumbing through some old National Geographic magazines, I came across a photo of Eskimos swimming. In and of itself, not a big deal. Lots of people swim. What made this photo unusual was that in the background, it was very clear that there was snow on the ground.

The article went on to explain that even though the temperature was only 40 degrees, that the Eskimos were so well acclimated to the cold that after a long winter of sub zero temperatures, 40 degrees was warm to them.

I'm pretty sure that if you look at my family tree, you'll find an Eskimo somewhere in my bloodline. I know that Hungarian Eskimos are rare, but I'm certain that I must be related to one, because I don't get cold.

This frustrates my poor wife to no end. She will carefully make the bed, only to have me come along and kick the blankets off because I'm too hot. Even in the dead of winter. 

I know I'm an oddity because the reactions I get from other people.

"Where's your coat? It's freezing out here!" a stranger will say.

"I'm not cold" I reply.

"Not cold? It's 25 degrees!" 

I once took my family ice fishing. The lake had about 8 inches of ice on it, so it was plenty safe for us to walk on pulling an ice chest and supplies on a sled behind us.

I had brought a coat along, but as we were loading the sled, it got uncomfortably warm. So I took it off...and left it off the entire time we were ice fishing. I got strange looks from my fellow ice fishers who were all bundled up in cold weather gear.

"Did you forget your coat?" one guy asked.

"Nope, it's right here" I said, pointing to the ice auger with my coat draped over it.

He walked back to his hole shaking his head. I couldn't help but notice that he had a portable propane heater directed at his chair.

I couldn't figure out why I was getting stares from people while I was shoveling the snow off of the sidewalk one day. My wife had to point out that not many people go out to shovel snow in a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and slippers.

I used to take my Boy Scouts winter camping. We would spend hours carefully building shelters that were sturdy and warm. And then I would take a sleeping bag and camp out under a tree. 

I've always wondered why I don't get cold. One of my students was helpful in this matter. I had just mentioned to my class that I didn't get cold and I didn't know why.

"Mr. Sintay, I don't think Shamu the whale gets cold either."