You give me fever...

The other night, the oldies station or some other station (can't remember) kept playing different renditions of the song FEVER. Which song I love... "you give me fever, fever when you hold me tight. FEVER! In the morning, fever all through the night. You give me fever... (ba-dum!)" What a sexy song!

Anyways, I thought I'd list the top 5 things that give me */fever/*, or rather, the top 5 things that keep me warm (and we all know how obsessed I am with being warm):

Tied for first:
1. Marc - I love to snuggle with him when I jump into bed and he's a great spooner in the middle of the night and in the morning. And he's almost always warm, so holding hands, rubbing noses (this is getting a little graphic - sorry!), anything with MARC involved gives me fever. ;)

1. My portable space heater(s) - Yes, I think these little things have saved my life more than once. Anytime I come in from being outside in less than 70 degree weather, I turn on the heater, place myself, I mean squat right down in front of these little things, to maximize my body surface area-to-heat ratio, and crouch there for minutes. I move these little heaters from the kitchen when I cook to the living room when I eat or read or study or fold clothes, to the study where I'm on the computer, and sometimes to the bathroom when I get ready for the day. Even having guests over doesn't seem to phase me. Heaters have been objects of contention with previous roommates and sometimes even with Marc if I'm really pushing the envelope. On my mission, Christy and I would sometimes joke that we were praying to the heater gods because in the colder months (and yes, it does get cold in Mauritius) I would always pray by kneeling in front of the heater.

2. Scarves. Whether it's the style or not, I often sport a scarf or pashmina shawl around my neck. It keeps me warm. I can't forever go out wearing turtlenecks! I own a lot of those too, but c'mon. I have to change things up. It is essential to keep my neck warm. Neck, wrists, and ankles often lack "the fever" for me. Scarves do wonders for the neck and I'm still looking for something to beef up the coverage on my ankles and wrists, without stooping to leg warmers.

3. Hot chocolate - My friend Nate always teased me and my "Mormanity" for not indulging in "hot drinks." Well, this is one hot drink that I gulp frequently. Hot cider, wassail, chamomile tea, lemon grass, and orange blossom tea are also acceptable and welcome substitutes.

4. Warm foods (with soup being at the top!). There is something about a sandwich or a salad in the winter that makes me physically shiver. To me, especially at work where I generally freeze, I need "hot" foods, something that I have to warm up, something that will warm me up. I love salad, but the crispness makes me cold and sometimes I feel like I don't get filled up - but that's just psychological. In any case, warm food just makes me warmer!

5. All winter wear - Besides the scarf, I can be seen sporting gloves around September. Beanies are great for my head (did you know that you lose like 80% of your body heat from out the top of your head?) and I don't care what it does to my hair. Long ago I discarded fashion for warmth. Goggles when skiing, layering, double socks even, and long underwear anytime after November 1st, totally appropriate for me.

That's my list of 5 for FEVER.