I have yet to use the heat in my apartment this winter. I fired up the thermostat once, before the great Washington blizzard, and no warm air came out. The way the blizzard came out, the fail didn't matter. The apartment stayed warm enough. But it's a been fun experience. So, I enjoyed the Times piece recently about people who live without heat.

1. Long underwear. One man in the story mentions his uniform. During serious cold snaps, you need three layers of clothing and two layers of blankets. The hoodie's hood matters. You also hope to live somewhere without much serious cold. D.C. fairs better than locations in the story.

2. Secondary sources of heat. One man, who runs a writer's retreat called the Cyberpunk Apocalypse Writer’s Co-op, mentions a wood-burning stove. For me, during the rare serious cold snaps, the dryer and the shower work pretty well. And you get all your laundry done.

3. Insulation. This is the biggest source of crazy in the story and why I can't compare to its people. They live in cold, cold spots largely without insulation. My place, though, seems to steal heat from neighbors and hallways. I like to imagine the elevator rushing by helps too. Friction!

4. Pleasant alertness. Every source in the story speaks to this quality, and from my minor league status I agree. Winter can take a toll on my happiness, but it hasn't this year. There are a number of reasons for that change, but I've found active, conducive temps are underrated.

5. Love. Underplayed in the story (and in my life this winter, hey-o!) except for this great part, talking to Co-Op guy: Doesn’t his girlfriend, with whom he shares a drafty attic room, get grumpy? “What makes her grumpy is using resources,” he said. “We’re all about staying positive.”

Bonus 6. Have a hilarious coat and dog.

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