Winter Wonder
November 11, 2025
I used to write a weekly life advice column over at The Athletic, where I’d answer readers’ questions about relationships, careers, football, whatever was bothering them that week.
You may ask why a real person would email a fake internet football coach for life advice, and that is a very good question. I do not know the answer to that one.
Earlier this week a pile of snow fell in Chicago, kicking off my annual “why do I live here?” introspection. And this reminded me of some life advice that I dispensed to a reader in Wisconsin a few years ago, which I will now share with you (and myself) below.
The following appeared in The Athletic on May 17, 2019.
Dear Faux Pelini,
This winter in Madison, Wisconsin, where I live, temperatures reached as low as -20 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill dropping near -50. Why did I do this to myself?
Chaz M.
Dear Chaz,
I get it, this was a rough winter in your part of the world. But no Wisconsin winter is easy, is it? It’s just part of the deal up there. So I don’t know, why did you do this to yourself?
I’m not being a smart ass by asking that question. I really want to know — why do you live in Wisconsin? I’m going to assume you’re not writing from prison and that you could voluntarily leave the state if you wanted to.
There are lots of reasons that people are drawn to places, and I’m sure you and Wisconsin have yours. Maybe you like being around cheese, or roaming animals, or gritty white basketball players named Buzz. But whether it’s the curds or herds or nerds, there is something about Wisconsin that’s keeping you there despite the rough winters.
It must be worth it.
When a person chooses where to live, he agrees to the tradeoffs. Hawaii gets you scenic beauty, but college football comes on at 5 a.m. San Diego gets you a perfect climate, but you have to live in a tiny house with seven roommates. Florida gets you sun and beaches, but you are surrounded by people from Florida.
If the things keeping you in Wisconsin aren’t worth the winter tradeoff, then rethink your life. Every day that you choose not to move, you’re choosing to stay. Make your decision and then live with the good and the bad wherever you end up, because a deal is a deal.
There’s nothing more boring than someone who complains about his own decision. Don’t be that guy, Chaz.
Which is worse, 10 blizzards or a hurricane? Only you can answer that. Be where you belong and don’t look back.
Each week in Squirreled I’ll drop links to four stories. Each one should be (1) useful, relevant, weird or otherwise interesting, (2) off the beaten path of the internet, and (3) free to read. The longer the story, the more captivating it needs to be to make the cut. We all have attention spans to manage.
This Week’s Links (click the headings; excerpts in italics)
America’s most misspelled words. Google has been tracking our spelling struggles, and now our shortcomings have been exposed in one handy table. There’s even a list of each state’s most misspelled words. (Nevada, is this a joke?)
The five most misspelled words:
Definitely
Separate
Necessary
Believe
Through
Most misspelled by state:
Missouri - Temperature
Montana – Appreciate
Nebraska – Beautiful
Nevada – School
New Hampshire – Protective
Reusable straws are disgusting. Unless you follow an intense straw-cleaning regimen, go ahead and throw away those reusable metal or plastic straws that are sitting in that side drawer in your kitchen. They might be good for the environment but they are bad for your intestines.
It’s a bit of a pain, but throwing reusable straws in the dishwasher just isn’t enough to keep them clean and hygienic. Bacteria builds up inside the straws where the dishwasher can’t reach. Over time, your straws will start to smell and eventually become unusable. For plastic and silicon straws, this is often a one way ticket since their porous nature lets in food particles which leads to permanent odor retention and stains. For glass and metal straws, however, you should be able to save them with a deep clean combined with a new, regular cleaning routine.
Your kid may be dating a robot. Well, this seems bad. Evidently a growing number of teenagers are using AI for companionship, and the usage is highest at schools that promote AI as a tool for learning. Oops.
New survey data finds that nearly 1 in 5 high schoolers say they or someone they know has had a romantic relationship with artificial intelligence. And 42% of students surveyed say they or someone they know have used AI for companionship. The more ways that a student reports that their school uses AI, the more likely they are to report things like ‘I know someone who considers AI to be a friend,’ ‘I know someone who considers AI to be a romantic partner.’
4. On the other hand, a robot completed the coolest rescue mission ever. If you’re ever stranded across enemy lines and a steel casket-shaped contraption rolls up to your hideout, I won’t blame you for being a little suspicious, but go ahead and get in. It might be your rescue robot.
The remotely operated robot, which looks like an armored casket mounted on an ATV frame and wheels, traveled a total of about 40 miles for the mission — almost 23 of them with a damaged wheel after it struck a landmine. The mission took just under six hours. The robot reached the soldier, who climbed into the personnel capsule, laid down and closed himself inside. But the rolling rescue unit then came under attack by a Russian drone on its way back toward the battle line. The soldier survived thanks to the armored capsule.
OK, back to work.
"School"? Really?
"There’s nothing more boring than someone who complains about his own decision."
Us old-timers remember this advice from the "cleaning your garage" question in the Athletic.