Cold!

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/mexico-cold-snap-leaves-nine-dead-20100110-m0d2.html

http://thenews.com.mx/articulo/severe-weather-continues-10112

I know that it's been super cold in the U.S., and no one wants to hear me complaining about the "cold" in Mexico. This is because most Americans view Mexico as either coastal beaches or barren deserts, either of which are never truly "cold".
Toluca (where we live) has been below freezing each night for a week. So, yes, it is cold here. Theoretically, that is not as extreme as what most of my dear readers are experiencing, but let me clue you in on what it's like to live here:

Concrete walls (no insulation), tile floors over concrete foundation, drafty thin windows, and doors with a gap (of an inch or more) between the door and the floor. No heat - no central heat, no electric space heaters, no propane heaters, no fireplaces, no electric blankets, no hot showers. When the "cold" temperatures are 60F, those aren't real problems. When the cold temperatures are 30F, people start getting sick.
We are lucky bc our house has built in electric heaters in our bedrooms and a lot of hot water on demand. We also have warm sweaters, coats, and slippers. Our car has a working heater, and we have insulated thermoses. So, we're not complaining.
But our Mexican friends are getting sick.

Check out the links at the top of the blog to see local news reports about this.