It's possible we're more tired of the constant coverage of the cold than the cold itself. At least the end's in sight; at least the worst possible day of the year is behind us. Yes, yesterday was the most depressing day of the year, according to STUDIES. If there's a STUDY, then the issue's settled. What makes it so sad? Debt, divorce and rain. The methodology was rock-solid: a "drinks company" called "Upbeat" analyzed two million tweets. The comments at the Daily Mail piece are full of stern advice: STOP YOUR MOANING, YOU UNGRATFUL GROT BAGS is one bracing entry. Will do!

Could be worse; you could be here:

This sounds almost Dickensian:

You expect to read "and everyone was sent to bed." I remember a train trip across the plains in the winter; cold compartments, frigid bathrooms overflowing with hideousness both general and specific. Never again. Here's the fun part of the piece, though:

LATEST OUTRAGE Words to live by, and they're in a footnote:

I came across the blog post thanks to a link in the comments on another site, here. That piece began like this:

Which indeed she does. I found that piece linked at various tech sites that were angry at Paul Graham for saying something summed up in this Valleywag headline: "Paul Graham Says Women 'Haven't Been Hacking For the Past 10 Years'"

Except he says he didn't say it. Go here for his response. (The Valleywag piece also has some push-back on his remarks.)

"Now when I see something that seems too indignation-inducing to be true, my initial reaction is usually skepticism." Or, to recast the adage, Doubt, but Verify.

NIGHTMARE FUEL The Old Spice commercial is disturbing, yes:

If you're revolted or annoyed, or cannot sleep because of Two-face Cafeteria Janitor Mom, then you're not the target market. If you are an adult, the tagline "Smellcome to Manhood" is a first-wednesday-of-the-month-siren-test warning that this is for high school boys.

Or maybe you're thinking it's a hint of an upcoming Super Bowl commercial which will really move the merchandise, because everyone will be talking about it. Well: Ad Age says that 80% of the ads don't boost sales. Let me put that another way: eight out of ten ads don't work.

Why? The article quotes Jeri Smith, CEO of the company that did the study.

Hair pulled out by the handfuls at the agency, I'm sure: what were we thinking? Not only was our story so compelling it overshadowed brand penetration, it left lingering impressions that equated miraculous apparitions with filth! But they'll do it again this year, and we'll all debate which commercials made an impression, because it's January and there's just bleep-all going on.

ARCHITORTURE One of the loveliest buildings in Times Square was the tiny little shoe store with the statues of famous actresses. Like this:

It seemed unlikely to survive Times Square's expansion, but it's been completely restored. The full story here at Scouting NY.

UPDATE Let's check in on Mr. Trainwreck:

Some say he's acting peculiar because he's addicted to "lean," aka purple drank, sizzurp, and so on. Cough syrup and Mountain Dew, more or less. But that's based on a tweet he . . . altogether now, PLAGIARIZED.

That's it for today; I'd say "stay warm!" but that's insulting and unnecessary. You know what to do, for heaven's sake, and if you don't, it's unlikely you'll take my advice. Bundle up! What am I, your mother?