It’s been cold in Texas the past couple weeks [#Breaking, #ICYMI], which is ideal weather for shoving a microphone in people’s face to ask them how they feel.

Loyal Scaiaholics will recall during each period of icy weather, I dutifully pass along TxDOT’s warnings to stay home… and then go out for a drive.

I was dispatched to DFW Airport where a lot of flights were cancelled. My position in situations like that is people trying to catch or reschedule a flight will already be stressed out, so they don’t need a reporter coming up and saying, “I could do an interview with you, like, right now.”

The commuters of the Mid Cities understood my concerns and prevented me from reaching the airport. For those not from the area, the Mid Cities are the “cities” in the “middle” of the Metroplex. As I drove through Bedford, several cars hit ice on the overpass of a highway interchange, shutting it down.

I decided to pull into a QuikTrip near the 183/121 interchange because now the story was about how we can’t drive in bad weather. Loyal Scaiaholics will also recall I enjoy their breakfast pizza.

As luck would have it, the first gentleman I spoke with was from Alberta.

“A real life Canadian!” I exclaimed. “I bet you know how to drive in the snow… and also, let me show you my Montreal Expos cell phone cover.”

I would ultimately adjourn to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo where the discussion turned to salsa with a gentleman from Oklahoma.

I wasn’t sure if I could conduct an unbiased interview in this situation. I do, after all, have a giant, inflatable jar of Mrs. Renfro’s at the house.

But the folks at A&J say they have a similar mindset as the Renfros. Too often, salsa makers [or “salsasmiths,” if you will] just try to sell the spiciest salsa. You might try that once, but if you want repeat customers, your spicy salsa still has to taste good.

I kept working the crowd and ran into a family from the UK selling jewelry who walked up to me ready to talk.

When I’m shoving my microphone in the face of people who don’t want to talk, I might start using that line, “One of the girls said you’d be along and want to talk,” to loosen them up a bit.

I asked them how they get used to “Stock Show weather.”

Sure, it’s gloomy in the UK, but it doesn’t go from hot and sunny to cold and icy from one day to the next.

This opens the marketplace of ideas here at the blog: Would Texans rather have agreeable weather most of winter in exchange for a few cold snaps and ice storms that only last a day, or would we rather have it just stay damp and 40 degrees for several months in exchange for no surprises? Salsa at your preferred level of spiciness would be available in both scenarios.

I successfully drove with the windows down this afternoon before it started raining again, so the unbearably hot weather is surely on its way. In the meantime, if the current level of dank upsets you, stand on the sidewalk in a crowded area with a concerned look. A reporter will be by within moments to ask how you feel.