I’m dying to meet a person who likes Milwaukee winters.

Not only could they teach me a thing or two, but I’d also get to witness pure insanity in human form. That could be interesting.

But really, February is the nastiest of the winter months with just a single redeeming quality: it’s short.

Twenty-eight days feels like an eternity, though, when a good mood is more of a distant memory than the summer sun. Even my most enthusiastic, steel-willed friends seem like mere shells of themselves as we slurp soup together and stare at the gloomy landscape out our window, ending every sentence with “blah.”

That’s exactly why last week, I forced myself to snap out of it completely. I picked three headaches that needed tending: my apartment, my mornings and my music. Then, I put myself to work.

Typically, I spend Sundays in my pajamas, watching “Sex and the City” reruns and rehashing details of the wild weekend with my friends.
While I can’t deny what a treat it can be to live like a sloth, I’ve realized that all those lazy days were nothing more than wasted days—days that my to-do list really could have put to use.

In fact, after I spent the past Sunday scrubbing and reorganizing my apartment, I not only felt like a human being with a purpose, I felt like I had gained an extra 24 hours. Huh. Strange, right?

Of course, the real pay off was a tidy apartment, not to mention a clear conscience.With one down, I was on to the next: my humdrum mornings.

Now, let me start by saying that the only thing more stubborn than me is a rock. On the same note, I’d rather be a rock than partake in physical activity.

And, yet, guess where I’ve been hanging out? That’s right — at the Rec Center. As we all know, endorphins are beautiful and accessible pick-me-ups. So, if exercise isn’t part of your schedule, I highly recommend rectifying that with a gym session or a bike ride in warmer temperatures.

Or, if you’re already self-disciplined but finding yourself in a rut, shake up your routine or join forces with your funniest friends on an intramural softball team. (Sign-ups are now!)

It could be the endorphins, or maybe just the ungodly hour of my workouts, but by the time I leave the Rec, I’m already in an unstoppable giggly mood, to the point where my treadmill buddy begs me to shut up.

But she catches the jolly bug as soon as we scramble some fresh eggs at home and listen to the flawless morning playlist I just made.

That’s right, I pushed through my iTunes deadlock, another key to surviving an uneventful February in the Midwest. And here’s exactly how I did it:

Go to daytrotter.com and download obscene amounts of free music; I dare you to fight the site’s addictive nature. On top of an extensive archive of one-of-a-kind sessions from old favorites, you can also find recent stuff, like the latest from Iron & Wine and a new recording of Guster’s “Backyard.” Take this opportunity to not only stockpile songs from your standby bands, but to also tread some new waters. Dawes and Gold Motel are two bands worth checking out if you haven’t already!

Once you’ve got a collection that satisfies you, flush your iPod of old, stale playlists and replace them with just one, titled “The Best February of My Life.” Come March, you’ll think you had psychic powers.

A little tweak in my routine here and there has made the days seem sunnier and funnier. It’s just what I need until I can shed the boots and heavy jacket. And you know those crazy people who love Milwaukee in the winter? It’s not so hard to become one of them.