I’ve said before that the worst part about Minnesota winter is not the cold, but the darkness. Last year I noticed the darkness around October. Today I was shocked that it was pitch black before 5 p.m. and by next month the sun will set around 4:30 p.m.

The darkness was awful during law school because most of our classes did not have windows. Now, it just means that I can light the vanilla candles early.

There are some intended consequences of the early darkness. Clubbing is awkward because it is dark for six hours before anyone shows up to the bar. I also wake up a lot earlier to maximize my daylight.

I feel like I’m 65 but I can’t order from the senior citizens’ menu at Denny’s. Sigh.