Okay, here’s what really confuses me. When we see seasonally inappropriate behavior in the summer - folks wearing six layers of coats and sweaters in August, and so on - we presume they are homeless or troubled and we avoid eye contact and cross the street to avoid them.

But come winter, when countless masochistic doofuses start putting on Speedos - or less - and jumping into every icy body of water on Earth, we act as if they are doing something interesting and cute and, worst of all, newsworthy.

Here it comes again. We are about to be blitzed by stories and photos and video clips of people swimming until they’re blue in the face, and the onslaught will continue until spring. Well, you can gawk if you want to, but this is the last bit of attention these people will get in my blog. Starting tomorrow, no more eye contact. Watch Helen Long’s video report:

A winter swimmer exercises to warm up at a park in China, December 12, 2007. REUTERS/ Stringer

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