The Best Job Ever

I pick on Bill Hoffmann only because I’m totally jealous of his slacker lifestyle. Another weather story from the finest weather beat writer in the country:

Down in the dumps as our unusually harsh winter drags on and on?

You’re not alone — New York is smack in the middle of the cold-weather blahs, with the lack of sunlight, endless snowstorms and brutal temperatures making lots of folks depressed.

It’s called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the brain due to the shortening of daylight hours and the lack of sunlight in winter.

“People are affected by a prolonged winter season — ice, snow, slush, long and horrible commutes — and they suffer from multiple problems,” said Dr. Charles Goodstein, a psychiatrist at NYU Medical Center.

Things get particularly bad in the weeks before spring.

“The winter is dragging on, we no longer have pro football games to watch, we’re homebound, we can’t get our aggressions out,” Goodstein said.

Meanwhile, more snow is expected tomorrow morning. It will mix with or change to rain by afternoon, with highs expected to be around 40.

The forecast for Saturday isn’t much better, with cloudy skies and a 30 percent chance of light snow.

But, as the good doctor says, banish those wintry thoughts from your mind and remember: Spring officially starts a week from Sunday.

(I know, I know — he does other stories, too . . . but allow me this one lifestyle fantasy.)