Defining the Wind

During the course of my life, I've defined the wind in several ways.

Invisible Force
When I was a kid it was that thing that helped me fly kites and blew down my plastic army men.

Killjoy
In my teen years I was an active water skiier, and the wind was this giant,
unseen killjoy - when the wind was up, the waterski conditions were down.

Thief
While living in Alaska I gained a new understanding of the wind and how it could literally mean the difference between life and death. 
"The wind is a thief", I would say - because it would blow between the layers of your clothes and steal away your body heat.

As a gondolier, I'm not always a fan of the wind, as it can make my job a lot harder at times.  Lately I've been looking at the wind in two ways:
Dog
It's a big, moody dog - and it's always out there waiting for you. 
Any time you go outside, the wind will be there.  Head out on the water on a gondola and you're entering the "dog yard" - you will encounter the wind in one of it's many different moods.
Sometimes it wants to play - and you can move along with little effort.
Other times it wants to play-fight - you'll get more of a workout, but still you'll feel like the wind is your friend.
When the wind is starting to look surly, it may be best to try and sneak through the yard by skirting the edge along the fence line, hoping to avoid being noticed.
Then there are the times when this big dog is in a truly foul mood and you feel genuinely threatened.  It's a fight.  You can't hold back and the gloves come off.

Boxer
And on the subject of gloves, the other way I see the wind is as a boxer. 
If you've spent enough time around my operation, or read the right blog posts you're familiar with my term "wind fight".
I used to come home and tell my wife that I "fought the wind and I beat it". 
Since then I've come to realize that you can never truly beat the wind,
because it will never die.  It keeps getting up, no matter what you dish out.
So to be more correct, now I tell my wife that:
"I waited for the right moment, snuck into the ring, and sucker-punched the wind in the back of the head, then took off running."
Yes, you're right, it's not the most macho way to phrase it, but it's a lot more accurate than "Hey Honey, guess what: I beat the wind".

Anybody else out there have another way to define the wind?