The Just Thought I'd Share Thread

[Dex]

Originally Posted by lovethemac1

Just wanting to commiserate on the temps right now. 2 days ago it was -50'c. (We were on the news as being colder than the surface of Mars....not sure if that's something to be proud of or not?) My teens were mad because it has to be -52'c with the windchill here for school to be cancelled. They couldn't figure out what the extra 2 degrees would freeze that -50'c wouldn't. Hmmmmm, sounds like a bureaucratic decision to me. Still nice to see them off to school to enhance the brain cells after a very cold 2 weeks. As long as you dress properly, it's no problem walking. Outdoor rinks were open, but not quite as many people on them as you would see at -25'c. Downhill skiing a bit of a chore, and the dogs retired from walking during those temps. Their paws just can't last for long. So instead they turn the house into their playground. It's like having 2 toddlers wrestling for long periods of time. 2 storms of 8"of snow in the past 2 weeks also, so the driving is a bit wobbly too. The favorite chant in our city is "The Plows Are Coming, The Plows Are Coming!!!!!!!!"

Are you in Winnipeg, lovethemac? I've genuinely been looking it up all afternoon! It's a place I want to visit someday and maybe potentially live. As my husband and I are missing Canada and I'm getting nostalgic for "proper" winter. It looks rather lovely, although it seems to get a very mixed review from locals (but I actually like a little negativity. My native Calgary is way too up-up-Calgary-is-so-awesome-yay for me, as I'm used to a bit of snarl, having lived in the UK for a while now).

The "colder than Mars" headline was a puzzle to me when I first read it. Considering Winnipeg is a very specific place on Earth and Mars is an entire planet with many areas that are going to be varying distances from the sun with different temperatures at any given time. I thought it was almost a bit cocky as a headline, actually. But I don't deny that -50 is cold as f***! Yeesh!

My native-Southern-English colleagues are watching North America's extreme winter weather at the moment with real fascination. I can't help but feel a little smug as I seem to be the only person in my office who seems capable of fathoming -30 as a temperature. Is that a stupid thing to be smug about? Almost definitely.