The Family (Or most of them)

The Family (Or most of them)
The Family

February 28, 2007

WEATHER WHINER, NOW LIFE'S FINER (UPDATED)



REMEMBER THIS PICTURE?


Probably not, actually.


It's a pic I posted back in January about the weather, just another Winterpegger's whine about the onset of snow and cold that would only get much worse in February.

And oh, how it got so much worse.

Windchill factors around -50C. Some of them were record-setting days for cold, as I recall. My bones, getting more brittle all the time, trembled in that weather's wake.

And I whined. And whined.

You Aussies were complaining about 38C-degree heat while we were shut indoors here; you Mississippians were talkin' tornadoes only a week or two ago.

You Euro-Peons were hit by snow, tsk-tsk, and some of you flew off to Greece or Morocco.

But here in the Great White North, where we know this sh** is going to happen, I whined and whined when it did.

What a bore that must have been.

So now, as February thankfully turns into March, I'm here to tell you that things have improved, drastically.

Not as illustrated in the pic directly below (I have to admit, it's not a current photo, dang, but I can dream of what once was when aviator glasses were all the rage)...

WE INTERRUPT THIS POST TO BRING YOU THIS BREAKING NEWS...

MS. VAL SAYS I LOOK LIKE NAPOLEON DYNAMITE IN THIS PIC BELOW FROM ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO.
WE'LL LET THE AUDIENCE DECIDE.


WE NOW RETURN YOU TO REGULAR BLOG PROGRAMMING.

OK, so I know I won't be able to go bare-chested and jump in the lake for another several months, but I am starting to feel more like a human again instead of an icicle.

And while these today pix I took below show you that winter is FAR from over here -- yes, that's a neighbour's bike almost entirely covered by snow -- you'll also notice the pic with the guy walking around in a t-shirt.

While that's a bit extreme, it shows what Winterpeggers tend to do. With a break in the weather, we start thinking it's summer or at least spring right away.

Everyone sheds the 18 layers of clothing they've been wearing for the past month or two and they start preparing for the warmth they know will eventually get here...






Then, of course, once the hot weather does arrive in our climate of extremes and it gets up to 35C, we start whining about how it's too hot and the mosquitoes are brutal.

And we all go inside anyway...

To our air-conditioned apartments and houses, seeking shelter from the heat the same way we sought shelter from the cold. I wonder if we can ever be truly satisfied with what we have no control over...

But I guess that's just the way we are in a world of extremes.

50 comments:

  1. Your current photos could have been taken here in eastern Montana. It's been snowing (off and on) since yesterday.

    The good news is that it snowed while the sun was shining today, so I think spring is on the way!

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  2. What is that silly bugger doing walking around in a t-shirt in the snow??? What's he thinking ??? I still find it hard to get my head around he fact that people ACTUALLY live with that kind of weather -all I can say is -you've got balls, buddy!! ;).

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  3. You're an icicle and I'm a melting puddle of sweat. My kids beg me to bring them somewhere they can see and feel snow.

    But...not complaining. I recognize a good thing when I see it. Take a look at a pic I've posted Feb 26 to help you think of summer. :D

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  4. Laurie:

    Spring is on the way...in Montana! What about Manitoba? Maybe one more month...

    Lee:

    I think you badly need to visit Canada, lass. And yes, I have balls (I think). They're bigger in Canada. Weather. You know.

    Menchie:

    Had a look at that pic and that post...and am requesting again, can I be your male bodyguard for the goils' get-together under the sun?

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  5. ExSqueeze Me
    Baking Powder..
    I believe I ordered the glasses with the BIG lenses?
    HAHAHAHA!

    Can you count the rings on Saturn with those puppies?
    You could make about 8 bottles of Coke out of those things!
    HAHAHA!

    Ok ..sorry...now why don't you show us some of your OLD glasses..
    AHAHAHAA!
    I am dying here..those are awesome...
    say, when do you have to return them to NASA?..

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  6. HE:

    Arse. Now I'm going to get contact lenses again.

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  7. Oh C'mon!
    Go back and look at those things..
    you could jump off of an office tower and gently hang glide to earth with those things!

    They are big enough to be the heat shields on the Space Shuttle!

    Ok Ok I had a pair like that too back in the 80s..
    atleast you are nice and skinny..in fact I bet that those glasses made up one fifth of your total weight!
    When you drove your car..were you forced to lean your chin on the dashboard to support your neck?

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  8. At least I have a neck, Mr. Fire Hydrant guy.

    And it was able to support my tiny brain, unfettered as yours is by 100 complete readings of Britain's 1,000 hits of all time...

    And every passage of the Bible and every other religion-based tome combined.

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  9. WW,
    Of course! You can help beat the annoying guys off with a stick. Just the annoying ones, ok?

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  10. P.S. huge sunglasses are all the rage now HE!

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  11. Menchie:

    What if I think they're ALL annoying and I just blow them away with a magnum?

    Just kidding...but really, will a stick be enough? And will you be in charge of telling me which are annoying and which aren't?

    Finally, are you goils paying my airfare and accommodations? And are any of your friends single?

    P.S....you tell that Homo Erroneous! Tell him how hip I look in that picture!

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  12. Hmmmm...using a magnum would mess up the beach so maybe a baseball bat?

    And yeah, I'll tell you which are annoying and which ones will be allowed near us. as for airfare and accommodations, that can be arranged. :D

    I've got single friends :D

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  13. That pic was obviously taken on a warm day as your nipples aren't erect.

    Why don't you take a photo of your bare chest everyday from now on to help us gauge the WinterPeg weather? If yer nips look like they could cut glass, we know it's colder than a welldigger's arse.

    You'll be happy to know it snowed overnight in Vancouver.

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  14. Menchie:

    A baseball bat might be even more messy, doncha think? But hey, you're the boss.

    I'm packing now. When do we leave?

    MJ:

    HAHAHA! Your powers of deduction never cease to amaze. Good eye.

    As for using my bare chest/nipples as a Winterpeg weather gauge, while that might be more effective than Doppler radar and Environment Canada weather forecasts, I wouldn't want to litter the Blogosphere with daily pictures.

    It would be too depressing.

    Yes, I'm happy it snowed in Vancouver. I won't make any completely predictable comments about your own upper body anatomy in that same context...

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  15. Good.

    I wouldn't want to poke your eye out.

    ReplyDelete
  16. mj,
    Your nipples could never penetrate those glasses...
    you could build another Vancouver Aquarium out of those things!

    ReplyDelete
  17. HE: WW could be Bubbles "stand-in" on Trailer Park Boys.

    ReplyDelete
  18. HE/MJ:

    You two havin' fun?

    We all know that Bubbles is a worldwide male sex icon, revered in the eyes of all women.

    And I want the entire blogosophere to know that it is not me but MJ and HE who have let this discussion denigrate into the gutters.

    And so MJ, you'd poke my eyes out but Homer Escarpment mentions your nipples and you start comparin' me to Bubbles?

    There's some injustice goin' on here...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh WW, I FEEL your pain, my four-eyed brother in arms. I found a picture of me circa 1986...the BIGGEST, DARKEST lenses EVER. I even remember why I had them. I got hit in the face with a basketball (ya, I was picked on for wearing coke-bottles) and had to get an emergency pair from this NEW store called Lenscrafters that could make glasses in an hour. They got the tinting wrong and I ended up with giant brown monstrosities my mother made me wear for the whole year.
    I cried until she let me get contacts before the start of the new year. *whew*

    We got two feet of snow last weekend, and then last night it sleeted over and now we've got ice over two feet of snow. Wahoo!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Well Bubbles DOES like pussy, erm, pussycats.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous3:02 p.m.

    I used to work in a freezer for a supermarket i worked in a T SHIrt at -18c no one else could stand it for more than 5 mins....

    I would love to try and ride that bike, could be an intteresting experience.

    Its amazing we have survived as long as we have, we require very specific conditions to be comforatble and the operate at our best... To such an extent we became the frist species to modify our environment purely to increase efficiency.

    WW dont listen to HE i love the Specks, as fellow member of the short sighted brigade i appreciate a good set of Coke bottles. Just remember if you ever get caught out on a deserted island with a troupe of sweedish super models you will be popular as your the only one that can get the fire going:)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Shelley:

    OK, you need to post that picture of you in those goggles, girl...

    I have similar pix, actually, but I keep them hidden away...and you should see HE in his glasses.

    What a nob!! He's just jealous of us four-eyed fraternizers, that's all.

    We're having a big dump of snow here today too but at least it's fairly warm.

    MJ:

    Well YOU'RE gettin' a little frisky over here, now aren't you? I guess Bubbles IS a pussyman, isn't he?

    Aidan:

    Fantastic, mate! I worked in the ice cream freezer warehouse of our Safeway stores up here, driving a pallet truck and forklift around!

    What a blast, even if I did have to wear what amounted to a snowmobile suit!

    The bike is all yours, if you want it. It's now covered up even more by this snowfall we're having today.

    The Hungarian-born professor next door tied it up to my little balcony thingy in the fall and there it sits.

    And me let HE bother me with his little jabs of jealous jousting? Hardly. I give at least as good as I get.

    And he knows I'd be the popular one on that deserted island with the super models for more reasons than just my magnifiers...ar ar ar...

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'll swap you. You can have our muggy overcast 30 degrees and I'll take the snow.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous5:42 p.m.

    Let's talk about ... the weather :-)
    We've lost our mobility, that's an aspect of it I think. Didn't native people in the North move according to the season ? having a winter and summer camp ? Of course it was a different time, I know,and necesarry to survive, but it is a rather attractive idea, don't you think ?

    ReplyDelete
  25. You look like Napoleon Dynamite in that picture. All that's missing is the "Vote For Pedro" t-shirt and a bad perm.

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  26. Ha!

    Ms. Val is funny. I like her.

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  27. Stace:

    OK...so are you going to send your weather here and me do vice-versa or should we both book flights?

    I'll live with Aidan and you can live with...well, my mess and the snow?

    On second thought, let's just do the weather switcheroo...

    Hildegarde:

    Yes, I think you're right. But in the dead of the winter, I think they mostly stayed put.

    The modern version of that is called "cabin fever."

    Ms. Val:

    Oooohhhh, RIGHT THROUGH THE HEART! I'm going to see if I can post a pic on the existing blog of ole' Napoleon.

    Or maybe I should just do a new post asking the question: who does WW most look like?

    (I'm sure you've seen HE's post today, my glasses, nipples and overall look seem to be on peoples' radar)...

    But Napoleon Dynamite? Sob.

    MJ:

    Yeah, Ms. Val IS cute, ain't she? Don't let that innocent little pink think she's got goin' on fool you, tho...

    ReplyDelete
  28. I have been over to your fine country, but was cluey enough to time it to avoid the cold. Didn't, however, notice any oversized glasses or balls.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Awww, you're much cuter than that Napoleon in the pic!

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  30. Well, in that picture, you do have the same frames as Napoleon...and the same scowl.

    Anyway, my husband looked just like ND in his younger days. He had the same big lens, wire-rimmed 80's glasses. He even wore high waisted jeans and t-shirts tucked in. Also, as a poor college kid, haircuts weren't exactly in the budget.

    Fast forward 15 years. It's amazing what a haircut, classy frames, and an Orvis wardrobe will do.

    ReplyDelete
  31. That's hilarious -- but you must know that you've got it all over ND. Better yet, March is here and in a month or so you'll have months of warm weather spreading before you.

    We woke up to snow!! And it's only 1 degree right now! WTF? Snow in November *and* March? I'm leaving this hell hole!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Lee:

    Well, some of us have, at times, worn oversized glasses, I'm afraid to admit.

    And some of us do have balls. Don't they in Oz?

    Menchie:

    You're just sayin' that because you want me to be your bodyguard for free!

    Ms. Val:

    A-HA!!! So you're saying that ALL MEN actually look like Napoleon Dynamite!

    I do admit, there is some resemblance...I do have this goofy open-mouthed look (I think some would call it, "Duh").

    But I'm tellin' ya, these glasses were all the rage then!!

    Uh...what's an Orvis wardrobe? Jeans and t-shirts? I'm all over it!

    Andrea:

    No, I figure ND and I are the new wave of male sex that sells. Doncha think?

    Somehow, you can probably imagine how I've gotten out my violin and started playing Requiem for the West Coast Weather Weenies...

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  33. i'm glad its warming up a tad... how does anyone work when its that cold?

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  34. all i can say is maybe menchie would let me yield the bat because i have a counseling background and might be able to swat away annoying guys without much of a fuss. i am offering this because i clearly prefer sun to snow.

    ww, do you think my airfare would be covered also?

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  35. aww where's my comment? :(

    Keshi.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Angel:

    I dunno, girl, I spose it's the same as me asking how do South Africans work outside in 40C?

    Or how do beluga whales thrive in the Arctic Ocean? All what you're used to, I guess...

    KJ:

    Well if you're there wielding the bat and counselling, then what the heck am I going to do?

    I'll just get sunburned, start peeling and then end up under some gigantic beach towel trying to cover myself up.

    You'll have to negotiate your own terms with Menchie, I'm afraid. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  37. Kesh...

    I dunno? Where IS your comment? Did I miss it? Where is it? What was your comment, lovely one?

    ReplyDelete
  38. Keshamarinkidinkidoo:

    Ah, you commented on the wrong post, Ms. Down Under. You posted your comment to the Marvin Martian piece.

    Now ya got me blushing...thanks. That pic is quite ancient, tho...

    ReplyDelete
  39. dayum! that was u...u look like one of those dangerous una b*omber like white men. :D

    ReplyDelete
  40. note to kj,

    why yes, you are most welcome to come with us to my favorite place!

    if kj's doing the bat, ww, someone needs to clean up. LOL! you'll still have something to do. unless you're good at mixing drinks???

    ReplyDelete
  41. Nooooooo. Not all men look like Napoleon Dynamite. Far from it! Just the ones with goofy glasses and that "duh" face.

    And Orvis mostly sells mens hunting and outdoor clothing, but they have the best quality button-down shirts, polos and slacks I can find. They're an expensive brand, but not if you buy the stuff on sale!

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  42. Hahahaha- what I meant was oversized glasses or oversized balls.Apologies in advance for this second attempt at what is, obviously, a very silly comment :).

    ReplyDelete
  43. Ghostie:

    I do, don't I? Doh! They just broke my door down to arrest me! Help!!!

    Menchie:

    WHAT!!?? You're handin' me the wastepaper basket, the wet mop and cleaning pail?

    Where's my union?

    OK, I'll mix drinks. That I can do. What, Singapore Slings? Manhattans? Beer? (that would be best).

    Ms. Val:

    So, in other words, me and your husband...I'm telling him what you said...boo hoo...

    Lee:

    No, I thought it was kinda funny...

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  44. how about frozen margaritas??

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  45. Menchie:

    I'll have to learn that one...but nothing stays frozen in that heat for more than 5.2 seconds, does it?

    So do I have to wear tight shorts with my hair greased back, or dance on the bar or anything?

    I wouldn't want to hurt myself...

    And I trust you have plenty of sunblock 1000 SPF? Otherwise, I'll probably fry...

    Or KJ can just hold an umbrella over me with one hand and the bat in the other...

    ReplyDelete
  46. you can wear whatever you want WW, as long as you're comfortable. just not socks with sandals, ok?

    i'll get you and kj some really cool flipflops.

    sunblock - check
    frozen drink maker (that's you) -- check
    cool babe with baseball bat (that's kj) -- check
    flipflops -- check

    well what are you waiting for? get packing already.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Menchie:

    My contract, signed by you, specifically says I am allowed to wear sandals with socks.

    You are risking breaching that contract. I've called my lawyer.

    In the meantime, it appears you might have heard via HE's blog that I'm currently entertaining four movie stars.

    I don't know if I can make it now.

    Can I take a raincheck? Or will you now sue me for breach of contract?

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  48. So, in other words, me and your husband...I'm telling him what you said...boo hoo...

    Feel free. We don't pretend around here. Anyway, we all have our dorky phases, filled with fashion choices we would rather forget. I'm no exception. In fact, I'd like to erase all of 1989 for that reason.

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  49. Aw, no need for that breach of contract thingie. i told HE I'd go to the party if he invited hot guys for the girls to dance with. so i'll probably see you there. unless you're really going to ditch the party for the four women you've got with you right now.

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  50. Ms. Val:

    Cmon, girl...just kidding. All in fun. But do tell about 1989...with pictures...

    Menchie:

    No, ya see, those four models were a pigment of HE's imaginative post...we'll invite 'em all...

    But what about the trip to the beach and your goilfriends and KJ?

    ReplyDelete

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