If you want some real entertainment out of Environment Canada, look at some of the historical weather. For instance, did you know that it once reached -32.8C in Toronto? Of course it was January 1859, but still. I take comfort from the 40.6C we had in July 1936, though. That’s the kind of weather I can get into…
Puts it into perspective, though, just how crazy we Canadians are. I’m sure a 73.4C (~164F) degree swing is by no means unique in the world, but really, who chooses to live in that kind of environment? Canadians, apparently.
I considered the swing from +9 centigrade to -15 in less than 24 hours to be pretty impressive last week. Moving to my new apartment on the other side of Toronto over the course of two incredibly cold (-15 and -10 before windchill) days this weekend was Not Fun.
The move went as well as could be expected (read: poorly), but it’s over and I’m happy now. And yeah, I don’t miss the big mess of crazy that is Canada Day in Montreal.
Ever since I heard about la Fête du déménagement (heh. “Fête”. heh. Delicious irony, unless the meaning of the word * fête* is more general than I thought), I’ve wondered… how do the moving companies, truck rental companies, etc, handle this? Do they draft in three times as many vehicles and supplies in late June?
Having been laid up from Christmas until recently, and still only skiing on one leg, I’d love another few months of winter, so please ship it my way. You have an early spring, and I have a late winter – a Canadian compromise. Now if Environment Canada would only cooperate.
Yes, here we are at Blue Mountain, and we got one day of skiing in. Now, they’re calling for temperatures of 11c and rain. Bloody H&$l!!
In university, I was the guy who would phone up my friend Cliff, borrow the van and drive from Brandon to Banff after school at 5 on the Friday. We’d drive all night, spelling each other off, and be on the slopes by 8 am Sat. We’d ski until they kicked us off, sleep in the van, ski all day Sunday, pack it in unwillingly at 5 and make it back in time for class Monday. Sometimes there was a bunch of us, sometimes it was just me…
That’s why I say, I know intellectually about the idea of it being too cold to ski, I just never felt that way about it. It was me making my parents stay past their comfort zone when I was a kid.
Oh sure, EnviroCanada, you gave use one day mid-week where it climbed up to 3 degrees. You were just luring us on, weren’t you? giving us a false hope, maybe even thinking you might trap someone into putting away the parka for another year.
but nooooo - it’s now plummetting again, with the temp currently at -26. this old house is creaking and banging with the contraction as the temperature falls, the boiler is gurgling away, trying to keep up, and the rocking chair on the porch is rattling in the wind, which probably means a windchill of - 32 or so.
you realise, EnviroCan, that at this rate you’re going to replace the CPR as the all-purpose Saskatchewan curse!
