Going to be a short one today, as not a lot to talk about. I did get to the gym again. Got an elliptical workout and a steam done. By the end of it, the scale said I lost 2 pounds. I think I have to attribute the past two weigh-ins to water retention, cause I really don't think I could have lost as much as the scale claims I have. Although, I use the same scale each time, and make sure the calibration is at 0.0 lbs. when I get on, so don't see why it should differ that much in a short period of time while I am at the gym. But if it's true, I'm happy.
We didn't get the snow that was forecast for Vancouver and area. The suburbs in the valley did though, and it looked pretty nasty. We just got hit with cold and wind, and it's supposed to stick around for a few days. Now I know most people would not consider our temperatures cold compared to other places in Canada, but I will try to explain it as best I can.
I grew up on the prairies where temperatures of -30c to -40c were really cold and we often saw temperatures get down this low. I must note that of years late, the prairies do not seem to get as many days at these temperatures as when I was grown up, but I attribute that to global warming. Anyway, back to my explanation. The cold temperatures on the prairies were a dry cold pretty much all the time, and because we had a lot of cold days, it just became something we were accustomed to and although we never liked it, we tolerated it. On the coast, we consider anything at 0c and below to be cold (well even some single digits with wind get that title too). The biggest difference I have found out in the 23 years I have lived here is that with the humidity, the cold is not just hitting the outside, but it also goes deep into you and you feel the chill in your bones within minutes of stepping outside. Add to that a wind off the water, and you have combination that is not pleasant.
My first year here I didn't really understand it, and sort of laughed it off when people complained, but within time, I discovered this difference, and did not enjoy it at all. I've now become accustomed to the humidity out here year round, and especially notice it when temperatures drop and a wind comes in off the water or over the mountains. Yes, I have become a west-coast wuss, when it comes to the weather, but I say until you have spent any good length of time in it, you will understand what I mean. Is it as cold as the -30c that the prairies are getting hit with this week with wind chills near -40c? No. Will I still complain? Yes. I have the right to do it, and for those who laugh at us west-coasters, go ahead. We'll talk later after the sun comes out and I get to relish in the incredible beauty that this city and area is year round. Mountains to the east and north, and the ocean to the west. Go sailing in the morning, and skiing later that day. And on those cold days, well I'll just nestle in at home, knowing what awaits me the next day the sun peeks out of those clouds. Oh, and it doesn't rain all the time here. That's just something we keep telling people so that they don't stay too long lest they get a little wet.
Night all!
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