Wednesday, February 9, 2011

A Brisk Day

Cold.

Georgia can't touch Colorado cold.


I remember last month during snowpocalypse (What happens when Georgia gets 5 inches of snow and has only a few snow plows) I thought I knew what snow and cold weather was. We had walked in the snow to find firewood and had survived being snowed into our little Atlanta house for at least 3 days.
We were hardened Northerners. Professional Eskimos. We knew winter could be ugly, and we had finally gotten a taste of it below the Mason-Dixon line.


So wrong. So very wrong.


Enter Colorado.

Not even our second week out here we were getting temperatures lower than locals had seen in 14 years. (of course, right?)

My roommates and I cried reading the forecast: -14.

windchill..............-41.

-41! -41!! I didn't know that temperature existed! That's what we say when we're exaggerating in the South when we think it's cold outside.

"Is it cold out!?"

"YES! Gosh it's like -20 out there!" Real temperature: balmy 33 degrees.



When windchill is at -41 degrees your professors forbid you to run outside because your lungs can literally freeze. Not gonna lie, I'm thinking anyone stupid enough to WANT to run outside when it feels like this probably needs to die. Survival of the fittest anyone? I barely wanted to get out of bed, let alone go run in that madness.

At -41 degrees windchill your teeth hurt when you smile, therefore you stick to solely breathing out of your nose. Oh, but I forgot to mention, also at this temperature your nose hairs immediately freeze together. Both of these options being awkwardly uncomfortable usually results in people immediately starting to whine and cry upon first stepping outside trying to figure out how to function. You also run from your apartment to your car. At this temperature, you don't tend to linger long.


To make life more fun, Colorado snow doesn't lovingly drift towards the ground. This snow is angry and bitter and usually accompanied by intense horizontal winds that turn those cute snowflakes into death pellets. Just when you think -41 degrees can't get much worse.....having snow catapulted into your eye sockets doesn't feel that great either.

In all seriousness, it really has been pretty out here! Colorado for the most part has looked like an eternal Christmas card, or even a snow globe. It's gorgeous and peaceful. However, when those temps hit the negatives, snow globe turns to snow DEATH and suddenly I don't feel much like playing outside anymore.


On those days, we have found ways to entertain ourselves.......

2 comments:

Margaret said...

I can top that! the winter I spent in Chicago with your dad was -81 degrees windchill!! I don't even remember the actual temperature!! My little Arrow (my car) never left the parking lot and your dads car door (my side) wouldn't stay shut so I had to hold it shut while he drove!

Anonymous said...

Bahahahaha...oh Cam, how I miss you...