I mean we are basically the Los Angeles of Canada! We even have palm trees at English Bay! Winters in Vancouver have NOTHING on winters back east! Im sure my friends back east can ALL agree. I mean have you ever stepped out of the Pierre Trudeau Airport in Montreal and walked into a wall of freezing cold air? Im serious, the first time I ever experienced -30 something degree weather was in Montreal. As soon as I stepped through those doors and out into the freezing cold air, I couldn't breath. My throat felt like it froze. I literally ran back into the airport and started swearing like there was no tomorrow! I think I was in shock!
Another time when I remember being extremely cold, was in Calgary back in 2007, and it was after a 4 day pairing from Hawaii. I remember one of the crew members I worked with offered me a ride downtown (I was temporarily living in Calgary at the time) When we got back to Calgary after laying out under the tropical hawaiian sun, the entire city was blanketed by 10 feet of snow! I remember standing in the snow covered parking lot FREEEEEEZING, while my poor friend brushed the snow off the car and then proceeded to scrape the ice of the windshield... or something around those lines. I was too cold to fully pay attention. I was probably border line hyperthermic by then. I just remember how extremely cold I was, and I kept asking my self "how do people live in such a cold city!"
I don't know if most of you guys know but I'm actually South American. I was born in late December in Lima, Peru --- Thats right, thanks to a lovely thing called The Equator, I was born during a hot mid summers night. Very mild winters and hot summers is what I am used to. When I first came to Vancouver, I didn't seem to notice the cold winters as a kid. I guess I was too pre occupied with skipping rope, pretending to be Sailor Moon or running around the schools play ground playing tag and crashing full force into some poor girl, then noticing that my front tooth had punctured her in the forehead and remained there (Thats another story that I wont get into right now) In other words I was too busy being a kid to notice how cold it was. Why is it that kids don't seem to be very temperature sensitive? I mean as a kid I used to run and jump into pools without even thinking of the temperature of the water. Now I have to make my way into pools and oceans little by little because I am the biggest pussy when it comes to cold water. It wasn't until my years in high school when I started to notice how cold it got here in Vancouver. I mean compared to Calgary, Winterpeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto etc... It is not comparable. Nevertheless, Vancouver gets a different kind of cold. A cold that seems to penetrate you to the bones and linger. It is a wet cold but still not as cold as all those other places I mentioned. The worst thing about winters in Vancouver is the wet, gray cold weather but if your prepared for it its not that bad.
Just today I met a couple from San Diego I could tell they did not live in Canada by their "winter attire" These people where dressed as if they were going to the North Pole. Im talking big puffy jackets, puffy snow pants, toques, mittens, earmuffs, scarves you name it! Back east this is normal but in Vancouver during November? Not so much! To me the weather today was very tolerable! It wasn't too cold, yet it was still sort of warm in the sun. I guess im finally getting used to the weather here!
Here are a couple things that help me feel warm during the winter!
1. At home I love to burn a lot of candles. The ones that have warm scents to them such as apple cinnamon or warm amber sure help me feel cozy!
2. Always take a hot bath when you get home. Make sure you put a lot of bubble bath in it! Light a couple candles and VOILA! Its a great way to de stress and warm up! You would be surprised by the amount of people that skip having baths and just have plain old boring showers.
3. BAKE! Bake a lot of cookies! For family members and friends! Keeping your oven on is a great way to keep your home toasty warm and smelling delicious!
4. Buy lots of warm faux fur blankets or real fur but ONLY if its vintage. There is nothing more cozy and warm than getting under a warm fuzzy blanket. If you can, I would recommend staying in bed as long as possible!
5. Get a boyfriend, girlfriend or a pet. Its always nice to have a warm body next to you. If you don't have any of these then a warm water bottle should do the trick, but if you are one of the lucky peeps who DO have a partner and a pet, have some quality cuddle time with them!
6. When you go out BUNDLE UP!!!! Who cares if you look like a fool, if anything you will be a warm looking fool. Toques, scarves, wool socks, puffy jackets and pants, ear muffs and mittens, even those super huge shawls that women wear now a days that kind of look like the picture below! If you don't have one of those super huge shawls then just drape over a blanket! People wont know the difference ;) I promise.
7. If you have a sauna or hot tub in your house or apartment USE IT! Immediately after, take a hot shower and get into your onzie! Onzies are a must! GET ONE!
8. Hot yoga is amazing! Try it! There's nothing better than a room full of hot sweaty people all harmonizing to the same energy and burning calories at the same time! I guess its kind of like and orgy minus the sex? You will definitely feel the awesome "after yoga high!"
9. Take a 10 minute vacation and visit your nearest tanning salon. Yeah, I know its not the best thing out there for you, but its really worth it when you live in a place live Vancouver. Anyone who lives in Vancouver or even Seattle knows what I mean. Even if your in the tanning bed for 5 minutes! It makes a huge difference! On another note you should also look into getting vitamin D capsules!
10. And last but not least, getting between those fuzzy blankets with a special someone and "warming" each other up is definitely the best way to get warm this winter and many winters to come. Im positive this will be your boyfriends favorite method!
I want you to bake me cookies, please and thanks.
ReplyDeleteOnly if you give me the recipe to your poo cookies lol!
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