The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: pudding on March 09, 2017, 08:08:38 PM
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I've got to be proactive about this from now on, I can't sit in the rain every year like this... I'm up here in Vancouver and its rained or snowed nearly everyday now since the beginning of October, and the 14 day forecast looks soggy too.
Thats 6 months of F**& crap weather.... drives me nuts, I've honestly had enough of the rain after the first 2 weeks that it hits in fall. To sit around in it until April each year is just a bad idea.
http://globalnews.ca/news/3091539/it-has-rained-almost-every-day-for-two-months-in-vancouver/
https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/14-day-weather-trend/british-columbia/vancouver
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This is why I moved to san diego 20 years ago from chicago. Growing up, I had no idea how much the weather affected me, or that bad weather is flat out optional. It is amazing the difference great weather makes in my day-to-day happiness.
Our sunshine isn't free....but its almost always worth it!!
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I feel you :-) I live in New Hampshire and winter is just waaay too big a % of the year. But I love my job and work/life balance and so I think I'll stick it out up here until FI unless some great opportunity comes up. Definitely struggle with the urge to just uproot and head south though! When it's *really* cold I literally ask myself, "what am I doing here?" :/
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As someone new to the PNW, I really don't get why people get so upset about the weather.
Yeah it rains. Sometimes it even goes below 40 degrees.
Today I did a double take when reading an article in the Seattle Times talking about how harsh and gloomy this winter has been. I just don't see it. Is this just one big ploy to encourage people to leave?
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Yep, that would do my head in too. I am kind of a weather freak, so it had better not be too cold.
We lived 7 or 8 years in Alberta and winter totally drove us nuts, we went back to our home country. Also, I have spent half a winter in the Okanaghan, practically no snow, but still a hell of a lot colder to what we grew up with.
Good luck and keep your chin up!
Paul der Krake: You are lucky the weather doesn't have this effect on you. However, I think I would rather put up with the rain than -20C.
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It's not for everyone.
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As someone new to the PNW, I really don't get why people get so upset about the weather.
Yeah it rains. Sometimes it even goes below 40 degrees.
Today I did a double take when reading an article in the Seattle Times talking about how harsh and gloomy this winter has been. I just don't see it. Is this just one big ploy to encourage people to leave?
Thats good then! Weather where you live suits your preferences. The rain can be nice, I went out tonight and felt good on my face and the air really fresh.
When I've been away before and then fly home and get in the fresh air here again its always good.
A lot of what gets to me is if you go to the beach in summer theres a couple of thousand people, buskers, pretty girls, lots to see and you don't have to be all wrapped up and can roll around on the grass. In winter like tonight maybe one person walking a dog and homeless shouting and invisible people.
Tonight I went out and theres just no one hanging out, just busy going from inside here to inside there.
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I understand it very well. My mood also goes up and down in tact with the weather. We often have foggy weather. The first autumn in our previous house it rained 6 weeks in a row, the whole day long, and that is so really not nice.
In Norway we have a city at the west coast where it rains or snows on average 6 days a week. I sometimes visit that place in May, when the weather statistically is best. So far I have been lucky in May.
But in Norwegian we have an expression: there is no such a thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. If dressed for the circumstances, you can of course do outdoor things. But I also like camping and that is just really not very nice in a constant rain for days.
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I understand it very well. My mood also goes up and down in tact with the weather. We often have foggy weather. The first autumn in our previous house it rained 6 weeks in a row, the whole day long, and that is so really not nice.
In Norway we have a city at the west coast where it rains or snows on average 6 days a week. I sometimes visit that place in May, when the weather statistically is best. So far I have been lucky in May.
But in Norwegian we have an expression: there is no such a thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. If dressed for the circumstances, you can of course do outdoor things. But I also like camping and that is just really not very nice in a constant rain for days.
Yes, my mood also goes up and down with the weather. It's just the way it is for me. Because my mood goes up and down with the weather, I think it would be good for me to spend some time in a sunny place in winter.
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Yes, my mood also goes up and down with the weather. It's just the way it is for me. Because my mood goes up and down with the weather, I think it would be good for me to spend some time in a sunny place in winter.
I don't have a problem with the whole winter. When it is sunny, or at least bright weather, I like to go CC skiing. So a combination of good snow conditions and good weather can save my day in the winter. If the snow conditions are good (this year has been pretty hopeless), I even go skiing when it is snowing or foggy or any weather. But then I really have to put myself to doing it and fight the urge to stay inside. Once I am outside, skiing, I usually enjoy it or at least enjoy the fact that I'm exercising.
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When we lived in Chiapas, Mexico I hit my limit on cold, wet weather. San Cristobal de la Casas is in a mountain valley at 7200 feet. Between an unusually cool winter and a couple of passing tropical storms I maxed out and told the wife I needed someplace a bit warmer and drier. She agreed. It was just a bit too much depressing there.
So we moved to Lake Chapala. 5000+ feet and the rainy season is mostly night-time rains. Lots of sunny, mild days.
That's the really nice thing about minimalism -- if it's too warm, move north, and vice-versa. Similar to when we were RV'ing.
Sent from my KFFOWI using Tapatalk
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There is no way I could handle that.
I grew up in Florida, fifteen minutes from the beach... with abundant sunshine and plenty of greenery that stayed green year-round. I didn't really 'do the beach thing' often at all, but it's easy to underestimate just how much a daily commute past the Bayfront, or being able to take a sunset walk on the beach, or walking/biking over the island bridges does for your mood.
Then I went to college in Maryland. HATED the gray dreariness of winter.... brown grass, leafless trees, and clouds for days on end. Spent the winter months depressed, homesick, and not wanting to leave my dorm room. Transferred home to a FL state school after a year and a half... the weather wasn't the only reason, but it was definitely a big factor.
After 7 more years in Florida (finishing college, working a bit, then grad school), I apparently forgot my hatred of winter and came to the foothills of NC. The first few years were tolerable due to the novelty, a schedule that allowed lots of mountain daytrips, etc but, after 10 years, the novelty has worn off. I hate winter with all my heart. It doesn't get that cold, but the gray skies and lack of green plants just kills me.
My husband grew up here and doesn't want to move, but has agreed to consider it in a few years. I started using a happy light and taking vitamin D this year.... I'm less suicidal than previous winters but still far from happy. Just trying to hang in there until spring.
So I check FL real estate listings at least once a day and hope that I can someday sucker him into moving. This year, we're spending a total of 3 weeks in Florida between various family visits (3/4 of my husband's vacation time!), so at least there's that to look forward to.
Gloomy weather seriously sucks.
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Yikes! We've been talking about this a bit since we live in upstate NY - the real upstate that's practically Canada, not 1 hr north of the city upstate. Forecast for tomorrow is 10F with windchills in the negatives. :D
I could do without that. Anything above 20F is OK, though. Snow is also fine, it's fun to play in. What I do not like is cloudy/wet/muddy periods. We've had summers that were pretty crappy and shoulder seasons that also sucked. As long as the precipitation comes frozen and there is enough sunshine I'm good with this area.
The Adirondacks can be breathtaking in any season so my biggest issue isn't necessarily that we have many days of bad weather/year. It's that many of the good days get wasted in the office. Say it's 75F sunny, dry, and not too windy. I could be out on the lake, hiking, biking, playing soccer, mountain biking - you name it. The energy and happiness boost is immeasurable. As it stands - I have to hope that these nice days line up with my weekends/time off. Sure, a nice day is a pick me up even if I'm at the office (I at least have a large window with a view) but the net happiness gain is lower. FI can't come soon enough!
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That's hilarious - I saw the title and the first thing I thought was "Are they in Vancouver?". It's been a BRUTAL winter. I did a tropical vacation to Thailand in January, and the excitement leading up to it, plus fond memories afterwards of warmth and clear skies and swimming in waterfalls has been sustaining me.
I don't really have anything to say to help. When Vancouver is good, it's amazing, but when it sucks, holy shit.
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I have family in Seattle. Lovely city in the summer, but there was a stretch of years where I would always visit around Thanksgiving or Christmas instead of the summer which is a huge mistake. One year, I was there two and half weeks around Christmas. Didn't see the sun once the entire trip. That seriously affects me, so I know for certain that I could not live in the PNW year-round and be happy. Too bad, because I like most other things about that part of the world.
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Come to New Mexico, where people go outside or to the windows to watch the rain because it's such a rare occurrence! :P I think it would seriously depress me to live somewhere that doesn't get a break from the clouds, because I remember vacationing in a spot where there were clouds/rain for a solid week and I was seriously missing the sun and blue skies and getting sad about it.
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I have family in Seattle. Lovely city in the summer, but there was a stretch of years where I would always visit around Thanksgiving or Christmas instead of the summer which is a huge mistake. One year, I was there two and half weeks around Christmas. Didn't see the sun once the entire trip. That seriously affects me, so I know for certain that I could not live in the PNW year-round and be happy. Too bad, because I like most other things about that part of the world.
My husband is from the PNW and misses it terribly, but I would have an extremely difficult time living there, though it is so beautiful that I wish I could hack it. But I have serious SAD and need a lot of bright light. I didn't realize how much my mood was affected until I moved away from the Great Lakes area (also cloudy) to Arizona for college, and then back again for a couple years. Yikes. I've ruled out several potential job opportunities/moves purely on this basis.
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As a native Oregonian and PDX resident this whole thread is music to my ears! Move back to Cali and be happy; I'll keep enjoying the lush forests, beautiful hiking, clean rivers, and nearly-private beaches. The smell of rain is one of my top ten joys in life and like the Norwegian in this thread said, "There is no bad weather... only bad weather gear."
It takes all sorts to make up our human culture and I am thankful that there are climates for every type of person.
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That's hilarious - I saw the title and the first thing I thought was "Are they in Vancouver?". It's been a BRUTAL winter. I did a tropical vacation to Thailand in January, and the excitement leading up to it, plus fond memories afterwards of warmth and clear skies and swimming in waterfalls has been sustaining me.
I don't really have anything to say to help. When Vancouver is good, it's amazing, but when it sucks, holy shit.
Yes when its good it's amazing and when it sucks it sucks... I become this whiney bastard each year, and try as I do I just end up that way.
What Vancouver is like to me is this; Imagine you were single and you met this most gorgeous attractive and fun women/man, they were so much fun and beautiful that you were thinking that this is it... everything I want in one person.. well thats Vancouver in summer
And then around November this person started to get moody and then started to turn nasty, by January you've decided they're an abusive sort and my march they've just worn you out Thats winter in Vancouver
Then in March you're just about to pack up leave this physically stunning nut job with the huge mood swings that you met last summer, when suddenly you see a glimmer of hope.. the nice person seems to be coming back, the fun one that you met last July.... so you stick around because , hey how can you leave this beauty.
Then its June and you're thinking 'hey it's not to bad, maybe it was it was just a one off' and its all great again and happy happy times all summer long.
Then of course it all happens again next November and year in year out.
Funny you mention Thailand, I was looking at pictures of my own trip there last night, had a fun trip there a few years back.
I'll go again though it's a long trip.
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I think my annual winter vacations to hot places are absolutely critical to my sanity while living here. A couple of other things that help are keeping my apartment really warm, cozy, and inviting through the winter, minimizing errand-running as much as possible, and keeping lots of fun indoor activities on hand at home - crosswords, books, video games. I also try to cook lots of very hearty foods, and do a lot of baking.
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Part of my desire to FIRE is to get the hell out of Louisiana. It rains constantly, everything bites you and the heat is unbearable half the time.
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It's strange how different the weather can be when you move somewhere new. I used to live in mountains that got very, very cold and snowy in the winter. Now I live close to the ocean and the temperature usually doesn't drop all that low. It's weird, though, because sometimes the temperature will change 40 degrees F within the same day here.
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As a native Oregonian and PDX resident this whole thread is music to my ears! Move back to Cali and be happy; I'll keep enjoying the lush forests, beautiful hiking, clean rivers, and nearly-private beaches. The smell of rain is one of my top ten joys in life and like the Norwegian in this thread said, "There is no bad weather... only bad weather gear."
It takes all sorts to make up our human culture and I am thankful that there are climates for every type of person.
Or they can (continue to) go just over the mountains to Bend and have great sunny weather and access to all those good things...
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Jump to Victoria. While we're no stranger to rain, we don't get nearly as much as Vancouver or Seattle does.
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My DH has a post FIRE wish to spend a whole year up in the very north of Norway. There sill be midnight sun and eternal night for m8nths at the time. He sais there are periods of dylight without sun in Januari and when you are a pensioner, you can make a trip in those few hours. I gave said yes, as it would be an interesting experience for a year. But I think it will be challenging. Blizards can also be really bad in winter.
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They'd have to pay me $1 million per year to put up with crappy weather. I'd gladly make less and live somewhere sunny and nice most of the year.
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Yesterday was a bit sunny for half the day, I was outside in it and sure felt good to feel the sun.
Today from morning to night it has just pissed it down with constant heavy rain and grey clouds. I slept until 10am and then fell asleep again this afternoon, gets me that way when its raining and dark.
Next winter I'm not sitting in this weather for half the year.
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Yesterday was a bit sunny for half the day, I was outside in it and sure felt good to feel the sun.
Today from morning to night it has just pissed it down with constant heavy rain and grey clouds. I slept until 10am and then fell asleep again this afternoon, gets me that way when its raining and dark.
Next winter I'm not sitting in this weather for half the year.
Vancouver today seriously sucked. It was dry in the morning when I walked to ballet class, but POURING an hour and a half later when I was walking home, and I didn't have an umbrella. Haven't left the apartment since I got back - just cooking a lot, doing some chores, and doing crosswords. Probably play some video games later. I'm so done with this winter. I think this is the shittiest winter I've lived through here in 12 years.
We're having a Mustachian Meetup next weekend for any Vancouverites interested in getting out of the rain. It's at my place in Gastown. Snack-potluck and tax discussion.
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Ha! I live in Northern California. This year we've had enough rain to end our seven-year drought. We've had dam breaks, hundred-year flooding, trees falling, mudslides, accidental drownings and all manner of bad things, but hey, we needed the water.
I feel your pain. If the winter we've experienced is a fraction of what you get every.damn.winter, I do not know how you can stand it. My hat is off to you, sir.
On the other hand, we own some nice rental properties in Palm Desert, CA (SoCal)... We love snowbirds! Just kidding; they are not seasonal rentals, but you Canadians sure help keep the local economy afloat in the sunny, shiny desert winter.
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Sounds amazing, this summer has been brutal on east coast of qld (Australia)- I'm so over 100F+ humid AF days. You're constantly covered in a light sheen of sweat. I'd kill for a good thunderstorm!!!
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Sounds amazing, this summer has been brutal on east coast of qld (Australia)- I'm so over 100F+ humid AF days. You're constantly covered in a light sheen of sweat. I'd kill for a good thunderstorm!!!
Yeah it was the worst summer I've seen in queensland, no good storms to break the humidity for weeks on end.
But the winter makes up for it, perfect sunny 20C days for months
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But the winter makes up for it, perfect sunny 20C days for months
That is what we call a good summer. :-)
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I also live in a place where it rains allllllll winter long as and usually by April or May I'm ready to throw in the towel and move somewhere else. I have decided that when we retire we will do a month or two every winter someplace warmer - San Diego, Hawaii, Thailand - don't know yet, but months and months of rain can be very depressing. Every year in the fall, I can almost convinced myself that I actually like the rain, and it's kind of nice to have cold weather during the holidays - bundle up by a fire, drinking chocolate, go skiing, etc, but by January I am ready to be done. A couple years ago it was still cold and rainy in June and I remember wearing a wool sweater on Father's Day!
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https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=weather+vancouver&*
This weather forecast link probably changes day to day. But as of March 13th shows 8 big old rainy days ahead for us! I'm sat here with my little sun lamp thingy thinking it's not really doing anything..... I'm so done with 6 months of rain and snow.
Looking at peoples posts here I think I see how it is for us humans and it's not a lot different than plants... some need full sun, some partial shade and some need shade and lots of rain.
Myself I'm a needs sun but partial shade kind of thing ;) But I'm currently in the shade and rain, maybe even in a bog.
http://gardeningwithconfidence.com/blog/2013/04/25/sun-part-sun-shade-part-shade/
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This discussion really got me looking at FIRE locations, and let me to this via Google search. Spain is looking pretty good, and I speak the language lol.
https://medium.com/@BambouClub/which-city-has-the-best-climate-in-the-world-355e013e9e95#.a2djk0iyw
http://www.400cities.com/
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This discussion really got me looking at FIRE locations, and let me to this via Google search. Spain is looking pretty good, and I speak the language lol.
https://medium.com/@BambouClub/which-city-has-the-best-climate-in-the-world-355e013e9e95#.a2djk0iyw
http://www.400cities.com/
Thanks, it's an interesting read!
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As someone new to the PNW, I really don't get why people get so upset about the weather.
Yeah it rains. Sometimes it even goes below 40 degrees.
Today I did a double take when reading an article in the Seattle Times talking about how harsh and gloomy this winter has been. I just don't see it. Is this just one big ploy to encourage people to leave?
Well as a lifelong Seattleite I can tell you it has been an abnormally cold and soggy winter in Seattle, especially compared to the last couple winters that were fairly mild.
February had the most recorded rain since 1961, which was the 2nd most since they started keeping records in the 1940's. October set a new rain record. We've had only 9 days sunny days (30% or less cloud cover) since October 1st (average is 15). And only 3 of those days had temperatures above 40 degrees. We've also seen twice the average amount of snow. So it's a legit topic for the newspaper...
But who cares. Being a Seattleite means you just put on hooded jacket and do what you were going to do anyways.
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OP should change username to Puddling
/out
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Did you live here in 2013 2014 2015 or 2016 ???
We were beyond spoilt the last 3 years and finally we got rain and snow this year.
I LOVE it and we are spoilt with one of the most beautiful places to live in North America, that lush green forest and beautiful landscape comes at the price of rain.
I should mention that we probably don't get as bad of weather on the east side of the island as you do in VanCity
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A friend moved to Seattle and she loved not seeing the sun and lives in her apartment with curtains so the sun never comes in.
I lived in Seattle and for the first time in my life thought of suicide. And at that time, it was supposedly the #1 suicidal capital of US. I stayed a little over a year and had to get out.
I don't think it's a happenstance that grunge music was born in the Seattle area. The whole woe is me, life is fucked up, can be summed up by the shitty weather. There's a reason why demographic population studies show there's a movement from cold states to warmer areas.
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A friend moved to Seattle and she loved not seeing the sun and lives in her apartment with curtains so the sun never comes in.
I lived in Seattle and for the first time in my life thought of suicide. And at that time, it was supposedly the #1 suicidal capital of US. I stayed a little over a year and had to get out.
I don't think it's a happenstance that grunge music was born in the Seattle area. The whole woe is me, life is fucked up, can be summed up by the shitty weather. There's a reason why demographic population studies show there's a movement from cold states to warmer areas.
Yep, no kidding... before here I lived in Manchester England which is also full of shoegazing bands, rains all the time there too! Coincidence?? You don't hear many sad songs about sunshine but I know of plenty about rain. :)
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A friend moved to Seattle and she loved not seeing the sun and lives in her apartment with curtains so the sun never comes in.
<...>
Maybe your friend is a vampire?
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A friend moved to Seattle and she loved not seeing the sun and lives in her apartment with curtains so the sun never comes in.
<...>
Maybe your friend is a vampire?
Ssshhh its a sectret
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This is exactly how i feel in Scotland....
... and we have Brexit and Indyref2 to contend with :(
Give my head peace!!
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This discussion really got me looking at FIRE locations, and let me to this via Google search. Spain is looking pretty good, and I speak the language lol.
https://medium.com/@BambouClub/which-city-has-the-best-climate-in-the-world-355e013e9e95#.a2djk0iyw
http://www.400cities.com/
If you can't handle North Carolina's weather, I don't know what to tell you.
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The blog writer poo pooed North Carolina but I lived in Chapel Hill and then in Morrisville and loved the weather.
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I don't think it's the rain that struck me whenever I would visit places like Oregon or Washington, it was the clouds that hung so low one felt close enough to touch them. And it seemed that way every day. There's a reason Seattle and Manchester produced so many good bands-- gloomy weather.
I grew up in, and still live in Kansas. I could say a lot of bad things, but at least the weather is interesting. Two days ago the high temperature was around 25 (F). Today it was 70. Ten days ago we had tornadoes. Five days ago we had snow. We had a mild winter overall, which I enjoyed. I grow less tolerant of snow every year, not so much for the cold it brings, but because I hate driving in it.
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Today was not a bad day. I didn't get rained on either walking to work OR walking home, and I took advantage of the dryness to get in a Costco run. I do those by foot, so an absence of rain is a lot more pleasant.
Facebook has been trolling me. One year ago today, you were doing this awesome hike! Look how sunny and nice it was!
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I worked outside today, rained a bit but wasn't to bad. The lighter night is welcome...
my sister still lives close to Manchester and hates the long rainy winter as much as I do. She's booked a month trip to India next boxing day... sounds like a good idea
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With the light change I am now practicing forcing myself outside every day after work for at least 1 hour. It has been great. Two long walks and a MTB ride. I can smell summer!!
I have been doing this in the weekends, but during the week I find it challenging, as the roads around my house are still so icy. I went on a little walk in the half-snowy forest 2 days ago which was good. After Easter I hope the roads are clean enough that I can start running (run/walk) to work. My condition has been deteriorating in the past year and it is time to build up again. Just training in the weekend like I do now is not sufficient. Although it is good for my mood when the weather is good.
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I'm at that time of year again where I can feel the spring coming on. Plants are starting to grow, I'm starting to wake up and feel more optimistic.
I've seen how it goes for enough years now to know the pattern for me here in this part of the world.
I'll start it in September, thats when it's great and the end of summer/ fall weather, cooling down after a hot summer and the leaves starting to turn.
October is the same thing, maybe a bit cool and feels good to put some warmer clothes on and a bit cosy at night.
November it starts to piss down with rain and the f'ing clocks are swivelled around / changed so the farmers can drive their horse and carts more safely in the mornings or something.
It almost instantly sucks for me right around the second week of November... I can't outside anymore without big coats on, it's dark at 4.30pm and it's like who the f@@@ turned the lights off, and knowing that its going to be like that for 5 more months.
My mood bombs, and really quite quickly, by end of November I'm just thinking wtf.... grumble grumble fakk fakk fakkk, 5 more months of this..
And I think about going on holiday and then realise that it would take some organising and don't seem motivated enough to do it.
December is crap, I know some people like Christmas, but honestly I hate that time of year. Many of my family died and tragically, the ones still around don't speak half the time, often nothing, and I mean Nothing! special happens at all, and I'll be sat on my own watching tv. All the 'jolly jolly' music and its a wonderful time of the year and emphasis on family + the blue mood I'm already feeling is just too much.
So I endure December, and by the end of it I am done! with winter.... but still at least 2 months of it left. I'm usually too depressed and lethargic by this time to ever get my sh1$ together to go away on a trip. Also I've noticed even if I do go on a trip I'm so down in the dumps that I just take it with me, sure a bit of sun for a week helps but by that time it's not a cure all.
January, now I'm just whining, sat around F@@@ this and F@@@ that and your an ass and he's an ass and oh my god when will it stop raining and snowing. Cabin fever setting in and maybe get the flu and for fux sake.
February is more of the same. Almost nothing noteworthy happens in February.
March I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, first signs of spring around the corner. The clocks are swivelled around again so the farmers can see where they're going at night kind of thing.
I've noticed in March that often it's when I've got it together to go travelling in the past... seems strange to leave it till March but I think thats when this winter low energy starts to lift.
So second half of March I start to get energy again, I can go outside and fix this and that and work a bit later. Feeling like my old self, optimistic, can do this can get things done. Like a weight off my shoulders.
April, might even get a bit of a spring mania going on, I've noticed it before, get a bit speedy and maybe start to overdo things a bit, urge to spring clean and thrown that winter sh@t in the garbage bin.
May is good, my work is somewhat seasonal and I like to get into the swing of it. Ride my bike, lose that winter pudding... life is OK
June is nice, longest day, ride my bike, look at the pretty ladies, life is good.
July, lots to do in this city and weather is great, sunny, light till late, my kind of weather...
August, same as July! life is good. Sometimes even a bit of rain is welcome!
Then we'er back to September again and have until early November before the 5 month long sh@t season starts again.
So my year is like 3 seasons really.
Season one Theres the bit thats September and October that bit is fall and I like that one. It's cooling down but that OK after a long summer.
Season two Then like I say there's the sh@t season with the clock change and dark at night, the grey clouds and rain, flu season, jolly jolly sh1tmas, boring January, super boring February.
Season 3 Is the bit between Mid March to early /mid September.... thats the good time, the productive time, when I can be outside and things to see and weather is reasonable and it's light enough at night and evenings to be able to be outside amongst people.
Season 1 and 3 I like, but season 2 the rainy cloudy, dark cold snowy, Sh@tmas season you can keep! Thats the one I have to find a way to tame...
I'm not sure of the best way to do it.. I have lots of ideas but I'm not sure how practical they really are. I sort of like my life here, its just the winter season I can't stand... to go away travelling for that season really isn't that appealing to me.
I have my life set up pretty nice here, nice house, nice part of the world, things mostly just as I like them nowadays... I like my self employed handyman work, I'm fortunate that I can schedule just enough of it for it to actually be enjoyable and not a grind, my gym at home and things to occupy me like my workshop and guitars, friends etc..
To use an analogy it would be as if you had your nice house and good life but for some reason the electricity company only had enough power for 8 months of the year, so they shut it off November to Feb...
Sure you could go away and travel for those months but what a drag to have to do that. It might be that you like to travel sometimes, but then there's the times when you'd have things going on and not want or easily be able to.
To me it's a bit like that, I could travel but I don't really want to, I've done a lot of it and not itching to get away. I'm in Vancouver Canada so this is about as mild as it gets here without moving to a different country.
I could go snowbird down to the southern states for a few months... that one is a bit more appealing particularly the idea of having an RV and then being able to take your 'house' and familiar things with you...
Or buy a condo and maybe go to stay in it for a few months a year and rent it out on air bnb for the other months?? Something familiar thats a home away from home, rather than in a hotel in a distant country kind of thing...
Anyway that my Friday March ramble ;)
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It sounds like you need more social interaction and physical stimulation. Join a Team Sport like indoor Soccer or hockey during the Winters and it might go a long way toward raising your mood. Endorphins and camaraderie are like natural drugs for our primal lizard-brain.
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It sounds like you need more social interaction and physical stimulation. Join a Team Sport like indoor Soccer or hockey during the Winters and it might go a long way toward raising your mood. Endorphins and camaraderie are like natural drugs for our primal lizard-brain.
Thanks shaybro.... it helps for sure. Not enough for me to feel all OK about things though. A girlfriend would go a long way towards easing the lonely feelings... sometimes easier said than done though the older you get.
I think I just have this winter lethargy/sleepy/ low mood thing thats seasonal affected depression. It's a drag.
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Have you considered a light box? DH wants to get one for our family.
Short trips to places with more sun (even if just in the drier mountain parts of BC) might help you make it through the worst parts of the winter -- I find my mood lifts considerably even with just a few hours of real sun in the winter (when that happens it really is gloriously beautiful in this part of the world....).
Do you like movies or books? I'm thinking of working through lists of the 100 all time best films/books as a way to have something to look forward too when the weather is crap.
And even though it kind of sucks to walk in the rain, now that we've been doing it for a few weeks I find that keeping moving DOES help with my mood quite a bit, even if the weather isnt amenable. Planning to invest in some good quality waterproof rain gear to make the damp factor less of an issue.
Hi lhamo, I have a light box and it think it helps a bit, not a cure all but maybe helps a bit. But the boredom etc.... not so much
Today was OK, at this time of year I start to wake up, even though today I had to go to the drywall dump and got a flat tire on my trailer while there, then found a tire shop a block and thankfully they fixed it up... got soaked though! Just drenched.
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Pissing it down outside ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdWvkQdFTfM
I can't speak German but I'm sure they're singing about it raining since end of September :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3q8Od5qJio
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Ugh, I feel the same exact way! I travelled in January and now I feel like I need to get away from all the rain.
Too. Much. Rain. Make. It. Go. Away.
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I think I'm OK now.. the sun is out and blue sky for the first time in a long time and I have to say it feels good and it has been way, way to long since it was here before.
Next winter I'm doing stuff, maybe trip down to Arizona, or diving in Mexico. I'm not sitting on my ass like I did this year. If I'm on here next winter complaining and haven't gone on a trip, please come and face punch me!
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I don't get it. What exactly do you want to do outside that rain is preventing you from doing? Get some good water resistant clothing, some clothing that dries quickly, and get out there and do it! You won't melt.
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I don't get it. What exactly do you want to do outside that rain is preventing you from doing? Get some good water resistant clothing, some clothing that dries quickly, and get out there and do it! You won't melt.
Hmmm let me think???? Going to wreck beach? Always a lot more fun when it's not raining.. I know about rain gear as I've worked in construction for close to 40 years... trust me I know about rain gear.
http://www.wreckbeach.org/
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My parent's neighbors are snowbirds to Phoenix in the winter. One year, they bought an outdoor light sensor, to turn on / off the porch lights in Vancouver while they were away. The light stayed on for 2.5 months straight, then burned out or something.
For Pudding... I moved to vancouver from very very sunny winnipeg. I thought I would love warm winters, but the first two years were horrible for me. Then, the second year, I noticed that flowers were coming up by the END OF FEBRUARY. (Winnipeg's flowers are closer to Victoria Day... Tulips are up start of May).
Whoot! That saved it for me. I can get through November, December and January for the FEBRUARY flowers.
Today (afternoon) was brilliant. Kind of a "buy new shoes then clean out your closet" type of day for me.
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My parent's neighbors are snowbirds to Phoenix in the winter. One year, they bought an outdoor light sensor, to turn on / off the porch lights in Vancouver while they were away. The light stayed on for 2.5 months straight, then burned out or something.
For Pudding... I moved to vancouver from very very sunny winnipeg. I thought I would love warm winters, but the first two years were horrible for me. Then, the second year, I noticed that flowers were coming up by the END OF FEBRUARY. (Winnipeg's flowers are closer to Victoria Day... Tulips are up start of May).
Whoot! That saved it for me. I can get through November, December and January for the FEBRUARY flowers.
Today (afternoon) was brilliant. Kind of a "buy new shoes then clean out your closet" type of day for me.
Yes, I thought this afternoon was brilliant too! I'm good from now on until November, I think maybe I'll join my sister in December, she's going to India. I've never been there.
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I don't get it. What exactly do you want to do outside that rain is preventing you from doing? Get some good water resistant clothing, some clothing that dries quickly, and get out there and do it! You won't melt.
Hmmm let me think???? Going to wreck beach? Always a lot more fun when it's not raining.. I know about rain gear as I've worked in construction for close to 50 years... trust me I know about rain gear.
http://www.wreckbeach.org/
YMMV, but I've had deeply satisfying times at the beach while it's pissing down rain. They tend to be a lot less crowded so you get to see more of the natural world, you can still run/boat/cycle, watching the waves from some shelter (particularly if you've packed a thermos of hot beverage) is much more fun, throwing sticks for your dog is just as fun (requires extra towels back in the car though).
It's not good if you're near death, immobile, and looking for a place to let your nearly naked carcass decay in sun for a few hours . . . but if that's your key prerequisite to enjoyment, maybe adjust the ole expectations a bit?
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I don't get it. What exactly do you want to do outside that rain is preventing you from doing? Get some good water resistant clothing, some clothing that dries quickly, and get out there and do it! You won't melt.
Hmmm let me think???? Going to wreck beach? Always a lot more fun when it's not raining.. I know about rain gear as I've worked in construction for close to 50 years... trust me I know about rain gear.
http://www.wreckbeach.org/
YMMV, but I've had deeply satisfying times at the beach while it's pissing down rain. They tend to be a lot less crowded so you get to see more of the natural world, you can still run/boat/cycle, watching the waves from some shelter (particularly if you've packed a thermos of hot beverage) is much more fun, throwing sticks for your dog is just as fun (requires extra towels back in the car though).
It's not good if you're near death, immobile, and looking for a place to let your nearly naked carcass decay in sun for a few hours . . . but if that's your key prerequisite to enjoyment, maybe adjust the ole expectations a bit?
thanks for your advice i'll try to do better.
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Come to Florida. Your worst months are our best months.
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Come to Florida. Your worst months are our best months.
Thanks sounds like a good idea!
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Lifetime PNWer here and this winter has been brutal. Colder, longer, rainier, snowier, foggier, darker, greyer - all the elements ramped up to 11. The sun and blue sky this weekend are almost disorienting!
This thread has been fun - and true. :) It reminds me of the classic song Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh, right down to the turning point when it finally stops raining.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Muddah,_Hello_Fadduh_(A_Letter_from_Camp)
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So what you guys are saying is that I shouldn't be holed up here with blinds closed and AC blasting in this 75° heat down here in Southern Californing? I kid, I kid. I have to study today, that's my excuse hehe.
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Lifetime PNWer here and this winter has been brutal. Colder, longer, rainier, snowier, foggier, darker, greyer - all the elements ramped up to 11. The sun and blue sky this weekend are almost disorienting!
This thread has been fun - and true. :) It reminds me of the classic song Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh, right down to the turning point when it finally stops raining.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Muddah,_Hello_Fadduh_(A_Letter_from_Camp)
I think this short video clip explains it all ;) PNW in a nutshell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ppr9LDaQE
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Sequim, WA
We stayed there in our RV for all of February and had about 20 days of sunshine during the month.
Rain shadow baby!
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I'm here in Portland and I feel your pain. Today was finally a sunny day, but this winter has been really the worst in many years. I've thought many times over that I need to move. My husband is from here and Portland is a nice city and we own a house and on and on. Being from Colorado though I miss the sky!
Definitely when I retire I will put my foot down. I will need at least 2 or 3 months away from the gray and rain.
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Still raining here. Forecast as of today (march 22nd) is for 8 more days of rain.
https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=weather+vancouver&*
It was sunny on Sunday or was it Monday? And what a lovely day, what a treat..... I can't do this every year, it's just a big downer to me. If you're one the people who like the rain I'm happy for you, but myself I've had enough of it.
I've got to make a plan get the f out of here in winter.
Anyone seen that goth movie 'the crow' where nearly every scene is dark, moody and gloomy? Starting to feel like I got a part in that movie ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTw3GCCeH4Q
Pudding?? is that you??
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I hear you, we've had an especially hard winter in Seattle this year. I don't know if I could move somewhere that's sunny all the time, how do you guys handle the fact that there are no seasons? Doesn't that feel strange?
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Where is spring this year?! I'm in central Washington and we're supposed to have sun 202 days out of the year and I haven't seen a string of sunny days in months. At this point it feels good to vent.
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We rode over to Moses Lake, WA which is supposed to have like 330 days a year of sunshine.
Raining :-)
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The wife and I have thought seriously about moving from SoCal to PNW in retirement...threads like this make me want to reconsider. The ideal, if we can manage it, would be to have a place in both locations and spend summers up north and winters down south.
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The wife and I have thought seriously about moving from SoCal to PNW in retirement...threads like this make me want to reconsider. The ideal, if we can manage it, would be to have a place in both locations and spend summers up north and winters down south.
That sounds great. It's what I'm thinking to do myself, head down to the sun for a couple of months a year.
I like seasons, I think if it was hot all the time I wouldn't like it. Its just the length of the rainy/dark and can't do much outside season that I don't like.
Here in Vancouver it starts early November and usually ends early March. So four months.... Ideally I'd do about a month of winter, and thats all.
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Cloudy days get to me far worse than a string of subzero F days.
When we moved from the PNW to the Midwest, my son would start crying every time we went outside, "Turn off the sun, it's too bright!"
This time of year, when the weather is teasing us with one beautiful warm day every two weeks, the rainy days start to aggravate me - I was noticing this today after work - big fat springtime raindrops plopping on the sidewalk, with that wet cement smell just starting, and I was thinking that if it were only 20 degrees warmer I'd be truly enjoying it all. As it was I just wanted my face to stay dry until I got back inside.
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Oh, dear God, it's rating here again today...
Happily, I'm still lazing in my bathrobe. Anything I chose to do out of the house today is completely optional. FIRE is good, but it doesn't stop the rain. Sure is nice not to care too much.
ETA: Fucking, fucking autocorrect. It's raining, damn it, not rating, FFS. Raining, raining, raining. Will it never end?
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Yesterday was gorgeous! Today? Today?! Today! It's snowing AND raining.
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Come to New England, where the weather never stops changing!
Seriously, you just never know what you are going to get, and the forecasters are often wrong. It can swing 40 degrees from day to day. This February, we had a 70F degree day and then in March we had a Blizzard. I honestly have grown to love it, because just when you are getting sick of the weather, it changes into something else. About once every 5 years or so, you get a really bad, bad winter though.
Winter: Varies from mild to severe. This winter was an odd mix of both, as stated above. Last winter it rarely dipped below 35F it seemed and we had many 40-50F days. The winter before that was endless snowstorms to the point where my work shut down 4 days in a month, public transit was at a standstill, and everyone had a leaky roof. It was truly horrible, and I had a friend who moved because of that winter.
Spring - cold and raw, but late spring is fabulous. It does seem to take forever to warm up, but May in particular is amazing.
Summer - Humid and warm, but not broiling. Usually in the mid 80s with some weeks in the 90s.
Fall - my favorite season here - lovely temperature, crisp air. Fall in New England truly is special.
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Well, it's a downpour as usual, but we got REALLY lucky and the Power Rangers movie is going to be showing at the theater 3 blocks away (that usually only shows random foreign films and cartoons). Usually we have to trek right across downtown to see movies, and that would NOT happen tonight.
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Today I bought an outdoor firepit, the type you put on your deck. So I set it up on the deck and sat out in a chair under the porch and watched it rain.
Was quite good, enjoyed it. Still waiting for the sun though.
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Well, it's a downpour as usual, but we got REALLY lucky and the Power Rangers movie is going to be showing at the theater 3 blocks away
"Luck". . . you're going to see a Power Rangers movie. :P
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Spring at last! That was a long winter.
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouvers-march-wasnt-rainiest-on-record-but-it-was-the-gloomiest
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I am so with this thread! I moved to the Seattle area from sunny Lake Tahoe. No F'in reason I can think of, something about wanting to live up to my potential or some such bullshit. Should have stayed a snowboard bum. This winter SUUUUUUUUCKED. Enough that my wife, who loves the rain, actually didn't tell me to STFU when I whined about moving back to the mountains.
It was a good powder year at the ski resorts which is nice, and I am outside as much as possible between snowboarding, biking to work, mountain biking weekends, gym on the beach cruiser even in the rain, offroading below snow level and lighting fires in the drizzle, etc. I'm outside a metric shit-ton and that keeps me from jumping off a building but the idea that it's awesome to live here? Ugh!
Meanwhile the sun came out today and I'm like, "It's so awesome! Everything is green, birds are chirping, take the kids to school on bikes, drink beer in the hammock on the deck, yeah!" Jekyll and Hyde here. I really do love the spring and summers before the gloom sets in. But I'm seriously bummed out by the fall and winter.
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Honestly, the snow was part of the reason I left New York. I was sick of the bloody snow and cold. I was so gun ho to move to Georgia or Texas and instead ended up in Taiwan. Now I get to deal with rain every day :(
Maybe I will make it to Texas or the US South next time. (watch me end up in Japan, or the Middle East)
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I also can't stand the snow anymore. Today I had to drive to work through 20cm of snow, with 30km/h (20mph). It is time to become spring now!
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You poor people. I couldn't do it. I'd die. GA is bad enough in the winter - rarely very cold or snowy or even terribly rainy but long stretches of gray, gray, gray skies and dead yellow grass. But thankfully it's short. Fall color peaks in early Thanksgiving and by the time the excitement of the holidays wears off on early Jan, you only have 2 months to go until daffodils begin poking out. March is always interesting - will it be 80? will we get a blizzard that paralyzes us for 2 weeks? April comes in a Renoir-esque wash of color and flowers. Then everything turns yellow for two weeks. And then it's summer from May - September.
I love summer. I love heat. I am fine going for a run when it's 90 degrees and 100% humidity, though preferably not in direct sunlight (that's a bit much). We go out on the lake every weekend. If we could eradicate mosquitoes, I'd be in heaven.
I will say that July in the Colorado mountains is pretty awesome (no humidity or mosquitos) but it really aggravates me trying to figure out how to dress. In GA, from May on you wear summer clothes and carry a sweater to wear in restaurants. In CO, you constantly have to add/shed layers to deal with the changing weather. So much work!
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I can 100% relate. This has to be such a personal (genetic?) issue. Many people are perfectly happy living in a (what I would call) shitty climate. Me? not so much. My wife and I grew up in a place with long, rainy winters. From Sept through April the sun rarely comes out. As a kid I never cared much, but as the years passed I could clearly recognize that the summer "me" and winter "me" were quite different. Same for my wife to an ever bigger extreme. There's only so much a light box can help!
Fast forward and we moved to Florida (a very deliberate decision), and it's amazing. I'll take the humidity and heat over dreary weather ANY day of the week. Hell, I don't even mind it anymore. You simply adjust (do physical activities in the morning). We might not stay put right here forever, but we're never going way back north, that's for sure.
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MAKE. THE. RAIN. STOP.
Nearly every day since early February. Yeah, sun might shine for 1/2 the day, but so much rain!!
Forecast is rain for the next 7 out of 8 days.
From climate.weather.gc.ca: Vancouver
April - only 6 days without rain so far.. last year, at this time, 16 days were dry.
March - 2 days without rain (or trace) and there was SNOW FALL
February - 7 days without rain, 13 days with snow on the ground.
January - 18 days without rain or snowfall, but 12 of those days had SNOW on the ground.
December - 11 days without precipitation, most days with snow on the ground.
November - 2 days without rain or snow (typical November)
October - 3 days without rain
September - 16 days without rain
etc.
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I can 100% relate. This has to be such a personal (genetic?) issue. Many people are perfectly happy living in a (what I would call) shitty climate. Me? not so much. My wife and I grew up in a place with long, rainy winters. From Sept through April the sun rarely comes out. As a kid I never cared much, but as the years passed I could clearly recognize that the summer "me" and winter "me" were quite different. Same for my wife to an ever bigger extreme. There's only so much a light box can help!
Fast forward and we moved to Florida (a very deliberate decision), and it's amazing. I'll take the humidity and heat over dreary weather ANY day of the week. Hell, I don't even mind it anymore. You simply adjust (do physical activities in the morning). We might not stay put right here forever, but we're never going way back north, that's for sure.
So different people can be... :-). I can't stand humidity, although a nice warm temperature is preferred over cold.
I don't really mind winter as long as there are good skiing circumstances. This winter however, has been hopeless for skiing. And now, as the spring should have been here and everyone has put sommer tires on their cars, there is a pack of wet snow.
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...
Fast forward and we moved to Florida (a very deliberate decision), and it's amazing. I'll take the humidity and heat over dreary weather ANY day of the week. Hell, I don't even mind it anymore. You simply adjust (do physical activities in the morning). We might not stay put right here forever, but we're never going way back north, that's for sure.
+1000
I'm moving to FL next year. Like you, I'll take the humidity, heat AND SUNLIGHT. I just cannot take the lack of sunlight in winter.