Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi → The crickets are all DEAD!
Amy!!!!!!!! Bring back my crickets, pretty please, I hope they're only "closed" and not dead dead. I'll never complain ever again knowing now that silence, complete silence is even worse!
And yes, you may call me crickets.
Smelly armpits is already taken! 
Hope this isn't your new thread.
njc, it's better than nothing, right?
mmmm, maybe Amy could use this as inspiration for Dictates, instead of ants .... LOL
Apparently the talk of crickets really upset her
The question is, between silence/a closed thread, crickets/no reviews, writer's block, feminists, what upsets me the most. It's a tight race.
K, how cold is it where you are? I'm really cold, and it worries me, it's too soon to be this cold. I need to buy more/better clothes this weekend - someone at work asked me if I have gloves. I don't have gloves. In Perth, you don't need gloves. Ever. Even when it's the coldest winter on record you don't need gloves. So no, I don't own gloves. Need to correct that one too when I go shopping this weekend. A fellow Aussie told me to get fingerless gloves so that you can still type on a keyboard. Sheer brilliance - then you can wear gloves over gloves too. Right now, I'm wearing two jumpers (jackets in the US), two shirts (a t-shirt under my nice-r shirt) AND a singlet and I'm still cold. Even Jon Stark will think so. So I'm trying to convince myself it could be worse, like in Canada cold ...
In Calgary, the coldest winter in the past 25 years was -40 degrees. That doesn't account for how much colder it feels when there's high humidity. I was there over Christmas when that happened. I arrived with the remnants of the flu, shoveled two foot deep snow for my mother, and caught a cold. By then, I was no longer used to cold weather, so it felt even worse. Haven't been back for Christmas since then. Calgary in spring is much better.
I grew up in Calgary, so I lived there until I moved to Ottawa for work. It was August and hot as hell. The day after I got to Ottawa, I heard on the radio that Calgary had been hit with a freak snowstorm. :-)
However, Calgary can also be the hot spot in Canada in winter, with people jogging in shorts, while the maritime provinces are under three feet of snow.
Hmm. According to Weather.com, you shouldn't go below 50 degrees Farenheit for the next 24 hours. That's not so bad. It was close to 80 around here two days ago but with Himmicane Joachim lounging about, we're in the 60s here, going to the low 50s over the weekend, with plenty of rain to upset the end of the baseball regular season ... when there's no time for makeup games.
And I've got a ticket for the Pepsi Porch on Saturday, in about the least desirable corner. It's the only part of the Porch that's under any overhang. That will be a chillin' game.
There is a store called REI that sells quality hiking and skiing clothing. Aother one you can find in some stores is Columbia. Fingerless gloves aren't enough of a solution. Remember to buy Polartec clothing (preferably with a coating called Windblock) regardless of whether you can afford REI's prices or not. A simple fleece undershirt will do you wonders on staying warm in this weather. For someone who has never experienced cold, remember that layers are always a good way to go (seems like you have that one down already), and that you can't stay warm once you get wet (sweating into a poorly breathing coat is an example) so you need a layer to wick away the moisture.
You'll find that there are gloves everywhere, but many of them are crap and let in the gusting winds. I've found that it is worth any price to have warm hands. That means spending a fortune on gloves, but it is REALLY important for your comfort level. Coats can be layered, but you can't layer your hands and still drive. Also, always remember to cover your head with a really good hat, otherwise you lose all your heat in the first thirty seconds of being outside.
Speaking of which, you need to learn to drive in cold weather/ icy weather. Read up on it before you have to deal with that experience for the first time. (No sudden turns of the wheel if there is bad traction/ wide turns/ pump your brakes when stopping unless you have anti-lock brakes. Both ways end up sliding you over the road, but will get you stopped eventually)
Gotta look out for my Aussie friend so I can collect some wine down the road :-)
Sorry I locked you out. I must have been on my phone and the icons are tiny. Didn't even see it (ducks head and pouts)
A
On the coast, the thermal mass of the ocean moderates the extremes of winter and summer. But yeah, it will get cool. For safety, keep a couple of cheap blankets in the car trunk. They'll also protect your knees when you go to change tires.
Buy good wiper blades. The AANCO junk that gas stations have sold for years is just that--junk. Car makers have been going to beam blades, and for replacements you can try Bosch. They cost, but they'll last a couple of years and they keep working.
Modern car engines heat up fast to meet emission-control cold-start mandates. In all but subzero weather you'll have useful heating in a mile or so. Unfortunately, the Pinhead branch of the Federal Government has mandated that you can't have recirc and defrost at the same time, which means that when there is heavy wet snow falling just under freezing, you have to keep you windshield clear by taking cold outside air, cooling it further with the air conditioner (which will be on when you have the defroster on) and hoping your engine and heater core are big enough to get the defrost air warm enough. Unless your driving a Caddy or a Bentley, they won't be big enough. (And forget about it with a battery car.)
Oh, according to Wiki-P, Perth is at 36 degrees latitude (south) while Seattle is at 47 degrees latitude (north). 'nuff said!
In the dead of winter we will vary from -30°C to -39°C (in places like Winnipeg, at which point most things shut down).
By the way, Mars has an average of -55. A Martian getting ready for summer would probably freeze to death in Winnipeg.
Luckily, that's a long ways off (knock on wood)
This will make me feel better. Thanks for taking one for the team K! 
Dirk, I just checked. Where we are, we are road-trip distance away from Calgary. I'm going to mention that to the husband. I've always wanted to go. And of course we'll go in spring! We have so much we want to do and see, it's not even funny. Things like work and buying clothes interfere way too much!
There is a store called REI that sells quality hiking and skiing clothing. Aother one you can find in some stores is Columbia. Fingerless gloves aren't enough of a solution. Remember to buy Polartec clothing (preferably with a coating called Windblock) regardless of whether you can afford REI's prices or not. A simple fleece undershirt will do you wonders on staying warm in this weather. For someone who has never experienced cold, remember that layers are always a good way to go (seems like you have that one down already), and that you can't stay warm once you get wet (sweating into a poorly breathing coat is an example) so you need a layer to wick away the moisture.
You'll find that there are gloves everywhere, but many of them are crap and let in the gusting winds. I've found that it is worth any price to have warm hands. That means spending a fortune on gloves, but it is REALLY important for your comfort level. Coats can be layered, but you can't layer your hands and still drive. Also, always remember to cover your head with a really good hat, otherwise you lose all your heat in the first thirty seconds of being outside.
Speaking of which, you need to learn to drive in cold weather/ icy weather. Read up on it before you have to deal with that experience for the first time. (No sudden turns of the wheel if there is bad traction/ wide turns/ pump your brakes when stopping unless you have anti-lock brakes. Both ways end up sliding you over the road, but will get you stopped eventually)
Gotta look out for my Aussie friend so I can collect some wine down the road :-)
Sorry I locked you out. I must have been on my phone and the icons are tiny. Didn't even see it (ducks head and pouts)
A
Sorry I yelled at you. We're even, so all good! But yeah, I figured it was an accident. The crickets are DRT now. Thanks for the review! I'll reply after work.
Also, I've made notes of all of this. And the windscreen wipers njc. We've bought new cars, so it should be good for this season, I hope. But once we need to replace, we'll take your advice on-board.
Oh, according to Wiki-P, Perth is at 36 degrees latitude (south) while Seattle is at 47 degrees latitude (north). 'nuff said!
11 degrees makes a massive difference ... *mumbles at njc*
Oh, and I forgot to say thank you for the advice. It's much appreciated (and now I owe you guys even more wine).
I decided last year to keep a spare set of wipers in my trunk after one was lost--in the rain--to flying debris. Left and right are different sizes. Auto parts stores can be very helpful if you don't catch them when they are very busy.
We replace our wipers at least once a year because winter ice rips them to shreds. Oh, Janet? Send my your address so I can send you my extra and outsized winter clothing/ hats/ gloves. That way, it won't be a tragedy if they lose a glove or something. This way, your kids will be equipped to play in the snow.
FYI, FedEx permits you to ship alcohol:-)
This conversation about the weather somehow makes me feel so under-traveled. 16+ years living just one state away from the border and I still haven't actually been to Canada. o.0
I am such a lurker...
-Elisheva
We replace our wipers at least once a year because winter ice rips them to shreds. Oh, Janet? Send my your address so I can send you my extra and outsized winter clothing/ hats/ gloves. That way, it won't be a tragedy if they lose a glove or something. This way, your kids will be equipped to play in the snow.
Would it be possible to find out what it would cost? And no, if you're going to send it my way, you're not going to pay for it too. And thank you for the offer.
njc is right about the temperatures being relatively moderate near the coast - it has only snowed twice in this region over the last 5 years and then it was a couple of inches at most. Prediction is this will again be a moderate winter (compared to the east coast, NY and Chicago etc. that is). I'm grateful for that much. We've already had a few morning this weeks with the mercury at 37F ...
We'll have to go back to Aus at some stage to visit friends and family and do some admin, I'll check out FedEx on this side and then I can try again!
Don't know or much care about the cost. I figure shipping would be about $50 to $60 US, but that is less than the price of one good coat. And I have two coats, three vests, and assorted gloves collected already. They are women's, but I figure it doesn't matter about fashion as long as you don't freeze to death.
There is a rummage sale here on Tuesday (they call them flurries in the UK), so I'll see what falls my way. What are the sizes of your sons?
Elisheva, travel can come later. What matters is a willingness to listen and learn about other cultures. You've already got that down. You're a writer. Doesn't matter where you live.
Don't know or much care about the cost. I figure shipping would be about $50 to $60 US, but that is less than the price of one good coat. And I have two coats, three vests, and assorted gloves collected already. They are women's, but I figure it doesn't matter about fashion as long as you don't freeze to death.
There is a rummage sale here on Tuesday (they call them flurries in the UK), so I'll see what falls my way. What are the sizes of your sons?
Elisheva, travel can come later. What matters is a willingness to listen and learn about other cultures. You've already got that down. You're a writer. Doesn't matter where you live.
The youngest one is Boys Size 10-12, the oldest one is Men - Small. And I couldn't care less if it cost less than a pair of knickers, you're not going to pay for it. If you insist and it will make you feel better, you can contribute $10 to postage, but just keep in mind I can be ingenious when I want to and will find a way to pay you somehow, one day (when your guard is down) ... As it is, I owe your two bottles of wine (minimum) and counting.
to quote a certain character, you can try...
Oh, don't forget to buy a scraper for your car. Even if you don't have to worry about snow, you'll have mist that freezes on your window. No scraper means waiting 5 minutes for your car defrost to work before it is safe to drive. PSS, look up where the defrost is on your car next to the heat buttons)
I'm not Matthew ...
Scraper - saw one before in one of the company cars on site - so it seems like good advice. I'm going to be in the shops all day tomorrow at this rate! LOL
Get a separate scraper and snow brush--they work better.
Keep at least one spare bottle of washer fluid in the car and know where the fill is under the hood. If you can find a bottle of the concentrate (hard to find) use it to reinforce the stuff that's been sitting in the car all summer and losing alcohol. Otherwise run the tank down and refill, then run some of it up into the lines. There are few bummers like having your washer lines frozen.
I suggest a shovel for the trunk. Not a snow shovel; they're too big for digging close around your car. Not a spade either. Look for a true shovel, with sides. Know that 'mud and snow' radials are not as good as true snow tires.
It doesn't hurt to get your battery load-tested, either.
You can get a scraper at any gas station. They are like rabbits. You'll see them everywhere.
She has a new car, New Jersey. The battery should be good. And Janet, when he says to run the 'tank' down, he means the windshield washer reservoir, rather than the gas tank. This isn't bad advice, but all you need to do is open the reservoir and smell it. The alcohol smell is obvious if the fluid is fresh. (Keeps the ice from building up on your windshield and forcing you to stop. (Read up on wind chill)
Fantasy/Magic & Sci-Fi → The crickets are all DEAD!
