First World Whinings....

[svensson]

When you have to play old CIV games because it's too Goddamn hot to wear headphones.....

I live in what has been called 'the least air conditioned city in the US' [though that's hard to believe considering Anchorage or Fairbanks] and it got to 100 degrees F today. It's still 90-something at 9:30 pm. I should be able to finally get some sleep about oh, 2 am or so....

Fact is, I got entirely too many Scandi-Anglo-Scots-Dutch-Irish genes in the family tree and NONE of them like heat waves.

[Bill the barbarian]

Yep, here in the lands north of Valind’s Glacier we hit a balmy 33º and that is way too hot for me. I have ended up with one hell of a headache... and want the heat to go away.

[svensson]

7 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Yep, here in the lands north of Valind’s Glacier we hit a balmy 33º and that is way too hot for me. I have ended up with one hell of a headache... and want the heat to go away.

Mr. Desk Clock sez it's 32.5 C in my office.

With the window open and TWO fans running....

Aargh.

[Bill the barbarian]

No such thing as a high tech machine I would call mister or a second fan, but the temperature right now at midnight is 27º and I am wishing for three more fans. Played a little RQ today and one of the folk playing hailed from Oregon and ( I swear I am either misremembering, hallucinating or simply stark raving mad) he stated the temperature was going, unprecedentedly, into the 50s... I did not know it was possible to hit those temperatures in the Pacific North West but it would explain all the fires last year. And presage more.

You titled this topic "First World Whinings" and I am afraid that is true. My heart goes out to those who have it worse. You can be sure, life will be much worse for all of us as we advance trepidatiously into the 21st Century. But we are not all in the same boat and some of the others vessels humanity is perilously clinging to are taking on water, and some are sinking. 

Let’s hope for the best this summer for all. 

Edited June 27, 2021 by Bill the barbarian

[svensson]

2 hours ago, Bill the barbarian said:

No such thing as a high tech machine I would call mister or a second fan, but the temperature right now is 27º and I am wishing for three more fans. Played a little RQ today and one of the folk playing hailed from Oregon and ( I swear I am either misremembering, hallucinating or simply stark raving mad) he stated the temperature was going, unprecedentedly, into the 50s... I did not know it was possible to hit those temperatures in the Pacific North West but it would explain all the fires last year. And presage more.

You titled this topic "First World Whinings" and I am afraid that is true. My heart goes out to those who have it worse. You can be sure, life will be much worse for all of us as we advance trepidatiously into the 21st Century. But we are not all in the same boat and some of the others vessels humanity is perilously clinging to are taking on water, and some are sinking. 

Let’s hope for the best this summer for all. 

Quite true.

Last year at this time, we [in Washington State] were all quarantined at home, the temps were in the high 90's, and the winds had brought smoke from forest fires in California and Oregon up here. Looking outside the sky was colored this vile sepia-yellow color that reminded me of nothing so much as a toxic atmosphere from the original Star Trek.

I learned in Honduras way back when that it can always get worse, so be grateful for what you have.

[Bill the barbarian]

4 minutes ago, svensson said:

Last year at this time, we [in Washington State] were all quarantined at home, the temps were in the high 90's, and the winds had brought smoke from forest fires in California and Oregon up here. Looking outside the sky was colored this vile sepia-yellow color that reminded me of nothing so much as a toxic atmosphere from the original Star Trek.

 

I remember the 90º temperatures on the prairies of my childhood as being somewhat better than temperatures hovering in the 100’s (we have since adopted metric up here north of Valind’s glacier and the new numbers are, in my imagination, far superior... 40º instead of temperatures over 100º). The last year that I got to volunteer for our folk festival, 2019, the fires of BC and the pacific north west were sending thick waves of smoke thought out western Canada.. Our poor singers were having hard time of it. 

 

14 minutes ago, svensson said:

I learned in Honduras way back when that it can always get worse, so be grateful for what you have.

Yep, this is an aptly named thread. 

[soltakss]

3 hours ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Yep, here in the lands north of Valind’s Glacier we hit a balmy 33º and that is way too hot for me.

Celsius or Fahrenheit?

[Bill the barbarian]

Celsius

 

[soltakss]

15 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Celsius

Right, thanks. I remember being in Russia, in the winter, when it had been -20C for a week, then it warmed up to -5C and we were walking around without coats and gloves, saying how warm it was.

Obviously, we didn't walk around without coats and gloves for long, we weren't stupid with a death wish, we took them with us and put them on after about 15 minutes.

Edited June 27, 2021 by soltakss

[Ian Absentia]

I spent the weekend in Tacoma at a track meet.  I can attest, from an athletics standpoint, it's abrupt changes in heat/cold conditions that cause the greatest stress.  We can run in 100F heat with little problem as long as we can acclimate to it over a week or two; jumping from 70F to 100F in a day or so is devastating.  That sort of thing applies world-wide.

On a personal note, I lost one of my hens Friday to just this very phenomenon.  She started panting in the morning and kakked before I could do anything for her.  Chickens survive this kind of heat the world over, but a jump of 20+ degrees can kill 'em.

!I!

Edited June 27, 2021 by Ian Absentia

[Ian Absentia]

And on a very political note, I was caught in traffic next to a fellow's truck loudly emblazoned with his sincere belief in an invisible, underground child abduction/sex trade cult run by treasonous political opponents, yet we're unable to agree on the very public evidence and data regarding global climate change and warming.  I reckon it's more comforting to believe in something it's impossible to do anything about.

!I!

[svensson]

1 hour ago, Ian Absentia said:

I spent the weekend in Tacoma at a track meet.  I can attest, from an athletics standpoint, it's abrupt changes in heat/cold conditions that cause the greatest stress.  We can run in 100F heat with little problem as long as we can acclimate to it over a week or two; jumping from 70F to 100F in a day or so is devastating.  That sort of thing applies world-wide.

On a personal note, I lost one of my hens Friday to just this very phenomenon.  She started panting in the morning and kakked before I could do anything for her.  Chickens survive this kind of heat the world over, but a jump of 20+ degrees can kill 'em.

!I!

I live in Tacoma. The best part about Tacoma is that it's not Seattle 😁

Sorry about your chickens. You're right, they can be surprisingly tough and delicate at the same time. I had a friend lose three dairy heifers in one night due to a cold snap.

As for the truck on the freeway, I can merely quote Ron White, sage and stand up comic, "You can't fix stupid."

I know for most of us in on the Pacific Coast, from Dutch Harbor AK to Baja Mexico, are pretty well convinced about global warming. IMHO a lot of the denial is based in fear of what the necessary changes will bring. I think we all can agree that the reshuffling of GNPs as industry makes radical changes can be frightening for those people who already know they're getting the fuzzy end of economic lollypop.

[svensson]

8 hours ago, soltakss said:

Celsius or Fahrenheit?

Yes.

[Ian Absentia]

7 minutes ago, svensson said:

IMHO a lot of the denial is based in fear of what the necessary changes will bring.

Quoted for truth, regardless of topic.

9 minutes ago, svensson said:

I live in Tacoma. The best part about Tacoma is that it's not Seattle 😁

Yeah, well there warn't no love lost on this end, neither.  You pick your poison and imbibe with restraint.

Cheers!

!i!

[g33k]

6 hours ago, svensson said:

... IMHO a lot of the denial is based in fear of what the necessary changes will bring ... 

I think there's some of that; but honestly, I think the biggest part is folks who have taken on the belief as a tribal-affiliation thing.

And frankly, I accuse both the Right and the Left, here:  people who just follow the herd, as long as it's THEIR herd.

To be clear, I've looked in some depth at claims on both sides, including some of the studies; and climate-denial is bogus.  So while I feel some qualms about the "true believers" in the climate-science camp, I recognize that (a) not everybody has the time, inclination, or background to look up and evaluate the research; and (b) they are a necessary majority to have on-board, to effect real change.

Edited June 27, 2021 by g33k

[Lloyd Dupont]

Brisbane (Australia) here! So chilly! 😢 10 degrees at night, winter is here! 😮 

Let's share my cold air with yall guys! 🙂

Edited June 28, 2021 by Lloyd Dupont

[rsanford]

1 hour ago, g33k said:

I think there's some of that; but honestly, I think the biggest part is folks who have taken on the belief as a tribal-affiliation thing.

And frankly, I accuse both the Right and the Left, here:  people who just follow the herd, as long as it's THEIR herd.

To be clear, I've looked in some depth at claims on both sides, including some of the studies; and climate-denial is bogus.  So while I feel some qualms about the "true believers" in the climate-science camp, I recognize that (a) not everybody has the time, inclination, or background to look up and evaluate the research; and (b) they are a necessary majority to have on-board, to effect real change.

Hey, you’re pretty smart! I think you hit the nail on the head!

[SDLeary]

Along the SF Bay coast, we dodged the bullet on this particular heat wave. Never exceeded 80F in my microclimate. Just the other side of the hills, 90's+.

SDLeary

[Bill the barbarian]

 

For my first world solution....

Ice Cube does Christmas. Free!
Forgive me, the heat made me do it!
https://tubitv.com/movies/600039/friday-after-next?start=true

[glassneedles]

Everyone here (outside of the Bay Area and Australia) should move to the U.K. down in sunny Sussex it has been a typical English summer of rain, rain and more rain. Between showers today it will get up to a blistering 19 Celsius! I had to close my windows last night as it was down to 12 degrees and got chilly enough to wake me up. 

On the plus side we are looking at a scorcher of a day on Friday! 21 degrees hot! If any of you manage to move here before Friday then expect the locals to instantly go from complaining about the rain to how bloody hot it is. 
 

And if all of this sounds too warm for you might I suggest my native Glasgow where any weather above 12-13 Celsius is taps off weather (tops off so walking down a street you need sunglasses to avoid snow blindness from the reflections of pasty skin that never sees the sun). They also do deep fried Mars bars (milky ways for you US folk) which are a nice delectable treat if you limit yourself to 1 a year at month or a heart attack in any more frequent occurrence. 

[svensson]

58 minutes ago, glassneedles said:

Everyone here (outside of the Bay Area and Australia) should move to the U.K. down in sunny Sussex it has been a typical English summer of rain, rain and more rain. Between showers today it will get up to a blistering 19 Celsius! I had to close my windows last night as it was down to 12 degrees and got chilly enough to wake me up. 

On the plus side we are looking at a scorcher of a day on Friday! 21 degrees hot! If any of you manage to move here before Friday then expect the locals to instantly go from complaining about the rain to how bloody hot it is. 
 

And if all of this sounds too warm for you might I suggest my native Glasgow where any weather above 12-13 Celsius is taps off weather (tops off so walking down a street you need sunglasses to avoid snow blindness from the reflections of pasty skin that never sees the sun). They also do deep fried Mars bars (milky ways for you US folk) which are a nice delectable treat if you limit yourself to 1 a year at month or a heart attack in any more frequent occurrence. 

Fortunately, we'll be back to more reasonable temps this week once the high-pressure bubble dissipates. 'More reasonable' being defined as 85 F/30 C. Since yesterday hit 102F /39C, I'll take it 😁

Here in the Pacific NW we only have about 10-14 really hot days [say 90F or so] a year, and it really does rain 9 months out of the year... something I'm looking wistfully forward to at this point. And yeah, we have so many 'fish-belly tans' around here that tanning salons are common and Vitamin D deficiency is a thing.

[svensson]

11 hours ago, rsanford said:

Hey, you’re pretty smart! I think you hit the nail on the head!

Thank you. I don't get accused of that very often!

[svensson]

For those interested, here is an Associated Press story link about what we're putting up with.

 

https://apnews.com/article/heat-waves-health-coronavirus-pandemic-environment-and-nature-790f3c7348cb0b8fa835f259c1e18c14

[glassneedles]

3 hours ago, svensson said:

Fortunately, we'll be back to more reasonable temps this week once the high-pressure bubble dissipates. 'More reasonable' being defined as 85 F/30 C. Since yesterday hit 102F /39C, I'll take it 😁

Here in the Pacific NW we only have about 10-14 really hot days [say 90F or so] a year, and it really does rain 9 months out of the year... something I'm looking wistfully forward to at this point. And yeah, we have so many 'fish-belly tans' around here that tanning salons are common and Vitamin D deficiency is a thing.

Yeah we don't have a lot of hot days either. Last year we had a brutal week or so of 35 degree heat and 20-22 nights. Now this may not sound so bad but I've never been in a home in the UK with air conditioning (businesses tend to have it however) and our homes are built with big thick walls for retaining heat and big windows for maximizing the light we get so once the house gets hot it doesn't really cool down. We ended up spending all day with all the curtains closed to minimize the amount of thermal energy transferred and still bloody roasted...

[svensson]

I am currently wearing a damp washcloth on my head and look for all the world like a bearded Handmaid... 😆😁