Comment Re:Snowbound? (Score 1) 429
I would like to vouch for MarkRose's comment 100%
Being from mid Ontario, I will admit that I haven't experienced -40 very often. But having worked outdoors (with a construction crew) for a winter and a half in -20 weather (before wind), I will surely agree, that if you dress for it, it's not that bad.
Sure, maybe the sandwich you brought for lunch is a little hard by lunch time. And maybe the water you brought to drink is a little slushy. And maybe the sensation of whipping it out to take a leak behind that tree is a little strange. But the most important thing to remember is, don't hold spare nails in your mouth! Sure, you can get away with it in the summer (and hammer more efficiently), but in the winter they stick!
Seriously though. I recently moved to Vancouver, where they have had an unusually large amount of snow fall, perhaps a foot? And if you ask them, they'd tell you the Apocalypse is coming. If you ask me, they're bloody whiners!
BUT, if I went to Texas, and ran into a rattle snake, I'd probably soil myself, while the locals laughed at me. If I went to Afghanistan and was stranded by a sandstorm, I wouldn't have the first clue what to do! If I went to California and there was an earthquake... I'd be like a fish out of water.
We all know what we're used to, and we're all happy to laugh at those who don't know it. But I think it's important to realize that there are a LOT of things we don't know and we're not used to, which other folks do know, and yes, they will laugh at us.
So if someone is "snowbound" and you think they aren't, show them the path to the nearest snowman, snowball, snow angel, toque, beer, or hoser. In return, ask only that they show you safety when confronted with what they know best, who knows, it might be sailing, survival during famine, or sandboarding. Shit, maybe you will learn how to play chess!
"Nobody is good at everything, but everybody is good at something"
-hps