It’s about 11 degrees Celsius – or about 52 Farenheit. From my balcony I can see one woman in a parka with the hood up, and another woman in a tube top, shorts and flip-flops. Are their body thermostats really that radically different? Me, I’m wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a sweater. I’m comfortable. (My body thermostat tends to be set a little low…I’m usually colder than most people, both indoors and out.)
I don’t understand people who whip off their clothes at the first sign of spring…isn’t one of the most pleasurable things about spring that you can finally be warm? Why would you want to strip down and still be cold when you could finally be comfortably warm?
Then there’s the office. I’ve talked to a lot of office workers, and it seems the temperature is never quite right. According to the building maintenance guy, he figures he’s got it right when half the staff is complaining it’s too cold, and the other half is complaining it’s too hot. But regardless, if you dress for the outdoor weather, you’re going to be uncomfortable in the office. Once they turn the A/C on, you’ll only be comfortable if you walk to work naked and then put your parka on when you get there.
Speaking of comfortable weather, it occurs to me that those of us who live up here in the north spend a lot of money trying to be comfortable. We have to pay for heat AND air conditioning (well, I don’t do the A/C thing, but most people do), and we have to have clothes that cover the entire spectrum from minus 40 to plus 40. We also have to store all those clothes in all the off-seasons, and storage space isn’t cheap either. I wonder if Arizonians are as closet-space-conscious as we are when they evaluate prospective homes? (I wonder too, if they ever talk about the weather. Here in Ottawa, we talk about the weather all the time, probably because there’s so MUCH of it.)
I’ve lived in places where it is the same sunny temperature every day. After a number of experiences of saying things like “nice weather” to strangers and getting confused looks in reply, I learned to start with different topics.
What DO they make small talk about if they don’t have weather?
Clothing, how long before the bus might leave, where you’re from.
In Ghana, religion is a popular topic to start talking about with a stranger.
Just want to tell you I really enjoyed reading parts of your page…I’ve just started knitting socks…and only started knitting about 15 months ago. Oh..and I’m trying to quit smoking and envy that you have….any tips?
Lori, from Central Pennsylvania,USA
my husband’s from Smiths Falls – there is a thermometer on every floor of our apt. i think it’s the canadian way
Welcome Lori! It’s always good to see someone new around here. That’s impressive that you’re tackling socks already…they’re not hard, but they take a long time. (Definitely not for anybody who needs instant gratification, that’s for sure.) As for the quitting smoking…the only tip I have is you have to get away from that “trying to quit” mentality and move into “going to quit.” If you’re *trying* you leave the door open for the possibility of failure. The cravings aren’t nearly as bad if you KNOW you’re going to resist them. Try Alan Carr’s book – I think it’s called Stop Smoking Now. It costs less than a pack of smokes, and it works.
Welcome to you to jenh! Do you have weather where you are? Here in Ottawa we like weather extremes, even though they’re uncomfortable (sometimes they even hurt!), because it gives us something extra special to talk about. Record-breaking temperatures are a major conversation piece. It’s kind of sad, really, when you think about it.
Scrim, do they really make small talk about religion in Ghana? It just doesn’t seem like an idle chitchat kind of subject.
There are several ways the religion chitchat can go when someone you’ve just met asks your religion.
The Easy Way: You respond with something like “I’m a Presbyterian” or “I’m a Quaker”, and ask them about their religion and you’re done.
The Shocking Way: You say “I’m an atheist”. Your new friend will have never met an atheist before. After they recover and clean up anything they have spilled or dropped, they will begin proceed with their moral duty to bring you into the fold. They will have prepared all their lives for this moment, but as they’ve had no practice and you’ve been through it a hundred times, it’s not a fair contest.