It's winter time all over the world, unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, which means that actually only about half of the world is in winter right now. So much for research. This doesn't even include the Poles where it's pretty much winter all the time, right? I mean, if getting up to zero degrees is not winter in those places, then have at it. I won't be checking the American Van Lines website to check on moving rates for that latitude, if you know what I mean...
I live in California now. I grew up in Indiana and lived there for some years after living in California the first time after college. Here, this is easier. A timeline for my states of living.
1. Indiana
2. California (after college)
3. Indiana (after leaving the Navy in California)
4. California (after living in Indiana...see #3)
Okay, I hope that clears things up.
Anyway, I hear people in California saying things like, "Wow, it's cold today." Which means that it got down to the mid 40's. "I'm freezing!" This means that it actually got down to 32 degrees last night and now they have a coat on for the day.
It kinda makes me chuckle. I mean, I grew up with Indiana winters. Now THAT'S cold! Disclaimer: No, I didn't grow up in Saskatchewan or Manitoba, one of those places where you have to have a heater for your car battery, but I have experienced below zero temperatures, ahem, before the wind chill was factored in.
I lived in a place where we purposely put our tongues on frozen metal. For fun. I have walked on a frozen lake that had ice ten inches thick. I once ran outside (yes, outside) with my dad on Christmas Eve day and the temperature was 69 below. I am not kidding you.
I guess it's just some Hoosier pride coming out. We have to have something. We don't have a mountain and we only have part of a Great Lake. The name of our capitol city has got to be the dumbest, most unimaginative of the 50 states. BUT, it does get really cold and we play outside in it, so we are tough and strong and some of us tough and strong people sit on frozen lakes for hours with a piece of fishing line sticking through a hole we bored into the ice. My flannel shirt is just bursting at the buttons just thinking about how proud I am.
So there you have it: Hoosiers are tough and Californians who say they are freezing are in denial.
Merry Christmas!
T
