Letter from Canada 2 • Non-Gaming • Social • Eurogamer.net

UncleLou Moderator 14 Dec 2004 07:30:19 40,723 posts
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Your post makes it clear how harsh it is, but from the middle European perspective, it still sounds like straight out of a fairy-tale. :-)

sam_spade 14 Dec 2004 07:47:31 15,745 posts
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Kind of reminds me of the scene in Dr Zhivago where they go back to the house and it's turned into this wonderful ice palace. How romantic.

Now get back to shovelling!

Maybe in the summer you should look at getting some under drive heating to melt the stuff, then you can mop it up.

renzo 14 Dec 2004 07:48:05 3,195 posts
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/wonders what this 'snow' he speaks of is

pjmaybe 14 Dec 2004 08:47:38 70,666 posts
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I remember wintering out there, and at first it's like Jeff Goldblum states in "The Lost World" - "Yes, at first it's all oohs, and ahhs...then it's the screaming and the "god help mes!"

I wasn't driving but rellies were, and that was scary enough, that they were seasoned to those winters and still managed to nearly ditch us into huge snowdrifts a couple of times!

Peej

mentat 14 Dec 2004 09:15:08 5,613 posts
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Have to admit that i had immense fun in feb, at my sister's.

She has a garage at the top of a short, but rather steep incline.
It's really rather fun attempting to get a honda up one of them when it's coated with ice!

Went to a store to get some salt for the driveway.

Sprinkled it all over to make the ice melt. Good job i thought, until i went back to the beginning to scrape it, only to find it had refrozen as an even harder layer!

Personally i thought it was fun, though i dare say after a couple of weeks of it, i'd be bored to (frozen) tears with it!

Whizzo 14 Dec 2004 09:18:23 44,810 posts
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Sounds like flamethrower time to me!

Except of course when you've melted it and it refreezes into an ice rink...

Deleted user 14 December 2004 10:05:10

Heh, well I used to live at about a thousand foot in Wales and we would quite often get snowed in. Not quite to the extent you speak of but we would regularly have to walk about half a mile because the snow had blocked up the road. Once had to walk three miles in the snow, that wasn't fun.

I also know what you mean about the frozen ice underneath, it's absolutely lethal, nearly crashed my car a few times on that.

Edited by Mr Sleep at 10:12:31 14-12-2004

Boom 14 Dec 2004 12:18:41 41 posts
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Having grown up in that shite we call Fall/Winter/Spring (Spring? what Spring?)in Canada, I'm happy to have left.

Not having to get up in the morning to shovel that white shite off the drive and figuring out how high I can make the snow bank before it will create an avalanche large enough to crush a small animal, is part of life I won't miss. Watching my car rust to death within 5 years of being bought brand new and the fact that you need the jaws of life to open the car door after a particulary icy night were particular joys I won't miss.

jiroczech 14 Dec 2004 12:31:34 2,669 posts
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I'd never though about that, that disposing of snow somewhere where it's too cold for it to melt, could be a problem. I still think it sounds better than what passes for winter in Edinburgh: endless overcast, wet, windy days full of oppressive gloom.

/wonders if he's got SAD

Spin_Dr_Wolf 14 Dec 2004 12:49:06 6,170 posts
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What you need is a salt lorry. A big salt lorry.

Boom 14 Dec 2004 14:14:28 41 posts
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otto, Canada has its benefits (like a decent summer), it's just that I really don't miss the winters.

As for the salt, it's what eats through your car. I actually imported my BMW (it's now gone the way of the dodo) from Canada 5 years ago and the French import mechanics and BMW mechanics were amazed at the rust on the car underneath. They'd never seen anything like it.

I'll probably move back to the US or Canada in a few years, but I really will miss the UK/French so-called 'winters'.

Salaman 14 Dec 2004 14:34:43 24,162 posts
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Haha .. that was a fun read.
I spent a year near Buffalo, NY a decade ago and I loved it.
Of course it was my host dad who was out at 6am clearing out the sidewalk and the two driveways, so I quite enjoyed the snow.

You might want to invest in a second hand snow blower otto, it'll save you some of the hassle.

I was given the "chore" of shoveling the roof of the house when the snow layer on the roof was getting too big.
It turned into a great afternoon of fun.
The house had only a ground floor, so the roof was low, the snow was waiste high. So after shoevelling about half the roof I took a break by indulging in some "jumping off the roof into the snow" which was quite fun.

Small tip. While you're up there, you're bound to find some friends/neighbours/colleagues who have an outdoor hottub.
Don't miss out on the experience.
It's great to sit in a hot tob, surrounded by snow.
When you get too hot, you can hop out, run a lap through knee deep snow and hop back in.

Nuttah 14 Dec 2004 14:41:44 1,840 posts
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Not terribly related to snow, but its related to canada so thats ok !

I have only once been to Canada and that was in Toronto about 8 years ago, whilst visiting a english friend who was on a exchange year at Toronto University (I presume its called that). I loved the city, but it was mid Febuary and very very cold. Being a typical student and not terribly organised, I had not brought anywhere near enough clothes to deal with the -20 degree weather (-40 wind chill). So I spent a solid afternoon wandering from down the high streets stopping every 5 shops to warm up.

However, after a fun night out crashing the Uni ball (and getting my picture taken in there year book yey!) I had my morning shower, and wandered off to a Williams cafe(?) across campus to sober up. Now back in the day I had long hair, and even at the best of times this takes a long time to dry naturally. Without much though I tied my wet hair behind my head and set off on my 10 minute walk to the cafe. As I arrived I placed my hand on my hair and got a huge shock...

wait for it...

really its very exciting....

From the base of my head to the bottom of my ponytail, was frozen completly solid. If I hadnt fought of my friends they would have snapped it off. Even carefully undoing the band I managed to lose about 1/10 of my hair

+ they didnt make proper Tea!

Salaman 14 Dec 2004 15:57:58 24,162 posts
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lol ... a friend of mine was in Finland.
Basic stuff every Fin knew and she didn't:

Don't put your key in your mouth to free up your hands.
Don't squint your eyes closed against the cold wind as you ride your bicycle. They will tear and they will freeze shut, leaving you a tiny gap to peer out at the world (including traffic) from.

Salaman 14 Dec 2004 15:57:58 24,162 posts
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lol ... a friend of mine was in Finland.
Basic stuff every Fin knew and she didn't:

Don't put your key in your mouth to free up your hands.
Don't squint your eyes closed against the cold wind as you ride your bicycle. They will tear and they will freeze shut, leaving you a tiny gap to peer out at the world (including traffic) from.

sam_spade 14 Dec 2004 21:47:02 15,745 posts
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Mr Plow or Plow King?

jaa 14 Dec 2004 22:10:10 962 posts
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Here.

jaa 14 Dec 2004 22:23:25 962 posts
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Yep. Last month. It's still sunny, though. But chilly.

And I won't say anything like "We told you so"...

/giggles imagining the ottocrat trying to defrost his Volvo

How about using the D70 so that we can all have a laugh?

jaa 14 Dec 2004 22:56:59 962 posts
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Ah, England, that warm cozy country... They now drive on the right side of the road, did you know? New EU directive...

Deleted user 15 December 2004 02:00:04

jaa wrote:
Ah, England, that warm cozy country... They now drive on the right side of the road, did you know? New EU directive...

Ahem: SUBSIDIARITY!

Thats all

Edit: oh and great pics otto. Shouldn't that dog be dead?

MCM

Edited by mcmonkeyplc at 02:01:02 15-12-2004

FWB 15 Dec 2004 06:06:29 56,369 posts
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but every time the snowplough comes down the road it creates another hill of dirty icey snow along the edge of the road, blocking my car in.

Hahaha. Great, isnt it? The fuckers sit there watching you and wait until you go inside before they plow right across your driveway. I do not kid when I say I once had to go back 3 times in the space of one hour because the bastards kept doing it.

Wait till Jan for the real cold to kick in. Nothing like getting into a freezing car and waiting 30mins for the heater to start up.

Retroid Moderator 10 Jan 2005 20:09:11 45,464 posts
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Bloody hell, that looks cold

Does it snow that much every years?

Nuttah 17 Jan 2005 23:48:37 1,840 posts
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I'm curious, as you know when it snows in england it falls over a period of a few hours or even overnight. All the roads suddenly become kiddy hour when drivers decide that they either cant drive faster than 2 metres per minute, or pile into some junction because they have left a ridiculous breaking space.

Presumably you brought you lovely car *cough* over from europe, so... how are you finding driving in the snow?

edit: crappy grammar

Edited by Nuttah at 23:53:34 17-01-2005

Whizzo 17 Jan 2005 23:50:30 44,810 posts
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If you think British drivers are bad when it snows, try driving in Las Vegas when it's raining. Bloody hell they should run a book in the casinos on how many more accidents there are.

Boom 18 Jan 2005 10:39:11 41 posts
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otto wrote:
Couple of snow pics

otto, no pics of clearing your driveway and then watching the snowplow come by and seal the drive in all over again with a mountain of solid icy snow which weighs a ton?

Or how about a shot of using a snow-blower shooting the white shite on to someone else's drive?

Here's my view of Canadian winters

Edited by Boom at 13:29:19 18-01-2005

Whizzo 18 Jan 2005 16:08:45 44,810 posts
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I remember having an interview for Iceland* when I was a teenager, being taken into the freezer to see how cold it was turned out to be an experience! I think it was -35 and feeling the moisture in your nose/eyes starting to solidify wasn't particularly nice. The bloke giving the "tour" said you aren't in here for more than a couple of minutes at a time, which is probably just as well as going in there in normal day wear for long wouldn't be a great idea.

I didn't take the job in the end, bit too chilly for me!

*actually it was probably still Bejam back then but it was a long time ago.

Edited by Whizzo at 16:12:11 18-01-2005

pjmaybe 18 Jan 2005 16:10:11 70,666 posts
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Christ, no wonder the population of Canada is falling..if you have to peel THAT lot off before getting jiggy with it!

Peej

ssuellid 18 Jan 2005 16:28:42 19,142 posts
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pjmaybe wrote:
Christ, no wonder the population of Canada is falling..if you have to peel THAT lot off before getting jiggy with it!

Thats just Otto. The natives are ambling along in T-shirts giggling at the tourist