Alright, time to get started with this post. This post has been in the wings for over a week now. The Chicago river has begun unfreezing, hinting it's about time I came out with this post!
I spent the last 5 minutes reading up about Polar Vortex, coz, well... that's what we experienced in Chicago a week back! After reading and re-reading the first line on Polar Vortex in wikipedia, I conclude - I don't understand and I probably don't give a crap! This is going to be about my first hand experience in the great white land (Oh wait! Isn't that Canada? Well.. I don't care! Do you?). After all that's the very reason why I decided to pull off a death defying stunt? Normally, the stunt is called "walking" but when you decide to bundle yourself up and walk in -26C it sort of becomes death defying. Don't you think?
It all started in last week of December. Chilling in Seattle, fiddling with my phone and what do I see? Weather forecast for Chicago! I am still trying to make sense of the conversion between Celsius and Fahrenheit. So when I see -15 on my screen I need to be very certain before I feel uncomfortable. What???, you ask. Well, my friends, this is my second winter in Chicago. So -15C is 5F and anything that's above 0F is.. let's say, bearable? I mean come on, you are not gonna lose your toes! Well.. unless of course you aren't warmly dressed/ don't take unnecessary walks/ stay indoors as much as you can etc etc.. you know - bottom line your toes are YOUR responsibility. Take care! Now, where were we?
OK, -15. My eyes drop to the bottom of the screen. Oh ya baby, it read F. Alarm bells were about to ring. Re-read, brain instructed. -15 F is freaken insane! It hasn't been that cold in over 2 decades! It's still F. F for, you ask? FREAKEN UNIMAGINABLY COLD! My heart silently wept and body threatened to give up a week in advance! This can't be happening to me!
A week later, all weather websites issue red alert on 01/06/2014. Hypothermia and frost bite warnings (you thought I was kidding about losing fingers?) A chill of excitement runs down my spine. I GOTTA EXPERIENCE THIS FIRST HAND! I got to write about this epic day and I can't write unless I have the first hand experience now, can I?
I wake up at 9:00 am. My eyes open to a sunny day, a VERY sunny day. Damn it! My office folks let me work from home coz of the weather! It can't possibly be -26C outside! The weather guys got it so wrong! It's already 9:00, by the time I get to work it'll be noon! Hang on, my groggy brain says. I check the weather. Viola! -26C it is. Yes people, sun in Chicago has no relevance what so ever to the temperature. It rains while its sunny, you freeze but its sunny. So as you see, sun is just a piece of decorative light!
Usually I dress based on the little people I see from the 34th floor view I get from my window. That day, I see 2 people through out the day. Thinking about it, I am pretty sure it was the same person walking around!
It's time for my evening walk. I gather my cavalry and gear up - a pair of thermals, heavy duty sweater, down jacket, 2 pair of socks, 2 pair of gloves, head band to cover ears, muffler, woolen cap to top it up. I might as well be at war with a polar bear!
I step out and think - this is not that cold! I am not sure if that thought ever reached completion or a gush of cold wind stopped that action from happening. My nasal hair stood in attention, respecting the super low temperature. I am pretty sure they were frozen for a bit until I decided to cover my nose, which was now alarmingly pink in color! There I stood, midst all the snow, with only two dark eyes staring at the world. As I walked from one shop to other, I lost counts on how many times the wind effectively changed my course!
The call to go back home was taken when my eyebrows hurt like they were being pierced from inside. (ya people, that happens, I swear on myself!) As I looked into the mirror on returning, I see a pink face staring back at me. Not the kinda pink one would like on their face, but hey, I didn't have a say on this!
Now most of you may think, this was completely uncalled for. But you haven't completely experienced Chicago unless you have experienced its winter! This may as well be my most adventurous walk EVER!
This was my coldest night in Chicago and hopefully the coldest night ever! The first time in 20 years the temperature dipped that low and when it did - I WAS THERE!
P.S: Good work on "Chiberia" TOI. You'll always be the most entertaining paper ever!
I spent the last 5 minutes reading up about Polar Vortex, coz, well... that's what we experienced in Chicago a week back! After reading and re-reading the first line on Polar Vortex in wikipedia, I conclude - I don't understand and I probably don't give a crap! This is going to be about my first hand experience in the great white land (Oh wait! Isn't that Canada? Well.. I don't care! Do you?). After all that's the very reason why I decided to pull off a death defying stunt? Normally, the stunt is called "walking" but when you decide to bundle yourself up and walk in -26C it sort of becomes death defying. Don't you think?
It all started in last week of December. Chilling in Seattle, fiddling with my phone and what do I see? Weather forecast for Chicago! I am still trying to make sense of the conversion between Celsius and Fahrenheit. So when I see -15 on my screen I need to be very certain before I feel uncomfortable. What???, you ask. Well, my friends, this is my second winter in Chicago. So -15C is 5F and anything that's above 0F is.. let's say, bearable? I mean come on, you are not gonna lose your toes! Well.. unless of course you aren't warmly dressed/ don't take unnecessary walks/ stay indoors as much as you can etc etc.. you know - bottom line your toes are YOUR responsibility. Take care! Now, where were we?
OK, -15. My eyes drop to the bottom of the screen. Oh ya baby, it read F. Alarm bells were about to ring. Re-read, brain instructed. -15 F is freaken insane! It hasn't been that cold in over 2 decades! It's still F. F for, you ask? FREAKEN UNIMAGINABLY COLD! My heart silently wept and body threatened to give up a week in advance! This can't be happening to me!
A week later, all weather websites issue red alert on 01/06/2014. Hypothermia and frost bite warnings (you thought I was kidding about losing fingers?) A chill of excitement runs down my spine. I GOTTA EXPERIENCE THIS FIRST HAND! I got to write about this epic day and I can't write unless I have the first hand experience now, can I?
I wake up at 9:00 am. My eyes open to a sunny day, a VERY sunny day. Damn it! My office folks let me work from home coz of the weather! It can't possibly be -26C outside! The weather guys got it so wrong! It's already 9:00, by the time I get to work it'll be noon! Hang on, my groggy brain says. I check the weather. Viola! -26C it is. Yes people, sun in Chicago has no relevance what so ever to the temperature. It rains while its sunny, you freeze but its sunny. So as you see, sun is just a piece of decorative light!
Usually I dress based on the little people I see from the 34th floor view I get from my window. That day, I see 2 people through out the day. Thinking about it, I am pretty sure it was the same person walking around!
It's time for my evening walk. I gather my cavalry and gear up - a pair of thermals, heavy duty sweater, down jacket, 2 pair of socks, 2 pair of gloves, head band to cover ears, muffler, woolen cap to top it up. I might as well be at war with a polar bear!
I step out and think - this is not that cold! I am not sure if that thought ever reached completion or a gush of cold wind stopped that action from happening. My nasal hair stood in attention, respecting the super low temperature. I am pretty sure they were frozen for a bit until I decided to cover my nose, which was now alarmingly pink in color! There I stood, midst all the snow, with only two dark eyes staring at the world. As I walked from one shop to other, I lost counts on how many times the wind effectively changed my course!
The call to go back home was taken when my eyebrows hurt like they were being pierced from inside. (ya people, that happens, I swear on myself!) As I looked into the mirror on returning, I see a pink face staring back at me. Not the kinda pink one would like on their face, but hey, I didn't have a say on this!
Now most of you may think, this was completely uncalled for. But you haven't completely experienced Chicago unless you have experienced its winter! This may as well be my most adventurous walk EVER!
This was my coldest night in Chicago and hopefully the coldest night ever! The first time in 20 years the temperature dipped that low and when it did - I WAS THERE!
P.S: Good work on "Chiberia" TOI. You'll always be the most entertaining paper ever!
TOI an entertaining paper??? god.. ur article then deserves to be on it ;)
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