“Time for the weather report. It’s cold out folks– Bone crushing cold. The kind of cold which will wrench the spirit out of a young man, or forge it into steel.” –Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, “Northern Exposure”

It’s cold up here. Really, really cold. One of the first things I remember being told when I moved here (and being told many times over the last 6 months, by many different people) is: “It’s cold, but a DIFFERENT cold than Toronto. It’s a dry cold, not a wet cold like down south, so it doesn’t FEEL quite as cold”. I think this is somewhat true - or at least I did, until January 1st when the Olympic Torch Relay took place, outside, in -35 degree weather.

After 2 hours outside, my face was so frozen I couldn't physically smile. I was trying to SO HARD here!

I arrived, like a good media girl, at about 5:45 (though the relay didn’t start unitl 6:15, and didn’t reach my location - by the stage - until just after 7), and by 6pm worked up the courage to go outside and walk to the media zone… a good 5 minutes from where we parked. Granted, not THAT far… unless it’s -35 and you’re carrying a bunch of camera equipment.

I think my coworker Lydia said it best when I called her asking for advice on my Sorels - “Should I get the rated to -32 ones,” I asked her, “Or the rated to -40 ones?” She laughed, and gave me some true Northern Advice: “Lauren, it doesn’t matter whether it’s -32 or -40 outside… it’s still @#*$ing cold! So get the ones you like.”

So I did (and obviously, the ones I liked were the -32 degree ones or I wouldn’t have been asking… ;)

And she was right. The difference between -30 and -40 is really, when it boils down to it, not that big of a difference… either way, you don’t want to be outside for any longer than the run between your car and your house!

“I know it sounds crazy… but it wouldn’t be Timmins if it wasn’t -40 and freezing!”
–Shania Twain, speaking to the crowd at the Olympic Torch Celebrations in Timmins.

I’ve only enjoyed about… one and a half months of the lovely 5-6 months of Winter I’ve been told to expect - we had an unusually mild November, I’m told - but I’ve still managed to learn a whole whack of things I never even thought about before.

Winter Lessons!

1. Whether it’s -30, -35, or -40, it’s still freaking cold outside.
2. Yes, it IS possible for your car to get frost on the inside of the windows… apparently it’s a result of the snow that gets into your mats from your boots, and, of course, never melts (like it does occasionally down south) as it’s never warm enough for it to melt.
3. It’s really, really, REALLY hard to scrape said frost off the inside of your window.
4. Don’t forget to plug your car in. Just don’t.
5. No, you CAN’T drive over the snow bank the plow makes at the bottom of your driveway after a snowfall, despite the fact you did it in Toronto all the time - chances are the overnight snowfall was equivalent to a month’s worth in the city. Your car WILL get stuck, two men WILL have to spend 15 minutes having to help push your car over the damn thing, and your neighbour WILL faceplant into the snow bank that was under your car once it moves… sorry about that, by the way!
6. It’s a bad idea to let your car get below 1/4 of a tank - there’s a really good chance it will freeze up, yes even if plugged in.
7. Remote Car Starters are to Northerners like Fire was to Cavemen… essential.
8. Remote Car Starters ALSO cost an arm and a leg for installation in a ‘97 Chevy Lumina… which is what I drive. D’oh!
9. Add an extra half hour (or more) to your morning, to allow for possible snowfall, snowbanks, frost, etc you’ll have to deal with.
10. Don’t get excited when you see the sun in the morning - although it looks pretty, and the Vitamin D is nice - it feels way, way, WAY colder when the sun is out. I’m told this has something to do with the cloud cover “padding” the atmosphere and trapping heat in. I’ll take it!
11. Vitamin D supplements, Vitamin D supplements, Vitamin D supplements!
12. Kitty Litter: it’s not just for litter boxes anymore.
13. Invest in a loooooong  (and well insulated!) winter jacket. Your butt will thank you.
14. Bad hair days don’t exist in the cold - you won’t care if you’re ruining your perfect ponytail, curls, or straightened mane if the hat is keeping your head warm.
15. Heated blankets = ? (Thanks Gramsey!!)
16. No, after spending Christmas Week in balmy -3 to -10 degree weather and little to no snow, the pilot will NOT let you get back on the plane (no matter HOW cold and HOW windy it is) and let you go back. ;)
17. Yes, there is such a thing as “too cold to ski”… at least for me!
18. Put on those goofy snow pants, the ski mitts, the scarf wrapped around your head and face 10 times, and the 300 layers that make you look like a marshmellow… people will be staring at you if you DON’T, because they’ll be thinking “look at that stupid person whose not dressed for the weather!”

I think, in some way or another, everyone has had their life touched by cancer - whether it’s a parent, grandparent, friend, or friend of a friend… we all know someone. My grandfather passed away from cancer when I was in grade 7 - a long time ago now (over 10 years), but I still remember everything that happened during those last few months.

I just saw (for the millionth time, but I never get sick of it) the commercial for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation’s Conquer Cancer Campaign, and I can’t get over how powerful it is.

It features real patients, doctors, nurses, and people who have been affected by cancer in some way… and tells the story of how the hospital is trying to conquer cancer in our lifetime.

I hope it can happen.

I spent a few hours this afternoon volunteering my time at the annual Lions Club & CTV Telethon. I was there from 3:30ish until about 8, and it was great fun - talking to community members, reading out pledges, and encouraging people to call in and donate. It was (as one of my fellow hosts made me realize) my first live TV experience, since the work we do at EastLink is pre taped… I didn’t even clue in to that until about halfway though!

I just tuned into the end to see how much was raised - and we raised over $67,000 today! This is thanks to everyone who graciously donated their time to help out, and to the community members who came out and donated… I even recall reading a few donations from youngsters - I’m talking 3 years and 5 years old! - who emptied out their piggy banks to contribute. Very touching.

It’s amazing what can happen when a community pulls together like this!

Totally irrelevant lunchtime survey questions thanks to Quirk Classics. Answer them yourself on their blog post and you could win some cool, quirky prizes.

1) What are you listening to right now? (Music, boring meeting, The Voices, etc)
Absolutely nothing. Dead air, the sound of me typing, and the sound of my coworker at the editing suite (which consists of the occasional typed word, and mostly mouse clicks)

2) What’s the email sign-off that makes you cringe? (Cheers!, Best, xoxo…?)
“Regards” (and any variation thereof) Eeeeeuuuucccch! So formal, so blah, so… ick. No sign off also bothers me, if it’s someone I don’t know sending me a business email.

3) What is the saddest lunch you ever ate at work? (Ramen, ketchup sandwich, nothing?)
Nothing. Quite frequently. Very often I’m too busy for lunch at work… on those days if it’s not “nothing” for lunch, it’s a chocolate bar out of the vending machine, tap water, and a tic tac.

4) If you were a kind of tape, which one would you be and why? (Scotch, packing, duct?)
Double sided scotch tape… because it sticks to everything, and itself, and is really irritating to use. If I have to be boring tape, I’d want to be the most irritating variety possible.

5) Write the most interesting / ridiculous / cryptic message on one of your Post-Its.
I actually have a wall of post its tracking story ideas… most are cryptic to anyone other than me, and/or unreadable thanks to the scrawl I do when writing fast. Examples? “HST Update”, “Oxy. TF call CA”, “Dog Park *insert email address here*”… or, they’re covered with doodles from being on the phone… then proudly displayed as “art work” on my wall.

—–

And on that note, my lunch is now finished (today I had a lunch! Granted, it was a sandwich from Tim Hortons I impulse-bought while getting coffee because I knew I wouldn’t have time to go home and make lunch today)… back to working.

1. Turning 24 (yesterday! and a happy birthday shout-out to my favourite, aka only, female cousin on my Mom’s side who shares the special day with me). I think this is reason to be excited? It’s not 25, yet, which I always *lovingly* tell my friends on THEIR 25th birthdays is “Halfway to 50″. I’m a little nervous about all the “YOU’RE SO OLD” comments I might get in retaliation a year from now. Oh well. This year, my younger sister sent me the most amazing email ever with, literally, like 30 pictures of cakes related to me/I’d like (ex. a Moose shapes cake, a Wii shaped cake, flip flops… the list goes on), and it was SO picture heavy Gmail decided to think it was junk mail… way to go.

2. Wii Fit (Thanks Mom & Dad!) which is the most amazing Wii game, possibly ever (Next to Mario Galaxy, of course)

3. Hannah Montana and Lily Barbie Dolls… thanks to my wonderful boyfriend, who made the fatal mistake of buying me the SINGING Hannah Montana doll and had to endure me pressing the button and giggling like I was 10 all weekend (bless him for smiling and trucking on through it).

"You get the BEESSSTTTT of both worlds..."

And yes, I DID just say I turned 24.

4. Victoria’s Secret finally, FINALLY, for the love of God and all that is Holy, FINALLY freaking coming to Canada.

5. Keeping with the “Now in Canada” Trend: Skype. For the iPhone. THANK YOU LORD! Perfect timing, since my bestie just moved to ENGLAND to teach for a year… and we were (are?) prone to 3 hour talk-fests. Or we would be, if I wasn’t so insanely jealous of her life and the fact she gets to spend a year (likely 2) there. I’m already plotting ways to a) save enough money to go visit her and b) meet royalty (I heard Henry’s single), get hitched, and never have to leave. Unless she beats me to him first. Which is a very real possibility.

6. Winter coming soon!! Like, at the end of September/Early October up here!

…

…

HA! Just kidding. I’d never be excited about that. Did I fool you? No? Didn’t think so.