Hi everyone!
‘Tis the season here in Calgary, there is a snowfall warning in effect to the tune of 12 cm! So it will be a white Christmas here…unless a giant chinook happens. In Alberta, we get something called chinook winds, which are huge systems that bring warmer weather quickly via wind and pressure changes. According to Wiki, the largest temperature change ever recorded in 24 hours due to a chinook was in Loma, Montana, where it went from -48°C to +9°C. Fifty seven degrees, can you imagine?! Or when variations of 50°C were observed in Black Hills in 1943…in MINUTES. Seriously. (Links at the bottom.)
Pressure variations are brutal for me. Good thing I live somewhere with constant temperature and pressure fluctuations! *Eye roll* Apparently we have roughly 25 chinooks in winter, averaging out to a chinook about every 4 days. The weather has been incredibly warm the last couple of months, mostly due to the excessive amounts of chinooks. Everything is always up and down with me, but I feel like it’s been even more so lately. There was also a random flu-esque episode I had that lasted about 3 days, coinciding with a big migraine. That was one of the recent lows for sure.
A cliche about ups and downs I find true; if the lows aren’t as low, the highs aren’t as high. Lots of zig-zagging these past few weeks, but I guess it’s tradition to have extra variation during the holidays.
I have been lucky to do some amazing things lately to juxtapose the crud. I went and visited my beautiful friend’s adorable baby! I also got to pet her two dogs, and cat. So basically an amazing day of hanging out with a lovely family, even though lots of stairs were involved. I also participated in an awesome Hannukah party with several friends in my home. I hung out for many hours with everyone, and ate some awesome food that my mom and sister prepared. Including potato latkes, of course.
Please stay sane during the holidays! For some people, there’s a lot of action going on. For others, it’s a lack of people and general brouhaha. So do what you need to do, whether it’s taking a long bath, going and socializing at festive events, having alone time, turning down food/alcohol, listening to Zeppelin instead of Christmas music, or shoveling a neighbour’s walk!
Also, please be safe when doing all your last minute stuff. There are loads of people running around, many of them distracted. Also, without a doubt there seem to be more impaired drivers during the holidays. I know getting a cab is hard after the company Christmas party, but it’s not worth it to get behind the wheel. There are a couple links for designated driving services in Calgary below.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year to you all! 2018 is going to be a year of moving forward in a positive manner. I sincerely hope we can look forward to more health, peace, and happiness for all!
Zara ❤
Citations/ Additional Links
Keys Please Calgary (Designated driving service)
We DD Calgary (Designated driving service)
Snow Angels (Calgary snow shoveling initiative)
It Is What It Is 
[…] from Calgary’s lovely chinook winds. (You can also check out my previous post about chinooks here.) I barely made it to my Molecular Genetics class, and there was a midterm that day. There was […]
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