Enduring the Winter
The cold in my parts have begun to sneak at the -30°C. In event of this I decided to post a quick list to help you endure the chilling effects of these winter months.
- Cover your head. Over half your body heat escapes through your head so make sure to cover that area.
- Let your hands breathe. If your gloves are too tight, they will limit the blood flow which prevents your hands from warming up.
- Same with your feet. Be careful not to wear too many layers of socks or tighten your laces too much as this will constrict blood flow as well.
- Steer clear from cotton. Stick with wool as cotton doesn’t insulate very well when you begin to sweat.
- Adjust your schedule. Keep in mind that it always, always takes longer to get anywhere during the winter.
- Stay hydrated. Your body uses up more energy when it’s cold outside so keep yourself fueled.
- But sober. My least favorite tip but the alcohol thins your blood making it tougher for your body to stay warm.
- Be ready. I always make sure to have a shovel, flashlight, and jumper cables in the trunk of my car.
- Beware of black ice. A safe rule of thumb is to always assume that the ground you’re walking or driving on is slippery.
- Lessen your stride. Avoid slips by reducing the gap in your stride. This will help you keep your balance in the event that you lose your footing.
- Don’t forget sunscreen. It’s not just for the summer. The sun reflecting of off ice or snow can still result in burning.
There you have it. Some quick tips from Frank to help you endure the winter. And trust me, I know what I’m talking about; I’m Canadian.
One Snowy, Shitty Night
To my dissatisfaction about 6 inches of fresh snow fell on the ground last night. Driving home from my girlfriend’s place ended up being one hellish feat. Hell, I got stuck getting out of her back lane. Twice. I felt absolutely horrible because she had to come out and help shovel my car out of the snow. Twice. To make matters worse, my car is a manual transmission and my girlfriend can’t drive stick for the life of her. This meant that she was left outside pushing while I was inside the car stepping on the gas. Twice. Man, do I owe her. I especially owe her an apology for flipping out as I usually do in situations like that. I can’t remember exactly what I was saying but I recall that it contained a lot of fucks and shits.
Those curses continued as I got stuck at a 4 way stop not far away from her place. I should’ve just blew past that stupid sign; nobody was coming at that time of night anyway. Serves me right for obeying the law. Once again my manual transmission added to the disaster as the stop sign was situated at a pretty steep incline. For those of you who drive stick I’m sure you know how difficult incline climbs are when starting from a stopped position; especially in fresh snow. Luckily, somebody did come around at that time of night. A couple teenagers were kind enough to give me a hand. So, thanks to them as well.
The rest of the drive home was filled with fishtails and close calls. But I made it. I disregarded a few stop signs along the way. But I made it. Unfortunately, this morning began with a buried car, a shovel in my hand, and another late added to my file at work. Man, I hate winter.
Do All Windshield Wipers Suck?
It’s absolutely ridiculous that in all the years that I have owned a vehicle, I have not had a pair of windshield wipers that worked to my satisfaction, especially during the winter months. At first I just put up with the default, factory installed sets and bought the cheap, generic brands as replacements when they wore out; and wore out often they did.
After I got tired of only being able to peek through the slits where those junkie generic wipers actually touched the glass, I smartened up and bought the more expensive sets. I didn’t want to overdo my expenditure and so I went with the semi-expensive sets; the middle class of the wiper blade selection. These didn’t fair much better. Though they allowed for a bit more visibility they simply were not dependable when I really needed them. The wipers rubbed and streaked and I had to constantly free the blades from any snow, ice, or road muck that stuck on. They definitely were not worth the price of the upgrade.
This year, I decided that I have had enough. I went out and bought the most expensive pair that Canadian Tire had in their arsenal for my vehicle. I bought the MotoMaster Teflon Winter Brand with precision fit. Luckily, they were on sale for 25% off and I walked away with only a $40 hole in my wallet. Let the MotoMaster trail being.
During the early days of this year’s winter, the wipers held up, clearing the glass in front of me with a streakless proficiency that pleased me deeply. There was no need to clean the blades. No need to worry. I felt victorious; I finally found a pair of wiper blades that I could depend on. My winter driving qualms were left only to the slick roads themselves. Or so I thought.
One morning, the weather crept to a chilling -25 degrees Celsius; that’s -13 degrees Fahrenheit to my neighbors to the South. Also known as, frickin cold. And so I put on my long underwear and made my way to work. The trek began as normal. The car took forever to warm up and I was forced to take small sips of my morning hot chocolate to survive. The roads were slick and I, like everyone else, slowly made my way through the rush hour streets. To top it all off, it began to snow.
But, I thought nothing of it as I had my trusty MotoMaster wipers to clear my view. And so I clicked my wipers on and watched as they glided across my sight. The problem was, they didn’t take all of the snow with them. There were thick streaks left behind on my glass and my visibility soon became hindered as the snowfall intensified. This can’t be right, I thought to myself; there must be something stuck on the blades. I pulled over and checked on the wiper blades. Nothing. And then I saw it.
The wipers weren’t clinging to the glass as they usually did. I tried to reform the bend of the wipers manually but this was a lost cause. I began to fill up with a feeling of anger and failure. The cold winter had defeated me again and I looked at my once glorious wiper blades in disgust. And so my journey to find a solution to my windshield woes continues. You may have won this battle, winter. But the war is far from over.