Perfect fall day

I talked with Alaina today and couldn't help but leave the conversation feeling a little gypped. It seems that the weather in Edmonton, Alberta is nicer than it is here!

Here's the story: My lease is up in December so the time has come to begin to consider what I'm going to do come January. I was talking to Alaina about how nice it would be to live closer to work for the winter when the weather is so bad. She responded with a sarcastic laugh and mocked, "When the weather is so bad!" But she soon started backpedaling because it seems that for the first time in ages, there may not be snow for Hallowe'en this year in the great city of Edmonton. In fact, according to her, it was 15 degrees today and the weather reports are saying 17 for tomorrow.

Isn't it ridiculous that I feel jealous? I should be glad that they have reasonable temperatures for a change. This is summer weather for them, for goodness sake!

When this time of the year rolls around, I start shivering and I don't stop until July. Maybe that's an exaggeration...I should say June. It's so hard for me to maintain a positive attitude when the days of jacketless frolicking disappear.

I have a theory about why this fall has been so hard on me already. Last year I thought I was stuck in eternal winter. You see, in May 2004 I left for Chile. Since it is in the southern hemisphere, its seasons are opposite ours. I was leaving the end of our winter for the beginning of their fall. Fall soon turned into winter and then I came back home at the end of August, just in time for the beginning of North American fall 2004. So my fall/winter lasted for 20 months! I have never been as thankful for spring as I was this past May, let me tell you! But deep down inside I feel as though I've earned 20 months of spring/summer now. I think that's where this built up weather resentment is coming from. Of course I know things don't work that way, but I can long Quito or Bogota, can't I?

Regardless of my pent up frustration for poor travel planning, I say to my family out west, take advantage of this weather. We in Ontario have learned in the past couple of weeks that it won't last forever! (Unless, of course, you travel between hemispheres every 6 months, and then be sure to start your journey in September!!)