It has been insanely cold lately--40 below zero (BTW, minus 40 F = minus 40 C) at my wife's place, 26 below zero F here in Wasilla. That means your car won't start unless you have a block heater and it rides rough for a few miles until the tires get round again, and you freeze yer ass off until the heater starts working (the heater in my old car doesn't--I don't have $400 to spare to get it fixed).

You gotta dress right. My long johns got lost inthe clutter in my cabin, so I'm just wearing jeans plus wool socks under insulated hunting boots, and a gummint surplus insulated jacker liner over a flannel shirt over a long-sleeved tee, all of which is under a down jacket. And I'm wearing a rabbit fur mad bomber hat and heavy-duty snow-machiner gloves. And my hands are just now starting to thaw after the drive to town.

The cabin stays warm thanks to two electric heaters, one of which I have to turn off when I make coffee or nuke something in the microwave, lest I trip a circuit breaker.

Gaaah. I hate winter. The cold air mass from Canada is supposed to move on next week--meanwhile, brrrr. Fucking brrrr.

It costs me about $14 a day (£10) just to heat my house...and that doesn't include the $8 a day to keep the lights on and the laptops running.

How the hell are pensioners supposed to pay those kind of heating bills? People are going to die this winter and it's not even that cold here.

I feel your pain--we got five truck loads of firewood this fall, went through half of it already, and winter ain't half over.

In one village, a barge-load of fuel oil didn't make it--river iced up ahead of schedule. So they have to fly it in, at $11 a gallon--people are paying over $1000/month to keep warm, and villagers are moving to Anchorage, and living nine to a one-bedroom flat.

maybe u should move then????? or do u have roots there and its a love/hate relationship and u just cant leave?

I can't stand on cold days at work when every single customer that walks in has to do the huddling-up gesture when they get in the door accompanied by the "Oh boy! Brrr!" Fucking obnoxious...

I bet Caribou Barbie's got a warm house.

build an igloo

well so much for global warming

40 below is pretty cold for Wasilla. just stay inside dude.

Wow, that sound miserable. A couple weeks ago, it was really cold here in Montana, the lowest day being at around -20F. That was pretty bad, but I can't imagine -40. I wouldn't put up with temperature that low for long.

I don't mean any disrespect by this, but anyone stupid enough to move somewhere that cold shouldn't complain about how cold it is. Did you not know when you moved to Alaska how cold it is there?

If you were serious, I recommend that you ask that question in the Politics forum.

you never fail to make me smile

build an igloo

This idea is actually not half bad..

I heard that igloos are supposed to be warm, for some reason, even though they are made of snow

I feel your pain--we got five truck loads of firewood this fall

you guys actually burn wood to keep warm? Why not use natural gas or stuff like that to heat your house?


In one village, a barge-load of fuel oil didn't make it--river iced up ahead of schedule. So they have to fly it in, at $11 a gallon--people are paying over $1000/month to keep warm,

1. You guys must be loaded with money;
2. You guys must really love your state (for you to remain there despite the high heating costs)


and villagers are moving to Anchorage, and living nine to a one-bedroom flat.

I am sorry but I did not get that expression? What is "living nine to ___"

That means nine people are living in a one bedroom apartment.

Nine times the efficiency. Pretty soon it's going to have to be like that everywhere, if humans don't stop procreating and a good number (3-5 billion) of them are incinerated.

you guys actually burn wood to keep warm? Why not use natural gas or stuff like that to heat your house?



1. You guys must be loaded with money;
2. You guys must really love your state (for you to remain there despite the high heating costs)



I am sorry but I did not get that expression? What is "living nine to ___"

Burning wood is efficient--the stuff grows on trees, you know. We have lots of trees, and selling firewood is a good way for a strong healthy person to make money. back in the day, we'd go out to the railroad right of way and cut our own--one guy cut, I tossed, my wife stacked it in the back of the pick-up.

Villagers are not loaded with money--many go without food, prescriptions, stuff like that to pay for fuel.

And yes, we do love the state. All in all, it is well worth the effort. Keeps us from getting soft and complacent.

No offense taken--but I think you mean "ignorant," as opposed to stupid.

Actually, I didn't know how cold it got--or at least, what dealing with it was like--nor did I know there's snow on the ground six months out of the year.

Getting used to it took years, but was well worth it.

No offense taken--but I think you mean "ignorant," as opposed to stupid.

Actually, I didn't know how cold it got--or at least, what dealing with it was like--nor did I know there's snow on the ground six months out of the year.

Getting used to it took years, but was well worth it.

Public school?