July 24, 2006

Enjoying the Heat Wave

Heat waves in Vancouver aren't as bad as other parts of the world. I believe the worst of the heat wave has passed, and was in the low 30's, which is actually "normal" for some parts of the world. So when I hear of people in Vancouver, complaining about the heat, I think to myself, that there is no reason to moan about it.

So, I'm not moaning about it, but rather I am telling people to enjoy it. When this kind of heat hits Vancouver, enjoy it by relaxing and giving yourself the excuse to do nothing. Be lazy, sit in the shade, stay indoors, drink water, have an ice-cream or popsicle, avoid high-energy sports and just take a nice (shady) scenic walk. I actually like the heat once in awhile. You just have to select your activities carefully, depending on hour level of health, physical fitness, and climatization. I enjoy walking in the evening when it's warm like this - less people are out, it's still warm, and the sky stays blue for a longer time. The one thing I haven't done this summer (yet) is to have a picnic...

The one hazard of weather like this, is a person's exposure to UV rays. The UV rating today is 7 - a high. When the sun peaked on Saturday, the UV rating was 8 - very high. I'm darker by a tiny bit, but not too much because I try to slap sunscreen on me all the time when I'm outdoors for a long period of time. SPF 60 or 45 to be exact. When most people think about the hazards of the heat wave, they think of dehydration and heat exhaustion. I'm very good about drinking water, staying cool, and resting. The one thing that most people forget about (in my opinion) are the UV rays - too many people enjoy sun-baking on beaches and forget to apply, or re-apply sunscreen. The short-term pain is a sunburn, which will eventually go away. The potentially long-term hazard (and potentially lethal) is skin cancer or melanoma.

So to everybody who insists on going out in the sun...
1. Do not complain about the heat. Other places in the world are worse - our weather is mild.
2. Be responsible for your own health and slap on some sunscreen, whether you dislike the smell, or don't enjoy the stickiness of it - choose a different brand or just tough it out. An end-of-the-day shower can remedy any stickiness.

2 comments:

Monkey said...

Actually, I think it got up to mid-30s over the weekend, with it being 38 or even 40 inland (42 in Lytton). It was on the news....we were even hotter than Hawaii. HAWAII!!!! And that doesn't include humidity. That is HOT! We broke a lot of temperature records.

But yeah, there are hotter places in the world and I'm SOO glad I'm not there.

Anonymous said...

I saw an "Inconvenient Truth" on Sunday and guess why we are getting record temps. Ah, you know the answer. Anyways you have no right to complain about the heat cuz' you live in a basement suite where it's always cooler. My house the past few days is hovering around 85 F. and this is around 9pm. It's gross and I hate it. Pitching a tent outside to sleep in would be my best option and maybe I should invest in one. I remember when summer in Vancouver lasted about 2-3 weeks. Now every year since about 2000 we longer and hottter summers.... it sucks for a pale white boy who's lived here all of his life. So screw you.. kidding.. and your "dont complain about it." I'll bitch to whoever I want. Although I will agree that a nice walk in the summer evening does feel really good... and so does being lazy. As for sunscreen does Steve enjoy rubbing it all over you haha. gross thought. l8r datrash

PS I have to give you Clerks to borrow and Clerks 2 was pretty funny. Especially the Transformers and Huge Anti Lord of the Rings take. Sweet.