We were spoiled not long ago with really warm weather in Inuvik, hovering just below freezing for about a week. I didn't need any of my ultra-warm winter clothes and would sometimes go out without even a hat or scarf! But now winter is back with a vengeance, and we're back down to -30C to -40C temperatures (-22F to -40F). Brrrrrrrr.
On the positive side, we are getting 9 1/2 hours of daylight now, which is increasing by about an hour each week. The sun will set around 7 pm this week. It won't be long before I'll need to put up my blackout curtains :). It's almost light these days on my walk to work, and it's really nice to have bright evenings.
However, one effect of the frigid weather is that I am forced to wear my contact lenses every day, because...
...this is what happened on the one and only day I tried to wear my glasses to work. This picture was taken in the lobby of my building after walking to work with my scarf around my face -- my breath fogged up my glasses and I couldn't see a thing. It's a miracle I didn't get hit by a car, as I was virtually blind! If you're wondering why I didn't just wipe them off, it's because the condensation froze when I was outside and became a layer of ice that I couldn't clear!