Eat Ice Cream

July 23, 2013 3:04 PM

In his meticulous diaries, written from 1846 to 1882, the Harvard librarian John Langdon Sibley complains often about the withering summer heat: “The heat wilts & enervates me & makes me sick,” he wrote in 1852. Sibley lived before the age of air-conditioning, but recent research suggests that his observation is still accurate: summer really does tend to be a time of reduced productivity. Our brains do, figuratively, wilt.

The shift toward mindlessness may be rooted in our emotions. One common finding is a link between relative sunshine and happiness: although people who live in sunnier places, like Southern California, are no happier than those who live in the harsher conditions of the Midwest, day-to-day variations in sunshine make a difference. People get happier as days get longer and warmer in the approach to the summer solstice, and less happy as days get colder and shorter. They also report higher life satisfaction on relatively pleasant days. The happiest season, then, is summer.

posted by whyareyouatriangle (127 comments total)

What's the effect on productivity for when it's sunny outside, but it's about 2500% humidity?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:08 PM on July 23, 2013 [13 favorites]

For me, it's lack of sleep caused by the heat at night. It's hard to be productive during the day when you're exhausted for months.

I heard someone on the bus (who was apparently from a much hotter climate) going on about how wimpy Canadians are to be complaining about 26 degrees C (79 degrees in fahrenwhatever). For her, the cold was the real terror. But you can keep cold out - or rather keep heat in, with passive insulation. You have to actively expel heat, which requires continuous use of energy. Heat is worse.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:15 PM on July 23, 2013 [22 favorites]

The link between sunshine and happiness is a simple one, though: vitamin D. If those scientists did a really fine grained study, I bet they'd find that office workers who spend all day inside are less affected by increased sunlight, and your surfers and sunbathing types are more affected. People with more skin exposed to the sun will react more strongly to increased daylight hours than people who are covered up all the time.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:23 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

I have what I call SAD: Summer Afflicted Disorder.
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:23 PM on July 23, 2013 [11 favorites]

There's something to be said, though, for the sheer thrill of stumbling into an air conditioned building in the middle of summer. Suddenly it's cool! Getting a break from the heat like that can raise your spirits for the rest of the day.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:30 PM on July 23, 2013

Getting a break from the heat like that can raise your spirits for the rest of the day.

They say hunger is the best spice.
posted by Celsius1414 at 3:34 PM on July 23, 2013 [12 favorites]

You can put clothes on, but you can't take skin off.

That said, I absolutely freaking despise winter. It's not the cold, so much as the dark.

Okay, that's bullshit. It's also the cold.

Hate winter.
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:35 PM on July 23, 2013 [10 favorites]

Less scientific, but awesome video: re people who love summer: "I can't wait to enjoy summer, I can't wait for summer! Wait'll they put the sun in they fuckin livin room."
posted by resurrexit at 3:45 PM on July 23, 2013 [6 favorites]

You need serious, sturdy, insulated shelter to survive a cold winter. You only need a shady tree and a bit of water to survive a hot summer. If you have a cool, alcoholic beverage, it can even be lots of fun to laze about under the tree.



Winter is by far worse.
posted by oddman at 3:48 PM on July 23, 2013 [4 favorites]

whyareyouatriangle: "The happiest season, then, is summer."

LIES.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:49 PM on July 23, 2013 [12 favorites]

Eat Ice Cream

There's plenty for everyone.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 3:56 PM on July 23, 2013 [64 favorites]

I went to Reykjavik in January, and I loved the way that the hateful orb of the sun stayed away from about 4 in the afternoon until 9:30 in the morning. It was so pleasant and quiet most of the time. I also miss Minnesota winters.

Of course, I also keep my youthful looks by battening on the Blood of the Innocent, so make what you will of that.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:00 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

That said, I absolutely freaking despise winter. It's not the cold, so much as the dark.

And the being trapped inside. And the having to spend an hour bundling up if you do go out. And the tracking slush everywhere.
posted by DU at 4:02 PM on July 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

Hey, at least you can get out and be active in the winter. Ski all day, no problem! You get warm and stay warm from the activity. Summertime? No way, you can't do anything but laze around being bored. Just walking around can overheat you if you don't do it slowly and take care to hide in the shade the whole time.
posted by Mars Saxman at 4:09 PM on July 23, 2013 [5 favorites]

Hey, at least you can get out and be active in the summer. Garden all day, no problem! You get fresh air and get exercise from the activity. Wintertime? No way, you can't do anything but laze around being bored
posted by DU at 4:11 PM on July 23, 2013

This post has insufficient ice cream; I feel led astray by the title:-(
posted by eviemath at 4:13 PM on July 23, 2013 [4 favorites]

You only need a shady tree and a bit of water to survive a hot summer.

before you pass out from heatstroke and exposure, one assumes.
posted by The Whelk at 4:14 PM on July 23, 2013 [11 favorites]

It's almost like winter is the worst season in some places and summer is the worst season in other places.

Clicking profiles in this thread is interesting. Kevin Street is from Edmonton, which is one of the shittiest places in the western hemisphere in winter. Mars Saxman is from Seattle - do they even have seasons in Seattle?
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 4:15 PM on July 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

Well I think we can all agree that Fall is the best time of all.

On preview: Eviemath, queue up over at Ice Cream Socialist's place and hope the cadres don't run out before you get to the counter.
posted by notyou at 4:15 PM on July 23, 2013 [4 favorites]

Eating icecream is the worst thing you can do. It's a ton of calories that your body wants to burn immediately. Just eat ice.

That said, icecream is an excellent winter food.
posted by varion at 4:18 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

shaved ice. shaved ice with rose syrup and some evaporated milk, or whatever your cultural tradition has found best.

shaved ice.

this has been a psa.
posted by cendawanita at 4:22 PM on July 23, 2013 [12 favorites]

I spent my college years in the Great White North and I think that was about enough for me, thanks. Although winter would probably be a lot more fun if it weren't for the salt and the slush and the endless grey; it can be so quiet and peaceful, especially at night.
posted by indubitable at 4:30 PM on July 23, 2013

The Midwest has the worst of both worlds, but count me as a partisan of summer, even on the hottest, most humid days. Summer heat, even when unpleasant, is a communal experience that crosses the boundaries between species: look in a dog's eyes on a hot day and tell me you don't see the camaraderie of a shared burden there. Winter, on the other hand, is your own hermetic hell when you're in the thick of it. It's like the feeling of dying alone under a porch smeared across three whole months.
posted by invitapriore at 4:33 PM on July 23, 2013 [6 favorites]

The happiest season, then, is summer.

I disagree with this strenuously.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 4:35 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Spring is best, because a) less mildew of rotting leaves, and b) winter still 6 months away, and c) maple syrup.

Autumn is pretty, sure. But spring is the best season.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:37 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

The problem with spring is flowering dogwoods.
posted by invitapriore at 4:38 PM on July 23, 2013

do they even have seasons in Seattle?

Yes. Rainy and Maybe A Little Less Rainy.
posted by telstar at 4:39 PM on July 23, 2013 [5 favorites]

Well I think we can all agree that Fall is the best time of all.

Also spring and Christmas.
posted by DU at 4:45 PM on July 23, 2013

I enjoyed summer most of all when I lived in the mid-Atlantic, and then loved it a whole lot more when I moved way up north. Darkness is the bigger deal for winter; I don't drive, so I love snow.

Spring and fall get shafted a lot, because they're the segway seasons. You really get that feeling in a place with a low foliage count. Like they're the intermissions between summer and winter.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:45 PM on July 23, 2013

You only need a shady tree and a bit of water to survive a hot summer.

I was part of a crew putting up a deck in NYC last week and I could have used 500 cc's of chilled Saline during lunch in addition to that bit of water.
posted by mlis at 4:52 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

The problem with spring is flowering dogwoods.

That's not a bug, that's a feature!


As for summer, since I have finally made it out to my apartment complex's pool (after a whole year)-yeah, team summer.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:14 PM on July 23, 2013

Ahhhh. So this is where all the "indoor kids" ended up.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 5:38 PM on July 23, 2013 [5 favorites]

Fuck all of you. Autumn is the worst and anyone who says otherwise is a Nazi.
posted by ishrinkmajeans at 8:52 PM on July 23 [+] [Flagged]

See I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt before now, but clearly your opinions are beneath contempt.

AUTUMN REPRESENT! HALLOWEEN IN THE HIZZOUSE!
posted by leotrotsky at 5:40 PM on July 23, 2013 [10 favorites]

Wintertime? No way, you can't do anything but laze around being bored

Nonsense. Walking around in the cold in warm layers is an excellent way to burn calories. Or shoveling snow, or skiing, or sledding. I love sweaters and boots and cold air on my face. The lack of sunshine is hard, but then there are fires to sit next to.

My body's reaction to summer heat is a) sweat b) hyperventilate c) pass out, unless I move slowly and drink liters of water. The first time it happened I was about five, standing up in an un-air-conditioned church during a revival, and I didn't understand why I was so sleepy and dizzy and then I woke up on the floor. Since then I've learned that when I start yawning in the heat and needing to sit down that it's time to hydrate and put my head between my knees. Meanwhile everyone else is running around having a great time.

In short, fuck you summer.
posted by emjaybee at 5:42 PM on July 23, 2013 [13 favorites]

Most parts of the world, the weather actively tries to kill you. In Seattle, though, the weather just tries to get you to kill yourself...
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 5:44 PM on July 23, 2013 [11 favorites]

they're the segway seasons.

Ah yes, when the Segways bloom, Nature is at her most miraculous.
posted by emjaybee at 5:46 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

People from hot climes know this and take naps during the noon hours;

people from colder climes see these folk napping during the day and accuse them of being shiftless and lazy.
posted by Renoroc at 5:47 PM on July 23, 2013 [11 favorites]

In Seattle, though, the weather just tries to get you to kill yourself...

Having said that, when did it last rain? Do you think we'll beat our 81-day dry spell last summer? The dirty secret about Seattle is that, generally speaking, July, August and September (and sometimes October!) have no rain to speak of, and no humidity.

June is usually a hear-breaker, though. "Will we never have sun? It's June, it's supposed to be sunny."
posted by maxwelton at 5:48 PM on July 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

It is currently 84F in Seattle, with a crystal-blue sky. Not a cloud to be seen. Seattle in July, August, and September is the Ideal of Summer, weather-wise.

My kids are Seattle natives, though, and anything much hotter than this destroys them. We just got back from Utah, where it hit 100F minimum every day. They were insane from the heat. My toddler cried so much, he's half-lost his voice. Even AC didn't help much (and the house wasn't air conditioned, so sleeping was miserable).

We slog through the long gray winters here to get to the summers. After 18 years, I've finally concluded the slog is worthwhile.
posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 5:52 PM on July 23, 2013

I grew up in Vancouver and while it would get hot in the summer it never bothered me much, even when it got over 30 degrees. I now live in southern Ontario and the same temperatures can be excruciating. The difference is humidity and lack of cooler nights. Having AC was pretty much unheard of growing up. I managed to make it through two Ontario summers before I broke down and got an AC unit. Last week we had 32 degree weather with humidity in the high 70s. It was awful. Even with AC going full it was uncomfortable. Doing anything indoors or out was a chore. I got ill just running errands because the air was so heavy.

I can handle heat just fine. Heat and humidity? I turn into both a physical and mental blob. I now prefer the in between seasons. Full on winter? Yuck. Full on Ontario summer? Yuck. Fall and spring are much more my style now.

I'm actually hoping to eventually move back to the West Coast where all year is like the in between seasons here and it's not so bloody humid.
posted by Jalliah at 6:15 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Yeah, honestly, as a product of Patagonian summers, which rarely (or at least before the ongoing climate fuckup) let you go under 32-33 centigrades with not a cloud in sight once noon got close, I can only shake my head and tut-tut at the people dismissing siesta. Siesta is one of the hallmarks of civilization.
posted by Iosephus at 6:20 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

oddman: "You only need a shady tree and a bit of water to survive a hot summer."

Shade and a bit of water does you no good when the temperature is 110F with a heat index somewhere over 130 and nighttime temps don't get much below 90 even outside of heat islands. You'll end up with heat stroke even if you don't exert yourself at all.

People don't die from heat waves because they're stupid. They die from heat waves because heat waves are deadly.
posted by wierdo at 6:30 PM on July 23, 2013 [6 favorites]

When I lived in Atlanta, what made summers unbearable was having to go in and out of air conditioned buildings which were so cold that you could hang meat in them. Air conditioning is destroying the planet and I can only smile to think that the people contributing most to climate change by their excessive electricity use will be amongt those to suffer most as their summer temperatures get hotter.
posted by three blind mice at 6:41 PM on July 23, 2013

And guess what? It's going to get hotter!
posted by Vibrissae at 6:44 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

All seasons are both rad and bunk. The little seasons (spring + fall) have a slight edge due to their transitional nature.
posted by Divine_Wino at 6:45 PM on July 23, 2013

I love spring and fall. Spring is when life returns to the natural world, and fall is when the human world starts a new cycle. I still get a charge every September (even now, after so many years out of school), because that was when I got to see my friends again and learn new things. It still feels like the natural time to start big projects.
posted by Kevin Street at 6:57 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

Fuck all of you. Autumn is the worst and anyone who says otherwise is a Nazi.

That is not how you talk about motherfucking decorative gourd season.
posted by 23 at 6:59 PM on July 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

In winter, I XC ski my butt off, and the scenery is gorgeous.
In summer, I swim my butt off, and the scenery is gorgeous.
Can't choose; both can be unbeatable. I guess what I really like is change.
posted by kinnakeet at 7:00 PM on July 23, 2013

In Winter I can always put another blanket on or a coat and look like a laundry-basket out in public, but in Summer there's only so much I can take off without being arrested.
posted by ninazer0 at 7:05 PM on July 23, 2013 [5 favorites]

I like real winter, not the slushy freezy mess that Toronto gets.

In summer the Toronto heat and humidity can be miserable, but we have two adaptive strategies:
- our house is close to the lake = 5 degrees colder, usually
- a small sailboat

Sucks to be you...
posted by Artful Codger at 7:06 PM on July 23, 2013

I can't even fathom people who don't hate Summer with every fiber of their being like I do. Right now in NYC, it's been over 90 degrees for approximately seven thousand days in a row. I can't leave my house, I can't move, I can't breathe. The second I step outside I feel dirty and sweaty and miserable. There are bugs everywhere. It's humid every day. I can't run my A/C because I might blow a fuse.

You do not know hell until you've squeezed onto the L Train with half of Brooklyn and get smooshed up against a 400 pound man that smells like he bathed in gorgonzola cheese and then when you get off the train, you're covered with sweat and here is the horror, IT'S NOT YOUR SWEAT.

But yeah, that inch or so of powdery snow we get for like three days every winter, WOO that's the real menace!

Die, Summer, die. Die and never come back.
posted by silverstatue at 7:11 PM on July 23, 2013 [11 favorites]

Having said that, when did it last rain? Do you think we'll beat our 81-day dry spell last summer? The dirty secret about Seattle is that, generally speaking, July, August and September (and sometimes October!) have no rain to speak of, and no humidity.

DON'T TELL THEM THESE THINGS THEY'LL WANT TO MOVE HERE

Growing up in Seattle has spoiled me for living in most of the eastern 2/3rds of the country. Any amount of humidity whatsoever absolutely breaks me. I turn into this useless panting sponge of a person.

People from the east coast never understand when I tell them there's never any humidity in Seattle, and for my part, I never understand how they manage to breathe bad-smelling warm steam all summer.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 7:19 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

Shave ice (halo halo or patbingsu are good options) seconded as a cure for summer somnolence. Smoothies are an acceptable substitute if you do not live in an area abounding in shave ice emporiums.
posted by spamandkimchi at 7:20 PM on July 23, 2013

I've long thought that the ideal thing (provided you're just ridiculously rich, ungodly rich... unethically rich) would be to live in San Francisco nine months out of the year and then summer in Seattle.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 7:24 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

You are all crazy. Summer is wonderful. I wish it would stay just the way it has been the last few weeks and stay that way forever. Because I can swim when the weather is like this: in the ocean, or the river, as god intended. And that is fucking bliss, I tell you.

So yeah, Team Summer here. Of course I live in Vancouver, where our idea of unbearably hot is around 30 degrees, and it never lasts long.
posted by jokeefe at 7:29 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

I like the part of winter that is sweaters and corduroy and having a fire in the woodstove. And I liked the 30 inch snowfall last winter. Nothing is as quiet as snow falling when there's no wind. But the severe cold and the dark are worse every year. Summer has mosquitoes and other bugs, but I love being able to walk outside in shorts and a tshirt and no shoes. Long days are just better. I love swimming in the lake, and walking and not having to be bundled up. Sitting on the deck with a beer and a book. Being able to grow tomatoes.

The 90F+ days in summer are the equivalent of the -0F days in winter for being unmanageable, but I can chew crushed ice, eat popsicles, take another cool shower, and manage the heat, even with just fans, but in the winter, I have to bring in wood, keep the fire going, make sure the pipes don't freeze when the cold is bitter, shovel the walk, put down sand on the driveway, wear a sweater and a fleece vest, etc., Cups of hot tea aren't enough to combat winter.
posted by theora55 at 7:41 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

Also the 7 degree (Farenheit) difference between Honolulu's daytime high in January (80 deg) and the July daytime high (87) is enough to tip me from "lucky we live Hawaii" to "arglebarglegargle" (what I sound like when talking directly into a box fan). I'm happy to see fellow summer-haters in the MeFi house. I'm lucky that our cinderblock house is oriented to catch the tradewinds so there's no need for A/C but fully admit that I've been hiding out in the walk-in freezer of the university's music library of late because I'm still overheated even if I'm stripped down to a sports bra and boxers.

Embarrassingly, I know office workers in Honolulu who have brought space heaters to work because the central A/C is so freakin' cold. The saddest "we're doing it wrong" A/C tale comes from Losing Our Cool, which described the heat canyon effect: each window unit added on a city block means more hot air being ejected into the street, causing temperatures to go up, driving more residents to purchase A/C units, lather rinse repeat.
posted by spamandkimchi at 7:41 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

huh
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:44 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

That's the thing about weather. Every body complains about it but nobody ever does anything.
posted by Bonzai at 7:56 PM on July 23, 2013 [6 favorites]

Big believer in summer here. It's King of Seasons.

Most problems with summer are really problems of not being properly able to deal with the heat - like, having to dress in ways that are not sensible; not having somewhere to go cool off, like a breezy shore or a waterfall. That's not a weather problem exactly, it's a social-organization problem. Problems of winter, though, are dangerous, painful, difficult, expensive, and life-threatening problems, much more so than summer's. I remember having enough the night I got out of my car in my Maine driveway a few years ago, misstepped on the 3" thick sheet of solid ice that had been covering my driveway for weeks, was airborne for a moment, and slowly came to staring a crystalling dark sky full of stars. I remember wondering if my skull was still intact, and felt there gingerly. It was not broken, but I had a massive egg that took forever to go down. I was grateful to have survived.

Meanwhile, here I am in summer, knocking off work and still having enough daylight to cycle down to the cove and swim around, return home, shower, maybe go back out and get some ice cream, sit on the porch and page through a book, watch the birds and look at my plants growing. Head to the beach for the weekend and stroll, calm, relaxed, and complete in oneself, along the sand. Summer rules.
posted by Miko at 8:09 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

"...and then when you get off the train, you're covered with sweat and here is the horror, IT'S NOT YOUR SWEAT."

O.o
posted by Kevin Street at 8:28 PM on July 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

As far as I am concerned, the reason summer is the worst season can be summed up in two words:

HEAT RASH.




Aughhhhh.
posted by ocherdraco at 8:40 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

I grew up in Vancouver and while it would get hot in the summer it never bothered me much, even when it got over 30 degrees. I now live in southern Ontario and the same temperatures can be excruciating

I grew up in Ottawa and moved to Vancouver and can vouch for you. I took up jogging a couple of years ago and went back to Ottawa for a visit. "I'll bring my running shoes!" I thought. From 5k with no problem in Vancouver to wheezing and and drenched in sweat after 2 blocks in an Ottawa summer. No wonder I was so lazy when I lived there.
posted by Hoopo at 8:41 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Winter is objectively the best. THE BEST. It is cold and shivery and you have you run around like an idiot frolicking in the snow to warm up and you're not dying of swamp ass 24/7 and everything smells fresh and clean and the sky is that bright shiny blue and then you go home and cuddle with dogs in front of the fireplace and you put on warm socks straight from the dryer and it is like reaching out to caress the firm buttocks of GOD HIMSELF.

Summer is repulsive and smelly and everything about it is the most terrible thing that ever happened and it is happening at 110 degrees with 12000% gorilla ass humidity. People who think summer is the best are probably Hitler.
posted by elizardbits at 8:49 PM on July 23, 2013 [20 favorites]

I've lived in -40C and +40C (-40/104F) for extended periods of time. I'll take the heat 10 out of 10 times.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:49 PM on July 23, 2013

The NYC heat wave last week was like Hell with the lid torn off. Seriously, fuck Summer.
posted by mlis at 8:54 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

Winter allows for nicer clothing.
posted by The Whelk at 9:10 PM on July 23, 2013 [8 favorites]

I am pretty sure what you all mean is, "fuck humidity".

In that, I join you.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 9:28 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

Admittedly part of my utter revulsion for all things summer is that the clothing I wear to avoid death by heatstroke (saggy cargo shorts + plain black t shirts) is somehow a wild siren's allure like no other to certain sections of the population, and until such time when I can lawfully taze them into submission, walking down the street remains stressful.

The rest of the year, according to my coworkers, I dress like a ninja assassin and as a result nobody ever bothers me.

Also lbr, a really significant part of my enjoyment of the winter is derived from the fact that so many people hate it with a wild and intense passion. The suffering of others is delicious to me.
posted by elizardbits at 9:37 PM on July 23, 2013 [5 favorites]

And now the power went out. Just for a few seconds, long enough to reboot my computer.

SUMMER DOES NOT APPRECIATE CRITICISM.
posted by Kevin Street at 9:54 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

All these horror stories about the terrible heat and humidity just makes us tropical folk fel like superheroes.

Shower often, drink plenty of water, and stay in the shade. Humanity was born under a relentless burning sun.
posted by destrius at 10:04 PM on July 23, 2013 [4 favorites]

I come from a land of the ice and snow.
posted by The Whelk at 10:20 PM on July 23, 2013 [5 favorites]

resurrexit: "Less scientific, but awesome video yt : re people who love summer:"

That video is awesome.

Miko: "Problems of winter, though, are dangerous, painful, difficult, expensive, and life-threatening problems, much more so than summer's."

Every summer, I hear about elderly folks dying of heat stroke here in Japan. Inside their homes. At night. But in the winter, despite the fact that the temperature often drops below zero, I never hear about elderly folks freezing to death in their homes.

To say nothing of the numerous reports of "15 children hospitalized due to heat stroke during baseball practice", "12 children hospitalized due to heat stroke at a school meeting", etc.

Only the homeless and the mountain climbers are injured by the cold. The summer goes after everyone 20 and under and 60 and older.
posted by Bugbread at 10:22 PM on July 23, 2013 [5 favorites]

I hate summer. It's hot, the sun's out too long, and there's insect life fucking everywhere. Give me a nice cold late fall or winter day. Fuck heat, fuck humidity. I like being able to walk to work without wanting to change my clothes upon arrival.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:39 PM on July 23, 2013 [4 favorites]

seriously i've been trying like the past ten minutes to type the shouting from immigrant song i give up it's impossible.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:43 PM on July 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

Well, once I got through menopause, it was like being returned to factory settings, I find that I can function in heat better than in some years. I am still careful about it. I usually need rest the next couple days after.
Mr. Roquette is another story. He totally falls apart in the heat.
Winter is no respite as they over-heat the whole building to accomadate those residents who no longer have circulatory systems. It's a shame.
We go more places in 'bad' weather than in 'good' weather simply because its easier on him. There are events I avoid to spare him misery.
Don't get me wrong, I can get overheated too, it just takes longer.
Our reactions differ as well. I just get tired, and want to sleep. He becomes grumpy. He's generally NOT grumpy.
So if he gets grumpy, the first thing I assume is that he is too warm.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 10:45 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

Shower often, drink plenty of water, and stay in the shade. Humanity was born under a relentless burning sun.

And some of us immediately moved to more reasonable temperatures as soon as the glaciers got out of the way. ;)
posted by Celsius1414 at 10:59 PM on July 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

After a month in Chicago one winter I was traumatized and knew I could not survive in a place where it was so cold it made me cry and the tears froze on my cheeks. So I'm in New Orleans. It was only after I got here that I realized there is no fall or spring.

I've figured out that there is gardening season, which is roughly the same stretch of time as school convenes, interrupted only by Christmas, Carnival and flooding rain. Gardening season continues into the new year but is over by hurricane season--roughly mid-July to mid October. It gets hot after Carnival--some years we have a day or two of Spring--but it keeps on getting hotter until hurricane season is mostly over. Then, instead of having Autumn, we have hot and wet. Sometime in late November it begins to be cool enough that you might think about a jacket but you probably won't need an overcoat at all.

It rains a lot but the rain is not cold. You might even enjoy it. Live oaks are precious because they give so much protection--from the rain as well as from the sun. Important dates: Snowball stands open April 15 and stay open until mid-October. There are many street fairs and festivals because it's too hot to cook unless there's a party and people need the nourishment. Also they are a distraction from the temperature. Staying distracted is the key.

A word of advice: Don't complain in July; it's much too soon and you still have to get through August.
posted by Anitanola at 12:14 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

I like Toronto summers - all that heat and humidity is the perfect excuse to laze around and do nothing but drink.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 2:35 AM on July 24, 2013

There are a few magic weeks in early/mid fall in Southern Ontario where the days are still hot enough to make you sweat, but it starts getting cold enough at night to freeze the morning dew and leave a predawn glaze of ice on car windows. Bliss. Best sleep of the year.

That, and I miss the summer rain and thunderstorms from the Great Lakes region. There, if the heat and humidity build up past a certain point in the afternoon, that means an automatic thunderstorm right after sundown. A fairly quick one, too: forceful, violent rain that pummels the streets for up to an hour with Beethoven accompaniment, and then there's a final flourish and it just stops and moves on. Before, you can smell the ozone in the air while it's working over the county upwind from you, and afterwards it's at least five degrees cooler and the humidity is cut in half. A week with a good thunderstorm every night doesn't bother me at all; the rumbling is a comfort like the sound of a distant train. Granted, it's the same weather systems that provide feet after feet of snow in winter, but in summer it's a blessing, starting fresh after a cold rain every night.

Contrast with the New York area where if it gets hot and muggy enough, well it might just stay that way for several days, with midnight temperatures not much cooler than daytime highs. I kept my hair cut short because I didn't have A/C at home and it might never dry otherwise. And the rain never seems to build up into a good storm; it just reaches the point where "well, it's warm and humid enough to rain today, sort of, I guess" and it stays overcast and rains off and on and off and on, every twenty minutes... all day. Warm rain, that doesn't even cool you off. And you're stuck with it all day. All you can do is hope the weather is different tomorrow.

It all depends on what you grew up with, I suppose.
posted by ceribus peribus at 3:39 AM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Humanity was born under a relentless burning sun.

Well some of our ancestors must have run North and hid under rocks or something until they couldn't even recognize the sun anymore, because if I spend more than 30 minutes under a relentless hot sun now I basically have to molt out of my old skin for the next few days.
posted by Hoopo at 5:43 AM on July 24, 2013 [6 favorites]

Every summer, I hear about elderly folks dying of heat stroke here in Japan. Inside their homes. At night. But in the winter, despite the fact that the temperature often drops below zero, I never hear about elderly folks freezing to death in their homes.

Sure, but this is largely an artifact of the media and how stories during heat waves of deaths due to heat are exciting to report, evidence of how extreme things are. In reality, winter is a much deadlier season. Heart attacks, strokes, and infectious diseases like the flu are developed more easily in winter's climactic conditions. And "many more deaths occur from chronic conditions that are exacerbated by cold weather." Anyone with an elderly relative knows how difficult it is for them to get through the winter. "One’s chances of dying in the winter months are significantly greater than in the summer. This is a statistical fact. It is generally true regardless of where one lives in the U.S., and it is borne out year after year."

Also, interestingly, mild winters that allow more frail people to survive may just set some of them up for dying in the summer at the other extreme.

Admittedly, the seasons have different risks. Summer has higher risk of death by accident. People are outside more, for longer hours, and traveling more. But winter brings conditions that are tough for the body to combat, impacting other conditions; it brings increased risk of injury from falls, which may not kill you right away but can be a contributing factor in debilitating injury and resulting loss of health; it brings a higher risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning; it encourages people to stay inside, reducing their access to exercise and fresh air; it brings this stress on the heart. Summer presents risks, but winter is still stacked against us, badly.
posted by Miko at 5:47 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

I hate the cold, but I also sweat beyond the ken of mortal men.

It's not a great state of affairs!
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 6:45 AM on July 24, 2013

I secretly like driving in snow because it requires skill, and skidding around in an empty parking lot has been fun since I started driving.
posted by theora55 at 6:48 AM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

That said, icecream is an excellent winter food.

Finland agrees with you. My old place in Helsinki, every single grocery shop had huge icecream freezers, inside AND out. Fun times, -20C and walking to the corner store to buy... ice cream. You don't need special insulated bags to keep it frozen on the way home!

As for humidity in southeastern France, OH MY GODS. UGH. Give me back Oregon summers, PLEASE. The only thing I'll miss are the cicadas. *opens office door* No, scratch that, I won't.

Okay, one thing I would miss is the undescribably wonderful smell of pine, wild rosemary, thyme, and lavender grilling in 90% humidity on >=40°C days. (For the love of pete, do NOT spend summer holidays on the French Riviera unless you enjoy baking your skin and overcast skies. Come in late May/early June or September. Or, heck, even December-February. We get rains starting 'round October, usually they've finished by January. Though this year they lasted until the start of June, before the weather switched nigh immediately to "let's broil!" flippin' eh.)
posted by fraula at 7:01 AM on July 24, 2013

I like all the seasons, but probably Fall best. But the only thing I really dislike about winter are the short short days. The cold is much easier to deal with.
posted by sweetkid at 7:12 AM on July 24, 2013

You know what else sucks about summer? There's really no summer alternative for men's business attire. You're still in a freaking jacket and tie. Then you get to work and if you're really lucky you sit near women who get to wear these light summer dresses and complain that the air conditioning is too cold and turn it off while you haven't even stopped sweating yet.

I don't even care how ridiculous it looks, there needs to be a t-jacket and dress shorts.
posted by Hoopo at 7:30 AM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

I hate hot weather. I hate the sweatiness, the stinkiness, having to keep windows closed so the air conditioning doesn't get out... plus, I'm an avid knitter. Hot, sticky weather is not conducive to knitting. The yarn gets all gross, and you can't wear anything you've made!
posted by sarcasticah at 7:31 AM on July 24, 2013

Hoopo: "You know what else sucks about summer? There's really no summer alternative for men's business attire. You're still in a freaking jacket and tie. Then you get to work and if you're really lucky you sit near women who get to wear these light summer dresses and complain that the air conditioning is too cold and turn it off while you haven't even stopped sweating yet.

I don't even care how ridiculous it looks, there needs to be a t-jacket and dress shorts."

This is why seersucker.
posted by invitapriore at 7:32 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

Seersucker looks like you're going to a business meeting at bedtime. They're like fancy pajamas.
posted by Hoopo at 7:41 AM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Seersucker comment favorited by "Celsius 1414" eh? I SEE WHAT'S GOING ON HERE
posted by Hoopo at 7:53 AM on July 24, 2013

if you're really lucky you sit near women who get to wear these light summer dresses and complain that the air conditioning is too cold

Patriarchy hurts everyone...there are downsides to those light summer dresses too.
posted by sweetkid at 7:58 AM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Seersucker looks like you're going to a business meeting at bedtime. They're like fancy pajamas.

You have failed to articulate the down side of this here. FANCY PAJAMAS!
posted by elizardbits at 8:06 AM on July 24, 2013 [4 favorites]

Seersucker comment favorited by "Celsius 1414" eh? I SEE WHAT'S GOING ON HERE

I AM IN THE POCKET OF BIG WINTER! CURSE YOU!
posted by Celsius1414 at 8:11 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

We denizens of the Bay Area consider your wails of seasonal despair and cheers of meteorological faction so much needless effort given the place we call home is a weather paradise.
posted by mistersquid at 8:32 AM on July 24, 2013

Yeah but you have earthquakes and kaiju.
posted by elizardbits at 8:33 AM on July 24, 2013 [3 favorites]

elizardbits: "Yeah but you have earthquakes and kaiju."

You have failed to articulate &etc.
posted by boo_radley at 8:36 AM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

You have failed to articulate the down side of this here

Okay, imagine for a minute what Pat Robertson or Mitt Romney might wear to formally proposition their wives
posted by Hoopo at 8:39 AM on July 24, 2013

you are a bad person who does bad things and should feel bad for your badness
posted by elizardbits at 8:43 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

.there are downsides to those light summer dresses too.

It's a small consolation for having to wear bras all the time, not being able to go shirtless in most places even if just at a picnic or on the beach, and having to have a much larger wardrobe because the standard of dress for women doesn't let you recycle your pants and jacket from the same suit all the time. Also, try having a period in the summer.
posted by Miko at 8:50 AM on July 24, 2013 [5 favorites]

women who get to wear these light summer dresses

Well, it's not my fault dudes gave up on wearing skirts. You could all be wearing light summer kilts if your ancestors hadn't been so hung up on what was manly.

Besides, summer dresses usually involve a) leg shaving and b) pedicures, because the only thing to wear with them is sandals, and it's not ok to waltz into an office with manky un-laquered toes.
posted by emjaybee at 8:56 AM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

try having a period in the summer.

nothing is happening
posted by Hoopo at 9:06 AM on July 24, 2013 [6 favorites]

More humans in general should get pedicures.
posted by elizardbits at 9:07 AM on July 24, 2013

Whiskey and red wine don't really go with summer. On the other hand, you have gin and tonics and americanos. Conundrum.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:16 AM on July 24, 2013

The only problem with kilts is that they're basically exclusively marketed to dudes who either play bagpipes or guitars with devil horns. I'd love a kilt that wasn't red tartan or the color of a Cthulhu turd.
posted by invitapriore at 9:22 AM on July 24, 2013

Hey now there's also large hairy homosexuals and guys who can SOMEHOW get away with looking like a FANTASY UNIVERSE ROUGE with their kilts and COWLS and it WORKS and I am LOOKING AT YOU, GREG.
posted by The Whelk at 9:23 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

Don't get me wrong, they're not un-pull-off-able in the general case, but they are in mine. I want bright colors! Regal purples! Floral yellows! Crystalline blues! Where's the kilt for me?
posted by invitapriore at 9:26 AM on July 24, 2013

Scotland, made by a traditional manufacturer (it's all about how it sways and folds) - I really like the Scotland Forever pattern
posted by The Whelk at 9:29 AM on July 24, 2013

I want bright colors! Regal purples!

Perhaps a toga virilis?
posted by elizardbits at 9:31 AM on July 24, 2013

The only problem with kilts is that they're basically exclusively marketed to dudes who either play bagpipes or guitars with devil horns. I'd love a kilt that wasn't red tartan or the color of a Cthulhu turd.

Time for my bimonthly mention of the Fijian sulu, which is made for tropical climes and is awesome.
posted by Celsius1414 at 9:33 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

It'd be nice if we were more accepting as a culture of swaddling yourself in a giant mound of cloth as a valid clothing strategy. I think we'd all be happier.
posted by invitapriore at 9:42 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

Whiskey and red wine don't really go with summer.

Says you. I also eat chili and drink stouts year round.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 9:44 AM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Came in for the wailing and gnashing of teeth and "it's the humidity not the heat", and yep there it is. But I'm disappointed not to see "Metafilter: like reaching out to caress the firm buttocks of GOD HIMSELF." Come on, people!

(Also, there's a reason the British East India Company people came up with gin and tonic. Actually, make that a couple of reasons...)
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:33 AM on July 24, 2013

It is the humidity. When I was in Las Vegas, it was extremely hot but I hardly noticed (after staggering under the initial blast of oven-hot air upon exiting the airport) and didn't sweat much at all.
posted by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 10:40 AM on July 24, 2013

It really is the humidity. The room in my apartment with the dehumidifier¹ is more comfortable than the one with the window A/C. Up north in the winter, aiming a humidifier across the furnace vent makes everything much cozier.

¹Emptying a half gallon per hour last week! The problem with a good dehumidifier is that the better it works, the more moist air rushes in from outside...
posted by ceribus peribus at 10:59 AM on July 24, 2013

STOP SAYING MOIST IT ONLY MAKES THINGS WORSE
posted by elizardbits at 1:49 PM on July 24, 2013

memo to self
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:08 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

I just got into a mental argument with myself (in both senses of the word) whether summer or winter was the worst, and I've decided that - outside of very specific parameters - it's weather that's the fucking worst.

Fuck summer with the endless, unbearable dry heat punctuated only by miserable humidity that does nothing but torture you with the promise of rain, and fuck winter for having to wear ski clothing indoors just so you can feel your goddamned toes.

I want light fluffy occasional clouds and temperatures between 70-78 degrees with just enough rain to keep the tedium away. Otherwise the hell entirely with the whole fucking thing.

god was that cathartic
posted by Space Kitty at 3:16 PM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

We denizens of the Bay Area consider your wails of seasonal despair and cheers of meteorological faction so much needless effort given the place we call home is a weather paradise.

Lolwut? It is FREEZING this year, even worse than usual. It's the middle of July and I'm carrying around a wool scarf in case I have to wait for the bus after dark.

Last week was my birthday. Growing up I knew the deal: with a July birthday you never get to take cupcakes to school (because it's summer vacation) but you always have good weather on your birthday. This year… it should not be possible to have goosebumps while standing outside at night in mid-July. It just shouldn't.

The only problem with kilts is that they're basically exclusively marketed to dudes who either play bagpipes or guitars with devil horns. I'd love a kilt that wasn't red tartan or the color of a Cthulhu turd.

Sport Kilt have some quite nice tartans. (I do wish they didn't assume that a woman's kilt should by definition be a micro-mini…)
posted by Lexica at 6:31 PM on July 24, 2013

On the manskirt issue - I know a guy who once wore a button-down shirt with a sarong to a party and no one really thought it weird. Looked kinda funky, actually.

I think the humidity is the key. Today New York was low,humidity and sunny, and I was all happy and went to Coney Island and everything and so now I like summer. Two days ago, though...
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:25 PM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

Yea no angry Facebook comments about the weather today. Man do I love those angry facebook posts. They are so interesting and each one cools the atmosphere by a few degrees.
posted by sweetkid at 7:29 PM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

As for humidity in southeastern France, OH MY GODS.

Yes, I'm currently there on vacation. Never again. This frail body is not built for temperatures and humidity as this.
posted by MartinWisse at 5:29 AM on July 25, 2013

I just got into a mental argument with myself (in both senses of the word) whether summer or winter was the worst, and I've decided that - outside of very specific parameters - it's weather that's the fucking worst.

I want light fluffy occasional clouds and temperatures between 70-78 degrees with just enough rain to keep the tedium away. Otherwise the hell entirely with the whole fucking thing.

And that's why we need to get into space, to build those O'Neill colonies already where we can have the perfect weather under our control and live life like it's one long Californian cocktail party; it's what Niven would've wanted.
posted by MartinWisse at 5:31 AM on July 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

RE dudeskirts: I have a couple of Macabi skirts in medium-long which is basically ankle-length on me. They're pretty great. Much longer than traditional kilts, lighter weight fabric. And deep, useful pockets.

I'm also thinking of getting some long denim skirts (either jeans conversions or custom made) for the cooler weather. I also have a couple pair of kurta pyjama pants which are nice too but very light weight.

Whoever decided that people with outie bits should all the time wear clothes with seams riding all up in that business was a damn fool.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:41 AM on July 25, 2013

It's like 64 degrees outside today and I'm worried that it might snow.

we are being actively trolled by the fucking weather
posted by elizardbits at 7:00 AM on July 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

It's been a beautiful week, hereabouts. With more of the same to come.

Don't skip the forecast discussion.
posted by notyou at 7:51 AM on July 25, 2013

On the manskirt issue - I know a guy who once wore a button-down shirt with a sarong to a party and no one really thought it weird. Looked kinda funky, actually.

You just reminded me of something strange.

When I lived in Japan I used to walk to the beach every night after work...I used to get home 10:30-11:00pm, change into some shorts and a T-shirt, and walk 30 or 45 minutes to the beach, stopping only for beer and maybe convenience store oden along the way. Also there was a 24-hour supermarket on the way that often had day old donuts that were only really like 12 hours old at that point. The beach was always totally empty at night, save for the occasional group of teenagers with firecrackers. It was generally the most peaceful, relaxing place. On a clear day you could see the moon and the waves and a single fishing boat that always seemed to be there. On grey days, you could look out at the water and see only black and grey, and have no idea where the water ended and the sky began other than the white caps of waves appearing.

Anyways, one night I noticed a light on the beach a couple of kilometers down towards Chigasaki. The first night I ignored it. The second night when it was still there I was getting curious. The third night, I decided to walk towards it. As I approached I could hear music, and the thing looked round and changing color. When I finally got near, I found it was this fairly big tent-like structure in the shape of a geodesic dome. Of course with a beer vending machine out front because Japan. I climb the stairs to get inside, and inside it's a pretty cool bar with a DJ and club lighting, but pretty empty save for the barman, a couple Japanese guys, and a white gay couple wearing what look like sarongs/long wraps at the waist. It was actually pretty stylish and didn't seem out of place, you know, in the middle of the night in a geodesic dome tent bar on an empty beach in Japan.

So I'll vouch for it.
posted by Hoopo at 9:11 AM on July 25, 2013 [4 favorites]