"Rain or snow: the debate of the century" or "How I went to Naramata and further lost my mind"
*
Dad: We can't go skiing at Apex tomorrow because it's going to be raining all day there
Caro: How did you find that out? I've been trying to find a weather report for them for an hour.
Dad: I just looked at their website, it was right there
Caro: Huh? Never mind, can I check your computer's history so I can see how you got there? This has been making me nuts.
Checks browser history. Curses PC's and their bizarre ways.
Caro: Dad, could you come here and look at something please?
Shows him what she finds
Caro: This link is to a report for Penticton. It specifically says that it's 9-12 degrees colder at Apex.
Dad: That just means that it will be freezing rain.
Caro: Doesn't that mean that it will be snowing?
Dad: No. You just don't understand how these things work.
Caro: Ummm....okay.
Continues poking around for a bit, using her own computer because PC's are a source of evil and frustration.
Caro: Here Dad, look at this Environment Canada** website where it says that the snow level for tomorrow is 800 metres, rising to 1100 in the afternoon. Apex has a base elevation of 1500 metres.
Dad: So?
Caro: So it will be snowing at Apex, not raining.
Dad: It's going to rain, you don't understand the way these things work.
Caro: Then explain it to me.
Dad: There's rain in the clouds and it falls. You seem to think that it miraculously turns into snow when it hits the ground, that's not how these things work.
Caro: No, I think that as the clouds pass over colder areas the precipitation crystalises in the clouds and falls as snow. That's why they say percentage chance of precipitation NOT chance of rain. It varies according to elevation!
Dad: That's not how these things work.
Caro: Taking a very deep breath and letting it out slowly. Okay.
Goes back to looking around to see if she really doesn't get how these things work. Digs up further information, despite knowing that this is entirely pointless and even if she produces sworn testimony from the top ten meteorologists in the world it will still be raining at Apex tomorrow.
Caro: Okay Dad, look at these three different meteorolgical websites that defined snow level as "The elevation in mountainous terrain where the precipitation changes from rain to snow".
Dad: So?
Caro: Okay. Now look again at the Environment Canada forecast. Snow level at its highest is 1100 metres. Apex is 1500 at its lowest point. THEREFORE IT IS GOING TO BE SNOWING AT APEX TOMORROW, NOT RAINING.
Dad: That's not how these things work. You just don't get it.
Caro: Literally facepalms DAD!!! For Christ's sake!!!
Further practices breathing excercises.
Caro: Okay!!! Fine!!!
Proving that stubbournness is in fact an inherited trait, because at this point she would rather shave a bobcat's butt with a rusty razor whilst in a telephone booth than spend a day trapped on a chairlift with this half of her genetic makeup, continues to poke around on the internet for proof of her assertions.
Caro: Okay, I looked it up and the forecasts for today were virtually identical to those for tomorrow and it was snowing up there today, NOT RAINING!
Dad: Well that was different.
Caro: How? How was it different?
Dad: Because it's going to be freezing rain up there tomorrow. Besides, do you expect them to tell the truth about what the weather was like?
Caro: Three different, non-affiliated, ski websites assert that there is 3-5 centimetres of fresh powder up there in the last 24 hours, with more expected overnight. So not only is it not going to be raining, the weather is going to be fairly warm and the snow will be AWESOME!
Dad: You just don't understand how these things work.
Caro: Who is by now likely turning a fascinating shade of puce There are webcam pictures posted! And they show that It. Is. SNOWING!!!
Dad: Where were the pictures posted?
Caro: On the hill's website.
Dad: Well, there you go, do you really think they're going to tell the truth?
Caro: Gaping helplessly at him, mouth gawping like a recently landed fish....?!?!?!?!?
Dad: They're all liars. You just don't understand this kind of thing.
Long pause, followed by a body posture redolent of absolute exasperation and surrender.
Caro: Goodnight Dad.
Dad: Goodnight. We'll see what the forecast looks like tomorrow morning.
Thoroughly routed by her father's fact-proofed armour plating, Caro slouches off to Bed-leham to be hopefully re-born after a good LJ rant followed by a definitive dose of sleeping pills.
What absolutely boggles me is where he thinks he's going to miraculously discover this acceptably accurate source of weather information. I didn't dare ask for fear that I would actually begin tearing my hair out by the roots and start going "bibble-bibble-bibble."
*To be absolutely fair, my father does know way more about weather generally than I do, as he was a pilot and had to study it.
**For those not in the know, Environment Canada is a government agency who's entire purpose is devoted to the tracking, recording and predicting weather in Canada and is the most accurate and impartial source of information there is on meteorological phenomena in this country.
Dad: We can't go skiing at Apex tomorrow because it's going to be raining all day there
Caro: How did you find that out? I've been trying to find a weather report for them for an hour.
Dad: I just looked at their website, it was right there
Caro: Huh? Never mind, can I check your computer's history so I can see how you got there? This has been making me nuts.
Checks browser history. Curses PC's and their bizarre ways.
Caro: Dad, could you come here and look at something please?
Shows him what she finds
Caro: This link is to a report for Penticton. It specifically says that it's 9-12 degrees colder at Apex.
Dad: That just means that it will be freezing rain.
Caro: Doesn't that mean that it will be snowing?
Dad: No. You just don't understand how these things work.
Caro: Ummm....okay.
Continues poking around for a bit, using her own computer because PC's are a source of evil and frustration.
Caro: Here Dad, look at this Environment Canada** website where it says that the snow level for tomorrow is 800 metres, rising to 1100 in the afternoon. Apex has a base elevation of 1500 metres.
Dad: So?
Caro: So it will be snowing at Apex, not raining.
Dad: It's going to rain, you don't understand the way these things work.
Caro: Then explain it to me.
Dad: There's rain in the clouds and it falls. You seem to think that it miraculously turns into snow when it hits the ground, that's not how these things work.
Caro: No, I think that as the clouds pass over colder areas the precipitation crystalises in the clouds and falls as snow. That's why they say percentage chance of precipitation NOT chance of rain. It varies according to elevation!
Dad: That's not how these things work.
Caro: Taking a very deep breath and letting it out slowly. Okay.
Goes back to looking around to see if she really doesn't get how these things work. Digs up further information, despite knowing that this is entirely pointless and even if she produces sworn testimony from the top ten meteorologists in the world it will still be raining at Apex tomorrow.
Caro: Okay Dad, look at these three different meteorolgical websites that defined snow level as "The elevation in mountainous terrain where the precipitation changes from rain to snow".
Dad: So?
Caro: Okay. Now look again at the Environment Canada forecast. Snow level at its highest is 1100 metres. Apex is 1500 at its lowest point. THEREFORE IT IS GOING TO BE SNOWING AT APEX TOMORROW, NOT RAINING.
Dad: That's not how these things work. You just don't get it.
Caro: Literally facepalms DAD!!! For Christ's sake!!!
Further practices breathing excercises.
Caro: Okay!!! Fine!!!
Proving that stubbournness is in fact an inherited trait, because at this point she would rather shave a bobcat's butt with a rusty razor whilst in a telephone booth than spend a day trapped on a chairlift with this half of her genetic makeup, continues to poke around on the internet for proof of her assertions.
Caro: Okay, I looked it up and the forecasts for today were virtually identical to those for tomorrow and it was snowing up there today, NOT RAINING!
Dad: Well that was different.
Caro: How? How was it different?
Dad: Because it's going to be freezing rain up there tomorrow. Besides, do you expect them to tell the truth about what the weather was like?
Caro: Three different, non-affiliated, ski websites assert that there is 3-5 centimetres of fresh powder up there in the last 24 hours, with more expected overnight. So not only is it not going to be raining, the weather is going to be fairly warm and the snow will be AWESOME!
Dad: You just don't understand how these things work.
Caro: Who is by now likely turning a fascinating shade of puce There are webcam pictures posted! And they show that It. Is. SNOWING!!!
Dad: Where were the pictures posted?
Caro: On the hill's website.
Dad: Well, there you go, do you really think they're going to tell the truth?
Caro: Gaping helplessly at him, mouth gawping like a recently landed fish....?!?!?!?!?
Dad: They're all liars. You just don't understand this kind of thing.
Long pause, followed by a body posture redolent of absolute exasperation and surrender.
Caro: Goodnight Dad.
Dad: Goodnight. We'll see what the forecast looks like tomorrow morning.
Thoroughly routed by her father's fact-proofed armour plating, Caro slouches off to Bed-leham to be hopefully re-born after a good LJ rant followed by a definitive dose of sleeping pills.
What absolutely boggles me is where he thinks he's going to miraculously discover this acceptably accurate source of weather information. I didn't dare ask for fear that I would actually begin tearing my hair out by the roots and start going "bibble-bibble-bibble."
*To be absolutely fair, my father does know way more about weather generally than I do, as he was a pilot and had to study it.
**For those not in the know, Environment Canada is a government agency who's entire purpose is devoted to the tracking, recording and predicting weather in Canada and is the most accurate and impartial source of information there is on meteorological phenomena in this country.