Up Over?

I can't believe The Man is having a good time in Australia without me. Sure sure, I turned down the opportunity to go with him and he phones to say he wishes I was down under with him. But it still feels like he's galavanting around the globe instead of being home with me.

This winter, Toronto is three degrees colder than last winter, according to Environment Canada. The temperature has been in the -12C to -16 range. With the windchill, it's been -20C to -28C. When it gets warmer, like today - it's only -4C out, it snows. We are expecting 15 cm to 20 cm of snow by evening. My luncheon with a friend is cancelled because she can't get off Toronto Island where she lives. Now she sent a note to say her French class tonight has been cancelled due to the weather.

All my neighbours and I seem to do is shovel the snow and complain about the cold.

Meanwhile, down under in the land of Oz, The Man's been to the beach. It's hovers around 30C during the day and 20C at night.

These opposites in our temperature and locale made me wonder where the hottest and coldest places on Earth are. This is what I learned.

The hottest air temperatures recorded were:

- Iran's Lut Desert at 70.7C in 2005
- El Azizia in Libya at 66C in 1922
- Death Valley in California occasionally reaches 56.6C

The coldest air temperatures recorded were:

- Vostok, Antarctica at -89.2C in 1983
- Oymyakon, Siberia at -71.2C. People apparently live here.

It's all relative, isn't it, how hot or cold a place is? -4C and snow in Toronto. Not so bad.