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One way to make yourself feel warmer this winter is to watch a movie in which people are even colder than you are. Unreality magazine has some suggestion you may not have considered, like the 1965 film Dr. Zhivago.
This classic epic about the Russian Revolution from Davide Lean is winter on steroids — frozen lakes, fur coats, and a palace encrusted in ice. This movie also features Obi-Wan Kenobi and one of cinema’s finest mustaches. You really can’t argue with that.
Plus Omar Sharif was really easy on the eyes. Link
There are so many things wrong with this scene. People who live in climates where they might encounter ice occasionally should learn a few commonsense skills.
1. Don’t use ice-covered steps if there is any alternative route.
2. If they are your steps, use salt or other chemicals to melt the ice. If it’s too cold, you can use sand or ashes or maybe even block access.
3. Use the handrail. That’s what it is for.
4. Watch where you are going.
5. Take your hands out of your pockets. You may need them to regain balance or break a fall.
-via Arbroath
Looking for a good way to show your love of the Muppets while staying warm this winter? You could always try knitting your own Muppet hats like Annie of Wattlebird did. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have any patterns and isn’t planning on selling them, so if you want to make your own Statler or any of your other favorites, you’ll have to figure it out on your own.
There’s no tastier holiday tradition than creating your very own gingerbread house. If you aren’t very talented at sealing cookie bits together, like I am, even your best homes probably look like they’re ready to be condemned upon completion. Fortunately, not everyone is so inept at gingerbread creations and many creators go on to put together their own delightfully geeky designs. Here are some of the best nerdy gingerbread creations around.
They may not be the most artistic gingerbread creations, but these super hero designs by Sugar Swings are certainly adorable and they look absolutely delicious as well.
For those who like their gingerbread men to be a little less chipper and lot more serious, these figureheads of Russian culture by Craftster forum user Woolylogic are a good choice. Choose between Turgenev, Dostoyevsky (above), Tolstoy and Gogol.
Sure anyone can make a one-room gingerbread shack, but turning a unique architectural design into a gingerbread creation takes a heck of a lot more skill. That’s why these great designs by real architecture firms went for so much money when they were auctioned off for charity. In fact, the one above, by Nick Milkovich Architects, Inc., sold for $610.
While this architectural marvel may not look familiar to everyone, Harry Potter fans will instantly recognize it as The Burrow, the adorably charming home of the Weasley clan. Creator mezcraft from the Craftster forums even added the special monogrammed sweaters Mrs. Weasley makes for each of her children at Christmas.
Of course, the most iconic Harry Potter building is Hogwarts and Britta’s incredibly detailed gingerbread version is an impressive tribute to the majesty of the world-famous wizarding school. Best of all, she’s even got pictures of the entire arduous process so you could attempt to make your own at home…with a whole lot of time and dedication.
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Minnesotastan put this graph with his town’s historical average high and low temperatures on his refrigerator to remind the family that they will get better, as they always do. The arrows are moved along every week.
It doesn’t surprise me that the earliest humans recorded winter solstices, that they monitored the sun’s positions, that religious festivals were created to celebrate rebirth from apparent death. There’s an immense satisfaction in telling oneself that one has made it through the most difficult time, and that things are now going to get better.
Comments Off Most of you are familiar with American, Canadian and English Christmas customs, which are largely the same, including Santa bringing presents that sit below a lit up tree. But have you ever wondered just how Christmas is celebrated in China, or in Finland? Whether you’re just interested in learning more about other cultures or want to incorporate some new traditions into your holiday celebrations, this article is filled with all you need to know about international Christmases.
Austrian children still get to celebrate the arrival of Ol’ Saint Nick, but they also have to brace themselves for the arrival of his evil counterpart, Krampus. Where Saint Nicholas rewards good behavior with treats and toys on December 6, the demonic Krampus arrives on December 5, looking to punish all the bad children. His weapons of choice are birch switches to beat children with and burlap sacks to kidnap them and throw them into the river.
The worst part is that local men actually dress up like Krampus (just like many men dress up as Santa in America) and terrorize the streets. In some villages, kids are even made to run what is known as a Krampus-gauntlet, in an attempt to outrun the switches.
The Czech version of Saint Nick is known as Svaty Mikulas, who is said to climb down to Earth from the heavens using a golden rope. Mikulas is accompanied by an angel and a devil who help him decide which girls and boys deserve treats and toys, and which ones deserve a swatch.
There are a lot of fortune-telling traditions that are associated with Christmas as well. One involves a family member cutting a branch from a cherry tree and putting it inside in water. If it blooms in time for Christmas it is good luck. It also may represent that the winter will be short, or if a single woman picked the branch, it could mean she will get married in the next year.
On Christmas Eve, single woman also try to see if they will get married in the next year by standing outside with their back to their front door, removing one of their shoes and throwing it over their shoulder. If the shoe lands with the toe facing the door, then she will marry in the next year. If not, she will have to wait at least another 12 months.
Image via tomu [Flickr]
I would have to agree that the Olympics would be improved with sports that people actually participate in during snowy weather. Snowball Fights, Snowman Building, and Hot Toddy Drinking are right up my alley, but I will leave Dogsled Racing to those who are more experienced. Video examples of each are included. Link
Record snowfall has covered the U.K., while cold temperatures are gripping Europe. Seoul and Beijing have seen their heaviest snowfalls in recent memory, and arctic temperatures have penetrated the U.S. far enough to threaten crops in Florida. For those who have to commute to work in such weather, this is a good time to appreciate the technology incorporated into winter service vehicles.
Sand- and salt trucks have evolved a long way from the era when two men with shovels used to stand on the back of a dump truck. Modern grit is a mixture of sand and rock salt, but the latter has deleterious effects not only on metal vehicle frames, but also on vegetation and freshwater lakes and streams. A variety of techniques have therefore been devised to keep roads on a “low-salt diet.”
“Pre-wetting” the salt — spraying it with brine as it’s dropped — helps it stick to the road better, meaning crews can cut back from 500 pounds per mile to 200…
Vehicle-mounted electronic thermometers let supervisors know how far above or below freezing the pavement is. Some truck cabs have up-to-the-minute weather radar so crews know how long it’ll be before the freezing rain or snow hits…
To prevent the grit from being thrown off the road surface by vehicle tires, additional substances may be intermixed to increase adherence. The earliest additive was molasses, but it was difficult to use in cold weather and tended to attract cows and wildlife to the roads.
That means using brine, magnesium chloride and a sugar beet byproduct, which are mixed via a dozen yellow-handled valves marked with letters of the alphabet.
Fine-tuning the grit application to the weather conditions not only saves taxpayers money (one truckload of salt costs ~$800), but also reduces chloride levels in nearby lakes.
Link. Photo credit Richard Tsong Taatarii, Star Tribune
Being raised in sunny San Diego, I never even got to build a snowman before. That’s why I find snow sculptures to be purely impossible and amazing. Even if you’ve grown up in the harshest winters around though, you’re still certain to be impressed with these detailed snow sculptures on Web Urbanist.
Sometimes when you’ve had a rotten day or had things not work out for you a song can come by and just lift you up by empowering, invigorating and energizing your being. And, so, with the news that we’ll be seeing a lot more of the white fluffy stuff we could all use a little uplifting. So, take a good dose of Nina Simone’s amazing voice and a fantastic video and you’ve got yourself medicine to shake those winter blues out of you, baby. Stop by the comment section and drop us a line on what song(s) you listen to to shake off those negative vibes.
via – Moleskinerie
So, it snowed during the New England Patriots-Arizona Cardinals game today (I’ll let you guess where they were playing). Of course, that means that touchdown celebrations have to be taken to a whole new level, like this one from Patriot Wes Welker:
What do you think? Rude, or funny? Personally, I enjoyed it.
