© 2009 Drew Koehler

As High As It Gets

Ahh, Minneapolis.

I was prepared for the frigid weather of Minnesota.  I wasn’t prepared to see Canada on the weather maps of the local news.  Google maps didn’t really tell me I was so close to Canada.. Rather, I wasn’t paying attention to how north I was in the US.  I was watching the local news and the weather map view included a significant amount of Canada with sharp, fast moving arrows representing the flow of cold, arctic air into Minnesota.

The strangest thing for which I was unprepared is the fact that the sun doesn’t ever really “come up” in the sky.  The sun rises and the continues across the sky in a very low position.  It is as if the entire day is either dusk or dawn.

Of course, it makes perfect sense now that the concept has been introduced to me.  I now live in a city that is significantly more north than any other city of which I have called home.  The position of the sun continues to trick me into thinking the day time is much later than it actually is… example: around 1:30pm the position of the sun makes me think it is 4:15pm and is about to go down, which would mean the end of my day.

I feel oddly rushed.  Even though the sun will stay up (kind of) for a few more hours.  It is just an interesting thing about this place and not something I had really given much thought.

3 Comments

  1. Posted January 6, 2009 at 2:34 pm | #

    Weel if it makes you feel any better, we’ve passed the winter solstice, which means that every day is a little longer than the last.

    Plus, our summer days are longer.

  2. Posted January 6, 2009 at 4:41 pm | #

    I wasn’t prepared for the weird sun place when I moved to Japan either. During the winter, the sun is down at like 16:00 and is up at 3:00….UGH!

    As for Canada on the weather maps….wow! That would have made me giggle too. Wave at the Canucks for me!

  3. Posted January 6, 2009 at 5:57 pm | #

    I was happy when I walked off the bus yesterday and the sun was still up. I may get to go to work with light in the sky and return with it too. This would be a very good day.

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