Eastern Standard Time SUCKS!!!!!!

[tarheel]

I hate when we set our clocks back in the fall. To me it signals the beginning of winter and I HATE WINTER ! :grr:

I hate the cold, I hate the wind, I hate the bare trees, I hate the short days, I hate the raking of leaves, I hate that most song birds are gone, I hate the snow, I hate the sleet, I hate the freezing rain, (did I say I hate the SHORT DAYS ?!!!!)


Sorry guys :( Just had to rant for a second. I really do hate this time of year. I think its mostly the lack of sunshine. Its dark in the morning when I go to work and its dark in the evening when I go home. Isn't there some correlation with a lack of sunlight creating a lack of vitamin B or something that causes depression or something.

Oh well, I guess I'll get over it. Its not like I have a choice or anything. I've just been in a bad funk for the past couple of weeks or so. I t seems to get me every year around this time, and I usually come out of it after December 20th or so, because thats the winter solstice and the days start getting longer again.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

1. What part of NC are you in ?

[tarheel]

3. I'm in the Raleigh area

How 'bout yourself CP ?

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

6. Ahh I know what you mean about Raleigh .

I go to school at NCSU ( when I am in NC , but now I am in Germany ) -Its cold as hell in the fall in Raleigh . I hate it . walking around the campus - can't walk cold wind hitting the face . I send you sympathy and a warm blanket .

[Endangered Specie]

60. nice to see some NCSU people here

But I love the cold weather, I still wear shorts

[Hep]

23. Durham here

Yeehaw!

[short bus president]

46. where have all you Carolinians been hiding?!?

Is it time for another "get to know the local DU crowd" meetup? I've got a couple of pine trees to cut down when my hand heals up... maybe time for another bonfire in the near future.

So would any of you Raleigh/Durham people care to drive out to Hillbilliesborough, or do we need to find a bar in RTP to accomodate us?

[GOPisEvil]

2. You know, there is an actual name for what you are feeling.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, I think. You might look into that.

I agree somewhat - I miss the long days of summer, but not the Texas heat.

[johnnie]

7. Ahh..

Another disorder..lol. I have disorder disorder disorder. It's when you have too many disorders that every person in America has disorders. But really...it's just a state of mind. It gets cold and dark and you arent as happy as you are when it's sunny and warm. No disorder about that..it's called life.
I have lived in Cleveland for 39 years, and winter is just part of it all. I just dislike the snow shoveling is all. Other than that, if I hated it so much, I would move...

[BiggJawn]

44. So compassionate!

So, lemme guess, johnnie, depression and bi-polar syndrome and PTSD are"all in our heads", too, right?

There's a huge difference between being unhappy that it gets dark earlier and wanting to stick your head in the oven.

Snow shoveling DOES suck. That's why I have a blower....

[johnnie]

51. Compassion..

I am very compassionate, but I strongly believe that the depression epidemic we are suffering these days is beyond normal. The percentage of people I know that are being handed anti-depressents seems unreal to me. AND, the majority of them are results of relationships gone wrong, money woes and other normal life letdowns.
I am not saying that there is no such thing as depression...trust me I have been there, what I'm saying is that anti-depressants are the Valium of the new age and instead of learning to accept a few low spots in life, and learning that diet plays a HUGE part in our mental stability, people are popping these pills to cover for the real problems.
If cold, snow and darkness is the only time people want to put their heads in the oven, then I personally believe it's more of an attitude and not a chemical mishap. Of course, not in all circumstances.

[Bronco69]

4. It's called SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder. It's actually very common. I hate this time of year and the whole setting the clocks back thing too.

[omshanti]

5. hey at least we're not in Maine

We had 80 degree weather a couple days ago in NC (Hello from Durham).
But I do agree about the weather affecting one's mood. It usually happens to me around February.

By the way, are you a Carolina fan?

[tarheel]

8. And there's a reason

I'm not in Maine.....I HATE WINTER !!!!!! :hi:

Like I said, for me its mostly the lack of daylight hours that gets me despressed.


Oh, and by the way......GO HEELS !!!! YEAH !!!!!! I'm looking for bi things from Roy and the boys this year. Time to reclaim the glory days !!!!!!

[omshanti]

11. Yeah - daylight is good.

I'm from a tropical country originally, and we have pretty much 12 hours day, 12 hours night all year round. It was a huge shock to the system adjusting to the shorter daylight hours in winter and many many years later I'm still adjusting to dealing with the winter blahs.

Did you go to the exhibition game last night? I did... GO TAR HEELS!

[tarheel]

15. No I didn't make the game last night

although I would have loved to. The boys pulled it out, but the story in the N & O this morning sounded like they still have some mental work to do to keep up the intensity.

By the way, where are you from originally. I would love to live close to the equator myself. I've heard that the mountains of Costa Rica maintain and average mean year round temperature of about 70 degrees F, because they are close to the equator, but the elevation keeps it a little cooler that at sea level.

[omshanti]

17. From Malaysia originally.

It's 90 degrees and humid year round.

[short bus president]

47. DAMN! MORE Triangle DUers...

Don't get yer hopes up too much for Roy and the boys, though. Your neighborhood rivals in dark blue are gonna chew 'em up and spit 'em out.

GO DOOK!!!

[tarheel]

48. In yer dreams shorty !!!!!

The Heels are gonna show you dookies how ta play B-Ball this year !!!!

:evilgrin:

[short bus president]

49. whine and cheeze,

whine and cheeze...

:P

[omshanti]

54. The only whining will be on the bus back to Durham.

:evilgrin:

[tarheel]

55. You tell'em omshanti !

The last two years were an anomally. The boys will bak in the running for the ACC this year !

[short bus president]

56. That "anomaly"

(aka Doherty) will plague UNC well into the future.

They won't be as bad as 2 seasons ago, but they won't be great. ;-)

[demnan]

9. I think one of the reasons I'm such a fiend for

Christmas Trees and Christmas lights is the real lack of light this time of year. Can't wait to get the Christmas stuff up the weekend after Thanksgiving. That helps a little.

Funny, I'm always happy to take that stuff down to. By the second week in January things are looking up, even though the weather is colder.

[Melsky]

10. Get an Ott light

they are lights artists use to mimic sunlight, but I have heard of a lot of people using them for SAD.

www.ott-lite.com/

[tarheel]

13. Never heard of an Ott light Mel

I don't think its that serious....I've known that this season does this to me for many years. I just needed to vent a little bit because I 've just noticed it more this year that in years past.

It may have something to do with my normal SAD disorder being aggrevated by the current state of this country and the fact that I have to go to work every day and listen to the idiotic ramblings of a bunch dumbass conservatives, all the while biting my tongue to keep from starting a huge office fracas !

[supernova]

20. Thank you

They even have regular size bulbs to fit lamps. :thumbsup:

[supernova]

12. Get yourself a light box

You can get light boxes that emit full spectrum light, emulating sunlight. It helps with SAD since the primary cause is the decrease in light hours.

I'm considering getting one myself. I hate winter. I hate to be cold. And I hate the too many layers of clothing that winter requires. Brrr... :scared: :scared:

I'm in NC too. :hi:

[tarheel]

14. I know where you are nova

:hi: we've had conversations before. It makes me feel good to know that there are so many DUers in this area. Kinda reaffirming ya know !

I'd love to make to some of the local get togethers, but the wife thinks I'm some kind radical nut for spending so much time on the DU, and she's not a part of our little community here, so it would be wierd to her to go out with a bunch of people she doesn't know from Adam. :shrug:

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

16. Tell the wife that she does not know what she is missing

Everyday is party time on the DU .

:party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party:
:party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party: :party:

[tarheel]

18. You would have to know

the wife CP. :shrug: Sometimes I just can't believe I ended up with someone so different from myself.

Do't get me wrong, I love my wife dearly, but I am a very outgoing and social person, and she is a loner and sort of introverted. This is another thing that has been depressing me lately.

Just one of those typical cycles in a marriage where you aren't conecting very well. Ah, "This too shall pass" ,Ce Las Vi

[supernova]

28. We missed you at Will PItt's gathering

We had a grand time, bonfire at Short Bus's house and all.

... she is a loner and sort of introverted.

Your wife sounds like me. LOL! But I do enjoy getting out to keep some balance. Besides DUers are so damn interesting! My ex is very social (almost completely as a matter of fact), would have gone out every night if he could. He did go a lot of places without me and I understood.

[supernova]

25. Did you see the donations map that got posted in GD

the other day? NC is a lot more "blue" than most here at DU realize. ;-)

I'll see if I can dig it up, since I can search now. Woo Hoo!

[Mel]

19. I hope you don't hate me

:) I'm in NC and I don't think it really gets all that cold here. What I hate is the Summer the muggy, sticky, and thick dirty looking air. You take a shower go outside feel dirty again, yuck! humidity bad!
I love winter for me it's a clean crisp feeling course my friends think I'm weird :)
I enjoyed that 100 year snow we had a while back and I made a huge snow kitty!

The time change thing I can agree with you on that. Have your tried those sunlight lightbulbs some say they make you feel better if you get the winter blues<---that's what my Mom calls it, she feels the same as you do. I understand your hate of the cold I figure it's like mine when it comes to the humidity/heat thing!

[tarheel]

21. I don't hate you Mel !

I agree, it doesn't get that cold around here. I grew up a little futher north of NC and I was used to much colder winters. Its not so much the cold as just the combination of things in the winter, and mostly the number of daylight hours.

[Mel]

29. I didn't think you would

hate me ;) I think my sunlight lightbulb idea is good though. I thought about getting one for when I draw.

Here's another thing I say about NC's winter vs. summer.

You can put enough clothes on to stay warm in the winter, getting naked in the summer will not work for cooling you off!

you can take that naked thing two ways too :evilgrin: Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[Hep]

22. I love the cold

But I'm most happy about EST because now our clocks match those of backwards Indiana residents.

[Kolesar]

24. Did you ever go winter hiking?

Put on some boots for the squishy stuff, dress in layers, put on some specs to keep the wind out of your eyes and go out. With the leaves off the trees you can see farther and see the landforms of the countryside. The sky takes on a weaker shade of blue, and when you have wispy cirrus clouds above the canopy of branches, the sky is quite beautiful. It is quiet. You will have the park to yourself.

Take a friend and talk about your dreams. Take the dog if you have one.

Do it this Sunday and you will feel good well into the week. I guarantee it!

[bicentennial_baby]

26. Hahahahahaha

Oh man...Hey, why don't we trade? I'll gladly go to NC if you wanna come stay in the wilds of Western MA for the winter! It was 18 deg. this AM with a 40 mph wind, blowing ice pellets. :P

Just remember, it could always be worse. :toast:

[Braden]

27. you ought to try living in the cold parts of the Eastern Time Zone

North Carolina is where we go to warm up in the winter.

The key to fighting seasonal depression is to convince yourself that winter is coming, instead of pretending like it isn't. I hate short days too but I play ice hockey in the winter and ski. It helps if you can find something that you like to do in the winter and embrace the season.

[pdx_prog]

30. Try it over here for a while!

I'm in Portland Oregon. This year hasn't been bad so far (knock on wood). I am from the southeast and have been up here 4 years. Year before last it rained for 34 days straight!....no sun, just clouds! A lot of people suffer severe depression in the winter months around here because of the winter rains. It is not cold....actually very mild here in the valley....when it rains here it snows up above 500-5000 ft and up.

I have an ex GF in Graham....she lived in Durham for a long time and built a small farm outside of Graham some where.

[Catfish]

31. I'll take NC

over the mountains of WV in the winter. This is a great place to live in the Spring, Summer, and Fall but winter sucks. It's almost always overcast even if it isn't snowing. I hate winter and have a hard time staying positive about life during these months. Getting out and walking everyday no matter the weather helps but I can't wait for the Winter Solstice when the days will start lengthening again.

My furnace for the downstairs wouldn't start last night so I'm hoping a repairman will show up today, it feels about 40 down there.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

33. Welcome catfish !

:hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi:

[tarheel]

36. I know all about

WV winters Catfish ! I grew up in southern WV. That's where I learned to hate it ! :hi:

[Catfish]

40. Thanks!

When I first moved here, I was enchanted with the snow. Now, I dread driving in it and it gets depressing when it's piled up and dirty and you're slogging through icy slush. This is a good place to live in many ways though.

[MojoKrunch]

37. Oh man, I can't help but agree with you there.

Went to graduate school at Ohio University, right on the southwestern edge of WV and Winters there *SUCKED*.
Athens wasn't *too* bad because it was in a river vally, right next to the river, actually.
Humid as all hell, but that helped keep the cold and snow out.
The rest of Ohio would get 4 feet of snow and Athens would get 3 inches.
But *DAMN* was it cold.
Sub-zero temps *SUCK*.

Actually the worst part was dearth of evergreens I was used to growing up in Louisiana.
The leaves fell, and all that was left was the gray ground with these dead-looking sticks poking up.

Actually drove around Cleveland during a snowstorm looking for a buddies house.
Never.
Not even if they begged, would I live on the Great Lakes.

Hope your furnace gets to working.
I heard that natural gas/heating oil prices were down this year.

I'm thinking we might have a mild winter.

Mojo

[Catfish]

41. I grew up in New Orleans

I don't miss the muggy hot summers but I wouldn't mind being rich enough to leave WV for the winter or even for a couple of weeks.

[blu_dog]

57. Still in New Orleans

Last time I was in NC, temperature was about 80 and the humidy was 55%. Some old farts were talking about how bad the weather was, and so I had to ask, "Is it always so nice here, so cool and dry?" Of course the looked at me like I was insane.

[Meshuga]

32. Does it really get that cold in NC?

:scared:

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

34. Yes -

brrrr

[MojoKrunch]

35. No, not really.

In the 10 years I've been here from Louisiana, between Chapel Hill and Raleigh, the temp has only dipped below 0° from windchill that I can recall.
And that includes several ice storms and the 24" snow storm that shut Raleigh down a few years back.

I love NC weather.
4 actual seasons and *snow*.
I could do without the pissy rain and the flooding/power outages.
But I love that there are actually more low humidity days than not.

The Summers can get hot and muggy, but that only lasts a month or so at most. This year was actually pretty mild.
The Winters aren't terribly long... start mid to late November and thawed by mid-March and the Fall can be *beautiful*.

My only complaint about Spring is all of the damn pine tree pollen turning everything yellow.
But I don't have any allergies, so no problems there.

I'm to the point where I don't really want to move away just because of the weather.
lol

The GF is from Texas and she wants to move back to be near friends and family but then remembers the *HEAT*.

Mojo

[tarheel]

38. I think everybody is missing the point of my post !

I was not commenting on the severity of the winters in NC. And believe me I know that people in other parts of the country have it far worse than we do, (and as I said before, that is why I don't live in those parts of the country). I was just griping to hear myself gripe and I really don't like winter "anywhere"

Give me 98 degrees and 80% humidity al year long and I'll be happy :D

[Kolesar]

39. Well sorry, then, I just can't commiserate with you

You sound like my brother who bitches about everything. He even moved to Mississippi to get away from the winters in eastern Ohio, that are really nothing compared to Cleveland.

[Catfish]

43. The short days are the worst

I think. Worse than cold. I think people are correct when they talk about the relationship between a lack of light and feeling down.

[MojoKrunch]

53. Damn you sound just like my dad. :D

He complains now when it gets below 70.

What can I say... move to the Gulf Coast between Lake Charles and Galveston.

Or South Florida if you can stand the drivers.

After growing up in that crap I find I'm loving 4 actual seasons.
I just wish the food were better here.
Oh, the sacrifices I've made.
sigh.

Mojo

[mlawson]

59. 1000% with you, Tarheel!!!

I hate everything there is to winter!! Yeah, I can go hiking, and we don't have prolonged snow cover here, but still, it's depressing as HELL!!!!! And my heating bills are appalling; so those of you who 'just love the cold', may I send you by gas bills to pay?????

And if it does snow here, even flurries, EVERY thing shuts down!! Nowehere to go, nothing to do. If you are out of beer, tough SHIT!!!

[BiggJawn]

42. Ah! So you don't like being back on Indiana Time?

I hear ya, makes it a bitch now when I go to call my suppliers in Chicago. They don't come to work until I've been at it for an hour.
At least when I forget and don't call them until 5PM, they're still there for another hour.

[Skittles]

45. tarheel

we should swap residences. I love what you hate. I HATE SUMMER!

I hate the longer days, the endless sunshine, 100 degree + days, sweating, fleas, etc. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

[RebelOne]

50. I love winter, I love the cold.

But I hate the short days, the raking of leaves (which I must do this weekend cause I am surrounded by trees and the leaves are everywhere). I love the snow, but we don't get that much of it in No. Georgia and it doesn't stick around for long. I hate the sleet, the freezing rain and the ice storms of which we get at least one every winter.

But otherwise, I can't complain about winter too much. I really hate summer.

[bif]

52. Unless you're on the western edge of it!

I admit, it's pretty depressing when we turn the clocks back. But in the summertime, it stays light until 10 or later! Ya gotta love that.

[geniph]

58. See, I love standard time

because I'm a hardcore nightowl, and I never adjust to daylight savings time. My body is never fooled; it knows I'm trying to force it awake an hour earlier.

The darkness sucks, but that's just winter. I agree with you about the dismalness of winter - everything's dead, everything's dreary, everything's just more trouble. Cars won't start. Heating bills blow. Pipes freeze. Traffic accidents. Yuck.

Everyone in the Seattle area pretty much has some degree of SAD, because you sometimes can go most of an entire winter without seeing sunshine. You either get used to cloudy, or you're draggy and listless all winter. A friend of mine refers to the butterfly exhibit at Pacific Science Center as the 'municipal lightbox for SAD therapy' which I find very appropriate.

Going back to standard time is one of the only things I do like about fall and winter. I hate when things start to die. Spring is what I live for.

(Oh, and sunlight stimulates the production of vitamin D, not B.)