I went to the gym today where I did Nordic curls, goblet squats, kettlebell stuff, and running.
I’m always worried about the running. I used to race regularly, mostly cross country, but also mountain races and obstacle course races. Since hormonal changes knocked me for a loop, running has been extra hard. I have hypermobility, which means that I have to rely on a lot of muscular endurance because my toes and Achilles tendons are loose and floppy. Until I have all those muscles built up, running often results in pain in my toes and along the top of my foot.
I’d really like to be able to run regularly again. I miss being able to do 10km mountain courses. I really really REALLY hope the air quality, temperature, and my health conspire to let me do this again. If I can run again, it’s better for us all. It means the country isn’t on fire again.
been working on my #canadianwildfires macintosh system 6/simearth style game for the past few weeks, and got terrain generation going.
can now procedurally generate terrain, which will act as the substrate for the forest, plant and animal life that lives on top of it. (and of course, the fires that turn them all into poptarts)
also implemented fire lookout towers! these reveal the areas hidden by a fog-of-war. of course, they cost money to build, and pay the yearly salaries for the lookouts stationed there 😅
Highway 7 in the NWT and Highway 77 in BC reopened, nearly a week after closing because of a wildfire. Highway 77's reopening comes with some restrictions.
that's #canadianwildfires ash falling in unbelievable amounts. i've lived in northern canada all of my life, and i've never seen this before. it's like something from dante's peak 😆
i've dialed down the #canadianwildfires posts over the past week due to sheer exhaustion from the ups/downs of watching crews working on keeping my hometown safe in the NWT
but it brought a smile to my face seeing hans wiedemann's video of one of airspray's Electras dropping a line of retardant as a precautionary measure for tomorrow's winds
edit: fairly sure that's a rockwell turbo commander 690 flying bird dog in the first split second. it's so fast!
EDIT: After numerous comments, I realized that I should have been more specific about that. Because plenty of people DO care, but it seems our governments and the US corporate media do not.
just want to give a shoutout to @cabinradio who maintains a small but mighty presence on mastodon
they covered the #canadianwildfires in YK and HR days before the major networks decided it was “newsworthy”, and stayed up until 2am some nights posting info for evacuees and their families.
if you want the highest quality news about day to day life in northern canada, i know of no better source.
besides, they’re just plain ol friendly northerners. 🥰
Unsurprisingly, the folks at World Weather Attribution are putting actual numbers on the idea that the weather which enabled the wildfires in Canada to become so big so fast is a result of fossil fuel burning and other greenhouse gas additions to the atmosphere.
Firefighters are so overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster that the military has been deployed to help.
Entire cities have been evacuated.
14 million hectares of land has burned in Canada this year, easily dwarfing the previous record of 7.6 million hectares reported in 1989 — and the season isn't even over yet.
Severe drought and extreme heat was exacerbated by fossil fuel-induced #climate change, with dry lightening + wind = deadly.
How to help people impacted by #BCWildfires - monetary donations more useful than unsolicited goods and food, organizations say
CanadaHelps has a list of verified charities fundraising to help people affected by wildfires, including the Central Okanagan Food Bank and Salvation Army.
Adams lake fire complex is big, even if the evac zones don't appear to have changed. Managed to click on a line to get the actual outline of fire. It has crosed onto the south shore of Little and Shuswap lakes and truly cutting off trans canada and CPKC's rail line between Calgary and Vancouver.
Make sure you have the correct alert app downloaded onto your phone for your area. Different apps are used for different areas. And you have to register your number to get the alerts. Someone told me today they were getting alerts from a fire much farther away from them than a closer fire in which they were getting no alerts. Sometimes the system screws up but at least be sure you have your info correct.
Keep your vehicles gassed up or charged up, keep all your devices fully charged, and battery packs charged up. Power outages are widespread in fires when lines go down. Sitting in the dark, in thick smoke, not knowing what is going on is terrifying.
Keep updated emergency kits in each vehicle. As the very minimum, make sure you carry a fire extinguisher, 1st aid kit, basic tools, food/water, clothing, and the list of phone numbers in case your phone breaks or goes dead. Borrowing someone's phone only works if you have the numbers to call.
If you are only just going out to grab some stuff from the store, be prepared and take at least a water bottle, your phone and your emerg kit. Anything could cause you to get stuck- a fallen tree on the road, a sudden traffic jam, etc. And don't wait until the last minute to get what you need. When an evac order is called, the roads are suddenly jammed.
Knowledge is power. Don't get bogged down in social media "crazy stories" instead of actual verifiable facts. Keep situational awareness front and centre.