You know it's really cold in Naryn when...

...even the locals are complaining about how frigid the weather is
...the best way to stop a runny nose is to stand outside for three seconds
...you stick to car door handles, even when you are wearing mittens
...you open the door of your refrigerator to warm your apartment
...you wash your dinner dishes five seconds after finishing your meal because the water is so wonderfully hot
...you take the pots out of the oven without potholders, because white-hot ceramic feels kind of pleasant
...the majority of the conversations you engage in are about fleece, wool, down, and fur
...your body temperature actually increases ever so slightly simply by thinking a warm thought
...you look at travel brochures advertising summer holidays in the Sahara Desert
...people are enjoying having hot flashes
...you calculate a conversion and discover that the temperature in celsius is exactly the same as the temperature in fahrenheit (-40 is where the two scales converge, by the way)
...even the PETA activists are wearing fur hats

Greetings from frigid Naryn...two nights ago workers from town said it reached -42. After a couple of forays outside, I don't doubt that at all.