Making It Up As I Go Along #296

MONDAY...
— Up a bit early. Well, awake a bit early anyway. So a bit tired at work today. Hang out some with Kiyomi at lunch. Hating her after her week in Mexico while we had snow.
— Leave early today to get to the dentist. Despite some sensitivity as of the last month or so, I get a clean bill of health, tooth wise, and it’s home for the evening.

TUESDAY...
— Work is okay. Meet Karl in the evening for supper and a movie. 3:10 to Yuma is quite good.
— Home in time to catch the end of the Montreal vs. Toronto hockey game. Thankfully, because it’s TSN instead of Sportsnet, Ottawa can’t black out the Leafs (petty babies). But the game is ruined going to the home run derby... or shoot out. The reason why baseball is ahead of hockey in my books now. Gimmicks aren’t given the time of day in baseball.

WEDNESDAY...
— The afternoon at work is broken up by Laura’s going away luncheon. Friday will be her last day before heading off to police college. I drive her, Megan, Michelle and Anne-Marie... we all sit together for the meal. It’s a nice time with Laura getting some presents from everyone and a couple of speeches wishing her well.

THURSDAY...
— Work is work. Eat lunch with Megan, break with Kiyomi, Jon and Mike... and today is a good example of how people affect each other. I run in to Laura in the lobby on the way out... we pause for a quick few words as we leave... and... without that pause, I would have missed Melissa coming in for the evening shift. Her arrival got Laura and I... (wait for it)... yummy sour cream and banana cupcakes!

FRIDAY...
— Laura’s last day. We say our goodbyes and I see her walk out in the afternoon with a bundle of goodies in hand, a smile and a wave. She’ll have fun learning to become a cop.
— Quiet evening at home for me. It’s been a long and tiring week.

SATURDAY...
— Around the house all day. Some TV and computer stuff. Hockey in the afternoon and evening and a couple of e-mails. It’s cold today so I stay in


Winter Fellowships
Snowstorms. Rumour has it, we’ve got a big one coming. By all reports, the next twenty-four hours should give us at least 20 cm of snow and as much as 40.

I say rumour because it seems Ottawa often gets warnings of snow and the warnings have usually been graver than the results. Yes it snows in Ottawa and I’ve driven to work on days when the snow isn’t nice. But in my four and a half years living in this city, I would yet to say I’ve been in a snowstorm. I think the most that has come down in any one event has been a shade under 20 cm. So we wait... and wonder.

You see the news now and it’s as if the entire country is blanketed in snow. Back home, where mom and dad are, there are forecasts of strong winds and 15 cm. My sister in Interior BC has upwards of 20 cm scheduled too. And Whistler, where my now former co-worker, Laura, is supposed to vacation at the end of the week... 15 cm as well. My guess is that, by in large, only those at Whistler are overly excited by this. And Laura’s excitement will likely be tempered until her plane actually touches down in BC and she makes her way to skiing bliss.

If we do get dumped on here in Ottawa, all I can be thankful for is that I’m on evening shift. Getting in the car and driving to work at 6:20 in the morning is hard enough on a summer day. Having to go out earlier still, in order to scrap the car off and heat it up... and then deal with traffic mayhem... that’s torturous.

From a traffic point of view, I figure 5 cm of snow in Ottawa equals about 15 cm in St. John’s. Lightly drifting flakes hitting the ground with postcard like imagery cause traffic snarls around this city that make me cry to just ponder. Already this year I’ve twice taken 45 minutes to make the 15 minute drive to work. Ottawa drivers are petrified of weather.

So with the evening shift, at least sleep can still be had in the morning. And there will be plenty of time to go and clean off the car before leaving. And the traffic will be greatly reduced.

It all makes me think of the differences in cities when storms hit. Ottawa, as I’ve said, has major traffic problems with the most minute amount of snow falling. And Toronto will never... and should never... live down the embarrassment of calling the army to help clean up after a storm.

Vancouver comes to a stand still with less than 5 cm of snow on the ground. This one is somewhat more understood though. This is a city that doesn’t get very many snow events and there are only a few machines capable of sanding/salting or plowing the streets of the city.

St. John’s is perhaps the most fun city to be, that I know of, when a storm hits. In the suburbs, people will wander the streets with shovel on shoulder in soldier like fashion. Just out on patrol to see who they’ll run in to and who they can help.

In the downtown part of the city, life continues on much as if the weather was fine. People just leave cars abandoned on the sides of the streets and they venture out by foot. The problem with this can be icy conditions and steep hills. Downtown St. John’s is all very hilly and if you live at the top of the hill but want to get to places that are situated at the bottom... well good luck dealing with the ice.

For those who haven’t been to downtown St. John’s in the winter... sidewalks are an afterthought. There’s no room for street snow to be pushed out of they way, so forget the sidewalks. Pedestrians take the road.

I once had to walk down a hill as if I was skiing it... very... very... slowly. I walked in a two o’clock direction for five feet... cut back and walked towards ten o’clock for another five feet... and so on... and so on. The zig zag down the hill will get you to where you want to. No speed records will be had, but if it’s a night out at a bar you crave, you will be drinking in one piece.

In fact, getting to the downtown bars on a stormy night in St. John’s, is half of the fun of the night. On one of my occasions where I’ve zig zagged down a slippery slope, I did it with a group of ten friends after a few hours socializing at my place.

These times had bar hopping more like an expedition. We would be a fellowship, just as there for each other as that group of elves, dwarves and hobbits in those big Hollywood movies.

One of the downtown men would lead the way. Some guy just in from the suburbs would be useless... he’d try to bomb the hill in a straight line and the whole group of us could wind up bobbing in the harbour (for those unfamiliar with St. John’s, the harbour is what comes at the very bottom of the funnel like physical make up of downtown St. John’s). So it would be a guy who knows his way around the narrow and hilly streets.

A second guy would follow. He’d also usually be living in the downtown area and he’s the one who would try to keep the mood light while the leader maps out the course.

After the second man, a group of three or four women would follow. The light hearted second would, while trying to distract the group with humour, keep an eye on this group of women, ready to pounce in case one of them lost her footing and began to slide and roll into the harboury abys.

Beyond this group of women, would be another pair of men. They carry out much the same type of duties as the lead men... the second unit if you will. As there’s another group of women shuffling along a few feet behind this pair as well.

The suburb guys bring up the rear. They’re usually oblivious to the duties of the more important men and they ramble on about shoveling driveways, putting up Christmas lights, or projects that are ongoing in the basement of their suburban castles. They follow the pack blindly as they talk. If this was Lord of the Rings, these are the guys that would be stomped by living trees or eaten by horse like wolves, or stabbed by giant spiders.

And at the bottom of the hill, it’s a straight walk on safe ground to a favourite watering hole. The snow is whipping around outside. The windows are blocked with frost and ice. The wind rattles window panes and puffs in cold when other venturers open the outer door. And the group is cozy inside, sipping on Guinness and laughing amongst friends.