Time for some weather prognosticating rodents

Since we're catching the tail end of a blizzard here, it seemed nice to contemplate the end of winter.* We might imagine that the end of winter is in sight, and the celebrity weather-prognosticating rodents may not see their shadows next Monday, hahaha! Anyhow, I printed a new batch of thermochromic Groundhog Day linocuts, with disappearing shadows.

I'll be busy on Groundhog Day, myself. Etsy Canada is hosting another Summit, here in Toronto, for team Captains and Leaders from coast to coast. I ought to get cracking on my presentation.

*Apparently, we'll avoid getting really dumped with snow (unlike our neighbours to the south) because it's too cold and windy here. Um... I guess we're lucky?

p.s. Good luck to those of you who aren't lucky and are expecting almost a metre of snow.

Quebec

So yesterday, I arrived at my hotel (nice big room, in a strange triangular shape, with exposed brick walls) at around 3:30. After making sure I could find the institute, I wandered the city for a couple of hours. I don't think I've ever been here in winter - just summer and fall. It was actually much warmer than I expected (3^oC, but by the water there was a bitter wind). Climbing all the hills made me feel out of shape. It was interesting to see areas of town which overflow with tourists in the summer, empty after about 5 pm. Carnivale is over, so, it's past the winter tourist blitz too. In fact, my friend arrived early at the restaurant and before I could reply to her text, she had found me (since there were so few people around). I had a lovely dinner with my friends and their 5 year old son. It's wonderful to have friends in various cities (especially when one can arrange to meet on short notice). Coincidentally, I knew two of the scientists at the defense today too.




In August, one could barely walk along these streets. It's funny to see them empty.

Today was pretty exhausting; thinking in French, at a high, technical level, all day is really tiring. Not only that, but the scientists spoke different sorts of French (from France, Quebec, Switzerland). They were all very nice and complimented me on my French, but it was sort of funny as people tried to work out how bilingual I am. I was so tired afterwards, that I decided to come to the airport early. It wasn't obvious what I could do with an hour or an hour and a half, with all my bags, and wearing a suit (so I didn't want to tramp through the snow). Then, I left my hat in the cab, but I was able to retrieve it, but finding my cab in line at arrivals. (Luckily for me, this is not a large airport). Also: thumbs up for free wifi at the airport! So I can blog quietly, until they assign my flight a gate.

the mighty St Lawrence

Honestly, the way the ice was rapidly flowing, I'm not sure how those ferries just kept plowing back and forth to Lévis.

Happy Groundhog Day

OK. I confess. That is actually a bouncing lemming from the magpie & whiskeyjack post about Frida Fjellman... but Groundhog Day in this part of the world, with this particular winter, is quite the joke, isn't it? I mean, regardless of shadows and superstitions, we all know, winter ain't going nowhere. Really. Though, if rodents provide some entertainment, who am I to judge?

Also, how is it possible that it is February already?

me and my neighbours....

...we are cold, but this is the sort of thing Canadians live for, because we are demented. It was -20C last night and we want to feel tough, going without power in the winter*. See, the power went out at 10 pm last night, after a broken water main flooded the Toronto Hydro station. The article, if you read it, is silly and misleading, and the comments, as usual, are worse**. It states that 22,000 people remain without power. I heard it reported that 100,000 people were without power (I guess that was last night). However, that seems ridiculous to me. There must be more people living between St Clair and Queen and Spadina and Jane! That's a serious chunk of a city of 4 million. Plus, there are no traffic lights and no subway service, so a much greater proportion of the city is affected. The power might not be reinstated until 10 pm tonight.

I called Reynardin to see if her power was out too, curious how much of the city was down, last night. When we realized that power was clearly out from my place to hers and beyond, that was the hint that this was a bigger problem. This morning at 8:37, Dad called. He actually volunteered to pick me up and drive me to work. I declined - since I'm not teaching this term, the chances that I am ready to leave at 8:37 are nil. He gave a mangled version of what public transit was working - I'm glad I didn't listen to him. He asked if I didn't have some sort of news sort, like one of those wind-up radios. I was proud of myself that I had candles and matches and I could find them in the dark - I actually used the glow-in-the-dark tusks of my winged walrus as a sort of flash light. I don't have a wind-up radio. I decided to walk to Roncesvalles, since he said he'd heard something about Dundas West station. The streetcars are obviously on a separate power grid that the rest of us - we know this because we've all seen the streetcars stop when we still have power. Incredibly, they weren't even short-turning the cars, and we had "normal" service.... but the traffic made things so slow it took an hour to get here. At Roncesvalles and Howard Park, there were about 30 people waiting... they were chatting and waxing nostalgic about the last blackout - but how much nicer that had been in the summer. I think this is very Canadian, to consider trials and tribulations a bonding experience.

I fussed about Minouette. I was worried she would get cold today. I watched her systematically try sitting on each rad in vain. She settled on the warmest sun-beam. I brought her a blanket.

*Though the ice storm in Montreal - that must have been too much.
**One ninny asked how could there be a flood if it is so cold? It's a water main, silly. It is designed to keep flowing even in sub-zero temperatures. They heat it if they have to. The obvious way to get a flood in winter is because of the cold... one frozen pipe, water under building pressure and pow! Flood.
Really, if your head serves only as a hat-rack, must you power commentary on the national newspaper's website?