vests

i've come to quite like blogging in the morning. i dunno why, i guess it's just a nice start to the day.

the drive into work this morning was treacherous. it took me at least 45 minutes. i put on my winter-driving thinking cap and managed pretty well. that's quite an accomplishment because driving slowly does not come naturally to me. it's really neat though how driving less than 40 km/h, on a road that one usually drives at 110 km/h, can really increase one's control of a motor vehicle, thus remaining on the pavement instead of the ditch. as i drove i wondered to myself why the heck i was bothering - the roads were madness and i don't consider it worth the stress. however, now that i've arrived all is fine. the roads were ok until i hit collins bay. i was relieved too soon because i'd been pleased by how smooth the drive had been up until that point. once i crossed collins bay road the streets were no longer plowed and the path was not clearly marked from other cars. my trusty mojomobile sputtered and rumbled as it tried to make it's way up the big hill on taylor-kidd, and i found myself speaking words of encouragement like "it's ok" and "come on (you can do it)". i know it's just a car, and can neither hear what i'm saying nor respond in kind, but i think there's something to be said about recognizing that i'm not as in control of the car as i might think. sure, i'm operating it - steering and providing acceleration, but whether it stays on the road or not is generally a result of powers beyond myself. for the last half of my commute my heart was up in my throat and i maneuvered stiffly as i saw oncoming traffic every few seconds. i happened to notice heather driving in the car behind me and felt some comfort in knowing that she's a big person and could easily lift me from a snow bank in heroic fashion if need be. thankfully once i past county road 6 the roads were clear and i could exhale.

i'd be lying if i said it wasn't scary. i wondered if perhaps it would've been better to take bath road instead of taylor-kidd but i always have visions of fish-tailing and ending up in lake ontario. one would expect that having an SUV with 4-wheel drive i would be quite safe, but that's not entirely true - it just means i fish-tail with all 4 wheels instead of just 2. one of these years i'm going to invest in snow tires and that will probably improve my driving conditions. however, the mojomobile is significantly better than the batmobile. i happened to notice a little chevette stuck in a few inches of snow, and i was quite happy to have my tall CRV.

it seems the girls who live below me have tampered with the heat. last night it was -5 outside and my furnace didn't kick on at all. i think they've gone away for a few days. i've left them a note asking them to turn up the thermostat and reminded them that it heats the whole house. for the last 2 years it's been more hot than not in my house so it seems pretty obvious that they've tampered with the settings my landlord set it at.

sometimes brendan tells me that he's drinking apple juice in the kitchen while i work on logos in my bedroom. the next thing i know he has all my dishes done.

give me all your warmth,
give me all your smiles,
give me all the sunshine.