Monday, 16 January 2012

s-NO-w Day

It's dumping buckets of white powder today in Vancouver-seriously it looks like one of Charlie Sheen's sneezes out there.  Snow may not be a big deal for a lot of people, in fact people from other places of the world/country look outside and laugh but when you live in Vancouver, even a snowflake is a big deal-it's like throwing a wrench in a gear system or or replacing the soymilk in your Starbucks latte with whole milk-completely messes everything up.  When you don't drive in the snow, have a stroller with limited snow capacity and am pregnant, a snow day becomes a NO day. As in you're not doing anything at all today or the word you will be repeating over and over again to your kid because they are bored with staying at home and is getting into everything.  Being a stay at home mom is all fine and dandy until you have to abide by that name and well, stay at home... So you have to weigh your options, which one is worse: Cabin fever or a broken neck? Today I decided the risk of a broken neck was the lesser evil, since the forcast looked nasty for the next week and chances were that I probaly would have to stay in a few days and it didn't look THAT bad... That's the problem, it never looks that bad, especially when you've never had to navigate a stroller in the snow before or when you live on the 4th floor of an apartment- 'Hey the trees don't look too covered" deerrrp. I bundled Lily and myself up and decided to go to our usual Monday mom's group.  I looked Lil straight in the face and told her "there's a chance we may not make it" and then checked the bus schedule.
Oh the bus. The 701.  For those of you who are not native to maple ridge and have never experienced the wonder of the 701 consider yourself lucky.  It's like translink's dysfunctional brother.  So when I say that the 701 was NOT the most dangerous part of my trek today, that is saying a lot.  First of all, people-Shovel your sidewalks.  It's the law. It's civilized. So many people do not do it, and I always like to give them the benefit of the doubt, like maybe they are a little old lady who cannot do it or they have a disability or maybe they do night shifts and haven't been home yet. However when Speedy McArsehole comes barreling out of his driveway skidding on the ice and snow as I struggle to push my stroller on his unshoveled portion of the sidewalk at 11am in the morning a little piece of my faith in humanity dies. After dislodging myself and the stroller multiple times from snow banks and slipping a few times I made it to the bus stop.  Got on the bus and was a little concerned when I spotted the driver with a newspaper in his lap and chatting away on his cell.  As we were driving I noticed other cars were tailgating and speeding around us with apparently no regard for the white stuff covering the road.  Luckily I was in a bus-whenever you see a bus and a car in an accident the bus always wins.
Needless to say I made it there and back home safe and sound.  Dave starts working nights tonight so I will be alternating between worrying about him getting to and from work safe with the strange noises that the apartment makes at night when I'm home alone.  I'll also have to decide if the noises I am hearing are ghosts or the early onset of cabin fever.

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