flash flood

news.nationalpost.com -

On July 8, the western part of the GTA experienced an average of 120 mm of rain.  In one hour.  Needless to say, it was a disaster.  I was lucky to be spared the worst of it, only having to resort to garbage bag-clad leggings and clever driving to rescue my car from my flooded garage.  The white Porsche I share a lane with was not so lucky – he was buried mirror-deep in muddy water.

This, of course, on the back of the Calgary-area flooding.  Some time ago, I ranted about the idiocy of humans and the inability of some to acknowledge the obvious.  I mean, if there is retributive karma in the universe, surely it was that macabre sense of humour that flooded Stephen Harper’s riding in Calgary.  In fact, I’m sure he will use this flooding to somehow justify his pulling out of the desertification treaty in March.  So, while I was inconvenienced by a five-hour blackout and a muddy garage, at least I wasn’t in Calgary.

And as I write this, they’re calling for even more rain and a possibility of hail.  Hail.  So, where to put my car now?  Flooded garage not an option.  And outside could mean serious chassis damage.  Yet, even as I type this, I think about my Calgarian compatriots without power and out of their homes for days and feel humble.

But remember, kiddies, THERE IS NO GLOBAL WARMING!  CLIMATE CHANGE IS A MYTH!

Idiots.

Snow, with a chance of screwing you over

Thought I should try and be good. The idea, I guess, is to post everyday, whether something exciting has happened or not. So sorry.

Today, we’re supposed to be headed up to Aurora – Nish was going to drive up because a) my car isn’t what we like to call “reliable” and b) she likes to drive. I was really looking forward to it – it’s the annual (and creatively named) “xmas dinner with friends” and it’s a great time to catch up with people I haven’t really hung out with since high school. It’s weird, we never stopped being friends; we were just flung apart by school and work and life in general. With the dawning of facebook (I am still mixed whether love it or am just addicted to it), it’s been made much easier to keep tabs on people without physically contacting them. Again: is this good? I’m not sure. Long story short, we were supposed to meet up today.

But then the snow came. Now, I know that this is everyday business in Canada – to be hauled up short by the weather. If it isn’t snow, it’s torrential downpours that have flooded streets or 50+ degree (Celsius) weather that makes you want to crawl into cold dark corner of your house and go to sleep. Seriously though? This is annoying. Aurora is not that far a drive from where we are, but when it’s blowing snow and freezing rain and all that bullshit that’s equated with “winter” – it’s just, well, annoying! Understandably, Nish is gun-shy about revving up the 404 for the trip (and we can’t afford to be stuck overnight because I, masochistically, have work tomorrow).
…Don’t let the “light” part of the “light snow” forecast fool you – they’re always, always wrong. Meteorologists are like under-achievers everywhere – praised when they get it right, forgiven when they get it wrong.

Thus, I may be failing in my first duty to myself – to avoid boredom. It may be a night playing WoW, but that just sounds sad for a Saturday Night activity. I love this country – I really, really do – but damn me, if I don’t hate the weather with equal zeal.