Zoo

Well, it seemed like a zoo though I didn't visit one in actuality. I took the SkyTrain home and stopped at Metrotown on the way to do some grocery shopping. The train was packed as would be the case before Christmas. The platforms were busy too. People were in a good mood generally, though some insisted wearing their backpack in a crowded train which caused atleast one person to vent his frustration. There is far more of that (wearing backpacks on the train) than you would ever find back east. Having lived and worked in Toronto for six years, I can't remember ever seeing such a thing and people there stand aside to allow people to get off the train before they enter. Here it seems they stand right in front of the door blocking people's exit, or worse yet, enter while others are trying to get off. Such are the frustrations of using mass transit here in the Vancouver area. You'd think after using this form of mass transit for a decade they would know better but they don't. I even spoke to a SkyTrain person over a month ago and she agreed, they are rude and inconsiderate. They're not at all like that in Toronto, Montreal, London (England), Berlin (Germany) or Stockholm (Sweden), just to name a few places I've been.

After I got off at Metrotown, I walked through the mall and over to Kingsway where I thought the grocery store was located. After a detour, I realized that the store was on the south end of the mall facing Kingsway and not across the street as I had thought. Some walking for nothing. Well, I used the gift card I got from my employer to buy groceries, and before you knew it, I was through a hundred dollars. The supplies will last me for two weeks and some of it longer than that. I settled on turkey wings to either bake in the oven or use as a base for a soup. I'll decide on that on Christmas Day, my next day off work. I also bought some cold cuts, cheese, marmalade, bread, cake and other necessities. The small basket was filled but its amazing how quickly a hundred dollars disappears!

Traffic on the transit was also affected by the snow we had over the weekend and particularly last night. More is expected. The main roads were fine but the side streets were a nightmare driving and sidewalks were a real challenge for those walking. It wasn't overly cold, just below freezing (-3 or -4). I guess as the temperatures warmed from the arctic-type temperatures last week, the snow came along with the change. I guess all of Canada is expecting a white Christmas this year. For the Vancouver area, its the first in a decade or so. When I first arrived here in 2006, the winters were rather green, except in the higher elevations where you would definately expect snow.

I read about the extreme weather with snow and hurricane force winds in Nova Scotia. Quite a number of households were without power as a result. Here some had to do with frozen water pipes and thawing snow on the stove top to heat for washing dishes and such. I hope you had better weather where you are and if the weather was severe, you weathered it without too much disruption.

Well, after I getting home and sorting everything away, I had supper and then got to the computer for a bit. Time has flown and now its time for bed. Tomorrow is another day. You have a good one!