West Coast Weather

Last week, I left Vancouver for a few days in Los Angeles, and this was the spectacular weather that blossomed as the plane took off and lasted the week:


In LA, however, it rained. End-of-the-earth, panic-in-the-streets, pull-your-kids-out-of-school kind of rain. (Ok, so it doesn't rain often in LA, and they're a dramatic people. Lots of actors.)

By the end of the week - which, by the way, included a painstaking slow, two-and-a-half hour drive on a claustrophobic 10-lane freeway clogged with water and Hybrid SUVs - I was ready to come home.

But the sunny skies had faded. I came home to this:


Yes, snow in Vancouver. End-of-the-earth, panic-in-the-streets, pull-your-kids-out-of-school kind of snow. (right, I know: both I and the morning news are prone to dramatics)

So, to recap: LA weather in Vancouver, Vancouver weather in LA, Toronto weather in Vancouver. Overall? Winter. We're in the thick of it.

Mountain High

I've spent much of the last 24 hours grabbing people by the shoulders, giving them a little shake and exclaiming "I've found my edges!!" a little too loudly. I am super excited, and I can't wait to go skiing again.

I spent the weekend in a two-day ski school at Whistler. It was an all-girl class (all-women class I suppose; with one exception I was the youngest) and our instructor was a super-positive lady who used the word super a lot. Now I do too. She also had great sayings like "Holy Crumble!!" and "Oh! I'm such a knucklehead!!" (a word I've only ever heard uttered before by my mom).

At the beginning of most runs she would say, "Now girls, I'm going to go down ahead and let you know what the slope is like." Then she'd fly down the hill and in the distance we could hear her yelling back, "Weeeee!! This is soo fuunnn! The snow is suuuperr!!"

And the snow was super. Sunday morning there was over 10cm of new snow and blue skies. By this time, she was happy to admit she was really going first to get to the untouched powder before anyone else, and at one point she actually happily yelled out, "Hey Mister you're stealing our snow!!!" at some passing skiier who dared poach our lines.

And in between all the fun I learned a few things. I skiied some things that I've never skiied before, and I skiied other things better. I skiied bumps, and glades, and even caught air a few times and I never catch air, at least not on purpose. Most importantly, I found my edges. (Okay, I knew they were there before but this time I really found them.) By the end of the weekend my turns got easier, my balance got better. Slowly, my skill level is catching up with my enthusiasm for skiing. Which can only be... super!

The state of my sent mail

Dear Dave and Nicola,
Have a wonderful, relaxing trip to Argentina. Please don't let our dire warnings of riots and cancelled flights worry you at all. I'm sure everything will be just fine. But your passport copies are posted on our fridge just in case. Hasta luego, amigos!

Eva, James- will arrive (w/wine & skis) @ end of month. -j&s

Dear all:
<attachment> <attachment> <attachment>
Please call if you have any questions about the attached documents.
Sincerely,
Janice

K: Congratulations on your new job at the Aquarium! You should be aware that Scott is going to call you tomorrow and ask for a fresh tank-raised salmon for his dinner. Do with this information what you will.
Cheers - J

Dear Translink:
Your system is crap. I'm getting back on my bike, just as soon as....

Dear God:
Please make it less cold / wet / dark.
Love, Janice.

January is....

...A good time for us to finish all those projects that have been put off until now.


Yes! An organized cupboard that won't swallow items whole and spit them out many months later either after the expiry date or without identifying labels. A cupboard that can tell us at a glance if we have the required ingredients to successfully make dinner (we currently have multiple boxes of cornstarch from past requests failing to produce accurate results). A cupboard that will, hopefully, stay organized until next January.

Now, on to the closets.

The Post-Christmas-Post.

As I type this, an enormous pot of pea soup is bubbling away on our stove. For me, January is as much about pea soup as anything: as is tradition, the bone of the Christmas ham has been added to the pot, a signal to the end of holiday excesses.

Anyone who knows my family knows that our Christmases are steeped in tradition; almost every move can be choreographed from the cumulation of many years prior. This year, a breath of fresh air came in the form of a change of venue: my sister took on hosting responsibilities. Scott was the self-appointed tradition cop, making sure she stuck to the song sheet closely enough that his own favourites were preserved, namely bacon and sausage included in breakfast (from a specific shop, mind you) champagne and orange mimosas, and of course the Christmas ham, which he and I have adopted as our contribution.

Christmas day was followed by a relaxing few days on Vancouver Island with Scott's family, followed by ringing in the New Year at Whistler: every day included many happy hours spent with family and friends.

And now a little relief and recovery from all the excitement. This weekend Scott and I are putting our house back to order and organizing our thoughts and plans for the coming year. Already there's lots to look forward to, and every day seems to bring a new adventure. And I'm looking forward to it... just as soon as I finish my pea soup.