1:07 a.m. - 2002-10-29
Snow Day
First real winter snow this morninng. Proof? Even the idiot drivers were allowing two or three car lengths between themselves and the next vehicle. Doesn't happen often - usually the worst drivers figure that the end of your tailpipe is far enough back. But with windshield wipers freezing in mid-sweep, visibility limited by "steamy windows", and hydroplaning with ice as an added possibility, even the jeeps and trackers were taking it slow. Even so, there were about 200 fender benders over the day with about 25 injury accidents. Our bus driver was taking it slow and easy - made some people squirm but, quite frankly, missing one train is better than losing body parts. Calgary is rated as the third safest city to drive in in Canada - I guess that's a comfort.
The mornings now are dark and velvety. Big white snowflakes drift lazily along with the air currents. It's a bit like watching leaves float down a mountain stream in autumn only you're floating right along with them. It is chilly, but as long as you keep your feet, throat, and hands warm it's still comfortable. I'm still just wearing a denim car coat - I save the leather or sheepskin ones for the -20 to -30 weather. The teenagers are still just sporting hoodies (kangaroo jackets)but most of them are smart enough to have several layers of clothing underneath. Gives the kids the opportunity to try out any number of "looks" at school mixing and matching the different articles of clothing at whim. One older fellow today decided he didn't need a shirt. He just had a parka on with the zipper open to the bottom of his ribs - very hairy chest; silver to match the mop on his head. Sometimes it's better not to ask.
Work was quiet today. The liaison lives on an acreage outside the city nearer the mountains. A reasonable explanation for her absence would be that the roads weren't safe to drive this morning. I spent the day crunching numbers and reconciling the various spreadsheets produced by our client with our real time data. Still a lot of anomalies and missing pieces - doesn't matter how you manipulate the data. My supervisor and I talked about it in the early afternoon - he was pleased with the work.
He also seemed pleased with something else that happened on Friday. The liaison from the company I last worked in called me at my current contract. He has touched base from time to time since I left, just to ask technical questions about the database we created for them or housekeeping questions about some of the material that we sifted through over the year we were on site. This time he needed some data that was produced a year ago - he can't find their copies. Sometimes it's only after you've gone that the value of your work is evident. Anyway, I suggested a number of ways to retrieve the information electronically and offered to rekey it if that didn't work out. We'll see what happens.
Anyway, it's bedtime. There's a reason bears hibernate in the winter - all that cold fresh air makes you very sleepy.
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