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11:48 p.m. - 2004-01-30
Week's end
The Official Canadian Temperature Conversion Chart:

50� Fahrenheit (10� C) - Californians shiver uncontrollably. Canadians plant gardens.

35� Fahrenheit (1.6� C) - Italian cars won't start. Canadians drive with the windows down.

32� Fahrenheit (0 � C) - American water freezes. Canadian water gets thicker.

0�F(-17.9�C) New York City landlords finally turn on the heat. Canadians have the last cookout of the season.

-60� F(-51� C) - Mt. St. Helen's freezes. Canadian Girl Guides sell cookies door-to-door.

-100� F(-73� C) - Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Canadians pull down their ear-flaps.

-173� F(-114� C) - Ethyl alcohol freezes. Canadians get frustrated when they can't thaw the keg.

-460� F (-273�C) - Absolute zero; all atomic motion stops. Canadians start saying "cold, eh?"

-500� F(-295� C) - Hell freezes over. The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup..!

OK, enough of the jokes. Well almost. Apparently the season finale of the TV show "South Park" demonstrates that all the problems experienced in the US are caused by us. Recognition at last - or as political candidates note: any press is better than no press. Whatever.

The letter I picked up at the post office yesterday was the schedule for our classes in Ottawa. There was some briefing material as well as a strange, cryptic letter about being paid on time. I guess I'm not the only person really frustrated with the process. One of the requests for us. "Please read your manuals before arriving." Who'd have thunk we'd even have to be reminded. However, about one third of the field staff have already gone through their training and obviously that wasn't the norm. Hmmmmmmm.

I missed the anti-hacking seminar that I wanted to attend on Wednesday, because the temperature at the time I would have had to catch the bus to arrive on time was -47 C, including the windchill factor. Today was better - only -36 C - so I went downtown to see my chiropractor and have lunch with the other contract I was working with at my last job.

My chiropractor had just attended a workshop with respect to some techniques he already uses, hoping to upgrade somewhat. Despite a shoulder injury he had from his hockey game on Monday impeding his range of motion, there were actually a few places where he finally managed to get movement that felt really good, that he hadn't been able to affect before with any other techniques. There is a weekend seminar for chiropractors too, so next week should prove interesting.

I had promised my co-worker that I would cast an astrology chart for her before she left on holiday. I rarely do more than one new chart a year and I choose to do them for my own reasons - usually because there is a feeling that tells me it is important somehow. I often don't know why until some time after. She finished up her assignment today and is boarding a plane for Mexico early tomorrow where she'll join her hubby. They'll be back in a couple of months.

It was a very pleasant break altogether. I had been experiencing really severe symptoms of "cabin fever" and yes there is such a thing. When the weather is this cold it is difficult to even open the windows for a short time, let alone travel far. Even on "warmer" days like today one has to be very careful, though. It takes the body quite a while to adjust its metabolism to such extreme cold. One of the most dangerous things a person can do is to continuously move inside then outside - like out to the bus; from the bus upstairs and across a platform to the train. From the train into and then out of buildings. Today I knew I was at risk because I began to feel disoriented when I walked inside, and then found depth perception impaired outside. The trick is to stay outside for the duration, rather than forcing the body to keep readjusting every few minutes. That wasn't possible today given the nature of my errands, but I tried to manage them in a logical manner that reduced the constant change. The other warning that the body is overwhelmed or might go into shock, is when one starts to feel sleepy. That happened to me on the train on the way home. However, the physical stress is easier to deal with than confinement to a small area like my home. At least when I got home, I was glad to be there. Most of the rest of the day was just spent doing housework. Still - no scorpions, snakes, or other venomous beasts to contend with and this degree of cold even kills a lot of bacteria and viruses. At least we're healthy when we freeze to death - right?

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