01:31 - 29.11.06
quetzalcoatl
Happy Birthday to my favorite astologer!
I was dreaming of Quetzalcoatl last night. I was riding on his back as one would on a horse. Those wings were a bit of an issue though. It seemed as though he had offered to help me battle some evil entity and we were off to confront the villain. What I recall most vividly are the feathers. They were iridescent and multi-coloured. I know from previous reading I've done that the feathers were important but I was thinking I was dealing with the standard issue dragon and hadn't expected such an opulent display. I'm not certain what it might portend.
Today's commute went smoothly - almost. The first pair of pantyhose sprung a major rip after I had layered on several other garments to help protect me from the cold. Given the wind chill factor today - -45 C - there was no option but to change before going out. I missed the usual first feeder bus to the train station, but made up the missed time on the last leg of my journey with one of the express busses that I use as an alternate. I was the only passenger until we arrived at the stop by my son's home, you see. Minus 45 degrees Celsius is a temperature at which when one inhales even through one's nose, the inside of the lung feels as though it has frozen so that the two sides of that lung are stuck together - each lung individually. Take your breath away becomes a physical reality, not a metaphore.
As a result, there was actually silence on the busses and tains that was very odd. No one was speaking - not even to themselves. A lot of people looked half passed out. Not surprising. Finally when the train pulled into the downtown core, one woman's cell phone rang. She must have had some position of authority with emergency services because she seemed to be arranging for a health inspector to meet her at a building where the conditions had become very dangerous given the weather we are experiencing. Something about the boiler not working - no heat is a residential or office building. She was speaking very quietly but her voice carried the whole length of the train car because of the stillness of every other passenger. Very surreal. I found I needed my asthma inhaler by the time I reached that connector bus that pulled up as I arrived at that downtown stop. The bus driver looked sympathetic but a bit apprehensive. He was probably worried that a pasenger with a medical problem could delay his schedule. Not many passengers waiting down the line would appreciate that. My daughter-in-law said that had been the case on her morning commute to downtown. Two young women had been at her bus stop for nearly 25 minutes - in -45 C temperatures. They saw two of the same route busses pull up at once. Even though there was probably no way for the drivers to avoid the delay the two young ladies were at significant risk of hypothermia and were already likely in a fair amount of physical distress. No win for anyone really.
My son and grand-daughter were busy playing together when I arrived and both seemed quite happy. It was apparent though that my grand-daughter was already getting tired. She went down for her nap earlier than usual so I thought I would check my email while she slept before settling in for my nap. My son's computer wouldn't even boot up properly so I ran a thorough scan disk to see if that would help. It was late in the afternoon before that process completed itself. I decided to go curl up under the comforter nicely warmed up in the dryer just as I arrived. Again I didn't realize how cold I had become until I actually started to warm up. That is why this weather is so dangerous - the body's alarm systems are shut down by the cold and it is very difficult to judge how much trouble one is in - sometimes not until it is too late. I am hoping those two young women recovered ok. I think the cold might have affected my grand-daughter's sleep pattern too. Even though she was not outside at all since last Friday, the cold and dark have their effects on the body's biorhythms. A lot of people here suffer from seasonal affective disorder and require light therapy to help their body's internal clocks function at a more normal pace. At this point it isn't an issue for her because she is being cared for in her own home, but once she has to fit into someone else's schedule it may cause her some difficulty. Or if she is lucky her body will adapt over time. We'll see.
Anyway it's late, my computer was acting up too costing me quite a bit of time tonight to get fixed, and there is one more frigid morning to deal with before the temperatures moderate. Good night dear diary.
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