Cote du Beaver Hall on a snowy day, with naration!

My SuperFit boots

I got my winter boots on sale at the Rubino warehouse at Galeries des Sources back in late October or early November. I remember wearing the first time when I went to Toronto in mid November, with no regrets as it was incredibly cold two of the days we were there.

The brand is Superfit, never heard of them before but I liked the boot, the price and the colour. From what I gather they are a Canadian brand and they specialize in making footwear for cold temperatures.

I can't say I wore any other pair of boots most of the winter. Never once were my feet cold.  This is the boots after being worn all December, January and February, some of November and some of March. I'm very pleased with them.

The amusing thing is that when I went to Rubino with my friend when she was looking for winter boots, the salesgirl who helped her out, had the nerve to dis my boots, saying they were the worst piece of crap they sold and they wouldn't last the winter. Talk about stupid. You don't dis merchandise you sell! Especially not to someone who bought them from your store just a week or two earlier.

Coldest February on Record for Quebec, and Montreal

I normally like winter, but this winter has been harsh. It wasn't just snowy, it was cold. Very cold. Coldest  on record, and also it was one of the coldest places globally this year so far.

We're all sick of the cold. it's sad when -10 C appears to be warm

I feel totally naked without my beloved Samsung Galaxy S4 mini....

It's so pretty outside this morning. We had a Nor'Easter go through overnight and this morning everything was covered in snow. It's heavy wet snow, so it was stuck to all the trees and until it warms up it looks really surreal. I would have taken photos except that I had neither a camera nor even my !(*%#(*&%()*# android.

Though to be honest it amazes me that I don't forget it or lose it more often!!!  I left my phone I think on the stairs next to where my purse and lunch bag was. I guess I thought it was either in my sweater pocket or in my coat pocket, but no. I noticed it at the first red light on Sources.

Perhaps when my new laptop arrives I'll be less attached to my phone but until that time I'm feeling NAKED without my stupid phone. And it's not like I use it as a phone that often. Usually it's used as a texting/chatting device.

It keeps me sane during 5 minute mode changes at work. Yesterday I spent 3 hours doing mode changes. In between I'd look at my phone, read articles. Do something to prevent myself to lull myself into a coma. Doing nothing for 5 minute chunks while waiting for software to finish it's task is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

It's SNOWING!!!!!

This was the view I had leaving my friends home in Kingsbury, this is driving down Frank at about 80kms.

Google loves to add snow to my photos.

So google made this photo out of my photo, with the snowing. Isn't it cute :)

Spring my ass

It might be well past the first day of spring, but it's FREEZING out there. No spring clothes yet, still looking like Nanook of the North.... This photo was taking Saturday during the snow storm!

First day of Spring

Well it was yesterday officially but by the calender today is the first day of Spring and also the birthday of my eldest child, who turned 27 today. Where does time go?

Well this year on the first day of spring it's SNOWING.  I predicted it, Today I'm going to look like nanook of the north :)

After work I hope to go to Club Tissue in Laval and check it out.

Oh what a fun day today will be

I have a dentist appointment around 11 this morning, to get my teeth cleaned and checked for problems.  I should be back at work by 1, and then I get to do 4 or 5 job interviews for summer internship by myself because my colleague is on vacation at the moment.

Just to make life more interesting, I will be driving to my dentist in a snow storm.  We're expecting about 10 cms or 4 inches.  Weee.

Because of the fact that I have to get going early to be at work early to do an hour or so before the dentist, I barely slept last night, kept waking up or being awake. Yay me.

Interesting morning.

So after I woke up I went downstairs to clean up the kitchen since my cleaning lady now comes on Thursdays. One of the first things I noticed is that my canoe is no longer sitting on wood but is in the snow. I guess there must have either been a large gust of wind OR some bored kid decided it would be fun to tip it. Though I could not see footprints other then mine going to the canoe to check it's state Sunday.

My friend comes back from New Jersey tomorrow hopefully, she will be able to help me put it back into place  

Then I'm cutting my strawberries for my breakfast, the knife slipped, went flying and scratched my leg. Lucky it wasn't worse. 

At work since going back, I've had nothing but weird problems with hardware malfunctioning and equipment dying.  Wonder what's going to die on me at work today?!?!?!

Vacations are always too short!

Today is the last day of the winter vacations. It's snowing gently and has been for hours.

I have so many thing to do today, starting with picking up groceries, so I can make a quinoa tabouleh for lunch this week. Also want to make both fig squares and fruit squares as my mid evening snacks.

I also want to put all the furniture back to before Yule dinner, and put whatever stuff I can put away. That will probably take a lot of motivation to do. I do laundry but always bad at putting all the clothes away. Want to try starting 2014 on a good foot [ and it will last what? 2 weeks? ]

Also I realized when I drove to my friends in the townships last week, that my 20 hole Doc Martens needed to be desalted, waxed, minked and siliconed to make sure they stay nice for years to come.  I've started the process, I desalted them, and coloured them with black shoe polish. Then I added one thick layer of black wax. Now letting them sit for a bit, so I can buff them, then add mink oil and tomorrow morning I will silicone spray them so no more salt stains.

Ice covered trees

Winter Storm of December 27th, 2012

Pointe-Claire Village

Marche de l"Ouest

Petro-Canada on the corner of des Sources and Anselme Lavigne

View up des Sources from Petro-Canada

Driveway snow removal on Fredmir blvd.

Fall sucks!

I've never liked autumn much. Don't like the fact the days get shorter, don't like the fact it's much darker and rainier in fall. Just not a huge fan. I can't wait till it ends and winter begins. Nothing gets my blood percolating like a snow storm!!!

Usually I still manage to muster some enthusiasm over Halloween as it is the Pagan new year. This year I didn't even think about the fact October 31st is the day where the veils between the worlds is the  thinnest and I didn't think of those I'd lost this year or in the years before. 

This too shall pass as winter approaches and I'll get the thrill of the first snow storms. I can't wait to move where there will be enormous amounts of snow!!!

Today I have all the enthusiasm of a wet noodle. :(

Common sense isn't so common when it snows....

We've probably gotten 25-30cm's [10-12"] of snow in the past 2 days accompanied with intense winds this morning. It's not that much but if left on your vehicle it is enough to completely blind the guy behind you  when it leaves your car/truck as you pick up speed.

I thought that the law that brought about mandatory winter tires between December 15th and March 15th also had a rule regarding clearing your vehicle of snow.  Unfortunately I haven't seen any of these new rules being enforced. I wonder how many people don't use winter tires? I mean they should have random checkpoints like they do for drinking and driving or seat belts.

There was a police supervisor on the corner of de Salaberry & Sources this morning, it seemed to keep traffic from blocking the intersection. With all the cars going by that are still full of snow he could have pulled over dozens  and given them tickets.

I'm five foot nothing and I have a telescopic windshield cleaning brush so I can clear even the roof of my Grand Vitara. If I didn't the snow would hit my windshield and I'd be driving blind. I even hate it when the little bits left over land on the back windshield. It's something I used to stop on side of road to clear when I still drove the Protege. I love the fact the Grand Vitara has a windshield wiper on the back window. I can keep it clear and clean and see out the window. With the Protege, I'd stop at the gas station several times a week just to clean the rear windshield in winter.

I wish I'd had my camera with me when I drove down St Regis this morning.  The trees on both sides of the road heavy with snow,  the road was all white and it was hard to see where the road stopped and the sky began, the lone person walking all in black, contrasting with everything being white, since it was snowing hard at that point. Turns out the person was one of my interns, who also happens to be dark skinned. Would have made a nice contrast.  I should learn to keep a camera with me at all times. Someone suggested that my cell phone has a camera. This is true, but taking a photo with a camera on a 4 year old cell phone compared to a SLR camera... well... for artistic photos, the cell phone will not do.