Eve of Frankenstorm

Storm's a brewin'. Well, in New York, storm's a here and storm's a floodin'. What madness. I defy anyone to argue climate change isn't happening. New York is not prone to tropical storms, and the yearly storms and intense weather, be it extreme heat, drought, massive rainfall and lightning, is all getting out of hand.

The Dude and I had his oldest brother over for dinner. The Dude cooked steaks out on the BBQ, which couldn't get hot enough due to the wind and rain. In several hours, the storm will hit Toronto full steam ahead, and while floods aren't the major concern, the wind could reach 100 km per hour. I'm wondering if the power will go out. I live in a hundred-year-old home and there are some seriously old trees around this joint that I'm not entirely sure will sustain the gusts.

Mother Nature is so intense. The only time growing up I remember anything intense was Ice Storm '98. I was in grade 10 and had just turned 15. There were a few days off school, the power went out and we had to go to my Dad's, while my mom went to my Poppie's condo. The power lines were down and coated with ice. The entire neighbourhood was sleet and shining. Mom had driven home from work that night with McDonald's for us, and we were totally unaware that there even was a storm, having spent the evening hanging out in the rec room in the basement. I remember the whole thing being exciting.

This I'm not as jazzed about. No power in a house that retains heat very poorly could mean a chilly time. No hot food or drinks either. Storms are dark and so other than reading by candlelight (Where is a lighter in this place again?) I could wind up bored, bored, bored alone in this house for hours. As much as I enjoy a day off, I'm pretty hopeful the power will remain.

Being a kid during a storm is fun. Being an adult who has to be concerned about the logistics of life, not so much. But I really can't complain. I could live in New York. That's where the real problems are happening. What's a little power outage if at least I'm not being flooded out of my home?

Colder than Satan's Tit

I just got back home from Winterlicious. It wasn't bad. It wasn't exemplary either. The Craft Club crew went to this Indian restaurant, which had nice enough food, but served smaller portions, charged extra for naan, and could have had a bit more kick in the food. It came to $45 a piece, and we could have gotten better and more food and drink for less at other Indian restaurants we know.

It was my first "licious" event. There's a Summerlicious too. Meh. I guess it's good to try new places, even if you wind up a little disappointed. But it was nice to be out. Not so nice to be in the cold, though. Holy Murphy's shit, it was effing freezing out there. -17 degrees, man. No snow, just soul crushing subzero hell.

I kind of miss snow. Without it, this chill just feels like an angry cold slap in the face. Snow at least feels cozy. When I was a kid it meant snowmen and snow forts. Being out in snowy weather was cold and difficult, but somehow I always felt like I was on some sort of important journey, tromping through the snowy hills and whatnot. The absence of snow just makes it a pain in the ass.

I've been buying spring and summer dresses online. I'm practically counting the days till it's warm enough to live again. I haven't even given up dresses and skirts for winter. I just pile on the tights and sweaters and keep on truckin'. I just bought this one:

Feminine and sweet and most importantly for my body type: too short for the average woman, empire waist, and little room in the bust. Perfection.

I'm going to my hometown tomorrow to visit my friend for some needed girl time. I'm pretty jazzed. Not so jazzed about getting to the bus in this weather. But the ends will justify the means.