Have I really been doing this for 2 months?

I think it really sunk in this morning. I'm sitting with my coffee in front of me, limited stress (I teach all day one day and have the next day to prep... it's the prep day), I just finished reading The G&M, and I had a moderately enjoyable sleep last night. Why did it sink in that I've been in the Okanagan for 2 months?? One word: weather.

So, it's bloody cold. Well, I guess it's not, really, considering southern Alberta is looking at temperatures in the negative teens WITHOUT the wind chill factor. However, let us recall that I'd been living in the temperate paradise known as Victoria for the past 3 years. People say that I'm from Alberta, so this whole cold/snow/wind thing shouldn't really affect me. And this even SEEMS like a plausible point. HOWEVER, it took me a total of 12 minutes to become acclimated to the west coast weather and Victoria only receives about 2 days of snow a year. Sure, the outlying areas might enjoy (or recoil in horror to) a bit more snow and maybe a touch of sleet and misery, but it's limited, especially when you don't venture outside of Victoria unless it's summertime or Christmas vacation. In other words, I'm a big wuss.

I haven't used that word in years. It just looks funny. WUSS. Is that even how you spell such a charming colloquialism?

Yes, I had my winter 3-in-1 style jacket one, as well as a warm toque and a sweater underneath all of this bulk. But I don't even have a pair of bloody mitts or long johns any more! So my skinny fingers were losing their feeling. Luckily, I was running a bit late to the bus today so I was doing my best power-walking impression to get to the bus on time. And this also helped to keep the blood moving in my lower extremedies. But it's still bloody cold. Frost. Frostbite. Wind chills. Negative temperatures. Idling cars. Lock de-icer. Frozen bits of breath in the air.

These things made me realize that I'm not in Victoria anymore, Toto. I'm in a new place with new challenges and something resembling a career. What the heck happened to the carefree days of travelling foreign continents and being a patron at a variety of nightclubs while working at another club? I shouldn't be surprised... it's been a long time coming. The grey hairs prove it. Sometimes it just hits you like a bag of bricks to the solar plexis.

- T