Howdy Folks!

Well, me and the Missus are snowed in up here on the North Shore of Vancouver. North Vancouver is SOCKED IN (as we sometimes say in CanuckLand) and all our social activities have been cancelled. Said Missus has crashed for a nap, and in general it looks like a pretty quiet Xmas Eve here, so I thought I'd run a blog here of my activities so that everyone can ignore them and get on with their lives.

Ok, firstly - Some Balcony SNIPING:
(shot just now from the comfort of my semi-heated living room on the 3rd floor)

Soon to Come: MORE STUNNING EVIDENCE OF GLOBAL MOISTURE FREEZING!!

Okay - it is important that you realize that we DO NOT GET THIS KIND OF WEATHER WHERE I LIVE - and YET - here it IS!!!

I know all you folks that live above the Arctic Circle (and in parts of Antarctica) probably are thinking "SHUT THE FECK UP, REINMAN" but for those of us who live on Canada's West Coast this weather is truly certifiably INSANE.

Okay - some more shots from the safety of the inside of my home:











PLEASE NOTE: I am currently heating up some HOT CHOCOLATE which I will consume (perhaps with something to ADD SOME PEP TO IT?) and then I'm grabbing my weatherproof digital cam and I'm going to get some shots from the STREET!



Yes - I know you WANT THAT and so I shall brave the ELEMENTS to bring it TO YOU!!!

global warming............

Okay - I did it the OTHER way around.



I decided to go outside FIRST and then have the HOT CHOCOLATE when I got back inside. BRILLIANT IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF!

[pictures FROM THE STREET are forthcoming]

[I know I know - you JUST can't WAIT!]

FROM THE STREETS OF NORTH VANCOUVER
XMAS EVE 2008

First - a bigger PANO - CLICK HERE to see the home of the ReinMan if you DARE! (we're the last apartment on the top left)

View from Inside looking OUTSIDE:



The CleanUP crew:



All the rich folk FINALLY get to use their bloody 4x4 drives (they must be SO happy :



All the not-so rich folk (and the "practical" & "green" folk) get to experience the wonders and power of the Greater Vancouver Transit Authority (they must be SO happy :

What Comes Next:



Yay SLUSH! It destroys your shoes and rots your mind! And in two days we get 20~30 cm of rainfall. Can you say "SUPER SLUSH"? Sure - I knew you COULD!



We are so used to UMBRELLAS here on the Wet Coast that we even use them when it snows - this woman is calling a friend to see if she can borrow his shovel - he MAY misinterpret this request (of COURSE he will - he's a MAN! ):

It is true.... though she MAY NOT BE TRULY HAPPY. See might just be on THE EDGE OF GOING MENTAL ! ! !

One thing that some of you folks from a WARMER CLIMATE might not know (and it is something that EVERY RED BLOODED CANADIAN KNOWS FROM BIRTH!) is that extreme winter weather like this can cause "mental" imbalance called CABIN FEVER.



This usually results in strange hallucinations and blurred speech and slurred vision. (not necessarily in that order)

Insanity-like behavior AND "happy" behavior can have OTHER causes besides NASTY WEATHER.

OR

SO

I've

HEARD!!

well......I've got the same crappy weather here and I don't have to go outside for a couple days..........

I......am SO happy!

oh yeah...............I've got that too.............."CHEERS"!!!!!

This thread will get my stamp of approval when I hear a Reinsong aboot snow!!!

Glad you is HAPPY, Vet! Merry Xmas and Happy New Beer!


OKAY- BACK TO THE STREETS!!!!!!

People drive crazy during this kind of weather here... they are used to rain on the roads but not 9" of slush and mucus-like crap up to their hubcaps. Things can get pretty wild and NASTY!



Some people enjoy extra CARDIOVASCULAR workouts and some of us enjoy taking pictures of them doing so:



But then, at the end of the day... This IS Canada after all, the Great White North!



Okay - that's about it for now. We'll see how things go tonight... it appears to be getting DARK out now and I suspect that tendancy with increase as the hours go by.

Perhaps, if you all BEHAVE, i'll go take some PRETTY PICHURS of the Christmas lights around my neighborhood!

Chow for now,
Happy Hellidays and Elf-Mongering,

That's going to be fun to walk on when it freezes over!