Every Other Day of the Week is Fine, Yeah
When there’s a big dump of snow overnight in Halifax I appreciate hearing the monster sound of neighbour Archie’s snow eating machine. I don’t think Archie likes me, he scowls at my backyard feeders because they attract birds, doesn’t like flowers and is annoyed at the idea that our rose petals might blow onto his property. Archie is a hedge man. He is, however, really good about using his snow eating machine to clear his neighbours sidewalks when he does his, and so I appreciate him doing it very much. He probably started doing our lawn with his gas mower and our walk with his gas snow blower when the elderly couple lived in our house before us. Archie is older than I am but he either had been doing it for so many years that it became routine, or something to do with my using a push mower and shoveling by hand, or all of that. He’s a grump, but he steadfastly does our lawns and walkways.
This Monday morning didn’t prove to be good weather for the snow eating monster machine, the snow being soaked with rain in the early hours. Archie and I found ourselves shoveling slush and frequently stopping and chatting about people having heart attacks doing this. He says the guy that used to own the corner store at the end of our lane just went for a triple bypass.
By the time I left for work there was still no word on The Big University closing and I hopped the bus not wanting to risk the walk. I was surprised people were on the roads they were so bad in North End Halifax, on our street a car went sliding past the house, like a slow motion movie scene, on the glazed road.
Made it in to work to find The Big University closed until 11:00. All my office mates are in and students are sitting in the lobby. It appears as though Big U was slow to put out the word that they were closed for the morning although other Universities and schools managed to make that call by 6am and catch most commuters. I’m here, I’m dry and my back is only a little sore from shoveling snow. Ah, yes, its 10:30 am, sitting at my desk and the cellphone just got a text message the University will re-open in an hour. Nice.
‘Monday, Monday it just turns out that way…’
The Missus on January 19th, 2009
Ah, the wheels of bureaucracy! How slowly they move. It always amazes me that the more “prestigious” the university, the more cutting edge and “relevant” they want to seem, and the more pokey they actually are. Like last week, when it took a whole day for the university online (in-house!) newsletter to report on the PCPC break-in. Somehow the external media covered it first!