Category: Weather

brekky at Fraser Park Restaurant

I had the two slice french toast and two cups of their excellent coffee. And their weird but yummy homemade swossages.  Website.

It’s rainy and windy, not an elegant day at all. Certainly not as bad as poor Britain yesterday, lashed by 90 mile an hour winds and some of the scariest airport missed approaches I’ve seen in a while, trees over and bins in the next county and people racing sitting on skateboards while holding shopping bags and getting blown down the sidewalk.

FINALLY got Mary’s letter in the mail.

I have a three day list of tasks in front of me, let’s see how much I can get done now that I have something resembling energy and mood.

Doreen Manuel a Secwépemc woman made these beaded kicks and they are amazing. Support your Land Water Protectors today!

Family

Saw the Fam today when Jeff and I took Alex’s computer over to Caspell Junction; he was thrilled and we actually had a family chinwag and it was so lovely.

Spoke to Peggy on the phone; I wish I could recount even a third of what we talked about, given how hard we were laughing but no, it’s all either not my story or unsuitable for repetition. It was good to hear her laugh.

Spoke to mOm on the phone and conveyed to her that we had a little window of family happiness today and it was lovely.

I am starting to have the strange feeling that this is a bone problem, not an innards problem. You will recollect that I fell in the spring and hurt my ribs.  This is starting to feel similar. Anyway, I still have pain, but it may be just ordinary back pain with shovelling pain on top. And I can sleep so it’s not that bad.

BC is about to experience an atmospheric river AGAIN 72 hours of solid rain, on top of snow goddamn.

Trolls come out to play

Boy Howdy if you want to get shat on in subreddits ? supporting trans people is def the way to do it.

Still very sore in my muscles but the walkways look great LOL. Weather today involves rude amounts of wind, so charge your devices.

Tiny bits of writing.

Made a really nice bean stew / sorta chili last night. Forgot to seal the instant pot but it cooked up okay anyway. (after enlivening Jeff’s evening. IT HISSETH MOST SCARILY)

One can Heinz veggie beans, two cans diced tomatoes, one can black beans, one cup frozen corn, one can garbanzos, one can red kidney beans. Half teaspoon of cayenne, teaspoon of cumin, many many many shakes of garlic powder, a shake of black pepper, and no added salt.

The astronomers are watching a star blow up in real time, and it sounds really cool, although the event itself is rather warm.

 

shovelling was horrible

My back hurts from shovelling so much in the last week that I collapsed around ten and slept for about four hours. I’m scared to take my blood pressure, but I will. Please be advised that Jeff shoved more snow around than I did.

No Suzanne today. Either next Thursday or this weekend, depending on when and whether the weather tries to fucking kill us next. Streets as icy af.

We FINALLY FOUND WALKWAY SALT my God that took a while.

Alex Fraser Bridge closed by cops, both ways, around noon today. Skytrain morning commute on the Expo line by all accounts a disaster.

However there has been no power interruption, and I give the workers of BC Hydro a wave of appreciation for their labour.

And I got a wholesome award today on reddit, and talked to a neighbour to make sure he had salt as well.

 

Lovely to see Tammy last night

We got two kinds of Japanese takeout (far too salty, but oh so tasty) and ate at her accommodations, which included a view of the Science Centre. She was half a block from a taxi stand, and I got home just as the temperature was dropping and it was about to snow. I haven’t had the courage to look outside yet, but I need to pee so…

Yup, there’s another 3 cm out there, just as the prophecy foretold.

Moar effin precip

Moar shovelling today I imagine. It’s supposed to stop today and start again tomorrow, might be as much as 15 cm but my heart misgives me and I think it will be more. AND STILL THERE IS NO SALT IN THE STORES.

Much horror, humour, excitement and a happy ending –  with the fam over in Victoria – yesterday. To preserve the privacy and dignity of those involved I shall say nothing here except that we are all well, and perhaps some of us collected some bruises. I shall also note that in the midst of my hysterics (yup, cried like a baby on the phone with my mOm), when I was first informed of the precipitating event, that I kept my cheese assembled long enough to provide useful and actionable advice to someone under stress, so go me. Everything came out as okay as it can but I sure learned that I’m a hair from weeping and flailing about pretty much anytime.

Jeff and I, partly because of the effin precip, partly because of the news, and partly because (WAVES HAND OVER THE IDEA THAT A MILLION AMERICANS AND QUITE A FEW CANADIANS GOT DIAGNOSED WITH COVID YESTERDAY) did not have a fantabulous day yesterday. I ran the dishwasher and shovelled and fed the birdies but other than that I can assure you I did not do a thing. Okay, I did write 1391 words on the ‘meet cute in the airport during a snowstorm’ story.

Tammy comes to town today to visit friends and fam on her way to Hawaii. Fingers crossed for her travel luck; there’s a break in the weather on both ends but if COVID knocks too many people off work, that plane won’t leave… Like I said fingers crossed. She’s double boostered. If anyone is safe to travel in a pressurized aluminum skin full of plague she is. She just messaged me to say her flight’s still showing on time. With luck she’ll call me a little after noon.

I observe that when white people stick their noses in the ‘pan-Indigenous’ concept it’s usually about control over, grift from and erasure of distinct nations and persons. Only nations can determine belonging and categories of belonging. It isn’t a single, simple concept or law.

I have opened YET ANOTHER PROJECT FILE this one non-fiction. It’s called Common Human Cognitive Issues and What to Do About Them. I realize I have zero experience with that! (actually that’s not true, but it wasn’t peer reviewed, which is a grift anyway) which is why it’s going to be a jolly parody of self-help books.

7 am and I’m a tad underslept

She’s only been booted off twitter for a week, but Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bile emissions in twitter form are gone for now thank Christ. One of my faves said good so I wrote a leel poem

alas alas / tis for a week / then once again/  she’ll start to beak.

Then another of my faves said NO IT’S PERMANENT and so…. I bringeth you the newis gladde!

Shoulda put ‘BURMA SHAVE’ at the end of that poem.

Today, a plan of action for all the medical related stuff I have to do. Get my tits squoze for health and science! (Mammogram appointment, the arrangement thereof.) Overnight BP monitoring! I DO NOT WANT IT, NOT AT ALL, EXCUSE ME, because they warn you that you won’t sleep that well, but at least I got my BP down substantially before I’m doing it, which is cheating OR IS IT. Remember that adequate roborative sleep is REQUIRED for lowering BP and then they give you a gadget that prevents you from sleeping properly.

scuse me? Say waht? You’re going to find out what my blood pressure is doing over a 24 hour period during which I have to forego restful sleep, get bent.

Also, getting re-ups on the Metformin and the Crestor and the Inderal. (So glad Jeff nagged me into using a weekly pill organizer, what a difference.) My abdominal pains and brain fog might actually be the Crestor, but didn’t I have that before?? tho’ in general I’m no longer getting side effects (except for the poopiness of Metformin, and I will never forget my convo with mOm about that, it definitely sticks out in the rear view…ahem) from the meds I’ve been prescribed.

Also, a plan of action for THE ADDITIONAL SNOW THAT AN ANGRY DEITY WHIZZED OUT ON US. WHEN WE HAVE NO ROADWAY SALT. grr. AND NONE TO BE HAD IN THE PNW calice tabarnak

I appear to have lost a couple of pounds, hopefully it’ll make that unprofessional ice witch of an RN at my doctor’s office chide me less.

ALSO, more writing, since I’m in the mood again, and I’m in a nicely domestic portion of it. Domestic Alternate Universe (AU) is mah bag. Sleepy cuddles and changing bandages, happy sigh.

One kudo from AO3 this morning, for my second most recent story. That one seems to have landed very well among the fandom. (mOm liked it too)

I keep thinking how weird it is that I literally feel better (less foggy, more energetic) than I have in ages but I really did not get a lot of sleep. Good thing my whole life is configured around my bed. Which I changed the sheets of last night, and restuffed my bolster too. (Had to use my feet, get in there ya goddam pillows.)

Gosh that sounds rude. But it gets ruder still.

“Henry Cavill can stuff my bolster any time. But maybe not with his feet.”

I only say this sexually harassing thing to segue into how Henry Cavill gets sexually harassed (fondled and called yummy etc etc) mostly by young white women bingo callers (callback to Frank Magazine – bingo callers = television personalities) on the tube all the bloody time BUT if I ever met Henry Cavill in real life I’d try to have a conversation with him about his dog (the one he says saved his life) and maybe how he’s a fucking icon for mental health and gaming being an activity for everyone and I wouldn’t say a thing about how his frame is nigh perfect; it’s not the most important thing about him. Nothing about the work, because apart from his grunting and swordsmanship in The Witcher, which is world class, I’m not really familiar with a lot of his oeuvre. He was so very adorable in I Capture the Castle though, I remember that much.

Jeff and I have had a couple of laugh until you cry moments recently. I watched some ads go by on fast forward while Jeff was watching the Rose Bowl and I conflated that Tom Hiddleston and Kate McKinnon were now in a show called the Spy Who Dumped Me. I thought that sounded great and I wanted to watch it and Jeff said, well, you were watching ads for a series of shows and movies on a network and none of the images you saw had anything to do with each other. I felt very stupid but abrumptly we were both laughing our asses off. It was one of those why are we laughing moments. But I try to read meaning into everything and having my assumptions reproved in such a kind way landed as hilarious.

The Spy Who Dumped Me is a 2018 movie with a 6.1/10 rating.

 

nuts!

My Nut Hut order arrived; pecans for snacks, chocolate wafers for snacks, almonds for biscotti and 5 pounds sunflower seeds for the tweety birds.

It’s snowing, immense flakes, banging on down.

Asked Buster this morning. Brush? Treats? Door? Door it was.

Schlep this morning. Biggest ticket item was triple A batteries. Jeff stays back because there’s no reason to both go in. Wore my KN95 masks, as I do all the time now. As much as I love the SUPER COMFY triple layer kitty cat mask Jan Maxwell made for me (her xmas card turned up today as well) the epidemiology is pretty clear, the 95’s are better at keeping other people’s pathogens off you. Checked everything I picked up for sodium and man did I put a lot of shit back.

Black holes can make the suns orbiting them go 31 MILLION KPH. nnnnneeeeeeoOOWWWWW

Made mac and two cheeses with fried onions and capers yesterday… Paul came through and had a big bowl of it; he was dropping off his computer, which is illing, and we hung out and watched/listened to Tripping by Nils Frahm which is  something mOm and pOp’d like it.

Alexander’s computer has been paid for and shipping confirmation received. So exciting! I’ll be rounding up the usual suspects looking for a contribution but I won’t be pressing anyone until my credit card bill comes in.

The Saveon hasn’t had pot barley in stock since August and literally does not know when more will come in. I am aghast. I finally found a soup everybody loves and got no ingredients!

I spent two days in bed after getting the booster shot (same day as the flu shot so yes both arms hurt like hell, nothing today except a tiny ache on the Pfizer side) and finally feel like a human being again this morning. My digestion was SO BAD – I actually sent an email to mOm to complain about it, and apologized …and I was hardly eating. Honestly, I felt worse than I’ve done when I was running a temperature, all my long bone joints ached like I’d been beaten. On the plus side, my BP was 133 over 87 this morning and that’s literally the best it’s been in more than a year.

Jeff has completed his repairs of the downstairs terlet. Rejoice, rejoice!

I am getting super sweet comments on my last fic posted, which is giving me life. Apparently I manifested something that one of the fans has been wishing for for a decade, so that’s some serious fan service. mOm said she enjoyed it. I’ve stopped writing the really porny stuff and now it’s just angsty domestic schmoop.

The three stories I’m working on right now (settings: Denver Airport during a blizzard, BC Highway 3 just after the middle of November, a tourist town in Maine) ARE NOT BEHAVING, so I’m having to retrace my steps a lot.

sleepy day

I was asleep most of yesterday but I feel fine this morning. Clearheaded and properly slept.

So far this week I’ve gotten kudos every day for the stories I’ve put on AO3. It’s nice to know someone is enjoying them.

Boris Johnson told journalists that he has ‘buyer’s remorse’ from marrying his most recent wife. What a fucking asshole, srsly.

The RCMP is arresting journalists for doing their jobs and not releasing them from jail.

Jeff and I can’t stop thinking about K*le Shitinhouse and Amber Bracken.

AND BC IS ABOUT TO RECEIVE MORE RAIN. North Central Coast and interior. It likely will not be an atmospheric river of the size of the last one (which made the epithet ‘Biblical’ look size small) but it will hamper rescue efforts and kill more livestock and render more people homeless WELCOME TO YOUR 2020s

 

the Barrowtown pumping station is about to fail

it’s apparently the second biggest pumping station in North America

and if it fails

surrounded as it is with 150 volunteers packing sandbags as fast as they can

Sumas Lake will reappear after 97 years

50% of the eggs and dairy for BC will be gone, possibly never to return

and collectively we will have lost one of the most critical pieces of farmland in BC history

 

you need a million calories a year and 5000 litres of water

LATER

anyway the mayor and chief of police in Abby have reported that the pumping station is holding but it was a near thing

 

what’s closed

  • Hwy 1 between Hope and Lytton
  • Hwy 1 between Lytton and Spences Bridge
  • Hwy 3 between Hope and Manning Park
  • Hwy 3 between Princeton and Keremeos
  • Hwy 3 near Fernie
  • Hwy 5 between Hope and Merritt
  • Hwy 7 on both sides of Agassiz
  • Hwy 7 between Maple Ridge and Mission
  • Hwy 11 between Mission and Abbotsford
  • Hwy 93 between Radium Hot Springs and the BC-Alberta border
  • Hwy 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet

from Kelownanow News

They’re evacuating about 7 blocks of Merritt BC right now

Those fuckers in the provincial government, who passed on the cell phone alert system for weather that the rest of Canada has, have been bald-faced saying that they haven’t heard of any deaths and that weather alerts ‘are for local governments to handle as per their local requirements’. YEAH THANKS A PANTLOAD Mike.

No deaths have been reported in the MSM but I have seen pics that make it impossible to believe we got through this unscathed in terms of loss of life, and farm animals and wildlife have almost for sure been victims.

The storm has dumped up to 250 mm of rain on an enormous swathe of Solh Temexw. The average yearly rainfall is 2351 mm, so that’s one tenth of the annual precip in 48 hours.

I know that this is the wet coast, but I’d like you to picture how we get 2351 mm of precip annually in Vancouver and got ~250 mm in 48 hours (probably closer to 180 here, but BIBLICAL). To put it another way we normally get the same amount of rain in the entire month of November. Locally *as at the Burnaby South collection station* 100 mm in the last 24 hours.

MY EVIDENCE

The wind picked up and rolled Paul’s red canoe.

On its Twitter page, the City of Burnaby says the following roads are closed until further notice:

  • Still Creek Drive from Eastbrook to Douglas
  • Douglas from Norland to Goring
  • Westminster Avenue from Still Creek to Regent Street
  • Limited access to Regent Street from Douglass Road

Image

from twitter. East Abbotsford overlooking Matsqui. On a normal day there are no fucking lakes there. Name of photographer will be added if learned. From @justmehereM

I’m now getting pics from reddit about condo building parking structures flooding in Langley. People are joking shut up now they’ll charge an extra 200 per month for pool maintenance….

Tulameen and Princeton are also as of noon today subject to evac orders.

Roundup of news I cannot use

Queen Elizabeth was hospitalized for tests on Wednesday. Some wag on twitter was exclaiming that she couldn’t possibly have it lined up to die on Remembrance Sunday. Personally I think she’ll at least make her mother’s advanced age, she drinks less than her mom Mary did.

The fucking TURNER DIARIES a horrific pile of racist trash about white supremacists attacking Washington, like that never happened, is carried by the venerable Powell’s Books hq’d in Portland. Now, candidly, I wouldn’t mind because I’m not keen on censorship, but the fucking REVIEW OF THE BOOK is stomach churning.

Because ALMOST FOR SURE Powells is going to get fucking roasted and take it down, I’ve copied it in jpg form.

To say that this is glossing over a) one of the worst novels ever written in English which b) shows the protagonists killing Black people like they were houseflies and c) CONTINUES TO INSPIRE GUNTOTING FASCIST SYMPS is putting it small. Read the Wikipedia article if you want to see what they’re window dressing for.

DISGUSTING.

Canada FINALLY has a vaccine passport. I don’t mean to fly any more but I would like to see my friends in the US of A and this is a step forward.

ALEX IS COMING AT 4 PM TODAY.

Barometer so low I thought my head would explode yesterday. I couldn’t get anything done I was so distracted. Paul took me for a short walk but the kids on the school grounds were too plentiful, running on the path, and Paul needed the washroom so it was abbreviated.