Good evening and Greetings of Peace to all!
I'm not sure how much I've blogged about taking the bus here, but it is so very different from Montreal that it isn't even really fair to compare the two systems at all, kind of like apples and oranges!
Yestarday it was about -29 or -30ish. As usual I dressed warmly and walked to work. Dressing warmly when it is this cold involves snowpants, warm jacket, heavy-duty gloves (which I purchased a little while ago from Canadian Tire), a hat, and a neck warmer. The only thing I don't have is a good pair of boots. My boots are ever-so-lovely, very classic, very 'Sumayyah'. But they aren't very warm. I haven't found a good pair of boots here that I actually want to buy yet, so far my strategy is to try to last with my Hush Puppies.
When it is this cold out, and you walk for 1/2 hr, weird things start to happen. Some parts of you become overheated, like your torso, sometimes your hands and your neck. Other parts become wet then freeze, for example, the neckwarmer. You breathe into it and it becomes moist, then it becomes frosty because it is so cold. Your warm breath also cause frost to develop on your eyelashes! I'm not kidding! It is the weirdest sensation, your eyelashes become heavy and you eyes start to stick together. Then when you enter a building where it is colder, the ice and frost on your eyelashes melts instantaneously and your face is wet with 'tears'.
So, all of that to say that I heard it was going to be -42 C today and I thought I would do myself a favour and take the bus. The bus comes close to the house, it is $2.50 and I hardly ever take it, but there are only 2 bus routes for the entire city so how hard can it really be? It takes about 7 minutes to get to work by bus. I went out to catch the bus at 9:24 am. It was supposed to come at 9:27. Normally, if I were walking I would leave the house at 9:35 to get to work at 10:00. The bus didn't come! I waited until 9:45. I started losing sensation in my toes first. Then my legs started to freeze (silly me wore a skirt with no pants thinking I would be nice and toasty on the bus!). Then my hands, my chin, my mouth. Finally I decided to suck it up and wait for the next bus at 9:57. I already invested to much time waiting for this horrid bus to wimp out and go home to call a cab.
So after freezing my various body parts off, the bus finally did come. There was frost on my mittins, my toes were numb, and there was actually frost on my skirt. As I was getting off the bus (late for work), the bus driver apologized that I had to wait for the 9:57 bus. He said that he was early and didn't realize I would be at the stop at that time. I had no idea how he knew that I waited (did I look that cold?), I just said it was fine and went on my usual business. Then I told one of my coworkers what had happened and she said he probably saw me when he was doing the opposite route, which makes sense.
There are 2 bus routes in Yellowknife. There aren't any transfers. If you want to take the next bus the first bus driver calls the second bus driver on his cell phone and tells him you already paid. The bus drivers know the name of the regular bus users and sometimes if a kid isn't at a stop, they will call the other bus driver and find out if the kid was spotted. It is kind of quaint really. Nothing like taking the bus in Montreal.
I'm not sure how much I've blogged about taking the bus here, but it is so very different from Montreal that it isn't even really fair to compare the two systems at all, kind of like apples and oranges!
Yestarday it was about -29 or -30ish. As usual I dressed warmly and walked to work. Dressing warmly when it is this cold involves snowpants, warm jacket, heavy-duty gloves (which I purchased a little while ago from Canadian Tire), a hat, and a neck warmer. The only thing I don't have is a good pair of boots. My boots are ever-so-lovely, very classic, very 'Sumayyah'. But they aren't very warm. I haven't found a good pair of boots here that I actually want to buy yet, so far my strategy is to try to last with my Hush Puppies.
When it is this cold out, and you walk for 1/2 hr, weird things start to happen. Some parts of you become overheated, like your torso, sometimes your hands and your neck. Other parts become wet then freeze, for example, the neckwarmer. You breathe into it and it becomes moist, then it becomes frosty because it is so cold. Your warm breath also cause frost to develop on your eyelashes! I'm not kidding! It is the weirdest sensation, your eyelashes become heavy and you eyes start to stick together. Then when you enter a building where it is colder, the ice and frost on your eyelashes melts instantaneously and your face is wet with 'tears'.
So, all of that to say that I heard it was going to be -42 C today and I thought I would do myself a favour and take the bus. The bus comes close to the house, it is $2.50 and I hardly ever take it, but there are only 2 bus routes for the entire city so how hard can it really be? It takes about 7 minutes to get to work by bus. I went out to catch the bus at 9:24 am. It was supposed to come at 9:27. Normally, if I were walking I would leave the house at 9:35 to get to work at 10:00. The bus didn't come! I waited until 9:45. I started losing sensation in my toes first. Then my legs started to freeze (silly me wore a skirt with no pants thinking I would be nice and toasty on the bus!). Then my hands, my chin, my mouth. Finally I decided to suck it up and wait for the next bus at 9:57. I already invested to much time waiting for this horrid bus to wimp out and go home to call a cab.
So after freezing my various body parts off, the bus finally did come. There was frost on my mittins, my toes were numb, and there was actually frost on my skirt. As I was getting off the bus (late for work), the bus driver apologized that I had to wait for the 9:57 bus. He said that he was early and didn't realize I would be at the stop at that time. I had no idea how he knew that I waited (did I look that cold?), I just said it was fine and went on my usual business. Then I told one of my coworkers what had happened and she said he probably saw me when he was doing the opposite route, which makes sense.
There are 2 bus routes in Yellowknife. There aren't any transfers. If you want to take the next bus the first bus driver calls the second bus driver on his cell phone and tells him you already paid. The bus drivers know the name of the regular bus users and sometimes if a kid isn't at a stop, they will call the other bus driver and find out if the kid was spotted. It is kind of quaint really. Nothing like taking the bus in Montreal.
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Knitting is Busy Idleness II
I finally finished my second scarf. This one is for cousin Matthew who in South America right now. He didn't think I would be finished the scarf before he got back, he teased me about being a 'slow' knitter. So just for the record, I am not a slow knitter. The first scarf I made for Mariane did take me a while, but that is because it was the first thing I ever knit! This scarf is the second, and it took me about 2 weeks from start to finish. I worked on during my lunch hour at work and some evenings at home. It is quite lovely if I do say so myself. Unfortunately Matthew isn't here to model for the blog, his previous appearance generated some comments from my female coworkers.
"Oh that's your cousin, he is cute!"....whatever! You were supposed to look at the scarf, the model is there to serve a greater purpose!
2 comments:
so a true winter in the north it can b colder when there is a prairiewind -81 below farenheit wind chill was my coldest experience in regina talk 2 u soon ljh
the bus system sounds so cute!
good job on the scarf- very nice!
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