Stuck inside after a blizzard.
I hate blizzards. I hate the cold, the blowing wind, the snow, the zero visibility and the white-knuckle driving. On the other hand, it's Mother Nature's way of bringing your life to a standstill so you can catch up on whatever things you've fallen behind on. It's also an opportunity to invite your neighbors over for food and drink. And afterwards, you can make your front yard into a mini ski hill. Whatever you did during and after the blizzard, I hope you spent your time safely and had fun.
Cooked up some Laksa on Friday night as the storm raged outside.
I have been a winter driver here in Calgary for over 20 years, in all sorts of vehicles. I've had my share of scary moments where I've seen my life stand still, where seconds turn into eternity as my nails dig into my steering wheel and I wonder, "When am I gonna stop?" Driving in situations like this have become a part of life. You just have to remember to have common sense, leave a lot of extra space between the car ahead of you and drive slow.
Friday evening, I picked up the kids and stopped at T&T Supermarket to get some food for the weekend. During that time, I made another "Trip to the Asian Supermarket" video for the YouTube channel and picked up ingredients for the Laksa cooking video. I felt very productive. Earlier that day, I took advantage of the approaching storm to record a nice video greeting for BusanKevin's Xmas collaboration video.
Once dinner was sorted out, all we had to do was sit around and chill out. I drank wine and surfed the internet as the wind blew.
By Saturday morning, the wind had stopped blowing and I was already bored of being stuck inside. The street outside was alive with neighbors shovelling away the snow from the previous night, carving out paths in the huge drifts so they could get to their vehicles, also buried in the white stuff. I had to get out. My friend, Sue had invited some neighbors over for food and wine so I knew what I had to do.
Poutine: Canada's single most glorious contribution to food.
After a little lunch, I picked up some wine and made my way to Sue's place. Upon my arrival, I saw the neighborhood kids having a great time sledding in the front yard. Sue made two huge mounds at the top of the front yard for the kids to drop in from, sliding all the way down to the street. Tried my hand dropping in strapped to a snowboard. Results were not so good.
Sue's improvised 'Ski Hill'
Drinking lots of wine is a great way to warm up
Had a great time with Sue's neighbors. Drank wine and rum and cokes, using ice we made out on the deck. The kids played all evening upstairs, then came down later to watch a dvd. At the end, they were asleep on the couches til morning. A wonderful evening.
Sunday was my birthday. It was of course, cold. The kids bundled up and hit the 'ski hill' again before we went for a trip to Value Village for some shopping. After picking up a retro track jacket, we said our goodbyes to Sue. Went home later and took a nap as the kids played games. I was awoken by a phone call at about 5:30 pm. It was Kim reminding me of the dinner she had cooked.
I dropped off the kids, and made my way to Bridgeland. I had forgot about Kim's dinner, seeing as we had only talked about it briefly on Friday on the phone. I thought it would be a nice way to wind down a nice weekend. So I get to her place, take off my jacket and walk into the kitchen, like I always do. I notice that in the livingroom, there are appetizers on the coffee table. Hmm. I'm thinking that it was nice of her to make a special dinner on my birthday, so I walk into the livingroom.
Surprise...
A smile comes across my face as I come around the corner and see my closest friends sitting on the couch. With Kim starting to laugh, Kaori, Sue and Miyuki start to laugh at the look on my face. Food, good conversation and more wine follow.
Happy Birthday to ME!
As much as I hate the thought of getting closer and closer to 40, I still think that the best years of my life are ahead of me. I have great friends, I am independent, creative and I love my kids. What more do I need in my life?
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