Be careful out there.

[lance_sibley]

I left work at 6:45, having finished work on adding a postal code lookup to one of our web pages. That's about 20 minutes earlier than usual - I figured that I'd still end up getting home around the same time, which is about 8:30, given the weather.

I just walked in the door at 10:01.

First, the Viva Blue bus I was on got stuck on ice about two blocks south of where I got on. The driver kicked us all off after about 20 minutes of spinning her wheels, so we started walking back to where I'd gotten on the bus in the first place. The snow was so heavy that I didn't realize for a full minute that I was actually walking on the road rather than the sidewalk. Fortunately, the first vehicle to come along was the next bus, which stopped to let us all on despite the fact that we were nowhere near the stop.

Then, the driver announced that Yonge Street was closed south of Highway 7 (which was BS, as there was northbound traffic when we got there - perhaps it was only closed for southbound traffic, but cars seemed to be using it anyway), so he kicked us all off at Richmond Hill Centre. Fortunately, there was a York Region bus #99 there waiting. The 99's route takes it from Finch (where I get on in the morning) to Bernard Terminal, which is about three quarters of the way to work.

However, becaue of Yonge being "closed", the driver had to find an alternate route. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to know any of the streets other than Yonge and had to get a passenger to tell her how to get over to Bayview (though she called it Bathurst, which is in the opposite direction). We then took Bayview down to Steeles, Steeles back to Yonge, and Yonge down to Finch.

All told, the entire trip took a little over three hours.

If you're in the path of this storm, and you don't have to go anywhere, don't.

Now I'm off to make dinner... then find out if Air Canada's seat sale is still going, and if I can get a cheap(ish) flight to Boston in a week and a half.

Comments

[ghstlght74.livejournal.com]

:o( I guess it probably wouldn't have been any better if you had a car huh? Even though I have this vision of snow that is glamorous, though it has it's downside as well.

So what you going to Boston for?? I absolutely love that city. Incidentally I fell in love with that city in the snow. Here, that a look at one of my pictures from Boston.

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

Well, if I had a car, the police would probably look askance at me because I've never gotten a license. ;)

I'm going to Boskone 45 (http://www.nesfa.org/Boskone/), one of Boston's local science fiction conventions. I have some meetings to attend for Anticipation (http://www.anticipationsf.ca/English/Home) - the Tech co-ordinator and, I believe, the heads of Facilities and the Hugo Awards (the latter two of which are reporting to me), will be there.

I've never actually been to a Boskone before, though I've been to Boston for two Worldcons and a Gaylaxicon. Plus my parents took me to Cape Cod when I was about three, but my only real memory of that trip was getting my first bicycle. (Yeah, I know that's weird.)

That's a fantastic picture. It looks kind of romantic. :)

[thespian.livejournal.com]

dude, you totally are coming to the wrong boston winter convention.

I know you have your reasons, but if you're at Boskone, and you don't come to Arisia next year, I'll just have to disown you.

I call sunday brunch.

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

dude, you totally are coming to the wrong boston winter convention.

I know, I know... I've been wanting to go to Arisia since I met two really hot guys who were wearing Arisia t-shirts... I want to say at Noreascon 4, but I think it was earlier than that.

I really wanted to go to L.A. for Gallifrey next weekend instead, but duty calls. (I went to Gallifrey two years ago and had a fantastic time; I had to skip last year's because my finances were getting tight, and then I landed my job a couple of weeks later.)

I know you have your reasons, but if you're at Boskone, and you don't come to Arisia next year, I'll just have to disown you.

*gulp*

I call sunday brunch.

It's a deal. :)

[ghstlght74.livejournal.com]

Looks like you're going to have some fun. I personally have never been to a Con before. :o( Though if Neil Gaiman is going to be at Anticipation, I might just have to try and get some funds together to go, lucky I have over a year. *smirks*

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

Looks like you're going to have some fun.

Well, when I'm not in meetings. :)

A little history: I got this screen name because one night I was talking to my favourite bartender at the bar I go to, and I was telling him about how I was working on what was then Toronto Trek (now Polaris), Conthulu and Torcon (the 2003 Worldcon), and was trying to get a Queer As Folk con started. He said, "Your problem is, you're the boy who can't say 'no'." I was so amused by that comment that I took the quote out of context and started using it as a signature quote in email and on message boards. Then when a group of my friends conspired to set up an account here for me, that was the name they chose.

So I do seem to have a problem when it comes to volunteering to work on cons. :) In fact, a few months ago when I was in Atlanta for Gaylaxicon, it was suggested to me that I mount a bid for Montreal in 2010 (I chaired 2006's con, here in Toronto). So far I have about half a dozen people who are interested in working on it...

I personally have never been to a Con before. :o( Though if Neil Gaiman is going to be at Anticipation, I might just have to try and get some funds together to go, lucky I have over a year. *smirks*

Most of the big names in SF literature go to almost every Worldcon - they do a lot of business there with editors and publishers, and I know of at least one publisher that has closed parties at Worldcons for their roster of authors, artists, editors, etc. It's a combination fan convention and professional conference. So if you can't make Anticipation (though I would love for you to be able to), Neil Gaiman's at pretty much every year's Worldcon.

(One of these years I have to get around to reading something of his besides Good Omens, his collaboration with Terry Pratchett... problem is, my to-read pile is huge.)

OMG!

[ghstlght74.livejournal.com]

(One of these years I have to get around to reading something of his besides Good Omens, his collaboration with Terry Pratchett... problem is, my to-read pile is huge.)

You've just got to move him to the top of that pile!! I've read just about everything he's published from Neverwhere (I even own the BBC Series on DVD) up to Coraline and Anansi Boys (Which of course is the sequel to American Gods). Stardust is a quick read, or even Smoke and Mirrors which is his collection of short stories. When I used to work at B&N I made it a point to get all his novels in hardback. :-) If you can't tell I like Neil Gaiman, just blame my best friend mamma_fire_bear. She turned me on to him by introducing me to the Sandman series.

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

I guess it probably wouldn't have been any better if you had a car huh?

Depends. Some people hate driving in snow, but in a car you wouldn't be thrown off in the middle of nowhere to wait several blocks in a snowstorm.

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

No, but if a bus can get trapped on ice, imagine how much easier it would be for a car to get stuck.

And it could have been much, much worse - a few stops south of there, and we really would have been in the middle of nowhere, as there are long stretches with no stops between Richmond Hill and Aurora. (I think it's technically the town of Oak Ridges, but it's even less built-up than Aurora is.)

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

It may depend on the car, but, based on anecdotal evidence observed over the last couple of weeks, trucks/buses seem more likely to become trapped because they can't get past a slippery surface (usually a hill). I (in my small car with snow tires) had no trouble getting past a couple of trucks whose wheels were spinning.

Weight is more of a factor for getting stuck in snow (from volume more than slippery-ness), so full trucks/buses often do better than light/empty vehicles.

[summ3r-daze.livejournal.com]

At least you got home safely!
:D

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

True. I won't get much done tonight, admittedly (dinner just finished cooking).

[mencc1701.livejournal.com]

If you ever think your bus isn't doing well in the snow, just remind yourself it could always be worse.

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

Qu'est-ce que fuck???

What the heck happened to that bus on the right that's wrapped around the pole? When and where was this?

(The VIVA buses are those same articulated buses. I like to ride in the very back so that I can set my paper on the table there, though I think the ride would be smoother up front.)

[mencc1701.livejournal.com]

That's a collection of OC Transpo buses in downtown Gatineau, sadly enough.

And I don't think they're the same bus, actually. OC Transpo uses New Flyer D60LFs, while VIVA seems to use Van Hool newAG300s.

[crusherdisciple.livejournal.com]

Might be a good time to buy a pair of skis.

I'm just sayin'.

[mencc1701.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's not like it would be reasonable to expect the transit authority in a city that gets an average of 235 cm of snow annually to buy buses that don't jackknife in snow and ice, after all. ;)

[crusherdisciple.livejournal.com]

Snow? In Canada? Surely ye jest!

[mencc1701.livejournal.com]

Aye, it's true! Most don't believe it at first, but nevertheless...

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

I could have used them this morning. Nobody shovels their sidewalks in Aurora - just the entrances to their driveways.

(I think they're spoiled by the fact that Aurora has these mini-snowplows that clear the sidewalks; the problem is, they don't get around to it until after the roads have been cleared, and even then, not usually until after I've gotten to work and trekked through four feet of snow.)

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

Nobody shovels their sidewalks in Aurora - just the entrances to their driveways.

(I think they're spoiled by the fact that Aurora has these mini-snowplows that clear the sidewalks;

Well, sure. We have the same thing in Etobicoke, and yeah, I have absolutely zero incentive to wake up at 6:00 AM and shovel the sidewalk when I know that it will magically get done whether I do it or not.

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

Really? Then why don't we have them here at Yonge and Eglinton? Since amalgamation, we should be getting the same service, but there are portions of sidewalk along Eglinton which are next to impossible to walk on.

(And don't get me started about the walk from Hurontario over to Rob's place last night - Hazel McCallion goes on and on about how wonderful Mississauga is, but there were snowbanks in which you could lose a small child on one side of the street, and no sidewalk at all on the other side.)

[(Anonymous)]

Then why don't we have them here at Yonge and Eglinton?

No idea. I guess it existed before amalgamation and is still happening. I was thrilled to discover that I don't have to worry about shoveling the sidewalk. The driveway can be a huge pain, but at least I don't have to worry about being ticketed if I don't get to it quickly enough. I wonder what would happen if it snowed when someone is out of town or something, or if the snow was so back that they couldn't get home to shovel. Would they still get ticketed?

"Wonderful" means different things to different people, and having the sidewalks clear is wonderful only to people who walk there. People don't walk in Mississauga because there's rarely anything within walking distance. It's a suburban thing.

(not that I'm necessarily agreeing that Mississauga is wonderful)

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

That was me.

[gnumoose.livejournal.com]

Darryl Sittler?

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

I hadn't checked the model numbers, but you're right about VIVA using Van Hool buses.

I just meant that they also have the articulated buses (though most of the other routes appear to use conventional ones, judging by what I see at Richmond Hill Centre).

And yeah, as you said to crusherdisciple, one would think that Ottawa would be better at winter road management.

[mencc1701.livejournal.com]

Ahh, see you're talking to the wrong person if you want to generalize all 60' buses together into one group. ;)

The Van Hools are a significantly better make than the New Flyers, but OC Transpo went for what was cheap. And it costs us.

[huntingdon.livejournal.com]

Ouch. At least you made it before extremities started freezing off, I suppose.

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

My toes were getting a bit chilly, however - I need a new pair of boots as these ones seem to have developed a leak.

[kaelsu2.livejournal.com]

Hey, WestJet is having a 50% off sale on flights to the US:

http://c1dsp.westjet.com/guest/spare1.jsp

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

Thanks - though they don't seem to fly to Boston, which could be an issue since that's where I need to go. ;)

I ended up getting it last night - before taxes and such, it was $120 each way.

It's a pity I'm going to Boskone instead of Gallifrey - WestJet's flights to LAX are $152 each way. (Why do they bother to publish one-way prices, anyway...)