Change of plans

Well, I guess now I have all day to finally write Christmas (New Year's?) cards.  I am NOT picking up the car today.  I went out a little after noon to see how it was out there: horrible. I made it about 1/3 of a block on flat, and partially melted iced sidewalk, then walked in gravel up a slight hill, kicking at the ice as I went to create someplace of downhill traction, and then got to the intersection back down that hill and tried to kick myself a path across, and then walked on the bark against the next building.  When that ran out it was solid ice.  The street was clear, but you had to get to it, and that was a lot of ice to cross.  Not happening.  On my way back home, a man told me I had the wrong shoes, yeah, but they are all I have, and then a woman offered me her arm, but I'd kicked a path earlier at that point, so I didn't need it.  Nice of her to offer, though.  Everywhere, people were either trying to glide across the ice, or had somehow made it to the main road, and were walking in the road, and some like I had tried, were also going along breaking up the ice and kicking it aside.  Side streets are still a mess.  My street is all ice.  I called and switched the reservation, at least they had availability.  (Over Thanksgiving there wasn't any this close to the holiday.)  I don't know where I would've parked had I picked it up.

I think I have a second pair of "yak track"-type shoe traction, some with more ice traction, I'll have to dig around and find them.  I'd bought some a few years back, and then a friend has also given me a pair for my birthday that year.  One of them works on ice.  Also, trekking poles.  If I had access to a snow shovel, I'd go clear the intersection. 

Still not quite above freezing, but it almost feels balmy in comparison to yesterday.  Device is telling me it's now sleeting.

And as to what I was looking at in earlier post, areas that look icy are the ice that is breaking up; areas that looked clear are the solid, hard sheets of ice, not easily broken apart.

For some reason, I've been feeling out of practice at life.  Both with the ice (and it's unusual, it's true) and I had a cold a couple of weekends ago, it only lasted a day, but I was trying to remember how to navigate the world with a runny nose, as if I had never had that experience before.  It was odd.

2 Days Before Christmas

 I'm out of practice of writing.  I've been hit-and-miss with daily journal writing, and my computer died back in September(?) I think, and I haven't replaced it yet.  Not quite the same typing on a smartphone, though, it's been a godsend to have one.  We're in the middle of an ice storm, the radar says something is happening in my neighborhood, but I can't tell when I look out the window.  I tried opening the screen, but it wouldn't budge, I think it's frozen shut.  Still below freezing. I looked outside around 4 am, there was a man in a yellow jacket, half-sliding down the sidewalk, almost as if he were on skates, he didn't fall.  Later, he stood with a couple of others, smoking at the curb.  None of them seemed all the fazed by the freezing rain.  The snow looked like a solid block.  Yesterday, people were talking of "stocking up" on groceries so they wouldn't have to try to get out later. I thought about it, and then didn't.

Now, it seems to be melting, in spite of it still being below freezing.  The sidewalks don't look particularly icy, but perhaps that's the deception of appearances, or perhaps all the de-icer is working.

I tried to run errands yesterday, in the afternoon, seemed like the best day of the week: freezing, but dry.  North of the Ship Canal much more icy than closer to Downtown.  I waiting hours for buses.  On the screens showing the next bus, it would say "2 minutes" and then no bus would come, and it would say "next bus in 11 minutes" and then that one wouldn't come either.  Eventually just ran the closer errand first, then stood out in the ice for another 1/2 hour with a bunch of other people because a bus had broken down, and we had to wait for the next one to show up.  There were a bunch of people in the back, freezing and wrapped in blankets, but the bus was also cold as half the back windows wouldn't stay shut.  (And only three warming shelters listed, not nearly enough.)  Thankfully, after today, the temps will be in almost 50 F, but pouring down rain, too, for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, I went to the camera store in S Lake Union; I don't recognize that neighborhood at all anymore.  (And man, I miss shooting a film camera! I accidently touched the mirror on my favorite camera a few years ago, not sure if it's worth it to pay to align it again...the next camera I buy will probably be one I can shoot "video" on.  I do miss the days where you could buy a K-1000 and be good to go. Oh, I just looked it up, not very expensive, but as the man at the store said, you pay on the back end with film, though you don't have to keep upgrading as you do with digital, though it's true you need a darkroom, while you can edit digital work anywhere.)

I had been hoping to drop off film at Panda, too, but it'd gotten too late. I've got a pile of old film I need to process, I think still from Finland and Portugal, which were over 10 years ago.  Also, I have a film project I want to work on, so, I'll need to get one of these cameras to work.  Anyway, I waited for a bus for half an hour until a woman walked by and told those of us waiting that the bus was on a snow route and we needed to go four blocks east.  I'm glad she thought to say something.  Would have stood there forever (or until I got too cold, and had to go find another way home.)

I need to go pick up a rental car, so I do need to go out and see if the roads are drivable. Earlier, I could hear the traffic on the freeway, which seemed to sound at normal speeds, but it's the side roads, and little hills everywhere.  I've been off most of the week, and having trouble keeping track of the days.  Everyday feels like a Saturday, though I still find it glorious and decadent to be out and about on a weekday when I realize it's not Saturday.

All the rooftops in the distance are still covered in snow, and I'm listening to the Christmas music on the classical radio station, sitting next to my very dry Christmas tree. My device says it's snowing.  There's a crow cawing out the window, someone's on the elevator, trucks rumble on in the distance. Merry, almost, Christmas.