The Odd And Unexpected

After two days of fog and rain, I woke up to a blanket of white outside my window...and an e-mail in my inbox bringing tidings of a cancelled bus tour of Vancouver. While I nursed my dissapointment (there will be time to see it all later I guess) I decided to head out into the great white snowfall and get my computer checked by the Future Shop exerts at Metrotown, a huge mall about a half-hour bus and Skytrain ride away. Once again I was struck by the seeming contradictory nature of the weather here. While the onset of snow brings the bus system to a halt and brings on a rash of DANGER tape and red cones across the campus (apparently the glass roofs of the hallways are not made of tough enough stuff), pouring rain is comparatively minor although it makes me want to curl up in a fleece blanket and hide from the dampness that creeps, clammy and cold, into my bones (maybe I'm not that tough, either). I'll take a week of snow over a day of rain, anytime. That being said, as soon as this post is done I'm going out again. It's too beautiful to stay in.

It seems like lately my Spidey-sense for the differences in culture and mores has been revealing some strange and interesting things. The recreation centre doesn't offer any equipment related to snow sports (X-country skis, snowshoes, etc.) My phonetics and linguistics teachers use Mandarin as a point of reference in cross-linguistic comparisons...instead of French. It seems like everywhere I go I come face to face with the cult of the organic, the love of yoga and wellness. The beer here costs 11$ a pitcher (sobriety is in). Brand-names still rule but the names are not the same; Columbia instead of Baby Phat, The North Face in lieu of Simons. You can say the name Jesus in a crowded room without a swiveled head or a raised eyebrow, and very few people smoke. Cigarettes. But I digress.

It turns out that my cute little HP Notebook is, apparently, crap. I rolled into Future Shop with my long list of electronic ailments and came out sans computer, for at least 2 weeks. So my posts will be fewer for the next little while. I did leave with a smile, though, and a light heart. My adapter was busted and holding together with tape, and (of course) no longer covered by my guarantee (meaning 60$ to replace). But the awesome gentleman behind the counter went rummagin in the back of his office and handed me a new one, free of charge. Yes, Future Shop, I will be defending you next time someone blasts your customer service.