There was a time when I might have considered myself an optimist but with my life experiences so far I'm sad to report that I'm more of a pessimist these days.
When I read the weather reports and watch the news today, all I'm hearing about is this "Prefect Storm" that is bearing down on the eastern side of North America. In particular the Northeast U.S., Southern Ontario and the East coast of Canada.
Now maybe I'll be wrong but if history has taught me anything, it's that when bad storms are predicted for my neck of the woods, they usually fizzle out and die before they get here. Or they'll take a sharp turn to the north or south and do very little.
I can't remember the last big winter storm that was predicted for here that actually happened. Oh the media and weather folks love to hype it up and scare the crap out of people to make them think the worst will happen but most times it never does.
So you're probably saying, "well it's better to be safe than sorry." I agree with that. There's no harm in being prepared for the worst case scenario. However, the experts and emergency response people shouldn't be surprised when people don't heed the warnings.
Have you ever heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. Eventually after hearing over and over and over again that these storms are coming and they never do, people will just tune out the warnings. Sure they shouldn't do that because even a broken clock is right twice a day but you can see why they might not get too stressed out over it.
This current storm is supposed to get bad when Hurricane Sandy (not exactly a scary name for a storm) is expected to veer west and make landfall between Virginia and New Jersey where it will move inland and then to the north directly towards my location.
By the time it reaches here it will likely be downgraded to a tropical depression but it will collide with another front that is already bringing rain to us. The combination is supposed to create an even bigger storm with heavy rain, flooding and strong winds.
Having said all of that my response is, so what. I've heard this before and I'm predicting it will be soggy and damp and maybe a bit breezy but beyond that, it's probably not much to get worked up over.
That's not to say that the areas where the storm makes landfall in the U.S. and the early stages of it tracking inland won't see some nasty weather. I just don't think all of the hype for this area is warranted and once again I feel the meteorologists in Canada will come away with another layer of egg on their faces.
That's the great thing about being a weatherman, you never have to be right and your job is safe. You can always find an excuse to explain what changed to make your forecast look foolish.
If I'm wrong and we do get hit with the "Perfect Storm", I'll be the first to admit I was wrong and they finally got one right. I just hope I'm not eating my words while I'm talking to the angel of death.
Did you notice how I made my new photo relevant to my blog? I'm a sneaky son of a gun. Time to go buy a new generator, sandbags, canned goods and bottled water just in case. I wonder if I can send my bill to The Weather Network if I spend all this money for no reason?
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Happy Turkey Day Canada
One of my favourite holidays is upon us here in the Great White North once again. It's Thanksgiving!
Yes, in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving at harvest time which is at the start of October and always on a Monday. We don't wait until late November like our neighbours to the south.
I always try to think of things to be thankful for and most years these things don't change much. I give thanks for my health, family, good friends...the usual stuff.
This year I'd like to give thanks for my golf game except I've been playing bloody awful since about mid-August. So I'm thankful that it's getting colder and soon the golf season will be over.
Also this year I'm thankful that I've been able to lose some weight. At last count I was down about 78 pounds. However, with all the turkey, potatoes, gravy and leftovers I'm likely to consume over the next few days, I probably won't be thankful that I have to starve myself and get a lot more walking in to make up for my indulgences.
Oh well, it's a small price to pay. I mean, it's not like I eat turkey all the time. I can count the number of times I get this favourite fowl. Lets see, there's Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. That's pretty much it unless it's a special occasion but they don't happen very often.
So I hope all of you who find yourselves celebrating Thanksgiving today, tomorrow or at some other time during the year take a moment to think about all of the good things in your life and give thanks.
I've learned over the years that there can and will be difficult challenges we will be forced to deal with but in the end it's good to be thankful for all we are blessed with every day.
Yes, in Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving at harvest time which is at the start of October and always on a Monday. We don't wait until late November like our neighbours to the south.
I always try to think of things to be thankful for and most years these things don't change much. I give thanks for my health, family, good friends...the usual stuff.
This year I'd like to give thanks for my golf game except I've been playing bloody awful since about mid-August. So I'm thankful that it's getting colder and soon the golf season will be over.
Also this year I'm thankful that I've been able to lose some weight. At last count I was down about 78 pounds. However, with all the turkey, potatoes, gravy and leftovers I'm likely to consume over the next few days, I probably won't be thankful that I have to starve myself and get a lot more walking in to make up for my indulgences.
Oh well, it's a small price to pay. I mean, it's not like I eat turkey all the time. I can count the number of times I get this favourite fowl. Lets see, there's Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. That's pretty much it unless it's a special occasion but they don't happen very often.
So I hope all of you who find yourselves celebrating Thanksgiving today, tomorrow or at some other time during the year take a moment to think about all of the good things in your life and give thanks.
I've learned over the years that there can and will be difficult challenges we will be forced to deal with but in the end it's good to be thankful for all we are blessed with every day.
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