Ain't No Sunshine

We in St. John’s are beginning to understand what it’s like to be a mushroom. Kept somewhat moist and warm and in the dark. The fog started rolling in from the Atlantic late Saturday and we haven’t seen the sky since.


The following screen shots are from the harbour cam on top of The Rooms, our provincial museum high up the hill that overlooks downtown. On a normal day (as per the first shot) you can see blue sky, Signal Hill and the brackish water of the harbour (just be thankful it’s just the sights and NOT the smells). The second shot has been our view for the past four days.



Notice the cruise ship coming in through the narrows



Like something from a Stephen King movie


Thankfully we’re not really into tourist season yet. Maybe the fog will lift by July…

Speaking of impeded views…I read a blog today that mentioned a recent article by Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times. I linked to Ebert's Journal and read ‘The Dying of the Light’, a fascinating look at the onslaught of 3D digital movies by Hollywood and the new projectors that produce “gloomy, underlit images.” Mr. Ebert also points out that many theatres are leaving the 3D lenses in the projectors (mainly because the new projectors are very complex to open), even for 2D films, and the result is that the lens absorbs 50% of the light trying to pass through. Use the link to pop over and check out his story.

In an effort to lift the spirits this gloomy evening, I’ll link to a video of George Harrison singing "Here Comes the Sun". Every little bit helps.

Progress Delayed by Fog

Day 4 and it's time for a progress report regarding my 'resolutions' for this year (see previous blog post).

• Basketball was cancelled due to the stat holiday however I did manage to walk the dog for about 20 minutes (paramedics were on standby with oxygen for me).
• Have not given up junk food on account of there being so many Christmas goodies in arms reach, winking at me. Perhaps I will have better luck with this next week. On a side note: I have gone four days without finding any remnants of food (or as I prefer to say...'midnight snacks') hiding in the forest that is my beard.
• No writing progress to date this year. Neither short stories nor long term project have made their way from my head to paper. Better luck next week.
• My fez is still dirty (I hope that didn't sound too weird).

I attribute this to the mental and actual fog that has been hanging about the past couple of days, making my first two days back at work a bit hazy. For example, the photo directly below was from the camera on top of  The Rooms, the provincial museum overlooking the harbour, on Monday afternoon. I have seen better views. Good thing there's not many tourists about this time of year.

The next photo (below) was taken this morning from the same camera. Marginally better--you can actually make out buildings in that one. I really shouldn't be whining about the weather. We could be having the snow Britain is getting this winter. The fog and rain is much easier to deal with. In fact, we only have four more months of winter to go. As I've found in previous years here on The Rock, winter may be delayed for a while but they will eventually hit. Sometimes with a vengeance.

I'll finish here as I've got to get to bed. I'm getting up at about 3:30am to drive my sister to the airport for her 5:00am flight back to Edmonton. Yes, it's an un-godly hour but the Scottish in me won't allow her to pay $20 for the cab ride to the airport. Then again, maybe the fog will make play the wild card in this scenario and we can all sleep in. Here's to hoping that the fog lifts soon!