Endless WINTER?!?

Yeah, griping about the weather is pretty damn passé. It's the lamest conversation-catalyst that there is, but I won't deny that it's the most reliable. The weather is a crutch in linguistic exchanges; a safety net for awkward pauses or prolonged interactions with barely-acquainted individuals. And as much as I try to separate my business and personal lives (tongue planted firmly in cheek), I've got something to say about this goddamn winter.

It is officially over, but the skies say otherwise. Another dumping of snow today. Another thick layer blanketing the urban landscape. In the country, this can be beautiful, and I might appreciate it more. But draping concrete and asphalt, and eventually turning a dull mix of gray and brown due to being downtrodden and ploughed through by countless steel chariots, it ain't pretty. The temperature wasn't too bad today, but a biting wind wound through the downtown corridor, intensified by the immense monolithic landmarks of capitalism.

We saw successive, crippling storms in southern Ontario this year. Extended cold weather alerts throughout. Heaps of snow. Now I admit, it was nothing like what the Maritimes bore. But it was still a handful by this region's standards. In fact, I actually enjoyed the weather in the Arctic way more than this crap down here over the past few months.

So what to do about it? NOTHING. Just keep griping. I am now realizing the therapeutic value of bellyaching about what I have the least control over - nature. And I'll start doing it more often in line at the grocery store, at the bar, at parties, at the gym, by the freakin' coffee machine. Maybe it will pay off in some kind of bizarre, negative-vibes-feed-positive-ones kinda way.

But I digress. Take a deep breath, and smile. As the great Eddie Vedder once said, "No matter how cold the winter, there’s a springtime ahead."

"Waubgeshig"

If you ever wondered why I have such an unusual name, Maclean's is running a piece of my personal journalism in this week's issue. It's about growing up with the name "Waubgeshig", and some of my funny encounters because of it. You can pick up a copy (with convicted killer Karla Homolka on the cover) or simply click here.

Hope all you Ontarians are enjoying the gradual progression into spring. I thought it'd never come.

The Arctic

The slow thaw is on. I can once again feel all my fingers and toes. Why, you ask? The good people at the Weather Network sent me and my colleague Dwayne up to Nunavut last week to do some stories on ozone depletion, among other things. It was a really incredible experience that I'll be sharing with my kids someday for sure. There is so much power in the air and the land up there that it's easy to feel humbled. And to look out for kilometres at a landscape that is pretty much lifeless is a wild sensation. I grew up around trees and water, so this was something entirely new to me.

Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. For more, click here.