Today, being January the 13th, it is 9 degrees celsius in Toronto.
For those of you unfamiliar with our climate, that is pretty bizarre. January in Toronto should be full of snow and somewhere between -10 and -30. It is a time of year in which only the bravest venture outside, and even then clad head-to-toe in polar bear fur coats. (except those of us who are vegetarians, or otherwise too squeamish to kill and skin a large bear)
Instead, today is the third day on which I have ridden my bike to work. Such rides have involved taking off my gloves and unzipping my coat before reaching the destination.
As much as I like riding my bike, and as much as I hate snow and cold, this is slightly vexing.
On a vaguely related note, I’ve decided to waste my vote on the Green Party in the upcoming federal election. I say “waste” facetiously – the only true waste of a vote is to not vote at all. I can accept that the Greens probably won’t win anything. Maybe, if they’re really lucky, they can snag a seat in BC.
But my options are limited. I like the NDP, and I’m a fan of Jack Layton, but I can’t stand a campaign based around all the things the Liberals have done wrong. I know the Liberals suck – we’ve witnessed their incompetence, indecision and corruption for more than a decade. I don’t want “Not The Liberals” in power. I want a party that will define itself by its actions, not by what the other guy did.
And I’ve always had a soft spot for the Greens, voting for them in several past elections. Al Hart seems a qualified candidate – better than the Liberals, certainly, and perhaps more appealing than Layton, who seems to have lost the charisma he had while on City Council and who doesn’t seem particularly interested in campaigning in his own riding.
So while there’s a week or so left to go, I think my vote will be for the Greens. They deserve it.