Snow in Victoria?

Okay, so it has snowed in Victoria before...but not in amounts like this!! It started snowing Sat night and hasnt stopped since. We now have over a foot of snow, which is outrageous in a city that doesnt even own a snowplow! I woke up this morning and thank God I have boots (fur ones, they are cute). The snow was almost to my knees and my poor car was buried! I unfortunately trudged almost all the way to the bus stop before my roomie called to tell me that the University was closed and the buses weren't running. Damn, I should have checked first but I grew up with snow and nothing was ever closed on its account-you dealt with it. So I trudged home, took some beautiful pictures on my street and then spent 20 mins cleaning off my car.
I had to laugh at the people of Victoria-they are completely helpless when it comes to snow. I saw one girl cleaning off her car with a flip-flop and my landlord was trying to shovel her driveway with a garden shovel! ha ha ha ha. The lights keep flickering and I hope we don't lose power. I am very grateful for the snow closure as Mondays are my long day at school (8am-6pm) and now I have an extra day to work on my Brtish essay.

So it seems that I really don't have anything to complain about, especially since my mom just e-mailed to tell me that it is -39 in Calgary with the wind chill...brrr. And I know Edmonton is not pleasant right now either. But hey-I put my time in AB and I remember all too well the frozen days. I can't honestly say that I miss them.I have one week of classes left, another week of finals and then...FREEDOM!!
Oh, and 27 more sleeps until CHRISTMAS!

Hitler Couldn't Drive!

I think it is about high time I started writing about history. Seeing as how I plan on making my career about history I thought I should start integrating it into my life wherever I can. While I have chosen Canadian history as my special focus, my blogs will reflect whatever tidbit of history I am currently learning about. This may include American, British, Japanese, etc. Do not take this to mean that from now on I will only write about history-nah-I write what I want, when I want. I can’t promise anything.

This semester I was lucky enough to have chosen “The History of the Automobile in America,” as a class. Besides being a very interesting class….I finally discovered where UVic has been hiding all the men! This class has kept me so interested that I have explored many topics on my own time. One of the most fascinating to me was the advent of the autobahn.

For those of you not aware, autobahn is the German word for highway. Auto-bahn=auto-course. Credit for the first autobahn must be given to the Italians. However, the autobahn in Germany was actually created with great support from Adolf Hitler. He saw the autobahn as a military advantage that would move troops and vehicles across the country in a quick and efficient manner. While the autobahn does not have a speed limit, it does have a recommended speed of 130 km/h. Oh how I wished I lived in Germany after reading this!! The autobahn is 12,000 km long with plans for future expansion.

The autobahn was not the only automobile-related interest and creation of Hitler. He also wanted to produce an affordable car that would beat out Ford’s Model T (the #1 most affordable automobile in the early 1900’s). Apparently Hitler had a picture of Ford on his wall for inspiration but this could be fabricated info. Anyway, Hitler hired Ferdinand Porsche (yes, creator of the hottest cars on earth-Porsches) to create and design an affordable automobile. Enter the Volkswagen.

While all of these facts are extremely interesting, I found the most interesting part to be that Hitler couldn’t drive! A car enthusiast who couldn’t drive! Oh well, you don’t have to be Chinese to enjoy Chinese food.

My information was obtained from “Cars and Culture: The Life Story of Technology,” by Rudi Volti. Additional facts can be found at Wikipedia and I have added their link to my site.

Meet my Friends

So-I have decided that I should introduce my friends and give an explanation of their links. I recently explored a link off another blogger's site and found it quite entertaining. I thought that maybe if I explain who my links are, then some of you might explore their sites and find them interesting as well.

*It should be noted that I have received permission from the following parties to disclose information about them*

We will start with Wayne because he is the one who introduced me to blogging and he is by far the most dedicated blogger I know. I met Wayne in Grade 12 and since then we have always kept in touch despite the obstacle of distance (I love the internet). Wayne's site is always filled with current events about his life and especially his knowledge on mites. He is kind, generous, and intelligent and always makes me laugh. He is an incredible photographer, snapping artistic shots of whatever he happens to encounter while biking home. His blogs are quite humorous and worth checking out.

Lise is my aunt-she lives in Calgary and I really must credit her for expanding my cultural knowledge of city life. It was Lise that took me to the theatre, introduced me to sushi (forever grateful), balsamic vinegar (do I smell something rotting in the fridge?) and taught me about LEAP. Lise is incredibly entertaining and loves to be the centre of attention (being a Leo and all she can’t help it). She is incredibly active with ice climbing (her passion) and her site is filled with her recent mountain escapades. There is never a dull moment when Lise is around!

I have known Bobbie since grade 2 and out of all my friends she is the best at keeping in touch. After years of following each other around BC and AB (PG-Nanaimo-Calgary-Vancouver Island), Bobbie has settled on the beautiful island of Gabriola and is busy opening her Blue Apples Health and Wellness Store (Nov 25th!) and raising her adorable daughter Magdalene. The link for Bobbie will take you to her Blue Apples site where she explains what exactly blue apples are and what it has to offer. Bobbie is generous, dedicated, has a great sense of humour and is always willing to listen. Her site is filled with incredible knowledge on Chakra and Reiki as well as crystal and gemstone healing-check it out!

So that ends the description of my friends, I hope you check out their links. If you have a blog or website, let me know and I would be glad to add you to my list. I visit my friend’s sites on a regular basis and it’s a great way to “stay in the know” about what is going on in their lives.