Toronto is 2 Hours Away From Toronto

I went to a knitting meeting today.
It was the first one I've been to since the summer break.
It was nice.
Mostly it was them talking about their elderly parents.
My mom's considered a senior, but she's not elderly.

What do you consider "elderly"?

Anyway, it was talk about them taking over
their parents' affairs.
And how they want to approach certain things
with their parents.

I kept my mouth shut throughout that talk.
I just sit there and "work" and listen to them talking.

It's not considered actual work because it's a hobby.

However, I want to make some stuff to sell at some point.
It's just that the "market" thing I thought about going to,
they said you need to have a "tent" to sell your stuff under.
Even if I could get one, I don't drive so that's out of the picture.
At least for now.

There's a store at the mall where a lot of people
sell their handmade stuff.
I thought about going through them, also.
I think how they work it is you have to rent space
for your stuff in their store.

With the consignment store, it's mostly secondhand stuff.
They take a cut of the sale.

Someone told me I should consider Etsy.
There have been people not too happy with Etsy.

Also, I don't want to deal with any customers.
I don't know why, but I'd rather just work behind the scenes.

That's what I like about affiliate marketing.
Zero customer service.

Anyway, a couple of members of the group
moved here from Toronto, or somewhere close to the GTA.

They were saying that people from here 
have NO IDEA ABOUT TRAFFIC.

And that just the traffic alone affected their mental health.
Because they'd know they'd be waiting in traffic
on the way there and on the way back.

Well, in China, they have 20-lane highways.
Here, it's only 3 or 4.

There are "backroads" that circumvent the highway.
So you don't have to use the highway.
Still don't know when the train will be finished,
but it'd be nice for a faster commute.

Probably just over an hour to get to downtown
when it's done, instead of two hours.
And the trains run faster than the buses.

In the winter, it gets ridiculous. 
The buses get stuck in snowbanks.

For those who don't know snow very well, 
The sidewalks get plowed so they can be used.
But the snow between the sidewalks and the roads piles up.
And when it gets piled like that, it's called a snowbank.

Buses get stuck in snowbanks because they pull up to the curb
to let the people out of the bus.

Also, the buses don't get special winter tires.
They just have their regular tires.

In the winter, people put winter tires on their cars.
They are supposed to have better traction.


And about the snowbanks, they get removed.
Every so often, they'll use machines to suck up the snow
from the snowbanks and it shoots the snow out into the trucks.

Then the trucks take the snow to the quarry to stash it there.
It takes months to melt because the dirt from the snow
prevents the sunlight from getting in and melting it.
So it takes longer to melt than just the snow out in the open.

It's a nice feeling when the snow is melted.
And you don't have to wear your boots, coat, or other stuff.

But knowing how to knit means I can make myself stuff.
I'm going to make more socks and some mittens.

I made a huge pair that are big enough to wear a pair
INSIDE THAT PAIR.

Your hands, head, face, and feet need to be warm.
Otherwise, you can actually lose body parts to frostbite.
And it's pretty miserable being cool
UNLESS YOU LOVE IT.
AND I'M NOT A FAN.
OF BEING COLD.

In the winters of my childhood,
it was about being outside, playing in it.
I'd try to build forts and stuff.

We have a winter festival here.
They have ice sculptures and actually big forts with slides.
And sled dogs etc.
Complete with maple syrup on a stick.
They pour it on the snow to cool it down
and wrap it around a stick.

It's a Canadian thing.

In the group today, they were saying
how they never meet anyone who's actually from here.
I was born here. 3rd generation, actually.

But it's getting to be like 1 in 1,000.
Apart from immigration, people who are already in Canada,
tend to come here for either work or school.
And then they stay here.

To me, it's what I'm used to and familiar with.
I'm pretty lucky to be where I'm at.


One of my neighbors I saw her today.
She was saying "I thought you moved out."
I get that a lot because I keep to myself, mostly.

Nothing wrong with that.
There's a such thing as too much excitement.