Icy reception

Naah, this isn't about a girl's reaction to a pickup line of mine. Not this time.

We're in the midst of a full-blown ice storm here in Ottawa today.

Ice is one of Mother Nature's miracles that can frustrate you but also awe you. I was thinking that during one of the four times today I had to chip the frozen rain off my car as I tried to do work assignments.

For a closet math geek like me, there's nothing quite as amazing as watching all the shapes as you're chipping away at that ice. There's also that moment of ridiculous joy when you've finally chipped off a decent-sized chunk of ice, and then all the rest of the ice starts sliding down the window. It's a beautiful thing.

It's also a terribly dangerous thing. Snow is easy enough to drive on, as you'll generally just keep going whatever direction you're headed. Ice can be a little more tricky. It tends to have a mind of its own, sending you side to side or for a quick spin into a field. That's not a beautiful thing.

It'll be interesting to see how everything looks tomorrow morning, once the storm's done pounding us. I haven't been outside since 4 p.m. (beauty of working at home), so I can only imagine what it's like out there some seven hours later. I'll just pray I don't fall down the steps when I try to retrieve my paper in the morning.

Oh yeah, I also hope the ice doesn't get so heavy on the trees that the limbs snap and knock down power lines. I'm not much of a survivalist...