life as i know it...

A couple of pictures we took during the height of the flood in Fredericton!

Posted in: New Brunswick on May 09, 2008 2 comments    

Another spring, another flood here in Fredericton. We've been having a lot of rain this week, with more forecasted, and it has combined with a ton of melted snow and ice jams. Result: the Saint John river is spilling over. It looks like this year's flood will be the worst it's been since 1973!

We don't live very close to the river, so our house won't get flooded, but we may have a visitor later this week! Hubby's aunt lives a few streets away from the river, and if the water rises over 8 metres (as predicted), her basement will flood. She has already had her furnace shut off to prevent a fire overnight. This shows how much of the city will be flooded at 8 metres. The flooding elsewhere along the river is worse than in Fredericton though, and a lot of people have been evacuated from their houses already.

I haven't taken any pictures, but if you're interested, check out nagzi's Flood '08 photostream on Flickr, or the CBC slideshow of viewer photos.

Soccer fields are underwater, with only the tops of goalposts visible. Farmland and graveyards are flooding, and boats can't get under the bridges anymore (if anyone would be crazy enough to go boating with the strong current!). I also heard that several of the ramps leading to the bridges have been closed, so traffic is much worse than usual. And one poor woman at Hubby's work has to drive an hour out of her way to get to work, because the most direct route has flooded.

And the irony of it all? The Emergency Measures Office is pretty damn close to the floodplain!

Posted in: New Brunswick on April 29, 2008 0 comments    

I think this is a worthwhile event, and Hubby and I plan to be there to support the many soldiers and their families that we know. Bonus: The Irish Descendants are playing that evening!

Posted in: music, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, war on January 12, 2007 0 comments    

Woo hoo, good place to live!

Is this why I'm so happy lately?

Maybe, but it probably has more to do with my wonderful husband, a baby on the way, and the Christmas spirit (yeah, yeah, you Grinches out there, I am sickeningly happy!). Now, if only I could finish this report for work and didn't throw my back out lifting strollers in Toys R Us last night, things would be perfect! lol

Posted in: baby, New Brunswick on December 01, 2006 3 comments    

Thank Goodness! Fredericton police officers are going to crack down on noise pollution caused by people with obnoxiously loud vehicles. You know the ones - they're louder than an ambulance siren, you can hear them coming long before you see them, and the noise cuts off all conversation for couple of minutes.

I've never understood why people want their cars to sound so loud. Is it a testosterone thing? A grab for attention? I'd be embarassed if my muffler was falling off, so why do people actually spend money to make their cars sound like that? Maybe for some, it's a desperate plea: "look at my car, I'm really cool", but I have to laugh and feel embarassed for them when the car isn't even impressive. Often, they seem to be marginally souped up Civics or something like a Neon or a Protege with sad little flames painted on the doors. This weekend, I actually saw a black VW Beetle with orange flames on it.

While I'm glad that the police are going to start ticketing the owners of those cars, I have to wonder how effective the crackdown will be, given that the Motor Vehicle Act doesn't specify a set decibel limit; just 'excessive' or 'unusual' car exhaust noise. Nevertheless, the fine isn't small - $168 will put a dent in most people's wallets.

The evil side of me wants to be there to see a few people being ticketed for their noisy vehicles. :D

Technorati tags: noise pollution, decibel, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Posted in: New Brunswick on May 16, 2006 1 comments    

I keep hearing all sorts of strange noises when I'm home alone.

Not scary noises, just strange noises.

For instance, I could have sworn I just heard a foghorn.

For those of you still not getting what's strange about that; I don't live in St. John's anymore - I live in Fredericton.


Technorati tags: St. John's, Newfoundland, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Posted in: New Brunswick, Newfoundland on March 11, 2006 0 comments