we can go there, we can go anywhere Yesterday I went for a walk in the bitter cold and dazzling sun. There are train tracks behind my building and people have established somewhat illegal pathways over the tracks (holes in fences and obvious paths up and down each side of the elevated tracks). I'd noticed before that a trail seemed to continue parallel to the tracks through the thinly wooded section between the rail and neighbourhood homes, but I'd never explored. Usually I'm just cutting through on my way to the local Tim's.

At the place where I started there was a man flooding and clearing a community ice rink. I trudged on through the snow, trying to build up a little body heat on yet another minus 25-ish day (that nasty windchill). As I followed the wooded path, I saw two other backyard rinks. I walked for twenty minutes or so and just when I thought my trail would be ending and meeting up with a street, I saw another illicit pedestrian-rail crossing behind another apartment building. I hopped the tracks, found the street and walked speedily home. It was shady on the street and by this time I was good and chilled. Ah, winter in Canada.  | ¶ 9:00 p.m.