Something 4 The Weekend # 190

The Wilderness Of Manitoba: Hymns Of Love & Spirits: "Evening" [mp3]

We get this idea, most likely from Hollywood, that the winter truly is a pristine white wonderland, but really it's just frozen ruts on all the roads and this dense mixture of snow, sand, salt and rust that cements itself to the wheelwells, hangs tight from fenders like filthy stalactites, and you gotta keep kicking that shit off yr car, but it gets as hard as granite pretty fast when the windchill dips to 12 below. It's mostly a losing battle.

Winter's not a wonderland, it's $300 for new front tires and a quick and dirty alignment. And can I just say that perhaps Tires Plus has the worst fucking coffee I ever dared taste, that the powdered creamer congealed upon contact with the swill and turned into tiny blobs that may have turned into more chunks of wet granite if the coffee had been any colder.

The cold really doesn't bother me. When I put the ass end of the Grand Marquis in the ditch Monday morning, I got right out and started digging myself out, and the winds whipping the cold dusty snow across my face were no bother. Of course, I'm bearded up cuz this shit ain't new, right? My boss just doesn't get that. And he knows I shave it off on the first day of spring every year. I've told him that twice. He hates the beard.

What I haven't told him, what I haven't suggested, is that he can guage how much winter we've got left by how thick and lustrous my beard gets by the middle of February. Groundhogs are old school, babycakes, and I'm just now realizing how far I've wandered from any sort of point to this post.

A couple of weeks ago, one of my coworkers turned me on to The Wilderness Of Manitoba. I don't love them as much as he does, but I do like them. They remind me of Crosby, Stills & Nash, and maybe Fairport Convention?

Winters are hard in Wisconsin, but they can't be nearly as treacherous as Manitoba at Christmas.

Time for more rum. Viva la Canadacore!

Hotcha! Hank