Winter's back in 07-08... where'd Al Gore go?!

As I sit marooned at a friend's house this sunny Sunday afternoon, I can't help but wonder where Al Gore is hiding today... or where he's been in recent months. A little over a year ago, he could be seen on one network or another telling anyone who would listen that evidence was overwhelmingly proving that he was right and everyone who criticized him had to be idiots.

The message that global warming was coming and would soon be here to stay started to grate on people's nerves. His pointing to the fact that we were living through one of the warmest years in history, citing the lack of "winter" in north eastern US states, he almost gleefully gloated everyone HAD to admit that he was right. Apparently, naysayers no longer had a leg to stand on.

Sure, the last 4-5 years saw very little snowfall here in Ottawa. It's been that long since I last spent any time on local ski slopes... mainly due to the increased amount of freezing rain and scarcity of snow. Mr. Gore said that we had to get used to freezing rain, the "new snow" of the future for the northern inhabited regions of North America. Well, as I sit at this very moment, we're now a hair away from blowing away the all-time snowfall record here in Ottawa.... here in 2008....

Winter is back and it's back with a vengeance. Could it really be, as I've written before, that some cyclical and (usually) unpredictable factors conspired to give us "milder" winters than usual in recent years? Could it be that this year's snow accumulation is just another stat on a chart of numbers from which nobody can truly extrapolate any trends?

Who knows!

All I know is that I have seen more snow fall this year than I ever have since being born in 1975. I'm stuck at a friend's house because the street outside has five foot snow drifts that are impassable even for my trusty Ford Escape that has bailed me out of more than one tough snowy spot in the past. Yes, smarter people than me have pointed out that I should have stayed home yesterday, but I'd be stuck there too -- but that's a landlord-related story for another day.

Mr. Gore once pointed to scientists who supported his claims. Some of those scientists (and more are coming along each day) now believe that we might soon enter an era of global cooling.
Does anyone really know? I don't really think so.

All I know is that I have started my golf season around March 30th twice in the past three years. Now, April 30th seems rather optimistic. I have an OC Transpo travel plan to whip out tomorrow morning if I don't get out of here. I love my friends, I love my truck... but this snow is getting ridiculous.

And there is NOTHING I can do about it!

If we repackage, maybe they won't notice!

I am certainly not quitting after making my 100th post - but I'm telling you, that new job takes more of my time than I could have imagined that it would! Add to that I've been on nightshift for the first time ever... that's why I've been scarce lately. Now that the bulk of the "full force" 100mph initial training bit is over, maybe I can get back to my regular "schedule" here.

Anyway, what's my problem today? Remember when a pound of coffee really was a pound of coffee? Then one day out of nowhere it was turned into 400 grams? Cool scheme, eh? Well this time the scam is a bit too obvious for people not to notice.

Alcohol is not my beverage of choice. I don't drink tea, and I don't line up thirty times a day at the local Tim Horton's. I do, however, very much like a nice cold Diet Pepsi when time comes to relax and "crack open a cold one". Prices have been creeping upwards for a while now... earlier this week I noticed that Coca-Cola and Pepsi mysteriously both raised the prices on their "convenient" 12 packs to about $5.09. It was not so long ago the case of 24 was retailing for $5.99 or less, but what can you do - that was too long ago, I suppose. The 12 packs have hovered in the $4.29-4.59 range for the longest time, now but I guess that just wasn't high enough of a price. I must wonder how Shoppers Drug Mart manages to put on the sales they do from time to time... back to the topic...

Fearing that my case of 24 might be over ten bucks today, I headed to Loblaws to pick one up before the storm of the century hits us this weekend. Turning into the aisle, I noticed that the Diet Coke package looked different. "Neat looking," I thought. Then I came across the Diet Pepsi and saw that the old tray and plastic top were in vogue on the shelf... and suddenly realized that cans were missing -- what has been a case of 24 forever is now a case of 20! The inventory tag said 24 cans = $8.99... but that's not what was on the shelf.

Running back to the Coke end of the aisle, the "neat" package also contained 20 cans!!!

So... have our mighty cola producing competitors decided that forcing a four digit price tag on consumers was so unattractive that the only way to jack up their precious margins without anyone noticing was to take 1/6 of the product out and charge a slightly lower price... hoping that people think they're getting a great deal?!

I guess I'll go back to Loeb and see if they still have the good old 2-4's once the dust (or snow, that is) settles. Then back to Costco to get their cases of 30 for $8-something. Geez. What's next? Going back to the 280ml cans of twenty years ago? Hey Pepsi - you heard the idea here first!!!!

Can the Government of Canada and Bank of Canada still seriously expect us to believe the inflation rate is around 2% these days? Have they not bought a case of Coke and gasoline lately?

Guess not.