Yay! It finally snowed in Toronto! My first extreme commute of the winter! And I did it on slicks too.

The morning ride was very interesting... as in "interesting"... There was snow on the ground and really nastry freezing rain. I had a pick between busier roads better plowed by cars and empty backstreets that had nary a couple of tracks. I chose backstreets. It wasn't easy. The 6-mile commute that usually takes me 15-20 minutes was on the order of 45-50 minutes this time. For long stretches there I wasn't moving any faster than pedestrians. I also used a stretch of sidewalk that was better plowed than the street: given the speed at which I was going, a sidewalk was rather appropriate. I was losing traction just trying to go straight... the wheels wouldn't reach the pavement through the snow and would spin... Agh! Aggravating.

On the way back I realized I wouldn't be able to suffer the agony of the backstreets again and turned to major road: Queen St. E -> Church -> Davenport -> Spadina. It wasn't too bad: basically just a bit of slush. The roads were narrower and it was easier to take the lane because of that - and because all the lane markings were hidden under the slush anyway.

Usually I brag about how many green lights I manage to catch. Well, today all the red lights were mine! I crawled between the intersections and slowed down before interesections: streetcar tracks at funny angles is not a thing to joke with.

At one red light an old sickly-looking guy with a cigarette in his mouth in a car behind me gave me a honk. Remembering BF discussions, I replied with a smile and a wave. He shook his head and pointed at the sidewalk. I pointed at me and then at the road. He rolled down the window and started telling me I should get off the road. Yeah, right. I told him to learn the effing law. He told me I was a loser. There I just couldn't help but laugh. A poor old jerk with a cancer stick in his mouth in a lousy old gas-guzzler just has to find someone who is less fortunate than he to make him feel better. Too bad, buddy, you picked a wrong person. Keep looking. He honked behind me a bunch and finally passed me (not too closely either). As he sped away, he did a couple of skids that were clearly intentional but whose purpose was unclear to me. To throw snow into my lane? To express his frustration? To complain he ain't getting any and can't get it up anyway? Who knows? Who cares?

To balance it out, there were plenty of nice drivers out there, giving me lots of room. One lady pulled out in front of me, noticed me brake, made apologetic gestures and pulled back into the driver giving me space. I was going so slowly there wasn't any danger, and I didn't have to brake very hard - but the reaction and the whole exchange of smiles and waves was definitely nice.

And yeah - my toes really froze on the way back. Need some better socks and boots, I guess.