Nova Scotia @ MindSay

I have been thinking today about something I haven't eaten since I was 8 or 10 -- the magnificent Salad Dog. This coleslaw-topped hot dog was served at a now-defunct restaurant my dad used to take me to when I was small; he would usually order the "hot hamburg sandwich," which was basically a slice of bread topped with a hamburger patty and gravy, served with peas and mashed potatoes. I haven't encountered either item on a menu outside of Nova Scotia. I can't even remember the name of the restaurant, which changed hands several times and has now been converted into a house -- only that it was frequented by flannel-shirt-and-work-boot-wearing local lobster fishermen like my dad. You could see into the kitchen through a cafeteria-style window and the bathroom area was partitioned off with a divider fashioned from some sort of wavy green plastic. I think they may have served customers car-hop style as well.

But back to salad dogs -- some friggin' good.

No fooling -- Spring is definitely fixing to erupt! The air has taken on a distinctively different feel. Yesterday I ventured out for my first run of the season, and today my calves and hip flexors are alternately thanking and cursing me. It was surprisingly easy given that my last run was in Nova Scotia at Christmas time; I guess my indoor winter workouts have kept me in good stead.

Working in gyms for the last several years has resulted in a major drop-off in my running activity -- there just isn't the drive, at least for me, to run on top of working out in the gym five days a week. With my pending move to New Hampshire and the associated downtime that'll result from several months of not being legally permitted to work, I'm looking forward to bringing it back to the forefront, both as a way to stay in shape and also to help maintain some structure as I transition to life in the shadow of Walmart (more on this later). I'd also like to sign up for some local races (not including the Boston Marathon, which Eric helpfully cited as a local race. Masochism = not my thing ;)).

The things you learn! Here are a couple of tidbits spotted this week in a local freebie paper:

- During my lifespan (nearly 28 years), the percentage of overweight Canadian adolescents has more than doubled, while the obesity rate has tripled. I knew it was bad, but the stats say it all!
- Talk about making your point: in Nova Scotia this past Monday, during the federal election, a man ran into a polling station, grabbed a ballot box and ran over it with his truck several times to ensure its complete destruction before fleeing (police suspect he may be the same man who threw a ballot box into a nearby river in 2000).

Speaking of elections, this week's saw Canada go all America with a Conservative victory. A British researcher also cited January 23rd as the most depressing day of 2006. Coincidence?

Back in Hometown for Christmas and it's looking like a green one -- almost 10 p.m. Christmas Eve and it's positively balmy here in southwest Nova Scotia. Balmy in comparison to Ottawa, anyway -- earlier this aft I went running with only a t-shirt and capri pants separating me from the elements. In December! It reminds me of visiting Missouri in November and enjoying temperatures not seen in Ottawa since September. 

 

I think I could be on to something here. Here's a little on-the-house sloganeering for you tourism types --"Nova Scotia: Canada's Missouri."

 

Now that's what I call marketing!

 

A few interesting sights, sounds and tastes I've encountered in these last few Hometown days:

 

- Santa on a motorbike

- A pickup truck with "My other ride is your girlfriend!" emblazoned on the tailgate

- Coyotes answering each other in the night

- Ostrich pie (dead serious - tastes like ground beef)

News flash -- a Visa snafu may prevent Martha Stewart from sailing in Windsor, Nova Scotia's pumpkin regatta! Oh, the humanity...