Icebreakers and forgotten skills

These coast guard icebreakers are needed in the winter time to keep the ferries to Newfoundland moving, among other things. Apparently the ferries occasionally get stuck in the ice and get delayed…for a day or so. Just one more difference between the ferries here and back home in BC. Speaking of which, I should also mention that the ferry workers we met were once again very friendly. We chatted to the security guard for a while, he had lived for 32 years in Nanaimo, and sure missed the mild winters. Moved out here because he met a woman from Newfoundland. Later on this evening, he was involved in an altercation on the ferry – one of the disembarking passengers forgot to take his medication and went berserk. Our friend took a punch in the head, and the cops had to come and wrestle him to the ground! He came back to tell us about it, proudly showing off his fat lip. No worker’s compensation claim for him – and he was probably nearly 70! Tough old guy.

I have found on this trip that I have forgotten some things related to my “old” day to day life. For instance, I have lost the ability to button up my shirt properly. I now smile obliviously while my shirt is all crooked - I can do this all day. It will probably be some time before I regain that skill.