The Great HOT North

I got to take a last minute trip to Ontario this week.  I flew into Buffalo and got there with just enough time to get across the border and do a drive-by of Niagra Falls before sunset.  The falls are a very impressive sight but the town is an over-the-top tourist trap that reminded me of everything I loathe about Las Vegas.  One thing that surprised me was the direction of the falls—the high side is to the south. I guess I naturally thought it would flow from north-to-south not south-to-north, but it makes sense because the Great Lakes eventually outlet to the Atlantic Ocean.

I spent a few days working in a city about 90 minutes from Toronto.  It was hot but temperatures in Canada are reported in Celsius so I wasn't exactly sure how hot until I did the math.  I also heard the term "humidex" for the first time while I was there.  Apparently that is how hot it feels with the humidity; sort of the heat analog to "wind chill".  It reached a record 35°C (95°F) with a humidex of 47°C (114°F) the day I flew home...

On Wednesday night I drove into Toronto to see the Mariners play the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre (formerly Skydome).  The roof was closed during batting practice due to the heat but it opened before the game and that was a nice bonus to get to see.  The Mariners came into this game riding a 10 game losing streak so I was hoping to be their good luck charm... not so much.  Jason Vargas was wild and the Blue Jays had a 4 run lead by the second inning.  That, combined with our horrible offense, meant the game was pretty much over before it began.  I had a seat out in the first row of left field so I was in a prime spot to hear fans heckle Mike Carp in the outfield.  The best part about that was almost every heckle ended with "eh, Carp?"... gotta love Canada :)  Final score was 11-6, the M's lost their 11th straight, and I visited my 11th away ballpark.