Cube with a blocked view.

wow, I've changed.

What a difference a couple years makes. 2 years ago, I was only a week into my separation. I thought I knew it all. Had it all figured out. About 6 months after that, I started this blog. And going back today, reading all of my old posts, I had to giggle.

A year ago, I wasn't ready for a commitment. My blog says so! I was so busy running from everyone I dated, I wasn't bothering to analyze my fear. Most, wisely, let me run. I chuckle at my crazy cat lady plans. My dreams of NS. My struggles with the world of dating. I decided I was happier alone, yet I continued to search. In November 2005, I babble about wanting friends. Yet 2 months later, I was falling in love for the first time in years.

This morning, I shoveled my driveway. Gotta love Edmonton winters. Rain, snow, cold, warm. Yet the snow is beautiful. Romantic. Makes me think of planning a mountain getaway with a stack of books. Or just curl up by my fireplace with the books and my cats.

Then I drove to work marveling at the differences in winter driving theories. I've come to be able to pick out the 4x4 drivers by how closely they need to see my trunk. Is it any wonder we have soooo many accidents in this city?

As the temperature drops a good 20 degrees today, I think back to the night that doomed our curling league. Didn't really see it then. Maybe I just didn't want to believe it. The temperature dropped to -38/-39. Lower with a windchill. At -40, we call off our games. It was a late draw and our Vice Pres. was getting calls from the curlers asking if curling was called off for the night. God knows I didn't want to go out in that weather. No one could reach the president so the VP finally made a decision.

It wasn't easy for her to do. And she tried to contact the president to no avail. My team was playing the VP that night so we'd already decided we were canceling our game and calling it a tie. So she made the decision to call off curling. She actually contacted all the skips she could reach and asked them what they wanted to do. A downright democratic way to do it. The decision was made and we all stayed snug and warm in our homes.

The next week, the proverbial ___ hit the fan. The president ranted at the lot of us and declared we were all taking losses for the previous week for not showing up as she hadn't decided we weren't curling and she'd shown up and curled. The club rules clearly state -40 as the temperature and we hadn't reached -40. Wind chill would not be taken into account. Nor would the vote taken by the skips. Rules were rules and we'd broken them.

One more example of the inflexibility some people demonstrate. They live in a world of black and white, not recognizing gray. Hell, gray? What about green? Blue? Yellow? Red? She has no idea what that one night cost her. The next year, the vice president left the club and I was elected in her place. Sadly, the VP wasn't the only one to leave. Many others did as well and my understanding is it all comes down to our current president. I've been told directly that some would return if we had a different president - which was supposed to happen this season, but she wouldn't hand over the role. Said she'd agreed on a full term, not just a year.

I may never see president. Last year, the parent club told us that if we didn't get our club membership back up, we would be amalgamated with the other ladies league. Our president heard her own version of that and she didn't go to the parent club meetings as she was supposed to so she has no idea. She seems to think our club is invincible.

My team has spent our pre-late game drinking sessions discussing ideas for growing membership. I've talked to J about it and he had some good suggestions too. Emphasize the social aspect of our club. Invite the women from the Learn to Curl league. I decided on a goal of 2 new teams next year - if there is a next year. My hope is one team will come from the group who left. I'm short skips and as our league ages, our skips are retiring and leaving us with no replacements.

posted by Erin @ 1:07 PM