"It is time."

"It is time for,
it is time for,
stormy weather!"

As the city turns its eyes to the sky -- or, more precisely, the skyline -- it's easy to be reminded of what hit us almost a decade ago.

I remember camping out in a darkened apartment in Montreal; I was lucky to have candlelight and friends for warmth, with a little water in the tub just in case. I also remember trying to go home a couple of days later, when it was safe to do so. Pedestrians like me were directed into the middle of the streets, and I don't recall where the cars went.

The sidewalks were roped off like a stage for the falling sheets of ice. I'd never seen anything like it! They shattered and crashed so loudly as they hit (hopefully only) the ground. All the roofs suddenly appeared dreadfully sloped -- all the better to create these sliding shards. Everyone trudging and stumbling along the road in front of me was clutching at least one bag of groceries. I tried to imagine what the supermarket shelves looked like that morning. It must have seemed as if the rumoured apocalypse arrived two years early.

TRACK LISTING: Pixies, "Stormy Weather"