On The Bright Side…

Everyone knows that the optimist sees this glass as being half-full, and that the pessimist sees it as being half-empty. I’m an Engineer, so naturally I see the glass as being twice as big as it needs to be. A joke that I found on the internet says that a drinker would see that the glass needs more ice. And, here’s another one: a physicist would say that the volume of this cylinder is divided into two equal parts; one a colourless, odourless liquid, the other a colourless, odourless gas. Thus the cylinder is neither full nor empty; instead, each half of the cylinder is full: one half with a gas, one half with a liquid. (That’s certainly something that Dr. Sheldon Cooper would say, eh Rebecca?)

Now, while I am not very optimistic about getting much quality skating time on the backyard rink this year, I am still able to look on the bright side of things. Here, then, are some benefits of experiencing crappy weather for building and maintaining a backyard rink:

• no “double-shoveling” (driveway plus rink);
• more time is available to watch the Olympics;
• lower power bills (no shoveling, flooding or skating at night means my elaborate and complex lighting system isn’t being used);
• no iced-up pants and gloves while flooding (which is clearly a direct result of not flooding at all);
• less money is spent on hot chocolate.

Actually, that last one is kind of sad – it sure is great to spend some time skating then come in for some hot chocolate and cookies. It’s just not the same to splash around in puddles on the driveway or play in the mud then go inside and sip a hot beverage. What a messed-up winter!