Saudade

I was cleaning out my email this week - those who know me will not be surprised that there are more than 5,000 emails languishing in my inbox - when I came across this one. It is too good not to share, and now that I have immortalised it, I can delete it! Enjoy!

You know you live(d) in Quebec if:

☺ Your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May;
☺ You've worn shorts and a parka at the same time;
☺ You've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number [okay, this one sounds more like Brazil....];
☺ You measure distance in hours [totally true! Quebec City is 2½ hours from Montreal, Mont Tremblant 1¾; the Eastern Townships 1. I have no idea how far they are in kilometres!];
☺ You know several people who have hit a deer more than once;
☺ You have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again;
☺ You can drive 120 kph through two feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching [with the best of them!];
☺ You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked;
☺ You carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them [we also know how to use tracks starting at age, oh, twelve....];
☺ You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit [no kidding! one year my costume didn't fit over a snowsuit and I ended up wearing it under my winter coat and then essentially flashing everyone when they opened the door];
☺ The speed limit on the highway is 100 kph -- you're going 130 and everybody is passing you [alternatively, this is also the case for ex-Montrealers who live in Ottawa racing along the 417 on a Friday night in order to get to Montreal as soon as possible];
☺ Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow [after driving on Brazilian roads for three years, I suspect that I will find Quebec's potholes a walk in the park!];
☺ You know all four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction [seriously! We have a season called Road Construction in Quebec];
☺ You find -6 degrees "a little chilly" [maybe even just "brisk"]; and last but not least,
☺ You actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your Quebec friends & family.

Thanks to Deb for forwarding these to me way back when!