I read the news in French every morning to build my vocabulary and keep apprised of local goings-on.
As a result of this article (it’s in French only, sorry) about a cyclist who was injured after sliding on a newly-painted pedestrian crossing, today I learned the term dos d’ânes, or “donkey backs.” What are they?
Speed bumps!
I can see that! though it seems painfully animal-cruelty-ish when I do. Couldn’t we call them something else, something that’s not sentient but will still slow you down, like “sand dune” or “planter box” or “Lego brick”?
I like the “donkey back” idiom though, because dos d’ânes seems slightly onomatopoetic to me: doh-don, doh-don, like the sound of going over one.
(Also from this article, I learned the word microbilles–microbeads. Apparently the street paint contains reflective ones, which may be part of the slippage problem.)
Donkeys aren’t the only creatures you’ll find in Québec streets. You’ll also find chickens, or at least their nids de poule or “chicken nests.” That’s the term for potholes.
There’s one animal you definitely won’t find in the streets today though–ME. This is our third day of extreme chaleur (heat) and it’s getting tougher to withstand. Here’s a pic of the living room thermostat at about 7am:
32C = just a tick under 90F. Even when I opened the windows to let in fresh air this morning, the temp stayed the same. Outside it’s even worse, due to the humidex combined with record-setting temps.
I’ve done okay over the past two days of the heat wave–a little headachy was all–but I can feel I’m getting worn down despite using our little air conditioning unit a couple hours a day per government recommendations.
I’m doing essentially nothing (which you’d think would be great, except I always hate myself for doing nothing). I’m not using the stove, dishwasher, or dryer to avoid creating more heat. I’m eating cold food only, and hydrating like a maniac.
I also have wet dishtowels in the fridge, which I put on the back of my neck and rotate out once they warm up. That seems to be the most effective thing at keeping me comfortable.
I was planning to go to a local cooling center yesterday, but the thought of walking there was too daunting. It’s not just the heat that deters me, it’s the smell of a heat-oppressed city: a noxious mélange of toasted sidewalk, diesel exhaust, and cooked pee.
But I’ve never been to a cooling center before, so maybe I’ll try to go today just to check it out. I wonder who will be there.
If I still can’t rouse myself to walk three blocks to the cooling center, I can head across the street to the fruiterie, not because I need anything but because they have beast air-conditioning–it’s always deliciously and shivery-cold when you walk in the door. I bet I won’t be the only local in there shopping verrrry sloooowly, and reluctant to check out.
Other than having-then-dismissing any ideas about heading outside, I’ve been reading and futzing about online to distract myself (hence this post), but after three days of this I’m getting bored and irritable. Maybe I should watch a movie with lots of snow to help me think cooler thoughts?
Let’s see what fun and inspiring snow flicks I could watch to prevent me going crazy with the heat:
Okay, maybe I’ll just go to the fruiterie a few more times and hope they don’t call social services.
There is some good news: the heat’s supposed to break later today, with thunderstorms in the early evening and back into the 70F range overnight [insert enfeebled “yay” here]. Then I can go back to doing nothing in a more comfortable way! Can’t come too soon.
Despite the respite, there’s no doubt we’ll be doing extreme heat again later in the summer. At least now I have an idea what to expect and how to prepare.
Indoor igloo, anyone?
