January 28th

Yesterday I purchased a snow shovel.

When I got home, I tried to use it to clear the sidewalk, but the snow had become compacted by multiple pedestrians and was immovable. I attempted to use my own momentum to gain some leverage under the layers of ice by sprinting towards the snow and then stabbing the tip of my snow shovel into the ground. This did not work. It also caused me to wind myself on the handle of the snow shovel.

This method being ineffectual was disappointing since I had spent $18.95 on the snow shovel and the plastic bit at the front was chipped and did not have a warranty. I decided on a different approach and retrieved a screwdriver from my house and then attempted to chip the ice away by vigorously stabbing it.

I stopped after two hours having made little progress. I noticed that several neighbors appeared to be observing my progress through the curtains of their homes. I waved at them. They closed the curtains. I’m hoping they know of a better way of dislodging the compacted ice.

I went back inside my apartment. With the head cold and the exertion of attempting to clear the snow, I was quite tired. I sat down in my living room and looked out of the window at the small patch of sidewalk I had cleared. It was about two feet wide. Shoveling snow is harder than I had previously estimated.

It began to snow again and I noticed that the patch of ice I had cleared was was no longer visible. I decided to go to bed at 7:38 pm, which is quite early.

Today I discovered that the temperature had dropped to minus 15 Fahrenheit. I did not know the temperature could drop that low. I also received a ‘Municipal Offence Ticket’ for being delinquent in clearing the snow in front of the property. It was addressed to my landlady but she had pushed it under my door with a note that indicated she felt it was my responsibility because I had taken it upon myself to clear the snow.

I will invest in a better screwdriver.