01:48 - 01.07.06
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Happy Canada Day! Did you know Canada was a Cancer sun sign, dear diary? Moon children - that's what we are.
Since our stat holiday landed on a Saturday this year, my youngest had Friday off in lieu. We decided to spend the afternoon running errands. First up was to pick up his paycheque. Under our labour laws, if a payday falls on a stat or weekend, the employer is required to ensure their staff is paid the last working day before that time. The problem is that very few workers know what laws are in place to protect them and there is very little enforcement of same. For one thing, it is a good way for an employee to find themselves unemployed and even blacklisted if they complain. It is very difficult to prove, so employees think long and hard before they complain. In my son's case, the employer met the requirements by telling their staff they would have to arrive at head office between certain hours today. Not a hardship for my youngest, because we live fairly close by, but for those employees across town it would be an issue. Long travel time to collect one's pay can eat up one's whole day off, don't you know.
Anyway we headed off to the bookstore after that. I wanted to pick up the one Harry Potter book that's gone missing from our home - # 5 - Order of the Phoenix. Probably lent it to someone and have forgotten who. Being that it is the one JK Rowling says holds most of the clues to the last book - seven - that she is in the process of writing, it seemed important to reread it aloud now with that in mind after a first read of book six completed. I had received an on-line discount coupon for childrens' literature, so the book was about half the price of what I had paid the first time. On the way out, there was a Starbucks. My youngest felt we needed a caffeine fix since neither of us had eaten yet. His treat.
Next stop was a branch of our bank. The one I was in earlier this week fixing that fund transfer problem I had been so stressed about. Turned out my son had never used an ATM to deposit his cheque before, so I was able to explain the process to him. There are almost no instructions for newbies written at the bank machine. It can take a while to figure out. If, like me, you mess up it can take a long time to get it straightened around. We took our time, sipping our coffees as we went through the steps. The bank itself was very busy because of the long weekend you see, but most everyone was waiting at the tellers' windows. That is one of the values of the ATM - techno-peasants lose out time-wise even though the technology itself has a lot of flaws too. Pick your poison. Oddly enough we saw several of his co-workers as we went through the errands. I guess they all have similar routines to follow today. Guess that is why he enjoys working with them - they have common values and a lot in common too.
My youngest wanted to buy runners for himself so we headed over to the mall next. The last pair he bought fell apart after two months. That meant he has had to wear either his hikers or steel toed boots instead. Both are great, but the hikers are very heavy and the steel toed boots have no flexibility in them. When my youngest has tried to run for the bus on several mornings on the way to work, he says he has risked doing face plants because the boots just won't allow the bend in the foot for running. Finally found a pair after wandering through three stores. The best part was the store he finally found what he wanted was the least expensive of the bunch.
In the interim we found ourselves sipping coffee still as we strolled through the music, electronics and PS whatever games sections of a number of stores. My youngest told me I had to learn to let other people buy me treats, since it is always me that is looking after others. Maybe so, but I don't want him spending his paycheques on me. His gift to me would be to get the courses he needs to work at a job he loves for the rest of his life. Like the parent I spoke about yesterday, my sense of accomplishment and belonging to this society is dependant on seeing my children being involved and accepted on their own terms as adults. Nothing else really matters that much to me. Anyway that said, I found myself the owner of a couple of new movies and a laser mouse for my computer as my treat from him. Sometimes the best kids grow up without you even realizing they've done it - right?
Headed off to the food court since we were feeling wobbly. My treat this time. He had burgers and I had vegetable soup. The soup was prepared fresh as one watched and it was steamed veggies all the way. Tasted wonderful. Wandered outside after and found rain just starting to fall. That was a relief, because despite weather forecasts to the contrary, the temperature drops predicted never materialized. It was very hot and muggy. We decided it would be nice to walk to the bus turn-around rather than messing with the trains first. Made it as far as the local hospital when my youngest said "oh look there's..." flash of lightning, followed one second later by a roar of thunder. Too close for comfort, but at least we were close to an emergency department, right? My son was a bit rattled, so I told him about the time I posted to you a couple of years ago where I was standing at a crosswalk in our community. A bolt of lightning literally knocked the hub caps off the side of the car just passing in front of the group of pedestrians standing with me. That was really close. Two of the women standing with me started running across the street - right into traffic no less - toward where the bolt had just struck. My comment to my youngest, as I was retelling the story, was that outrunning a bolt of lightning wasn't all that likely - even with brand new runners. Reminded him that the rule is is to drop to the lowest bit of safe ground you can see if you feel the hair on the back of your neck rising. Remember that dear diary. When I helped care for burn patients, there were usually a couple of people struck by lightning brought in each year. Kind of the ultimate act of god, eh?
Other than that the walk was pleasant, although the rain didn't last long enough to really cool things down. Add injury to insult, when the rain came so did those pesky mosquitoes. I now am the proud owner of several hive-size bites over top the ones I already had. Arrived home to find a crow at the water dish set near our front door. Given the west nile virus thing we didn't approach too close, but it seemed that the poor thing was having difficulty getting airborne. My youngest thought it might have injured a wing, but I couldn't see any evidence of that when I watched it hop about and flap its wings. I thought it was a nestling that just wasn't quite competent flying yet. Don't know but a whole murder of crows were hanging around running interference for it. We didn't want to provoke their ire either. Went inside did laundry, cleaned out litter boxes then checked outside to see if that crow was still there. He was gone and there had been no sound of a distressed bird in between times, so I am going to assume that he finally found his wings to fly. I think I'll take that as an omen for me too. Time to take wing again I think. Good night dear diary.
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