23:59 - 08.11.06
fatigues
I think I need to leave a sleeping bag at my son's home. I've only been home about two hours.
The day started not badly. It was still quite warm for November, but definitely a "bite" or chill in the air that did not bode well. Woke number one son before running out the door to get to the bus stop. He has been in a great frame of mind since taking this new job. His employers sprang for a new pair of glasses for him, even though his benefits don't kick in for another five months. The message he received was that they want him to stick around and that they also value the skills and qualities he has already demonstrated in his job. Even though it is a small company, it seems to be one of those ideal places to work. They actually value the people who produce their profits.
On the train, a couple of young men who seemed to have gone to high school and their first jobs together. They obviously hadn't seen each other for a while and spent the trip catching up. Both working in construction. Comparing hours and benefits. The one young man responded that he is "only" working a 56 hour week right now. Has a new son to attend to at home now as well cutting into his time you see. He sounded exhausted, just as my young men often do. There are going to be industrial accidents starting to occur as these young guys' levels of fatigue starts to erode their awareness on the job and their physical ability to cope. The pace of growth in this city has to slow soon or we are going to pay in young lives lost.
Reached downtown in good time, but found that connector bus at the stop lights again. I had run the last bit of the journey from train to bus stop, so at least I had the chance to hop on. The driver couldn't leave yet anyway and I think he recognized me as a new regular. Had I been in any train car other than the lead one, or had I not moved as quickly as the crowd in front of me allowed, I would have faced the issue of trying to find an alternate way to my son's home or incurring an additional 20 minutes travel time because of the gap in service between that bus's scheduled stops at the bus shelter. There are other regular pedestrians that I now meet both in my community and my son's as I travel down the residential streets. It is reassuring to be able to greet these other foot travellers and to receive a smile in return. Small thing maybe, but it makes the day feel better.
My son was feeling much better after a night's sleep, but both my granddaughter and I seemed to be afflicted with the same profound sense of fatigue this morning that my son felt yesterday. Finally tucked her up about half an hour before her regular nap time simply because I couldn't stay awake. She was asleep before she hit the pillow. Afternoon was better, but it turned out both my son and daughter-in-law had to work late. My grand-daughter has often, the past week, dozed off around the supper hour while waiting for their arrival, but tonight it seemed as though she was desperate to wait for their arrivals despite the fact that she was well beyond feeling exhausted. I think perhaps she was picking up on their distress and was anxious to be there when they arrived. They asked if they could send me home in a cab so that my son could get some extra time with his girls. I had no objection to that. Called and booked a cab. After being told it would be half an hour, I had a plate of supper with the family. My son had prepared it the evening before, but then he and my daughter-in-law were too tired to eat. It was a seafood/rice dish that was just perfect.
I was finished and pulling on my boots just before the promised arrival time of the cab, all the same. The cab that never came for that matter. I was continuously dialling the cab company from the time I had my boots on until my son finally decided that he would drive me back home. It didn't help. That phone line just rang busy as did all the other cab companies' lines. Part of the reason was because a snow/ice front had swept through the city just before rush hour. A lot of the commuters from the morning had not been dressed for the weather later in the day. There is also a very big shortage of available cabs in the city. That shortage needs to be addressed quickly before it costs someone their life. If I had been standing outside a locked office building for example, and it had been -30 C I could have expired from hypothermia long before a cab arrived. Some areas of the city have very few places open after 9 pm that can be used as refuges you see. That was why the comment about the sleeping bag at the beginning of this post. Now I think I'll crawl into my nice warm bed instead. Good night dear diary.
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