03:43 - 08.10.07
Franchises
The weekend weather was quite balmy - around 20 C/70 F both days. That is unseasonably warm for these parts. It helped me immensely, since all my plans centered around being able to move around outside comfortably. The only downside was today when air pollution made the asthma flare up. It caused great discomfort, with respect to my breathing, after running for a bus as well as running up and down stairs at the train stations over the course of my travels. The positive about the experience was that there was no physical discomfort or exhaustion after I ran. That hasn't been the case for over a year now. Shows me how far I've progressed in terms of getting well again and for that I am grateful.
Saturday I had planned to work on winterizing my yard and the exterior of my home. My sister and her hubby had offered to come by and help me with some of the things I can't do - clipping and pruning the larger trees and bushes and dealing with things like weather stripping. I mowed the lawn in the morning in anticipation of their arrival - the last time I'll need to do that task this season. There had been heavy rain the past few days so the ground was really wet. Made mowing uncomfortable because there felt like there was a shock emanating from the handle of the lawn mower from time to time. Guess I'd better get a roll of heavy duty electricians' tape to wrap around it before I use it again.
When they arrived, my sister and I packed up their truck for a run to the bottle depot and the grocery store. Her hubby started in on the pruning. My sister was amazed at the speed with which we were processed through the depot. She said that at their facility, in the deep south of the city, it could take hours as the lines snake through the culling and counting process. One of the Asian communities own the one in my community and they are incredibly efficient. Left with an extra $30 in my pocket.
Headed off to the grocery store next, because I wanted to pick up a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. I had already bought a roast, but my youngest really wanted turkey. I wouldn't have to attempt to carry one home because of the assistance of my sister and her vehicle, so I decided to use that bottle money to fund my one person "turkey drive". Turned out that the grocery store was completely out of them anyway. The one butcher was explaining to another group of shoppers that they were expecting a delivery of another 30 cases - "hopefully" - but he couldn't predict that for certain nor could he estimate a time of arrival. Roast seemed meant to be. My sister and I each picked up some small items since we were already there and I paid for hers in order to compensate her for the time and gas expended.
My brother-in-law (my sister's sister-in-law's brother) was done the pruning by the time we returned. He had taken out way more of the lilac bushes than I had wanted, but I hadn't given specific directions on that before I left so I guess it was my own fault. Hopefully they'll grow back next year. I really appreciate the privacy the flora in the backyard affords me around my deck you see. As we stood in the back yard discussing the next steps, my brother-in-law flinched and ducked. A hawk had just made a swoop and low turn around my fence and the corner of the next door neighbour's home. Doesn't bother me, because there has been a nesting pair in the community for a decade or two. They are part of the life cycle here. I didn't quite see what it had caught, but given it had swept the fence it is likely it was a squirrel. My youngest had been puzzled and our two male cats alarmed last week, when one squirrel, who likes our sundance tree out in the front yard, kept climbing part way up that tree then just falling to the ground. Could be he was demonstrating to the rest of his family how to avoid said hawk and his mate. Stop, drop and roll, just as though one was afire, eh? The real flames and smoke kind of emergency, not the other type of fire. "I fell in to a burning ring of fire..."
Anyway I digress. Measurements were taken of a couple of my really leaky windows and the front door where that screen door had been torn off last January. Weather stripping can provide me with a short term solution to reducing my heating bills, you see. It was one of the key points made last year in that CBC contest about retrofitting one's home to reduce one's environmental footprint, as well as save money on heating bills. The only problem was that there was no demonstration of what weather stripping looks like nor how to apply it properly. I need someone who has used it before to show me how to do the job right. Waste of time and money otherwise - right? After the measuring was done, they took off for home while I continued on with housework and cat comforting - they hadn't really liked my brother-in-law, you see. Probably had something to do with those big shears and the short work he made of "their" bushes - the ones with all the birds playing in them.
Today I had to complete one of the piecework assignments and it was at the other end of the city. The forecast wasn't very clear, so there was every kind of gear visible on the transit routes - from shorts and t-shirts to heavy winter coats, complete with hoods and mitts. I conceded to wear panty hose and a fleece top and packed my umbrella, just in case. This time of year we can have all weather options in a fifteen minute period, don't you know. On the first train of the day a boisterous group of young adults in their late 20's were discussing the effects of using Facebook on their social lives. One male explained that he used it because it was easier to get laid when the person already knew you. The female in the group took a strip off him for being so shallow, while his buddies shushed him up - hard to know what reason they had. I suppose a person's use of that modality will simply be a reflection of their usual reasons for socializing in face to face situations. It was also apparent that their face to face social interactions had increased as a result of their Facebook activity - not otherwise. I've already told you about that one male in my high school group who used another similar service to hit on me. Can't blame young adults if there are some among them who have the same behaviour patterns. Still it was a reminder about why some caution is necessary when visiting among on-line social groups.
When that first train pulled into downtown I took a short detour before catching the train going into the south of the city. Advance polls for the municipal elections were being held and there was a voting station in the mezzanine at City Hall - right next to the C-Train platform. Our ticket system gives one 90 minutes travelling time, so I knew I had time and to spare to exercise my franchise. Seemed a smart thing to do given the odd hours for regular voting posted this year - 10 am to 8 pm. The one irritation was that most of the doors to the municipal building were locked and there wasn't adequate signage to explain where one could enter and exit the building. Finding those exits - both times - took as long as the voting process itself. One of the DROs - the people who hand you the ballot - was the Returning Officer under whom I had worked when first I did federal elections. I believe it was her reference about my work for her that was the reason I was accepted as a Returning Officer myself. She had had to retire some time ago due to a health issue but said her daughter - who I had met as a co-worker while working with her mom - was in charge of the advance polls. We chatted for a while, then I headed off for my next task.
Climbed on the southbound train, then followed the huge group of young people walking several blocks to the same destination as me. One of the really huge malls in this city. By this time the sun felt really hot and I was thinking it might be a good choice to duck into a washroom to remove those panty hose. Decided against it, but did finally purchase a cheap watch because the piecework requires me to time to the second the amount of time working in an assigned venue. 55 minutes this round. I had spent sometime before doing the work just walking around the mall so as to re-orient myself. I don't think I've actually shopped in this facility for over a decade. Big changes made it unrecognizable. An adventure I guess. Finished what I needed to do, then headed back for the train. Even though it was Sunday service, each transfer I had involved a very short wait time. Arrived home about an hour after leaving that one assignment. Filed my report and took a nap before making what turned out to be an extended,leisurely supper for myself and my youngest. He had enjoyed his first day off in several weeks and was a much more relaxed and happier person than he has been for sometime. Having the house - and my computer - to himself for most of the day likely had a big impact on his mood too. We all need breaks from the routine, don't we? Any way, good night dear diary. I still have a lot to do tomorrow - long weekends really just let one shift from one type of working to another don't they?
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