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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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For such a small community it's spawned more than it's share. There's a portal there, for sure, that leads directly to the pits of hell.
"Bobbi" is one of their demons, a proper internet Karen, forever complaining - in the least pleasant terms imaginable, about any and everything. We've considered banning her, merely waiting the appropriate time.
She comes in with a couple of our regulars - an old waitress and her friend. Lovely people, good customers, tippers.
This isn't good. You can't bar her now - although they both know she can be a handful, still they've chosen to hang out with her.
So - not my table, not my problem, and she finds fault with something and goes off on the server. Properly off, although I'm not there to witness I can see by how flustered he is that things aren't going well, and by the end he's of my mind to bar her.
The next night the waitress she was out with is there with her family for dinner. Bobbi comes in, ignores her, picks up a to-go order. I point out that M***** is there, but she chooses not to acknowledge her.
The incident is forgotten, Bobbi comes in with other guests, forever we're forestalling barring her.
Then C**** - the other guest/friend from the night of her blow-up, comes in with an explanation.
This is good.
After Bobbi's little explosion on her server she went to the washroom. While in the washroom she left her phone on the table, set to record. And so she later listened how inexcusably ruder her behavior was, and then barred her friends.
When I say people are demons, and people choose to ignore me, they do so at their peril...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
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Which was today, in Nelson, approximately 3 blocks from my house.
These signs are everywhere. Everywhere. Printed, drawn in crayon, pencil, spray painted....
And - being on Facebook - a lurker, not a contributor - I've seen all the posts. The asshole who's never tipped in his life reminding restaurants of his loyal patronage. And all the rest, all the rest.
Anyways, day off, my errands largely are done - time now to go down and check out all the hot fuss.
And what a fuss! Easily Five hundred people, all waving banners, placards, cars honking their support, the 4 corners and boulevards at Vernon and Ward are full, full full. Placards saying "No Mandatory Vaccine" and "Medical Freedom for all" and ten thousand other nonsensical slogans that make no sense whatsoever from a broader prospective. To put it in perspective - last week (the last week for which numbers were reported) over 150 people tested positive for COVID in Nelson.
That's 1.5% of the population of 10, 000.
But - actually - it's not. Combine it with the 2 weeks before and you get to about 3.5%.
But - actually - it's not. Consider that 62% of Nelson's eligible population has been vaccinated - and that this 3.5% is drawn from the unvaccinated pool.
So now we're at about 8% of the unvaccinated have tested positive in 3 weeks.
Now consider that they're only testing people who are reporting symptoms. Given that 50% are estimated to have no symptoms you could comfortably guess that that rate may be as high as 16%.
Oh, but that's not all. There's any number of people here that refuse to get tested - under any circumstances - for fear of getting into "The System" - the people without a BC Care card, the anti-taxxers, anti-vaxxers, the off-the grid, the all of the fucking wing-nut alternative "thinkers' and you're getting a much higher number.
And, 500+ people, still coming down the street, late, no readily available parking, it's all taken, to gather in close quarters without masks and protest an invisible, non existent entity like COVID, like protesting air or gravity or radio waves or 5G - oh, wait - we all know that's real, how else would Bill control the COVID Chip?
Anyways, I should have made up my own placard, "TITS OUT FOR FREEDOM" or some other such enticing offer, given the level of enlightenment there might have been a show. But - really, you have to keep your distance, there's no close quarters for these people, not until the virus has done it's thing and natural selection has culled the herd.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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And this, in the dismal news of the day (and there's seldom been any good news as of late), Stormy in the Hospital, why, exactly, I don't know. There could be any number of reasons - his faculties had been visibly in decline the entire summer, and busy with work I hadn't checked up on him nearly as often as I should have.
So on Sunday, made an appointment and went for an outdoor visit. They wheel him outside.
He's cleaner, they've bathed him, put him in a wheelchair, his eyes are a startling blue. The kids have come with me - he's always asked about them, and labelled any amount of scrolls and garbage to be given to them, so - not knowing his state of affairs I bring them along.
He recognizes them, in part, asks questions - about what they've been up to, doing. I ask him why he's there, but there are no straight answers, they took him because he hadn't been vaccinated, and I ask if he's been vaccinated now and he shows me a cotton ball taped to his arm, but this was for an IV drip. His reason, it's escaped, there are no straight answers - dementia? absentia? a stroke? I don't know. But he's not there, possibly under the influence of medications - painkillers or otherwise - but the conversation moves in no direction at all. He hates it here. It's like a jail. His room-mates - 90 years old, he has to listen to them dicker all day.
I promise to drop him off a care package, buy him some notebooks and pens, this might help - somewhat - to restore him, but there is - I know - no restoring him.
***
This is an uncomfortable thing - what do you do? Is life to preserved at any cost - when that cost is the relinquishment of all that made life worth living? Memory, freedom, reason - and - are we as a society entitled to make that choice on behalf of someone? I mean - clearly we do - but - is it for the better? I'm not so sure. The point taken - make the tough choices for yourself - because most assuredly nobody will make them for you.
***
This summer - double long the second year into the pandemic - it's taken it's toll, suicides - I know of 2, acquaintances or people met in passing, overdoses, the unreported and personal costs of the pandemic are mounting, and we've many more catastrophes to come. It seems we've come to the end of days. I need to breathe and gather my resources for this is not the end and there's many a dark valley ahead.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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Monday, he comes into the restaurant. Oversized ears, nose bristling with hair, and a surreal wrap-around smile that reminds me of the Mad Hatter. Older, 70's, and in an English accent asks for a cup of coffee. Crystal bright blue eyes.
He's a lunatic, deranged, you can tell, good natured enough, but his eyes, appearance, there's no one home, no one at all. He sits with a big grin on his face and asks about little pastries and cakes and I refer him to the bakery across the way.
He's jolly. He drinks his coffee, unblinking, livid blue eyes, a madman, his smile is perpetual, stuck on as if he's looking into the void, I'm amazed - to all superficial appearances, normal, but - no, he's barking mad. He tells me he's paid for his coffee, and I pooh-pooh it, "On the house" I tell him, it was an older pot, thank you for coming in and all that, and he leaves, for such an unremarkable visit he's made an impression...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
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Today, mundane, Christopher reading the reviews. One complains the food was shit and the waiter was creepy. Chris describes the order and I know who he's talking about, my table, a bland narcissistic couple from the city, vacuous blonde, impotent overly groomed man - which city? Don't know. I can't be bothered to search their Instagram or "Only Fans' page. Guess Alberta. But BC has it's share as well.
Online anonymity gives every entitled asshole a place to vent their worthless opinions.
A man, 2 kids, makes a reservation, sits outside at a patio table, beautiful view, but he'd prefer to sit next to a wall so he and his kids can charge their cellphones. A shit table, less of a view, but - it has a plug. Camping with your kids in the 21st Century.
He complains to me that we "need a no-hillbillies policy". The table next to him is loud, drunk-ass BC kids on vacation. I agree, but it's our bread and butter, and I'm in the awkward position of choosing between my values and the owners needs. I explain to him - "They're our bread and butter.".
Tonight - after yesterday, relatively slow. A few late tables, a drunk fat toad of a blonde waiting for guests, can't look up from her phone to order her double Caesar. Her friends, clueless as to how to work a mask, clutching napkins over their faces, show up late. 10 minutes to close. They don't like their table, want to sit on the beach.
I tell them no, the beach is closed. We're closing in 10 minutes.
She doesn't like this, immediately goes in search of another opinion, finds the owners' son, gets the same answer. I watch it all. I haven't primed him. Here - here, if you were managing and competent, here is where you chuck them out. Assholes. Bitches. Drunk-ass whores. Know trouble when you see it and get rid of them. Not kindly. Fuck off. Fuck right off.
One last chance. Toady blonde, prompted for order before the kitchen closes. "But your website says you close at 10:00". It has never said that ever.
But they complain to him about me, I'm - wait for it - "Anthony Bourdain" - and that's enough, they repeat it again and again as if it's he's the Satan of the restaurant world. I can't take it, "just take the table" I tell him, I can't put up with this shit, haven't the patience for it.
It's time for the old "Hills have eyes", work with your gut, start cleaning up the planet of all the excess shit of humanity that it's created. Really. Humanity, we've been breeding assholes for too long, rewarding them, promoting them, to President even, (or Premier of Alberta) - time, time to just burn them all down. They're fooling no one. The liberal ideology - it allows everyone to be whatever they want to be, but the asshole ideology - "if you're not what we want or expect we're going to complain on our Instagram/Only Fans" is gaining too much ground. Time to end it. Not kindly.
I've had enough, and the lotto, fuck, it's gotta be won, I've appointed my Dukes and Earls and Counts all already, just let me fucking win goddamnit!!!!!