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Today, a quiet one. Worked the past few days, some long and far too busy, others long and far too quiet. Plans to go to a friends today for dinner & a movie thwarted by my "I'd prefer to be by myself" disposition. I don't know if she'll understand, she's unemployed and would love to hang around people. I'm employed and love my solitude. It's the holidays and I'm "that" friend you can't rely on.
Outside it's raining. This, the new season, replacing winter, "Atmospheric River".
***
Facebook; a posting of a person I recognize, "street-elder", now deceased at 66. I'd see him daily, first on a cane, then on a mobility scooter, this - the scooter, it's the end. When the community - be it church or otherwise - buys you a scooter it's time to throw it in. It's always this way.
It gets me thinking - of the people I haven't seen the past few days, weeks, months. Few out here get an obituary, really, and so what has become of them? It's a long list. Gabe, Sasha, Bee, countless others really, and it's as if the environment around you is deteriorating, being replaced, slowly, surely, without your noticing....
***
L*****, local homeless resident and loon, being gifted an abundance of outdoor-living supplies for Xmas. Sad to say the next night I'd passed him he had none of it - and while it would be easy to suspect it was stolen, it's just as easy to imagine he woke up, looked at it, and then just moved on.
He's like that. He used to try and corner me for a conversation - that's his thing, but after a few false starts I learned the drill and to keep walking. Not to be cruel but he has nothing kind to say, he's unhoused for a reason.
Still, you have to love a town that does this for it's most vulnerable residents.
***
What disappears is replaced. In this instance a pair of - what I'm guessing are - "twins", beautiful women; one blonde, other brunette, that resemble each other in person but also in manner. New arrivals at my morning cafe, to watch them talk is a delight, they mirror each other's every gesture, word, I imagine them to be in their late 30's, early 40's, who knows, but I've run into them a few times, they're in their own world. I can't eavesdrop, and don't for a moment suspect they're discussing anything of intelligence, merely the trifles of the day, but they are so animated and invested that I can't help but being amused...
It's their "rapport". You seldom see that nowadays, people in sync, on the same page, topic, that's what makes it such a delight.
Today they're interviewing a third person - another fit thirty-something woman in exercise gear; together on the same side of the table opposite their friend/prospective employee/client, who knows? But that they are so thoroughly on the same page is amusing and I'm distracted from my book. Not to be too obvious but it's a curious thing.
***
And - so far, this is the news. Nothing new, a quiet day, a load of movies downloaded, a very fine book that I'm close to finishing, a host of Christmas Cards that need drawing and colouring and why do I have all these fine art supplies and not a single Crayola crayon???
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Wednesday, the kids arrive. An early Christmas of sorts, celebrating a landmark birthday. The boy, lavish in ordering the biggest Charcuterie they had, we dine, drink a bottle of wine, catch up. From there to a pub, then another, more, mutually roasting us and then finally back to the apartment where we drink even more and discuss terrible childhoods and even worse childhood vacations "CHARACTER BUILDING" I tell them and thump my cane on the floor.
Thursday morning they're off, back to their separate lives, and I'm keyed up the whole time, never sober, I took an extra day off work for this and so Saturday begin the slow recovery.
You can have too much of a good thing, and this is something that needs to be recovered from if I'm to have any hopes of getting to my next birthday, and - the reminders of mortality, how many years left, and how many will be productive, and time to reign in a few of my vices, but it's hard this, lowering the anxious vibration. And time to start saving for next summer's jeep, the neighbour cash loans, she's repaid none of it, all of it with promises but it's getting on time and I think she's got it figured out. She'd better have, because if I have to say it...
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Last night, the Christmas Train comes through town. A couple of reservations for after the train, 7:30, it's an event for sure.
A couple of reservations meaning 2, one for 3 people and the other for 8.
Only it's never that easy, they're late, and there are the other "reservations" made 10 minutes before they arrive, a 7, 5, 9, 4, 2, 2, ...
There's a machine gun outside the restaurant firing people into it, we're full and the phone doesn't stop ringing, all this over maybe 10 minutes, "Kootenay Style", I call for backup - and more backup - but it's 15 minutes away...
Nonsense, absolute nonsense, there's no keeping up, no coming close, but here we are.
The night goes, I'm home just before 11:00. We close at 9:00.
***
Today a double, there's no Christmas train but it will be more of the same. Kids are out of school, kids love sushi. It's gonna be a bloody nightmare but I just - somehow - have to keep my sanity and make it through.
***
This morning, Kramer sauntering through to grab some coffee and toilet paper. She's in a fine humour - turns out she's won some $76, 000 on a jackpot last night. Now - I don't mean to be skeptical - but - well, you get it.
She assures me that the bulk of her winnings will go to pay off her debts. I'm not her only creditor, and I'm wondering where I'll be on the list, but let her have her victory and we'll see how things go. In any event I'm not certain she's won anything, no doubt she'll pop round tonight to borrow a few hundred dollars because that's what she'll need to "free up" her winnings...
In any event, my worries are on the day; if I make it to tonight we'll see how her story's holding up.
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It snowed last week, or the week before, and for a brief time the town was like a Hallmark Movie.
Then it stopped and all disappeared.
Since when it has rained and rained and the clouds have hung lowering in the sky. Tuesday, a blue sky, not a cloud to be seen, but I'm working a double and so my vantage is only from the pavement in front of the restaurant when I'm smoking a cigarette. It would have been a mighty fine day to have off. I didn't.
Wednesday, it snowed/Slushed the entire day, by boots filled with slush, shoes, everything wet, grey and dismal weather. The snow, it just turns to slush on the ground, there is no snow.
And Thursday, the same, a little bit hungover - then a lot, too much of a good thing, went to the Royal to see a customer play, the place is packed, the music, good, but there's a drummer in my head and it's doing me no favours.
Then today, a text early in the morning, waitress sick, so I'm on a double, and still a little under the weather, lunch is busy, a 5, another 5, a six ,a four top, deuce, deuce, deuce and take-out orders out my a**...bloody hell. Way too much running for a called in shift...
But in the evening, quiet, and I'm out by 7:15, and glad I worked the lunch because otherwise my ring-out would have been zilch. And - the added benefit, the sick waitress is now obliged to work Saturday, meaning I have a proper week-end off, what to do? What to do? What's on at the theatre, about town, man about town on a Saturday off, l'm gonna start with a shower...
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SO, yesterday off. A few things done before I fell down the rabbit hole...
#1. Got rid of that goddamned old computer and flat-screened monitor. $20 it was a steal, but - try selling an old computer. I'm just glad that it didn't end up in the e-cycle. (and, on a similar note, tonight sold my computer projector for $20 as well, another e-cycle rescue). Now a bit of room on my kitchen island to plan my next steps; I discovered in an idle box delivered to me by the boy a demonstration model of Banana Pump which I should endeavour to sell before Christmas...
#2. Paydays. Mine is behind. Last was a couple of weeks ago, the "hours" cheque, used to pay rent, but it's been 3 weeks since the "tip cheque" and I'm getting hungry. How hungry was discovered last night when Kramer came over and I took her for dinner and she got way-too drunk (2 cocktails? Really?) - but the price put my credit card over the limit. And so I had the embarrassing task of part-cash part-cc payment. I shouldn't be this behind, should be ahead even, but community housing, the local banker, loans agent, etc, it's taking it's toll. Payday, apparently tomorrow, fingers crossed.
#3. Kramer. Coming over to watch a lame-assed movie of her own recommendation, kicking her boots under my bed, leaving her coat on my chair, lipstick on my towel. She's marking territory she's never even tried to claim. And not like I'm looking for action or to get lucky but - bloody hell, if ever I did there would be a lot of explaining to do.
#4. Neighbour Upstairs. Sketchy, as always, but now (met on a cigarette break) telling me she didn't turn in her ex(boyfriend) Fred for Welfare Fraud. Which tells me she did. And the entire building disagrees. All the while telling me he should get a job, work, be productive, buy her nice things...She hasn't worked for 20 plus years. He's in trouble and discovering the hard way how toxic certain females can be.
#5. Burger Month. Thank fucking god it's over and the restaurant is once again at a reasonable pace. It's insane, this, I need to write a November fairy tale for the town that involves Santa-Easter Burger coming and leaving hamburgers on the table, this is nonsense. We didn't win, the same winners as last year, the one - for presentation, an orchid on a charcoal brioche bun, well done. Not a great burger but a spectacular presentation, fine. The other, one of the other sushi places, I never tried. And finally the winner for flavour, the "Foi Gras", too close to last years entry and yet it won again, and this is bullshit, somebody, somewhere, is paying 'Big Burger" for the promotion...theirs was a good burger but - bloody hell - ours was better and a hell of a lot more original.
#6. And yesterday friend takes me for lunch and tells me I can stop making her car payments. This is - well, a relief, I'm not rich and don't even own a car myself. She's found work training our AI Overlords and offers to send me a link so I can do the same. I'm not particularly interested, the futures grim and will be so without my help. I send the link to Kramer, who despite wanting work and money so desperately is not interested in this, doesn't have the requisite communication skills. I'd happily be the "Saboteur" but apparently this is not a job they're offering ...