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Summer's End
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
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The September long, long, loooooooong weekend finally past and I'm done.
This year - every year, longer than the last, longer like no other.
Monday night, a wrap, meet up with the owner's son in town for a beer. It's back to work Thursday, by myself, open to close, but the major rushes, insane business, they're done, it should be manageable.
SHOULD BE.
I've a try-out tonight at another job, a bistro/winebar in town, better food. Shorter hours - a lot shorter. 6, sometimes 7 hours per day, vs, the 10, 11, 12 I'm doing now. And a ten minute walk from home, not a 30 minute drive in a jeep that no longer runs.
I need this. I need some balance in my life, and as much as I'm loathe to work on a day off this may be my ticket out of there.
They won't take it well, nevermind, I'm too sensitive to this - there were weeks I worked more than he and his wife did together, and I'm done. Never again. Done working with the wife who somehow thought the ice well, water jugs all magically refilled themselves, that the fruit would cut itself if you left it long enough, that there were fairies that popped out of the walls to bus the tables for her. Too many times I've busted my ass to stop and catch my breath and discover that in fact I had only 3 tables and all my running was caused by her...
And the son, well, he'd have to show up for me to comment, and- for a good bulk of the summer he managed not to.
"Congratulations" he says to me..."We made it...".
No. I made it, the donkey with the carrot on the stick in front of him, he - the person riding the donkey. "We" didn't make it.
Anyways, tryout tonight, hopefully new doors opening to smaller, more manageable rooms, and there's always that sadness when you leave something behind but - it's time.
It's time.
The taste of impending famine...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
- Hits: 1022
The last few weeks, cooler, rainy, in the evening downright cold. AN early start to autumn, no complaining after all the heat and smoke and misery of a too brief summer.
Counting down the days until the end of the September long weekend- when business, as usual, will drive off the first of many cliffs and the owners will give their head a shake and reconsider the "Open all winter...".
The last few days - Friday most notably, but then on through the weekend - business much slower. MUCH slower.
Not 3 or 4 waiter days, more 1.2, 1.5 waiter days. Busier than one can handle, slow for 2. The mask mandates have driven away the Albertans, most sensible people are declining to dine in, our business is switching to take away. And so while I've been dreading this, the last few days, it might have all been for naught.
Around the restaurant, the owner's son, his wife, they're together taking every other day off. Wigglesworth - our investment in a hefty little heifer from Trail, failed, she couldn't close numerous nights - birthday parties, family events, had to leave early, then couldn't come to work one day - was nervous driving in the rain, then, following payday had her mother call in with a "CRISIS" - her mother - !!!! FOR FUCKS SAKES!!!! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!!!!????
Anyways, a "Domestic Abuse" situation, or so we're told, probably a fight over the last dilly-bar in the fridge or some other such nonsense, I've run out of any sort of compassion for these people - the best job she'll ever have, never have again, and she's quit.
So down to me and the absent owner's son and his absent wife.
5 days to go, and then we'll see what's up.
The weather, it improves my mood, and now walking a great deal more than I'd like - well, time a bit to think and make other plans. Plans for the winter, plans for moving, plans to find some wheels, all sorts of plans, the gears are turning and I've only 2 months to get my shit together...
The roundabout road to a Jeep's demise (or: ALWAYS LOOK A GIFT JEEP IN THE MOUTH!!)
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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Last week, a new fuel filter. I'd set out on a trip to Revelstoke, thrifting, exploring, maybe some prospecting, but the Jeep sputtered, lost power, and somewhere around New Denver I came to my senses and decided it would be a lot better to break down nearer to home.
Turn around, plans abandoned.
Change the fuel filter.
This seems to fix things for a bit, but there's something new, always a new surprise under the hood. This a shaking and rattling as the Jeep changes gears. This, you can tell while riding, will be no trivial thing. So call and make an appointment with the mechanics.
"Maybe a U-Joint" they tell me. Fingers crossed.
Of course it's not a U-Joint, it's the transmission, it's shot. Completely. Add to this various oil leaks, seals, no suspension in the back end, shocks, welding...
And the grand total will be $5200. Roughly.
The answer is, of course, no, it should have been no a long time ago. $8000 in repairs in a little over a year and the jeep is still going over a fucking cliff, I could have been driving a new Wrangler - all the time, not just every other week - for the same as I've put into this. So - for this year - the gathering and prospecting is largely done, time now to address my income and find the means to level up my wheels.
The Nelson Anti-Mask Mandate Rally
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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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