I was in the mood last evening to sit up with my younger brother once he arrived home from wherever he had been drinking ─ I wanted to watch a Christmas movie or two while drinking some beer.
But when 10:00 p.m. arrived and he was still not home, I abandoned the idea, properly fearing that he would be stupid drunk.
He did soon thereafter show up, but I had repaired by then upstairs here to my computer, and had lost the desire to begin drinking and watching a movie. I felt tired, too.
And soon enough, I sought my bed. I was fully clothed, and covered myself up with the topmost blanket to try for some sleep ere my wife showed up following her long day working at her friend's Thai restaurant ─ I never know if she is going to come directly home, or not make her appearance until well into the a.m.
As it happened last evening, she got home within a few minutes of me getting to bed. I quickly perceived that with her coming in and out of the bedroom, I would not be finding sleep ─ even though I had donned earplugs and a blindfold.
Meanwhile, my brother had turned on the T.V. and it was absolutely blaring. After getting up, I had actually gone downstairs in consideration of joining my brother, for at that point he was watching the news channel and was seated out of sight at the dining table while he was apparently eating some supper.
I had a beer in hand, fully intending to put our T9 Android 8.1 TV Box into operation and starting up a Christmas movie. My brother doesn't know how to operate the device, but we can access Netflix through our basic cable package with Telus ─ my youngest stepson has a subscription to Netflix.
Alas, that is just what my brother suddenly did ─ he started up some ridiculously blaring British romp that was all sex, spy action, and outlandishly impossible hijinks. No one seemed able to just speak ─ everyone was constantly shouting at one another.
In futility, I came here to my computer, which I keep in a small room upstairs, and which is immediately adjacent to my bedroom.
Eventually the blaring T.V. even got on my nerves, although my wife never spoke aught to me. In fact, she even went to bed without saying a word.
I peeked downstairs, and it appeared that my brother was passed out in his chair. So I carefully listened, and then I could vaguely hear him snoring.
I went downstairs and turned down the volume of the T.V. And then I decided to turn it right off and play the stereo ─ it's set to a station that is currently playing an all-Christmas music format.
Since my wife had gone to bed, I felt it prudent that I do the same ─ I wanted to get out early in the morning and do a little local shopping. I don't drive, so I would be walking the four or so blocks to my destination.
Morning for me arrived around 5:30 a.m. ─ I rose, and was soon at work adding to the post I am building at one of my six hosted websites.
My eldest stepson anon rose to ready for his short day of work ─ he was to be back home by 11:30 a.m. at latest.
The only reason I wanted to get out and shop was to buy a couple of those Christmas drawstring gift bags that are perfect for liquor and wine bottles. Yesterday I had bought a 1.75-litre bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey for my brother, and four bottles of different brands of merlot wine for my wife, but I did not just want to hand over the bottles as they were come Christmas Day.
I hoped to find a large gift bag for the wine bottles, and a smaller one for the Irish whiskey.
My destination was to be the Shoppers Drug Mart in the Cedar Hills shopping plaza at 96th Avenue & 128th Street (Google map) here in Surrey.
I ended up having to buy a package of several kinds of the gift bags, for although the pharmacy had lots of different kinds of bags suitable for a single bottle, there were none large enough for more than a single bottle. The package was priced at $6.99 before taxes.
While paying, I also decided to buy a $10 lottery scratch ticket for my brother.
I was back home before anyone else had risen ─ the store had opened at 8:00 a.m., and I got there fairly soon thereafter.
Around 10:00 a.m. after my brother was up from bed and watching T.V., I joined him and put on one of the Christmas movies I had in mind for last evening ─ it was the 1944 feature I'll Be Seeing You.
I located the working source link for it through the Cinema HD 'app' that I have downloaded into our Android TV Box.
I located the working source link for it through the Cinema HD 'app' that I have downloaded into our Android TV Box.
I'm sure that I probably watched the movie on T.V. back in the 1960s, but I couldn't remember any of it if I did see it before. I loved it! And even my younger brother acknowledged that it was pretty good for such an old flick.
What a cute teenager Shirley Temple was! I couldn't get over her.
Ginger Rogers also appealed ─ and who wouldn't have fallen for the vulnerable character she portrayed?
I wanted to play another Christmas movie when this one was done, but by then my eldest stepson had come home and advanced to my brother and I his intention of driving us to a liquor store so he could buy us whatever we might want as our Christmas presents. He even wanted my brother to pick out a bottle of wine for Bev, my brother's girlfriend.
The lad was in no rush to go, so my brother and I settled on watching an episode of Deadwood before beginning to ready for the outing.
My wife never rose until after 11:00 a.m., so it was clear that she didn't have to go to work at her friend's Thai restaurant for its usual 11:00 a.m. start. She fussed around here for quite awhile. And then finally ─ while dressed 'to the nines' ─ she left with her youngest son, who evidently wanted to have use of her car.
He would take her to wherever she was going, and then he would have to pick her up later.
The only conversation I had with her since her arrival home last evening was when she was leaving today ─ she asked if I was going shopping with her oldest son, so I confirmed that I was.
Where was she going all dressed up? I had no idea.
I later learned from her eldest son that the restaurant was closed for today, but it was going to have a staff party.
I know enough about staff parties that spouses are usually expected to be able to attend ─ especially ones thrown by a restaurant. But my wife never even let on where she was going.
Such is my marriage.
As for the visit to the liquor store that my brother and I had with her eldest, the full bill came to something like $156 ─ I quote the actual price in my private blog. All I had the lad buy me were a two-four of canned beer. Even so, I expect that he will be having his younger brother participate in this purchase, since both of them do have jobs.
Anyway, after we got back home, my brother sought some bed rest ere heading off in the afternoon to drink. I soon enough sought my own nap, and rose to find my brother had gone. I never quizzed my stepson, but I rather suspect that the lad drove my brother to his destination. My brother has been under a driving suspension for more than a score of days at this point.
My wife showed up just after 5:20 p.m. this latter afternoon, but she wasn't home for even a half hour. She freshened up in the bathroom, and fussed about for a bit in the bedroom. Then ─ still all dressed up ─ she headed off, proclaiming that she was going to her restaurant-owning friend's home. No doubt, there is going to be a huge party there.
I was further told not to expect her back until sometime tomorrow.
Such is my marriage.
Well, my evening is underway. I am presently home all alone, although I know that my two stepsons will probably be in and out over the evening. However, they will leave me to myself, so I intend to watch some Christmas movies while enjoying beer, and have myself some good self-pitying cries as the evening wears on.
It's a bugger being a 70-year-old with nothing but unrealized or failed dreams, and ineluctable, crushing debt that will accompany me to the grave, for God only works miracles for a select few.
And I am evidently not accounted amongst them.
And I am evidently not accounted amongst them.
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