Last evening I risked having two cans of the Cariboo Malt (8% alcohol) that I keep in stock, all while watching a pair of episodes of Parenthood. Specifically, I watched episodes seven and eight of season four.
I enjoy this series so much that I am considering re-watching the episodes with my younger brother.
Concerning him, I was most annoyed to see him arriving home ere quite 8:35 p.m. that evening from wherever he had been drinking, forcing me to shut down the T.V. and hightail it on upstairs so as not to become involved with him.
And so it was that I may well have gotten to bed just ahead of 9 p.m. And with my wife away, I was not concerned about any interruptions from her to disturb my peace.
Nevertheless, I was never able to sleep for long. The first time I checked the time after finding myself awake was in the neighbourhood of 10:30 p.m. And although the next time was during the midnight hour, I remained abed because I had early morning shopping plans. I wanted to sleep in as long as I could so that I would be up to handling the 5.625-mile round trip hike to the nearest Real Canadian Superstore that opens at 7 a.m., my targeted arrival time.
Well, I did rise ahead of 3:30 a.m., but I foolishly waited until nearly 5:45 a.m. before tending to my beard. As I feared, it had set in some disarray from me lying in bed and perspiring. It was necessary to soak it and work at resetting it more neatly.
Before I knew it, the time had run to nigh 6:15 a.m. and I was still not prepared to leave.
Soon, discouragement set in. There was nothing essential that I needed from that store that could not wait another week. Besides, I had been wanting to buy Nescafé Rich Instant Coffee ─ in the tall 475-g tin ─ and even Real Canadian Superstore hasn't had a sale on them for a long while. Their regular price is presently $14.98, so I have been holding off.
However, Deepu's No Frills store a mere four blocks from here sells those tins for $11.97, and that seems to be just their current regular price. I just don't normally shop there ─ I have not been to the store in approximately a year ─ because it does not open until 8 a.m.
I like to shop as early as possible to avoid other customers. Besides, No Frills doesn't sell many of the other items that I consider to be mainstays.
But I found myself reduced to having to settle on going there in time for its opening, or else my Sunday morning would be an utter waste ─ I normally only go grocery shopping on Sunday mornings.
Of course, this meant killing a lot of time, for there was no sense leaving home until after 7:45 a.m.
Incidentally, the morning was blazingly sunny and warm.
I was to get my No Frills shopping done ─ face mask-free ─ even though I was feeling more like returning to bed than leaving to go there.
I had an interesting experience at check-out. Initially only one girl was on duty, but with customers beginning to form a line-up, a second gal stationed herself at another register.
She waved over to me, and I started in her direction; but a younger guy appeared and scooted to the counter just ahead of me. All he had was a plastic container of assembly line-produced doughnuts with colourful icing.
Well, the cashier refused him, saying that I was next for service. The young fellow looked almost like a street person, and had the swift movements of someone on drugs. But even so, he was polite and apologetic, and gave way to me.
I was sort of laughing along with him, observing that he just happened to be quicker to the draw than I was. I had even started to wave him on through ahead of me, but then I realized what it must have taken for the cashier to stand up for me and refuse him first service. Consequently, out of deference for her courteous stand on my behalf, I felt obliged to honour her and take priority.
After all, if I scuttled her enforcement of etiquette for my benefit, might it not discourage her from doing something similar for someone else in the future? I didn't want that responsibility.
As I was packing up my purchases and the young chap got served, he was still gracious, wishing the cashier and then even me ("sir") to have a good day.
A block or so after leaving the store, I happened to encounter the same chap, but this time he was with a gal pushing a bicycle. He was eating his doughnuts, and when he noticed me, he called out jovially, "Hey, are you following me?!"
I responded heartily, "It looks like it, doesn't it?"
We briefly rehearsed the earlier incident in the store; and then as I proceeded on ahead of him and the gal, who had some baggage with her, I could hear him responding to her query and telling her what our exchange was all about.
By the way, there is no Sunday morning Province newspaper here today. Yesterday, we did not receive the Saturday morning edition of the Vancouver Sun.
I subscribe to both of those newspapers ─ just the weekend editions, though. Obviously I am going to have to file a complaint. I tried to do so online (here) yesterday and then again this morning, but the fields on the complaint form will not accept any entries ─ and I used four different browsers!
I will have no choice but to phone.
And now my brother has emerged from his bedroom at 9:28 a.m. He went downstairs and checked for the newspaper, and then announced to me that both missing papers were suddenly present, so it seems I won't have to be making that call after all.
Since he will be busy with both papers for awhile now and won't be turning the T.V. on right away, methinks that I will seek a lie-down and rest my burning eyes.
I fast sank into oblivion upon lying down and thus was in bed at least an hour. It was a little after 11 a.m., so I went downstairs to boil water for my day's second black instant coffee, and then I joined my brother.
When he invited me to put our Android TV Box to use, I played a video I had previously downloaded onto a USB thumb drive. It was almost an hour long, and concerned MMS (Magic Mineral Supplement).
A few weeks back I believe that I mentioned that specific video, as well as a different and longer one that my brother and I had watched that morning. We are definitely interested in this substance, but we never advanced in our learning.
Back then, I even downloaded the MMS Health Recovery Guidebook; however, it is over 300 pages long, and I just have never had the time to begin wading through it.
My brother has no computer savvy, so the document may as well not exist where his access is concerned.
Nevertheless, what I do think I am going to try and arrange is to transfer a copy of the Guidebook to my laptop, which is kept downstairs on the dining table. Maybe if I open up the .pdf document and show him how to advance through it page by page, he can spend his early mornings reading the thing instead of just watching T.V. and waiting for me to get up and eventually join him around 10 a.m. to put our Android TV Box in action (he doesn't know how to operate it, either).
My wife sometimes will use the laptop, so I will have to try and remember to tell her never to close the document, or my brother won't be able to find and open it.
Perhaps this will at least allow him to educate himself and become 'expert' on MMS, and then we can buy some and start using the stuff.
Anyway, the final show we watched thereafter was the penultimate series episode of The Ranch. I did not realize that there were not going to be any further seasons; consequently, when we next watch that final episode in a couple or so weeks, it's going to be a little like saying goodbye to a friend.
When my brother sought some bed rest after the The Ranch episode, I began my descent. He soon enough re-emerged from his bedroom, but for some strange / unusual reason, he did not straightaway head off for the afternoon. Instead, he turned on and watched more of the T.V. ─ perhaps football.
He did that until nearly 3 p.m., allowing me to complete my unworthy waste of self. Actually, I had completed the nonsense and sought some further bed rest myself as I awaited him to head off. I wanted to have a little exercise and then do some sunning in the backyard, but I feel self-conscious about stripping down to bare my physique to him because the unfortunate guy has let himself become the typical swollen-bellied drinker that so many men who spend years drinking every single day transform into over time.
It hurts me that he has become this, too ashamed anymore to sun his pale and flabby torso.
The good news was that I sensed that he might be about to leave before I had become anything like drowsy, so I rose. He smartly left without a word that I heard, and I was then free to have that fast exercise and then commence my sunning for just over an hour, beginning at 3:26 p.m. That's much later than I like.
Thereafter, I had my day's first meal.
And then I got to work on the second portion of this post.
As 6 p.m. approaches, I am going to bring this effort to a close because I want to have a bath. I don't expect that there will be aught worth writing about that is going to develop. I intend to get to bed by 9 p.m. ─ or maybe even a little earlier if my brother shows up before then.
However, right now I am going to put a beer into the fridge icebox / freezer ─ it ought to be wonderfully chilled by the time I am ready for it and a little television following my bath.
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