Losing Time

My younger brother was drunker than I cared last evening, and he barely made it home before the 9:30 p.m. deadline I had reserved for him ─ I intended to get to bed at that point in order to be as rested as possible for the early a.m. walk I had planned.

As luck had it, he arrived just as a lad I only know as "R.J." also showed up ─ "R.J." is a close friend of my youngest stepson, and happens to work in a brewery.

Maybe two weeks back, "R.J." had shown up with a quantity of canned beer to leave for the household; and when back then he was as enthusiastically received for this bounty as he was by me (my brother was not home), he promised to bring more again.

Last evening he was fulfilling that promise. My brother ushered him into the house, and "R.J." stayed just long enough to turn over a 24-can flat of tall cans (16 US fl ozs or 473 mls) of pale ale at 5.2 % alcohol. 

My brother was distinctly ebullient at this gifted larder.

Since I saw my opportunity to enjoy a couple of free cans in the stead of drinking any of my own supply of beer, I opted to sit up with my brother and watch an episode each of a couple of the series (Chicago PD and Doctor Who) that we are currently following via our Android TV Box. 

When they were done with, I turned the T.V. over to my brother and let him know that I was off to my bed with that early a.m. walk in mind. It may have been 11:35 p.m. once I was actually in bed.

I had my cellphone alarm set for 3:30 a.m., but a point of wakefulness arrived in which I used the bathroom; and then just before seeking my bed, I checked the time ─ it was 3:08 a.m. There was no chance that I would catch any further sleep before my cellphone alarm sounded, so I chose to remain up and get an early start on the hike.

My youngest stepson was still up, but I believe that I got away without him noticing at something like 3:14 a.m.

In all, I put in just over five miles hiking about the Whalley area, avoiding anyone I noticed in sufficient time to be able to do so. At one point I had a raccoon appear a short distance ahead of me on 104th Avenue near Old Yale Road (Google Map).

The raccoon had appeared from beneath a row of evergreen shrubs with the clear intention of crossing 108th Avenue; then seeing me coming towards it, the critter first began walking ahead on the sidewalk we were sharing, before it ducked back beneath the cover of the evergreen hedge.

Then as I was possibly proceeding along 104th Avenue and was about midway between 132nd Street and University Drive (Google Map), a woman who was loitering in that vicinity and who was across the street from me when I passed by, said something I could not hear from behind me.

I chose to ignore her, for she looked to be either a desperate hooker or drug addict (or both).

Then right ahead of me appeared a skunk from an apartment building to my immediate left, and I realized that the woman had probably said the word "skunk" in her statement, so I turned to her and raised a hand in acknowledgement.

The skunk was maybe 20 feet ahead of me at most as I stood and watched, and it then hustled across the sidewalk and went beneath a parked car.

At that, I continued my advance and passed by the car without seeing anything further of the creature.

Meantime, a little ways further down the road, two women were walking down it, while one of them seemed to be checking out an occasional parked vehicle. If they subsequently crossed paths with the skunk, I do not know.

In the time I was out, early into my walk I performed some pull-ups on the exercise rings at an elementary school playground, and I stopped there again near the finish of my walk. 

In all, I was likely gone just over two hours. By this time, my eldest stepson ─ who is working a 12-hour shift ─ was up and getting ready for his workday.

He left for work before I returned to bed, which was just before 6 a.m.

The night had been dry and clouded, by the way.

I did not sleep too well, but I remained in bed until well after 8 a.m. And even though I never went downstairs until nigh 9 a.m., I was to have control of the T.V. because my brother had not yet emerged from his bedroom. I have no idea when he retired last night.

I had a movie in mind for us ─ a 2018 Swedish science fiction movie titled Aniara. Since it was Swedish, we had to read subtitles ─ this never appeals to my brother.

Aniara was the name of the enormous space liner that was the setting for the movie.

My brother did watch the whole movie, but he wasn't happy with the ending. I get the blame for that, of course. I would have preferred something more transparent as well, for not until I read Wikipedia's plot conclusion did I fully understand the ending.

The lead actress was Emelie Garbers, and her character was definitely likeable enough. Main supporting actress was Bianca Cruzeiro. Both were attractive women.

I don't have time to analyze the movie, unfortunately ─ it is already after 8 p.m., and I want to get this post published before my brother shows up following his afternoon away to 'socialize'. 

We were also to watch a short (13-minute) biography of a nobleman in 1400s France who may have been a phenomenal (pedophile) serial killer, yet prior to this debasement, he actually fought alongside Joan of Arc as a comrade in arms: Gilles de Rais Makes Ted Bundy & Dahmer Look Like Ernie & Bert!

Should that video fail to play, this may be the same one (but with a different title) at YouTube: Gilles de Rais: The Nobleman Serial Killer (Occult History Explained).

Okay, I must call a halt here and go and have some supper and finish the evening watching some T.V. via our Android TV Box.

By the way, my wife had to work the full day at the Thai restaurant where she has part-time employment, so she left us this morning well in time to make the rather long drive for her 11 a.m. start.