Sampson Crush

Around 2 a.m. last night I was awake and decided to use the toilet, then returned to bed to await my 3 a.m. alarm. But after 10 or so minutes I realized the futility of just lying in bed for no purpose when I could instead rise and get an early jump on that mile-long hobble over to my financial institution's ATM to deposit my younger brother's monthly expenses reconciliation cheque.

I could hear that it was raining outside.

For a time I had my weaker self work at sabotaging the venture, positing that it might be better to put off the outing for a night or two in the event that I would actually manage to sleep until my 3 a,m. alarm, rather than performing the errand when I had failed to properly sleep.

But my rational self took over, pointing out correctly that I hardly ever sleep that well, and I have been putting the outing off for too many nights already.

And so I was away ─ I think before it was yet 3 a.m. (I had to leave surreptitiously because my youngest stepson was still up and I strongly dislike anyone being privy to my doings).

It has been months since I took my umbrella for a walk, although I never did open it. But because I thought I would need to use it, I opted to leave home my walking stick; and for some reason, I also opted not to bring along my tote bag containing my Titan baton flashlight stun gun.

I still had my dagger on my hip. However, as protection, that is a definitive last resort, isn't it? My walking stick and the baton flashlight could be used non-lethally in an offensive fashion defensively, but far less so a dagger.

Notwithstanding, the outing went very well, and no threats presented.

During my return, out of curiosity, I decided to go into the elementary school grounds to verify that the older kids' playground equipment had still not been replaced ever since it was removed around last July 1st.

To my enormous surprise, the new playground equipment had been installed at last!

Alas, my joy was soon replaced with disappointment. The sole piece of equipment of any possible use to me was the elevated horizontal ladder comprising a set of monkey bars. But each bar only had approximately a foot of grasping space, affording a rather narrow grip for chin-ups and pull-ups.

The old playground equipment included bars a yard long; and it also had gymnastic-style rings suspended from at least 3½ feet of heavy-duty chain.

This new playground is designed for younger elementary school students ─ not older ones. There already is a younger kids' playground on the opposite side of the school that has superior exercising equipment ─ what a damnable waste of $200,000 or whatever it was that the school was given for replacement of the former equipment I so very much appreciated.

Such bad news indeed was this discovery.

Anyway, back home I was to busy myself here on my bedside computer, and it may have been around 6:10 a.m. before I was finally back to bed, hoping that I would not have too much difficulty getting more sleep.

Well, I did sleep. In fact, I could scarcely believe it when I sat up to check the time on my computer screen and saw that it was just past 10 a.m. ─ I had been down almost four full hours! That was more time than I had been in bed prior to my outing.

I rose, desperately hoping that maybe my brother had not yet emerged from his bedroom, but he was already downstairs watching T.V.

When I went down to the kitchen to boil water for a needed mug of strong instant coffee, he was watching an old sitcom I don't care for. This meant that I was to have to wait until 10:30 a.m. before getting invited to start operation of our Android TV Box.

As I waited, I wondered about my wife ─ she usually has a full workday on Mondays at the Thai restaurant where she is employed, and on such days is generally on her way shortly after 10 a.m.

I finally got suspicious and asked my brother if it was the case that she had already risen and left before I was up from bed?

Yes ─ she was gone.

What an unusual Monday this had become thus far!

Unfortunately, we were to only watch one show. Due to the time, I tuned in The Morning Show ─ episode three ("Tipping Point") of season four.

The episode ended around 11:20 a.m., at which time my brother decided that he would return to his bedroom for more bed rest.

I stupidly had myself a fairly substantial first meal of my day instead of also seeking a nap, but it was a little too soon yet. I never returned to bed until after 1:30 p.m.

This meant that when I rose an hour or so later, I had not left myself sufficient time to normalize for any exercising before it got too dark. Heck, I needed another mug of coffee before I could even begin to blog. And that meal was still very much a presence.

There was to be one further surprise to my day ─ my brother remained home instead of busing off somewhere to social drink as he does on a nearly daily basis.

Also, when I went downstairs for that second coffee, he was busy putting Bev's left arm into a sling.

I remained silent, but I suspect that she must have hurt herself last night while drunk on her white wine.

Right now it is 5:24 p.m., so I am going to take a blogging break and watch one of the final two Christmas movies that I want to get off my list before I take a break from that fare. I shall continue with this post in the latter evening.

⚫⚫⚫

The Christmas movie was a pathetic farce. 'Twas 2019's Christmas Crush, and it was utter nonsense ─ I had no desire in the least to waste a second can of Cariboo Malt (7.9% alcohol) on the nonsense. At least I am glad to have watched it when I did, with the Christmas spirit behind me ─ this would have been a dreadful Christmas movie to have watched when I wanted deep emotional connection to a wonderful romantic Christmas story.

The lead actress was very familiar to me, even though her name was not ─ although I did remember that there was some actress I knew of who had the surname "Sampson".

It did take a while, but suddenly I remembered why I knew her ─ it was from the T.V. series Private Eyes. I never much found myself attracted to Cindy Sampson in that series, but it was different in this movie ─ she appealed to me much more.

I didn't like the movie, but if you are interested in giving it a try, my source was this LookMovie.fi link.

It was with a grossly heavy heart that I saw what was next on my regular evening viewing list. It was The Handmaid's Tale ─ in this instance, episode 10 ("Witness") of season three.

At least the episode was more interesting than the previous pointless drag was.

But I have considered just dropping the series ─ how did this unrealistic rot ever last as long as it did?

Regardless, my source was this CineGo.co link.

My third show was far more relatable, if not exactly uplifting. It was The Guardian ─ episode six ("The Living") of season two. And my source was this GOOJARA.to link.

Prior to beginning the episode, I had poured myself about eight ounces of Mission Ridge Premium Red Wine (13% alcohol).

Definitely a good buzz was a-building!

The show finished well before 10:30 p.m., and I was honestly surprised to find that my wife had already come home ─ even so, she was downstairs fussing in the kitchen.

Leaving her to it without any contact as yet, I selected a sitcom to watch after pouring myself a darned good shot of Lamb's Dark Navy Rum.

My final show was to be Victorious ─ episode three ("Stage Fighting") of the first season. It endlessly delights me how much the young actresses in this series generate attraction in this old dude!

My source was this Tvids.net link.

My favourite is still Ariana Grande, for I never knew that she acted in anything before becoming known for her popularity as a sexy singer.

Her expressions of utter innocence and guilelessness, and the way she can arch up her eyebrows from the centre of her face ─ along with the superior muscularity she has to her legs back then over the other actresses ─ have me especially fascinated.

But boy! Do her political and woke espousements bloody suck ─ wake up, young woman!

I finally just spoke with my wife concerning the $500 she had promised to repay me over two weeks ago.

Well, it seems she had exaggerated. A payment she had been expecting in the mail failed to yield what she had anticipated.

So she has now promised to try and pay back $300 out of her next paycheque that she may not even receive until the 21st ─ the mortgage payment is due on the 22nd.

This is going to be tight. On the 17th or so I will receive a quarterly RRIF payment that has ranged from over $200 to just over $500 (once only!). If it is near the latter, we will be secure without my wife's repayment.

But I have to learn to not trust her promises. She will say anything to get money out of me.

Best I now get to bed. I plan only to rise at 6 a.m. so that I can have time to normalize for some backyard tool shed exercising that will not be possible until probably 7:45 a.m. at earliest due to how late daylight starts to dawn.

Right now it is 11:51 p.m. as I publish this post.