Notes from a bemused canuck
Train trip to my parents was on par for Via. Train was delayed by 30 minutes but once we were in it was pretty comfortable. We stopped at Costco on the way home so Ben was able to check off another item on his bucket list, a Costco hot-dog.
Plans changed at the last minute because of unexpected circumstances, so Nat and the boys weren’t able to come to my parents’ for Easter. It is what it is. We went to the sugar shack, did some more clothing shopping, and Ben tried out my parents’ quad bike.
One of Ben’s goals was to sample KFC and McDonald’s in Canada. He was disappoint. I was disappointed with my Tim Hortons doughnut. It was dry and barely filled. With all the crappy food we’ve had, I just wanted something plain and simple so while Ben was out with Gab, I just got myself a few picnic essentials.
We went to Eggspectation, then more clothing shopping, then we were going to meet Nat and Gab for the Van Gogh immersive experience. Was very cool.
“I don’t know if you’ll understand that one can speak poetry just by arranging colours well, just as one can say comforting things in music”… Vincent Van Gogh
After that, we went to Nats for dinner, meeting her new BF and spending the evening playing exploding kittens again.
We got in yesterday afternoon after a long but mostly uneventful flight. Got to the hotel, where Ben went full-on 4-in-a-bed inspector. It’s OK. It’s very basic but clean and serves it’s primary purpose. We had a quick catch up with Nat then tried to stay up as long as possible but didn’t make it past 9. Jetlag still kicked my ass as I was up at 4am this morning.
We went for breakfast, did some shopping and had sushi for lunch. I’m aghast at how annoying, aggressive and prevalent tipping has become in Montréal. It’s everywhere. I mean, if I’m getting good service, fine but not at a sushi shop where I’m literally picking a tray out of a fridge and taking it to the till…. I’m also so somewhat dismayed and saddened at the astounding number of vagrants everywhere. I mean, Berry was always a bit dodgy but now it’s full-on grimy and at times uncomfortable.
I’m also happy that I managed to get my Revolut card working. The physical card is a Maestro which should in theory work but didn’t yesterday when I tried it several times. The virtual one I put in G-pay happily does it’s thing so I now have access to my Canada funds.
Gab pinged Ben to see if he wanted to go out but in the end we went to Nat’s for dinner and we spend the evening playing exploding kittens.
Ashtrays remain on airplanes, even with smoking bans, primarily because of safety and legal requirements. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates their presence near lavatories, not because of current smoking policies, but to provide a designated and safe place for smoking materials, should someone violate the no-smoking rule. This ensures a safe disposal location for cigarettes or other smoking materials, reducing fire hazards and potential safety issues.
I’ve found out that there’s no statute of limitations to being able to vote in Canada from abroad, so given the importance of the current election, I’m exercising my newly reacquired right to vote.
At the start of the year, cockroach had lipidosis and it took a month of active, intense care to get her through it. Now Byron had a bout of pancreatitis. He’s getting better with meds and a metabolic diet, but while the spirit is willing, the flesh is still weak. His stamina still isn’t up to par, esp when walking in front of a bakery when he’s no longer allowed ham croissants.
A coworker implanted that earworm in my head this morning during our group meeting. This is my way to try and excise it.
Another Divinum is in the books. 5 days of 15K steps. Hundreds of crates of glasses schlepped. I still love it. It’s my 8th (?) year volunteering, and by this point, I know most of the regular winemakers by face, and a few by name. They seem to remember me as well, as the thumbs-up gesture remains a constant to say “we’re all good for glasses”.
I would like to think I do a good job. I’ve seen people just take off their volunteer t-shirts, park their carts somewhere, and spend most of their time drinking at stands. I’ve heard stand owners complain about the lack of glasses, but they never seem to do that while I’m around – mostly because I make it a point to individually ask them if they’re ok, and not just walk around pushing a cart and hoping to be called when needed. I’ve been told by other volunteers “oh, I’ve been down that aisle, nobody wanted glasses” and yet still managed to swap a full cart of clean glasses for dirty ones before reaching halfway down a “done” aisle.
On Monday night, during the manic glass collection rush, I was maneuvering two carts – 12 crates – while the only other person helping me was managing 4 crates in one go (and to be clear, I once managed 9 crates on one cart). It may seem like I’m bragging, and maybe I am a bit, but I’m also very efficient and diligent about doing a good job – and I think the winemakers appreciate and recognize that. Case and point – this year, the usual big personality guy who would nab bottles for the dishwashing crew wasn’t there and no one else was stepping up. So I did -and I managed to score half a dozen bottles, if not more. You’re welcome for your Rose, you lovely mad Ukranian lady :)
We always make a point, Katy and I, to visit and support our favourites – most of whom are always telling me to stop and have a glass of something while I’m walking with a stack of glasses. There were a few new and interesting things this year, and I can’t wait until next year now.
