Bloody Nanny City, but then enough Vancouverites would whine to city if they got wet feet resulting in a cold. I still remember last November 20th, when sail-boats were ripped from their moorings and crashed into the seawall. That was fun (obviously not for the boat owners though)!
Just after I start shaving this morning I decide to take pictures with shaving foam covering half my face. I'm sure I saw a commercial with very pretty people (Advertising PORN) doing the same on TV, but at least I don't remember which product the commercial was advertising ;-) Inspecting the pictures I notice that I'm no longer pale. Good.
The day is filled with work, bike rides, water line walks, and staying out of Grandma's way. She has fallen back on her old habit of reading every piece of paper that I have made a mark on. Shopping list, list of defects of the apartment for the day we leave, etc, etc. Good thing that when Grandpa learned to use computers about 10 years ago, she steadfastly refused.
Later in the afternoon, Grandma wants to go to the market stand where I bought the oeuvre d'art yesterday. I had told her yesterday "Would you like to go there and have a look. They won't be there tomorrow and they are only there today until 6 pm". No desire at all to go yesterday, but today it is important. There are fresh bite marks on my tongue. Fortunately the stand lady had put her card in with the purchase, so I get to look up the Kona International Market on Google Maps. Way out of town, but I know how to get there. 20 minutes later (we are almost there), Grandma says "If I had known it was that far, we wouldn't have come here". I think 'OH NO, YOU DON'T!' and do more damage to my tongue.
At least half the stands in the Kona International Market are deserted and there aren't many buyers to be seen either (even thought it's Saturday). There is a man manning (;-) the stand and it's the husband of yesterday's lovely woman womaning the stand at the hotel. He is originally from Czechoslovakia and his wife has told him about the 'guy on a bicycle' that bought something yesterday. Over the 'where are you from?' we get over 'how it used to be there' to 'how the people are there' and end up agreeing that people in this world don't seem to know the difference between NEED and WANT any more. From there he relates how an elder Japanese lady once told him "Don't let other people's Karma bring you down".
Just in case you haven't noticed: You have just read the most important sentence in this post ;-)
But it's so hard if that person keeps generating more anger. Must ascend to higher level ;-)
This Buddha guy must have been a wise fellow. For the last 10 days I have been travelling with a person who is the embodiment of holding and breeding anger and staying out of reach of this spirit is hard work.
I find something infuriating about a person who wants something but is unwilling to ask for it. Little comments approach it laterally, but never does the person ask or even answer a question whether she wants something straight out. But the person gets cranky if the person doesn't get what s/he wants. Yes, I could have written this paragraph with "Imagine a hypothetical grandmother" but that is just to tedious.
This is probably a reason why I am allergic to the expression "Do you want to ....?" (insert 'put the dishes on the table, pick up your socks, etc etc for the dots, when the asker really wants to say "Please do .....!" or at the least "Would you mind ....?" or "Could you ...?".
Life is so simple, why make it so complicated? There is NOTHING WRONG with asking!
I end the day by heading to Bangkok House at 7:30 pm. I have a craving for Thai food. I only recognize the waitress or owner when she says "Same thing!" after I order the seafood curry. The long day shows in her face, which is probably the reason I did not recognize her; last time I was here it was one hour after opening. While the seafood curry is a safe order for me, I go wild and order a Chardonnay from Thailand. And I kind of like it. It tastes like a decent white wine, but it has a touch of that throat-burning effect that I like about Sake.
Despite its slight lack of local seafood, the curry is balm to both stomach and mind. The dish is full of things I usually would rather not eat (broccoli and other strange veggies), but I devour them all because they have been infused with the flavour of the curry. Next time I will order Thai HOT !!!
And as a closing note:
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