My great big pedestrian adventure
Friday, May 1st, 2026 05:56 pmMonth's start is a good time to check one's weight so I did, and my cake and vodka habit has only cost me an extra half kilo, which is heartening.
So I started out early afternoon to do All The Things what I actually did not want to do. Returned library book; got cash from the BoM; got small envelopes for tips etc. from Midoco-- only not the ones I wanted because the only ones they had were a luxury brand coming in at $20 and tax. Got smaller brown envelopes instead, probably intended for change, but will hold a bill no problem, and I'm sure the delivery guys don't care. They'd probably accept naked cash if I could overcome my conditioning to hand it to them. Then tootled over to the Spadina Shoppers PO and was almost there when someone called my name-- my former coworker G fresh from the daycare. So we spent a few minutes catching up, now that half the people I knew have retired and G has become the Grand Old Lady of the place. But I discover that Baby Zoe from the early oughties has become a mother! of two!! and is now pregnant again!!! with twins!!! The math is not mathing here because I make her barely 23 if that, and I (and her mother) come from the generation that didn't start having kids until their 30s.
And then was the foot-draggiest chore of all, mailing a parcel to Japan. And I will never ever send any parcels from that outlet again. Because: I sat down with my phone and my data and filled out the online customs form with my fumble fingers, and corrected the many mistakes because Japanese addresses have a lot of numbers and m-dashes that fumble fingers mistype. Then took my package to the desk where he asked me to read him the address that I'd put on the package because it wasn't like a western address and the machine couldn't handle the information. And please write my return address there as well, even though all this info is on the declaration, and read my address to him while he entered *that*, and then he tried to scan the customs code I'd generated and couldn't, even though it was right on my phone and not a screenshot like the last time I tried it there. So he enters all my customs info manually and if he can do that why am I generating customs codes in the first place, sheesh? But the thing has gone off and I hope will arrive and this was all infinitely easier when I could write it on a form.
So then I went and had sushi and two glasses of wine because Maido's five ounces is nowhere near that.
After which I wanted to grab the subway home. But no, screw courage to sticking point, and down Spadina I go to pick up the new Murderbot. Reason I drag feet over these things is that doors are an unmitigated pain to open with a walker, often requiring the kindness of strangers, and doing this over and over gets wearing. But since I was there, I went over to Robots Library to look at the sakura. Which are sakura, no complaints but no big deal, and anyway everyone was taking selfies. I suppose selfie takers are better than drunken salarymen doing o-hanami, but they still don't count as an aesthetic experience.
It was now too late to get the subway: rush hour on a Friday, so I started back and made the mistake of going into the Metro super. Mistake because Metro has éclairs and so of course did I. Eclairs are always a disappointment since they never come anywhere near the Platonic form of an éclair but I keep hoping they will. Anyway continued on, working off that indulgence, and for my final trick, went into the dollar store that will soon move out to Pape. More doors that others had to open for me, and no space inside because it's chockablock with the everythings they sell, and I had to fold the walker out of the way and stand unsupported in line. But I got two pairs of cheap dollar store glasses-- exactly the same as what Loblaws has for four times the price-- and needed them because I sat on the side bedroom pair the other day and flattened them, and the Loblaws pair is wonky. So the day ended in triumph and over 7000 steps, go me.
So I started out early afternoon to do All The Things what I actually did not want to do. Returned library book; got cash from the BoM; got small envelopes for tips etc. from Midoco-- only not the ones I wanted because the only ones they had were a luxury brand coming in at $20 and tax. Got smaller brown envelopes instead, probably intended for change, but will hold a bill no problem, and I'm sure the delivery guys don't care. They'd probably accept naked cash if I could overcome my conditioning to hand it to them. Then tootled over to the Spadina Shoppers PO and was almost there when someone called my name-- my former coworker G fresh from the daycare. So we spent a few minutes catching up, now that half the people I knew have retired and G has become the Grand Old Lady of the place. But I discover that Baby Zoe from the early oughties has become a mother! of two!! and is now pregnant again!!! with twins!!! The math is not mathing here because I make her barely 23 if that, and I (and her mother) come from the generation that didn't start having kids until their 30s.
And then was the foot-draggiest chore of all, mailing a parcel to Japan. And I will never ever send any parcels from that outlet again. Because: I sat down with my phone and my data and filled out the online customs form with my fumble fingers, and corrected the many mistakes because Japanese addresses have a lot of numbers and m-dashes that fumble fingers mistype. Then took my package to the desk where he asked me to read him the address that I'd put on the package because it wasn't like a western address and the machine couldn't handle the information. And please write my return address there as well, even though all this info is on the declaration, and read my address to him while he entered *that*, and then he tried to scan the customs code I'd generated and couldn't, even though it was right on my phone and not a screenshot like the last time I tried it there. So he enters all my customs info manually and if he can do that why am I generating customs codes in the first place, sheesh? But the thing has gone off and I hope will arrive and this was all infinitely easier when I could write it on a form.
So then I went and had sushi and two glasses of wine because Maido's five ounces is nowhere near that.
After which I wanted to grab the subway home. But no, screw courage to sticking point, and down Spadina I go to pick up the new Murderbot. Reason I drag feet over these things is that doors are an unmitigated pain to open with a walker, often requiring the kindness of strangers, and doing this over and over gets wearing. But since I was there, I went over to Robots Library to look at the sakura. Which are sakura, no complaints but no big deal, and anyway everyone was taking selfies. I suppose selfie takers are better than drunken salarymen doing o-hanami, but they still don't count as an aesthetic experience.
It was now too late to get the subway: rush hour on a Friday, so I started back and made the mistake of going into the Metro super. Mistake because Metro has éclairs and so of course did I. Eclairs are always a disappointment since they never come anywhere near the Platonic form of an éclair but I keep hoping they will. Anyway continued on, working off that indulgence, and for my final trick, went into the dollar store that will soon move out to Pape. More doors that others had to open for me, and no space inside because it's chockablock with the everythings they sell, and I had to fold the walker out of the way and stand unsupported in line. But I got two pairs of cheap dollar store glasses-- exactly the same as what Loblaws has for four times the price-- and needed them because I sat on the side bedroom pair the other day and flattened them, and the Loblaws pair is wonky. So the day ended in triumph and over 7000 steps, go me.
