maipenrai

20 days to lift-off...

I agree that it's not easy seeing a loved one slipping away from us, but be thankful that you are still able to communicate with her and bring a little joy into her life when there is so little of it left - my own mother was lost to me mentally for four years before she finally, mercifully, left us...

This time of year is very dry where I live, even though it has been unseasonably warm so far this winter - sparks fly when I take off my shirt, and when I get up from my easy chair to change a thumb drive on my laptop, I have to ground myself on a light switch screw before I touch the computer, with a visible and audible spark. I pulled the sheets off my bed to wash them the other day and I could hear the crackle of static and feel my hair lift.

I just got a text today inquiring about two questionable charges to my Visa card and and when I replied "No" they blocked it; then I called the card company and got through in only a couple of minutes, surprise surprise, end result being I have a new card coming by rushed mail. I was a little concerned about getting a new card with a new number so close to my departure but then I realized that the airline just wants to see the card you used to book the ticket, they don't check to see if the card is still active or not, so I'll keep the old card until I get overseas.

I guess Blush (formerly Rioja) is still shut down - I was hoping someone would get this going again, I don't think it has operated since before Covid.

I saw this same fake YouTube death notice a while ago and it's not the first one - I honestly don't know why anybody would pull shit like this.

Off to the hospital for an ECG this afternoon, part of the application process for a prostate operation in Vancouver next year...

Just finished preparing my application for our annual territorial senior's utility grant - had to wait until the last minute to apply as you need to spend three months of the winter here to qualify, one reason I put my Thailand trip off until after the new year; this may be the last year I will qualify for it because I intend to be gone for the entire winter next year, but it's worth it as last year's grant came to just under $1K CDN. I also already applied for and received my annual City utility rebate of $500, every little bit helps...

I just checked on this and the long leg of my trip is not eligible, so I guess it'll be PE all the way. Yes, I usually stay in 4 star places in BKK and agree.

Talk about taking low-profile tires to an extreme - this is ridiculous.

Actually it's not the flying that I find stressful - I rather enjoy it once all the pre-boarding BS is taken care of; it's all the preparation to get to the point of actual departure, all those details you have to take care of before leaving for a long holiday. Thankfully I live only ten minutes away from our airport and just get my house sitter to drop me off, and at the very far end I get picked up by a Thai private driver who I've been using for almost twenty years and consider to be a personal friend - I could get a taxi into BKK a lot cheaper but there's nothing like seeing her smiling face holding a card with my name on it when I finally clear baggage and customs and get out to Gate 3. As for business class, I've managed to fly it across the pond twice with EVA, once through their own upgrades and once through a points flight and loved it - years ago I made the decision to upgrade to Premium Economy on EVA and flew it for thirteen years before they temporarily interrupted that service from Vancouver but it's going again and I am booked for PE on my upcoming trip - maybe I should check into an upgrade to business class because I'll probably never make as much money again as I did this year and perhaps I should spoil myself...

Hey, you're on holiday - enjoy yourself!

I get asked by friends, particularly female ones, if I am excited about my upcoming trip - I reply that I am generally more nervous than excited because there are so many things that can go wrong between now and then; not that I am a pessimist but I have had last-minute screw-ups before - I don't relax completely until I view the snow-covered ground receding below me as the plane lifts off, which will be 27 days from today.

Yes, I also love to walk and hope that the warm Thailand weather will help my arthritic knee when I return - I used to love walking around Pattaya, sometimes doing more than 25km a day - one of my favourite activities was walking between the various gentlemen's clubs in Jomtien. These days it's tough doing my security job where I am in and out of the truck about fifty times a night - once I am on my feet I am fine but it's bending the leg to get in and out of the vehicle that causes me pain. As for the boozing, all in moderation but sometimes I think beer is the only thing that really keeps me sane...

I'm not familiar with Quebec's system but I always thought that BC and Ontario had the highest premiums in Canada with their province-run insurance systems - here in the YT we still have private insurance and I hope it stays that way, it doesn't cost me much at all to insure my old junk and gov't registration is also quite cheap.

That's why i went back to work - I was just spending every day boozing with my friends and getting fat and lazy - at least now I have to stay sober for most of the week.

Well, I always figured that the older I got, the more understanding, patient, and compassionate I would become as I mellowed out with age. Nope. It seems that things are going the opposite way instead; not so much with casual social interaction but with the rapid growth of my community, everyday driving has become a real chore - not just from the congestion alone that has become much worse over the last couple of years, but from people that just don't know how to drive or don't care about doing it properly. There are the sloppy drivers, the inattentive drivers, or those who become petrified at the first flake of snow and hold everyone else up on the road because they're afraid to even keep to the posted speed limit - I just don't have the patience to deal with this anymore and I am so looking forward to parking my truck for the next few months when I can return to Thailand and leave the driving to others.

Who's in a rush? I've been putting off cleaning the yard for days because it's just been too warm and icy but the weather looks to stabilize for a while so if I clean the yard today it should stay that way for a while...

Yeah, I really don't enjoy getting pissed anymore - I can get enough of a buzz at happy hour and am always home by 7:00PM; the fellow retirees that I drink with also start and finish early. This month I am working every weekend night so have to do my beer drinking on the week nights and it can get kind of boring going to the same places every day anyway - time for a holiday, lol...

After days of unseasonably warm weather the mercury finally dropped to -12C last night so after an early morning trip to the hospital for blood work I did a little quick grocery shopping and then fired up the woodstove again when I got home; I'll get the tractor out this afternoon and clean out the yard and then it's off to work for the next three nights - only seven more nights to go including this weekend and I am done for this year.

Down to the hospital early for blood work this morning; pre-Covid they would open at 0700 and remain so until 1700 with an hour break for lunch, Monday to Friday - nowadays they open at 0800 and close at 1300 so you can imagine how busy it gets. I went in mid-morning on a Wednesday a couple of months ago and it went easily but when I tried it again a month later it was ridiculous, I had six people ahead of me and when the line didn't move at all for half an hour I gave up and walked out. However, you can come in at 0730 and pick a ticket from the machine and wait comfortably for them to open at 0800 which is what I did today and I was only third in line and was out of the place within 45 minutes.

One of the worst animals to hit with your car, as not only do they grow very large but they also have long legs which means that their bodies are above the hood line of most cars so they'll usually end up coming up over the hood and through your windshield with disastrous results for the occupant(s)...