Wandering - Late February 2021

[dewline]

I did a potentially foolish thing this afternoon.

I went to Perfect Books to pick up my copy of Rob Sawyer's Oppenheimer Alternative. Rob had a lot of fun and some eye-opening research moments in putting that book together, and I know he was looking forward to the promotional trail to support it once it hit the bookstores. Alas, Pandemic didn't and still doesn't give a damn about any of our plans. Including Rob's.

So, it's been months since the release, and I finally found financial room for this book a couple of weeks ago. But I put off picking it up until today. The delay was due mainly to the lockdowns' influence. Perfect Books is in the middle of Centretown, and I live out in Orléans. Which meant an Expedition. Bus and O-Train ride, both ways. In "normal" times, I wouldn't give this a second thought.

Anyway, I took that risk today. Perfect Books, then checking in on Randy Pippus and his games shop, Fandom II on Laurier West near the OPL Main Branch. Stop at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to unburden my sense of guilt, as I sometimes do during the winter months when there's no honor guard on duty to overhear me. Then walking up to Chapters Rideau to window-shop, and over to Globe Mags and Cigars for today's newspapers, and dropping in on some friends running another shop in the Market before catching the O-Train and bus back home.

I got some decent walking exercise today. I probably risked more than ten lives of people whose names are definitely known to me in the process. A lot more whose names I don't know, surely.

These trips haven't backfired yet that I know of...and I'm paranoically certain that one of them will.

Comments

[agoodwinsmith]

I, too, feel that I am playing Russian Roulette with our "oh just this once" approach to our previous lifestyle. Mom and I like to go to restaurants. Since we went to the restaurant at the hotel when I had my sleep study nights (out of town, so Mom stayed overnight), we decided yesterday to go to a local restaurant for their roast beast special.

I think restaurant going is one of the most dangerous things we can do, but every now and then we break down.

I suspect you were careful around the people you visited at their shops, but the idea of riding on public transit fills me with the same anxiety as going to a restaurant - sharing air with strangers.

I know we could just put our heads down and just not go to restaurants - and mostly we don't. It's really hard to do everything 100% forever (since we don't have a firm end date, it might as well be forever).

(I'm trying for commiseration - I hope that's what it feels like.)

Public Transit

[dewline]

You're making the effort. I don't do restaurants, not unless I can take the meal with me once I buy it. None of us at my house do as a rule these days.

Public transit...there's a topic.

A lot of people in Ottawa-Gatineau seem to feel as you do. The buses and trains here are usually, at worst, ¾ empty. Everyone aboard has mostly managed to keep their distance from each other, and masks are standard good-manners practice. I can't afford to not use it if I want to leave my neighbourhood to do anything outside of it.

I keep paying for my monthly bus pass despite my lack of usage because they're a continuing target for deficit hawks, and they need the money to maintain the facilities and fleets for when Pandemic is finally over. Even if the levels of demand-for-service stay reduced afterward, the transit services have to be able to do their work safely.

Re: Public Transit

[agoodwinsmith]

I am grateful that we are not in Vancouver for this. We didn't own a car in Vancouver and did everything by bus: work, groceries, cat litter, vet visits, etc. We lived in a crowded area with lots of people without cars, so I expect at going to and from work times it is still as crowded as ever.

I think this might be why some of the larger centers are having trouble with parties. If I've spent all week travelling to & from work in a can with strangers, getting together with ten of my trusted people would seem so safe. Or at least wouldn't seem any worse.

[cmcmck]

Bookshops all still closed here. :o(

[dewline]

For their sakes, and for yours, I'm sorry about that.

I suppose it's wiser that way.