NOVEMBER 14 - Hatless Eggs, The Joy of Transit, and Leaves

Here's a little recap of my exciting week (remember to cover your mouth when you Yawn, since one of the causes of yawning seems to be boredom. Just remember that (a) Yawning leads to evil spirits entering your body unless you cover your mouth with your hand, and (b) Yawning is a sign that death is calling you and you must snap your second finger and thumb to stop this, so remember to do both these things so I won't feel responsible for anything bad that could happen to you as you read on.

On my weekly Thrift Store hunt, I found a knitting book that had one neat little pattern - tiny toques for boiled eggs. I didn't want the whole book - so being the smrt person I am, I just took a little snap of the pattern. So I thought.

 Guess my boiled eggs will have to weather the winter hatless.

Now to transit. On warmer days, this jer... gentleman would board, sit on a wheelchair bench, kick off his flipflops and stick his smelly feet up on the seat in front of him. People would stand rather than sit next to these monstrosities. On Monday, he came in wearing sneakers - which he took off, and stuck his dirty-sock covered feet on the bench. I was glad I was on the other side of the bus. Then two older Asian ladies came in, and chattered away on the bench on my side of the aisle - and he started shouting 'Gung Hey Fat Choy' to them, which they ignored. He said, 'Hey, Year of the Goat, right?' and I felt like saying, 'Sounds more like Year of the Jackass.' (Well to be honest, I didn't really think Jackass - but still a two syllable word using the second syllable.)  And then to top it off - he dropped something on the floor and TOLD someone to pick it for him. I would have just kicked it to the back of the bus. By the way, in case you're wondering, the round thing on his lap is a huge tray of sushi, which he proceeded to eat .... with a fork! Ye Gads! A fork, no less.

Tuesday morning's Skytrain ride was also blessed with ignorance. I sat in one of the single seats facing backwards, and a guy sat in the single seat facing sideways right in front of me, so my knees were about 2 inches away from his left side. Got that picture? Ok. He started rubbing the top his head with one hand, while 'MMMMM-ing', then after a few minutes, changed hands and direction. At first I just thought it was a bit strange, but then I wondered if this was something maybe a suicide bomber might do before the final blast. I mean, who would know, right?  In the last two weeks, there was a bomb on the skytrain track and a suspicious package at one of the stations I travel through, so one never knows. However, when he finished his head-rubbing moaning ritual, I stopped pretending not to notice him, and glanced away from my window view to see his forefinger knuckle deep up his nose.

That's when I got up and went farther back in the train, half expecting to get hit on the back of the head with a bloody big booger - which didn't happen, thankfully.

I didn't even know about the bomb on the track until well after the fact - it happened during the tail end of the week while I was enjoying my Day Offs, so didn't affect my trip. But the suspicious package one? If I ever meet the person who pulled that little prank, I'd certainly like to thank him (or her) for that one. I didn't even know there was a suspicious package, and I certainly didn't know the train was bypassing that particular stop. If the Sky Train control centre people had mumbled any newsflashes regarding this change of service, their Miss Othmar voice kept their words from my ears. I'm in such a sleep-deprived daze in the mornings, I rely on my body to tell me when the third New Westminster stop comes along, and I just stumble off the train, down the stairs and in through the open doors of the bus. However, this particular day, when I was waiting for the third stop, I looked out the window - and saw unfamiliar territory. Crap. I had overshot my station, and was on my way to Vancouver. So I had to get off at the new third stop, which was Edmunds,  go across the overpass, and catch the next train heading back the way I had come.

However, now anyone can understand - I don't hate my job - I hate my journeys to my job. However, today I had no journey, as it is the first of my Day Offs.

It was cold again, and I didn't have the energy (or guts) to pull Breehy out of her mild hibernation, so I took   Georgia instead - I had to go to Zellers to return a defective bed spread, and to Pricesmart to get something for supper.

There is still a bit of colour on the way - and some interesting pictures waiting to be 'took.' This tree is completely covered with moss, but still gives life to a myriad of colour and design. Yes, only God can make a tree, that's for sure.

Farther up the road, there's this huge great grandfather of a tree with such interesting textures in its trunk.

When the skyscraper at Central City was built, it was the tallest structure in Surrey. However, I bet the trees in Holland Park will still be there long after the tower is gone.

Another sign of fall - a bunch of leaves plugging up the drainage holes at the sides of the road, causing flooding. So how was I going to cross this little pond without getting my feet or Georgia's contents soggy?

It was a straddling event. Nobody got wet, and nobody got picked up by the nice men in white coats. This angle, taken with my zoom out lens, makes it look like quite an easy straddle, but it was a lot wider than it looks. I was happy my jeans didn't split down the butt.

However, home again, relatively warm (except for my hands and feet) with a pot of pea soup bubbling on the stove and provisions in the larder for supper - corned beef hash and beans. One of Howard's 'Once in a Blue Moon' meals - meaning that's how often he wants to see it. Tough. It's the day before payday.