It's been 2 weeks without a car.
Normally it wouldn't matter, I've lived so long without a car what do I need one now for? But this new place, it's far from everywhere, a ten minute walk to a erratic bus stop, a half hour wait (if you're lucky) for the bus, connections, I'm out there.
The only amenities in this neighborhood are a Gas Station and a Pub.
And the weather, the first week I took the bus, this week I've been in, it's close to 20 below, colder in the evenings, thick snow everywhere; bored cats pacing the house and fighting over trifles, we've all got Cabin Fever.
I check what I could be doing, if the car was ready (it's not, I called and checked...). There's the Spanish Film Festival at The Plaza. Damn. It looks good, and not just because I can't go... Then there's The Marda Loop Justice Film Festival, which is good to take the boy to. But there's no way I'm going to that without a car. And there's always Chess at the Pumphouse Theatre, never great productions (your lucky if anyone can sing), but they're fun and they're cheap.
But it's 20 below and I'm not going anywhere.
There's a great Puppet Show - The Narrative of Victor Karloch, fortunately not yet in Calgary, so I'm not yet missing anything there, but watching the trailer I want to be there NOW!.
So I clean. How bored do I have to be before I clean? Pretty damned bored. I make the bed and vacuum, I clean the toothpaste off the bathroom wall (and in the process discover a mirror), I postpone finishing my book (The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, loved it...), I promise myself I'll go out, somehow, tonight, I make cucumber and tomato and tomatillo salsa, and I make my vague plans.
There are paintings to be worked on, but tonight I'll skip it. I'm going out.
The local pub, The Swig and Swine it's called, a ten minute walk, they advertise bikini waitresses and VLT's and "Porkin' in the Rear...", and I think that I should probably clean myself up before I go out, then I realize where I'm going (and why would anyone clean themselves up to go there, I ask you?) and I despair and finish reading my book.
Another quiet night in. I'll go out tomorrow night, I promise....