About 12:30AM, Sunday morning to be precise.
We went to the BFM (Bibles for Missions) thrift store on Saturday. Got some vintage paperback books. Things were picked over. The men's shirts were in short supply. Usually you can find real cheap things like older flat screen computer monitors, but the only one they had took a proprietary power supply, which did not come with the monitor. The last time I bought such a monitor, I had to order the appropriate power supply through ebay, and it was not inexpensive.
We drove through Caledonia Road and out to Waverley. Decided to go to Dartmouth, to Gateway Meat Market. Their main sale today was haddock for $2.97 a pound. You could get a maximum of 10 packages, so that is what we got. I'm told that the items that are on sale, especially a price like that, are sold at a loss, a loss leader in marketing parlance. They must have lost a ton of money during this sale, because the lady was putting out more and more of that fish just during the 20 minutes we were there.
Gateway is designed in such a way that you go in one side, work your way up the first aisle, which is wide and has food on both sides, then to the left where the produce is (once again, on both sides), and then you hang another left toward the cash registers. All the while, you're throwing "just one more thing" on to your shopping cart. It is hard to spend more than, say, 20 minutes there, as the new people just entering push you along. Astonishing way to run a business, but it sure works for them.
We checked out the Sally Ann on Main Street after that. Got nothing. Drove home. I cooked some fish and some steak for dinner. Then we watched episodes of "Too Close To Home" before we tried to watch "Doctor Strange", only it wouldn't load, so we jumped on to a friend's Plex Server and watched "The Secret Life of Pets", which was a pure pleasure. Do yourself a favour and watch that movie.
Got some bad news this evening. A guy I knew named Les Muise died suddenly on Friday. Met him the better part of 10 years ago when we were having coffee downtown. He was at the next table and was chuckling at what we were saying. He just started working his way into our conversations.
Over the years, he and I became closer. Well, at least until 2011, when I was moved from downtown to Young Street. Just didn't run into him that much. But before that, we chatted a lot about his earlier life as a business man. I once worked with a woman he liked very much, and about whom he revealed a lot to me. She does not know that I know these things about her, and I don't think I will ever tell her. I seldom see her anyway, but seeing her and knowing her, I would never have suspected the things about her that Les told me. He told me with a tone that told me that he really cared for her. She knew it, but did not return that affection.
He told me that he had a volunteer role with the RCMP, which is how he became aware of other people he hinted to me about. He told me about a now-national broadcaster whose shady past may yet catch up with the person. No proof, so no names, folks. Don't ask.
Most importantly, Les encouraged my writing. He frequently left comments on this blog, and you can have fun finding them. A couple of times he said I should be up for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, which was sweet of him, even though the word "humour" has always bothered me, and I have never found anything written by Leacock to be... humourous. But it was very nice of him to tell me that, and to write that, too. He very much liked the obituaries for my parents that you can find here, too. The "Year in the Life" feature I did here a few years ago was something he liked, too. And I know he was happy that I was writing for Frank.
Les was always a gentleman with me, never anything less that polite and cordial, even friendly. His company was something I had missed, and now, I will have it again. That makes me sad.
I wish I had better words tonight. Les would be disappointed with me. Sorry, bud.
I have not heard when Les' funeral will be. Likely by Wednesday, and likely at the funeral home on Lacewood Drive. I will let you know when I find out.
I think I will ring off for now. I just don't feel like writing anymore.
Bevboy
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