Pandora’s star is clipping by at a pretty good pace. I’m at about the quarter of a way in mark. I read about 4 pages on the train into work and a bit more at work before the shift. I was prepared to buy a diet Coke at the drugstore and I ran into Greg. I figure I might as well pay him the $10 for our hockey tournament. I lent one of the guys a loony a couple a weeks ago and I forgot about it. All he had on him was American money. Ok. I still had enough to get a book, even if I wanted to get one at Chapters. I had a brief chat with JT before the shift. Gary was in here last night and he’s done at Xl Edmonton. Moe gave a big spiel about how we did really bad last night as a room and that Vancouver and Calgary are listening in on our calls. Calgary I can understand because they are head office but Vancouver? So we all ended up doing the same thing as a room. It took me almost an hour to get 1 sale. I ended up with $15 and $50 by break. As a whole I think we had a better night last night. We got out of Ontario and into Alberta (Calgary) doing large semies after the break. Anne called. I ended up with $150 and 1 credit card. I can’t complain about that. I was in a hurry to get out of there to get my South train to the University. I had a 20 minute wait which meant I missed that early train. I kept forgetting that Rob’s working us to the last minute. We would ordinarily get out at about 8:20pm and I could get that early connection. My train didn’t leave Corona until about 8:45pm. The #6 was packed at the University waiting and loaded when I got a seat. It was standing room in the isles only. Fortunately a whole whack of University kids got out before my stop.

I was kind of disappointed at the book selection at Chapters since the last time I was there I think in the fall. Their Star Trek selection was about 2 shelves, same with their Star Wars selection. I didn’t see any Forgotten Realms books. But there was a Trade Omnibus trilogy of the Indiana Jones first 3 movies and they had about a dozen or so other Indy books there. Also, they had about 8 Stargate Atlantis books. I settled on Ben Bova’s Aftermath. I paid for that with the Yankee buck as they had some problems figuring out the exchange rate. Funny how we can take American money here in Canada but they won’t take in the states. Maybe a North American Union might not be such a bad idea after all seeing as how I paid $10 and some change for the book, almost a kind of irony in a way. Ten bucks including the US greenback that is.

Anne called me while I was on the street waiting for my University bus and we had a nice chat into Hub where I would lose her going underground. She was on her way home and maybe we’d connect going home at Central. Anne said the last of her allowance was sent into her account today. It’s the end of an era. We depended upon that for 8 years at the end of every month, like clock work it come in the last week of the month. This allowance paid almost 40% of our rent. It was because of her allowance that I was able to work only part time. Now that’s all about to change going into June and I’ve got to put in the full time hours now. The party’s over and now it’s back to work full time. Unless of course we can get rental subsidy. The other part is the allowance might continue when her father (God love him) in a hospice, Lord forbid if he should pass away. We’d have that allowance continue. But that’s a long shot and I wouldn’t want to see that happening just for that. Anyway the Clairview train was pulling in just as I got off the elevator but I figure that I might meet Anne boarding the train home at Central if I took the next train a bit further South to the end of the line. I read more Pandora’s Star until just before Central where sure enough there was Anne. We had a nice chat on the way home. I recognized and paid homage to the area of Five Oak apartments where at that time 28 years ago on that post rainy evening Helga drove me down to Richards place to rescue her daughter. Ahem. Hard to believe I was still in my 20’s at that time.

Anne asked me if I’d carry her bag home as she’d get some pop from Super store etc. She had her cheque to cash today as well. Anne really encouraged me to wait for the bus at Clairview but at 10:25pm I could have been waiting a long time. I ended up walking through the dark parking lot at Superstore occasionally checking for a bus in between buildings heading towards the station from where I had just came. No bus. Nothing up ahead at the set of lights either. Nothing down on 50th street and up by the Manning bridge. It was 10:38pm and no Northgate bus in either direction. I even sat on the bus bench waiting for something having a rest. Kind of waiting for Anne though. Nothing. Anne came home and made me a burger and fries while we watched the news and I’m about to blog this and go to bed as I’m up early for Saturday shift. Oil now at $118/barrel, wow. Oh, I checked the Ben Bova book I just bought and sure enough, Book 4 of the Asteroid Wars. It’s my own fault though.

Anyway Bloggers, that’s all for now

e. Jim