Youth and Decrepitude
Changes, you notice them most in the young and in the old.
The restaurant is great for this. People you recognize as old one season are suddenly much, much older the next. And children quickly become young adults, young ladies who'd come in for a fries to-go and never tip suddenly begin eating in and tipping 20%. The changes are dramatic.
In people our own age we seldom notice change. They age pretty much like us, and unless we haven't seen them for a few years will probably recognize them pretty much as they were. But change accelerates when you get older, one slip or fall and decrepitude pounces.
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Conspiracy Theories
I mean, the abundance of fringe theories regarding Covid. By which I don't mean the Wuhan Lab Leak theory, that was mine own theory shortly into the pandemic, discredited largely by Trump's support, and back again in fashion. Nothing destroys credibility like having an idiot agree with you. No, I mean the people that think it's all a hoax, an attempt by the government to seize control, "New World Order" and all that.
It is boggling to me that - given the abundance of news from various sources, people should choose to believe that it doesn't exist. That the lockdowns are an attempt by the government to control the populace. I mean, we have examples of countries that did it right - Australia, New Zealand. And how is it possible that politicians - whose intelligence ranges from minute to diabolical, depending on the country you live in - could orchestrate such a thing? I mean, to believe it's a hoax requires far more faith in government than believing it's legitimate.
Anyways, it's almost over. Breathe a sigh of relief. For the time being.
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Clown School
I thought I'd blogged about her before, searching the blog, apparently not.
So I'll tell you about this person, famous local personage whom everyone knows and whom I met shortly after moving to the area. Maybe before I moved to the area, on one of my frequent trips, coming via the ferry to Nelson in my old Volvo 240 DL. Best car ever, although not so good for prospecting...
Anyways, a rainy May long weekend, coming from the Balfour terminal towards Nelson and what should I pass but a Circus Clown. Genuine. Bona Fide. Giant Clown suit, oversized clown shoes, clown make-up, tiny umbrella. There's no way I'm not picking her up. The only thing that could make this better would be a bloody hatchet in her free hand, but - you take what you can get and I've learned to compromise.
Pull over, she puffs over and tries to get in, once, bounces out, twice, bounces out, third time's a charm. Turns out the Clown suit is a tight fit.
Drive towards Nelson. We chat, she introduces herself, explains the clown suit. I didn't ask, didn't think it polite, you see a lot of way out outfits out here, but I'm just straight enough she thinks it necessary.
So she's a clown, off on her way to do some clowning.
Now, having lived here a few years I recognize her as a local personage, she's quit clowning and tried politics (a natural evolution I've come to recognize), still pass her once a week in town or on the highway.
Anyways, long story short - this isn't the clown I'm talking about.
No, this is about the Valley Shaman. Friend's told me about him before, I'm pretty sure I know who she means - I mean, how many Shaman can there be in the Valley, but - as it turns out - you'd be surprised. So the Shaman had been invited to her workplace to do a cleansing. Lots of Shaman stuff. Sage, smudging, dowsing, pegs thrown down in corners, rocks, chanting, drumming, more dowsing, minor pyrotechnics. Friend is impressed. How could you not be?
Anyways, friend is discussing Shaman with co-worker, who - as it turns out - knows him. Co-worker is not the person in the first story above.
- "Yeah, me and '....(shaman)', we graduated from Clown school together back in...."
And I'm thinking. You know what I'm thinking. How many clowns are there out here?
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Star Trek - TNG
So on one of the TV's at work the last few days they've been playing a marathon of Star Trek - TNG.
I was never really a fan, never owned a TV and so missed it when it first came out and was popular and had to endure it when other people had it on.
Now's my chance to catch up and see what all the fuss was about. Only the TV's in the restaurant, we don't play them with volume or Close Captioning, I'll just have to figure it out, and given that I'm forever to and fro (the nature of service) this isn't working so good for me.
Never mind, I can figure it out.
Watch it. I can see why I never got into it. The authority of Jean Luc Picard undermined by his ridiculous "strut of authority" - arms stationary at side as he walks about bridge, planets - wherever. WTF? It looks unnatural. Riker's "Devastating" good lucks and wholesome close ups, that dumb ass empath and the prodigal young Wesley Crusher. My God I dodged a bullet.
Still, not much going on in the afternoons and so I make a note of what's going on on screen and when I go for a cigarette ask Ken.
"Ken, There's a dead Picard lying on a table and a live Picard standing over him and Councilor Troy has just entered the room..."
- "That's episode ... where Picard has to time travel to save then Enterprise and then kill himself to avoid violating the time-space continuum..." Ken explains.
I'm in awe. I was lighthearted in my testing of his fandom but he's rising to the test. I try him again several times:
"Ken, a bunch of people are trying to talk to this crystal..."
- "That's the episode where they meet the Crystalline Entity and are introduced to Data's evil twin, Lars...."
"Ken, Wesley is getting in trouble for getting off the Holodeck wet..."
- "That's the "Encounter at Farpoint..."
He gets them all. I get increasingly vague in my descriptions, with things like:
"The Enterprise is circling a green planet"...
- "They used that footage for a number of episodes. Give me a minute..." and he come out, glances at the TV, the scene has changed and quickly summarizes the plot.
I get emotional:
"Ken, Ken, Picard has just died" or "Wharf is getting mad" and "How did that darned Wesley Crusher get to be so smart!!??" and it excites him to come out from the kitchen and see what the fuss is about, update me as to the episode and plot.
The man is a genius in all trivial things...
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