Most Banal Ever

You know what? Time goes faster when you have a car. It makes sense – after all you are moving faster. I am astounded that it is already Wednesday.

Ho! I have been driving on big roads and small; I have passed slow trucks and grumbled at those hesitant, left-lane hogs. I tried – and failed – to come up with a route from New Westminster to Point Grey that would keep me out of heavy traffic. Even at noon, the roads were clogged. Despite a couple of wrong turns I ended up at my destination – Discount Diapers, where I get all my cloth diapering supplies – in half the time it would have taken by bus (es). I bought more diaper covers for Trombone’s expanding butt and a pair of fluorescent orange baby sunglasses because he has decided that now he can take his hat off, why would he wear a hat?. He was ever so unimpressed with the sunglasses. He cried and cried and then looked at me through the strange, dark plastic and he was a dead ringer for an angry old dude in the ’80s. I laughed. And then I got back in the car and drove home.

I still don’t have bagels from Solly’s. Yesterday, our first day of car ownership, it snowed. Because that’s what it does here now, in Vancouver. It snows. Yup. Guess I had better get some of those white puffy boots and a hat with ear flaps because the rain forest is freezing over. Anyway, I chose a close-to-home rather than cross-town journey for our first, in case the snow was terrible and we should lose our car in a collision a mere day after signing the insurance papers. (The snow wasn’t terrible. And I found a “Signature” Liquor Store only 10 minutes from home!)

Here are the next places I’m going to go (stupid weather permitting):
– Solly’s Bagels. Probably the Main Street location since the one near Cambie and 7th is probably inaccessible due to the big hole they’re digging in Cambie St.
– The fabulous shoe store, which is the Ronson’s Rack at Granville and 13th or 14th ave. (not fabulous like whoo I got sequinned platform heels in my size! but fabulous like whoo I got butter-soft, hand-sewn leather sandals that won’t give me blisters – for half the retail price! I find that the Shoe Warehouse on South Granville also rarely disappoints. Once, I got one pair of shoes for $20 and the other pair for $10. Life was good that day.)
– Various peoples’ houses. Want a visit? Let me know!
– The beach.
– Superstore! On Thursday! No, I didn’t write it in my daytimer, shut up.
– Costco. We’re nearly out of vitamins.
– Liquidation World. We’re nearly out of useless crap that costs a dollar.

See, this is why car ownership is expensive. It’s not the insurance or the gas, it’s that you can go places and BUY THINGS.

OK. All this driving and squeeeing about it has given me precious little television time. I didn’t get all of TYRA’s GROUNDBREAKING show yesterday but I did see the very beginning. She gave us the preamble about why she was going to change the world with a red bodysuit but I couldn’t pay any attention because she was orange. Seriously orange. Like, the colour of Trombone’s new sunglasses. I kept waiting for her to say something like, “…and because so many people value appearances over talent or personality I have dyed myself orange to make a point.” But she never did!

TYRA is encouraging us all to have a “So What” moment – there’s even a red gummy bracelet so you know it’s a real movement – and regardless of the sentiment, now I can’t get Ministry out of my head. Ministry and red, strapless bodysuits. It’s the stuff nightmares are made of. I swear.