May 4 – Virtual reality

Many wrong things happening, ‘virtually?’

Readers Write
And this one was wondering how I’m doing with my ‘learning how to park in the big city’, seeing as how I hadn’t made mention of it lately. Well, thanks for asking, and at the risk of sounding like a braggart, I’d probably go with a ‘B’…..or maybe a ‘B+’. In truth, when I’m out and about in Norm The Truck….especially when I’m in a parking lot/area that is new to me, I expect I tend to take a little more tyme/care than usual. But when Rotzy is aiming for the #58 spot down front here at #555 Harris Place, I daresay Norm and I look not unlike Jimmie Johnson in the #48 car pulling in for a Pit Stop at Martinsville. Yes, I still do a ‘walkaround check’ EVERY tyme I park….regardless of where I am….and yes, it still raises an eyebrow now and then. Whatever….still room for improvement!

It Never Even Occcured….
….to Miz. Jo and me what kind of state Nakina must’ve been in when the COVID-19 rule about ‘no gatherings of more than FIVE people’ coulda/woulda done to the town when the Bingo had to be shut down….Fri and Sun nites at The Seniors Sunrise Club….Fridays the biggie, with Sundays as a ‘fix’ until next Fri. Simply put, Bingo is huge in Nakina, Aroland First Nation and surrounding area….like fishing and hunting and quite probably a more important part of the social fibre than St Brigid’s Church, which I’m sure has also been shut down. Well, I don’t know what the priest has done to tend his flock, but Bingo appears to be doing just fine, thank you…in the capable hands of a ‘new’ caller, Marla Michel, who is broadcasting (podcasting?) ‘Live’ right from what looked like her and Dan’s home down on Highland Cr in the sub! Miz. Jo picked it up one night last week on her i-Pod as Marla pulled the numbered balls from a cardboard box. COVID-BINGO…Nakina style!!

Do You Remember….
….Rotzy adding my “F/N” .02 or .03 cents worth in a ‘put-down’ of Pusateri’s Fine Foods a month ago? After Doug Ford had more or less ripped out their spleen….verbally of course. They are/were known as an ‘upscale/high-end grocer’ with several stores in and around the GTA….but there was nothing ‘upscale’ or ‘high-end’ about the way they were doing business when Corona first hit as they got caught with their drawers down selling $3.00 Steri-Wipes for $30.00! A ‘mistake’ said Mr. Pusateri. Imagine. Well, dont’cha know, last week one of their Head Office workers tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting a couple of their ‘upscale/high-end’ (albeit COVID-infested) stores. I’m only guessing here but they probably ran outta Steri-Wipes….you think? I mean, after they ‘went on sale’ for $3 bucks, I bet they sold like hotcakes!! Imagine.

More Readers Write
Still tonnes of stuff coming into the “From Nakina” I/B tray….and we’re pleased to hear from y’all, so keep ’em coming’. For those of you/us who are ‘getting more into’ the counting of the days/weeks/months than prior to this damned Corona-thing, this fellow offered up the olde poem we all learned in school….with an added twist. * ”30 days hath September…….April, June and November……But March hath 8000”……or so it seemed.

In Keeping With….
….the singing of O Canada every Sun at High Noon….from our verandah/balcony here at Unit #303 (*it’s Sat 10:00 AM as I write this) Miz. Jo and Rotzy are set to lead the Harris Place All-Star Choir as we reach Week III. Note that Week I, it was just the two of us, then last week we ‘grew’ to seven members, tho I expect there might have been more on the other side of our building. Also, TWC says ‘sunny and 22C tomorrow’ which could/should help with ‘recruitment’….hence, ‘Sing It Loud and Sing It Proud’….which, during our 20 years living in Nakina, yours truly could do in English, Ojibway and Francais.

Stats and Stuff
We went real deep into the files for these numbers in the “From Nakina” Facts And Figures Archives, and altho they seemed way out of whack at first, duplicate and triplicate checks showed them to be absolutely correct….check ’em out, then, if you will/can, try to make some sense of them. * 1/ As of April 28 there had been 183,000 COVID-19 related deaths in 2020….worldwide. You are by now fully aware of all the shutdowns, closures, and numerous other ‘inconveniences’ caused….worldwide. * 2/ As of April 28 there had been 440,000 INFLUENZA-related (aka ‘the flu) deaths in 2020….worldwide. Yet, try as we may, there were/are zero shutdowns, closures and/or other ‘inconveniences’ caused….worldwide. Well, yours truly’s having a tyme getting my pumpkin around this. Too much reaction to COVID? No way…..we’re doing what we gotta do. Not enough reaction to The Flu? Or is it always like that? Y’all got any ideas/proof one way or t’other? If that’s a ‘yes’ lemme hear from you.

W.O.T.W.
The Word Of The Week?? Are you kidding me? Gotta go with ‘VIRTUAL’!! The ‘V’ Word, and the usage of the ‘V’ Word is growing not unlike a California wildfire. Everything these days is ‘prefixed’ by ‘Virtual’. So….SO….what does ‘virtual’ mean? I used to think it meant ‘ongoing’, or perhaps ‘continual’….something like that, but not in these Corona-ese tymes…..now I’d say it’s ‘not for real’ or ‘not really happening’, or ‘pretend’, or even ‘make believe’. For example, the House Of Commons was ‘sitting’ last week in Ottawa….well, a handful of them were, hence it was ‘virtual’. Schoolkids are attending ‘virtual’ school, at home. Many of Canada’s best singers and players did a ‘Live’ concert one evening last week….each of them in their own living room, mics and cameras in place, ‘virtual’. NASCAR is returning to the track next weekend….with zero fans in the stands….’virtual’ stock car racing. Hell, Rotzy even got a ‘virtual’ hug last week via email!! Not very exciting to tell the truth, but I suppose it’s better than getting a ‘virtual’ middle finger salute….you think? What next?

*Thought Of The Day…When nothing goes right, go left.

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