Ant And Grasshopper

On Saturday, I visited my grandma for lunch. I saw her a few weeks ago at a house party. But I wanted to drop off some magazines for her to read. The bus-only Transitway is being converted to an LRT line, so there were numerous detours.

As usual, she tells me stories about the old days. This time, she remarked that several of her kids and grand-kids (like myself) have few friends. She also didn't have many as a child and now at 95-years-old and living in another country, even fewer nowadays. Yet a solitary nature isn't the only thing I inherited, there is also a tendency to miserliness.

It's true that my culture usually hoard money. When the old country didn't have a robust banking system, you either buy land and houses or you keep your wealth as cash and gold. The former has its own problems, with many in the diaspora buying up properties here and contributing in their own way to the housing crisis. As for the latter, my grandma has thousands of dollars stashed away in her room.

I've emulated her for years, at least in the electronic banking sense. I finally talked to a financial advisor a few weeks ago. He was sanguine about it, but he probably told his wife later about his new hoarder client. We will hammer out more details about my financial plans in the coming days. But I suspect retirement isn't any time soon.

The Maze Runner

We headed to another family get-together on Sunday. Unlike last time at my youngest uncle, my cousin's new home was deep in suburbia. There was no reasonable way to get there except by car so my oldest uncle came by to pick us up. We were lost several times trying to find the house. On the way, the highway exits and arterial roads were confusing. Then we circled aimlessly through several winding streets and cul-de-sacs until we found the right sequence of turns.

It was both a Thanksgiving dinner and a tour of the house. Though it wasn't quite as large as the two-car garage homes of recent decades, it still seemed like too much space for a nuclear family. The main floor's dining room, living room and open kitchen comfortably accommodated my large extended family. But how often will my cousin entertain 15-20 people? The rest of the house also included 3.5 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, and several offices and open areas.

The hosts provided a traditional dinner with turkey, sweet potato, mashed potatoes, and various salad and veggie sides. But guests also brought extra dishes including fried rice and chayote squash slaw. It was a good meal but I didn't indulge too much. I was too far from home (and dependent on a ride) to risk stomach problems. Luckily, my grandma felt strong enough to leave the house because I haven't seen her since her birthday party in August.

As for the rest of the family: the aunts were finalizing their plan to visit the old country while my millennial cousins were neck-deep in raising young children. It was interesting that the ones that were single or childless either talked about recent or future trips. Why stay in boring Ottawa when all the experiences worth remembering are about somewhere else? But they were also excited about new development at local malls and big-box stores. Perhaps the suburban virus infects everyone in the end.

Goo Fellas

Although I don't plan on visiting sit-down restaurants anymore, I wanted to support small eateries if possible. On Tuesday, I visited a take-out spot on Montreal Rd called Kin Malebo. It was next to the strip mall containing Golden Crust Pizza. The server didn't speak any English and I had only high school French. But we finally agreed that I wanted 4 samoussa ($3.50/each). They were stuffed with beef and were closer to Sa'hara's sambusa than an Indian samosa. Unfortunately, they weren't that good as they lacked the speckled texture of the former and the fragrant flavour of the latter.

On Sunday, I returned to the same area to try the last of the 3 food trucks. Whereas the other two served tacos and falafel, Frys Guys was your classic chip wagon: burgers, hot dogs, and fries. The medium poutine ($8 all-in) was comparable to the Great Poutinerie with thick gravy and chewy curds. Good portion size and fairly cheap? Sounds good to me.

While I was waiting for my order, an older man noticed the zombie on the back of my Alex Lahey's band tee. No, I wasn't really into horror movies. Our conversation led to an astonishing story about his friend's cousin who has been "possessed" for 25 years. Over 40 exorcisms failed to cure her, leaving her to live an isolated life with her elderly parents. The friend was also a priest so his own visits were usually fraught and tense. I was silently bemused: don't we live in modern times with better diagnoses like mental illness or neurodivergence? But once he mentioned that this was in some remote place in Southern Quebec, a lightbulb went off. Outside of cosmopolitan Montreal, la belle province can be a bit stuck in the past.

Blast From The Past

I attended a few shows during my first months back in Ottawa. Soon enough, the terrible public transit and heavy car traffic killed my desire to go out. I went out when I visited Toronto but it has been almost two years in my hometown. On Wednesday, I headed to the Byward Market to see Texas-based The Bright Light Social Hour at the 27 Club (formerly Zaphod Beeblebrox).

I was so impressed by them at The CMW more than a decade ago at tiny Supermarket that I saw them again a few nights later for a 2 a.m. set! They came through Toronto a few more times, getting progressively trippier. Their Ottawa show at Mavericks was actually cancelled. But at the last minute, the owner of Zaphod reached out (they apparently played there last time) and the concert was back on. Perhaps this was why it was a sparse crowd tonight. But they bought a lot of merch, so hopefully it wasn't a total wash.

The surprisingly great sound system at 27 Club was better than muddy Mavericks. TBLSH played high-energy, complex music and all the components including vocals, guitar, drums, synth were balanced and clear. The bassist recalled an early review calling them "hillbilly disco". Well, yee-haw because opening number Back and Forth and the penultimate Shanty still brought the funk. New tunes (Most High, Prefecture) from their latest album Emergency Leisure had a hint of pop but were still rocking. Even numbers from their psychedelic Space Is Still The Place I & II seemed more muscular for this show.

I loved (and so did everyone else) that their encore was the blues-rock Detroit. With the loss of the original drummer and keyboardist/background vocalist, I didn't think they would play it anymore. A big part of the song was a heavy metal-esque drum solo that segue into a coda with a soaring falsetto harmony. This version couldn't quite reached those heights but the new members did an excellent job.

I haven't enjoyed myself like this in some time. Tonight was better than the last time I was at Zaphod's and it certainly was better than my first time here some decades back. My lovesick delusion started at a show by The Shuffle Demons (also sparsely attended). I was already gaga for my crush for about a year but that night was the first of our solo outings. My hope was sparked when they wanted a non-group hang. It only grew when confided that they had ended an intense relationship.

If only my older and wiser self could talk to that callow youth. They were high-school sweethearts who tried to maintain a long-distance relationship in college with letters, phone calls, cross-country visits, and summer vacation back in their small town. People don't move on from experiences like that for a while. Also, here is an apropos quip from the future: "They're just not that into you". I'd thank myself for the advice and avoid 4 years of heartache.