It speaks to my supreme indolence that after a day of moderate industry I am thoroughly knackered. Indeed this morning’s “scheduled” meeting by Zoom with an ancient friend had me before the connection behaving as though I were in a business environment, watching the clock tick until the moment of lift-off! Naturally there were no external restraints once we got chatting; but I am uncertain that I would initiate a Zoom meeting again other than for business. I find FaceTime or similar options more organic, less commingled with worldly preparation and planning; still having the overriding flavour of spontaneity so welcome in calls between friends.

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I am scheduled to chat through Zoom tomorrow with an ancient friend named Max. It is the first meeting in a long time that I’ve been scheduled to attend. There is rather an air of formality to it. My friend is from Toronto. We were classmates in 1963 and have hung together sporadically since then.  As I motored about Renfrew County this breezy and brilliantly sunny afternoon, windows open, landau roof propelled back, feeling the heat of the sun and absorbing the mechanical precision of the Ford Motor Company beneath my anodized carcass, I pondered what might usefully and perhaps even objectively be put on the table so to speak for discussion tomorrow. I mean to say, what exactly does one talk about with an old friend? Is it possible to sustain meaningful relationship after such long periods of absence?  Or do we never change? Is it possible to read too much into a willy-nilly rendezvous? Or should one approach the matter with reverence, casting one’s mind humbly upon the inevitability that will one day follow and separate us forever?  Or do old school friends just bounce back to the youthful texture of years ago?

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The COVID pandemic and its incremental variations have not disappeared and there is now popular speculation that we’re in for a long haul.  The anxious possibility of a relentless plague is also percolating. All this means that staying at home and living exclusively within Canada is something to be revitalized in the short run.

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Our Sunday adventure today – in lieu of hunting for Easter eggs – was a drive to Barry’s Bay “a community in the township of Madawaska Valley located two hours west of Ottawa on the shores of Kamaniskeg Lake, with a 2016 population of approximately 1,300 people“. The jaunt was a 2-hour ride each way.  The purpose was to familiarize ourselves with the Canadian Legion at which I am to receive my COVID vaccination on April 14th next. The outing was the first we’ve had of this duration in months so we welcomed the occasion. Until today the pandemic had succeeded to narrow our focus imperceptibly. It helped naturally that the sky was blue and that the temperature had risen to a very tolerable 13°C sufficient to enable us to open all the windows and the landau roof.

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Many of us have had uncertain events or progressions in our lives requiring no small amount of accommodation.  Regrettably some of the episodes have bordered upon catastrophic in nature involving for example serious medical complications or death in the family. Whatever the particular incident, the consequence is always having to live with it. Remarkably it is frequently those who have suffered the most dreadful reverberations who ultimately set an example to the rest of us just how to adjust to reality; while those enduring far less aftermath seemingly wallow in despair, self-pity and utter immobility.  From the perspective however of each one of us, our own repercussion is paramount and seldom do we consider the popular view of our adjustment or interpretation of the initial assault. Reality is in that respect irreverent, insipid and irrespective.

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Funny how things unfold. Serendipity never fails to astound me. While driving about the countryside this afternoon on this unsurpassably brilliant day I overheard a BBC program about quantum computing, the business of combining the customarily separate binary themes such as one and zero to afford greater capacity and exponential performance.

Quantum computing is poised to upend entire industries from finance to cybersecurity to healthcare, and beyond—but few understand how quantum computers actually work.

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I recall one Sunday morning in our house in Stockholm, Sweden hearing from the main floor to the third floor where I slept my mother’s howl, “How’s God going to bless this goddamn house if no one goes to church!”  She evidently had just returned from church.  When my father did go to church he customarily sat behind one of the large stone pillars.  My sister and I had seemingly already abandoned any religious custom.

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Having the conviction there is a tomorrow is itself perfectly digestible.  On the other hand leaving something undone until tomorrow presents an entirely different model. I recall being dismayed by my late mother’s casual discharge “until tomorrow” of what I thought was a pressing need. Tomorrow was never exactly defined. The protraction – indecorous in my opinion – seemed to me to taint the organization of the universe.  What if it never got done?  Then what?

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Apparently farmers and the unemployed share a fascination with the weather.  This is especially so on the last day of March as we approach what is forecast to be April showers for May flowers. We’re having today an introduction to that poetic recurrence, drizzle persisting into the morrow. Meanwhile the inclement weather affords a welcome reprieve from the more industrious preoccupations which normally attend a day of atmospheric high and sunshine. As I await the warming temperatures and clear air – interrupted though they may be in the morning tomorrow by a delayed March blizzard which I am certain will melt by the afternoon – I am at liberty to dwell upon the trifling recreations which now characterize my existence; namely, idle reflection upon my past, present and future, a car ride naturally (including the blatant immersion in the automobile’s many switches and conveniences), absorption of the limitless fields of Renfrew County and ultimately a strong, black coffee and general revelation in the events of the day which by the way have already been preceded by a highly profitable visit to my barber.

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Never have I considered myself an entrepreneur. It’s a privilege associated with famous business operators like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. But when I read today the “About Us” section of Mr. Sam Barber Shop on the internet I was instantly smitten with interest. It’s the newest business in Town and something tells me it’s the beginning of a marvellous adventure. Almonte is curiously known for its successful and singular businesses, enterprisers who attract those seeking quality in a rural environment.

Sam

Sam has been a successful hairstylist and barber for more than 15 years serving both female and male clients. He has always enjoyed hairstyling and we are confident you will be pleased with the services you will get.

Sam has finally achieved his lifetime dream of opening his own salon.

Mr. Sam Barber Shop Inc.

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