We have willingly incarcerated ourselves. The lock-up is oddly no punishment – at least for the moment. We have uninhibited liberty to commit ourselves both gleefully and brazenly to our preferred and cosseting preoccupations. Among them are reading, writing, TV, listening to music, playing the piano, answering emails and naturally – cooking! It helps today that Old Man Winter is taking what I hope will be his last swipe at us – polluting the atmosphere and earth beneath with tiny swirls of white flakes. The weather makes public exhibition uninviting! I will concede that before the frozen crystals melted they exacted a captivating presence. It does however prescribe my limit for snow.
My mission at the car dealership this morning was a hesitant success. It began by my foolishly misconstruing the direction of the technician to stay in the car while he pumped the tires. I thought it was a kindly invitation – complicated by him saying, “You can stay in the car!” implying to me a matter of choice not instruction. This indiscretion was repeated not long afterwards by another staff member who sent me an email advising that when getting my tires pumped, to be certain to stay in the car. Not long afterwards His Lordship telephoned to advise the Ontario Provincial Police are “stopping” people who appear to be exercising other than mandatory departure from home. Parenthetically I’m not certain of the constitutional or legislative authority for such intervention by the police. This notwithstanding the forgivable object of moral suasion. The point is obviously moot because it flies in the face of the national sentiment for immunity. This understandable prejudice succeeds to obviate anything as esoteric as freedom of the subject.
Not long after I left the dealership the Sirius XM radio stopped working. I hoped it might correct itself but it did not. Unfortunately I didn’t fully absorb this until I was home. I called the service office and arranged to go in immediately. After prolonged examination they have ordered a new computer module. This isn’t the first instance I have experienced that type of repair. While at the dealership I exercised my embarrassing obsessiveness by asking to increase the tire pressure from 35 to 39 as recommended by my dashboard and the typed slip glued to the inside of the car. Seconds afterwards I enlarged the obnoxious detail by returning to ask that the right rear tire be changed from 37 to 39 (as were the other three). It hardly warrants mention that the fulfillment of these two trifling but annoying issues was for me considerable relief. Though I paid the penalty of social disgrace it is nonetheless suitable retribution. The only further addition to the automotive adventure was that when I drove away for the final time I saw that the Lincoln Way app had stopped working – no doubt as a result of the technicians having messed with the electronic system. I have yet to restore the app. In fairness I should report that one of my friends also emailed me today – after having read a previous blog of mine revealing my nefarious intention to go to the car dealership – chastising me for so much as thinking of leaving the house! My disgrace was complete!
I regained what composure remained of my battered spirit by the catharsis of soap and water; viz., a laundry of all that I had worn thus far today! It was an undeniable purge! Nor did I restrict the cleanse to textile but included as well my anatomy. I showered afterwards and applied a ton of coconut conditioner for maximum achievement!
Gazing atop the remnant snow on the ground from this morning’s activity, it is a bleak vista though moderately imaginative. Momentarily I intend to play the piano for the first time in six months. Time to give Apple Music a well-deserved break.