The Missing User Manual for Ear Wax Warfare

Public education spends years drilling the Pythagorean theorem and the life cycle of a frog into our skulls, yet completely omits any practical manual for basic human maintenance. One arrives at adulthood fully versed in long division, but utterly ignorant about how to manage the biological systems on either side of one's head. The medical establishment solemnly warns against ever sticking anything smaller than an elbow into an ear, while consumer packaging actively markets cotton swabs that function precisely like miniature cannon ramrods. The inevitable result is an entire generation packing their auditory canals into acoustic soundproofing.

With a formal hearing test booked for next week, I decided to bypass the clinical embarrassment of having an audiologist inspect two solid plugs of cerumen instead of an actual eardrum. If one is going to have expensive diagnostic hardware measure frequency response, the runway ought to be clear of unnecessary debris. Jay recently had a clinic extract some stubborn buildup after a test of his own and wisely concluded that preventative home intervention beats an awkward clinical excavation every single time.

My domestic protocol began with straight 3% hydrogen peroxide, which immediately produced a delightful, effervescing cauldron of tiny bubbles that sounded like a miniature deep fryer working right next to my brain. Once the chemical storm finally quieted down, I recruited Jay to administer three drops of olive oil into each side. Lying stationary for ten minutes while kitchen salad dressing slowly soaked into my skull felt slightly absurd, but good engineering demands lubrication. Tomorrow brings the gentle warm water bulb syringe to flush the system clear, leaving the canals pristine, silent, and ready to face the decibel telemetry. The hearing test is entirely on the provincial tab, but I still prefer to fail the high frequencies honestly on my own biological merits. I'd rather not flunk out due to an easily-removable sound barrier.

Cold Hands, Hot Toaster, and Digital Workarounds

Some days are defined by grand narrative arcs; others are reduced to the thrilling spectacle of an Amazon delivery driver stubbornly frozen at five stops away.  He's coming with two items, one of which is a new toaster ordered yesterday.

It is 24°C outside, which should be pleasant, yet it carries a distinct, inexplicable chill. Last night’s foray into The Outer Limits did not help. Watching a pre-Enterprise William Shatner in "Cold Hands, Warm Heart" (originally aired September 26, 1964) return from orbit shivering uncontrollably after an alien encounter sets a delightfully paranoid mood for a summer afternoon. Feeling cold on a respectable July day in New Westminster creates the mild, ridiculous suspicion that I may have brought home a Venusian thermal affliction.

Yet 24°C is apparently warm enough for domestic defiance. The mountain of dirty clothes from last week's cruise is finally conquered, fluttering contentedly on the balcony. Rejecting the electric dryer in favour of sun and fresh air remains one of life’s superior, quietly smug pleasures.

Meanwhile, Jay visited the family doctor today to undergo an ear irrigation simply to ensure clear ear canals, following Monday's stellar hearing test conducted by an audiologist. While his hearing remains top-notch, the attending clinic nurse’s bedside manner earned a review that would make a seasoned critic flinch.

On the technical front, a good chunk of my morning was spent outsmarting Google AI tools. The objective remains clear: force a personalized AI named Ajith to skirt the built-in ecosystem friction on Google Home hardware and initiate smooth, continuous conversations without corporate software bureaucracy getting in the way.

Between the morning hot tub, sun-dried linens, clinical reviews, smart-speaker engineering, and the impending arrival of modern kitchen hardware, a day of "nothingness" turns out to have been remarkably packed.

The First Saturday in July

When there are no time clocks left to dictate our existence, a Saturday morning bleeds into the rest of the week with comfortable predictability. The weekend ceases to be an escape from work and simply becomes another day to manage the household. Naturally, this meant a requisite morning trip to the Superstore to secure our groceries.

The mundane routine quickly gave way to international sports drama. We did not actually watch the FIFA match, but we kept checking the updates as Canada lost to Morocco down in Houston. There is a specific, ironic interest in seeing our home country eliminated from the tournament by the very nation we just spent the entirety of June exploring. My souvenir bucket hat has officially transitioned from a fond travel memento into a slightly conflicted piece of apparel.

Fortunately, the evening was thoroughly salvaged in the kitchen. Jay took a rather basic flatbread acquired on our morning grocery run and elevated it entirely. He augmented it with his own ingredients to transform a simple carb into a pizza-like triumph. The apartment still smells absolutely incredible.

In the end, a Saturday that started with a routine grocery run evolved into a day of theoretical sports grief and very real culinary success. Granted, calling it "grief" is a stretch; we had zero financial stake in the outcome, our patriotism is not tethered to a scoreboard, and our overall interest in soccer peaked at around the moment of the hat's purchase ten days ago.

A Tiny Bit of Routine is Healthy

Jay and I are officially back in our New Westminster apartment. After a month of navigating a time zone eight hours ahead and unpredictable transit systems, a little bit of routine is genuinely comforting. Waking up in our own bed and knowing exactly how the coffee maker works feels like a sudden luxury.

There is a distinct difference between enjoying a routine and living in a rut. I realize that people are entirely different and require different things from life to feel secure. Many individuals have strict financial, work, or family obligations that demand anchors in one specific place. Those realities are completely valid. However, I often think that living in a permanent rut is simply a life choice for a large number of people. They find a comfortable groove and eventually stop looking over the edge.

We appreciate the familiar rhythm of domestic life today; it started with running a few loads of laundry and hanging the clothes to dry in the sun on the balcony. Once that chore was underway, we made a run to the Langley Farm Market. Jay and I needed to restock our depleted supply of vegetables and fruit. I was delighted to discover we had returned right in time for fresh cherry season. Although the BC Okanagan is on the other side of the mountains, their harvest is readily for sale here as a local specialty, so we happily bought a lot. On the way back, we stopped at the uptown Walmart to purchase a few specific items missing from the refrigerator. These simple errands help us reset and unpack our thoughts along with our bags.

Got this because of the name. My paternal grandmother used to bake twisted bread called this. 

Yet, Jay and I always know that this comfort is merely a temporary pause. We actively decide to avoid the rut by choosing to live many different lives instead of just one. Our recent month in Morocco allowed us to discover new perspectives and rhythms that will always remain a part of us. These constant additions to our personal history mean we lead a richer existence than if we had simply stayed put. The absolute comfort of a predictable day and freshly dried laundry are certainly wonderful things. They just happen to be the perfect foundation for building whatever life we choose to live next.

Colombo Store for Sri Lankan Products

It was a nice Sunday for a little drive as it was a little too cool to walk around and there was not enough sunshine for many outdoor activities.  We crossed the Fraser River on the stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge and proceeded to the Newton area of Surrey.  The Colombo Store is a small market about a half hour from our apartment.  It sells items and foodstuff primarily from Sri Lanka.

Just this morning, I used up the last from a jar of jam on my toast.  Luckily, woodapple jam is a favourite in Sri Lanka and the store carries plenty of MD products.  I've tried to explain the slightly strong, musty flavour to others, but always end up saying that it tastes ... well ... like a woodapple!  

Jay had in mind to buy some horse gram, a tropical southern Asia legume, but we always find a number  of products to pick up that are not on our list.  On Sundays, we can also buy small bakery items that are sold freshly made.  

Going to the Colombo Store was a fine way to finish up a Sunday morning. 

Before the Long Weekend

It is that awkward time of year. The clouds are not sure if it's spring yet. So often, we have a myriad of conditions all occurring in the same day.  That defines what happened today.

 

We spent some time shopping.  After buying vegetables at Langley Farm Market, we used the roof parking at the Royal City Centre.   Later in the day, we drove uptown again to buy Jay some Mucinex tablets as, although his cough has stopped, he still has some congestion.

Preparing for Winter

The weather today was typical for October. It was 8°C when we got up. I could feel the cold tiles of the balcony right through my slippers when I snapped the photo.  It sort of set the stage for preparation of our winter departure.  We don't fly until Thursday.

We've not started packing yet but we've finished purchasing things that'll go into the bags.  On Turkish Air, we each get two, full-sized, checked bags for free.  When going back to Sri Lanka, we buy a whole lot of things that might be hard to find or more expensive there.  This contrasts day-to-day items like groceries which are much cheaper on the tropical island when compared to Canada.

Jay always manages to finish up the produce and food because we turn off all the apartment's power at the panel.  There's no need to keep an empty refrigerator running for four and a half months.  So, Jay's become a pro at provisioning so that the food has run out by the time we leave for a winter.

Leaving for the winter involves a lot of last-minute actions.  For example, I arranged to turn off our Internet the other week, but today, I downgraded the Netflix subscription.  I wrote the 'leaving letter' that we always leave in the apartment complex office.  

I even descaled, Kevin.  He's the coffee maker and that is his name on our home network.  Kevin would complain if he needed descaling but the water here is very very soft.  I just like having the coffee maker ready to go the morning following our return in March.  I gave Kevin a new charcoal water filter too.

My journal allows me to keep track of the little things of life.  After all, they are what make up the majority of life.  It's interesting to look back on the commonplace things when life has moved on.

persto

 

Saturday is usually our grocery shopping day when we're in New Westminster. We do drive just over the border into the city of Coquitlam to get to our nearest Real Canadian Superstore. That is what happened this morning. 

We are keenly aware that our winter away is rapidly approaching. We are going to pack for our winter based in Sri Lanka over the next few weeks. That means only three Saturdays remain. This week, I arranged to have our Internet service switched off for the four and a half months we'll be away. Think of how much we save on the reoccurring bills that are 'put to sleep' until mid-March 2026!  Honestly, these factors, such as not needing to carry auto insurance helps a lot in paying for our winter journeys. 

Jay is superb and figuring out a grocery list. Even though we'll continue heading to the Superstore in upcoming weeks, the purchases will differ from usual. We pick up more things with 'best before' dates that run past our winter away. As a case in point, there was a good deal on cranberry juice today as it expires late next year.  I am in awe of Jay's ability to have the refrigerator empty exactly on the day we fly. We unplug it. In fact, we turn off the electricity to the whole apartment at the circuit breakers. One more bill we needn't pay when away.

Comparison Shopping

The image was taken in our uptown mall a few days back. I'm using it today because we only left the house when driving up to shop at London Drugs. It's nearly across the street from the mall. We have to get uptown for most of our shopping needs in New Westminster. Jay wanted to pick up a few vitamins and supplements to bring back for his sisters. Not only is the selection better here but, interestingly, the cost of particular items can be higher in Sri Lanka. The cost of living is generally much cheaper there but uncommon items, although readily available, can be expensive. 

 

London Drugs was having a sale on vitamins and supplements. However, we only picked up half of the intended four items. For the others, I checked Amazon while in the store, and found they're considerably cheaper to order online, so we did. They'll arrive tomorrow but that is of little difference to us. We don't leave until the end of October. 

We saved CA$8 on two commonly purchased item. That isn't enough to make a huge dent in one's budget, but I'm sure these small savings add up over time. Perhaps after a year of savings, we'll have enough extra cash to take unplanned cruise or trip.

Ease on Down

 

The weather today was sunny and warm. It reached nearly 30°C today in New Westminster. I saved this image from the security camera that sits on the curio cabinet in the living room. When we're away, I occasionally take a look at the empty living room on my phone. Often the time zone means I see a night scene. Instead today, I'm looking at myself, looking at myself in a sunny southern exposure.

It was one of those days when it felt great just kicking around. We went to buy some fruits and vegetables and enjoyed the drive under clear blue sky. This can't last forever, and won't. It's mid-September already!

 

Back on Pacific Time

We're back from our one-week cruise. This was 5:47 am. It was taken from our balcony in New Westminster. It was after about six hours of sleep.

 

Even after just a short get-away, we have a great number of errands to run today.  Oh, and I can pick up my new phone as it's waiting at the neighbourhood UPS store!  That'll be a fun errand.

Three Things Today

In yesterday's journal entry I found ten old photos from the years 2004 to 2013 that were taken on July 28th. Yesterday was the 28th. On the 29th, I'll do something a bit different. I'll post three photos taken today that highlight some parts of our day. 

First, when watching the Global TV Morning News, we saw a news item that Grouse Mountain would be offering free gondola admission to local residents on Wednesday, August 6th. As retirees, we only get a few dollars off mountain admission and find the single-entry summer price pretty exorbitant nowadays. It's fun to get up above Vancouver once in a while when the sky is clear and blue.  That can often be the case at this time of year. We haven't visited since 2020. I jumped online and got two for Jay and me. That is what the first image shows. 

Secondly, we had made an appointment to visit our banker at the uptown branch of RBC this morning at 11:00. Franky was away for a while and we always have some banking decisions to make during summers when we're in town. The second shot is from the mall uptown looking across 6th Avenue at the bank building. 

Lastly, when we walked back inside the mall to return to the roof parking, we walked through the Walmart. We needed to pick up bananas but the store had ones that were over-ripe. We have a specific Langley Farm Market location where we buy most produce, so we drove to 12th Street and got a whole lot more than bananas. One cannot pass up cherries at this time of year! In fact, one reason I love this season is due to the availability of fresh BC fruit. Therefore, the last photo is just locally-grown peaches from the Okanagan.

 

A Flat Bottom

My doctor's office called and cancelled my 12:20 pm appointment today. They said he was sick. Now, who wants to hear that about their doctor? They could've simply said he was unable to see me because of an emergency. 

Anyway, when uptown picking up a few things, Jay wanted to go upstairs in the Walmart to check what they had for small frying pans. His sister in Sri Lanka is looking for a smallish one. The market there doesn't have very good quality pans at reasonable prices. We're heading to the island nation at the start of the upcoming winter, and it's never too soon to start collecting gift items to bring along with us.

   

Jay actually decided to pick up a 12" one to use here. It was something like 30% percent off and less than CA$ 20. He had recently noticed that the ceramic surface on his most regularly used frying pan was wearing down a little. I looked in this journal to see if I mentioned when we bought the old one. Sure enough, it was purchased back in 2016. We had no idea it was already nine years old!  Seemed like we recently got it.

We have one of the ROCK coated skillets and have found the surface to be very good.

   

 The new pan has already been broken in.

Brushing Up on Dental Care

Earlier in the week, I couldn't find the toothbrush replacement heads for our Spinbrush brand at Walmart. It didn't look as though they are carrying that brand of electric, disposable toothbrushes any more. So, I bought an Oral-B one that uses just one regular AA battery. 

I find most of this brand's brushes are way overpriced, but they seem to competing with cheaper options now.  Mine sold for around 8 bucks. When shopping today, Jay got one too. I like that they spin faster than our previous brushes. The noise is a bit scary though, sort of a cross between a drone and a dentist drill.

This evening, Jay had a friend over from his gym.  Today, she was working in New Westminster and stopped by after she finished with IELTS interviews.  She had more candidates than usual, and arrived here around 8:00 pm.  We'd eaten earlier but Jay put out some food as she'd not had dinner.  It was pleasant chatting.  

I don't go to the Bonsor Recreation Centre with Jay.  So the last time I met her was last autumn when I arranged to go meet with them for lunch.

Three Pictures from Today

I'm just adding three pictures to represent things I did today.  

First, above, shows the waiting area of my car dealership in Coquitlam.  I received a recall notice for an update to my battery management software.  My appointment was at 8:30 am so I didn't have to wait.  The technician took around 35 minutes to complete the procedure.  As our Canadian Superstore is very close to the Lougheed Hyundai, I popped in to exchange a SodaStream cylinder and I got three bottles of wine.  I have decided to start a little collection of red wines and keep at least dozen or so in the apartment.

The next photo was taken along Carnarvon Street in the rain.  I walked to the Thrift Store on the other side of downtown.  I did buy a pair of trousers.  They are size 36.  Last summer I had to squeeze into 38s and now I squeeze into pants that are two sizes smaller.

Later in the afternoon, I tried running an object in my 3D printer.  It didn't work well, so I took it apart and put in one of the new spare extruder nozzles I had.  I hardly printed at all last summer and fall.  However seeing how smoothly it prints now has reignited my interest.  I suppose that means I have to get hold of some additional filament.  My Flashforge Adventurer 3 uses 0.5kg spools that are rare and pricier than common, generic 1kg type.

We're watching Disney+ at the moment.  Years ago, I joined when it first began but only subscribed for a short time.  I had to request to change my password but the site remembered my email.  I just thought we could check it out for a month or so and watch whatever we can binge.  I heard the Hulu series called, Mid-Century Modern should premier next week.

Another Day Without Sun

We're still getting up earlier than needed because we're adjusting to jet lag and the difference in our home time zone. It's black outside when we get up but it really hasn't gotten very bright for a few days.  The high temperature is around 8°C.  I guess this gives us a chance to experience a little local winter even though we spent most of the last four months in the southern hemisphere.

 

Jay and I dropped off my passport application and photos at the passport office in Surrey.  That allowed us to stop at the T&T Supermarket in the same mall.  It's a big chain store that carries mostly Asian products.  We picked up some things such as a bit of kimchi, pandan and curry leaves, and dried fish.  Because we turned off the refrigerator during our recent four months away, we are having to catch up on a great deal of food from scratch.

Not the Credit Card

We just got back home. There are a lot of things to do after being away for most of the winter. I will say that many of the tasks needed for our summer and fall have already been completed. However, I found a new project to start today.

   

I have just one empty page left in my 10-year passport. I blame those countries that issue visas stickers that take up a whole page!  Also, countries which require visa extensions tend to take a lot of my passport's real estate.  Although I've 19 months left on my present document, it's become time to renew. This afternoon, I filled in the application form as an editable PDF and printed it. I have to get photos taken soon, so I can drop them off with my application in Surrey this week or next.

Not in the Zone

Today, we're sitting in the Pacific time zone. However, our bodies still need convincing that we're home. For the last four months we were living between 9 and 11 hours ahead of the clocks in Vancouver. Getting back in the groove is going to take a little bit of extra time. I swear doing these simple time-gymnastics seem to take a a lot longer as one matures (gets old). 

We were up at 4:30 am today. Damn if we didn't get a whole lot done, though! A long list of things to accomplish when back is being smashed:

Contents of all the luggage has been removed.

Several loads of washing has been dried and put away.

Internet devices and the home network have come back to life.

Mailbox was emptied and important government paperwork completed.

Car insurance was renewed at Westland Insurance for eight months.

Veggies bought at LFM and some groceries at the uptown Walmart.

Cooked food sits in the refrigerator with a stock of other fresh food.

Several medicine prescriptions have been renewed.

The apartment has been cleaned and set up for next stay of eight months.

 

Hell, I even updated my car's infotainment system using our PC and an SD card.  And while I was waiting for the process to complete, I cleaned out my glove box and center storage.  I decided to throw away several masks in there from COVID days.

Wrapping Things Up

We have the whole, entire week to pack our luggage. Still, today being a Sunday seemed like the beginning of the end. We easily cleaned up after last night's dinner, even while the guests were still here. Today, we did continue to slowly tick off errands and obligations we have to complete before we leave for the winter. 

There were a lot of little things; for example, I ordered some USB memory sticks from Amazon. Jay finished cleaning out the onions from the balcony plant pots. He also turned off the newspapers until our return. (Yes, we still have a printed paper delivered to the apartment!)  

It simply feels as though we are churning through the steps necessary before we depart.  The Internet stop and start have already been set.  I pre-paid many of the reoccurring bills.  Some like the electricity dwindle a lot when everything in the apartment is shut off.  It seems our fridge only has to run 7 or 8/12s of a year.  We did organize some packing but didn't actually pick items or put them in a suitcase.

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We even got our Christmas gift cards from Walmart for our apartment building's staff members. I was thinking how either one or both of us end up in that store at least four times a week. It's most always convenient, although probably a little less so on the weekends because of the crowds.  Yet, occasionally, I do enjoy feeling like part of a mob.

We're pros at wrapping things up for the season.  We've been doing this for more than decade.

There's Not Much to Service on an EV

This is getting towards the end of our summer and fall here. So, for the last few weeks, we've had a lot of appointments. Lots were checkups for ourselves.  

This morning, I had a final appointment on my calendar. We took the car in for servicing at Lougheed Hyundai. There's not a hell of a lot that needs to be done on an EV. It was time to rotate the tires and change the cabin filter.

   

Although we booked a 9:30 appointment, we knew it didn't make a lot of sense to return home just to have to go back. So, we walked around the area, stopping in an enormous T&T Supermarket and checking out a Mark's Warehouse. We walked into a McDonalds to take advantage of $1 coffees and sat around inside for a while. As the fast-food restaurant is near Highway 1, we saw a bus load of school kids on a trip and home contractor guys between jobs.

   

The weather seemed downright chilly at around 10°C (around 50°F). It was windy and dark with patchy sun.  My car wasn't finished until noon so we even waited a bit in the showroom.  

My Kona EV is now five years old although it has practically no mileage. The COVID-19 summers prevented much in the way of travel.  We have only been over to the Okanagan a few times.  So, most of the kilometers were spent just going to get groceries and on appointments around town.  

There was a new Kona EV in the showroom and I found them really attractive.  I had the first model year of the EV when designers were afraid to make an EV look 'different' than an ordinary car.  In place of a front grill, mine has a closed ribbed area where the grill would've been.  Finally, the lineup flaunts the fact wind is unnecessary when there's no radiator.  All the designs look sleek.

 

We bought a few things uptown on the way home.