Blue Sky, Brown Shirt

A whole skyfull of great blue colour has arrived!  Mark the calendar.  It's still cool but so worth it to walk in bright sunshine.  I walked to the other end of the New West downtown.  Things are so different than when we first walked these streets.

However, one building that has been open in its present location for decades is the Thrift Shop.  It was once part of an old structure that was incorporated into the New Westminster SkyTrain Station after we moved nearby in 1996.   For decades now the Thrift Shop has been in the historic BC Electric Railway building built in 1910-11.

It is a favourite place of mine.  I like going in often seeing what is currently in the racks and on the shelves.  I didn't get a robo-dog but bought an unused shirt with a Malaysian design.  The label reads, Singapore Exclusive Collection.  I paid about US $5 for it.

Raining Outside, Wet Inside

 

It was rainy when we got up. That's good. When the ground gets too parched, we now witness an increased forest fire hazard. A damp day in the middle of a great streak of weather is surely okay.  I spied a few moments this morning when it looked like it was clearing.  

I took the SkyTrain one stop to the west and went to see if the local thrift shop had any suitable 36" shorts.  I am a big fan of reuse.  It seems more logical and kinder to the environment to make use of good-quality, pre-owned items like clothing.  I donated all last summer's size 38" shorts to them.  When I lose or gain weight, I treat the thrift store as an exchange.  

As I entered, a sign read, "30% all swim wear."  I picked up a couple of pair that looked like new.  I didn't get them for us.  We have a hot tub and swimming pool in our building.  It's good to have a few extra pair if guests visit and want to go for a swim or spend time in the sauna.  

 

It hadn't turned very pleasant while I was in the store, so I went back home.  It wasn't pouring but it was still dark.  It seemed like a good time to visit our hot tub area.  I didn't make use of either of the extra swim suits that we now own.  

The water felt great.  I like looking outside at rain when I'm sitting in comfortably hot water.

Easter Monday

Although Easter Monday is a statutory holiday in Canada, I find that I have every single day of the week free.  Mostly government offices and schools were not open, I think.  I did walk down Columbia Street this morning for a bit of exercise.  It still feels pretty damned cold.  The chilly wind was blowing up the river.  I have heard that things may warm up later in the week and it might get up to 20°C or 68°F.  

I ducked into the Thrift Store and looked around.  I nearly found nothing of interest.  Then, I noticed a baseball type cap.  Jay likes the ones without the adjustable strap on the back.  He's bald and they usually chafe and leave a mark.  The hat didn't look as though it had ever been worn, so I picked it up for CA$2.99.  Oh, actually it was CA$2.69 because the clerk automatically added my senior discount.  I'm not really sure how I feel about that.  I used to be asked but now sales people just assume!  LOL

Later in the afternoon, the Amazon guy bought a small case for my new DJI NEO drone.  It was a few days late but at least it got here.

I put the two photos above to represent the day, but I realize I didn't continue talking about the cap.  The size was marked as S/M so I thought it'd fit Jay.  However, it was too large and ended up fitting me.  I didn't have a mannequin nearby.  I had to put it somewhere to take a photo of it too.  I don't do selfies but I needed a place and my head was handy.  The company is a Swiss watch company that still makes mechanical watches only, I discovered.

33 - 15 = 18

An opportunity presented itself. Before packing, I found the chance to go through my short-sleeved shirt collection in order to weed them out. A full 98% of the shirts I own have short sleeves and the majority are colorful. For a decade we've been spending summers in BC but leaving for warm locations during the coldest months. This situation calls for an extensive collection of lightweight clothes. 

However, I counted 33 short-sleeved shirts in the closet. That was clearly overkill as some were too large for me now. Also, some had been in far too many photographs! In addition, if the material is not quite right for hot weather, sweat can show. So, I felt confident in trying to get rid of half of what was staring back at me from the coat hangers.

   

I managed to find 15 that had to move on. All of them were of good enough quality for donation. While going through them, I was also able to sort into the ones I want to stay here unused this winter and those from which to choose to take along. I already got rid of some pants and shorts which were larger than what I require now. So now, I'll be much more prepared to start packing later in the week.

Four Shirts and Half Gig Internet

When Jay went to the gym, I went to the thrift store and found four short-sleeved shirts I liked. I need them for Sri Lanka and our winter travels. I hate it when we take a lot of pictures and I wore the same shirts years in the past! I found only one authentic Hawaiian shirt but none of these need to be tucked in. That's an important feature for comfort in the tropics. One was a bit too small, but as it turned out Jay likes it and will work for him.

   

Later, I rushed to use the hot tub before the Internet tech arrived. 'Jimmy' texted me and asked if he could stop in earlier than his scheduled 1:30 to 3:30 pm window. Sure, why not! I'm typing today's entry via Novus Internet. 

I had my own attractive, white modem but the company requires use of theirs.  It's free but it's not very pretty.  I can hide it better than it currently is.  

I was able to keep my two-point mesh routers.  So, there was nothing to change when the Internet started flowing. My WiFi network is called, FORBIDDEN PLANET and it hosts all my wifi connected devices. I was able to tell Google to turn on the hallway lights when Jimmy was still packing up his tools. I was without Internet for about eight minutes.

Late Spring Cleaning

We've been getting rid of one thing or another since we got back. Clearly, it's good that we own a one-bedroom apartment as it cuts back on the sheer amount of clutter we would collect. Yesterday's old lamp will be heading to the thrift store. So, last night we rather reluctantly began to attack the shoe and boots in the front closet. We've not been around for a Canadian winter for years, so I am not sure why it felt odd getting rid of snow boots.

   

Today, I started throwing dress shirts on my bed. I used to have a fairly substantial collection of good quality shirts when I was teaching. I am sure I already weeded the lot. Still, I wondered how many of them I'd actually worn since taking early retirement in the fall of 2014!  Today, I 'went to town' again and found many that'll join the ugly, old lamp and pile of boots. We can drop these off at the thrift shop tomorrow.

Rolling Back Towards Normal

Things seem to be slowly going back to normal.  Over the last 24 hours, British Columbia had only one new confirmed case of COVID-19 and one death in a population of over five million. The streets appeared busier today with more shops opening along Columbia.

In all honesty, the fact the Thrift Shop opened today made me happier than most other businesses.  It is big.  As the heritage building is at the other end of downtown, it makes a perfect little walk. I stop there frequently just to see what's new.

Balcony Clothes Drying

It's already June.

By now, my shorts-wearing days are generally here. Today, in fact, I had to go with regular jeans. It started out a little cool this morning. Yet, I try to wear shorts as many days of the summer as I can. This year, I encountered a bit of a problem in this regard.

All of last summer's shorts had a size 38" waist. This was a problem as I needed a belt to keep 'em up. I have not lost much weight but clearly, it'd be more comfortable wearing ones that were two inches smaller around.

There was an easy solution. As is sometimes the case, I wrapped up the six pairs from my closet and dropped them off at the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Columbia. After doing our fruit and vegetable shopping up at Langley Farm Market, I returned to the thrift shop on foot and bought five replacements.

I love using the thrift shop and admit to buying most pants and shirts there. It just feels greener to recycle clothing. Finding something interesting is never a problem there either.

Re-Installation

You'll never hear me complaining about the heat. It barely got to 25C today, anyway.

I didn't amount to much and that's exactly how I like it. I dropped off a clothes donation by walking to the thrift shop. I strolled back through Pier Park. It felt good not having to wear a jacket when outside.



Jay went back for the second week of his cardiac rehab exercise classes in the afternoon. More importantly as proof that life is getting back to normal, he stopped to put on several pieces of hardware. All metal objects had to be removed prior to his surgery. These rings never come out under ordinary circumstances. As they're tricky to put on without specialized equipment, Jay stopped at a shop in the Metrotown Mall.

History in a Mug

When drinking tea, I am back to using a mug with a bit of personal history. I recently found it in a box in the closet.


I think old objects are interesting. Sometimes at the Thrift shop, when I see an item, I wonder about its history. The potential age of people can have great variation, but still, there seem quite defined limits. On the other hand, stuff may age well or poorly depending on material, treatment, conditions, and trends.

Last winter at this time, we would have to pass by the Colossi of Memnon when going to the weekly, farmers market in Luxor. Thirty four hundred years seems quite a chunk of time.

So my mug, shown above, comes in as a bit of a lightweight. It was given to me as a gift by Jay's brother when he worked for the Ceylon Ceramics Corporation. This would have been during one of my first visits to Sri Lanka. So according to that knowledge, I can surmise the green vessel is more than 30 years old.

No Traffic Sundays

This really is turning into a boring daily journal, isn't it? That is all right. I'm not sure how many days of one's life can be filled with suspense and drama. Yet, I'm coming to find that many joys in life are found in its everyday-ness.

We had a Bulk Barn coupon for $3, so we drove over to Queensborough. It seems a breeze getting over the bridge to that part of town on a weekend. I'm mentioned that store many time before but I always enjoy going inside very much.


A Walmart is next door. As I noticed Jay trying to clean the crumbs out of our really old toaster, I figured it might be past time to replace it. I may have picked the former one up at a thrift store more than 15 years ago. It works fine but is a little worn looking. Now, Chinese crap is practically give-away. The way the world is set up now, it is easier to get the cheapest appliances and simply throw them away a few years later. It saves time cleaning. What a disgusting realization!

Take Two

I don't mind having to get a new passport before my old one expires. I've run out of pages in my current one, you see. However, this will be the very first time that I will be able to ask for a ten-year one. Previous passports used to be valid for a mere five. As well, the system has been streamlined and a renewal requires a bit less work. It does require a substantial fee and, of course, special photographs. I had planned on renewing it later next month.

Earlier today I picked up some things uptown. When I was in London Drugs, I noticed the in-store advertisement for photos and thought, "Why not, right now?"

The new passport-photo system is really fast and within seconds after taking the shot, the clerk showed me the results. I had forgotten I was wearing a U of WA Huskies t-shirt. I picked it up in a local thrift store because it reminded me one I had in the 1980's when attending classes there.

The clear, bold W-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-O-N printed along the top of the shirt was very obvious in the photos. I felt it would be more than strange to have that inside my passport! (I'll show you by including a selfie.)

The employee was able to retake the photo immediately for free. They had a black shirt hanging nearby just for this purpose. It seems that biometric photos may not contain white clothing, but often shoppers come in that way. I wonder how many passports have people wearing the same shirt.

Clothing for the Big Kahuna

We had a former veteran TV weatherman who would give his Hawaiian-shirt Index during summer months along with the more traditional meteorological scales. He was pleasant and professional. I've not seen him for quite some time so he must have retired. I miss knowing if it is going to be a 2.5 or 3 shirt day. (I don't think we made it to even 1 today!)

I used to collect Hawaiian shirts. Then several years ago, when we spent the winter in Puerto Vallarta and I sort of burned out on them. I tossed worn ones out and only had a few left. I'd like to proclaim publicly that I'm about to re-start my collection.


Today, I found several at the local thrift shop. Perhaps my purchase will help with the advent of summer here in the Lower Mainland of BC. We really haven't had much summer yet. Also, I can take these along to Southeast Asia for our upcoming winter months.

I Think My Dad Wore One of Them

If a cruise has two formal evenings then, by God, I'm packing a suit.

— DennisSylvesterHurd (@DennisSHurd) April 24, 2016

I was checking my closet. I found a couple of sports coats which may be useful someday. I used to have more as it was once my habit to wear one when I taught classes at BCIT. More recently, I wore sweaters but donated a whole load to the thrift store when I retired. If I'm always getting rid of clothes, how come my closet's always full of stuff I never wear?


Inside one of the vest pockets of a suit, I found these SkyTrain tickets issued by the Greater Vancouver Transit Authority. When was the last time I wore THAT suit? TransLink, the current name, came into effect on April 1, 1999!

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Going into a retail clothing store offers little in the way of surprises. That can't be said about our local thrift shop; going inside is much more of an adventure. One's never quite sure of what might be waiting to come home.


It's always a good idea to have attire for any occasion in the closet. Now, if Jay ever gets an invitation to participate in an East Indian wedding, he'll be ready. And it was practically a steal.

A Little Late for Spring Cleaning

I hadn't planned on doing so, but I cleaned out my clothes closet. Why in hell did I need 18 long-sleeved dress shirts? I don't work anymore. Even when I was teaching full-time I really didn't require much of what was in there. There were also all those sweaters too. We plan to live in perpetual summer for at least the next decade, so a lot of that had to go.

I always seem to reach for the same, few old favourites. So, I even made a conscious effort to get rid of some of those items too. I have three bagfuls. Oh, that's not counting what ended up in the rag bag. I am going to have to take the truck to drop stuff at the thrift store.

This act of clearance is already making me feel lighter and freer.

Things Which I Didn't Buy

As a kid, I loved yard sales and flea markets. Weren't flea markets a thing in the 1970's? Like a crow attracted to shiny objects, one never knew what unique treasures one would find among the odds and ends.

Thankfully, we have spent half our lives moving around, so it was best to keep junk to a minimum. Later, after buying an apartment, we never had the space to collect too much junk. I did try photographing some of our world souvenirs once, but gave up before the process was complete.

To this day, I have a strong urge to collect stupid things. So, rather than actually do so, I'm going to photograph all the things which I, thankfully, didn't buy.



Which did I need less, a corn-on-the-cob serving dish or a piggy bank with lashes and a pink ribbon? Fortunately, the thrift shop still has both.

Who ... Who?

We're only here for one week more, so we're not going to be around for the opening of the walkway overpass to Pier Park. I guess when getting back at the end of April, we will be able to get to the Fraser River much more easily.

I walked down to Sixth Street across the parkade. I am not sure when the demolition of the west end of that concrete monstrosity will take place. It'd be nice if that were also gone when we get back in the spring. The sun wasn't visible today at all. I walked through the Thrift Shop and back home via Columbia Street. There are such great donated items in there. For example, my Ugly Knick-Knack award today goes to the following ornament.

Who ... would want this in his or her house?

You Didn't Get a Cookie Jar from Me

Today was the last day of chillin' for a while. I start with a new group of students for a summer course tomorrow morning. It's going to be a change having to be up at 6:15 am.

I walked around downtown in the sunshine before lunch. I saw nothing too exciting to report. The new downtown Civic Centre is getting closer to completion. Oh, and the photo on the left was something I saw in the Salvation Army Thrift Store near Hyack Square. The colourful animals make up a single-piece cookie jar. It was priced at $5.99 and so ugly I almost bought it. What a great gift for someone you hate, I thought. Then, I remembered that I hate no one.

Poured and Capped

Rain was pouring down for most of the day. I donated a box of clothes to the Salvation Army Thrift Store, had an afternoon nap, and bottled a batch of oatmeal stout.



I couldn't have completed the bottling task without the able help of Julie at 812 Twentieth Street, New Westminster BC.