2007-12-31 - 6:01 p.m.

....surviving the last day of boxing week sales, and an actual conversation had with a panhandler in Robson Square.....

I'm home. I'm home. I'm blissfully home. My wrists are splinted; my back aches; my ankles remain elephantine; I'm tired; I have to pee; I'm still sniffling. But I'm home, away from crazy shopping people.

K and I had to go out, though - I was down to the last notch on the fake birkenstocks, and I have two more weeks during which I will undoubtedly need to wear shoes. So we drove downtown to the mall. I found a pair of slipper clogs on sale for $15 at Sears. They are not exactly my style, but I'm not complaining - they were $15 - they are not hideous - they are two sizes larger than my normal feet - and they fit. And they will last me two more weeks. I hope.

We were doing quite well until K's blood sugar dropped to zero. He is not very malleable at that point, and we've already established that I'm not winning any Miss Congeniality awards lately (although I thought that I was doing pretty well.) When we stepped into the Burger King that smelled of old pee and vomit, we agreed that we could wait until we were home.

As we walked back towards the parking garage, K spotted a bank one block away - he needed to deposit a check from our landlady. (A check made out to *him*, from *the landlady*, even though *I* pay the rent, and write the checks out to *the landlord* - a point of amusement...). I told K that I would sit and wait on the corner while he ran ahead to do this. (Not walking anymore. Sitting. I am very good at sitting.) He left all his stuff with me, and then went off to the bank machine. And came back 10-15 minutes later still holding the check. Because he didn't have a PEN with him to endorse it. (Luckily he was too tired to launch into his normal tirade about the antiquated North American practice of writing and cashing checks...although I would have forgiven him for it.)

So we went home.

But while I was waiting for him on the street corner, here is an actual conversation I had with a long-haired panhandler.

Panhandler: Excuse me. Are you waiting for the bus?
Teranika: No.
P: Oh. You are sitting near a bus stop.
T: Yes.
P: Are you going to take a bus?
T: No.
P: Do you ever take public transit?
T: Yes.
P: Then do you know that the buses are all free this evening?
T: No, I didn't know that.
P: Oh.
...
P: Could you spare me some change for a bus then?
T: But you just said the buses are free.
P: Yeah, it's really spoiling my business. Merry Christmas.
T: Happy New Year.

...walks away....

Gotta go - K is here with food...