Beer at the Sun Fa

            On Saturday I had planned on going to the supermarket directly after the food bank, but I hadn’t been counting on the food bank being a single trip this time and so I hadn’t had a chance to go home for my money. It was better this way though because I could free up my bags before riding to Freshco.

            The main things I need the supermarket for in addition to the food bank are meat and fruit. Grapes at Freshco were extremely cheap and so I got three bags. I found out later though that they were a little sour and I could smell pesticide on my hands after eating them. I picked up another crate of clementines, a bag of oranges, some yogourt, some ground chicken and a pack of four chicken legs. The problem was though that while I was shopping I realized that I’d forgotten to get my money. I took my basket to the express checkout and asked if they’d hold onto it will I went home and back. They said, “No problem” and it only took me about twelve minutes to return. The cashier had the basket behind the counter and so when I came back she lifted it up beside her and checked out each item as she took it from the basket. I felt a little guilty to inconvenience her but she assured me that, “It happens”, which somehow didn’t make me feel any better.

            I had just gotten off my bike in front of my building when an elderly woman pulling a two wheeled shopping cart approached me and in a Polish accent said, “Excuse me, can you tell me where is Brock?” Before I could answer she explained, “I am going to Beer Store”. I could see that she had maybe three dollars worth of empties in her cart. I pointed to the traffic lights and told her to turn left at them. I estimated how long it would take someone her age to get there and told her that it would take about ten minutes. Her eyes were watery from walking on a frigid. She informed me, “I live at St. Joseph hospital. Is a little cold for walking, but walking is best doctor!” Then she walked away. I think the only way one can live at St Joseph’s is as a mental patient.

            Not long after getting home I took a siesta and slept about an hour. I had only been awake for about a minute when Nick Cushing called to say he would be at my place in ten minutes. I tried to go to sleep again but right away somebody called asking for “Stop For Yoga”, which was a business I had briefly about eighteen years ago. The person wanted to know if I was interested in hosting s “karma class”. I told him that I wasn’t interested though I had no idea what a “karma class” would be. Karma Yoga in my experience is essentially the same as volunteering and after a search I see that karma classes are paid for by donation rather than a set fee.

I got up and had time to do some quick tidying before Nick arrived with two cans of Macklay’s Pale Ale. He gave me a couple of bike flashers as well as a lock chain as a belated Christmas present. We chatted a lot about our respective families and crazy people we know. Then after an hour or so Nick invited me out for pizza. First though he needed to get some money from the machine at King and Dufferin. As we walked east on Queen I suddenly had the urge to walk down Elm Grove. About halfway to King I noticed a few items that had been thrown out and so I stopped to have a look. The only thing that interested me was a hardcover book called “The Last Days of New Paris” by China Miéville. I had read his book “Embassytown” for my Science Fiction class and found it inventive, so I took this one.

            After the bank we walked west along King because Nick wanted to stop at Nick’s Bar, but it was closed. We walked up Dunn and then west to Landowne where Nick bought me a slice at 2 4 1 Pizza. Then we walked west to look for a place to get a beer. Tennessee was closed too after all these years. Nick seems to think that to get the full ambience of Parkdale one has to go to the most grody places around. I don't agree that the character of Parkdale is necessarily rooted in the cultures that surround addiction and poverty, though of course they are part of it. Nick decided on the Sun Fa, which is one of the few very run down looking bars left in Parkdale with a run down looking clientele. The place wasn't crowded but it was loud. There were a couple of televisions playing one or two hockey games and most of the customers were watching one or the other, including a woman that I recognized who volunteers at the Parkdale Activity and Recreational Centre next door. She was watching the hockey game on the smaller screen and discussing it knowledgeably with an elderly bald guy with a very long beard at another table. Nick and I shared a small pitcher and he had me take a picture of him at the Sun Fa.

            Nick walked back with me to use the washroom. I had to go really bad as well, but I let him go first while I danced in the kitchen. He said that at our age our bladders are shrinking. I looked that up later. While we do tend to pee more when we get older it’s not because of the bladder shrinking, which it doesn’t, but rather the muscle that controls the bladder becomes overactive.