I got in the car yesterday to go do my grocery shopping at the big fancy Loblaws nearby. The problem with this is that things cost more at the big fancy store, and let's not even mention that I'm taking the car to do it. It's very close, but just far away enough to make the prospect of carrying things home propel me to shop at the smaller, dingier market even closer. But now there's a car. Dammit, I really don't want to add to my carbon footprint, but the big market has a butcher. And a bakery. And a sushi bar. It's the butcher counter that really sells me. I get to pick out my slaughtered animal and then the nice man wraps it up tenderly, like a present.
I spent almost double what I figured I would.
Oh my God, I just remembered I can go to Costco. I could've gone to Costco! Still, I've been known to drop many hundreds of dollars at a time in that place. It's probably best that I stay away for now. Things are really tight until I go back to work at the end of the month.
Oh god. I just reread what's written so far. How could anyone care about this? I need some inspiration. Or an activity (must be free). A class. Some kind of new skill to learn. What I should probably do is quit smoking next week and get over the worst of it before I go back to work.
Universe? Can I get some fodder, please?
32 comments:
Hello Tornwordo,
I am up early too :)
-Universe
Here is an idea. Get a calculator and figure up how much money you spend on cigarettes. That money could be put to better use than killing yourself. 'Nuff said.
Oh Serge!
Yes, I agree with ed.
My partner smokes, and when we recently figured up how much he spends on cigarettes per month we were flabbergasted. If he were to simply cut his intake in half, we'd save about $150 a month! That amount would buy a nice amount of groceries.
Be careful when you ask for fodder, the universe may give you doo doo
Oh yes, be careful of what you ask for. God has a wonderful sense of humor.
Sorry, but you DID ask..ditto on the "quit smoking and spend all that money on good stuff at Costco" suggestion.
I really like your blog and read it all the time..
Don't think twice about this, but did you know that the largest part of your carbon footprint most likely comes from eating meat?
I love your blog!
People do care about what you write. You're a gifted writer and can make everyday living interesting.
Costco used to have the best fish and it was so cheap. Maybe it still does, check it out next time.
I love those President's Choice chocolate chip cookies, used to eat them in university all the time... then I read the nutritional information. OMG.
Try a martial art. It can be very fulfiling.
I second what Paul just wrote above. You've got a good number of people who drop by your blog daily just to "see what's on Torn's mind today," and that includes the ordinary day-to-day stuff. In the short time I've been reading your blog, I know I leave disappointed only if you haven't written anything new on a given day.
Personally, I frequently think "who the hell cares about this" when I write in my blog, but then I remind myself that, by far, the reason I started blogging is that I love to write and the act of writing allows me to think through the sundry thoughts on my mind. Somewhere in your blog you wrote that your motivation is similar; consequently, after each entry, you're accomplishing one of the things you set out to do, namely exercising your writing muscle. Similarly, I frequently find myself wondering "who cares" about what I write. But whether I'm writing about insignificant stuff -- like how buying clothes recently reminded me of the days not too long ago when I was too poor to do that -- or more significant stuff -- like how one rural Nova Scotia mayor's recent decision not to fly the rainbow flag in front of town hall made me think about how gays in Canada may have chosen to sit on their laurels prematurely after the significant legislative gains of recent years -- I realize it's all about coalescing idea fragments and others can choose to read that ...or not.
As for quitting smoking, I feel your pain; I decided to wait after my trip to Quebec this week. Remember from past experience that you must be very deliberate when choosing your "Q Day" so you can work yourself up to it. And as enticing as saving hundreds of dollars is, that shouldn't be your main motivation. At least that has always been the weakest motivator for me, even when I was dirt poor.
cars provide so much freedom. including the freedom to go to more stores and buy more stuff. i can't believe you forgot you could go to costco. roxanne will be terribly disappointed in you.
if i were you, i'd devise a budget. they're horrible at first but after a while they can start to feel really good. you see exactly where your money goes (chart every penny you spend for at least one month) and you can then begin to see where you can splurge, where you have to cut a little, etc. until you find a balance that works.
either that or just hang out at the botanical gardens every day til you have to go back to work.
Lets face it - we call Costco the $100 store - you just can't get out of there for less than that.
Neurotic: aisle 6.
It is so sad but true that the meat is a HUGE carbon footprint. I don't like that because I like meat most of the time and wish to care better for my earth. Blah! Working your way up to the Q day is one of the most important parts of quitting. Your inner language prior to it is key. Cut down for a while to save $$ and then plan for late fall/Xmas? You are NEVER boring, but an integral part of my morning!!
Now that I am driving again, I am also feeling guilty about my carbon footprint. I have already used a half tank of gas and I have only been here a week!
Once the thrill of the car wears off, you will make fewer trips to Costco and Loblaws, I imagine.
Don't get me started on food shopping. I just finished a book all about the evils of the national agri-businesses and how buying food that is not locally produced is worse than driving an SUV. If you're going to drive, find a local greenmarket and support your area farmers!
I won't get on you about smoking. You know the score.
I don't have to care about it to enjoy it, TW.
Most of my relationships are like that.
Oh, interesting stuff below about gay pride. Great fun, it seems. I wish we straights had something like that.
Universe? Can I get some fodder, please?
Good Lord - be CAREFUL what you wish for.
Slaughtered animal? As if I need yet another reason to be a (nearly) vegetarian. I must stay away from Costco......way too dangerous, and expensive.
Ballroom dancing.
There's something to blog about.
(but the men's shoes aren't as cute as mine.)
it's 2007, and you're still smoking?
That went out of style with the 1980's and Berlin Wall
Fodder ...
Read "Middlemarch" with me.
go to costco on a really good free sample day and just see exactly how much food you can eat. Take breaks in the furniture section. maybe watch a movie in the TV section.
A whole day of free fun!
P.S. Don't bring your credit card with you.
Oh my, the world of a driver is filled with so much temptation! The more we lean on technology, the more we're ensnared by consumerism.
as i emerge in this coming out process i am finding my shopping has almost doubled......i love costco........love the grocery store but spend so much more when i go......buy stuff that she would never buy.........oh this wonderful world i am in is so wonderful.....and torn, don't ever think we don't care about what you write....i look forward to your words each mornng...:)
good for you on the quitting smoking... check out quitnet.com... it keeps a running tally for you listing how much you've not spent, cigarettes not smoked and time added to your life... i get a reminder every 19th of the month from them... on oct. 19th, it'll be 3 years and a savings of almost $10K... it would be much more if i lived in canada... you'll pass my savings in no time... lol... good luck and also check out 7 steps to a smoke free life from the Am. cancer society... that helped me too...
Clearly, bardelf's partner is not smoking cheap Indian cigarettes, because the black market cost has given us smokers a new reason to kill ourselves slowly.
Like you, I sometimes write stuff and later wonder why anyone would possibly read it, much less care about it. Somehow, ordinary things in life seem more interesting when told by others. You're a good writer and people like to read what you have to say, as is evidenced by the number of regular commenters.
I think your idea of quitting smoking is a good one! The money you'll save will be a bonus in addition to your improved health.
Cheers,
Mark
Dude, you really need to get a life and fast. You fucking agonize over going to the supermarket? And you have to talk yourself into living like a human being by going to the decent store? You sound like a freaking pauper.
Quitting smoking is an excellent idea!
And this post brought back memories of when I used to shop at the Loblaws on the boulevard des Forges in Trois-Rivières. The Costco in T-R-Ouest, too, but that wasn't as much fun, since I'm not a big Costco fan.
You're driving a minivan, not a Ford Excursion. You can be excused for the occasional drive to the nice Loblaws.
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