Breaking Locks

Recently, I missed my bus to work and had to call an Uber, which isn't such an unusual occurrence. The app said my drive was "2 minutes away", but near immediately, I got a call from the driver asking for my unit number.

Usually, they just stop at guest parking and I walk out to meet them there, so that's what I told him. He said, "No, I live in the same complex as you."

Then he walked out of his apartment and waved at me. We were neighbours and I was his first call of the day.

I see him pretty regularly nowadays. I was tempted to try and create an arrangement where, if I needed to get to work when he starts his shift, he could be my private driver. But that's still a bit too posh for my current income.

At work, one of our members accidentally locked his keys into his locker, so it fell on me to break his lock to retrieve them. I've never done such a thing, always feeling that a padlock was suitable defense against the average layman, and was surprised to be presented with such a primitive device as a set of clippers to do the deed. I set those clippers against the thick metal cables of the lock, pulled, and was disturbed by how easily they carved through them.

I will never feel safe with a combination lock, padlock, or deadbolt again.

You know how I'm obsessed with shea butter, as it is a major export from Mali? Well, we had a guy with a store in Guelph called The Shea Butter Man, which was stationed in Old Quebec Street Mall. Recently he relocated to St. Jacob's Market, and this has made it more difficult to access shea butter.

Fortunately for me, he does have an online presence: https://sheabutterman.ca/

So, I only wanted to buy a tin of shea butter, but noticed that shipping costs almost doubled the price. As I added onto my order, I realized that the shipping prices didn't increase, so I allowed myself to pay for more product while allowing the shipping costs to remain the same. Unfortunately, he only has three products and I'm not about to bother with Simpah Cream. The things I will do for you, Shea Butter Man.

The thing I added to my order was Black Soap. It's made from plantain skins, cocoa pods, palm oils, and kernels. It feels like I'm rubbing compost on my skin while I shower, and makes me feel oddly clean.

You might remember, but I used to work for an organization called Facile as an Independant Facilitator. After I left, it was rebranded as Bridges to Belonging. Recently, it has been revealed that the government is not planning to continue funding Independent Facilitation. This is a huge blow to developmental services.

However, there's a small part of me that is happy that I got out when I did, as so many of my previous coworkers are struggling to adapt to the funding cuts.  It's kind of like seeing an ex-girlfriend having issues while you knew that you are doing well for yourself.

And to finish things off, I'd like to thank my readers for giving me permission to like BBQ sauce while also hating ketchup. Huge weight off my shoulders.