Anniversary

July eighth was mine and Lee-Anne's first year anniversary, and we celebrated on the fourth. At the beginning of Phase 2, restaurant patios were reopened, so we decided to try that out. This was the first time I'd been to a sit-down restaurant since the beginning of the pandemic. It might still seem a little bold of us, but it was a special occasion, and we helped bolster our local economy, darn it!

We went to Moxie's. I don't know a ton about restaurants, especially ones in the category of "a little nicer than usual, but not fancy". Lee-Anne suggested it, saying it was a slightly classier version of another nearby restaurant that we'd been to. The only thing I'd heard about it beforehand was, way back during my time in Ways2Work, when I was 19 and a half, the guys said to never bring your girl to Moxie's, because the waitresses are too attractive.

But I figured the advice of my current girlfriend outweighed some commentary from my former teenaged peers from over ten years ago. This appears to have been wise, as I did not notice anything immodest in the waitstaff, although both of our servers were male, so I guess you'd have to ask my girlfriend if they were distractingly attractive.

Making a reservation was easier than we thought. Because only patios are open there is limited seating, and since we've been deprived of the luxury of sit-down dining, it seemed like people might be jumping at the opportunity to experience it again. But we managed to get a spot on the day and at the time we wanted.

We were assured that weather would not be an issue, as the patio was covered and heated. This made me laugh. Like, how much more can you build up a patio before it gets considered to be "inside".

For the purposes of seeming "pandemic safe" it did the trick. The open walls allowed for airflow, which is what makes viruses less easily spread outside. Despite how easy it was to get reservations, the place was fairly full. Each table was seated at least two metres apart, although I think restaurants usually already do this, so that people can speak privately with each other. All the waitstaff were wearing masks. It was a little awkward when they'd ask how our meal was going, and we weren't wearing masks (obviously, because we were eating) because the person wearing the mask is protecting you from their airflow, while they are not nearly as protected from you if you are not wearing one.

They asked us if this was a special occasion, and when we said it was our first anniversary, they gave us free champagne, which was real nice.

I ordered the beef dip sandwich, but I didn't know I was supposed to dip it. I also called the au jus "gravy" and dipped my fries in it. I was into the second half of my sandwich before I asked Lee-Anne if I was doing something wrong. She told me about the au jus, and how that was the "dip" in "beef dip". Honestly, I'd read it as "beef drip" and thought it meant that the beef was so tender, it "dripped" and that the au jus was gravy to dip your fries in.

Once I did it right, I regretted having eaten more than half the meal undipped. To be fair, the sandwich exceded expectations even without the au jus. I gave Lee-Anne a bite of it, and now we've both decided we need to go back at some point, so she can order the beef dip, and I can eat it now that I know what to do.

We had a sourdough with feta and roasted tomato for an appetizer, she got the pokebowl for an entree. I've never seen a pokebowl before. It's cool. Like deconstructed sushi.

The weekend after our patio experience (which is now this past weekend), I went over to Lee-Anne's family's house. They have an outdoor pool, which I got to experience. I got to pick raspberries from their garden, and it was the weekend of the NOAH Conference.

NOAH stands for the National Association of Albinism and Hypopigmentation. I've shown several pictures of me and Lee-Anne, but if you didn't put it together, she actually has albinism! And if you don't know what that means, it means that her body is void of pigment due to a lack of melanin, which makes her skin, hair and eyes lighter. Normally, NOAH hosts a bi-annual conference in which people with albinism gather. This year, of course, social gatherings of that size have been cancelled, so they shifted to an online alternative. But I did get to watch a couple presentations and meet some of her albino friends over video conference.

As of last Monday, Waterloo Region has been issued a mask rule. Everyone is obligated to wear a mask if they are going somewhere indoors that isn't their home. Honestly, the Greater Toronto Area, and Wellington-Dufferin (which includes Guelph) had already implemented this rule, so we were a little bit behind. They have also released a heat map for neighbourhoods impacted by COVID-19. I am sort of retroactively vindicated in my paranoia and resentment toward the behaviour of my local community, because the area I live in ranks highest for community spread. Another area ranks highest for total infected because it contains a long-term care facility that got hit hard, but so far as infection caught within the public, my neighbourhood holds the title. So when I complained about the people twisting the "Court Closed" sign backward and playing basketball, when people were letting their children grapple and drool all over each other in the parking lot, when people were playing soccer in the community backyard (hitting me with a soccer ball three times while I was gardening) they were actually spreading the disease! So frustrating.

Regardless, the entire region is moving into Phase 3 tomorrow. This should actually allow for me to pick up some of my Direct Support Work, although it will have to be done outside. If everyone is wearing a mask, we are allowed to be within two metres of each other, and if the person I serve cannot wear a mask, we can still work together, although we will have to stand two metres apart.