Car keys

I thought there’d be no entry for today, since nothing of significance happened at work. Then, just before 3 pm Maggie calls me in the office and says she doesn’t feel well. I tell her to book an appointment with the doctor while I rush out to take her there. To make it more interesting, she books the appointment in 25 minutes time. I’m already breaking the speed records and limits along the way when she calls again, some 10 minutes later. The weakness passed, she feels alright, I don’t need to come. She has to finish something at work. Well, too late, I’m already on the way. I told my colleagues at work that she fainted and I’m taking her to the doctor. “So, don’t you un-faint yourself now,” I tell her. But, she is adamant that I don’t come. At that moment I hit the traffic jam. To the right is a small street with a park which looks inviting. It’s nice and sunny, breezy, but not too cold. I make a quick decision and pull at the street, park at the curb and walk in search of a bench where I could read my book until it’s time to pick up Maggie. After almost 15 minutes of fruitless search with no bench in sight, I head back to the car. The keys, usually in my left pocket, are not there! I check all the places they could be, all the pockets and the backpack, then retrace my steps searching the ground. Finally, at the car I can see them nicely spread on the driver’s seat. Locked and safe. I must have put them there while gathering backpack to get out, and left them on the seat. Sheepishly, I call Maggie, who has the spare keys. She hitches a ride with a colleague and comes to the rescue. And so my boring Friday gets its diary entry.

By profession and by choice, I’m a news buff. My day starts with the 6 am radio news, continues with a quick glance through the morning newspaper and a news podcast on the way to work. I can’t help but complain—the way the news cycles in Toronto baffles me: first the radio and TV bring the breaking news; next day, the newspapers expand on the yesterday’s news; then, TV and radio pick up the newspapers’ story based on their own breaking news and spin it all over again, so the whole thing lasts 2-3 days! It wears out the public’s interest quickly. No wonder everybody hates the press these days.

Today’s Super 7 lottery jackpot is $ 27 million! Imagine winning a lottery on a Friday, then having to wait until Monday to quit the job! What a torture!