Me: Winnipeg Transit.

Winnipeg Transit: Yes, Dave.

Me: How do I get to the fireworks?

Winnipeg Transit: Seriously? Just walk. It will be faster.

Scumbag trip planner.

I'd take another year with a dying dog over a year with no dog any day. As brutal as her illness was, it was still better than not having her at all.

Sudden realization that there are fireworks scheduled for today. Thank God Winnipeg has that Mennonite farmer ethic and schedules New Year's fireworks at 8 pm.

I made a World Cup 2015 calendar to keep track of all the matches in different timezones. The only downside is that I don't have any friends obsessive enough to share it with. Non-obsessive people make me sad.

Atif: Cricket Worldcup 2015 na?

Me: Of course Cricket World Cup. Unless Misbah is in some other World Cup in 2015.

My run of good luck continues this morning with the power bill. Yes, they billed me $142 for one month by estimating that I probably spent six times as much power this month, which was warm, as last month. But this is Manitoba Hydro, not Bell Mobility, so they fixed it by agreeing not to take THEIR preauthorized debit until they get the actual meter reading from my landlord next month.

H time: wake up. All is well.

H+1: all is well.

H+2: all is well.

H+3: looking at my bank account for no particular reason, I notice that the phone company took their preauthorized payment three days early for the second time in three months, thus causing it to bounce and costing me $45 for the second time in three months.

H+3.1: phone the phone company. Their plan to make things better is: nothing. Assholes. So I cancelled the preauthorized payment plan. Still out $45 though. I guess I'll just withhold it from their bill.

H+4.3: time to leave for work. I walk out, put my key in the door to lock it, realize I didn't take my medication. Dang.

H+4.32: ok, leaving a second time.

H+4.36: walking towards the bus stop, realize my wallet is not in my pocket. Probably on my desk at home. Damn.

H+4.4: yep, it's on my desk. K, now I'm going to miss the regular bus, I guess I'll have to go to the other bus stop in the opposite direction and catch the other bus that has a two-minute connection to the 86.

H+4.55: I arrive at the bus stop and check the time. Turns out I could have made the normal bus stop with two minutes to spare and caught the regular bus. Now I have to wait 15 minutes and it's -21 C. Fuck. I decide to walk to the next stop to kill time.

H+4.7: arrive at the next bus stop, text transit, bus is still on schedule. I wait.

H+4.8: Bus should be here now, but it's not.

Two minutes later: still not.

Two more minutes later: still not. Ok, now I'm missing the 86 to work. Decision time.

1) Take the next bus, arrive 45 minutes late. Cost: $7.
2) Take a cab, arrive essentially on time. Cost: $20.
3) Go home and stay there. Cost: $78.

The choice was painfully obviously. On the other hand, I was cold and pissed off, and I had been wishing I could miss work this week anyway. So I went home. $123 gone from my budget in less than two hours.

And yet, I can't help thinking that being out $78 is less stressful to me than my not showing is to Tweedledumb. I can always eat less; he can't very well think more.