The Ramblings of a Random Freak

So I finished American Gods.

It started strong

The ending, well… it wasn’t excellent.

It was good, far better than I could write, if I could write…

but it wasn’t excellent.

That being said, I would certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading fiction – it’s a fantastic piece of writing.

Beyond that…

Camping is done for the year… in theory.

If an opportunity to go again somewhere around here arose, I’d go in a heartbeat.

I love camping, and sitting around a fire, bullshitting, eating fire burnt food, getting slightly intoxicated, feeling like the people around you are all close… the camaraderie of it all.

more to say, of course, but not tonight… tonight, I sleep

it’s been a long day – got my hair cut, took a friend to a potential job, went to commercial drive and sampled Uncle Fatih’s Pizza (holy fucking amazing)… watched a hockey game, went shopping in the states, and read for hours.

I say long, but really, I mean good… it was a very good day.

I’m cheap.

I admit it.

Not cheap in a stingy, won’t be generous kind of way, cheap in a “why should I pay 20 bucks for something I can get for 7, or pay 1.10 for gas when it’s only 84 cents across the border?” kind of way.

I finished work tonight, and went to Lynden, WA… there’s a Safeway that’s open 24 hours a day there. Now, keep in mind, Safeway is NEVER the cheapest place to buy groceries, but for selection, location, and hours, the one in Lynden is ideal for me. There are other grocery stores in the area that are cheaper, but they’re closed when I’m there… heck, there are closer stores that are cheaper, right in Blaine. (border crossing town) when Lynden is around 15 miles from the border.

I mean… here’s an example

Milk? 2 Gallons (a gallon is slightly less than 4 Litres) for $4
Bacon? 3 Pounds for 7 bucks.
Ground Turkey? $2.49 a pound
Safeway brand Lasagna, big ass party size? $6.99 (this, I can tell you, is $20 at the Safeway in Surrey)

sadly, prices are rising in the US faster than here. When companies started catching flak for being so much more expensive in Canada, they did what every company who likes making money does – they started raising prices in the US… even still, they still pay around 30-40% less for groceries than Canadians, and around 30% less for gasoline. This is factoring in exchange rates, by the way.

when I get off work at 3am, there are no lineups at the border, no lines at the Safeway… so shopping is actually pleasant… I fill up with gas before crossing back, and drive the 24km home (around $1.25 in gas)

The end result is, I live cheaper, I stress less, and I eat much better. for less.

I don’t see how this could be a bad thing, do you?