It’s been an eventful month.

We celebrated Jason’s Birthday on the 11th. Hard to believe my little boy’s approaching middle age. Over the years, he’s developed a love of cooking, and though like his old man, no gourmet, some of his dishes are pretty good. For his birthday, although I offered, Jason chose to make supper. One of his specialties is what he calls Princess Chicken; as in fit for a Princess. Something he put together while living in Cornwall a few years back. His friend Rachel was down for a visit, and wanting to impress her, put together a few simple ingredients. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup (used as gravy), on a bed of rice, and topped off with sprinkles of green onions for color and seasoning. The chicken is cooked in the oven at 350 for half an hour, with water, a little butter, spices and soya sauce. Quite yummy and filling!

He also asked for a bottle of rye, and so the day before, I hopped on a bus to the nearest liquor store, only a ten-minute ride away. As customary, it was a 40 ouncer of Crown Royale Canadian whiskey; nothing but the best for the best.

As I’ve said before, pretty confident my drinking days are behind me, and no longer feel a need to imbibe as my younger self did. Thanks to Diabetes and Metformin, in combination with the simple instinct of self-preservation, I no longer have the desire. So far, I’ve had only two drinks out of this latest bottle, and between the two of us, Jason still has half a bottle, so I’m pretty proud of myself. Only a few years back, that same bottle would have been gone in a coupe of days.

We do like our Cannabis however. It’s most certainly helped us both survive this pandemic. We recently discovered a nearby store, at the corner of Bank and Hunt Club, called Purple Meadow. Walking distance, but they also deliver, and pretty well carry all the same products as Dutch Love, downtown, but at 2/3rds the prices. Bonus!

None of our current sources however seem to be able to come up with an edible, with the same kick as the Sativa we’ve been getting. The owner of Purple Meadow says it’s due to government regulations. If I could get something like that, I’d be able to cut back, if not quit smoking altogether.

I finally got my booster (3rd shot) yesterday. Moderna, as with the second one back in July. My first was Pfizer. This time, I had to go down to the Minto Sports Complex at Ottawa U, in Sandy Hill. As is routine, I took a cab there, and the LRT/bus back home.

Unlike some others I know, personally, there have been no adverse side effects with this latest inoculation. Mind you, after stopping for groceries yesterday, I was exhausted, but have no idea if that was the Moderna or simply coming home after being out and about in the cold. Killer cold! Ottawa, as with much of the country is in the midst a deep freeze, with temperatures plunging into the -30 degree Celsius range, and even colder at night. Day or night, the wind chill always a factor.

In any case, I feel much more relaxed and confident now that I’ve had my booster, with the same sense of invulnerability when I got the first two shots. I realize however that this is only psychological, and it’s no time for letting down one’s guard, especially with record numbers being infected with the Omicron variant. The authorities are saying however that Omicron is showing signs of peaking/plateauing, but still too early to tell. We’ll have to wait till the end of January at least to see what the numbers say.

While most kids were back in school this past Monday, Ontario remains in a partial lockdown, with restaurants closed to indoor dining. They’re reopening a lot of things on January 31st, including gyms and cinemas to limited capacity. The real head scratcher this time is the movie theatres. They won’t be able to sell drinks or snacks, including popcorn of all things! And yet people will be able to sit around a restaurant table unmasked, drink and eat.

The MRI results for my knee came back, and I discussed them with my temporary family doctor late last week. I’ll be seeing a specialist on Tuesday at the Civic Hospital campus.

My regular doctor, who I’ve been going to for over 30 years, is on an extended leave of absence. He’s into his 70s now, so I guess earned the break. Over the years, we’ve developed such a good rapport between the medicine and mutual artistic interests; I’d hate to lose him. I asked him one time if he planned to retire anytime soon, and he replied that he had no intentions of doing so, and was happy just to take a few months off a couple of times a year. Needless to say, I was relieved to hear that, especially in light of the current doctor shortage in Canada.

It's a typically bright but bitterly cold January day, with neither Jason or I having to go out. Saturday, and he’s cooking his famous spaghetti and pasta sauce for supper. Can’t wait!


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01/22/2022

Posted on 01/22/2022
Copyright © 2024 Chris Sorrenti