it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

 

I suppose you could call this a statement. If one thing this virus has done to me it has made me just a little obsessive with routine and one particular ritual - lunch. It's either Victoria Street mall near Bell Street or down to the other end of Sydney Road to Barkly Square. I always make it a habit of walking past the sign writers shop, even if he isn't there so I can wave hello through the front window. He opened a week before all this mess started.

So today it's off to the falafel shop and I make it a habit of arming myself with a joke to tell the guy behind the counter, making sure its dirty or inappropriate and to be sure to add a liberal amount of swearing because that's the way he likes it.

then every time I eat in the mall in front of the library and have a chat with Happy Drunk Barry. There is a woman who sits there who seems constantly stressed out; I always manage an innocent "Howya Doin'?" and get a smile. Barry told me recently that it's good you do that because she is raped on a semi-regular basis by other homeless. Not that long ago she lost it and went into a rage, throwing a 1.25 litre bottle of coke at another local.

Mr Oussou from the bar walks past because he lives near here and I ask him how the renovations are going in this time of closure. How I long for this place to open again, not only to play or listen, but to go somewhere I know I can laugh and smile; to talk about a diverse range of topics with a diverse range of people.

down the other end of Sydney Road and I hope the homeless woman there is out the front of McDonald's. She always seems to catch me with no money and I have to go to the bank, get some food then give her some change. The amount of times she has heard me say, "wait, wait - I'll be back!", but at least she knows I'm not just saying that. Part of me thinks that this would be arrogant but I'd really like to ask her for a schedule; only because I get annoyed when she is not there. Maybe stressed would be a more accurate term.

but then there are the observations. As an exercise I caught the tram from Bell Street and traveled along Sydney Road to Brunswick Road - and back again. 63 for lease signs in the windows of shops. There are places that have been closed since March, not even seeing the point of opening. There is a sign on a window - 

WILL RE OPEN 

15 10 2020

STAY SAFE

well, today is the 14th

so today I had a thought. This is my place and I am a part of it. I look out for people and things around here; some things I can address and other things I can't. Maybe it's a blessing and a curse blended into one entity but I belong here and I've never felt it so strong until now. Without being a member of some official committee or interest group or observing a deity like the church of the latter day order of cheese humidifiers or some nonsense like that.

one thing that I would relish once you have applied all your potions and tinctures, opened all the stores and removed all those draconian measures - 

heal this place.