This column serves up some unsolicited insights into the differences I see between wasting time or killing time – in this case, mine and yours.
Some recollections from a recent trip up Island opens a window into how I kill time when the Bride is examining the label on six yogurt containers, or taking an hour to peruse a farmers market I can cover in 10 minutes.
There was the look on the face of the clerk stacking honeydews and cantaloupes at Quality Foods in Qualicum when I asked her if she was feeling a little melancholy.
Then there’s the guy straight out of The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers at Woodstock working the Duncan Farmers Market one sunny Saturday in September. He was weaving something the old-fashioned way, feeding the wool onto a wheel he controlled with his barefoot when I asked him how he unwinds after work.
Other ponderings over the years include:
Why would you name a courier company with a word that rhymes with later?
Ordering anything to eat made from scratch sounds like a rash decision to me.
Why do they charge you for free range eggs?
(Continuing with the chicken theme at the risk of ruffling feathers and leaving you in a fowl mood.) Why would anyone order an egg that’s freshly cracked?
I have trouble coming to grips with a company that pitches its products as just OK. Not bad or pretty good would probably get more traction.
Would a line of bras called Titillations take off in today’s market?
Consuming something simply called plant matter is a little too obscure for my taste. (I think even vegans would welcome a more detailed description)
Do you have to be a meteorologist to understand the difference between sunny breaks and cloudy periods?
Can anyone out there other than a chemist or a cow actually explain the difference between one per cent and two per cent milk?
He dozed off and missed catching a huge salmon because he was asleep at the reel.
The staff at stores with free COVID masks get very upset when you try four or five on before deciding on which one you want.
Rick Stiebel is a semi-retired local journalist.
Columns are the opinion of the writer and do not represent the viewpoints of the paper or Black Press Media.
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