A day in the life

Like most people, most of my days are mostly ordinary, most of the time, and generally not worth talking about, even if there might be a thing or two that I mention. Today, however, was unusually busy for me, and it gives me a chance to talk about what such a day is like for me. After all, I have a blog, and so, here we are.

I had a lot of errands today, mostly because a couple were delayed, I added another, and another, and I was uncertain how to do them. All of which is why today unusual in many ways.

The main thing I needed to do was to finally get a haircut, something I ran out of time to do a couple weeks in a row—and it was getting bad. I’ve mentioned this before, but over his final couple years, Nigel cut my hair for me. He said to me once, “you know, what makes you look old isn’t gray hair, it’s when your hair or beard get scraggly. Then you look like a homeless wino.” He was probably right about that, not just because he usually was, but also because I’ve always lacked perspective on how I’m looking.

The first time I got my hair cut after Nigel died was very weird for me. But I’ve gone back to the same place several times since, so I clearly got over it.

The complicating factor this time was payment: My bank card was replaced with a new one that I had to use to activate. I pondered this. If I got my hair cut first and the new card didn’t work, well, it’s not like they could glue the hair back on. Trips to the shops first made more sense (they could just cancel the purchase).

I had a few shops to go to, and the first one I picked was Briscoe’s, a NZ homeware chain. I decided to get some NZ-made kitchen storage canisters, and a few other bits. When I went to pay, the card worked, but I was asked if I wanted the receipt emailed to me. Among other things, that means my orders will be associated with my account (I’ve ordered online before). It’s part of their move toward moving more things online.

The next stop was NZ discount retail chain, The Warehouse. I wanted to get a new hat to wear when I mow the lawns (gotta be sun smart!), and also a treat for Leo that they usually carry, and at better prices than at the supermarket chains (though neither has stocked the one I wanted in months…) or pet shops.

Only then did I get my haircut, which went as quickly and easily as ever. The barber trimmed my old man eyebrows, and I mentioned how I hadn’t managed to learn how to do them myself, even though I have the special clippers for that (thanks, Nigel). She said to me, “just have me do it!” Hard to argue with that.

The photo up top is newly-shorn me after I got back to my car.

Next, it was a NZ discount/clearance chain called Cracker Jack, but they had nothing I was looking for. On to a location of an Australian pet store chain (both big chains in NZ are Australian) because I needed some more food for Leo, and because I wanted some dog conditioner for when I give him a bath.

At this point, not quite 1:30, I thought about just going home. But I wanted to pick up something that I could only get at the NZ supermarket chain New World, so I went. It turned out they had the 1.5 litre bottles of name-brand soft drink I buy at half price—I nearly gasped, and then put six in my trolley (the limit was 12, but I didn’t have enough room to store that many).

I went home after that, put the groceries away, made a coffee, and sat down to relax with Leo for awhile. My sister-in-law rang and asked if I’d go over to my mother-in-law’s place to verify there was a line fault with her phone. I still have the corded phone I bought nearly 20 years ago—no electronics or batteries involved.

I took the phone to my mother-in-law’s, and yes, the line was dead, as I expected. My sister-in-law arranged for the company to deal with it. We visited for awhile, and then I went back home again. Leo was very happy again.

Tomorrow? Maybe mowing the lawns? If so, I’ll get to try the new hat. Aside from that, maybe some other, small projects?

And that was my unusually busy day. Busy as it and I were, it’s nothing compared to what some other people experience in a typical day. Each thing I did today contributed to the busyness of my day, yes, but there’s one thing more: Within the stories of today’s events are more tales to be told.

Except for the haircut—definitely not that one. It may have been delayed, but it was just a haircut, and that makes it the only completely ordinary thing in my day. There had to be one.