morning

I had some stuff to do this morning. I got up at 7 which was early for me on vacation. Got moving and dropped car at mechanic at 8:30. They said it would be done around noon. I went over to first choice for a haircut which was next door. But they were not open until 9.

I stopped by CAA to ask why I hadn't received my regular card yet. They pulled it up and quickly determined they had my street address but not my apartment number. That one was on me. They corrected it on file and will mail me my card shortly. I got another temp card to hold me over until then.

So I went down to Bayers Road shopping Centre and walked around for a bit then cycled back. It wasn't busy when I got back and I went right though at first choice. It was $20 tip included. I had been with a regular stylist at head shoppe on a 6 week cycle; but I will be using discount hair care and longer cycles going forward. Torri was fine but prices increased and it had crossed the $30 barrier. So I would rather spend $20 every 8-10 weeks for a good enough haircut instead of $32 every six weeks for a good haircut. I've got some more to say about spending but will save it for a later post.


Then back to Bayers Road SC. I checked out the Canadian blood services but they weren't open until 11. So with more than an hour to fill in I went to stone hearth cafe which I didn't even realize is a restaurant in BRSC. I had a coffee and started on a book. As it happened it was free refill and they had a nice seating area which was pretty much empty when I was there. Towards 11 some more people were coming in and I got going and freed up the table.


I was able to go right through at the blood donor clinic. That is a nice setup they have at bayers road. I'd been meaning to go for a while but didn't quite get around to it. I last went in April. That's not great, donated twice this year (I suppose it's also not terrible). Next year I should try to get back on a more traditional pace of 3-5 donations a year. They have a nice kitchen area there and I got a nice soup, cookies, and chocolate milk from the friendly volunteer after I finished.


After that I walked up to check on the car as it was around noon. As it happened they were just finishing and printing the bill. Good news it came in less than I had budgeted for. That was a surprise. I had been getting an annoying squealing sound at low speed right after startup. The mechanic adjusted the belts and fixed it under warranty as it was related to the work I had done a couple of months back. Plus winter tires on and fresh oil I should be good for the winter.