Karen

A while ago on the blog I was whining that I probably wasn't going to win the Rav4 in Tim Horton's Roll up the Rim contest. Well, I didn't win but a good friend of mine took pity on me and mailed me one of the free coffees that she had won. I suspect that it was to shut me up once and for all, but regardless of the reason, I appreciate the gesture.

I thanked Karen at the time and told her that I would go to Tim's one day by myself and visualize her sitting across from me sharing a coffee. Well, that day is today and I'm here, the medium coffee with one sugar is here and Karen is here at least in spirit. "Hi Karen, glad you could make it."

I decided that we should meet at a Tim's that I am not too familiar with, so I picked a Tim's that is just up the street from Brendan's place. I have to check in on his house and bring in the mail, since they are on vacation in Mexico. They are going back to the place that they had their honeymoon. I don't think it is a romantic thing, just a place they knew and liked. I hope they have fun and get some well deserved relaxation. Romance would be nice too of course.

For those of you that don't know Karen, she is married to John who has been a good friend for many, many years. I think they have remained friends of mine for so long because I am 2000 miles away. They are also too nice to be mean to me. They are both generous, kind, thoughtful, giving and spiritual people. I guess it is true, opposites do attract. To tell the truth, I am a little intimidated by both John and Karen. They are just a little too nice and have interests in many diverse things which I will strive for but often miss the mark.

When I got my coffee, I wasn't even sure that we would be able to get a table Karen. We very nearly had to meet in the front seat of the Accura. Anyways, this Tim's is far too crowded! My usual place is often less crowded and the sound level is quite a bit less. This one is near a high school and it appears that there are a lot of kids skipping class or perhaps they have a spare. I remember that we would go to a place called the Mexican Villa when we had a "spare". It was Canadian Mexican and the only thing I ever ordered was the chilli with toast and a tea. Back then there wasn't a Tim's, but this place tolerated teenagers and let us sit for as long as we wanted to.

Now to the serious part, criticizing the other patrons. There is a woman at a table across from me that reminded me of one of those really nervous Chihuahuas. Big eyes that seemed to look every where at once, but never at anything for more than a second, and I'm pretty sure that if I slammed my hand down on the table she would have jumped about five feet. There is a table of heavily made up high school girls that are alternating between serious and giggling. I would love to hear what they are talking about, but I have trouble listening to more than one conversation at a time, and I'm sure I would be bored to death anyways.

There are the four or five tables of cotton tops, complaining about the youth of today and bitching about something or other. They will solve most of the problems in the world in the half hour they are here and those solutions will be, put them all in jail, send them back where they came from and everyone on welfare should be sterilized. Don't forget we are in the heart of Canadian redneck territory. This is where Steven Harper has his power base and no one is more redneck than he is. Don’t look now, but there is a weird old guy with a beard behind you that is staring at us. Oh, it’s just my reflection in the window.

Well, I had best go and check on Brendan's house. I thought of moving his underwear into her drawer and visa versa, but they might not think it as funny as I would and I still want to keep them on a talking basis at the very least. It would be better if they stay on a gift giving basis.

I am going to a music store after that to check out ukeleles. I wanted to buy one in Hawaii, but I figured the prices there are inflated for the tourists and I had dropped far too many of my dollars there already. This way I can get a deal and help the Canadian economy in some small way.

Thanks for meeting me for coffee Karen and the next time it's my turn to buy.