greetings from st. louis (day 1, part two)

The only slightly disconcerting issue of this trip was the border. I don't need to elaborate why. It is a very strange time to be traveling to this very strange country.

As some of you may recall, I've had some issues with US border guards: in 2009, I was targetted and harassed for my activism with US Iraq War resisters. That went on for a full year. Since then, we have crossed back and forth at least once or twice a year, sometimes more frequently, and have never had even the slightest issue.

We were fairly confident all would be well. An older, white, hetero couple on a sightseeing trip with a definite end date: that pretty much ticks every box for not being hassled. The stories of Canadians being searched or detained at the border are all from land crossings, which is typically where harassment takes place. And those stories are undoubtedly a very tiny percentage of crossings being made, even with the number of Canadians visiting the US plummeting.

And yet. The stories are horrendous, and there are no guarantees. So we had just a wee bit of concern, and were not looking forward to that bit. 

The upshot: absolutely nothing. Three flights, three rounds of security, and one border crossing: simple and completely uneventful.

The travel itself was about as easy as it gets. After our foray in Richmond, we spent the rest of the long layover reading and listening to music. That flight, from Vancouver to Denver, was delayed a bit, so we had less waiting at the next leg. 

On the Denver to St. Louis flight, we treated ourselves to a drink and a snack box, and enjoyed ourselves. Baggage claim was a breeze. Picking up the rental car was annoying and slow, but eventually we picked up a big, brand-new SUV, and navigated our way to the Airbnb. 

We're staying in an upstairs apartment in what looks like a beautiful, old, quiet neighbourhood of lovely brick houses and huge, leafy trees. The apartment is gorgeous, right out of an Ikea catalogue, beyond spotlessly clean. We are not exactly traveling light (we never do!), so getting up the steep flight of stairs with all our stuff was no fun, but we only have to do that once. 

The host has a lot of great information on St. Louis neighbourhoods. While I did the bare minimum of set-up, Allan went into tour-guide mode and has already found places to eat. (Typically, I do all the advance planning, and Allan does the day-to-day once we arrive. It works beautifully.) I just about managed to get enough done to be comfortable in the morning, washed up, and changed into fresh sleep gear before sinking into bed. I fully expect to be sore or possibly crippled from carrying too much stuff.

A general note about air travel

We all know air travel has gotten much worse. The airline industry seems intent on making travel as expensive and unpleasant as possible, cutting staff and service to the bone, and demanding fees for an ever-expanding list of necessities that have become extras. This is all well documented. And Canadians well know that Air Canada has always been ahead of the curve on this.

We have grown so accustomed to these extra fees that we may not always remember how ridiculously unfair they are. Why should we pay to check luggage? Luggage is a necessity of travel. Why should we pay extra for a necessity?? Congratulations to you folks who avoid fees by not checking luggage, but I find that incredibly inconvenient -- and mostly impossible, especially if I'm alone. We always pay for luggage check. And we're used to it. And we shouldn't have to be.

And now we have to pay for seat selection. For seat selection! That is completely insane! You might say that is optional, but if you've ever had a long flight in an awful seat, you might rethink. On this trip, I spent about $650 on seats. Is that nuts or what? And interestingly, you can't use points for seat selection.

I didn't pay for seat selection on the 45-minute flights between Vancouver and Comox. Who cares where we sit and whether we sit together for those. But for the rest -- Vancouver to Denver, Denver to St Louis, St Louis to Toronto, and Toronto to Vancouver -- I wanted to be reasonably comfortable in a decent section of the plane. 

More accurately, I wanted Allan to be more comfortable so I wouldn't have to listen to him complain so much! Allan doesn't love to fly: the discomfort of being shoehorned into a small space, and the proximity to so many people rates a very high irritability factor. We've all got our things, and this is one of his. On this trip, I paid extra for "premium economy" seats. I actually looked into getting one business-class seat for Allan for the Toronto-to-Vancouver leg, but it was prohibitively expensive. (I would have done it anyway, but I knew he wouldn't want me to spend the money.) The upgraded economy seats made a significant difference. Both flights yesterday were easy and pleasant. But seriously, $650??

I am willing to put up with inconvenience, discomfort, and bad customer service because travel. I expect it, I accept it, and for me, travel is always worth it. My craving to see and experience new places outweighs everything else. But looking more objectively, beyond my own equation, this is completely ridiculous. What other industry could get away with consistenly charging more while delivering less? 

random notes from portland (day 7)

Allan and I are both sick, apparently with a flu or some other virus. I rarely get sick -- it's been more than four years -- and this has hit us with both barrels. I'm concerned that I may have passed something along to my mother.

The world's smallest hamster wheel

We took my mom out for breakfast at my favourite Ashland restaurant, Brothers'. She was very chipper and talkative, saying the same things over and over and over. She has a small repetoire of chatter, and after speaking, she clearly has no memory of what she said.

I asked questions that would prompt her standard soundbites, and showed great interest as if I hadn't heard it all before.

Her breakfast. The menu. The "verandah" (her current word for the tiny patio outside her room). The exercise class. The baby's hair. They show movies. Her breakfast. The menu. The verandah. The exercise class...

After taking her back to the home and settling her in her room, there was much hugging and many I love yous, but I needed to leave quickly. I barely made it into the hallway before breaking down, sobbing. It is really hard to say goodbye.

Crappy customer service at Brothers'

Brothers' has a few tables downstairs, and more seating up a steep staircase. I asked for a table downstairs, and was told, "There's more room upstairs." 

Really? You don't see I'm standing there with an elderly woman? I said, "We can't sit upstairs. How about that table?" There was a large table for four, which the servers were using for staging.

"That table is not available." 

"It appears to be available." 

Long pause. She clearly expected me to apologize and withdraw. I waited.

"We'll just clear that for you." 

"Thank you." 

Then the server was curt and annoyed through the entire meal. I guess she didn't get the memo about Pacific Northwest friendliness.

Driving

We had been planning on taking the coastal route up to Portland. The Oregon coast is magnificent and we haven't seen it since a 2003 baseball road trip. But Allan was already sick and I was feeling strange, and five hours on the highway was enough. 

We picked up In-N-Out at the last available opportunity in Oregon. Later, in the hotel room, I regretted this decision.

Powell's lets us down

We have four large boxes of books from my mother's apartment, which we wanted to take to Powell's for store credit. They are mostly art books, a few novels and some nonfiction, all hardcover, all in perfect condition. (There were many other books; these are the ones Allan chose for possible sale.)

Unfortunately, Powells' only buys books on certain days of the week, and we wouldn't be there on those days. We took the books with us anyway.

On the road to Portland, I learned that Powell's buys books online. You enter the ISBN number, and ship the books via UPS at their cost. This seemed like a great idea. Allan schlepped the boxes up to the hotel room, and we entered an ISBN.

"Sorry, we are unable to purchase this book." 

We tried another, and another, and another. 

"Sorry, we are unable to purchase this book."

This was the outcome:

Of 83 books, only three would be purchased, and for pennies! We're not going to bother shipping three books to "earn" less than five dollars!

So now we have boxes of books with us, and I really don't want to go home with them. We have a few ideas. We'll see.

At the moment, I can't imagine doing anything but lying in bed. 

Hotel greenwashing at the expense of workers and customers

While I'm complaining, I'll throw in this gripe about hotel amenities. Our hotel in Portland is nice -- a bit upscale, and not cheap. Yet housekeeping is offered only on request, and a maximum of every third day. Linens are not changed unless your stay is more than a full week.

This is supposedly for water and energy conservation, but given the disposable coffee service, the bottled water, and the tiny soaps and shampoos, it seems a rather transparent ploy to save on labour costs. 

I think if you're spending money on a nice hotel, having your room serviced daily is not too much to ask. Who doesn't like coming back to a neat and tidy room, with clean towels and a freshly-made bed? And if housekeeping is only upon request, and never during a one- or two-night stay, the housekeeping staff is not seeing many tips. Of course I will give the hotel this feedback, even though I'm sure they don't care.

the ballad of polly bee: in which newbie homeowners learn things they didn't want to know, but turn annoyance into opportunity

Evil!

As you may or may not recall, Allan and I are first-time homeowners. In 2019, both of us in our late 50s, we bought a home in Port Hardy, BC, on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. We were lifelong renters, and had no desire to change that. But circumstances conspired... and here we are. 

Statement of privilege

We love our home, and we were incredibly fortunate to be able to purchase it, taking advantage of a government option for first-time homebuyers who have RRSPs, a temporarily depressed housing market, low interest rates, and a gift from my mother. We bought a modest home by North American standards, and we hope to live here for the rest of our lives.

I love our home. But I can't say I love being a homeowner. Maintaining a home is incredibly expensive and time-consuming. It was a big adjustment. I'm grateful to have the privilege, but I was happier renting.  

Bethatasitmay, I'm a homeowner now. I tell you this story with full awareness of my privilege. I have a secure, middle-income job, as does my partner, and we can afford our life well enough. So as you read this story, please know: I'm not complaining. I just want to share.

First there was a bubble

On New Year's Day 2021, Allan noticed a discoloration, a bulge in the ceiling. When he poked the bulge, water leaked out. Holy moly! Move the TV, get a bucket, call a plumber. It turned out an upstairs toilet need a new seal. But... while the plumber was there, he told us our home was full of Poly-B. Read about it online, said Plumber. And so I did. 

Poly-B was an inexpensive plumbing material used in the 1980s and 90s. It was very popular in western Canada. Turns out, 10-15 years after installation, Poly-B deteriorates and disintegrates. Not might deteriorate. Does deteriorate. There are class-action lawsuits and law firms specializing in Poly-B. 

Our house was built in 1994. The horizon for plumbing failure was already visible. We realized that the smart move was to replace the plumbing now -- while we are both employed, and while the ceiling was already open. Why wait until the plumbing fails and we need everything done on an emergency basis? What if the plumbing failed while we were out of town? How could we ever be comfortable knowing that a plumbing time bomb was ticking behind our walls?

And if you do have a flood because of Poly-B, the insurance company won't look at you. In fact, if you have any homeowner's claim at all, and Poly-B is discovered, insurance won't pay, even if the issue is not water-related!

The fun begins

So. We had the plumbing replaced. One plumber did 80% of the work, then moved out of the area. 

We found another plumber, and waited for his availability. 

Then at last, all the Poly-B was out of the house.

Then there was no ceiling in the family room and there were holes throughout the house.

Eventually we found a drywaller and waited for his availability. 

He filled the ceiling, and now it had an ugly flat patch in an otherwise-textured look. 

Then he disappeared.

We found another drywaller, and waited for his availability. 

He patched the rest of the holes. (We opted not to fill the holes beneath the sinks, hidden by cabinets.)

This whole process was really difficult for me. Money that I thought would be saved for travel or retirement was being used for maintenance. Important maintenance, yes. We could afford it, yes. But still. Ouch.

So. Now the necessary work is done. The rest is cosmetic. 

We were going to paint the drywall patches ourselves, thinking the previous owners left cans of paint to match every room. But the paint was old, the colours were off, and we realized it would look crappy. The house looked beautiful when we moved in, and I wanted it to look beautiful again.

Turning annoyance into opportunity

So. I made a decision. 

The house, as purchased, was painted in shades of gray -- a light charcoal gray with a darker charcoal gray border. One room was a mustard yellow, another a very pale blue. 

I love colour. I have always loved the look of colourful walls. We've painted accent walls in rental houses, and I've spent scads of money on colourful window treatments and other colour splashes. When I see rooms on TV or online with richly colourful walls, or when we visit countries where colour is a prominent design feature, I always love how it looks. 

I also like bright white walls, and the brightness that brings to a room. Bright white + colours = exactly my look.

Here was an opportunity to bring my own aesthetic to our home. 

I found a professional painter. I started putting money aside. I looked at colours. Choosing colours was crazy! Especially if you love teal. Teal can mean dozens of different things, depending on the mix of green and blue.

Painting finished last week. I absolutely love it.

Our social/hangout/watching room has a teal accent wall,and the teal also borders the bright white kitchen, hallways and stairs. The laundry room and downstairs bathroom (not shown) are also bright white.

A wall at the top of the stairs, visible when you enter the house, is also teal.

The upstairs bathrooms are both tangerine.

We didn't have the bedrooms repainted. The walls in our bedroom are a light sage green. The two rooms we use as offices, which were previously kids' bedrooms, are a bright swimming-pool blue (mine) and the colour of a greenscreen (Allan's). We both like the colours, so we kept them. 

I'll also throw in a vid of the best part of this house, the feature that sold us, and that is very dear to my heart: the deck. The deck is roofed, so useable in all weather, but the roof is 12 feet high, and translucent, so you don't feel like you're indoors. It's my little slice of heaven.

in which an email reminds me to resurrect a very old post: join athena to change amazon

Do you support Athena?

Athena is a broad coalition of people and organizations who seek to change Amazon's practices through a variety of tools and tactics, including from the inside. 

In a braindump called the post of orphaned notes, I found this.

athena is organizing against amazon, and you can help -- even if you use amazon. especially if you use amazon.

That's the title of an empty post, sitting in drafts since December 2020. When I received an email from Athena about Juneteenth, I thought it was finally time to post about them.

Athena invites everyone -- Amazon workers, customers, shareholders, and anti-Amazon activists -- to join their coalition to improve Amazon's working conditions, business practices, and environmental practices, and to push back against Amazon surveillance.

Fighting a behemoth as powerful as Amazon is akin to overthrowing an empire. Every legal  option must be on the table. (Although no empire has ever been overthrown entirely by legal means -- since the empire controls the law.) Certainly when it comes to a corporate empire, boycotts alone are pointless.

A personal boycott of Amazon, like any personal boycott, is fine if it works for you. I have a few personal boycotts myself. But I don't delude myself: my not shopping at Walmart makes no difference to Walmart. 

No boycott could never be widespread enough to make even a tiny dent in Amazon's corporate empire. It's also not reasonable to ask people to pay more for a product offered at a lower price elsewhere, or to pay for shipping when a free-shipping option is available, or to track everything Amazon owns, including their streaming platform. 

Then there are folks who rely on Amazon. "Shop local" works if you live in a big metropolitan area, but for many people who live in rural and remote areas, boycotting Amazon would be a difficult sacrifice. I do "try local first," as we say here. And I do buy directly from companies' websites whenever possible. Amazon is not my first go-to. But it's an option that I can't afford to ignore.

That's why I support Athena.

The Athena coalition has come together on these principles.

Corporations like Amazon are dangerous to our communities, our democracy, and our economy. Together, we need to:

• Govern our own communities. It’s we who should decide what is best for us in our communities — not big corporations. We can stop Amazon’s sweetheart tax deals from local governments, draining of public resources, and big-footing into our neighborhoods with no regard for the rest of us.

• Put our health before their bottom line. Amazon relies on, and profits off, the oil and gas that poisons our communities and worsens our climate crisis. It’s time to end that.

• Shield our local economies, so they can thrive.  Amazon is so big it can prey on and manipulate customers, small businesses, and help themselves to tax money that should go to schools, housing, transit, and whatever else our communities need. No more.

• Protect people from Amazon’s dangerous surveillance. We must block Amazon from selling and using technologies to track us at home and work, mining our personal data for profit, and fueling harmful and discriminatory policing of immigrants and communities of color.

Here's Athena's Juneteenth email that prompted me to finally post about this.

* * * *

Every year, through MLK Day, Black History Month, and now Juneteenth, Amazon plans to cover its website, pitch newspapers, and run ads celebrating itself for what it claims to be its commitment to Black people, from its workers, to small businesses and its customers.

This Juneteenth, Amazon decided to stay quiet, knowing that this movement will continue to spotlight their offensive celebrations (like offering dress up day or chicken and waffles instead of a day off and attempting to put Jeff Bezos’ name alongside that of MLK) and redirect back to the how Amazon is part of, serves and chooses to profit from anti-Black systems.

Here are some things Amazon could have not ignored on Juneteenth:

• Amazon can stop supporting Cop City. Amazon sits on Atlanta Police Foundation’s board that is proposing to destroy the equivalent of 298 football fields in Weelaunee Forest to build a mock city near one of America’s largest Black populations. The purpose of this city is to train police across the nation on military tactics against civilian populations and activists, and people are fighting back.

• Amazon could end its Ring-police partnerships. Amazon collaborates with over 2,500 police departments across the US, providing them with warrantless access to footage from Ring cameras, giving police unprecedented power. Sometimes even without consent from owners of Ring devices. During the George Floyd uprisings, the LAPD was found to request footage seeking surveillance of protestors. Ring’s privacy protections are so bad that Amazon had to pay over $30M for illegally surveilling its own customers, including children.

• Amazon can stop paying Black workers less than white workers. NELP found that Amazon is paying Black workers 63 cents on every dollar paid to their white coworkers in its Shakopee, Minnesota warehouse.
  

• Amazon can stop targeting Black neighborhoods for pollution. Breathing exhaust from high concentrations of vehicles puts people, especially elders and kids, at increased risk of asthma, cancer and heart attacks and may cause premature births and miscarriages in parents. Consumer Reports and The Guardian recently showed how Amazon opens their facilities deep inside Black and brown communities.
  

• Amazon can stop targeting the unhoused. In King County, Washington, home to Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, Black adults are evicted almost 6x more than white adults, contributing to Black adults making up nearly 30% of the unhoused, which is 4x more than their percentage of the population. When its city council considered a very small tax on ultra wealthy corporations to support affordable housing programs, Amazon threatened to pause its expansion, and heavily leaned on local government until it was killed.

• Amazon can stop targeting Black worker organizers. Amazon can end its pattern of targeting Black workers for termination and retaliation for worker organizing. From the peak of COVID lockdown, Chris Smalls was one of several Black workers being fired after advocating for safe warehouses, all the way to just last week when Amazon was forced to reinstate Jennifer Bates, who it illegally fired after her shareholder activism.
  

• Amazon can end its plan to destroy sacred South African land. Amazon is pushing through against the will of indigenous people, to build a massive site on top of sacred land commemorating one of the first African fights against colonialism.
  

• Amazon can stop funding racist lawmakers. When we found that many January 6th insurrection supporters were lawmakers supported by Amazon, Amazon vowed to end donations to them. That is until it didn’t: right before elections.
  

• Amazon can stop helping ICE. Black immigrants are 7% of the undocumented population but over 20% of those in deportation proceedings. By providing the Department of Homeland Security specialized cloud computing technology, Amazon is directly fueling and profiting from ICE’s inhuman detention and deportation system.
  

What not to miss this week:

• Bernie Sanders launches Senate Investigation into Amazon labor practices. On Tuesday morning, Sen Sanders, as chair of the Senate Committee on Healthy, Education, Labor and Pension, launched an investigation into workplace health and safety practices at Amazon.
  

• NY Warehouse Worker Protection Act in Effect! Starting this week, all Amazon workers across New York State are protected by the WWPA, which greatly limits Amazon’s ability to use quotas and surveillance to push workers into serious injuries. ALIGN NY, Amazon Labor Union, Teamsters and RWDSU led the way to this victory.
  

• Keep Standing with Writers. In LA and NYC, join picket lines with Writers Guild of America to win a fair contract with Amazon Studios and others. RSVP to your local picket location.

Go here to join Athena.

in which i buy eyeglasses online and am super excited about it: zenni optical

I recently bought new eyeglasses: price tag: $165.00. This is 80% less than my previous pair of glasses cost. I can see well and the frames are great. I'm going to buy a second pair -- and maybe a third. Buying glasses online: hallelujah!

At the end of this post, there's a step-by-step account of my experience ordering glasses from Zenni.

The ordeal of new glasses

Buying eyeglasses had become such an ordeal. 

I wear both progressives (distance, middle, and reading in one lens) and transitions (photochromic; automatically darken in the sun). I also like to have great-looking frames. To me, frames are the accessory I wear every day. They must be awesome. 

Taken together, this can easily cost close to $800 per pair.

We are fortunate that both our jobs include extended health benefits, so we do get some of that back. But it's still a major expense.

Now, living in a remote region, it's even worse: the nearest optometrist is 2.5 hours away. If we're ordering new glasses, that's two round trips -- an additional expense, plus time off from work. 

And there's a huge wait! This time around, I called in April to book an eye exam, and the first appointment I could get was at end of October! Welcome to the resource shortage.

I don't know how she does it

Some months ago, I saw a colleague and union sister wearing strikingly beautiful frames. The following day, I saw her again -- with different frames! How on earth can she afford to have multiple pairs of glasses??

The answer: Zenni Optical. 

I have known for some time that buying glasses online is A Thing, but I had only seen very simple, basic frames purchased online. I assumed that's what was available, and I never dug any deeper.

Once I saw my colleague with multiple pairs of beautiful frames -- and with an eye exam appointment coming up -- I decided to give it a try.

Why do frames cost so much?

This experience makes me wonder why buying glasses from a retail store costs so much. 

Either way, the frames are made in China. 

Either way, the glasses are not made onsite; prescriptions are sent elsewhere for lens grinding and assembly. 

Obviously there are costs involved with retaining a retail store. But can that account for such a dramatic price difference -- or is most of it markup?

Zenni has an page on this question: The Hidden Costs You Pay for Glasses.

I have wondered a bit about the ethics of this transaction. When the price difference is so great, retail stores are bound to lose a lot of business. But I'm not going to pay $800 for a pair of glasses that I can buy for $165 from the comfort of my own computer. The price difference  is too great, and the convenience is amazing.

Frames as accessories

One of the reasons I'm so excited about Zenni is suddenly I can afford more than one pair of glasses. When frames cost $800, I have to find one pair that will work in all situations -- as my Zenni-using friend said, the little black dress of frames. Now I can wear different frames with different clothes. I love accessories, and suddenly I have new options.

Another friend of mine needs to purchase glasses for four children. The expense is mind-boggling. I'm hoping Zenni will help her too.

My experience using Zenni, a step-by-step account

Here are details of my experience buying glasses online through Zenni.

Get your prescription elsewhere

First, you'll need your prescription. 

Check the prescription to see if it includes the pupillary distance (PD). That's the thing the optometrist measures when you buy glasses. 

If your prescription doesn't include the PD, Zenni has detailed instructions on how to measure it. It doesn't sound that difficult, and of course you can take multiple measurements to ensure accuracy. I was a bit wary of this, but the PD was included on our prescriptions.

Create a Zenni account

This is easy and painless.

Browse frames

Whether or not you have your prescription yet, you can scroll through a huge number of frames, and favourite the ones you like. You can sort by shape, colour, face shape,  frame shape, prescription type, price, and several other parameters. 

I definitely recommend scanning through all the links and seeing what applies best. I found frames Ioved under a "new arrivals" link. There are also amazing budget options.

I looked at dozens of frames and favourited the ones I was considering. I always try on lots of frames in the store, and I was glad to do this without using anyone else's time.

Create a Try On

You can virtually try on the frames one of two ways: uploading a photo or creating a "Try On". 

I was unable to get an uploaded photo to work. No matter what I did, the photo I uploaded was too small and needed to be rotated -- but I found no way to fix it. Because of this, I used the Try On. I learned that even if the photo had uploaded correctly, using a Try On is preferred -- because you can see both frontal and side (partial profile) views.

I did not find creating a Try On to be simple or easy, although that wasn't Zenni's fault. It took a few tries, each one getting a bit better, until I felt I had a halfway decent video to work with.

Once I created the Try On, it was very easy to virtually try on any pair of frames. 

You can also see what the frames look like on various models with various skin tones, hair colours, and face shapes. This was surprisingly helpful.

Input your prescription

Next, check the numbers on your prescription and type them in the corresponding boxes online. Check and re-check. 

If categories don't matchup -- for example, does "plano" mean no change? -- a quick google search will clarify. (Answer: it does.)

You can save multiple prescriptions through your Zenni account, sign up for reminders for eye exams, and so on.

Order

Once you've input your prescription and chosen frames, it's time to order your lenses.

There are many options available at different prices -- which kind of photochromic lenses, which kind of anti-glare coating, and so on. This is similar to my experience in any retail outlet.

I always find this part confusing. What is truly helpful, and what is a useless expense? The internet can help with that, but in the end, it's only an educated guess.

I liked doing this part without a salesperson, as I am susceptible to over-buying. I found reading online more conducive to good decision-making.

Order fulfillment

I placed my first order on December 24 and received the notice the glasses had shipped on January 5. That's very fast, especially considering the time of year. 

The glasses arrived in small padded mailer that fit in our post office box, with a hard-plastic Zenni case (pictured above), along with a cleaning cloth and a small PD ruler. 

The finished product

My glasses are great. The prescription is obviously correct, the fit is excellent, and they are exactly what I ordered. Five stars!

Had the glasses needed a fit adjustment, it would have been problematic. Most people could pop in to a nearby optometrist for an adjustment. (As far as I can tell, this is the last free, courtesy service on earth.) I would not be able to do that. This is a drawback for us, but not worth hundreds of dollars and two five-hour drives!

Other Zenni services I haven't used

Zenni has information on how to adjust and repair your glasses, and they sell a frame-repair kit. 

There's information on how to replace lenses in frames you already own. 

You can also book a frame-fit consultation with a person.

While researching this post, I discovered Zenni's celebrity endorsement pages. One features none other than Big Papi! While I won't be buying any frames worn by David Ortiz, I had a nice chuckle over this and was happy, thinking about our man Ortiz. I also enjoyed seeing the one and only Iris Apfel modeling her look. 

Good luck and enjoy!

planned obsolescence, future landfill, and premium-priced durability: in which we buy an expensive new washer

One of the things I hate most about our current world is planned obsolescence. 

There's a "wmtc's greatest hits" long piece unpacking planned obsolescence, as it relates to capitalism and our deteriorating environment: "we work to buy things that are built to die so that we must work to buy more things that will break". (This post sparked an interesting long discussion, now lost to the ether.) 

When we look at the cost of basic living now, compared with our parents' or grandparents' generations -- home internet, computers, mobile phones, etc. -- we need to include this. We buy and re-buy, over and over, items that our parents may have replaced once in their lifetimes, if at all.

And the life cycle of products continue to shrink. Things we bought when we first moved to Canada in 2005 lasted longer than the same items purchased in 2015. We once bought a can opener that was literally single-use. A coffee grinder that I used five times before it broke. And on and on.

Wmtc readers had another good discussion about this after I bought an extremely expensive office chair. Talk about privilege! I was embarrassed to spend almost $1,000 on a chair. The alternative, however, was spending $200-300 for a chair that would fall apart in less than two years. My expensive chair, purchased in 2009, is still like new in 2022.

This kind of buying is a privilege, only feasible for those with discretionary income or credit. Folks with less income end up buying crap because it's all they can afford -- another form of the cost of poverty. 

Planned obsolescence preys on bargain hunters. The quest to wring maximum use from every dollar actually means spending more in the long run.

Planned obsolescence keeps people in debt, or in poverty, or prevents them from living a better life with greater comforts and supports.

Planned obsolescence is killing our planet. The Earth is filling up with phones, and computers, and appliances, and plastic toys, everything else that we buy, and re-buy, and re-buy.

* * * *

I think about this all the time, but most recently it's on my mind because our washing machine broke. 

The Whirlpool washer that was in our home when we bought it suddenly stopped spinning. The one appliance repair person in our little town is away for an extended period of time. Through some intense sleuthing, I found a repair person in the next town, about 45 minutes away -- but he doesn't make service calls.*

We disconnected the washer, loaded it into the car, and drove to Port McNeill. The following day, Repair Person called: it can't be fixed. The part that broke isn't available, as the breakdown of this part signals the end of the machine. By tracing the serial number, he learned that the washer was manufactured seven years ago -- and that is the full lifespan of the machine. 

Seven years? For a washer?? That is ludicrous.

Now we had to drive back to Port McNeill, pick up the faulty washer, and re-install it. We would use a lot of electricity drying sopping wet clothes, but at least we'd have something in the interim. Envisioning our hydro bills would be a great incentive to buy a new washer, pronto.

As I started to research, I saw that almost every washer had only a one-year warranty. Hmmm.

Repair Person recommended we look into Huebsch, sold in the US as Speed Queen. They manufacture washers for laundromats and hotels, and also they have a few consumer models, which are built to the same specs as the commercial machines. Repair Person doesn't sell appliances or earn commissions. He said, "If you can afford it, it will last the rest of your life."

I investigated. Huebsch washers and dryers cost about twice as much as standard consumer models from Whirlpool, LG, Samsung, and most other household brands. They are supposed to last decades, rather than years. There are only two authorized Huebsch dealers in the province, and amazingly, one is in Port McNeill! 

I'm not thrilled at the expense, but to us this is a no-brainer. What's the point of spending $600 or $800 on a washer that will last less than 10 years? 

My only hesitation was that the capacity of these washers is much smaller than those of the popular brands: 3.2 cubic feet, compared with 5 cubic feet or higher. Here's what I've learned. The other companies have competed to offer more and more capacity -- without improving the internal works. The motors of these large-capacity machines can't handle the loads, so the machines are destined to break down quickly. Huebsch has avoided this by sticking with the old-fashioned 3.2 capacity.

I wasn't completely sure that the Huebsch could accommodate our largest item, which would be a queen-sized comforter. I read online that 3.2 cubic feet was enough for a queen comforter -- but I couldn't take a chance. There's no drycleaner in our area, so if I couldn't wash a blanket -- including old blankets that certain dogs like to snuggle in -- I'd be out of luck. So just to be sure, we brought a (fur-free) blanket with us to try. It fit. End of story.

This is how we ended up spending $1,750 -- tax and delivery putting us at about $2,200 -- on a washer. According to everyone, it will run smoothly for at least 25 years.**

I'm fortunate, I'm privileged, we can handle this. But it is so wrong.

------

* Repair Person is disabled, and I'm guessing that only working out of his shop eliminates accessibility concerns. I didn't know this until we met him. It was great to see a wheelchair-user running his own business -- and he's quite senior, too. He sells mobility scooters and repairs computers, too. And in the summer lives on his boat. In my old writing life, this guy would make a great story.

** Next year, we are probably going to buy the matching dryer, to reduce our electricity use with a more efficient machine. 

the great canadian sox shop for quality products made in canada

Add the Great Canadian Sox Shop to the list of companies I'm happy to have found. 

I am so, so, so tired of buying things that instantly fall apart. I'll absolutely pay higher prices to avoid that. The worst is when you opt for higher prices, and the damn thing still falls apart after only a few uses. Future landfill.

In my experience, socks are very prone to this syndrome. As holes started to appear in the last batch of socks I bought, I started looking online for a better alternative. The only thing we can buy locally is crap, and of course made in Bangladesh, Cambodia, or China. Crap made in China that needs constant replacing comes with a mighty big carbon footprint.

There are many places online to buy socks. Why did I choose the Great Canadian Sox Shop?

* They have a huge selection.

* Most of their products are made in Canada. Actually in Toronto!

* They are a family-run business. I don't know what their labour practices are, but they must treat their 40 employees better than the Asian sweatshops do.

* They have a loyalty program. (Not a deciding factor, but a plus.)

* They have an option to ship with minimal packaging.

* For woolen socks, they follow the Responsible Wool Standards.

* And most importantly, everything I've purchased from them has been very high quality. On their own brand, J. B. Fields, they actually have a no-risk guarantee, good for a full year. 

My first purchase included an eye-catching postcard telling me I was supporting a small, family-run, Canadian business, plus a little "how to care for your socks" piece. It said, "Socks last longer if you don't put them in the dryer." I decided to try that. I purchased a second drying rack, and started hanging the socks to dry. And guess what? My electricity bill went down!

(This drying rack is stainless steel, comes already assembled, folds flat, and is both sturdy and lightweight. If you're into laundry, this may be your new favourite thing.)

the unscented company for greener, scent-free products

I highly recommend The Unscented Company! Here's why.

Looking for a pump-bottle liquid soap, I was very surprised to find a total absence of unscented soap where I live. In a large supermarket and two drugstores, there was no unscented hand soap! I was even more surprised -- and disgusted -- to see that even baby products were not unscented. Why would you put artificial scents on a baby's skin??

I tried a hand soap that claimed to be lightly scented, but it was still too much scent -- which was predictable. Fibromyalgia gives me a hypersensitive sense of smell, plus scents bother my respiratory system, plus I have very sensitive skin. Plus I find the artificial scents used in most scented products unpleasant.

I gave the supposedly lightly scented product to a co-worker and my quest continued. 

In a neighbouring town -- which means 40 minutes away by car -- I stumbled on The Unscented Company's hand soap. It is (of course) unscented, contains no dyes, cleans well, rinses easily, and wasn't expensive, even in the small, independent drugstore.

When the bottle was almost empty, I found The Unscented Company's products at a few online retailers, but even better, I found that they sell direct as well! 

What really clinched it for me: they sell refills. This is something that should be so commonplace, yet is almost unheard of. To summarize:

* quality products

* no scent

* no dyes

* refillable containers

* no animal testing

* independent company

* made in Canada

* a certified B corporation

* full ingredient disclosure

I compared prices, and some, such as laundry detergent, were a bit higher -- but only for the first purchase. Refills are very economical. And although it's not difficult to find unscented dish soap or laundry detergent in our area, I'd rather buy from a Canadian company that sells refillable products, than P&G or Unilever.

I bought:

- hand soap

- laundry detergent

- liquid dish soap

- refill packs for all of the above

- dishwasher pods

Everything has been very nice. I have the refill boxes in our big pantry. Each box has the number of plastic bottles that have been replaced. 

A reminder note about this blog: it is always ad-free. I do not post "affiliate links" or get freebies from companies I write about. Just the occasional thank you.

follow-up: response from pacific coastal airlines

This is a follow-up post to getting home: horrific customer service from pacific coastal airlines.

Tl;dr: Those are the rules. Too bad for you. Next time buy travel insurance.

Good afternoon, Laura

I wanted to write today to let you know your letters to [company's principals] were all received and forwarded to me so I could respond and address your concerns.

When I look at your letter and how your travel day unfolded, I can certainly appreciate that it must have been incredibly stressful, starting with checking in, in SFO, only to find your terminal had been changed.  I’m happy to see that United was able to find you another flight at 1130, but this certainly put a strain on your ability to make the flight out of the South Terminal.  Waiting for an hour for your baggage also didn’t help, and I’m sorry to see you had to wait that long to get your luggage.

As a traveller on 2 separate tickets (United and Pacific Coastal), unfortunately, neither airline is aware of the other booking and in each respective case, even though to you your itinerary has you going from San Francisco to Port Hardy, United sees you going from SFO to YVR and we see you as going from YVR to YZT.  Unfortunately, if one causes you to miss the other flight (even if the situation was reversed), the circumstances you were under, do not factor into the cancellation or check-in policy of the airline.

Attached is our rules around check-in close times (the same that were presented to you).  The reason we close check-in at 40 minutes, is so we can ensure an on-time departure.  It is at this time, that our pilots begin to finalize the flight details, looking at the  number of passengers checked in,  the checked bags and their weight, as well as any cargo and its weight.  Based on calculations they make, they then order fuel, the fuel truck comes (while bags are loaded) and then we board and depart.

Accepting new check-ins after the flight closes, would require them to start again and this would ultimately cause a delay.  If we miss our take-off slot at YVR, we could be waiting another 20-25 minutes on the ground, waiting for an opening, from Air Traffic Control.  This would burn fuel and also delay everyone on the plane into their final destination and could have a domino effect of people missing ferries or perhaps now a rental car office is closed etc.  As you can see, there are a lot of factors at play and we have to draw the line somewhere.  The line is 40 minutes and yes, we have denied someone check-in because they missed it by 1 minute.  As you were 10-minutes after flight-close time, while it may not seem like much, in the context of preparing the aircraft for departure, it is VERY late. 

I certainly sympathize and understand that why you arrived late was not your own fault, but rather that of the circumstances of your earlier travel in the day.  That, however, does not play a role in how our agents will (and did, in this case) handle your reservation.  For them to rebook you and collect the reservation reactivation fee is correct.  The alternative would have been a full forteiture of the ticket.  So that fee is actually a service to prevent that from happening. 

What we have here is what travel insurance is for.  Specifically trip interruption insurance.  This is for when a passenger has unforeseen expenses as a result of certain travel being disrupted (Cruise, train, ferry, airline) whereby the reason of the disruption is not attributable to the transportation provider but rather simply ‘circumstance’ – you having to take a later flight, bags taking 1 hour to come out etc.

Again, I’m sorry that we were not able to transport you to Port Hardy on June 12th.  Unfortunately, I am not able to oblige your request for a refund of the reactivation fee or reimburse you for your accommodation.

Respectfully,

[name]

Customer Relations

I give them points for writing a personal letter that clearly shows that someone read my complaint, rather than a form letter, and for explaining why the rules exist, rather than just repeating the rule. 

The worst part of this is that I have to continue to fly on this airline, as they're the only one with service to Port Hardy. I'll be using them again in October, and it's going to hurt!

getting home: horrific customer service from pacific coastal airlines

On the way home, I flew from from San Francisco (SFO) to Vancouver (YVR) on United Airlines, then from Vancouver to Port Hardy (YZT) on Pacific Coastal. Pacific Coastal flies out of a separate terminal, not connected to YVR proper. You need a shuttle or a taxi to get there.

This part was my fault

I didn't wake up as early as I'd like -- very unusual for me -- so I was rushing to get out. In my haste I must have picked up the wrong address on Google Maps. I was driving along when the directions told me to get off the highway and take a detour. I thought there was an accident or some other obstruction, and that Google Maps was taking me on some alternate route to the airport. Bad move.

I followed directions for a while, driving in circles, unable to figure out what was going on, getting more tense as the time ticked away. At one point I got back on the highway, followed directions from a later exit, and found myself back where I had first gotten off. Oh my god.

Now I was flustered. I pulled over and looked at Google Maps on my phone, and realized what had happened. I got back on the highway and drove like hell to the rental car return.

Thus ends the portion of this episode that was my fault. 

Note to United Airlines: Canada is not in the U.S.

At the rental car return, of course there is a huge long line of people returning cars. Nice rental car person checks my now not-quite-full-gas-gauge (from driving around in circles) but says, "OK that's full". Thank you! 

Then he's telling me how to get to the airport -- with a mask, and an accent, and talking fast (because he probably says this 10,000 times on every shift). I had to say, "I'm sorry, I'm not understanding you." After two repeats, I finally got it.

Up elevator, down escalators, through various doors, jump on the air train, get off at International terminal. Can't find United. It is now 7:20. Flight leaves 8:30. Cannot find United. Cannot see flight on departure board. Ask three more people. I'm at Aisle 12, United is Aisle 2. Run. I'm not a runner. Run run run. Almost cannot breathe.

There's a long line, but I cut to the last agent on the counter and ask for help. She decides to take me. Yay!

ID, vaccine check, then wait wait wait. Long wait. She calls over a supervisor. They mutter to each other. I hear the supervisor say, "That's because it's too late, the flight has closed." Oh noooo!!!

I'm like, are you sure, can I run there, etc. Nope, you would never make it, it's in a different terminal. Different terminal? Yes, it's been changed to the domestic terminal. Flight to Canada. Domestic terminal.

At that point I realized that even without the 15 minute detour driving around random San Francisco streets, I would not have made the flight. Damn.

She says I'm confirmed for an 11:00 pm flight, standby for a 7:00 pm flight. 

There are only two flights each day from Vancouver to Port Hardy at this time of year -- at 8:30 am and 3:10 pm. So if I'm on either of those flights, I'm staying over in Vancouver. Which means another hotel, change fee for the Pacific Coastal flight, plus I have work on Tuesday and really want to be home on Monday. 

Then wait, wait, wait, wait... long wait. Agent goes to another terminal, wait, wait, wait, then... "OK, I have you on an 11:05 a.m. flight to Vancouver." I actually said, "I love you." She might think I am a stalker.

Then I walk a long long loooong way to the domestic terminal. The security line is 30 minutes. So there is absolutely no way that I would have made that 8:30 flight, even without my driving screwup. This made me feel better.

The worst possible customer service

My 11:30 flight was on time and I cleared customs with almost two hours (1:45) before my flight to Port Hardy.

Then I waited. Everyone waited. Hundreds of passengers were waiting -- for their luggage. I was waiting at the luggage carousel watching the time tick down, wondering if I was going to miss my flight to Port Hardy. 

(Please don't tell me "This is why I don't check my luggage." That is nice if it works for you. It does not work for me, especially when I travel alone.)

I tried to check in online, but got error messages. The Pacific Coastal website would not let me check in. 

After an hour, I finally got my luggage, and jumped in a cab, arriving at the South Terminal 30 minutes before my flight. 

And I was told that I “missed” the flight because I arrived 30 minutes before the flight, rather than 40 minutes. 

Another passenger was going through the same thing. He was late because the shuttle from the Main Terminal to the South Terminal did not arrive.

The counter agents kept repeating they were sorry, but I would have to fly the following day. It was an issue of “weight and balance”. This is hard to believe, since I had reserved a seat and paid for luggage to be checked – thus weight and balance were already accounted for.

I'll tell you right now. I was crying. I was not yelling – I would never do that – but I was crying and pleading. One of the counter agents laughed at me and mocked me for crying.

And then, while this was happening, I heard the first boarding call.

Yes, exactly no passengers had boarded the plane. 

The counter staff made it sound like the airplane’s doors were already locked – while in fact no passengers had boarded at all! 

The plane is empty, passengers are just lining up to board, I am 30 minutes early, and told I “missed” my flight?! There is no rational reason for this.

Mocking Agent told me he had booked me for the first flight the following day, and said, sarcastically, “The flight leaves at 8:30. Try to be on time.” 

It was not enough to refuse to let me board when the plane is empty, he had to make snide comments, too. A person who sees a customer crying and distraught and chooses to mock them should not be working front-of-house.

Then, Pacific Coastal charged me a $105 “reservation reactivation fee”. 

It took the agent less than three minutes to book me on another flight. And they charged me $105 for the inconvenience and indignity.

And then... they called standby passengers. Seriously. They were able to take a handful of standby passengers, but not two passengers who had reservations and were 30 minutes early, rather than 40 minutes early, because of airport issues.

The terminal was packed and very noisy. I am sound-sensitive at the best of times, but in the state I was in, the noise was unbearable. I went outside, called Allan for the millionth time, sobbing like a child. Then I managed to get a grip, and booked the last room in an airport hotel. 

So in addition to the $105 change fee, Pacific Coastal’s inflexibility also cost me another $325 for hotel accommodations and dinner.

As I said in my complaint letter to Pacific Coastal:

I understand that a 40-minute window for check-in is Pacific Coastal policy. The policy states, “Failure to be checked-in prior to closing may result in the cancellation of your entire reservation.” It may result – not will result. May means it’s a possibility – not a hard rule. 

Since the first boarding call hadn’t even been announced, the staff could have been flexible. They could have acknowledged that I had waited an hour to retrieve my luggage in the Main Terminal. They might have admonished me, reminded me to arrive earlier next time, and then checked me in. It was certainly possible to do.  

It’s not like I had cut it close, showing up a few minutes before takeoff. Nor was I late because of negligence or poor planning. Those 10 minutes were completely out of my control.

To refuse a customer who is 10 minutes late, through no fault of their own, then charge them a “reservation reactivation” fee, and force them to spend the night in a hotel and fly the next day, and to mock them in the process, is some of the worst customer service I have ever seen. 

If another airline served Port Hardy, I would certainly never fly Pacific Coastal again. Much to my dismay, I will have no choice to continue to use this airline – which is why your staff can get away with this terrible customer service.

I'm not expecting much in the way of response, but I'll let you know what happens. 

cpmvfsgu days 8 and 9: monday and tuesday on salt spring island; whether or not to leave a negative review for an airbnb

I've spent the last two days reading, blogging, scratching, and occasionally eating and sleeping. There were other things to do on Salt Spring Island, but I was too uncomfortable to do anything. It was very nice to have uninterrupted time to read and write.

Tomorrow we'll take an early ferry to Crofton, drive up to Campbell River, take care of our appointments, then head back home. 

* * * *

I've had a long running argument by email with the host of this cottage. I'd like to leave a negative review, but I've read that bad reviews can seriously damage a host's standing with Airbnb. Also, I don't have many reviews on Airbnb and I don't want to be reviewed as a bad guest. I wish the cottage was listed on TripAdvisor, as I have a more substantial body of reviews there.

I've also read that a guest's review is not published until the host reviews the guest -- so if the host wants to suppress a negative review, they can simply decline to leave feedback on the guest. I haven't been able to confirm this.

Despite these issues, I feel uncomfortable not leaving a more fulsome and truthful review. To me that's how things are supposed to work. 

Here's the deal. The listing for the cottage said "self-clean". I interpreted that to mean that no one services the property while you are there -- that you're on your own. As it turns out, the host expects guests to clean the home for the next guests! 

We would never leave dirty dishes or a mess. But we are not going to vacuum, scrub the bathroom, wash the inside of the fridge, and so on. This host expects us to do that, or to leave $100 in cash -- a fee that was not mentioned in advance. We are doing neither.

The host does say that she has a cleaner coming in to provide the "second, covid cleaning".

She left us two towels, and no extras, and claims that guests bring their own. There is no washer/dryer in the house, and no laundromat on the island. It's damp here and towels don't dry. In our experience, there is usually a closet full of towels. The host claims that would substantially increase her costs.

I have been traveling a long time and have stayed in many different kinds of places. No owner of any vacation property has ever expected me to clean their house. Who goes on holidays expecting to clean?

Again, to be very clear: dishes washed, dried, and put away; all garbage and recycling taken outside; nothing messy or out of place; bed stripped as requested. And that ought to be enough.

To review or not to review?

ayoubs.ca for the best nuts and dried fruit shipped to your door

Isn't this beautiful?
I had an instant flashback to stores we visited in Amman.

For a healthy snack, you can't beat nuts. They're packed with protein, healthy oils, vitamins, and minerals. They're high in fibre, they have antioxidant properties, and they contain almost nothing of what you want to avoid eating. (They are also vegan and gluten-free, for people who want those.)

All kinds of health claims are associated with nuts, but whether or not those are true, nuts are the perfect between-meal snack. They are what I call self-limiting, as opposed to, say, potato chips. I eat a small amount of nuts and feel satisfied, likely because of the protein and fibre.

Unfortunately, here in our remote area of Vancouver Island, I discovered I cannot buy fresh nuts locally. The selection is poor, and more importantly, the nuts are not fresh. I guess they don't get enough turnover -- which is a shame, as more people should eat nuts! Also unfortunate as it causes people who do eat them to shop elsewhere. And "elsewhere" for us means online.

Kernel Mix
I love the lime and saffron flavour.

I surveyed all the online nut-buying choices. Nuts.com has a great selection and the prices are good, but they're based in the US. Shipping could take a long time, especially to remote areas. Bulk Barn delivers nuts from store locations via Instacart -- not an option for us, plus Bulk Barn creeps me out.

Going Nuts looks like a great family-owned business, based in Alberta. They seem like a company you'd see at farmer's markets (their schedule is here), specializing in handmade granolas, nut butters, candies, and such. I'm sure their products are delicious, and they were in the running -- until I found Ayoub's.

Ayoub's Dried Fruit and Nuts has six stores in the Vancouver area, and they also ship throughout Canada and worldwide. Here's why I love Ayoub's.

• Selection. They offer a huge selection both of the variety of nuts and how they are prepared -- raw, roasted, unsalted, salted, and lightly salted. (Lightly salted -- how smart!) In a supermarket, even a really good supermarket, I seldom find exactly what I want. For example, I like almonds raw, but cashews roasted. Pistachios salted, but not so salty that your face caves in. And so on. Ayoub's gives you the full range.

• Freshness. Ayoub's nuts are roasted in-store. The most popular nuts, such as cashews, are roasted several times throughout the day -- and they are incredible. Everything is always so fresh. The flavours pop.

• Mixed nuts. Their "kernel mix" includes almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, and shelled pistachios. I buy the lime and saffron mix (see below) and eat them literally one nut at a time, slowly, savouring the taste. I chronically eat way too fast and these nuts actually slow me down.

• Flavoured nuts. Ayoub's carries nuts that are tossed in their own flavouring blends. I love the lime and saffron flavour, and there is also lime and pepper, and a spicy mix. These are such a treat.

• Dried fruit and nut mixes. You can't really call this trail mix -- it's just too good. There are several different kinds, and unlike most supermarket trail mixes, you know exactly what you're getting and each fruit or nut is high quality.

Persian Dried Plums
Soooo delicious!

• Dried fruit! I love dried fruit. Unfortunately I also find it addictive and decidedly not self-limiting, so I eat it only as a treat. Ayoub's has an incredible selection of dried fruit. With each of my orders, I buy one dried fruit mix and try to make it last.

• Except for every-day dried fruit: Ayoub's sells these amazing green raisins, made from green seedless grapes. They are larger than ordinary raisins and so delicious. I also buy dates to make this super delicious healthy snack. I had been using dried, packaged dates from the baking section of the supermarket. This is a huge improvement.

• Price. I compared Ayoub's prices to our local supermarket, and they were the same or less -- for much higher quality.

• Free shipping -- maybe. If you live in western Canada or in the US, the free shipping threshold is a bit high, but well worth it. Unfortunately for Eastern Canada and the North, the shipping costs are probably prohibitive, unless you have a big family, or perhaps are splitting an order with friends. I don't know why it costs less to ship to the US than to Newfoundland; it must be a Canada Post thing.

Another reason I love Ayoub's is a personal preference. On my way to a union education retreat, I visited an Ayoub's store in Vancouver. It was an instant flashback to stores we enjoyed in Cairo and especially Amman. A North American version, but a very similar vibe -- warm and welcoming, attentive, knowledgeable, proud of their quality goods. I have found this to be true in Middle Eastern stores in any city I've been in.

Right now Ayoub's has a promotion called "Binge Watch Essentials". For $99, it includes 10 1-pound bags of a variety of goodies, including baked vegetable chips and chocolate-covered almonds. I always prefer to choose my own variety, but this is a great deal -- and very clever marketing for the lockdown.

They must be swamped with orders, as the service is a bit slower than usual, or it might be Canada Post's slower service during the pandemic, or perhaps a bit of both. My most recent order took a few days longer than usual, but really, who cares. When it arrived, it was correct, fresh, and so delicious.

In conclusion, eat nuts! Try Ayoub's and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: None needed, ever. No "affiliates" or stealth marketing here. Just a rave review.