I went downtown and joined my wife for a booster jab at the pharmacy in the building where she works. Fewer people are going in to work these days, which means some downtown pharmacies have more supply of vaccines than arms to stick them in. It doesn’t hurt that my wife is on a first-name basis with everyone behind the counter. She chatted them up and before you could say “omicron sucks” they had me in on my wife’s coattails, baring my arm for a shot of Pfizer. My first two shots were both AstraZeneca, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but I’ve since learned that AZ is effectively useless at preventing infections of the omicron variant.
Afterwards, I went for a bit of a photo walk through the downtown core while the dull day fell to dull twilight and local businesses turned on their lights. Gazing through the doors of the St. Lawrence Market, I saw a masked couple dressed in holiday regalia, wandering through the market and chatting with vendors. I didn’t bother to go inside; I didn’t feel like fumbling with a mask. By chance, I found myself following the same couple down Front Street and when they stopped at a red light to pet a dog, I asked if they’d mind me taking their photo.
I said: Everyone’s so glum; it’s nice to see people spreading some cheer.
I thought maybe they were drunk or crazy. But no. They were regular people doing their best to lighten the mood and lift flagging spirits.
