Space Walk 2020

Captain's Log: Autumn 2020. The Global COVID-19 Pandemic is really starting to ramp up for the 'Second Wave' and masks are now mandatory in all indoor public places; Safeway Canada in Kensington is no exception. I keep a variety of masks in my pockets as well as my backpack, but I also ride a motorcycle when weather permits, so I have probably the best mask of all.

The world is a pretty serious place right now.

So with all the seriousness I can muster I start my shopping trip in Safeway by doing a Space Walk down the aisles. Slow motion bounding. Carefully reaching out to grab items on my list. Every so often they spin out of reach in slow motion but because I'm trained for this I'm able to catch them and add them to my Space Basket. Checking my data display that monitors my Oxygen and Gravity Levels I also check my Life Support List to ensure I don't forget the parmesan cheese. Cheese. Check.

It dawned on me as I strode slowly past the other shoppers, marveling at their ability to move so fluidly and quickly in this atmosphere, that really I am the alien in their world. The looks I received from these earthly inhabitants as I floated effortlessly past—at a safe distance and in the correct direction—ranged from wonder to open hostility. What strange beings these are.

I need to focus. I'm a man on a mission: get to the deli, get the cheese, get home alive.