The Bitching Thread 2.0

Those mutant BASTARDS!!!

I don't even know what a multiverse is anymore.

I've never been one for multiverses. If anything, I prefer American Horror Story's approach of using a connected timeline that entwines all of the seasons together.

Personally speaking, my favourite character in the AHS series is a complete slap in the face to Voodoo culture. The glowing red eyes. Wise-cracking, powder-snorting trickster with a cajun accent
and the getup perfect for any funeral. Of course, I'm talking about Papa Legba (as played by the always-entertaining Lance Reddick).

Legba's antics and appearance bare a closer resemblance to another voodoo loa: the more recognizable Baron Samedi. Furthermore, I was delighted to see Legba return in Apocalypse; albeit, even for
a moment with Nan stealing the show. Definite highlight of the season for me.

Wow, paradigm shifting life moment. The convenience store by my house is closing October 29th. The couple that have been running it since the late 90's finally retiring. They're going to continue to live there because they rent out two apartments above it so money isn't an issue, but the guy is 77 now and says the last few years he's only been breaking even on the business and it isn't really worth it.

The store has gradually slowed down since Covid first appeared.
They used to run from 7am to 10pm seven days a week, then it became 9am to 7pm seven days a week, then they stopped opening on Sunday's altogether.

I've actually been going to that store since I could walk. The first year Nintendo came out we didn't own one but we used to go there and rent one until we got our own the next year. Then growing up we used to scrounge up change around the house to walk down and rent games every weekend. But they rarely updated their gaming library so we rented Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Skate or Die, Contra, Double Dragon, Operation Wolf, Paperboy, Back to the Future and Friday the 13th enough times that we actually probably paid for each of them entirely over the years. We kept renting them even after we hated playing them. Some weekends we'd rent a game, play it once and go, oh yeah I remember why I hate this game now (BTTF and TMNT). I actually think they stopped renting out games and movies completely a number of years ago when streaming services started taking off.

My entire adult life I've avoided grocery stores and bought everything I need from there. People always tell me you're paying more than at a grocery store for items and my response is, that's why it's called a "Convenience" store. So I have the convenience of dealing with as few people as possible when I need stuff.

And I buy my cigars down there, so now I've already been searching for online cigar sellers. Think I found one in Canada I am going to try. They don't have my Century Sam's brand, but they do have Phillies which may become my cheap cigar replacement now. When he told me he was closing and wouldn't be getting any more cigar stock I bought up all the cigars he had left.

He's already stopped receiving inventory so every time I go in it looks a little more empty. And this is a store I've gone to nearly every day of my life. I knew the original owners when I was a little kid and remember the chain smoking lady at the counter (yes, you were actually allowed to smoke in businesses back in the 80's and early 90's) who had a little TV she would watch all the time. Long after she was gone the store still had that distinct smell for years and I think still does a little bit. This is an old building that is probably well over a hundred years old by this point.

The next owner was the dad of a friend of mine who lived down the road. One day he divorced his wife, started lifting weights, bought a Harley and transformed from kind've your paunchy accountant looking guy into a biker dude. And he ran it until the late 90's before the current owners bought it around the time I was in my mid teens. I'm in my 40's now so I've known the current owners the longest.

And Roy and Mel. Roy and Mel were brothers who were like the Norm and Cliff Clavin of the store. They were always together and my uncle thought they were a gay couple until we told him they were brothers. They were two old guys who always hung out there. If not inside then out front on the benches. These two were known by everyone in the area. They were literally backwoods people. They dropped out of school in the second grade and pretty much lived away from people growing up. Unless you knew them and had been around them they were completely incomprehensible when speaking because they never learned how to speak properly, not to mention having very few teeth left. They would try and talk to everyone who went in but most people just smiled and nodded figuring they were just mental cases. Neither of them could drive but they had their "Wheels" which is what they always referred to their bikes as. Whenever we would bike passed them as kids they would yell out "Nice Wheels" although it always sounded like "Nye Whees".
Both died a number of years ago but the store has always kept their picture hanging up inside and I actually pass their graves whenever I'm out doing my walks.

Fortunately I've already found my replacement convenience store. Instead of being one minute away it's about five minutes away, but they're also open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. But they don't have cigars, I already asked. So they're already taking notice of me becoming a regular now. The lady at the counter guessed exactly where I work because of the smell on my coat. She recognized it because her husband had worked there and she was quite familiar with it.

I just found out the Netflix TV show Moonshine is actually filming a scene tomorrow at the old store. They're going to be changing some stuff on the exterior and interior. I was just down buying a super sized lotto ticket for tonight's big draw and he was telling me all about it. I've heard of the show but have never seen it, but I guess they do a lot of filming around here.