Thought of the day: We have collectively decided that screen addiction leads to brain rot. But, how come audio addiction is not a concern? I’ve met individuals who always seem to be tuned out, no matter the activity: driving, cycling, or even hiking. Evidently, there are people with the desire to drown out the horrible sounds of nature. 

“Ugh! The birds always sing off-key, and squirrels have no rhythm. And, that babbling brook won’t SHUT UP.”

I don’t have that option. My deafness has robbed me of the joy of having Taylor Swift accompany me on my walks in nature. For this reason–among other less comical reasons–I am eligible for several subsidies. Among those is a card that grants me a 50% discount on the standard passenger fare for BC Ferries. These savings amount to between $7 and $12 each time I take the ferry, unless I get hungry and blow said savings on a stale Bread Garden cinnamon knot from the ferry cafeteria.

For 30 years, I’ve used the same card: a piece of cardstock with the BC Ferries logo, my name, my address (from the mid 90s), and my signature from when I was 10 years old and therefore still had the energy to get through my long name in cursive. Although I’ve kept the card in a plastic sleeve since the beginning, it has yellowed and begun to disintegrate along the edges.

From what I understand, BC Ferries changed the design 15+ years ago, and it is now a plastic card that includes an ID photo. Even so, the majority of ticket agents want nothing more than to keep the line moving and honour the discount based on my papery relic.

However, if I’m early and the only one in the line-up, it’s a crapshoot. Twice now, I’ve had the same ticket agent give me a print out of the application for the current Accessible Fare Identification (AFI) card. She was kind, so I couldn’t even be mad about it. The second time I encountered this agent, I lied and said I’d mailed my application a few weeks ago.

Well, now I’m trying to catch up to that lie and get my new card before our paths cross once again.

Continue reading “Loose lips sink ships.” →