Hiked over to Ontario today to buy 10 pounds of onions. In Québec onions come in 3 pound bags for $2.50 so the hike saved me over $5. I also went to MEC and redeemed a $10 bonus coupon and bought some rechargeable AAA batteries. Of course, once I arrived home it was clear what I really needed were rechargeable AA batteries. The correct battery was on my shopping list. I trusted my memory and forgot about the list.

The trip was part of an experiment to see what obstacles might be faced were I to dispose of the car. Why I kept the car this long, I do not know. When I was still engaged in a job search, I thought the car might prove valuable. It gave access to jobs that others might refuse due a lack of public transit. Since becoming aware of the injury, I doubt my ability to perform many jobs. During job interviews prior to being diagnosed, I did extremely poorly and totally failed to understand the reason for my poor performance.

The only reason to keep the car is to travel to Montréal for the TAQ hearing. I spent days planning my first post-accident visit to Montréal. I have mapped routes to get in and out of the downtown core (provided I am not faced with a set of crazy detours such as were encountered on the last visit) and I dread the trip planning associated with taking the train.

Now that I am confident of my ability to walk back from Ontario carrying 10 pounds of onions, I do not think it would be too difficult to perform the same feat with 10 pounds of potatoes, or pickles, or canned tuna, or anything else. My concern has been the sudden onset of heavy rain coupled with near freezing temperatures. That is a dangerous mix. I have experienced hypothermia several times and it is not something to fool around with. A marriage of mTBI, and the mental confusion associated with a drop in body core temperature, would not be a happy, or fruitful, long term relationship. In a heavy downpour, most garments will wet through. Earlier this week I purchased a cheap vinyl rain jacket (it cost $14 in Canadian Tire money). Vinyl may tear in cold weather but, until it does, it will be impervious to any storm. And it was much less expensive than Gore-Tex, or similar outerwear.

Walking across the Champlain bridge is unpleasant. I react very strongly to the automobile noise. On other walks, I find myself taking the longer, quieter, woods path rather than the shorter route exposed to high traffic noise. The trip across the Ottawa demands earplugs. I saw a number of cyclists and thought of getting back on my own bike. Since the accident, I have only cycled once. It was a brief outing on secluded forest paths. I felt extremely uncomfortable due to impaired situational awareness, poor balance, the speed of advance, and my poor reaction time (since improved), and my difficulty in supporting my upper body weight due to left side muscle atrophy.

Most of the route from the house to the locations I frequent in Ottawa can be reached via bike paths. The only bad exposure is the segment across the Champlain Bridge. I should make another cycling attempt once the weather turns to spring.