There’s a theory that we are not living in reality but are, instead, living in some sort of a computerized simulation. Sage and I have joked about it a lot lately. What if, for example, all of the miracles meant to have taken place thousands of years ago and never happening today are not what we think they are. What if, instead, they were interaction with the owner of the simulation? What if there was so much more talk of magic in the past because there were various hacks and vulnerabilities that people could exploit that the simulation owner has since addressed with a patch.

It is this idea of a patch that we’ve been joking about a lot lately. A few weeks ago, for example, wherever we went we seemed to run in to many really tall people – 6’6″ and above. People tall enough that they have to duck to board the subway. We joked, that there must have been a patch run that changed the height of many people.

Today we found ourselves standing at the corner of Kipling and Rexdale Boulevard on the way to a library. Looking around, we realized that aside from the cars and of course the smart phone in my pocket, there was little in my field of vision that would look out of place in 1985. Had another patch been run? Were we transported back to 1985? What would we find back home?

And so it was that we found ourselves outside a Canadian Tire store that looked like it was from the 1970’s. Even inside, it looked like it hadn’t changed since then. Even the people walking around were dressed in such a way that gave no indication they were from 2018. Pay no attention to the fact that we were able to buy a package of LED light bulbs.

Outside the Canadian Tire is a relic of a gas station that is clearly from a time long passed when cars were big and gas was cheap.

I particularly love the canopy here. A bit of searching turns out that there’s a name for this style: “Googie” – the style that people building coffee shops, gas bars, restaurants, and even the Jetsons’ apartment building in the sky thought looked futuristic in the 1950’s. I’m a huge fan of this style and I didn’t even know there was a name for it.

This particular gas bar style is, apparently, iconic to Canadian Tire stores from years gone by and was created by a guy named Bob McClintock created. There aren’t a lot of them left which is a shame. They’re a sight to see.

You will all be happy to hear that if there was a patch applied to our reality, it was successfully rolled back soon afterward. Everything at home was as we left it when we arrived.

Post inspired by this week’s Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Things with Engines and Motors.