Homeless in Vancouver: A total surprise and disappointment

I was sure I’d brought in a pathetically small load of returnable containers into Go Green, Mount Pleasant’s friendly neighbourhood bottle depot.

But I was prepared to trust the brand-spanking new—deep breath—Point of Return (POR) Beverage Container Recycling Application touchscreen system—ahh—that handles the math and shows the customer a running total.

Halfway through I looked at the subtotal and thought, “Hmm. Aruba’s nice this time of year. I might be able to make the plane fare.”

Unfortunately this system has one glaring flaw: the operator can change the totals after they’ve entered them.

I couldn’t complain. The final actual total would’ve gotten me to Surrey, B.C., with change to spare; but seeing as I didn’t need to go to Surrey, I was left feeling pretty flush.