Walk Left, Stand Right

As I either ascend or descend onto an escalator, it has become quite apparent that people in Ottawa don't have a sense of escalator etiquette. C'mon people. You stand to the right thereby allowing people to walk on the left. It's not a hard concept to grasp.



photo courtesy of kiyoneblogspot & flickr

Scutwork

I need a quick-fix for getting some money. As per the arrangement, if I am able to save a particular amount of money, then I will be financially reimbursed for the final year of my schooling. It seems like an easy enough chore, however, I have yet to gain financial footing to even claim to be on stable ground. Additionally,...actually there is no additionally, I just felt like writing that out. So there we have it - I need to save money, I have yet to catch up on money owing and I like the sound of additionally.
Oh, I do have an additionally - I don't have benefits at work therefore I must pay for my own meds, dental and various other goodies.

Parking Wars

On the date of November 29th 2007 I picked my sister up from the airport. As I was approaching the airport the skies opened up and doused the ground and everything else with heavy, sticky snow. The point? I pulled into one of the spots at the Arrival terminal and waited for my sister. As I was slightly late and I had yet to see her, I dashed inside to see if her plane had arrived. Just then she came out of the gate, picked up her luggage and we were on our way. And awaiting our return was a parking ticket because I had inadvertently parked in a handicap spot. This is something I don't usually do, and I would never intentionally do. I find it tacky and lazy. That and I was shocked that with the stigma of the ticket was a $300 fine.

***Fast forward to June 4th 2008, the day I am to go to court and plead guilty with an explanation. I was fairly confident - I had a copy from the weather archives for that day as well as photographs taken immediately upon discovery of the ticket, the pictures revealing the sign was indeed covered with snow. My intentions were to plead to the judge that it was a horrible mistake and not something I would ever do nor would I ever do again. Surely justice would note that I was sincere and not one that parks in spots designated for others. There wouldn't be any hostility or resentment.
Unless of course one of the clerks in the courtroom is confined to a wheelchair and does not have use of his legs. During others' explanations of their parking situations, he remained quiet, as most of the other infractions dealt with overnight parking. And when it was my turn - he certainly became vocal - questioning the validity of my reasoning, his voice dripping with disgust and cynicism.

Health Canada is suggesting your children are a bunch of monkeys:

I really must stop writing about food

It would seem that I have unpopular food preferences. Tim Horton's does not carry the Raspberry tea and the Vegetable sandwich has been removed from the menu. The Great Canadian Bagel features a cream cheese of the month, and apparently I was the only one that enjoyed the Spicy Black Bean flavour as it has never been available again (and this was 10 years ago). Another food favourite that has been disappeared is boysenberry yogurt. Oh, and PC's 10 Bean Soup / Salad has gone the way of the dodo.

I guess this has been occurring throughout my life, and not only with food and drink. Go-bots were my toy of choice, and in my defense, they came out before Transformers, which to me were simply copycats. And do they print Choose Your Own Adventure books anymore?

Today truly is a day of significant people. On a radio program this afternoon, they were discussing Terry Fox and the Marathon of Hope. Terry Fox's legacy is known throughout the world with his attempt to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research, and is among the top 10 most important Canadians ever.
Additionally, today September 12th '07 is the 30th anniversary of Stephen Biko's death, a significant role model in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.

Dolton McGuilty

Nice scare tactic - although there are numerous candidates and the concept of democracy is to vote for your choice - Dalton McGuinty considers this a waste. Any liberal citizen is to vote only for McGuinty's Liberal party, or else the Conservatives win, at least this is his campaign message.

I already had issues with the Premier for so many other reasons, but this really confirms my dislike. I will now be more adamant to vote for any other party over the Liberals.

To use the words of my sister, "Good going douche bag".

My procrastination to getting my laundry completed forced me to wear my Running Room t-shirt out in public. I kept anticipating someone approaching me and telling me, "I don't think it's working for you." phpt

Day Planners, Agendas et al.

How fabulous. My dislike for day planners and other sort of organizational books does not stem from my lack of organization or time management. I get to blame someone else for it! Therefore, my avoidance of such books comes from having a father 'pencil' us (siblings and me) into his schedule for when he could see us. But I guess that's as far as the blame goes. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted.

Shithead

"A woman insists her pet's name belongs on his tombstone even though others say the name is obscene and has no place in a cemetery"

The story is, a woman in Kentucky purchased a plot for both herself and her dog. After the dog passed away, she had the monument erected with the Rat Terrier's name on it. "Shithead". I find it to be a perfectly acceptable name, but that could be because I love the movie The Jerk with Steve Martin.
- You shouldn't call that dog a hero, you should call him Shithead!

Either / Or

What would you rather...?
Witness an example of the sad state of human beings or realize that perhaps you are a wee bit too paranoid?

Situation - At a coffee place, paid and tip was left on the counter. Tip may have gone unnoticed by worker, however, it appeared as though the customer behind me included the 'tip' change as part of his payment.

So what would you rather? Would you rather be paranoid and distrusting, believing that someone could do this sort of thing? Or would you rather accept that some people really are this tacky and pathetic?

I Am That Bitch

Today I transformed into that nasty customer. But to take full responsibility would be greatly inappropriate. It was a combination of circumstances and a novel I've just finished reading [the characters encountered unpleasant customer service]. I was purchasing a bookcase and the one I wanted did not seem to be available. Not wanting to waste a trip, I decided to purchase the smaller one, realizing that either way I could use it or return it. When I removed the bookcase from the shelf, another from behind came tumbling down and hit me. Granted, this is funny, but only because I am squishy.
At the cash register I told the cashier that perhaps they should reconsider how they stock the shelves, especially heavier items above a particular level. Her non-committal attitude infuriated me, prompting me to sneer, "I am okay, thank you for asking".
Really it wasn't a big deal for me. But again, had it been someone else, it could have cause injury and that sucks. Plus I don't want any stupid lawsuits effecting the price of the products at this store.
If only I could shake the slight guilt I have for being snippy with the cashier.

It's Hot!

It's hot!
I can't get cool,
I've drunk a quart of lemonade.
I think I'll take my shoes off
And sit around in the shade.

It's hot!
My back is sticky,
The sweat rolls down my chin.
I think I'll take my clothes off
And sit around in my skin.

It's hot!
I've tried with 'lectric fans,
And pools and ice cream cones.
I think I'll take my skin off
And sit around in my bones.

It's still hot!

Damn Shel Silverstein was the greatest, wasn't he? This treasure is from A Light in the Attic

The Older Generation Always Slagging the Following Generation

I am about to fall into the trap of passing judgement onto the generation that proceeds mine. But I think it's inevitable. One generation always voices concern (possibly even disdain) of the following, younger generation. With what seems like innocence lost at much earlier ages, I believe I have found what was our (my generation's) saving grace:

That's right. The Mini*Pops. Taking the idea of what kids naturally do - imitate singers as they sing along in their bedrooms - and turning it into records. What was so great about this is that the kids were just that- kids. The ages ranged from eight to twelve, therefore they were easily identified with. Conversely, critics accused the producers of The Mini*Pops of child exploitation, claiming the kids wore too much make-up and were singing songs not appropriate for such an age (ie. Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction", The Vapors' "Turning Japanese"). Truthfully my innocence allowed me to be ignorant to any explicit sexual references, and I simply enjoyed dancing to the music as the records played on my sister's record player.

Designer Breeds

First the cockapoo. Then the labradoodle and the goldenpoo (or goldendoodle). And now there's the puggle, shipoo, pomchi and a whole mix of mashed breed names. All formerly known as mixed breeds or even , dare I say, mutts.
But that's not the point. What I'm curious about is why we have not adopted this euphemism into other realms of life. When a interracial couple have a child, could we not just make up a brand new 'race'/name? And it could extend to intercultural children, or children with a range of ethnic backgrounds. Let's embrace this idea and imagine how quaint the world would be! Designer children with designer ethnic hertiage!
But then the question remains, who gets to make up these fun and quirky names? And what then happens if two (separate) designer-bred children then produce their own offspring?

Brave New World?

I was listening to the radio the other day and the topic of discussion was children and the workplace. This remarkably startling story was addressing the childcare "industry" in Australia and the practices taken by companies. In contrast to maternity leaves and such, companies now are offering bonuses and such for childless employees. There was a woman that was to move away for a year to work and only be allowed to see her family periodically, and never be in contact with her family during company time. All of this for the sake of more money.

But really this wasn't the startling thing to me. What creeped me out was the use of the Robby, a household robot that aids in childcare and rearing. These things are even in daycares. It would seem that parents are too tired for the 'tedious' task of caring for their children and must rely on a robot to do so. Immediately I began to think of the psychology experiment conducted years ago in which the need for tactile comfort from a 'mother' is needed:

" infant rhesus monkeys preferred surrogate mother objects providing contact comfort (frames covered with a terry cloth surface) to those providing nourishment (bare wire frames featuring a nipple and milk supply)."

And that's why the idea of a Robby concerns me. I'm not a person preaching about 'the wonders of childbirth' (how would I know?) but I do think that we should invest our own time to care for the children that are here.

if this seems all too cluttered - blame the humidity

Unwell or Unfit?

Yes, I laugh at farts. They don't even have to be my own and I seem to get amusement from the sound of them. And although this bit of information is not vital nor is it even relevant to the anecdote I am about to tell, it somehow speaks about my character and demonstrates exactly why I am sharing this info.
The last day or so I have been rather sick. Including the projectile vomiting that is so uncontrollable it is hard to catch my breath. And now as I begin to recover, I'm noticing the muscles in my stomach are aching. So the question is: are my stomach muscles achy from a bout of violent lurches and upheavals, or am I really that out of shape?

WestFest

This weekend was WestFest, "Westboro Village's Festival of Music, Art & Life". Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, I decided to go check it out on Saturday. It should be noted that I actually walked there. Not very significant for most I'm sure, but considering it's me we're talking about, well that speaks volumes. It reach the main stage at WestFest was just a little over 2 miles. But definitely worth it. As I arrived, Jason Collett was starting his performance. Because I did go later in the day, I did miss some of the other attractions, other performers, photographers, artists and a whole lot more. It was a tiring experience as I also went to the grocery store on my way home. Yup, a combination of a backpack full of groceries resting on the back in very warm weather can drain the energy. And although Kieran did behave wonderfully at the festival, walking down Scott proved to be quite a challenge with the numerous rabbits that would become statutes not 10 feet away. Way to build arm muscles.

Hopefully I will be in Ottawa next year to enjoy WestFest'08 in its entirety.

Age-induced paranoia

At what age does the mind step over the line between a touch of madness to fully cracked? Or can it always be a sign of an unglued mind? Perhaps it is simple frustration that mistakes are being made and time is limited.

At the grocery store an elderly woman exhaustively explains that the pie she has purchased is mislabelled and this is her second attempt to remedy the situation. She tells the cashier it is not a cherry pie, but rather a fruit pie. After calling the manager as per her request she continues her diatribe about the inconvenience of taking numerous buses just because of this mistaken pie incident. After the manager approaches she then takes it to another level, proclaiming that because this is the second time this has happened to her, all of the pies are mislabelled and surely the result of a person's "sick joke".

It really drains the energy when you discover that people you know do things uncharacteristic. To the point of why you even bother trying to remain in contact with this person, or how you even could want to remain in contact. Maybe it's the weather (sunny yet cool) but I don't like many people today. Present company excluded of course.