Update...and no cable!

       Well, I've been to three zumba classes now and am still loving it. It is hard though. I can barely walk to my car after. Two girls as big as me were at the last class. Not sure if they will come back or not, they didn't look like they were into it.

     But the big news of the day is....we went ahead and finally cut off the cable today. That's right, no more TV. I am hoping this will free up the time I need to get other things done. Other things that, in the end, are more important than sitting in front of a TV. I look forward to reading....and writing. Training the dogs more. All sorts of things that I wish I was doing as I am sitting in front of the TV. I think all the camping this year spoke to us a bit, taught us we can live with out the stupid thing.

    We'll see how it goes. We might be stark raving mad in a month.....

Is my left earlobe sweating?

       I went to my first zumba class last night. Actually it was the inaugural zumba class for any of the five YMCA's in my city. Apparently there was a shortage of qualified instructors, but now a zumba instructor school has opened up in Calgary and there are classes popping up everywhere.

      So my niece and I went to see what all the fuss was about. I am not sure what I was expecting. The description says: An invigorating class that involves dance moves set to a Latin moves that last 45 minutes. This class will get you moving and sweating to the Latin rhythm in an environment full of fun, energy and easy to follow choreography, regardless of fitness level. Now doesn't that sound like fun? Doesn't that sound easy?

     I should sue them for false advertising! Eh, to be truthful, if I was one of the skinny 20 year olds in the class I probably would have loved it. My niece loved it! But hauling my big arse around the floor was quite the challenge. I think I lost 20 pounds in sweat.

      It was good to start with the very first class, because the instructor showed us the steps in detail. At the beginning of the class we learned the merengue, the salsa, and the chacha, all dances that are fairly easy. I had hope; the class seemed to be living up to its fun description. Then we had to embellish the steps with hip sways and fancy arm movements, and that's where I got lost. I looked over and my niece was laughing hysterically at me. While everyone else was flowing and swaying through the moves with delicate, fluid motions akin to flowers moved by a gentle breeze, I was hammering the moves out with military precision. I was jolting my hips around like I was a hockey player in the Stanley Cup. And she had the nerve to think it was funny.

     We finished the first dance and I refrained from collapsing on the floor. My ever-wise niece looks at me as I stood doubled over and huffing and asks, "You feeling it yet?". Not able to speak, I grimaced out a smile and checked the time. Four minutes had gone by. I gurgled a little, but the next dance had started and people were starting to stare. Military presicion or not, I soldiered on. Ten minutes into it I realized the class description was a pack of lies meant to lure you into the torture chamber. This wasn't a fun dance class! This was.....horror of horrors...an aerobics class! We were doing similiar moves as those in the water aerobics class, but there was no water! As least with water aerobics you knew what you were getting into. Water. And aerobics. Nowhere in the description of zumba does it say anything about aerobics. And I am surprised I am surprised by this. What the heck was I expecting? Some Ricky Martin type character swinging me around the dance floor while Enrique Iglesias crooned from the corner....wait, that was a dream I had. Disregard. Ehem.

     The problem with it being the inaugural class was that there was alot of people standing outside the glass watching us, including other YMCA employees. A few times I thought they were going to come through the class to rescue me. But no, they let me suffer. The instructor did have mercy on us fatties and showed us some 'alternate steps' to some songs that were particularly quick. She said, "if the beat is too fast for you, go ahead and just point and tap, point and tap". I was sure I heard a collective sigh of relief from  the victims audience. Ha, I wasn't the only one struggling. We were all in this together. I know I heard a collective giggle at one point, and it wasn't aimed at me! We were flailing along to a song that had a 90 degree hop-turn in it, after which we were required to slap our butts and swing an imaginary lasso, while doing some provocative hip thrusts. All in fun, right? One young lady stops and asks, "what's the alternate move for this? Because it's just not appropriate." I admit, I joined in the giggle. And resisted the urge to tell her to go back to her church, she's missing the Harry Potter book burning scheduled for tonight.

     Eventually I hit the wall. I got this weird body shiver and I had to stop, my muscles got all confused and I couldn't process what the instructor wanted me to do. I checked the time: 29 minutes. Aha! So here is where working out on the elliptical for exactly 30 minutes was biting me in the arse. My body was like, yay, that's it, pack it in, we're done for the day...another successful wor....wait, what? We're not done? WHAT?

     My niece had edged closer and was looking at me with what she probably though was an encouraging smile....I  gave her my best grimace and tried to join in. After three minutes or so, my body stopped fighting me and I began flailing around again. And...miracles of miracles, I finished the class! 45 minutes! YAY!

     I felt pretty good about it. My first honest to god aerobics class in many, many years. And today, I still feel pretty good about it. A few sore muscles, but no lasting damage. My foot doesn't hurt any more than usual. I could actually keep up with all those aerobics-going skinny minnys. Will I go back? Probably. If only to be the amusement for my niece. And even if the instructor promised more new dance moves next week. I'm kind of curious what other latin dances I can ruin with military precision.

     And I guess I won't even sue.

I have a human rights issue!

     I spent a bit of time this morning writing to most of the candidates for our upcoming Mayoral election to find out their stand on the one issue I have with the city...public transportation - mainly the taxi industry and lack of cabs in the city. In doing so I stumbled on an old sore spot with me - Donna Martyn.

     Donna Martyn is a citizen of my city who happens to be in a wheelchair....no big deal, I'm sorry for her bad luck, but it shouldn't really be of interest to me. But Donna Martyn entered my scope of knowledge when she successfully sued the city and three cab companies for better service for wheelchair bound people. The story goes like this.

     One day, Donna phones one of the cab companies. She is told that no wheelchair accessible cabs are available for her right now, and she would have to wait for up to three hours for one to come. She was also told about the wheelchair accessible cab's phone-ahead program, where handicapped people are encouraged to phone a couple of days ahead and book a cab for their trip ahead of time. Well, this was not good enough for Donna. She didn't understand why she shouldn't be able to just pick up the phone and order a cab, like any other citizen. So she went ahead and started a Human Rights lawsuit, saying that not being able to get a cab on demand was against her Human Rights as a handicapped person. She sued the city for not making sure cab companies had enough wheelchair accessible cabs, and she sued three cab companies that didn't have enough wheelchair accessible cabs for her liking. And she won. Because of her lawsuit, 40 wheelchair accessible cabs were added to the three major cab companies.

     Now, maybe Donna is right, and she should be able to just pick up the phone and have a cab to her door in 20 minutes. But my point is....I can't get a cab in 20 minutes in this city! I know someone who was trying to get a cab home from a grocery store on a random Thursday, 4pm, and couldn't get one. And anyone who has been to the major drinking spots knows that when the bars close for the night, you're on your own. Phoning a cab company, if you can even get through, will result in being told there is no cabs available in that area, and you should try to flag one as best you can. Wait, isn't that what our friend Donna was told? No cabs were available? So why can't I get anyone at city hall or any of the cab companies to listen to MY complaint? It's the same as Donna's. It's because I'm not in a wheelchair, I guess.

      So why isn't the Human Rights Commission for the everyday person? Why do you have to be wheelchair bound, blind, an ethnic minority, muslim, or all of the above for them to take your case? Maybe I should sue the Human Rights Commission because it's against my human rights that I get overlooked because I don't travel on wheels.

       I guess this kind of relates to my post from yesterday, where I was so shocked to learn that a single man may have changed the location of the ground zero mosque by threatening to burn the koran. I was so surprised by his success because in this city, unless you are already in a minority or small interest group of some kind, you are completely ignored. I know it's not only my city. I don't understand how we came to be this way as a society. Of course, I don't understand alot about society....

    For interest's sake, one of the candidates asked me exactly what my concern was. Here's my reply to him:

Hi Daryl,


The issue is, plain and simple, there are not enough cabs in this city.


The number of plates for cabs has been frozen for well over ten years. That means no new cabs. Two things are wrong with this. First, the formula used to calculate how many cabs are necessary is used by almost every city in the world – it’s an antiquated formula and alot of those cities are under different circumstances than Edmonton. They have better public transport, more condensed work areas, not so much urban sprawl. Every city is different, and it’s hard to understand how a blanket formula can be used. Second, the city has grown so much. With the oil boom, how much has the city’s population grown in the last ten years? According to Edmonton.ca, between 2001 and 2008, the population grew by almost 200,000. It seems odd that this doesn’t mean more cabs are allowed to run.


And so I ask, why aren’t more cabs allowed to run? A study paid for by the city was done about two years ago, and concluded that the city was in desperate need of more cabs. In answer to that study, only 40 wheelchair accessible cabs were added. No problem there, handicapped need cabs too. But are these cabs taking normal trips, doing the bar runs, etc., or are they spending all their time dealing with handicapped? If yes, then basically no cabs were added. That does nothing to appease everyone else who needs a cab. I am not talking about Friday and Saturday nights on Whyte Ave. I am talking about my mother picking up groceries on a Thursday at 4 pm and having to wait 50 minutes for a cab. On a random Thursday. But, while we are mentioning Whyte Ave, I will point out that it’s the lack of cabs that is leading to all the problems there. When the bars close at 2am and all the drinkers are poured into the streets, they couldn’t clear the area even if they wanted to, because there are no cabs. If there were cabs, all the drunks would happily go home to nurse their well-earned hangovers. A few months ago I read an article that said drunk driving had spiked in the city. Guess why? No cabs. I know people who drive after a few too many because they can not get a cab.


But I am getting off topic – the question was, why aren’t more cabs allowed to run? Why aren’t more licenses released? When our current Mayor was asked this question, he said, basically, that he defers to the wisdom of the Taxi Commission. It’s their job to know the issue, they have studied it, and that’s why they exist. It was the Taxi Commission who okay’d only 40 wheelchair licenses. You see, there is an urban myth that taxi drivers are all broke immigrants who make no money. StatsCan says the average income for a taxi driver is around $18,000 a year. The Taxi Commission bases its decisions on this myth and claims taxi drivers are broke, and so will not allow more cabs to be added. Well, I say this reported annual income is a myth because I have worked in the taxi industry and I have driven a taxi. I KNOW how much drivers really make, how they under report their income to Revenue Canada. I have attended driver meetings where new drivers are given instructions on how to report their income, and have seen them being told that they have to do it to maintain the status quo. That if even one driver does not do it, the system will be ruined for everyone. My best day as a driver, I earned $320. Now that was not every day, I admit to that. But the Taxi Commission claiming it can’t add more cars because the drivers don’t make enough is a farce that anyone who has worked in the taxi knows, plain and simple.


I say to you that the Taxi commission is corrupt and caters too much to the drivers. This commission was originally put in place as a citizen’s group that addressed the public’s interest in Edmonton’s taxi industry. If it was still this way, there would be more cabs on the streets, no doubt, because not a single person denies there is a need for more cabs. But it’s not this way anymore. It’s now populated by people put there by the city’s taxi companies and taxi drivers, and has lost the point of its existence. It no longer sees to the best interests of the public, but rather it sees to the best interests of the taxi driver.


I say to you that the Mayor is terrified of both the drivers and the Taxi Commission. If he dares say or do anything against their wishes, they lead the drivers into a strike or a one day demonstration that sees lines of cabs blocking roads and causing traffic to snarl. Instead of standing up to them and pulling or suspending the license of any driver who is involved in such instances, which is what he should do, he backs down and caters to them. If the necessity of more cabs is going to be met in this city, the Mayor has to stand up to the Taxi commission.


I want to know if you, as Mayor, are going to be able to do that, so that more cabs can be added, which will help with other issues in the city, such as Whyte Avenue hooliganism.


I hope I haven’t taken too much of your time, this got away from me a little bit, lol. You must be very busy, so I appreciate your response and hope you take this letter for how it’s meant; a concerned citizen who doesn’t want her mother to wait in a snowstorm for 50 minutes with a cart full of groceries.

     Ha, I'm afraid this makes me come across as a crazy person! What do you think? Do I come across as a raving lunatic? Or an informed, concerned citizen?

A thought on the 'burning the Koran' scandal

       As I have said before, there is no way I would have ever classified myself as a predujice person. I hung out with the 'different' kids no one else would in school. I never cared that it meant I was not part of the 'in' crowd. It just never bothered me.

       I will say, first, that I thought a muslim temple built on the ground of the world trade centre was a horrible idea. It was like rubbing salt in the wound. But it was mainly because I thought the US people would not accept it. I figured someone would just blow the place up as soon as it was done. And I wondered why it wasn't stopped.
    
        Anyway, back to my story. I was surprised when I became exposed to Muslims through working at my friend's company. When the company started out, everyone was one big happy family. It seemed most of the people were generally happy to have a job and had a lot of respect for the management team, my friend included. Now, four years later, everything has changed. They make impossible demands on management, and then say if they are not met, they will strike. They say THEY run the company. We have to do what THEY say. They don't understand democracy or the voting process. They use mob style tactics to get people fired and things done their way. They threaten others in their own community who don't follow. They distrust all authority figures, like police.

     But most of all, I am surprised by the level of hate they have for us. During Ramadan, one told the office girls that they should all be wearing burkas, and when they take over the company, that will be the required dress code. When told that was sexual harrassment, they threatened people until it was buried. That's just one example of how they think we are lesser to them.

       The management team is scared sometimes. There was a point where they had to hire dog-wielding security guards. By now, they are all wondering if this company is worth it. Probably next year, they will close the company. I don't think a single one of them will ever work with a muslim again, and, sadly, this includes me. My mind has put them in a different category. So now, if anyone asks me if I am a predujice person, I would have to answer yes. I don't like muslims.

     I could go on and on, but I want to address the point of this entry, the Christian pastor who is considering burning the koran. When I first heard about it, and about people from all over the US sending him a koran to burn, I didn't think much of it. I thought, turnabout is fair play. They burn our flags, bibles, and leaders in effigy all the time. But then the muslim world started to protest, and I got a little angry. I thought, here they go again, using mob mentality, screaming and hollering, to get what they want. And I thought, maybe it might be good to show them not everyone is tolerant of them anymore. Burn the stupid book.

     And then they said the pastor might not burn the koran if they relocate the temple planned for the world trade centre site. And....I was shocked. There is no other word for it. It took my breath away. This one man.....ONE MAN....had the power to change something the government was not willing to do. ONE MAN stood up. In a world where we placidly sit on our asses and shake our fists at the tv news, or grumble to each other over the water cooler when we hear the government has taken away some funding or some right that affects us, here was ONE MAN who made an impact. It didn't even really matter to me what it was about, only that one man had gotten results.

    Wow. Really...wow. Can we please take this as inspiration that the squeaky wheel still gets the grease, no matter how small it is? Can we please get off our apathetic butts and show the government that there are issues we need addressed?

     I am going to try to be better about getting involved in issues I mentally support but don't do anything about. Yip, starting right now, today. Tonight when I watch the news, I'm gonna shake TWO fists at the tv!

Up in the Air - Major Spoilers Below!

       Saw this movie on PPV last night. I remembered it had good reviews from most people who saw it, but had bad reviews from critics because it was too predictable. I thought I would give it a try and started watching it, but it was on late so I figured I would just record the last half and watch it tomorrow. That way, it wouldn't interfere with my precious sleep.

     I never budged an inch. Neither did SO. Watched the whole thing. Never even twitched toward the record button. We were captivated. Definitely one of the best movies of the year. Definitely my kind of movie...a rich, dark comedy, but not stupid like Something About Mary.

     George Clooney is just so damn watchable in it. Well, everyone was, actually. Such wonderful, rich characters that you instantly knew. Clooney plays Ryan, a man who travels 11 months of the year for his work. He considers the skies, airports and planes his home. At first, you think, ah, this is going to be a movie about some cynical old guy who regrets he never settled down, never got married, never had kids. You quickly realize that it's not the case, because Ryan is happy. When he says, this is my home, meaning his lifestyle, you believe him. He loves his life the way it is, so much so that he fights his boss to keep doing what he is doing. He doesn't consider himself lonely. He even has a guest lecture circuit that he does where he teaches people how not to have baggage in their lives. He tells them, don't hang on to things, to people, because then you have to deal with their baggage. Very interesting. A very exciting outlook on life, and one I could embrace.

     The whole plot setup is ripe for a 'aha' moment, when Ryan will see that he needs people and relationships in a stable way, not just people he meets once and will never see again. The plot is definitely predictable as heck. You can see it coming like a train, chugging along to its undeniable conclusion.

      And suddenly the train is there and you see that yes, you were right. There are about three plot points that are easy to guess. But the final bit, the bit where Ryan is supposed to grow as a character and come to the dawning realization....it's there too. But, it was there in a different way than we thought. Instead of falling in love, or helping his family deal with some crisis, or having a crisis himself, he comes to the conclusion by failing at love.

    And that was the amazing thing to me. He didn't end up happy with the girl, making up for lost time in his relationship karma. He ended up hurt and rejected. And THAT made him realize that he needed something more from relationships. Wow, that sounds odd. Hard to explain. It just seemed more believable to me, the way he came to the conclusion. I was left with an overwhelming sadness for him, even though it wasn't a sad movie. I found myself shedding a few tears even.

     Anway, see it if you haven't. It's a great movie. If you have seen it, let me know what you thought.

Wrap up to summer?

     I hate to say it, or think it....but summer is almost done. Today, high of 28. Tomorrow, 16, and Saturday 11! Still, it's bad summer is ending, but it's good too. I can get back to normal.... as normal as I get, that is.

     We have literally spent every single weekend at the new campsite. Every chance we get we are there. The house is neglected. The garden has been taken over by rampaging herds of slugs. The motorbike sputters pathetically and gives me a weak flash of headlight when I try to start it. The TV won't play because the satellite has been moved by some windstorm - we have no idea how long it's been out. And the cat. Oh, the poor cat. Anytime we are actually home he never lets us out of his sight. He follows us, crying his hoarse, cracked meow, desperate for attention. He dives at the door every time we move toward it in a desperate attempt to block our leaving. Poor guy.

     So, it's good. Now we can pat pat the cat and tell him..."only a couple weekends left. Then we'll be trapped in here with you for the whoooole loooong winter."

      *Shudder.*

      And it's good for me personally, too. The instructor from the writing retreat I attended in May reached out to me to see how I was doing with my project. She emailed me in the middle of June. I replied 3 days ago, which was the first day I had my home computer on in.... well, since a week after that retreat. Almost three months of no TV, computer (well except at work), housework, yardwork, or writing. I am definitely looking forward to getting back at the writing. It's itching at me....and I think I have finally figured out how to correct that plot issue.

     The campground has made this the best summer ever. Ever. It has been a great retreat from the world, and we have had unspeakable amounts of fun. (I plan to go back and fill in some summer posts with pics and such, once I get settled. I will backdate them, but will also mark each one BackPost. Then it's doesn't seem so much like I am cheating). We have worked hard and played hard out there.

     I hope we get one more really nice weekend out there. Obviously it isn't going to be this one, but maybe the long weekend will surprise us. History shows it can go either way. I remember the year of the Bryan Adams concert in Red Deer, where it snowed so bad the people attending couldn't drive back to the city. And I also remember the year we took our bikes for an overnight drive to the mountains, and it was so hot and beautiful we stayed an extra two days. Just one more, just to make a nice end to a great summer. And if not, so be it. It has been a great summer...but there's always next year. So let's lift our glasses and toast a wonderful summer, and hope next year finds us all doing the same!

I played chicken with the train.....

     A giant car-sized sinkhole opened up on one of the roads I take to work each day. The city has sworn up and down that it will be fixed within one week. Oddly enough, everybody laughed long and hard, knowing full well this city doesn't do anything fast. It will be a miracle if it was fixed in that time frame.

     Consequently, I decided I will take the transit, more specifically the new LRT, to work everyday until it's fixed. Well, the LRT isn't new, but the station on my end of town is. It's been open for two months now. So hey, I thought I would give it a try. Is it easier/faster to drive to the station and take the LRT than it is to drive all the way downtown and park?

     First I need to remind all my hoards of readers of something. Maybe you didn't know it, but I was an avid bus taker for years and years. I diligently took the bus from my house for a 50 minute ride all the way downtown and back after work. Yip. Froze my ass off in the winter and starved for oxygen on the hot days of summer. Frustrated at late buses, no seats (standing for almost an hour sucks), filthy seats smelling of puke and ketchup. Sick all the time from being exposed to everybody's coughs, colds, and germs. That was me. My stomach still turns when I remind myself of the anger and stress I felt every day. 

     I did my time and I was more than happy to switch my committment to driving. Anything was better. Traffic tie-ups, accidents, trains in the way....I happily sat in my car and sang along to the radio and reminded myself it could be worse, I could be on the bus. The drive can take 35 minutes in summer to the same 50 as taking the bus in the winter, or longer, so it wasn't really about making the trip faster. It was just...quieter, less stressful for me.

     But the new LRT station intrigued me. There it was, right there, only 10 minutes away. Not a crowded, smelly, germ-infested bus, but a shiny new train, all air-conditioned and clean. Maybe the combination of driving a bit and taking the train a bit would lessen the stress I felt when taking the bus the whole way. So I thought, here is a perfect opportunity to try it. So I did, and have been for two whole days.

     First, the parking lot is a gravel pit, and not even a particularly well groomed one. No way I could bring the bike and park it there. Second, and most surprisingly, it's no faster. It takes about 40 minutes to drive, park, get on the train and get downtown. Third, it took me longer to get home. Leaving the parking lot after work was a nightmare. It was like trying to get out of Northlands after a concert. Very slow. Why doesn't the parking lot have more than two exits? Don't ask me.

     Those are my first impressions, and all are negative. Right now I would say that I am not going to switch. I'll see if that opinion changes by the time they get the sink hole fixed.

bin laden hunter arrested

     So an american has been arrested in Pakistan because he had a bunch of weapons and went there to hunt Bin Laden. He claimed God was on his side and he was going to collect the $25 million price that was on Bin Laden's head.

      His passport showed he had traveled there no less than seven times to try to get the job done. This is the first time he was caught.

     Why is this newsworthy to me? I guess I just thought it was funny. One guy trying to do what all the american army can not. Well, they can't because the government, theirs and Pakistan's, won't allow it....no doubt in my mind they know where Bin Laden is, but they choose to protect him for reasons unknown. If I was a real conspiracy theorist, I would be able to list many reasons why the two governments are hiding/protecting him, but I'm not, so...I'm not.

     I do wonder though if this guy would have made eight trips over there if there was not a price to collect. People do strange things and when the prize gets as high as $25 million...sheesh!

It's all in the cards

     What a most interesting experience I had last night!

     First a little background. So here I am in Canmore on a writer's retreat. What can I say about it? It's been helpful in alot of ways, but a waste of time in someways too. The leader, Chrissy, is supposed to help us through are writing problems. On coming, I told her my problem was really just a lack of organization, I had lots and lots written. She told me I would be her first fiction writer client but she could help. And on Friday, the first day, she did help. We did a 'target audience' exercise that I can do myself for everything I write that is very focusing. We talked about what is stopping me from finishing anything and getting published, and I think I had a few epiphany-type moments. Mostly I sit in my room by myself and write (which is not necessarily a bad thing).

     Then Saturday came. You see originally there was supposed to be five of us on this retreat, but one lady cancelled, another came for only the day, etc.. It seems like people have been coming and going all over the place. I guess Chrissy, who is young and just starting her business out, was feeling lonely or something, because on Saturday her friends started to show up. Saturday after lunch we were supposed to get together to talk about outlining. I phoned and phoned her room but there was no answer. Finally we got together, but it was a complete waste of time. She was focused on a blackberry chat she was having with someone and on facebook. She was not hearing what I was saying (I know what this looks like) and repeating questions she hadn't heard me answer because she had been distracted. I was frustrated and left her home; I was ready to leave for home. Didn't get much writing done, but I talked myself into sticking around. When we got together for supper, Chrissy and her friend had been into the wine already and Chrissy was sporting nice reddish tan lines she had not had Friday.


     Yep. I was stuck in my room nursing a pity party and they were out sitting in the sun visiting. I was a little pissed. At supper myself and the other guest felt like third wheels. Chrissy and her friend dominated the conversation gossiping about their friends and speaking in code about this person or that event, followed by girly giggling. I resolved to leave after supper. Chrissy was obviously not mature enough to be running a company of this magnitude. She was too young. I would be happy to move on, taking with me the few excellent points and exercises I had gleaned from Chrissy the day before.


      And then the supper conversation changed, revolved around Personal Best, Healing, self motivation, repatterning neural pathways, lots of stuff I have never believed in because I have never been exposed to it. All three of the people I was with were into it. Two were nurses who were in to alternative medicine and healing techniques, both had projects Chrissy was overseeing on the subject. I was the only one there who did not have a university degree. Why were these smart, intelligent (albeit young) women into this stuff? Curiosity got the better of me and I started to ask questions.

     And here is where we get into the most interesting experience. Turns out Chrissy's friend reads tarot cards, and offered to do so for me. Well of course I went for it, always interested in a new experience.

     And I was amazed. Floored. Shocked. Moved.

     She told me to ask myself a question that I didn't have to tell her, and then she read the cards. I asked myself, 'Am I really going to die at 44 years old?' This has been a belief of mine for the past 4 years, since the scare that made me quit smoking and caffeine for good. So I asked it. And the cards that came up answered it. One of the main cards that came up was 'Your prayers are answered', which meant it was already taken care of. Already done. It's done. Stop worrying about it, I was told. Other cards told me to let go of fear. Take care of my inner child and stop mothering her, she's in a safe place. She's safe, stop worrying. Already taken care of. I could feel the weight lifting. Then, out of the two decks, I had three jumper cards. Basically when I was shuffling some cards boxed, and she said they were significant and pulled them out. Two of them were the same, which, she said, was unheard of. Two were the friendship card, the third was new love. In my case we took it as rebirth of friendship. A very significant message. I need to let go of old friends who no longer give me the support I need, and embrace the new ones that are coming into my life right now to support me now. The old friendships are stale and I need to let them go no matter how scary it is. There will be new people there. This message went straight to my heart.

     What an interesting point to get when me and SO are starting to drift apart more and more. We are learning to do our own things and that has never happened before. I have been thinking more and more about how I would do things around the house on my own. I even went on this retreat thinking, this is a good opportunity for me to prove to myself I can eat well and exercise while on my own. And then I got this message, and I felt it. Felt it, go straight through me.

      And I don't know what else to say about it. I am talking about a life change that will shake up alot of lives to the core. Will I do it? At this point I don't know, but again, I can feel change coming. Big time. And now, for the first time, I am looking forward to it.

Nickelback concert in review

      I really don't understand how these guys got on all the haters' lists. They have great foot stomping tunes and they have an awesome live show, although it wasn't what I expected at all.

      The show was surprisingly not really about their music. They played their hits of course, but they also played snippets of other tunes just to get the crowd singing - songs that everyone knew. They interacted with the audience ALOT. The stage show visual was amazing. There was more pyrotechnics and fireworks than any other show I have ever seen, and let's face it, I've seen alot of shows.

     I have read reviews of concerts where the journalist has said things like, "...and the lead singer was able to achieve an intimacy with the crowd that gave the show that small barroom feel...", but last night was the first time I ever felt it. Kroeger laughed, joked, told stories, drank with us, made us sing and jump. By the end of it I felt I knew him, and not just him, the whole band. He was so personable and just so....casual. That is a truly unbiased opinion because, unlike other lead singers that strut their manly charisma and have the girls swooning, he's not that good looking and really doesn't have a huge stage presence, so I don't have concert lust to mar my opinion. Half of me is convinced he's gay, because of the way he moved and talked. Which is neither here nor there or course, but I was pretty shocked at first. So even though his rock star charisma is the lowest I have ever seen, he was still able to manipulate the entire audience into falling for him. By the end, if he had told us all to jump off the High Level, there would have been 15,000 bodies in the river in the morning.

     So how did he do it? I don't know exactly, I'm still in shock. The whole thing was an entertaining show, not just a rock concert. The music was almost secondary to his little stage performance. It was just so different from anything out there right now in the rock concert scene. It reminded me a bit of the old Grand Ole Opry shows my parents used to take me to. Guy tells a joke, plays a tune, gets the crowd to sing along....night passes quickly and you feel like you've been entertained for two hours.

     I couple of days ago, I read an article about a 43year old lady, married with two kids, who saw the band in 2005 and has been concert-chasing them ever since. In that time she has seen over 40 of their concerts, leaving her family behind and following them all over north america and now Canada. She says she does it because the show blew her away so much. As you may know I have done a bit of concert chasing for certain bands in my day. If a band I like is on a Canadian tour I might see them here, then Calgary, Grand Prairie, maybe Red Deer, all pretty close locations. But I have also flown to Toronto, Detroit, Vancouver, Chicago all in the name of music. But Australia? That is a whole different level of commitment. Financially I just would not do it. So when I heard about this lady, I wondered what in the heck the big deal was. And now I know.

        This band's live show is....undescribably awesome, and I congratulate the band for doing something different and original.

     Of course, SO hated it because it wasn't your standard traditional concert, which brings me back to the first sentence of this blog. WHYYYYYY do people love to hate this band? Someone said haters are haters so they are going to hate, but this hater movement seems to have really built. Everyone is quick to say they hate them, because eveyone else does, yet this band is the most successful north american band since 2000. All their shows are old out. Their records have sold 27 million copies. They were second in gross profit in the 2000-2010 decade only to, if you can believe it, the beatles.....uh, maybe that's it. Maybe the US crowd just isn't ready for a change this drastic if they have not let go of the beatles yet.

     I have no explanation that makes sense. All I know is, I'll be there when they come back to town. Without SO - anyone want to see a concert with me? Obviously I'll have to find a new partner for this one.

Agility class

      Well I said I would volunteer for the Regional Dog agility championships in June, so to train me for that I was asked to volunteer for two other events, one in the middle of May and one on the past weekend.
     Thank the stars I was smart enough to only volunteer for the one day. That one day looked like this:

     Yes folks, that's your typical Alberta May snowstorm. Normally they happen at the beginning of May, and very rarely appear after the long weekend. But this guy snuck in the very last days in May, just to prove the unpredictability of Mother Nature, or to make me freeze my ass off, I'm not entirely sure which. But wow, was it a cold day. Only about plus three all day.

     I felt really bad for the poor dogs standing on the line shivering their fur off while their master walked around in winter boots, gloves, toques, and a snow jacket. It really wasn't fair to them. Dogs were slipping on wet icy gear, getting hurt, and owners who were running around were slipping on muddy patches and hurting themselves. Did they call the event off? No way.

      I promised myself right then I would never run Wizard in those conditions. I don't know how anyone would consider otherwise. But people are strange - the eight bucks it cost to enter their dog was suddenly a fortune they weren't going to lose.

      Here is a pic SO snapped of us last night at training class. Nice and warm and dry inside. As far as I am concerned all events should be inside...especially in Alberta.

It's Friday!!!

     And the best kind of friday, the one before holiday! YAY! So I remind my teems of loving fans and followers, there won't be any posts starting tomorrow for a week. I look forward to updating you with hundreds of pics when I return.

     Can't wait to try out the new camera. This will be it's first official trip. I debated long and hard on if it was really necessary to tow all my gear along, but then I thought two things. First, as I thought of each lens, I thought of a scenario which might require it. Second, I thought, you know, at some point I better get used to carrying the whole thing. So off I go with all my gear, and pray I don't lose any bits.

     As much as I am looking forward to both concerts we are seeing, I am really looking forward to doing some winery tours. I've always wanted to, and this is the perfect opportunity. I plan to be wine-sloshed at least one day lol.

     Besides that, I hope everything goes okay. For the amount I fly, I am not a good flyer at all. It's a necessary evil. Most people who fly are happy each time they have a trouble-free flight, but not me. I see each successful flight as lowering my odds of the next one being the same. The more I fly, the chance of something going wrong grows. Like cars; they say everyone has an accident in their lifetime, so each year you drive accident free, you increase the chance of the next year being one in which you have an accident. Makes perfect sense to me.

     So all I can do is get on the plane with fingers and toes crossed.....

Mixed up addictions.

     SO and I are both in rush  to get things done before we leave for a week's holiday on Friday. Today was the day MIL was to be in town for a long awaited doctor's appointment in regards to her painful back. SO and I decided a little while ago to accompany MIL to her appointments and such, as she was finding it tough to find locations or ask all the questions that should be asked. We thought, eh, one of us will just go with her.

       Well, I don't get on too well with MIL, but SO had to finish payroll so I volunteered to take the morning off work and go senior sitting. Well, we got to the doctor's office, and MIL and I approach the nurse station. And things went bad...the conversation went something like this:

"MIL here for a 10 am appointment with Dr. Doctor please."
"Oh, Dr. Doctor doesn't work today. He only works Thursdays and Fridays."
"Well I don't know how, I made this appointment three weeks ago and no one said anything. I have it right her in my book....Dr. Doctor, 10 am, May 6th."
"Errrrr...today is the the 5th ma'am. Thursday, that's tomorrow, that'll be the 6th..."

     Ugh. Oh well....it happened, no sense worrying about it. MIL was upset enough as it was, and she felt bad I had taken time off work. I told her ...eh....I got to sleep in lol. Can't cry over spilt milk.  It was upsetting to me too, though, just to think this lady I have known all my life is now getting this old. Scary stuff, old age, how it stops your thought processes from being sensible.

     So we parted ways and I called SO, who is taking the whole day off work tomorrow to do the last minute pre-trip running around, and told her the sad story. I told her since she was off tomorrow, she'd have to go with MIL to doctor's appointment attempt number two. And...SO lost it on me, saying she had plans for tomorrow, that would take hours out of her day, blah blah blah.

      I was like, whatever, I can't take another morning off, you'll have to cope. But the more I thought about it, the more I got pissed. Getting your nails done is more important than this appointment we have been waiting eight months for? Getting jeans for the trip is more important than helping your own mother? Deejaying for SL comes before even your mother now? Shouldn't you be consoling a woman who is trying to deal with the onset of old age and failing miserably? So I blasted her on messenger...which I feel bad about now. Great way to start a holiday.

     But really, I am at a loss as to what to do...SO is getting more and more selfish, more and more just wanting to sit and play on SL. It's really starting to affect things. She is not paying attention to people, or me, when we talk. This incident with her mom could have been averted easily two ways. First, SO sees the same doctor and so knew he only works Thursdays and Fridays. Second, I know at some point MIL told us her appointment was on Thursday, because I remember thinking, oh good, SO is taking that day off so she can go with her. But SO says she doesn't recall that. Just so wrapped up in her own world now. She didn't want to take 15 minutes out of her day to take the dog to school this morning either. It's just more and more all about her...her mind doesn't focus on what's going on in the real world andwhat's going on around her.

     I'm at the point where I want to leave, leave her to her computer and just LEAVE. SO probably wouldn't even notice. Her BF is at that point, too. So, how do you tell someone you think they are a selfish computer addict, who is losing touch with reality, and is going to lose everything if she doesn't smarten up?

ANOTHER new lens??!!

     Gee, I can not understand why my SO now refers to me as a lens whore. Can't be that I bought another lens this weekend, this time the 50mm 1.4......lol.

     Hey, in my defense, I am just following the instructions of the teacher of our photography course, which was...and this may surprise you.....take lots of pictures! In lots of different ways and in lots of different light! Yeah okay, my brain also added, with lots of different lenses!

     Besides, I really wanted this lens before our trip to niagara next week. So I could get some practice in with it. So how much camera equipment is one allowed to take on a plane anyway? Before...I dunno, they tell you you need a crate and a shipping company? Heeheeeeee.....

      I will try to get some pics posted soon!

Today in the life of...

    I generally arrive in the parkade at the same time everyday I work, So I usually park in one of the same group of stalls. It's a ten story parking garage and I am usually on the fifth floor. This morning, as I drove into my spot, I saw a K-9 security team patrolling my floor. By the time , I got parked, got out, got my stuff, and walked down the stairwell, I saw them again, patrolling on the lower floor.

    Now, when I see something like this, I always wonder what has prompted the company to suddenly start such a service, and I wonder for how long it's going to be around.  I am sure, after a few years of parking here and never seeing security, they haven't suddenly decided to provide for the safety of their parkers. It would be quite the expense, I can imagine. Some event must have happened.

     All in all it seems to be a pretty safe parkade, but then I am coming or going when everyone else is coming or going. I have seen a couple of bums sleeping in the elevator rooms, and the stairwells sometimes have evidence of partying like empty bottles, cigarette butt piles, puke stains and the smell of urine. I don't walk around engaged on my cel phone not paying attention to my surroundings. I make sure I acknowledge everything that I see moving and I know what it is.  You can't be stupid about it. There was a woman killed when coming to work, at regular time I might add, in another parkade, only one block away, a few years ago. She parked her van, got out, was approached by two drunk men and forced back into her van, which they then drove away. She was murdered by one while the other drove. That incident is always in the back of your mind.

     So I wonder if, when before the parkade was okay with it's patrons encountering the occasional drunk or stoned individual, now that our parkade has had an incident so dangerous that it has caused them to hire an outside security team, don't they have an obligation to tell their patrons what happened? So we know to be extra vigilant? And for those who are not vigilant now, they will know there is a danger to look out for? It makes sense to me.

     At one time dangerous offenders were released from jail with $50 and a pat on the back. Now, they have to give notice of the possible places they plan to put down roots, so the local police can release the information to the public. And why not? I would do things differently if I knew a 'reformed' rapist was suddenly moving into my neighborhood. You know....wouldn't hold those naked full moon dance parties in the front yard anymore. Cause, that would probably scare the crap out of the guy, not get him all excited....

     Anyway, my point is, if the police have an obligation to inform the public to be extra vigilant, shouldn't the parkade people have the same obligation? Or am I confusing a tax funded company, aka the police, with a private, profit driven company?

My mother, reincarnated...

     I made an error in judgement about a year and a half ago. When we were desperate here at work for a new receptionist, I suggested to my boss that he interview my 30 year old niece. He did, and she was hired. What a nightmare. It was her first office job, and her first full time job. I might add here though that she was the ONLY person interviewed. I like my boss, but, being a typical boss, he can be lazy not thorough at times, so he didn't bother to post the job or interview anyone else. He considered the situation taken care of, and business went on as usual.

     Except, it didn't go on exactly as usual, because my neice, we'll call her Amie, was absolutely horrible at the job. It wasn't a tough job, mind you. It's answering the phones and helping out all the departments with different projects - things like fedexing, mass photocopying, filing, spreadsheeting results, ordering supplies. Alot of different people bring her different things.

     And she couldn't do it. Not because they were difficult, it just seemed like she didn't want to do things correctly. People would take her things to do and have to return the thing to her and re-instruct her again and again. Finally, people stopped bringing her things altogether. No matter how they told her, she was not able to complete the simplest things.

     Why? Not laziness. She just does not care. She spends her whole day texting, facebooking, and such, completely focused on her family and circle of friends. Obsessively. If her husband does not contact her every half an hour, she is worried about him, saying, "Something's happened oh where is he? I haven't heard from him in 30 mins..." If you are giving her instructions on something, "Amie can you order some paper, you know the blue kind, but lighter blue than last time, maybe the kind with....", she will interrupt you to tell you something about her family. "Guess what, Rach got second in her cheer competition and we are going away for Easter..."  When she first did this I thought she was doing it because we are family, but then I realized she does it to EVERYONE in the office.

     And her rate of absenteeism is through the roof. Okay, she has an autistic 6 year old, and she works reduced hours around her daughter's school schedule. My boss has been more than accommodating, reducing her hours worked, believing her when she tells him she is sick or the kids are sick, even though I know she is taking the day off because her husband is home. Finally I told him she doesn't want to be here, but won't quit because then she'll have no excuse to tell her husband. My boss, ever the nice-guy optimist, comes up with a plan. He reduces her hours further - now she only works Mon-Wed-Fri - and tells her if she is sick on a work day, she has to make it up the next day. So if she is sick on Monday, she has to work the following Tuesday to make up for it. Then he says to me, 'Now we'll see if she wants to be here or not. If she doesn't, she'll still miss, if she does and is really sick, she'll make up the time."

     Surprise surprise, things are no better. She was sick yesterday so she should have been here today, but she left the boss a message saying, "See you Friday!" And he is finally fed up, admits defeat, and is going to fire her. He even came to me and asked if I would be okay with that. I said, "Hey, I would have fired her after six months!" 

     I am relieved that it is finally over, because it has been frustrating and stressful, but I am also sad that it didn't work out. More than that, I am surprised, shocked even, at her performance. The way she acted just isn't normal. I had a good idea about some of her personality, but wow, it's been a real eye-opener. This blog could be 10,000 words long and I wouldn't even dent the subject.

     To keep it short though, I will repeat what I told my boss: She is exactly like my mother, her grandmother. Exactly. Just does not have the ability to control obsessive behaviour, does not understand how people communicate in a group environment, does not know how to...be normal. And that's amazing to me. Because as much as I have seen similiar physical traits in fathers and sons, or mothers and daughters, I have never seen such clear mental traits between two related individuals. It's kind of hard to explain, really, but I will be revisiting this. Alot.

     And when my boss asks me if I know anyone who is looking for a job this time, I'll know how to reply.

Banff wildlife, part two

     Some more pics of wildlife from the Banff trip. Here are a few more elk.

This daddy elk was content to lay around until some other people got too close. He stood up to keep a better eye on them. He looked my way, probably jealous of the Super Duper Zoom! lens.

I zoomed in and didn't even wake her.

And here's a young one taking it easy.

Here is the daddy sheep from that group that crossed the road in front of us.

And this little guy was deciding if he could make the same leap his mom just made. I love this pic, he looks so cute.

And that's about it. Gotta love digital photography, I took about 300 photos in total. No wasted film, no blurry, overexposed shots. Well...kay, these may be a bit overexposed, but I haven't played with them in photoshop yet. That'll be next. I'll see if I can brighten them up any.

Banff wildlife and my new lens, part one

     When we ventured to Banff last weekend, it was the first opportunity I have had to try out my new camera lens. I lovingly refer to it as Super Duper Zoom! Here's some examples:


     We came across a large herd of elk. Here they are, doing elk things. This shows about how far away from them we actually were.

     And this is a pic I took with my old zoom lens.

     And this is a pic I took with my Super Duper Zoom!

     Wild huh? Wanna see it again? Here's a lonely sheep we stumbled upon.

     And here he is as taken by my Super Duper Zoom!

     I could see his breath puff out through the lens. It was awesome. This is fun! Here is one more example. A herd of sheep crossing the highway:

     And here is the last of them seen through my Super Duper Zoom!

     Sheep bums everywhere! So cute. Stay tuned for part two for more random pics of animals as showcased by my Super Duper Zoom! YAY!

Shopping galore

     Nothing like shopping for big appliances that you can't afford to make you feel like all is right with the world. It's a very odd tradition, but yet tons of people shop this way. Well, probably not quite as bad as we do.

     It started because I accidentally overpaid my sears credit card bill, so there happened to be about a $500 credit on it. How does one overpay a bill to the tune of $500? It's a long story, but basically it involves a miscommunication between bill payment and bill arrival.

     So here we are, off to sears. I have been holding on to the credit until there was something big we needed, and we decided we might as well burn it up on a new lawn mower, since we had to borrow someone's to finish off the mowing season last year. You wouldn't think it would be difficult to find lawn mowers at Sears, but we searched all over that stupid store. Gardening centre was not open yet, not in with household stuff, finally we found a map and headed off in the right direction....

     ....and happened to pass the big appliance dpeartment. There was a washer there and they had it running, and as we passed by I said to SO, "Is that thing on? Because that is the quietest washer I have ever heard!" SO agreed, and with that, we found ourselves talking to a saleslady about a new washer and dryer. Now I need to mention here that those salespeople are GOOD. You see, we didn't really need a new set, ours, although very old, was still functioning. Even so, the price was good, and we walked out of there with a new washer and dryer.

     I must say we did a fine job of using up the credit we had on the card, and then some. I think having the credit made us feel all superior or something. Now we have another monthly payment we can't really afford, especially with not knowing if SO will even have a job in a couple of weeks. So now I have a serious case of buyers remorse....of course, that could be the new stove we also tacked onto the purchase.....

plastic is poison..as was lead in it's day

     I got one of those viral emails that is making the rounds. This one talks about the horrors of plastic. Don't drink water from a bottle that been sitting in the sun, don't nuke foods in plastic containers, because the heated plastic leaks poisonous dioxins into our food. This type of poisoning has been linked to forms of cancer, especially breast cancer.

     All this is true, and it's something I have believed for a while. It's a conclusion I came to all by myself, without the help of informative emails. When I nuked something in plastic, I could smell that something was wrong. My body reacted to the fumes. It was trying to tell me to stay away from it.

     And finally I started to listen. I went back to drinking tap water...it's the same water I have drank all my life...and I stopped using the microwave, period. I encourage others to do the same. I think others are starting to get the message. But I do wonder....if this email had not come around, would people have slowly come to the same conclusion without it? Or do they truly need to hear it from a doctor or scientist? We are smart and our bodies are smart. They will tell us what is wrong. We only have to learn to listen.

     The other thing I don't understand is the limiting nature of this email. Why only water bottles? And nuked plastic containers? There are so many other ways our food is presented to us in this poison covering. If water bottles sitting in a car getting warm cause dioxins to leak into the liquid, what about pop bottles or juice bottles? Can people not see that it's the same thing? If heated plastic leaks dioxins into food, then what about cans? Do people realize that 95% of cans are lined with a plastic coating, and cooked veggies and lunch foods like ravioli are put into these cans hot, and then sealed? It's the same thing, people! Do people know that you shouldn't keep budgies and other small birds in a cage in the kitchen because the fumes released from tfal-coated frying pans will kill them? If it kills them, what is it doing to us? These are the same birds that were used in mines to detect poisonous gas. When the little bird dropped from it's perch, the miners got the hell out of there. Can we put the two together here?

     It's one thing after another. Plastic is everywhere, and let's face it, it's killing us. 100 years from now, they will look back at this time like we look back at the time 100 years ago when cans were made of lead, which leached into the food and killed people. We think, didn't they know? Didn't they realize? How could they be so stupid? Why didn't they stop it? Well, they did stop using lead cans, eventually, when the connection was made. And here we are, being poisoned by plastic. And we know it! So when does it stop? When the doctors and scientists tell us to? Or when we start making up our own minds to change the situation?

Poor puffy.....

     Last night was Agility training for Scout. It's so funny, because as good as Wizard is in his class, Scout is that BAD in hers.

     I guess she didn't want to do anything. She didn't want to go down the ramp, which she was almost doing last week. She didn't want to go through the tunnel, which she definitely did before with no problem.

Why? Are we bad puppy parents? But Wizard does so good...so we must be okay in training.
At this point, do we continue? The cost is becoming an issue, she obviously doesn't like it, SO says it's frivolous...

     I don't want to waste the money but I still think it's good for her. She has such issues with being afraid of everything. I don't want to go camping and have her bark her head off at everything that moves like last year. When we were at the dog park two weeks ago it seemed like she had really turned a corner. Between the dog park, her agility, and her one day a week at daycare it seemed like she wasn't so afraid of every dog.

     But now it's like she has taken two steps back.

     I am hoping the daycare owners will let us come of Friday and run through the equipment, or even just hang out there with no big dogs and let her get comfortable. I'll talk to them about that.

     And then there's the possibilty I want the dogs to do this for me. And I admit, I do enjoy it. Maybe I am one of those parents who would sign their children up for every class that they wanted to do when they were a child, but didn't get to. I don't think I would be that kind of parent though. I believe a kid should attend something they are interested in themselves. Every one has a different personality, and has different interests. I think parents have a hard time understanding that their children are not little copies of themselves. "What do you mean Johnny doesn't like hockey? I played it every second I wasn't in school. Soccor!!! No way! My kid isn't going to play some floofy European sport....he'll play hockey or nothing!"

     Okay, that sounded a bit redneck. But really. I don't understand this parenting logic. Okay, so dogs are not exactly the same. While they do indeed have individual personalities, they have a common 'pack mentality' that they all adhere to. To me that means that all dogs should be trainable, you just have to find the type of training that suits their personality. And we haven't found Scout's yet.

I'll keep trying I guess. Even if it is a little bit selfish. But I get so damn sick of sitting in front of the computer or TV. SO would spend every second plugged into the computer. Me, I would get rid of cable and not even have the TV on. I see nothing wrong with wanting to get out and run around with the dogs.

Ugh.

What to do.

Avatar messes with doctrines

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican newspaper and radio station have called the film “Avatar” simplistic, and criticized it for flirting with modern doctrines that promote the worship of nature as a substitute for religion. Here is the text, in part, of the article:


L’Osservatore Romano and Vatican Radio dedicated ample coverage to James Cameron’s big-grossing, 3-D spectacle. But the reviews were lukewarm, calling the movie superficial in its eco-message, despite groundbreaking visual effects.

L’Osservatore said the film “gets bogged down by a spiritualism linked to the worship of nature.” Similarly, Vatican Radio said it “cleverly winks at all those pseudo-doctrines that turn ecology into the religion of the millennium.”

“Nature is no longer a creation to defend, but a divinity to worship,” the radio said.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said that while the movie reviews are just that — film criticism, with no theological weight — they do reflect Pope Benedict XVI’s views on the dangers of turning nature into a “new divinity.”

Benedict has often spoken about the need to protect the environment, earning the nickname of “green pope.” But he has sometimes balanced that call with a warning against neo-paganism.

In a recent World Day of Peace message, the pontiff warned against any notions that equate human person and other living things. He said such notions “open the way to a new pantheism tinged with neo-paganism, which would see the source of man’s salvation in nature alone.”

The Vatican newspaper occasionally likes to comment in its cultural pages on movies or pop culture icons, as it did recently about “The Simpsons” or U2. In one famous instance, several Vatican officials spoke out against “The Da Vinci Code.”

I love the line that reads, "...which would see the source of man's salvation in nature alone." Because, really, our salvation is in nature. It's because of mother nature that we are here, and because of her gentleness with us that we remain. Let's face it, if she didn't want us here, we wouldn't be here. She could wipe us all out in an hour. Less than an hour. A sunami here, an earthquake, volcanic eruption, avalanche or mudslide there....if all that didn't work, how about a permament ice age for a couple of years?

Like it or not, our life is in her hands. why not give her a little worship? Maybe it'll buy us a few more years' rent on this rock we call Earth.

Unions....

Further to my rather vague post on Unions, here is a much more detailed rant written by my friend and posted on her face book. It gives more insight into her experience. I felt the need to copy it here, mainly so that I have a copy of it.


You know it is a bad sign when your corporate lawyer sits down with you to begin discussing your venture into the world of Union Certification and says “You’re going to lose. You are going to come out of this worse off than when you began and the trick is to lose as little as possible and still manage to survive. “



Unfortunately, he was bang on. We lost. There is no winning situation on behalf of a company when dealing with a Union, at least from my limited perspective. I completely understand and even support the general ideology behind why Unions came to be in the first place. The Industrial Revolution created a situation where man power became cheap and terribly expendable and all manner of work abuse emerged when the bulk of the labour force moved from the farm into the factories. However, it has been my experience that the good ideas have been pushed and twisted and warped to the point that Unions are now the abusers and the companies (especially the smaller ones) are too easily the victims.


Naturally, I can only speak from my own experiences and as much as I am writing this because my cousin asked for my perspective (she is a social teacher looking for more than the standard curriculum information regarding unions), it is also a catharsis or a closure tool for me personally. You will have to forgive me if I am a little biased in my views.. I was up very late last night caving into the last of their demands and while I am happy to announce that we finally have a Certified Bargaining Agreement to put to vote this week, I rather feel as if I have been ‘screwed, blued and tattooed’.


Let’s begin with the basics. Any group of employees may band together and apply at a Union for representation. This is called an application for certification. As soon as any union receives this application they notify the Alberta Labour Board (ALB) who then notifies the lucky company. At this point we were advised that we were no longer able to hire, fire or do anything to our company policies that would affect the ‘financial status’ of any of our ‘employees’.


First off, no one in their right mind considers a taxi driver an ‘employee’. They are self employed sub contractors. They own their own vehicle, set their own hours, make their wages directly from the customers they transport and are responsible for their own expenses. They simply pay our company a weekly fee for using our name, using our banking system to cash their credit card fares and for access to the contracts we have garnered for them - the biggest one of course being the International Airport.


Well, apparently the ALB disagrees with us. We took it to court, we lost. For one whole year while we were trying to get the government to see that while our drivers do indeed drive a car with our corporate logo on the side, we did not influence the majority of their working conditions (the International Airport guidelines are very strict and we are bound by our agreement with them as to how we run a good portion of our business) ... we were not allowed to hire, fire, or in essence run our company without “union approval”. This is a terrible handicap and our business suffered because of it.


After the ALB ruling that our drivers were indeed “employees for the purpose of representation” the union announced a date to vote. If 51% or more of our entire driving population voted ‘yes’, we would be union certified.


Here is where I believe the first dangerous areas of abuse can occur. During the period between applying for certification and the vote, the rules of conduct for union members/employees and the company are vastly different and worrying.


The company may not say or do anything that will ‘influence an employee’s decision one way or another’. Apparently this includes telling the truth about anything. Our lips are firmly sealed while yet we have to stand by and watch various employees lie, abuse and threaten their fellow members into whatever they want them to believe.


There are no laws governing the methods employees use to coerce their voting body into voting whichever way the ringleaders want. And yes, I use the term ringleaders. I don’t suppose it’s any different in any other company where there are natural leaders among the employee population - the men/women who will stand up and speak on behalf of their fellow workers.


Because it took a year for the ALB to determine that our drivers were rightfully allowed representation by a union, there were a great many instances of abuse. Drivers who voiced any negative opinions about unionization were threatened, verbally and physically abused and lied to. Yes, I know, there are laws regarding threats and abuse... but amazingly enough no one pressed any charges. Draw your own conclusions.


The Union’s response to these concerns? That it was the company’s fault for fighting the certification process in the first place and if we had simply allowed the vote, it would have happened in the normal time frame of a week or two, instead of the year it took us. Gee, thanks for your help.


So. Ok. The vote happens, naturally we are certified. Now comes the fun stuff. The way I see it, we own and run the company because we can. We have the experience, the knowledge, the dedication to ‘be the bosses’. I’m sorry, but if any employee could do it, they would have and they would not be employees.


Unionization gives a group of people the right to manage a company when they are dangerously unqualified to do so. Without consulting us, without doing any kind of research into the taxi industry in Alberta, the union placed their demands upon our company and made promises to their members that were patently impossible to fulfill.


Another year later we were still arguing a good many of these points. This brings me to another concern. The union officials, the people who are union employees – who are paid to administer the union, coordinate the efforts of certification, the experienced men/women who understand labour laws and business ethics and practices – are only puppets for the bargaining members.


During the bargaining process, there are two committees. One made up of the company, the other by union employees and employees of the company (the bargaining members). Once again, the people who are best qualified to make decisions (the experience union employees) are not the ones who do so.


No matter how ridiculous or mob like the bargaining members’ demands are, the union must present them to the company and fight on their behalf. This is a colossal waste of time and energy when certain demands are patently unfeasible because (in our case) a) they go against the contract between the company and the airport or b) they would very quickly bankrupt the company.


Now, if you have a few choice members on the employee committee side of the table, who have ulterior motives.. like say, closing our company so it will benefit a rival company.. or bankrupting our company simply because they hate us.. or getting their way on an item because it personally benefits them and their own ethnic circle.... the union and the company is very limited in how they can respond to these threats. All we can do is talk, talk, talk and try to get them to see reason.


The employees 100% drive the bargaining. If you are stuck with a group of people whose idea of bargaining is ‘No, give in.’ .. .and “No. Have you changed your mind yet?”... “NO. We want it this way regardless of your logic or reasoning.. “... your company can be in grave danger.


Thankfully we managed, by sheer will and determination, and yes... by being willing to close the company and walk away should we have been pressed further... we managed to come out of the bargaining process with an agreement we are hoping we can live with.


Time will tell.


And another friend posted these comments afterwards:


Everything you have said here is absolutely true. I agree with all your points, particularly "I completely understand and even support the general ideology behind why Unions came to be in the first place."


One unfortunate and incontrovertible fact is that the fat cats (both literally and figuratively) at the top of the union ladders have agendas that have NOTHING to do with ethical, moral employment standards.

The majority of small business owners care deeply about their employees - going to great lengths to not only preserve their own source of income, but that of every person who works for/with them.

In a perfect world, every individual would be able to see his/her undeniable connection to every other individual on the planet - what benefits one, benefits ALL! I guess we are just not there yet.

Although your letter has to do with your personal experience re: unions/lawyers/bargaining bodies, the ramifications go far beyond the immediate!... See More

That is sad, because the entire country - "the best place in the world to live" - stands in jeopardy of becoming just another war zone on the world map!

Can't happen? Oh yes, it can!! As long as good people are forced to accommodate the lowest common denominator, it is inevitable.

My heart is with you, and you are loved!