David

I was not aware that one needed a citizenship card to ride a bicycle. David was waiting for the light to change so that he could cross Queen Street at the crossing directly in front of the Princess Arms. He had been at the PA visiting his “friend,” Ryan. Ryan is a body builder, jogger and tennis player and David and he had, literally, run into each other in the park earlier this spring.

I Walked into a Parking Meter

. . . while staring into my cell phone and trying to walk on the street simultaneously.

Please share your opinions with me on this topic.  I think that millions of people are basically bored and would rather walk around town focused on a cell phone, blackberry or music player than observe the world around them.

“I am too much of a sceptic to deny the possibility of anything.”

T.H. Huxley, English Bioligist

Omar

“That’s a nice bike, buddy. Must have cost somebody a few bucks.” The TPS constable stared at Omar through dark sunglasses. The light from the sun caused his face to be partially reflected onto the visor of his bicycle helmet.

“Yes sir, you’re probably right although I really have no idea how much it cost.”

“Yeh, and I can see ya don’t care either, the way you drive it. Do they have STOP signs where you come from?” The constable dismounted and quickly hit the kickstand with the steel toe of his safety sneakers. “Do you have some identification? Anything to prove you are in this country legally?”

 

Little Boy Lost

I nearly hit a very small boy with my bicycle yesterday. He was toddling along the sidewalk as I crossed into the park on my way to the swimming pool. I thought it odd that such a young child would be completely alone in such a busy place but continued on my way without a great deal of concern.

“Daniel!!!” I heard a man yelling at the top of his lungs. “Stop! Stop!” the little boy was not alone after all. A few rotations of my tires and I could see an apparently angry and distraught man, probably the kid’s parent.

Why are you yelling at the kid?  Whose the adult in this situation? And, hello! how the hell did that kid get all the way up the street and you’re just figuring it out now? Someone should be yelling at you, asshole.

I started thinking, jeesh, what a commonly practiced parenting ritual. Yelling at a kid when the adult fucks up. We’re not much better with other adults and we likely learn this behaviour in childhood. I started thinking about the last time I yelled at someone because I had let my guard down and now I wanted to blame someone else. Wow. I think I do it a lot.

 

Gas Prices

Some things to consider when complaining about the prices we pay, in Canada, for gas:

• There is currently a food shortage crisis in the developing world.
• The Globe and Mail writes that in Canada we are actually seeing LOWER food prices
• The CBC says that 33 countries are on the verge of anarchy as the people take to the streets to protest against the price of food
• Three billion people in the world simply cannot afford to buy food–it’s not hard, it’s impossible!
• The cost of fuel has been suggested as one reason for the increase in food prices
• The demand for fuel in China and in the devolped world (that’s us folks) has allowed suppliers to charge whatever they want
• Large agri-corporations are responsible for high food prices and food shortages (so big corportaitons are bad)
• Wal-Mart takes the credit for low food prices in Canada (so corporations are good)

Are you bitching about gas prices?

OR

Wanna help the third world?

Here’s what to do:

• Get your bicycle out of the garage
• Ride your bicycle
• Walk somewhere
• Stay home one day a week
• Tell your kids to walk somewhere
• Protest in the streets

 

Ignorance

Whenever someone pays attention to me, it enhances my perception of my value as a human being. The attention from another human being enhances my self-esteem; it make me feel good. When that person is someone new in my life, or unique, or exciting in some special way, their attention really makes me feel good. It lifts me off the ground.

When I am ignored by another human being, their ignorance diminishes my perception of myself. I question their credibility as a human being and I become angry with myself for allowing another person to deflate me in this way. It hurts.

I have ignored other people out of boredom, desperation, time management and sometime, self-preservation. I like to tell people what I am thinking and why I am behaving in certain ways. I don’t always do this perfectly.

I am going to try hard not to ignore people any more.

Omar

     Omar lives in the “Candy Factory Lofts” with a perfect view of room 23 in the Princess Arms Hotel. He enjoys watching the comings and goings though this squalid little room although he wishes he were able to stand closer, he would be able to see much more. Where Omar grew up people did not behave, in public view, the ways in which the inhabitants of room 23 behaved. Of course, the inhabitants of room 23 did not know their behaviour was in public view. Or did not know It was, at least, within Omar’s view. Or perhaps they just pretended nobody was watching, or didn’t really care.

     “Do you think you could ask the people to pull their curtains over the windows? I find the light from those bare lightbulbs very distracting when I am trying to do my studies in the evenings.” The woman with the broom seemed to be listening but did not respond.

Canada’s Royal Family

I had the opportunity to listen to a young man speak, today, about providing cooperative work experiences for Canadian young people. The only reason I attended this forum was because this particular young man was to be the keynote speaker.

He said a few memorable things about his impressions of today’s workplace. I may write about his ideas and how I relate to them in future posts. This post is entirely, and briefly, dedicated to this interesting young guy and his famous family.

I wondered if he could get through an entire keynote address including Q&A without he, or someone in the audience, making reference to his notoriety. Just as I was wondering about this, a woman stood up and said she, too, had been born on Christmas day as had her sister. The same woman asked him a question about being a new father.

Just before she sat down she told him that she loved his speech and didn’t think it possible to experience “Trudeaumania” twice in a lifetime, but she just had. He said he was raised to believe he was lucky to have lived at 24 Sussex Drive and should never take it for granted.

The speaker was Justin Trudeau. A very Canadian experience for this very patriotic Canadian.

OMAR AND DAVID

Omar and David have much in common although they don’t know each other. At least they are not aware that they know each other. There is actually only about three degrees of separation between them. they see each other in passing often yet either one would say that he doesn’t know the other, if asked.