These are the scumbags that move through society with us - people who risk the lives of thousands by committing an act that is dangerous and disruptive.
Kudos to GO Transit, Metrolinx and Toronto Police for their diligence overnight to correct the issues caused by this despicable act.
For more, see "GO Transit back on track after fixing cable snipped by vandals" (Global News)
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Guess who's back? Back again? Douche is back. Buy him a bed.
I *never* have this kind of luck! Presto Card found
My hubby decided to scour the roadside today where the bus drops me off in the evenings and lo and behold, he found my Presto card covered in leaves and debris near a sewer grate.
Call me Miss Cleo!!! Didn't I call it?!!
But seriously, who has this kind of luck?
And my parents said there were no benefits to living out in the country. IN YOUR FACE, I say!!!
So I bought $10 in quick picks for Wednesday's $46 million 6/49 draw.
Call me Miss Cleo!!! Didn't I call it?!!
But seriously, who has this kind of luck?
And my parents said there were no benefits to living out in the country. IN YOUR FACE, I say!!!
So I bought $10 in quick picks for Wednesday's $46 million 6/49 draw.
Ugh. It seems I lost my Presto Card and access to the funds I loaded yesterday
Last night it was pissing down something fierce before I exited the bus so I gather in between wrestling with the hood of my jacket and other fumbling, I must have dropped my Presto card.
I can picture it now, lying in the grass. Maybe it's lying in the gutter. Maybe it's been carried down to the sewer. Maybe it's in a big sewer pipe floating towards Lake Ontario.
Le sigh.
All I know is that when the bus pulled up to the curb this morning and I reached into the pocket of my purse where I keep my card, it wasn't there.
Mr. Very Understanding Bus Driver Who Was New let me ride to the station. While on the bus, I tore my purse apart. No dice.
At the station, the GO attendant put my lost card on a hotlist and gave me a temporary card that I loaded with $60.00.
Oh, here's the kicker, boys and girls. Yesterday morning, at 9:15, I loaded $150 on the card using Presto's website and subsequent taps for the ride home hadn't transferred the balance to the card.
There's $150 of my money floating around in banking cyberspace that I won't see again until:
Thankfully, it's not going to hurt me financially as I can manage to pay for my transit between now and then, but I immediately think about people who live paycheque to paycheque.
I'm hoping someone does me a favour and finds my card and taps it, thinking they'll get a free ride. The only way Presto can transfer the $150.00 I loaded yesterday over to my replacement card is the money has to be transferred to the chip on that card.
If the balance doesn't transfer by December 12, the money will be returned to my bank account. Until the money is transferred, I don't have access to it.
The current balance of my lost card is $23.33. Tomorrow, I can call Presto and have that balance transferred over to my replacement card.
I've been told not to register the replacement card. We all know that having lost this card now jeopardizes my eligibility for the transit tax credit for the month of November.
Once I am sure my old card is indeed gone forever, I will register the new card and like the good, mistrustful person I am, I've been downloading my transit usage reports monthly. I have a record of all of my trips for September to October.
Presto doesn't transfer over your transit usage to replacement cards. I stand corrected.
The only thing I am grateful for is that I no longer deal with passes. Had I lost my monthly pass for November, there would be no $286.00 finding its way back to my bank account on December 12.
I can picture it now, lying in the grass. Maybe it's lying in the gutter. Maybe it's been carried down to the sewer. Maybe it's in a big sewer pipe floating towards Lake Ontario.
Le sigh.
All I know is that when the bus pulled up to the curb this morning and I reached into the pocket of my purse where I keep my card, it wasn't there.
Mr. Very Understanding Bus Driver Who Was New let me ride to the station. While on the bus, I tore my purse apart. No dice.
At the station, the GO attendant put my lost card on a hotlist and gave me a temporary card that I loaded with $60.00.
Oh, here's the kicker, boys and girls. Yesterday morning, at 9:15, I loaded $150 on the card using Presto's website and subsequent taps for the ride home hadn't transferred the balance to the card.
There's $150 of my money floating around in banking cyberspace that I won't see again until:
- Someone finds my lost card and taps it (the balance will transfer but the card then locks)
- I find my card and tap it, but I wouldn't be able to use it because I would have to unlock it by calling Presto
- 30 days from yesterday has passed. I won't see that money again until Dec 12.
Thankfully, it's not going to hurt me financially as I can manage to pay for my transit between now and then, but I immediately think about people who live paycheque to paycheque.
I'm hoping someone does me a favour and finds my card and taps it, thinking they'll get a free ride. The only way Presto can transfer the $150.00 I loaded yesterday over to my replacement card is the money has to be transferred to the chip on that card.
If the balance doesn't transfer by December 12, the money will be returned to my bank account. Until the money is transferred, I don't have access to it.
The current balance of my lost card is $23.33. Tomorrow, I can call Presto and have that balance transferred over to my replacement card.
I've been told not to register the replacement card. We all know that having lost this card now jeopardizes my eligibility for the transit tax credit for the month of November.
Once I am sure my old card is indeed gone forever, I will register the new card and like the good, mistrustful person I am, I've been downloading my transit usage reports monthly. I have a record of all of my trips for September to October.
The only thing I am grateful for is that I no longer deal with passes. Had I lost my monthly pass for November, there would be no $286.00 finding its way back to my bank account on December 12.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Just a trash can, and a bench, sunken into the ground
They still put a bag in it.
- Bus stop on King Street, east of Ritson Road
Thursday, November 8, 2012
(Insert soft strings of opening theme music for The Friendly Giant) Gather round kids, it's time for another tale of the Oakville Smokers Club
MM writes:
Last week I worked late and didn't get out till around eight. Luck was with me and I didn't wait more than five minutes for the bus.
We pulled up to the platform at Smokeville GO station and as I got off I noticed that there was a guy in the process of lighting up right in front of the doors (pictured above). He at least had the presence of mind to desist while he came up to the open doorway to ask the driver a question. Then he turned and started lighting up again.
I told him that the area was no smoking, and to please move away. He seemed to have a hearing problem because he asked me to repeat three times. In any case, he shrugged and walked off, smoking.
I figured that this was one of those rare easy cases and settled back under the awning to wait for my bus. It was raining and the rancid butts littering the station were giving off their particular charming perfume of eau de wet ashtray.
Then the guy came back around the side of the station building - having made the full smoking tour - and settled in ostentatiously beside me.
So I pulled out the canon and snapped his pic.
Meltdown ensued. No stages of mounting anger - straight to screaming rage. Veins popping in his neck, eyes bulbous, spittle flying. He apparently had thought ahead (as far as was possible) to this confrontation and had been stewing since I'd asked him to move away.
Offered to break my face, break my camera etc etc. Kept shouting "DELETE MY PICTURE! DELETE MY PICTURE! DELETE MY PICTURE!". Then every once in a while he would cup his cell phone to his ear (consulting with his brain trust, I figure) and come back with an attempt at an argument. Like:
"Its ill-egal to take my pitch-er widdout my say-so!"
When I tried to point out that the sign doesn't say "no pictures" but clearly communicates "no smoking" he'd cut me off with another round of "DELETE MY PICTURE! DELETE MY PICTURE! DELETE MY PICTURE!"
I told him to get away from me with his stink-stick, and that I had a perfect right to take his picture and put it anywhere, even online, as long as I didn't make money off it.
This seemed to give him pause. He then tossed his butt and told me that since he was no longer smoking I should delete his picture. Bargaining with me to delete a legal picture, since he'd finished his illegal butt...
He wouldn't leave me alone, but after the first rage I figured he wouldn't get too violent, or at least not more violent than I could handle (see pic for reference). But it was getting annoying. I went into the station, guy screaming right behind and beside me, (like a little yipping smelly dog) and asked the ticket taker to call 911.
In the best tradition of customer relations that I've come to expect, the GO Customer SERVICE Representative pointed me to the bank of pay phones and told me to call for myself. I did.
Johnny Smoke continued to scream at me, so much so that the 911 operator couldn't make me out at times. She told me not to engage with the guy (kinda hard since he was within a quarter metre of the receiver screaming), and she took my details and told me the cops would be there.
Buddy went out to wait for the cops out front, I stayed inside.
Two cars pulled up. Nicotine Boy got to talk to one officer, I talked to the other. From the sounds of his interview the actual law on photographing in a public place came as a shock and crushing disappointment to him. The cops had a talk with him and asked him to be a good boy and got him all calmed down. They asked me what I wanted to do and I replied that I only wanted to wait for my bus in peace and (relatively) clean air. In retrospect I should have also asked to press charges... I had proof after all... but considering that the officer seemed a bit fuzzy on the bylaw (he thought Halton's 9 metre policy applied, and I had to tell him about the GO Provincial bylaw, he also asked why I hadn't (snerk!) called the (chortle!) GO Safety Weebles. (LOL). They told Mookie to leave me alone. He seemed to get it.
In any case, here is the shot of buddy, see if you can blur his features enough.
Also, as a bonus, a pic from Friday. This one could be better. I was in a hurry to get to the bus, but two or three smokers were clustered between the two signs in the alcove by the doors (photo below), it made such a great shot- it would have made a much better shot if I had gotten the other sign into the frame, but it is what it is...
One thing the cops said has stuck with me. They said that this crazy guy was a cream puff, but there were other crazier guys out there...They asked if there was some other way I could approach this. I told them the "Oakville Smoking Club Massacree in Four Part Harmony" (abridged) and that all I wanted was smoke free air so that I don't get allergic reactions with complications and wind up in the hospital again... and with the lack of enforcement I was left to my own devices... But that if I DID wind up in the hospital, I wanted to at least know that I fought in the most effective way what was bringing me down...
But I am re-evaluating my tactics, and maybe I'll come up with something less risky. I'll let you know ASAP.
This honey badger don't care
Like this honey badger. She truly doesn't give a shit.
According to the email that delivered this beauty of a photo:
I left the house this morning and it was 1 degree according to the weatherman on the radio.
Heavy coat and shoes/boots were necessary (I am already wearing fingerless gloves as I type this email). Cars with scraped windshield weather, cold right?
I was onboard the 5:55am from Bramalea this morning when this women and all of her 'baggage' got on. She spread out everything amongst the 3 seats in her quad. But more astonishing was the fact she removed her boots and then proceeded to remove her SOCKS and put her feet on the seat!
ALL YOUR SPACE is alive and well throughout GO Transit.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Frosted tips. Bro GO has 'em
Tonight, as the 4:10 pm LSE chugged its way east, this guy got on at Rouge Hill looking like he set the trend for every guido who ever lived in the GTA circa 1995-2001.
I sat there, just staring.
He had it all. Frosted tips. The faux work boots with steel toes. The baggy, yet tight in the ass, black Diesel jeans. The Michelin/waffle poofy jacket. The black, ribbed, tank top. The taut waist line. Oompa Loompa tan. Eyeliner and waxed lips.
I was going to photograph the shit out of this hot mess but my BlackBerry's battery was dead.
It was simply breath-taking.
And because I know you jokers need a visual, nothing describes it better than the video below.
Fast-forward to the 00:35 mark for the complete picture.
I sat there, just staring.
He had it all. Frosted tips. The faux work boots with steel toes. The baggy, yet tight in the ass, black Diesel jeans. The Michelin/waffle poofy jacket. The black, ribbed, tank top. The taut waist line. Oompa Loompa tan. Eyeliner and waxed lips.
I was going to photograph the shit out of this hot mess but my BlackBerry's battery was dead.
It was simply breath-taking.
And because I know you jokers need a visual, nothing describes it better than the video below.
Fast-forward to the 00:35 mark for the complete picture.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Drilling
Monday night I'm on the bus. Just minding my own bus business when at the Oshawa Centre bus stop, two teens climbed aboard. They sat right in front of me. The boy popped his seat back and the girl kept her's upright.
Then, with no warning, they started drilling each other's throats with their tongues.
This was happening practically on my lap.
I had never been so taken aback by such a brazen level of PDA. Sure, I can handle the close-ups on television but when it's front of you, all of a sudden you feel like an awkward college roommate huddled in your bed, hands clamped over your ears, drowning out the sounds of what's happening in the bed across from you.
I don't know what disturbed me more, the fact that the bus was crowded and no f#cks were given, or that I could hear and observe the heavy nostril breathing as they sucked the fillings out of each other's molars.
At one point, as he bit and pulled her lip, she reached down and began to massage in between his legs.
I was stunned. No, really, stunned! I was 17 once but that stuff was contained. In a car. Secluded. Private.
Not on a bus.
Then, at one point, his phone chimed and while he was on her face again, he proceeded to type a message back. It was something about hamburgers and how many he wanted - in case you were wondering.
I decided to get up and move seats.
Then, with no warning, they started drilling each other's throats with their tongues.
This was happening practically on my lap.
I had never been so taken aback by such a brazen level of PDA. Sure, I can handle the close-ups on television but when it's front of you, all of a sudden you feel like an awkward college roommate huddled in your bed, hands clamped over your ears, drowning out the sounds of what's happening in the bed across from you.
I don't know what disturbed me more, the fact that the bus was crowded and no f#cks were given, or that I could hear and observe the heavy nostril breathing as they sucked the fillings out of each other's molars.
At one point, as he bit and pulled her lip, she reached down and began to massage in between his legs.
I was stunned. No, really, stunned! I was 17 once but that stuff was contained. In a car. Secluded. Private.
Not on a bus.
Then, at one point, his phone chimed and while he was on her face again, he proceeded to type a message back. It was something about hamburgers and how many he wanted - in case you were wondering.
I decided to get up and move seats.
FTW
My husband just dared me to drunk-blog. Challenge accepted. Rough day. Rough couple of weeks actually. Hell, it's been a rough time since the summer.
Shit's been awful, really. We're talking need a pill to sleep awful, but I digress.
What the hell does that mean, "I digress". Hang on, shit, spell-check is enabled. No wonder I sound so scholarly and shit. It's like those Fords that park themselves. How is anyone supposed to think about not hitting a curb if the friggen car is like Luke Skywalker and is like, "Hell yea. I'm all over this curb like a light saber". We've got software that baby sits our damn spelling. Doesn't matter. I spell like a star anyway.
Do you know how hard it is to work under pressure? Do you?!
Imagine being a spellchecker living in a PC. The stress would kill you. There wouldn't be enough Lipitor in the world to calm that verbal nightmare.
I once had a client who spent an entire week prepping me for "lunch day". By the time Friday rolled around, I'd never been so fucking excited about food before in my entire life. When I showed up for this "lunch day", I was greeted with a box of stale timbits and bottled water. "The hell?" I said. "Where's lunch?"
Bitch was talking the whole time about LAUNCH day. You know how many people were cc'd on that email? Hundreds. Not one person had the balls to tell this VP and CEO that it was LAUNCH.
I did.
So we're best friends. True story.
Shit's been awful, really. We're talking need a pill to sleep awful, but I digress.
What the hell does that mean, "I digress". Hang on, shit, spell-check is enabled. No wonder I sound so scholarly and shit. It's like those Fords that park themselves. How is anyone supposed to think about not hitting a curb if the friggen car is like Luke Skywalker and is like, "Hell yea. I'm all over this curb like a light saber". We've got software that baby sits our damn spelling. Doesn't matter. I spell like a star anyway.
Do you know how hard it is to work under pressure? Do you?!
Imagine being a spellchecker living in a PC. The stress would kill you. There wouldn't be enough Lipitor in the world to calm that verbal nightmare.
I once had a client who spent an entire week prepping me for "lunch day". By the time Friday rolled around, I'd never been so fucking excited about food before in my entire life. When I showed up for this "lunch day", I was greeted with a box of stale timbits and bottled water. "The hell?" I said. "Where's lunch?"
Bitch was talking the whole time about LAUNCH day. You know how many people were cc'd on that email? Hundreds. Not one person had the balls to tell this VP and CEO that it was LAUNCH.
I did.
So we're best friends. True story.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Broke ass Brokeback
If your ass is too broke to pay for a VIA rail ticket where you can lounge out in first class, then you're not entitled to lounge on a GO train.
You put your ass on the seat and keep your feet firmly planted on the floor just like Good Guy Greg would do.
- Thanks to DH
Friday, November 2, 2012
Holy Fred on a Banana! Have none of you ever seen free food before?
I was so appalled by the Black Friday mob mentality, I began loudly calling several donkeys out for their behaviour.
Where the hell are some of your manners?! You people are adults. It's yogourt. It's not lactose-covered gold. One girl shelling out the yogourt actually looked terrified, and with good reason.
Pushing, shoving, charging, running and jumping - hundreds of people. All for free food. And what ever happened to "Please" and "Thank you"?
I bet some of you are the first to chastize your own children for rotten behaviour but forgot to look in the mirror this morning.
Anyhow, I scored a flat of 4. I owe my BFF for this as she's 8 foot 11 (Or something like that. Bitch is tall.) and could tower over the donkeys and grab me one from the top of the racks.
Some of you owe those Liberté people an apology.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Why didn't you publish my email?
I make a point of trying to respond to emails I get in a timely fashion but generally, I tend to ignore a good majority of them. I'll point out why in a bit.
There are the regular contacts who I converse with frequently and then there are the one-offs where half the time, I don't know how to respond, or have no desire to engage, or simply don't find the story/complaint/review of my website/concern/racist remarks funny or worth repeating.
The majority of my email comes from people who think I work for GO Transit and expect me to provide a soapbox for them. GO has a place for you folks to go. You can take your beefs/rants/concerns and put them on Facebook and Twitter, or write an email to GO or call Customer Service.
Honestly, I don't owe you anything. There, I said it. Apparently I'm an asshole and a huge bitch and this shouldn't be a problem for me to tell you this, but truth be told, I have a hard time telling people that there's nothing I can do about their lost iPods, or their cracked Presto cards, or the confusing bus schedules, or the lack of garbage cans, or the crowded parking lots, or the people who crowd the doors.
Yes, I point out the bad behaviour. Yes, a lot of people read this website, but it was never meant as a means to encourage a dialogue between GO Transit and its customers.
I'm not paid for providing the weekly entertainment I try to produce because that's what this website is folks, it's entertainment. I take my beefs seriously and use the very means I just told you about to address them with GO.
I put this website to together to call out fellow commuters for the crap they pull. Sure, I feel GO Transit can do more with respect to customer service, improving customer relations and improving communication, but if you think I'm going to spend my time cutting and pasting every single email I get onto this website, because you think it will make a difference, I'd hate to break it to you, but I can't. I don't have the time and I don't feel I'm obligated to.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I haven't seen an iota of difference in GO's service that could be traced back to this website (parking tickets aside, which I know I had nothing to do with despite an email accusing me of instigating this enforcement operative).
GO knows I exist. How can they not? I tweet to them. I link their news releases. People tell GO about me. GO employees write me to thank me for calling out the foot riders and addressing bad customer behaviour. Strangers write me to tell me they're happy I'm here to provide a means to connect riders with other riders and provide a medium to address shit that really bothers people.
That's all I do. I address shit. I address shit that you do, that your seat mate does, that crowds of people do, that drunk asshats do, that parking donkeys do, that GO employees do... I just point it all out so we can chat about it and have a good laugh or a bitch fest.
I've been told I should not call out shit such as people calling relatives overseas at 6:30 in the morning during a morning bus ride, when all people want is some peace and quiet, because it's fucking dark and your body is pissed off it's not in bed... It is ANNOYING but we laugh because we've all been subjected to it and we laugh because it's amusing that we get so pissed off by something so "First World" of a problem.
Some of you are out of your damn minds. Coming onto my turf, using my soapbox to educate me about decorum and empathy. When I did stand-up, I would marvel at the people who would pay the cover charge, buy a pint of beer and then complain after the show about how offended they were. The hell?
Comedy is exactly that - calling out shit. Poking fun at shit people do. Most of the time, I'm pretty serious as I truly do have an ax to grind with people who foot ride, and bag ride, and door block and stair hog, and talk way too loud for a personal phone call, but most of the time, I find commuting hysterical, especially the things people complain about.
My bus rides provide hours of entertainment. It amazes me the amount of First World Problems people have.
I grew up in a home where money was tight but laughter was plenty. I grew up with a mentally challenged sister who taught me to take nothing in life for granted, that every day is a goddamn gift because I can drive a car, earn a salary, read a book from start to finish, fall in love, be a mom and take wonderful vacations; all things she can't do. My dad came from a poor, Acadian family where he slept five in a bed and didn't know the feeling of wearing a new pair of shoes until the day he got married. He worked hard to show his girls the value of a dollar, the pride of owning something and the empowerment that comes with a sense of achievement and overcoming adversity. My mom came to Canada with her mother with nothing more but a trunk full of clothes. My grandmother worked three jobs, dealt with domestic abuse and was fiercely loyal to her community. She cooked and sewed for friends and neighbours simply because she loved them and expected nothing in return. She bought the house my parents now live in working 18 hour days, seven days a week for 13 years straight. She did it on her own; in the 1960s - a feat unheard of for a woman. She died at 48 of brain cancer. She was robbed.
So I know a thing or two about bad shit. I realize that what I call out isn't bad shit. I know there are worse things in the world than spending an hour sitting next to people who haven't turned off the key tones on their phones, so every letter of their text messages is a sledge hammer hit to your ear drums that slowly picks away at your patience, but don't sit there from behind your keyboard and tell me I have no right to have this website "out on the internet" or take the positions I do on social etiquette.
Damn right I do.
There are the regular contacts who I converse with frequently and then there are the one-offs where half the time, I don't know how to respond, or have no desire to engage, or simply don't find the story/complaint/review of my website/concern/racist remarks funny or worth repeating.
The majority of my email comes from people who think I work for GO Transit and expect me to provide a soapbox for them. GO has a place for you folks to go. You can take your beefs/rants/concerns and put them on Facebook and Twitter, or write an email to GO or call Customer Service.
Honestly, I don't owe you anything. There, I said it. Apparently I'm an asshole and a huge bitch and this shouldn't be a problem for me to tell you this, but truth be told, I have a hard time telling people that there's nothing I can do about their lost iPods, or their cracked Presto cards, or the confusing bus schedules, or the lack of garbage cans, or the crowded parking lots, or the people who crowd the doors.
Yes, I point out the bad behaviour. Yes, a lot of people read this website, but it was never meant as a means to encourage a dialogue between GO Transit and its customers.
I'm not paid for providing the weekly entertainment I try to produce because that's what this website is folks, it's entertainment. I take my beefs seriously and use the very means I just told you about to address them with GO.
I put this website to together to call out fellow commuters for the crap they pull. Sure, I feel GO Transit can do more with respect to customer service, improving customer relations and improving communication, but if you think I'm going to spend my time cutting and pasting every single email I get onto this website, because you think it will make a difference, I'd hate to break it to you, but I can't. I don't have the time and I don't feel I'm obligated to.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I haven't seen an iota of difference in GO's service that could be traced back to this website (parking tickets aside, which I know I had nothing to do with despite an email accusing me of instigating this enforcement operative).
GO knows I exist. How can they not? I tweet to them. I link their news releases. People tell GO about me. GO employees write me to thank me for calling out the foot riders and addressing bad customer behaviour. Strangers write me to tell me they're happy I'm here to provide a means to connect riders with other riders and provide a medium to address shit that really bothers people.
That's all I do. I address shit. I address shit that you do, that your seat mate does, that crowds of people do, that drunk asshats do, that parking donkeys do, that GO employees do... I just point it all out so we can chat about it and have a good laugh or a bitch fest.
I've been told I should not call out shit such as people calling relatives overseas at 6:30 in the morning during a morning bus ride, when all people want is some peace and quiet, because it's fucking dark and your body is pissed off it's not in bed... It is ANNOYING but we laugh because we've all been subjected to it and we laugh because it's amusing that we get so pissed off by something so "First World" of a problem.
Some of you are out of your damn minds. Coming onto my turf, using my soapbox to educate me about decorum and empathy. When I did stand-up, I would marvel at the people who would pay the cover charge, buy a pint of beer and then complain after the show about how offended they were. The hell?
Comedy is exactly that - calling out shit. Poking fun at shit people do. Most of the time, I'm pretty serious as I truly do have an ax to grind with people who foot ride, and bag ride, and door block and stair hog, and talk way too loud for a personal phone call, but most of the time, I find commuting hysterical, especially the things people complain about.
My bus rides provide hours of entertainment. It amazes me the amount of First World Problems people have.
I grew up in a home where money was tight but laughter was plenty. I grew up with a mentally challenged sister who taught me to take nothing in life for granted, that every day is a goddamn gift because I can drive a car, earn a salary, read a book from start to finish, fall in love, be a mom and take wonderful vacations; all things she can't do. My dad came from a poor, Acadian family where he slept five in a bed and didn't know the feeling of wearing a new pair of shoes until the day he got married. He worked hard to show his girls the value of a dollar, the pride of owning something and the empowerment that comes with a sense of achievement and overcoming adversity. My mom came to Canada with her mother with nothing more but a trunk full of clothes. My grandmother worked three jobs, dealt with domestic abuse and was fiercely loyal to her community. She cooked and sewed for friends and neighbours simply because she loved them and expected nothing in return. She bought the house my parents now live in working 18 hour days, seven days a week for 13 years straight. She did it on her own; in the 1960s - a feat unheard of for a woman. She died at 48 of brain cancer. She was robbed.
So I know a thing or two about bad shit. I realize that what I call out isn't bad shit. I know there are worse things in the world than spending an hour sitting next to people who haven't turned off the key tones on their phones, so every letter of their text messages is a sledge hammer hit to your ear drums that slowly picks away at your patience, but don't sit there from behind your keyboard and tell me I have no right to have this website "out on the internet" or take the positions I do on social etiquette.
Damn right I do.
Check out this hot betch
GO Transit built a clubhouse for the Oakville Smokers Club!
You LSW'ers might know it by its other name, "parking garage" but you have to say it like the folks at Metrolinx say it, with both hands in the air, each bending two fingers, making air quotes. "Parking garage".
As you can see, the event drew a huge crowd.
Here's some random politicians at its grand opening (courtesy of GO Transit's Facebook page).
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Socially awkward moment, I has it
I don't profess to have a lot of experience with randomly being hit on.
In my younger days, about 80 pounds ago and 18 years ago, I used to do the prowling.
Men loved me - mostly because I was hilarious and adventurous; qualities my husband holds near and dear.
But usually when I was hit on, it was by men old enough to be my dad, or men bored with their marriages (Danger! Danger! Stay away from those assholes).
Today, I decided to hop on the subway from Queen to Union because my left foot has been causing me some discomfort and walking up to work this morning proved painful.
I got on. Sat down. Adjusted my hair... and caught the eye of this man in a suit with his bag balanced on his lap. He was blonde, average, late 30s, glasses and he smiled at me. A genuine smile. Not a 'Hey, wanna buy a banana?' smile, but a friendly smile.
This threw me so I pretended not to notice and instead, stared real hard at this ad with a Christian message scrawled across it using signs ripped from TTC subway stations.
I actually found the ad clever so I snapped a picture of it.
When I glanced over at not old enough to be my dad guy, he was full-on smiling at me. A right up to his eyelids kind of grin.
Well, yeah, I just took a picture of a sign professing love of Jesus, so I'd stare too.
The train pulls into Union and I file off with everyone else and guy who is actually quite attractive, files in behind me up the escalator.
The crowd stalls at the turnstile and guy in the not a Sears suit leans in towards me and asks, "Is your sister so and so?"
Clever, I think.
"No," I reply. "You have me confused with someone else."
He smiles at me in a 'oops, my bad' kind of way and holds the door open for me into Union.
Honestly? I don't know what to make of any of this.
Not to appear to have a lack of self-confidence or self-esteem, but I haven't felt attractive in a long time and men generally ignore me. Except for men in furniture stores - they bloody love me. Oh, and men selling cars. I can get any hood popped - ask my husband.
So, wrapped in this moment of awkwardness and because I happen to be wearing a ring on my "married" finger (he was not, I looked), I asked him for his phone number. Let's cut to the chase, right?
He pauses, smiles, and asks, "How about a drink first?"
I'm usually swift and witty, but all of a sudden, I felt tremendously inadequate and inept. I hated myself for doubting he truly did mean what he asked, but I was overcome with a feeling of unworthiness and was dumbstruck by his question because I'm a married woman with no business drinking with any strange man.
"I'm sorry," I say. "But I can't do that. I'm not sure what this is, but I'm flattered. But I'm also married, and in a hurry, so I'll have to give my regrets."
Yes, I actually said that! Bringing it like it's 1890... right here, folks!
I didn't wait for him to answer. I walked away as confidently and as hurried as my busted foot could muster, and disappeared into the crowd.
In my younger days, about 80 pounds ago and 18 years ago, I used to do the prowling.
Men loved me - mostly because I was hilarious and adventurous; qualities my husband holds near and dear.
But usually when I was hit on, it was by men old enough to be my dad, or men bored with their marriages (Danger! Danger! Stay away from those assholes).
Today, I decided to hop on the subway from Queen to Union because my left foot has been causing me some discomfort and walking up to work this morning proved painful.
I got on. Sat down. Adjusted my hair... and caught the eye of this man in a suit with his bag balanced on his lap. He was blonde, average, late 30s, glasses and he smiled at me. A genuine smile. Not a 'Hey, wanna buy a banana?' smile, but a friendly smile.
This threw me so I pretended not to notice and instead, stared real hard at this ad with a Christian message scrawled across it using signs ripped from TTC subway stations.
I actually found the ad clever so I snapped a picture of it.
When I glanced over at not old enough to be my dad guy, he was full-on smiling at me. A right up to his eyelids kind of grin.
Well, yeah, I just took a picture of a sign professing love of Jesus, so I'd stare too.
The train pulls into Union and I file off with everyone else and guy who is actually quite attractive, files in behind me up the escalator.
The crowd stalls at the turnstile and guy in the not a Sears suit leans in towards me and asks, "Is your sister so and so?"
Clever, I think.
"No," I reply. "You have me confused with someone else."
He smiles at me in a 'oops, my bad' kind of way and holds the door open for me into Union.
Honestly? I don't know what to make of any of this.
Not to appear to have a lack of self-confidence or self-esteem, but I haven't felt attractive in a long time and men generally ignore me. Except for men in furniture stores - they bloody love me. Oh, and men selling cars. I can get any hood popped - ask my husband.
So, wrapped in this moment of awkwardness and because I happen to be wearing a ring on my "married" finger (he was not, I looked), I asked him for his phone number. Let's cut to the chase, right?
He pauses, smiles, and asks, "How about a drink first?"
I'm usually swift and witty, but all of a sudden, I felt tremendously inadequate and inept. I hated myself for doubting he truly did mean what he asked, but I was overcome with a feeling of unworthiness and was dumbstruck by his question because I'm a married woman with no business drinking with any strange man.
"I'm sorry," I say. "But I can't do that. I'm not sure what this is, but I'm flattered. But I'm also married, and in a hurry, so I'll have to give my regrets."
Yes, I actually said that! Bringing it like it's 1890... right here, folks!
I didn't wait for him to answer. I walked away as confidently and as hurried as my busted foot could muster, and disappeared into the crowd.
So how didja make out last night?
It was nice to see that GO service was fully operational this morning. I'm sure this was a relief for many. The folks who ride in using the Richmond Hill corridor were warned that canoes would be on stand-by but Hurricane Sandy cut them some slack and service resumed normally this morning.
My area made it through the storm unscathed and with power. I did see a neighbour's patio umbrella roll by around 10:30 last night, but other than that, nothing crazy.
I'm sure most of you read about the woman who was killed in Toronto's west end by a sign that tore loose in the wind. I have some questions about the installation of this sign and why it couldn't withstand the wind speed at the time, considering other signs mounted at the plaza at Keele and St. Clair managed to remain intact, but that's up for engineers to determine. I'd like to take a moment to express my condolences to this woman's family.
For many, the storm seemed like a "meh" but for others, especially southeast of us, it was pretty devastating I'm very relieved it didn't pack the punch it had the potential for.
It was also nice to see the pond under the Rouge Valley bridge get some water. Those who ride the LSE will know what I'm talking about. SAVE ALL THE GEESE!
Photo credit: boldts.net
My area made it through the storm unscathed and with power. I did see a neighbour's patio umbrella roll by around 10:30 last night, but other than that, nothing crazy.
I'm sure most of you read about the woman who was killed in Toronto's west end by a sign that tore loose in the wind. I have some questions about the installation of this sign and why it couldn't withstand the wind speed at the time, considering other signs mounted at the plaza at Keele and St. Clair managed to remain intact, but that's up for engineers to determine. I'd like to take a moment to express my condolences to this woman's family.
For many, the storm seemed like a "meh" but for others, especially southeast of us, it was pretty devastating I'm very relieved it didn't pack the punch it had the potential for.
It was also nice to see the pond under the Rouge Valley bridge get some water. Those who ride the LSE will know what I'm talking about. SAVE ALL THE GEESE!
Photo credit: boldts.net
Monday, October 29, 2012
Gather 'round children, it's time for another tale of the Oakville Smokers Club
Photo credit: MM
| from: | MM | ||
| to: | cj@thiscrazytrain.com | ||
| date: | Sat, Oct 27, 2012 at 7:27 PM | ||
| subject: | Oakville Smokers Club |
I seem to have been jinxed. Ever since I promised you new smoker pics I've run into a dry spell. If I have my camera, there are no smokers; if I leave it at home, they are everywhere.
But sometimes the fish come to you when you least expect it.
Last Friday I missed my connection for the early GO bus, so I had to wait around for the later one. I use either one regularly, depending on my energy level, but this was the first time I had such an extended layover. So I got a coffee and a paper and settled in to wait the 15 or so minutes till my bus rolled in.
It's a different vibe at the station when buses are not rolling in and out. Since Oakville Transit times their buses to coincide with GO train and bus departures, the times in between seem kind of empty. Fewer people, less bustle.
There were no smokers though, at least at first, and I was kind of enjoying the fresh air.
Then, when I went out towards the bus platform, I saw this guy. (See pic). He was standing directly in front of the side door, maybe two feet in front of it, facing the door and blocking it, and only a metre or two from the no-smoking sign. My rule is that I don't shoot unless I can get the no-smoking sign in, or unless I have already asked the smoker to desist.
This guy was gold. So I took his picture.
He then walks towards me and says that I have no right to take his picture, that it is illegal. He has a thick Eastern-European accent, so I give him the benefit of the doubt and I start the spiel about the law saying that I can take a picture in any public place.
He keeps at it. So I point to the sign and tell him that it means "no smoking" in English, Polish, Russian and whatever other language he might speak... but there are no posted signs for photography. He walks off and goes down the steps to the underpass to the trains - still smoking.
I get on the bus and mention all this to the bus driver, an old acquaintance. He laughs.
It seems that this guy has a morning routine - he stands in front of the doors and blows smoke at people entering and leaving and scowls at anyone who even looks at him crosseyed. Every goddamn day for the last few weeks.
I guess my photographing him took him up short.
Look at this wet boot hussy
It was raining this morning, but this honey badger don't care. She don't give a shit. > Reference here
This is where I like to pull out what I call my Thurston Howell, III white glove and slap these people across the ankles.
People, say something! If you're stuck, call me, 905-442-7423, and then hand the person the phone. I'll take care of it. Pinky-swear.
And what about the person who had to sit in that seat after this Princess removed her filthy boots?
Don't you foot riders think about that? What about the seat you're in? Would you be happy knowing you're sitting is someone else's dirt?
-Submitted (DY)
This is where I like to pull out what I call my Thurston Howell, III white glove and slap these people across the ankles.
People, say something! If you're stuck, call me, 905-442-7423, and then hand the person the phone. I'll take care of it. Pinky-swear.
And what about the person who had to sit in that seat after this Princess removed her filthy boots?
Don't you foot riders think about that? What about the seat you're in? Would you be happy knowing you're sitting is someone else's dirt?
-Submitted (DY)
"Here I am... rock me like a hurricane!"
Sang no one on the East Coast, ever.
Be sure to follow Hurricane Sandy on Twitter for real-time updates from the centre of the storm herself! Warning: NSFW due to language.
Are you ready? Is GO Transit ready?
"Who are you kidding!? There's no plan in place for tonight!" I can hear you screaming from your keyboards.
I'm reading all kinds of crazy weather predictions for our area.
But I like Environment Canada's warning the best. Gee, can one be any more vague? "This evening". That's pretty ball park. Are we talking 5pm? 9pm?
Can we expect cancelled trains tomorrow morning due to debris and downed trees on tracks or is GO Transit on top of this hot mess? With cranes and clean-up crews on stand-by?
If GO is smart, they will issue their own weather bulletin outlining the steps they plan to take to prepare for this hurricane, but to their credit, they've been very pro-active on Twitter this morning.
WWCN11 CWTO 290851
SEVERE WEATHER BULLETIN
ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA
AT 4:51 AM EDT MONDAY 29 OCTOBER 2012.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN ONTARIO...
WIND WARNING FOR:
=NEW= CITY OF TORONTO
=NEW= WINDSOR - ESSEX - CHATHAM-KENT
=NEW= SARNIA - LAMBTON
=NEW= ELGIN
=NEW= LONDON - MIDDLESEX
=NEW= SIMCOE - DELHI - NORFOLK
=NEW= DUNNVILLE - CALEDONIA - HALDIMAND
=NEW= OXFORD - BRANT
=NEW= NIAGARA
=NEW= CITY OF HAMILTON
=NEW= HALTON - PEEL
=NEW= YORK - DURHAM
=NEW= HURON - PERTH
=NEW= KITCHENER - CAMBRIDGE - REGION OF WATERLOO
=NEW= GUELPH - ERIN - SOUTHERN WELLINGTON COUNTY
=NEW= SAUGEEN SHORES - KINCARDINE - SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY
=NEW= BELLEVILLE - QUINTE - NORTHUMBERLAND
=NEW= KINGSTON - PRINCE EDWARD
=NEW= GANANOQUE - MALLORYTOWN
=NEW= BROCKVILLE - PRESCOTT
=NEW= MORRISBURG - LONG SAULT
=NEW= CORNWALL - LANCASTER.
SEVERE WINDS OF 60 GUSTING UP TO 100 KM/H BEGINNING THIS EVENING.
THIS IS A WARNING THAT POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.
==DISCUSSION==
HURRICANE SANDY IS FORECAST TO TRACK FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN INTO THE NEW JERSEY SHORELINE THIS EVENING AS IT TRANSITIONS INTO A POWERFUL POST-TROPICAL STORM. WINDS WILL INCREASE OUT OF THE NORTH TO NORTHEAST TODAY AT 40 GUSTING TO 60 KM/H IN MOST AREAS. THEY WILL INTENSIFY FURTHER THIS EVENING TO 60 GUSTING AT TIMES TO 90 KM/H ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVIER BANDS OF RAIN AS SANDY BEGINS TO MOVE ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA. WINDS MAY BE EVEN STRONGER IN THE NIAGARA AND SARNIA REGIONS WHERE GUSTS OVER 100 KM/H ARE POSSIBLE. THEY MAY ALSO GUST A LITTLE STRONGER OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO EASE BELOW WARNING CRITERIA ON TUESDAY MORNING.
SPORADIC POWER OUTAGES ARE QUITE LIKELY ACROSS THE WARNED REGIONS DUE TO FALLING LIMBS AND THE ODD TOPPLED TREE TAKING OUT HYDRO LINES.
REFER TO YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC FORECAST FOR FURTHER DETAILS.
END/OSPC
PS. If my headline and subsequent comment shows up as a meme today on the internet anywhere, I have Howard Bigfird on stand-by.
Be sure to follow Hurricane Sandy on Twitter for real-time updates from the centre of the storm herself! Warning: NSFW due to language.
Are you ready? Is GO Transit ready?
"Who are you kidding!? There's no plan in place for tonight!" I can hear you screaming from your keyboards.
I'm reading all kinds of crazy weather predictions for our area.
But I like Environment Canada's warning the best. Gee, can one be any more vague? "This evening". That's pretty ball park. Are we talking 5pm? 9pm?
Can we expect cancelled trains tomorrow morning due to debris and downed trees on tracks or is GO Transit on top of this hot mess? With cranes and clean-up crews on stand-by?
If GO is smart, they will issue their own weather bulletin outlining the steps they plan to take to prepare for this hurricane, but to their credit, they've been very pro-active on Twitter this morning.
WWCN11 CWTO 290851
SEVERE WEATHER BULLETIN
ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA
AT 4:51 AM EDT MONDAY 29 OCTOBER 2012.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN ONTARIO...
WIND WARNING FOR:
=NEW= CITY OF TORONTO
=NEW= WINDSOR - ESSEX - CHATHAM-KENT
=NEW= SARNIA - LAMBTON
=NEW= ELGIN
=NEW= LONDON - MIDDLESEX
=NEW= SIMCOE - DELHI - NORFOLK
=NEW= DUNNVILLE - CALEDONIA - HALDIMAND
=NEW= OXFORD - BRANT
=NEW= NIAGARA
=NEW= CITY OF HAMILTON
=NEW= HALTON - PEEL
=NEW= YORK - DURHAM
=NEW= HURON - PERTH
=NEW= KITCHENER - CAMBRIDGE - REGION OF WATERLOO
=NEW= GUELPH - ERIN - SOUTHERN WELLINGTON COUNTY
=NEW= SAUGEEN SHORES - KINCARDINE - SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY
=NEW= BELLEVILLE - QUINTE - NORTHUMBERLAND
=NEW= KINGSTON - PRINCE EDWARD
=NEW= GANANOQUE - MALLORYTOWN
=NEW= BROCKVILLE - PRESCOTT
=NEW= MORRISBURG - LONG SAULT
=NEW= CORNWALL - LANCASTER.
SEVERE WINDS OF 60 GUSTING UP TO 100 KM/H BEGINNING THIS EVENING.
THIS IS A WARNING THAT POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.
==DISCUSSION==
HURRICANE SANDY IS FORECAST TO TRACK FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN INTO THE NEW JERSEY SHORELINE THIS EVENING AS IT TRANSITIONS INTO A POWERFUL POST-TROPICAL STORM. WINDS WILL INCREASE OUT OF THE NORTH TO NORTHEAST TODAY AT 40 GUSTING TO 60 KM/H IN MOST AREAS. THEY WILL INTENSIFY FURTHER THIS EVENING TO 60 GUSTING AT TIMES TO 90 KM/H ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVIER BANDS OF RAIN AS SANDY BEGINS TO MOVE ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA. WINDS MAY BE EVEN STRONGER IN THE NIAGARA AND SARNIA REGIONS WHERE GUSTS OVER 100 KM/H ARE POSSIBLE. THEY MAY ALSO GUST A LITTLE STRONGER OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO EASE BELOW WARNING CRITERIA ON TUESDAY MORNING.
SPORADIC POWER OUTAGES ARE QUITE LIKELY ACROSS THE WARNED REGIONS DUE TO FALLING LIMBS AND THE ODD TOPPLED TREE TAKING OUT HYDRO LINES.
REFER TO YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC FORECAST FOR FURTHER DETAILS.
END/OSPC
PS. If my headline and subsequent comment shows up as a meme today on the internet anywhere, I have Howard Bigfird on stand-by.
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