Thursday, May 16, 2013
Oh my GAWD! Vanessa can't believe she wasn't on the list!!!
Last night I took the 5:10 pm LSE home. For the entire train ride, no matter how loud I turned up the volume for my episode of Mad Men, I could hear this girl an entire quad away yelling into her iPhone about her sister's shower invitations and some girl who was mad she wasn't on the list.
In fact, the whole train heard her.
The woman beside me who was working on a crossword obviously had difficulty concentrating because it took her 20 minutes to write down the answer to one clue. Eventually she put her paper away and glared at iPhone girl for the rest of the train ride. I loudly asked her if she was upset that she wasn't on the list. This garnished a few chuckles from the people around us.
In the span of ten minutes, the woman conducting the call said, "Like" 39 times and asked, "You know what I mean?" nearly 100 times. Coming in third place, "I know, right?" was said a dozen times. The repetition of these statements throughout her phone call was more annoying than the projection of her voice. We were all told five times how angry Vanessa was about not being invited and how many times the woman on the phone had texted her an apology.
This girl talked for approximately for 49 minutes and even through Death Valley (the stretch between Scarborough and Pickering) she never lost her call. I am always amazed when this happens. I'm on a LTE network and still can't access the internet steadily through this stretch.
Must be Murphy's Law or something.
In fact, the whole train heard her.
The woman beside me who was working on a crossword obviously had difficulty concentrating because it took her 20 minutes to write down the answer to one clue. Eventually she put her paper away and glared at iPhone girl for the rest of the train ride. I loudly asked her if she was upset that she wasn't on the list. This garnished a few chuckles from the people around us.
In the span of ten minutes, the woman conducting the call said, "Like" 39 times and asked, "You know what I mean?" nearly 100 times. Coming in third place, "I know, right?" was said a dozen times. The repetition of these statements throughout her phone call was more annoying than the projection of her voice. We were all told five times how angry Vanessa was about not being invited and how many times the woman on the phone had texted her an apology.
This girl talked for approximately for 49 minutes and even through Death Valley (the stretch between Scarborough and Pickering) she never lost her call. I am always amazed when this happens. I'm on a LTE network and still can't access the internet steadily through this stretch.
Must be Murphy's Law or something.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Proof that society is headed down the toilet
Source: briemcg_
Toke all you want, I don't care, but you're a degenerate for doing it on a public train.
Monday, May 13, 2013
GO adds free wi-fi to more GO stations and adds 60 parking spaces at Oshawa GO Station
Ahhh, hear that? That's the sound of hard-earned tax dollars being spent. Just kidding.
You bitched and GO listened because starting tomorrow morning, those who drive to the Oshawa GO station will have 60 extra parking spaces to park like donkeys in.
Also, IMA Outdoor, in partnership with Metrolinx, is now providing wi-fi at the following stations:
You bitched and GO listened because starting tomorrow morning, those who drive to the Oshawa GO station will have 60 extra parking spaces to park like donkeys in.
Also, IMA Outdoor, in partnership with Metrolinx, is now providing wi-fi at the following stations:
- Ajax GO Station
- Appleby GO Station
- Aurora GO Station
- Bramalea GO Station
- Clarkson GO Station
- Cooksville GO Station
- Finch GO Terminal
- Mount Joy GO Station
- Pickering GO Station
- Richmond Hill GO Station
- Square One GO Terminal
- Union Station Bus Terminal
- Yorkdale GO Terminal
From GO's website: "Customers at these stations will need to select “IMA Wifi at GO” from the network options, and read and accept the terms and conditions before browsing the internet or checking email. There will also be a short advertisement on the screen from one of the sponsoring advertising partners. This advertisement makes it possible to deliver WiFi to customers for free."
I'm still waiting on bar car service on Friday nights...
I'm still waiting on bar car service on Friday nights...
My Mother's Day present - a new deck
In the townhome I live in, I back onto conservation green space. Basically, I share a backyard with not only nature, but all of my neighbours, too. The only thing private that we have is a 10-foot by 20-foot terrace attached to the back of our home. I never sat out there. The entire deck and fence boards were weathered, rotten and covered in moss. The previous owner never maintained the wood, originally cedar, and it became an eyesore. It had to come down.
My husband and I procrastinated about the work, flipping back and forth between doing it ourselves and paying someone to do it. My husband decided to bite the bullet and do it himself. He's never done decking before so he asked a co-worker with a construction background to help, and over the course of 10 hours on Saturday, they managed to replace the entire terrace.
Best Mother's Day gift, yet! Bring on the piña coladas!
And for the troll who always likes to ask, "What does this have to do with riding GO Transit?" Absolutely nothing, but I can see my deck from the GO bus stop.
My husband and I procrastinated about the work, flipping back and forth between doing it ourselves and paying someone to do it. My husband decided to bite the bullet and do it himself. He's never done decking before so he asked a co-worker with a construction background to help, and over the course of 10 hours on Saturday, they managed to replace the entire terrace.
Best Mother's Day gift, yet! Bring on the piña coladas!
And for the troll who always likes to ask, "What does this have to do with riding GO Transit?" Absolutely nothing, but I can see my deck from the GO bus stop.
Trolling Twitter is something I should do more often
Saturday afternoon I drove into Whitby to grab some Indian take-away for dinner at my parents' in Toronto only to arrive and have my mother AWOL after a shopping trip in Scarborough.
My dad, who is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, moaned and complained about the selection of butter chicken, aloo gobi, rice, samosa, raita, naan and onion bhaji only to then proceed to inhale an entire plateful of the food. TOLD YOU IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!
While I waited over two hours for my mother to come home and eat her advance Mother's Day feast, I decided to troll Twitter updates and came across a few gems. This one stood out for me:
@jamilamilamila I'm sorry but how is legally paying required fare a waste?@GOtransit works on a POP system. Would you prefer a nanny system?
Unfortunately, she didn't bite.
I also went after the a-holes who post photos of themselves on Instagram acting like donkeys on the trains such as the foot riders, the tokers, the smokers and other fare jumpers. Back on Twitter, I came across this:
@_ConnorMcGee_ A little.@Gotransit doesn't publicize its transit safety number but reports can be phoned in to 1-877-297-0642. Keep it handy
This resulted in a discussion with another Twitter user about how GO Transit makes no real effort to publicize its Transit Safety number.
Then we discovered this:
Sigh. I didn't realize that towed vehicles was a safety concern.
It sounds like it's time for a communications on public safety on GO Transit overhaul, doesn't it?
My dad, who is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, moaned and complained about the selection of butter chicken, aloo gobi, rice, samosa, raita, naan and onion bhaji only to then proceed to inhale an entire plateful of the food. TOLD YOU IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!
While I waited over two hours for my mother to come home and eat her advance Mother's Day feast, I decided to troll Twitter updates and came across a few gems. This one stood out for me:
CJ Smith Unfortunately, she didn't bite.
I also went after the a-holes who post photos of themselves on Instagram acting like donkeys on the trains such as the foot riders, the tokers, the smokers and other fare jumpers. Back on Twitter, I came across this:
Then we discovered this:
It sounds like it's time for a communications on public safety on GO Transit overhaul, doesn't it?
DRT Pulse and what it means for Highway 2 GO bus passengers (west of Oshawa)
Durham Regional Transit (DRT) will be running a rapid bus line along Highway 2 (Kingston Road) every seven and half minutes (which is awesome) between Oshawa and Scarborough during morning and evening rush hour. The soft launch for this pilot is at the end of June.
What's not awesome is that university and college students lose the use of their U-pass on any GO bus that services this route. GO Transit will no longer accept DRT passes and tickets on these buses, either. This makes sense, but still, people are upset, mostly the students because they feel the GO bus is faster, cleaner and more reliable (all true, but it's luxury transit, which is why I and others call it the 'green limo'). In summary, riding the luxury green limo will no longer be a subsidized option for some Highway 2 passengers.
However, give DRT Pulse a chance before you complain. GO doesn't offer buses anywhere on its routes that arrive every seven and a half minutes during rush hour. I can keep dreaming for that to happen!
Source 1 and Source 2
What's not awesome is that university and college students lose the use of their U-pass on any GO bus that services this route. GO Transit will no longer accept DRT passes and tickets on these buses, either. This makes sense, but still, people are upset, mostly the students because they feel the GO bus is faster, cleaner and more reliable (all true, but it's luxury transit, which is why I and others call it the 'green limo'). In summary, riding the luxury green limo will no longer be a subsidized option for some Highway 2 passengers.
However, give DRT Pulse a chance before you complain. GO doesn't offer buses anywhere on its routes that arrive every seven and a half minutes during rush hour. I can keep dreaming for that to happen!
Source 1 and Source 2
Friday, May 10, 2013
What's behind the fence?! This!
New stairs being built between the Union Station GO Train terminal and the new second platform of the TTC subway station!
---
Soon we will no longer feel like cattle being pushed towards gates!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
GO Transit brings vomit comet service to Toronto's downtown
Like to party past the last GO train out of Union Station but are too broke to cab it back to Whitby, Oakville, Markham, Bradford or (insert name of station here)?
GO Transit has heard your drunken cries and now offers bus service after 2 am from the Union Station Bus Terminal for those who travel the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Richmond Hill, Stouffville, Milton, Georgetown, King City/Toronto and Newmarket/Toronto routes.
Visit gotransit.com/schedules for more information.
I can only imagine the comedy gold I would experience should I ever have to take one of these buses to the Oshawa GO station at three in the morning.
GO Transit has heard your drunken cries and now offers bus service after 2 am from the Union Station Bus Terminal for those who travel the Lakeshore West, Lakeshore East, Richmond Hill, Stouffville, Milton, Georgetown, King City/Toronto and Newmarket/Toronto routes.
Visit gotransit.com/schedules for more information.
I can only imagine the comedy gold I would experience should I ever have to take one of these buses to the Oshawa GO station at three in the morning.
I spy with my little eye ...
Someone who is GUILTY. As charged.
Over the years (all three of them) I've received the odd emails and text messages from GO Transit patrons who stumble onto this site through whatever means (usually a Google search for methods to carry-out GO Transit fare evasion) and take it upon themselves to defend or justify their rude train behaviour. For these people to have discovered themselves, they would have had to browse my site for hours and wade through over 2,300 posts. This is why I never take the accusations seriously. I've watched Punk'd.
Last night I received a phone call, yes, a phone call, allegedly from this woman.
I had just gotten home when my cell rang. It was a 416 number and since I have Toronto friends, I answered it. I was shirking off my purse when my ear was assaulted by a woman screaming through the receiver. I had to put the person on speaker so I could avoid further auditory abuse.
Girl was AN-GRY.
She was demanding my home address so she could send over her biker brother who apparently wrestles cows in farm fairs, or something like that, to talk to me about all the laws I broke by taking her picture and putting it up on the internet. She resented that I called her a dirty turnip, saying I must do this stuff to make myself feel better about being trailer trash, and said that I was sick in the head for setting her on fire (for real).
Oh dear.
I handed the phone to my cattorney, Georgie Greyskull, who sniffed at it and then promptly laid down on it. I could hear the woman continuing to yell while I inspected the grilled chicken Ceasar salad my hubby had made for dinner.
Eventually Georgie got up and wandered over to his food dish and had a snack. The woman continued to yell.
My daughter came downstairs and asked me if I could update an app on her iPod. All of a sudden there was silence from my phone. A few seconds later, a more calm sounding voice asked, "Hello".
"Hello," I replied, handing my daughter her iPod and sending her back upstairs. "Well," said the woman. "Are you going to delete my picture?"
I told her she needed to email me a link. She said she did. I flipped open the laptop we keep in the kitchen, just an old thing I use for recipes, signed in to my email and clicked on her link. Then I grabbed my phone from the floor in my front hall and carried it to the kitchen table.
"Interesting," I said, "So you don't feel you were doing anything that would be objectionable to other passengers?"
She tells me she was just riding the train and riding the train like "any person who paid to do does".
"So you bought three tickets?" I asked her.
"No," she said. "Why would I buy three f---ing tickets?"
"Because all of your stuff is spread across three seats," I reply, continuing to eat my dinner.
"So ..." she says, "First come, first serve."
"Excuse me," I say, putting down my fork. "That's exactly why your photo found its way onto my site and why I photoshopped flames on you. Your attitude stinks. You are a selfish, self-absorbed person who clearly doesn't have a lick of consideration for others or the fact that manners and courtesy mean something in society."
Expecting a profanity-laced response, I moved my phone closer to me on the table. Instead, she told me she would "see my ass in court" and hung up.
So I called her back and got her voicemail. I told her to have her lawyer email me and to execute legal action by Friday afternoon as my lawyer has an appointment to have all of his body hair shaved off on Saturday and will be spending all of next week licking every inch of his skin as he struggles to figure out what happened. He simply won't have time to handle her demands.
Of course, I always assume I'm being trolled and nothing is ever legit, but I follow through, people. I follow through like the boss that I am.
Over the years (all three of them) I've received the odd emails and text messages from GO Transit patrons who stumble onto this site through whatever means (usually a Google search for methods to carry-out GO Transit fare evasion) and take it upon themselves to defend or justify their rude train behaviour. For these people to have discovered themselves, they would have had to browse my site for hours and wade through over 2,300 posts. This is why I never take the accusations seriously. I've watched Punk'd.
Last night I received a phone call, yes, a phone call, allegedly from this woman.
I had just gotten home when my cell rang. It was a 416 number and since I have Toronto friends, I answered it. I was shirking off my purse when my ear was assaulted by a woman screaming through the receiver. I had to put the person on speaker so I could avoid further auditory abuse.
Girl was AN-GRY.
She was demanding my home address so she could send over her biker brother who apparently wrestles cows in farm fairs, or something like that, to talk to me about all the laws I broke by taking her picture and putting it up on the internet. She resented that I called her a dirty turnip, saying I must do this stuff to make myself feel better about being trailer trash, and said that I was sick in the head for setting her on fire (for real).
Oh dear.
I handed the phone to my cattorney, Georgie Greyskull, who sniffed at it and then promptly laid down on it. I could hear the woman continuing to yell while I inspected the grilled chicken Ceasar salad my hubby had made for dinner.
Eventually Georgie got up and wandered over to his food dish and had a snack. The woman continued to yell.
My daughter came downstairs and asked me if I could update an app on her iPod. All of a sudden there was silence from my phone. A few seconds later, a more calm sounding voice asked, "Hello".
"Hello," I replied, handing my daughter her iPod and sending her back upstairs. "Well," said the woman. "Are you going to delete my picture?"
I told her she needed to email me a link. She said she did. I flipped open the laptop we keep in the kitchen, just an old thing I use for recipes, signed in to my email and clicked on her link. Then I grabbed my phone from the floor in my front hall and carried it to the kitchen table.
"Interesting," I said, "So you don't feel you were doing anything that would be objectionable to other passengers?"
She tells me she was just riding the train and riding the train like "any person who paid to do does".
"So you bought three tickets?" I asked her.
"No," she said. "Why would I buy three f---ing tickets?"
"Because all of your stuff is spread across three seats," I reply, continuing to eat my dinner.
"So ..." she says, "First come, first serve."
"Excuse me," I say, putting down my fork. "That's exactly why your photo found its way onto my site and why I photoshopped flames on you. Your attitude stinks. You are a selfish, self-absorbed person who clearly doesn't have a lick of consideration for others or the fact that manners and courtesy mean something in society."
Expecting a profanity-laced response, I moved my phone closer to me on the table. Instead, she told me she would "see my ass in court" and hung up.
So I called her back and got her voicemail. I told her to have her lawyer email me and to execute legal action by Friday afternoon as my lawyer has an appointment to have all of his body hair shaved off on Saturday and will be spending all of next week licking every inch of his skin as he struggles to figure out what happened. He simply won't have time to handle her demands.
Of course, I always assume I'm being trolled and nothing is ever legit, but I follow through, people. I follow through like the boss that I am.
Considering this guy rides the train like he's in his living room, that's the closest he'll ever get to an attractive woman
... Because manners are sexy. This guy is a tool.
Does he put his foot up on the kitchen wall of his nana's house when he comes over for Sunday dinner?
If my nana was still alive, she'd bust his kneecap with a rolling pin.
- Submitted by AM
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
I got up and asked the lady on the stairs if she would like to sit and moved the back pack
The owner of said back pack looked at me with a deer in the headlights look when I handed him his luggage. He had his music blaring and had heard nothing. It happened too quickly for him to fully process what was happening but when the lady sat down in the seat, and he realized what I'd done, he slunk down and stared hard out the window.
Damn right.
My heart was racing, as it always does when I pull these moves, but eventually I manage to convince myself I did the right thing and calm the hell down.
I just can't tolerate this crap anymore. I know that it pains a lot of you to ask people to move their stuff but let me remind you again, you have to assert yourself. You can no longer assume people will demonstrate common courtesy. There is no common courtesy these days, only rare courtesy.
In my case, I pay $16.80 a day to get to and from work. I'm entitled to a seat and so are you. Douchepicks are not entitled to pull an "all your space belongs to me" move during morning or evening rush hour. Not on my watch.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
I think I was mistaken for a homeless person looking for change. If that's true, I'm one classy looking bum
Last Thursday I was walking south on Bay Street, on my way to Union Station, when I noticed this sleek, black Mercedes with a flat, rear tire crawling along in traffic. The tire was flat to the rim. The driver was blaring music with both the driver and passenger windows down.
When the Mercedes came to a standstill at King Street, I stepped off the curb and leaned towards the passenger window frame. I didn't touch the car. I wasn't being threatening. I didn't even get a chance to speak before the male driver powered up his window, shouted something and practically stuck his middle finger against the glass. Then he accelerated through the red light, only to stop again. I turned to the people on the curb and said, "All I wanted to do was tell him he had a flat tire... "
Some guy said to me that the driver probably already knew he had a flat since most newer or high-end cars have warning sensors. This is true as our car has one and comes on when a tire's pressure is low. But I also have a friend who drives a Volvo with the dash lit up like a Christmas tree and ignores all of the warnings. She thought the tire pressure warning light meant she needed to add windshield washer fluid (click here for a pic for reference). True story.
As I got closer to Union, I was now on the opposite side of Bay Street, across from the driver's side of the car. His music was no longer blaring and his window was down again. We were both waiting for the light to change when he turned and looked right at me. There was no traffic in the northbound lane so I hollered over to him, "Your rear driver-side tire is flat, flat to the rimI"
He glanced in his rear view mirror like an idiot, as if he could see the tire. When the light turned green, he turned right onto Front Street and got out to inspect his car. Obviously he was clueless he'd been running on a flat.
I trotted over to him.
"That's what I wanted to tell you," I said. "I wouldn't keep driving on your rim. You'll damage it and it can be quite costly to fix."
He shrugged me off with a wave and muttered, "Thanks".
He climbed back into his car and began fiddling with his phone. I left and caught my train.
My husband said he was probably embarrassed. Maybe. Still a jerk, though.
When the Mercedes came to a standstill at King Street, I stepped off the curb and leaned towards the passenger window frame. I didn't touch the car. I wasn't being threatening. I didn't even get a chance to speak before the male driver powered up his window, shouted something and practically stuck his middle finger against the glass. Then he accelerated through the red light, only to stop again. I turned to the people on the curb and said, "All I wanted to do was tell him he had a flat tire... "
Some guy said to me that the driver probably already knew he had a flat since most newer or high-end cars have warning sensors. This is true as our car has one and comes on when a tire's pressure is low. But I also have a friend who drives a Volvo with the dash lit up like a Christmas tree and ignores all of the warnings. She thought the tire pressure warning light meant she needed to add windshield washer fluid (click here for a pic for reference). True story.
As I got closer to Union, I was now on the opposite side of Bay Street, across from the driver's side of the car. His music was no longer blaring and his window was down again. We were both waiting for the light to change when he turned and looked right at me. There was no traffic in the northbound lane so I hollered over to him, "Your rear driver-side tire is flat, flat to the rimI"
He glanced in his rear view mirror like an idiot, as if he could see the tire. When the light turned green, he turned right onto Front Street and got out to inspect his car. Obviously he was clueless he'd been running on a flat.
I trotted over to him.
"That's what I wanted to tell you," I said. "I wouldn't keep driving on your rim. You'll damage it and it can be quite costly to fix."
He shrugged me off with a wave and muttered, "Thanks".
He climbed back into his car and began fiddling with his phone. I left and caught my train.
My husband said he was probably embarrassed. Maybe. Still a jerk, though.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Challenges, regrets and mistakes
I walked away from vehicle ownership at the end of December 2011 when the lease expired on my 2008 CUV. I made the decision not to buy out my Chevrolet Equinox at what was a pretty sweet, pre-negotiated price ($9,998) when I realized my vehicle was a moving money-pit.
I was a late bloomer in this regard as I always needed a vehicle. It was my city friends who convinced me that my husband and I didn't need a second vehicle. I live near a major, although rural intersection that is serviced by both regional and GO transit. I can walk to a few amenities but if you want alcohol, you have to drive. If you want groceries, same deal.
Owning a vehicle made me lazy. Owning a vehicle also cost me a ridiculous amount of money - $8,048.00 annually, give or take a few dollars, just to drive to the GO station and make occasional trips around the GTA to visit family and friends one or two weekends a month. It was time for me to give it up.
I regret leasing the Equinox but I didn't know at the time that I would lose my job two days after I drove it off the lot. In total, it's $32,000.00 I'll never get back. When I made the decision to lease the Equinox, I was working for an IT firm as a consultant and I traveled to meet with clients. I would also be able to claim a portion of the lease payments on my taxes, at least, that was the plan.
My 2000 Ford Focus wagon wasn't aging well and with over 150,000 clicks on the engine, it needed major maintenance work I just didn't want to pay for at the time. The A/C no longer worked. The heater blew and as much as you try, you can't drive without heat when the temperature is below 5C outside. Only one windshield wiper worked (the passenger's), two windows wouldn't go down and the lift-gate needed new hydraulic arms. I decided the car had to go. Then my employer of eight years decided I had to go. My position was eliminated, I was shown the door and stuck with a brand new vehicle I had no idea how I was going to pay for.
As a final nail in the coffin, the only jobs I could find were in downtown Toronto. I wasn't about to drive to the city core every day so this meant I had to cough up another $275 a month to take the GO train (still cheaper than parking). So that added another $3300.00 to the already $8000 I was spending a year for transportation. It's sickening, I know, but it's not sickening when owning a vehicle is a necessary evil and justifiable.
I tried Leasebusters. No one would bite. Thankfully, I eventually found full-time, permanent work that allowed for our household budget to accommodate the additional expense of GO Transit, but all I kept thinking about was how much money we'd be saving if I hadn't gotten rid of my Ford Focus, if I had just procrastinated a little longer. If, if and if.
I regret getting rid of that car. It was a mistake. I should have just spent the money and fixed it.
The first challenge of not owning a vehicle presented itself when my husband's hours changed at work last Spring and I had to do daycare drop off in the mornings. I bought a bike and bike trailer and biked my daughter 2.2 kilometres (one way) to her daycare centre in the mornings and then biked back home, changed and caught the bus. I did this from May to October last year.
I also decided to change my diet. My husband is diabetic (Type 2, non-insulin dependent). He consumes very little sugar and watches his starches. He recently joined a gym. He's my inspiration to live better. Because of him, I no longer eat bad foods, over-eat, indulge or skip breakfast. It took almost three months for me to kick sugar from my system and four to six months for my body to adjust to eating three times a day. I cut my daily caloric intake in half. I am just starting to get into a routine of drinking water throughout the day. It's all been about baby steps for me. In 12 months, I lost approximately 32.4 pounds.
This Spring, I realized my daughter is too big for the bike trailer. Pound-wise, she's well under the weight restriction of 100 lbs but height-wise, she's too tall to sit comfortably. I moved her from the daycare centre to a babysitter who lives within a reasonable walking distance from us. This morning was the first day of our five-month journey of walking 1.65 kilometres every morning to her babysitter's. After I drop her off, I walk another 700 metres to the bus stop. Add in the 1.2 kilometres I walk to the office from Union and back, and the walk from the bus stop to my home, I'm walking a total of five kilometres, five days a week. I was going to join a gym but now I can save that money.
The only mistake I made was not wearing running shoes this morning. Instead, I put on a pair of shoes I have not quite broken in and I am paying for this in spades right now. I managed to catch my regular GO bus after waving frantically to the driver from across the highway (there was no way I was running as the back of my heels were rubbed raw) and I hobbled onto the train when the bus ride was over. The rest of the day will be like this.
Tomorrow, it will be more about comfort and less about fashion.
The great thing about this challenge is there is no alternative. It's not like I can give up the morning walk and hop into a car. I can't say, "Screw this" and abandon the plan. We're walking whether I like it or not.
I was a late bloomer in this regard as I always needed a vehicle. It was my city friends who convinced me that my husband and I didn't need a second vehicle. I live near a major, although rural intersection that is serviced by both regional and GO transit. I can walk to a few amenities but if you want alcohol, you have to drive. If you want groceries, same deal.
Owning a vehicle made me lazy. Owning a vehicle also cost me a ridiculous amount of money - $8,048.00 annually, give or take a few dollars, just to drive to the GO station and make occasional trips around the GTA to visit family and friends one or two weekends a month. It was time for me to give it up.
I regret leasing the Equinox but I didn't know at the time that I would lose my job two days after I drove it off the lot. In total, it's $32,000.00 I'll never get back. When I made the decision to lease the Equinox, I was working for an IT firm as a consultant and I traveled to meet with clients. I would also be able to claim a portion of the lease payments on my taxes, at least, that was the plan.
My 2000 Ford Focus wagon wasn't aging well and with over 150,000 clicks on the engine, it needed major maintenance work I just didn't want to pay for at the time. The A/C no longer worked. The heater blew and as much as you try, you can't drive without heat when the temperature is below 5C outside. Only one windshield wiper worked (the passenger's), two windows wouldn't go down and the lift-gate needed new hydraulic arms. I decided the car had to go. Then my employer of eight years decided I had to go. My position was eliminated, I was shown the door and stuck with a brand new vehicle I had no idea how I was going to pay for.
As a final nail in the coffin, the only jobs I could find were in downtown Toronto. I wasn't about to drive to the city core every day so this meant I had to cough up another $275 a month to take the GO train (still cheaper than parking). So that added another $3300.00 to the already $8000 I was spending a year for transportation. It's sickening, I know, but it's not sickening when owning a vehicle is a necessary evil and justifiable.
I tried Leasebusters. No one would bite. Thankfully, I eventually found full-time, permanent work that allowed for our household budget to accommodate the additional expense of GO Transit, but all I kept thinking about was how much money we'd be saving if I hadn't gotten rid of my Ford Focus, if I had just procrastinated a little longer. If, if and if.
I regret getting rid of that car. It was a mistake. I should have just spent the money and fixed it.
The first challenge of not owning a vehicle presented itself when my husband's hours changed at work last Spring and I had to do daycare drop off in the mornings. I bought a bike and bike trailer and biked my daughter 2.2 kilometres (one way) to her daycare centre in the mornings and then biked back home, changed and caught the bus. I did this from May to October last year.
I also decided to change my diet. My husband is diabetic (Type 2, non-insulin dependent). He consumes very little sugar and watches his starches. He recently joined a gym. He's my inspiration to live better. Because of him, I no longer eat bad foods, over-eat, indulge or skip breakfast. It took almost three months for me to kick sugar from my system and four to six months for my body to adjust to eating three times a day. I cut my daily caloric intake in half. I am just starting to get into a routine of drinking water throughout the day. It's all been about baby steps for me. In 12 months, I lost approximately 32.4 pounds.
This Spring, I realized my daughter is too big for the bike trailer. Pound-wise, she's well under the weight restriction of 100 lbs but height-wise, she's too tall to sit comfortably. I moved her from the daycare centre to a babysitter who lives within a reasonable walking distance from us. This morning was the first day of our five-month journey of walking 1.65 kilometres every morning to her babysitter's. After I drop her off, I walk another 700 metres to the bus stop. Add in the 1.2 kilometres I walk to the office from Union and back, and the walk from the bus stop to my home, I'm walking a total of five kilometres, five days a week. I was going to join a gym but now I can save that money.
The only mistake I made was not wearing running shoes this morning. Instead, I put on a pair of shoes I have not quite broken in and I am paying for this in spades right now. I managed to catch my regular GO bus after waving frantically to the driver from across the highway (there was no way I was running as the back of my heels were rubbed raw) and I hobbled onto the train when the bus ride was over. The rest of the day will be like this.
Tomorrow, it will be more about comfort and less about fashion.
The great thing about this challenge is there is no alternative. It's not like I can give up the morning walk and hop into a car. I can't say, "Screw this" and abandon the plan. We're walking whether I like it or not.
Friday, May 3, 2013
For the love of all things holy!
Wait, are you ... did you ... just ...?
You're not really ... oh God ... no.
Oh God, that's just nasty.
LOTION YOUR FEET AT HOME!
You know you need more sleep, when...
I'm on the train this morning, just watching GIRLS (oh my god, I love that show) when a woman I occasionally say "Hi" to who was seated across from me leaned over and said, "I'm sorry, I hate to ask, but did you wax off your eyebrows?"
Guess my sunglasses are just a little too big.
I took my sunglasses off and showed her that my eyebrows were still in tact, to which she replied, embarassingly, "Oh God, I need to get more sleep!"
And I totally took a photo so you can see why she asked in the first place.
Hilarious!
I took my sunglasses off and showed her that my eyebrows were still in tact, to which she replied, embarassingly, "Oh God, I need to get more sleep!"
And I totally took a photo so you can see why she asked in the first place.
Hilarious!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
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