There is something wrong with the world today...

... I don't know what it is.

Really I don't... But I have my theories. :)

Seriously though...

I've been giving a lot of thought lately as to why I blog. I don't blog for other people, at least that is what I tell myself when it looks like no one reads it due to the lack of comments. Then, once upon a time I added the Google analytics and found 100 views a day of my blog and thought... why? Am I that interesting?? No. Is this a destination blog like some that I lurk through? Maybe. Are people coming here by accident? That has to be it. :) But then I wonder if people come to read but don't comment (and that's OK... believe me) is it because I do not write comment-worthy posts or because once people finish reading one of my off the top of my head, rarely proof read, doesn't make sense posts, they are too busy shaking their heads to comment, or, more realistically, after reading UrbanMummy's wonderful writings people are comparing the 2 blogs and are laughing as they leave. I'm OK with that too. I don't mind entertaining. :)

What I really found was that when no one posts comments I almost feel more free to post what I want and not worry about what others may think. That being said, I do know some people that read my blog and will never post and I try to make sure that I don't post anything to offend them or to start rumours. I hate to have my own thoughts and feelings used against me. I really try to keep my office life away from this blog, only posting situations which are general in nature and happen to me either on my way to and from the office or at the office - but not work related. I'm finding more and more that there is a poison atmosphere at my office and its becoming a problem. I need to stay out of it. It stresses me enough just going there every day. The last thing I need is for my personal life to become a topic amongst people who take great pleasure in bringing other people down.

That being said... I came across some articles that I wanted to highlight here.

Ontario has new legislation as of July 1st which states that anyone caught driving while under the influence of drugs may no longer refuse to be tested and can, on the spot, be required to provide a blood test, saliva sample, urine sample or Breathalyzer test. Hooray. That, plus the upcoming ban on driving while using handheld cell phones might actually allow drivers to pay attention to the road. Stop at stop signs, and signal. Oddly enough while walking home yesterday I was crossing the street at a four-way stop, a few houses from my home when a car decided that stopping at the stop street was for others and just as I passed the front of the vehicle, it zoomed past me. WAY too close for comfort. So I glared at the car (my headphones in my ears) and raised my arms in that classic "What the fuck" pose, as I continued to walk. Well... He stopped, pulled over, made a u-turn , then made a left turn onto my street - I presume to yell and scream at me for glaring at him after he almost ran over the back of my legs, and for driving like an asshole in an area that has a ton of kids. By the time he turned. I was waving to my wife and kids who were in the front window of the house. He wisely drove by. What was he going to do?? Lecture me on walking too slow? Fucker!

The second article was about the Journal de Quebec which finally settled their labour dispute over a year after the staff walked off the jobs at the request of CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees). The reason for the strike... Because the employer wanted the staff to go from working 32 hours a week to 37.5. GASP. So now these guys don't work for 400 plus days, don't get paid, and I'm sure whatever they received in their settlement was no where near the year plus lost wages. Why? Why? Why? I mean sure they claimed to have been locked out - this from articles I read - and they decided to print their own 5 day paper in Quebec (loyalty?) but come on?!? If these guys really didn't want to work the extra 5.5 hours they could find a new job. Why try and bring down the employer? If there was no union, I'm sure the employer would have just fired all the complainers and continued with day-to-day operations like most of the businesses in the rest of the world. I just don't get the need for unions in some environments in this day and age. Sorry.


Another odd thing that happened to me occurred on Wednesday morning on my daily walk to the Lawrence subway. I was stopped by a guy, who had his truck up on someones lawn, asking for help getting an item up into his truck. He said it was too big and heavy for him alone. Turned out to be an old bathtub. Probably cast iron. Thing weighed close to 500 pounds. He wanted to turn it end over end into the truck, but I decided that since I was in work clothes and didn't want to hurt my back that we should just pick it up and toss it into his truck. So we did. Then he offered his sleeve up by his shoulder for me to wipe off my hands... UGH. How gross. I declined and walked on to the subway, washing my hands very thoroughly as soon as I got to the office.