Snow Removal

This is one hot topic in the great metropolis of Grande Prairie every winter.  It has improved over the last few years, I will give the City that.  The main routes are done in a  more timely manner.  Residential roads, not so much, and I guess that's where the complaints begin.

In a recent article in the newspaper, the head of the snow removal department felt it necessary to remind all of us we live in Northern Alberta.  Where we get snow.  Every winter.  Hmmm.  Quite certain we never realized that little tid-bit of information before!

Then I read a similar article, from one of the editors.  Again, with the reminder we live where there is snow.  Still hadn't realized that.  Thanks for reminding us.  Again.  Apparently, those of us who live in the North have brains the size of peanuts or baby toes because we must be constantly reminded of our demographics.

There were a lot of years I often wondered why people complained.  I guess I had gotten used to the roads and invested in a vehicle with four-wheel drive. 

Also, I noticed many of the people in Grande Prairie complaining the loudest about our winter streets were often from back east (meaning Ontario and further east).  Why did they complain so bitterly?  I could never figure this out.  Until we lived in the little province of Newfoundland.  Now I understand completely!

In Newfoundland, they get SNOW.  Not light fluffy powder that takes twenty-four hours to accumulate six to eight inches.  Wet, heavy stuff that gives you eight inches in three to four hours.  Snow so thick and heavy you have to shovel/snow blow many times during a snow day.  Why?  If you don't, you'll never be unburied from it for the rest of the winter. 

This concept doesn't just apply to people's driveways in Newfoundland.  It also applies to their roads.  They don't wait till the snow quits.  They can't.  I tell you what, though.  Their roads are BARE within twenty-four to forty-eight hours following a snow storm.  All of them:  the mains, the secondary routes AND residential streets.  How do they do this?  How do they budget for this?  I don't know.  What I do know, is theirs is a poorer province than ours.  One that manages to budget wisely every year for amazing snow removal practices.

My question is this:  If a small, poor province can budget wisely AND carry out such exemplary snow removal, why does a wealthy city, in a wealthy province, have such a hard time delivering a similar service to its citizens?

Here's my take on all of this:  We don't need a 17 million dollar sports field.  We didn't need a 20 million dollar multi-plex in order to keep up to Dawson Creek.  City Hall doesn't need a $500,000 dollar renovation to make the main floor more "accessible" or "appealing". 

What we do need is the safety clean streets provide to each and every one of us driving the roads every day.  We should not have to own a four-wheel/all-wheel drive just so we don't get stuck backing out of our driveways.  We should not have to worry about sliding through intersections because they are too slippery to stop -- even if you were going at a crawl.  Most of the fender-benders around town during the winter would be prevented IF our roads were cleaned in a timely manner.

I believe the City of Grande Prairie can do better with snow removal.  After all, we ARE a Northern Alberta city that gets snow EVERY winter.  If they don't know how to budget and run a well-oiled snow removal program, perhaps they should visit Newfoundland to see how they budget and implement such an amazing snow removal program.

And, please, quit insulting our intelligence by reminding us winter comes every year where we live.

Love Christmas?

Ever wonder why some people love Christmas sooo much it makes you sick?  Christmas trees and decorations up the moment Halloween is done... Extravagant light displays -- up and on -- no later than mid-November...  Counting down the days from the beginning of September or earlier...  Hell, the stores don't even wait for Halloween to be over before they are bringing out the Christmas stuff...

Me?  I've lost the Christmas spirit.  It is 100% commercialized and has simply become a competition as to who can give the biggest and best gifts to family and friends, rather than a thoughtful gift that actually means something to both the giver and receiver.  It's not really about giving any more.  It's about the "give-me's".

Everyone has their hand out at Christmas -- various charities, churches, and community organizations -- with pleas about it being the season to give.  What about the rest of the year?  Don't people need help to eat, keep a roof over their heads, experience a little kindness throughout the rest of the year?  Why is it only at Christmas these needs suddenly become so demanding?

Christmas isn't even about family any more.  Not really.  Not when you hear how so many people speak about their family members the rest of the year; how hateful they are, misguided, stupid, selfish, completely messed up.  It's a prerequisite to spend time with them during the "Season" -- not because you love or enjoy being around them but because you have to...

So go ahead.  Label me a Scrooge.  Or a Humbug.  Or any other label you want to attach to my disgust of a previously enjoyed holiday.  A holiday that once had meaning, fun, kindness and love attached to it.  I plan to spend it with my husband and daughters, thankful for a few days off work and the excuse to eat a great meal...

Rights versus Responsibility

Today, people talk a lot about their rights.  We all have them, but some people are definitely more knowledgeable about their rights.  Rights are supposed to be the same, no matter our age or race, aren't they?

What are rights, anyway? 

Basically, rights are a set of rules to follow.  We all have the right to drive.  We have the right to a high school education.  We all have the right to work.  We have the right to health care.  There are too many rights to list.

What society has forgotten to teach people is how to exercise their rights responsibly.  In fact, no one is responsible or accountable for their actions anymore, but they certainly know their rights.  If you make a mistake, own it.  Don't make excuses.  Don't scream about your rights because they are the same as mine.

Now, let's talk about rights versus responsibility.

If you pass the driver's exam, you have earned the right to drive.  Does this mean once you have your licence you can throw out all of the rules of the road, simply because you have the earned right to drive?  No.  You have the responsibility to drive defensively and to follow the rules so you don't endanger others or yourself.  This doesn't just go for driving.  People also have a tendency to park in the most deplorable manners, endangering everyone, because it's their "right".

Working is also a right that needs to be earned.  If you have no work ethic and refuse to accept the responsibilities of your job, soon you will be unemployed -- unless you know how to kiss the boss's ass exceptionally well.

Healthcare?  Well, healthcare is one of those where taxpayers are the clients.  A little fact often forgotten by those working within the system.  Instead, patients are often treated as second class citizens and their issues are not properly addressed.  Rather, they are shuffled out as quickly as possible.  There is very little responsibility -- and certainly no accountability -- placed at their feet.  Now don't get me wrong, I know some amazing nurses.

The next time you feel the need to spout off about your rights, remember you have the responsibility to use those rights in an appropriate manner.  Don't endanger someone because the idea of your rights super-cedes that of responsibility.

Belittling Young Celebrities

After the recent fiasco following the MTV awards show and Miley Cyrus, it occurred to me the American media is particularly mean to the young stars who have grown up in their midst.

The media completely shredded Britney Spears, yet wondered why she finally "cracked" up.  She was the American public's sweetheart for many years, with those innocent eyes and soft baby voice -- until she became a young woman making what would be considered normal mistakes had she not been famous.  The criticism began with her Vegas wedding and subsequent whirlwind divorce.

As a young mother being chased by paparazzi, they criticized her for not putting her baby in the car seat.  I'm sure she was just trying to get away from all the freaks putting her child in harm's way, pushing and shoving, in their attempt to get pictures.  Many of us probably would have forgotten in those flight-or-fight circumstances as well.  Personally, this is a slight that would be difficult to swallow.  I remember being a first-time mom and how other's criticisms made me feel.  The constant belittling of her parenting skills must have been devastating to the very fabric of her soul.

And let's not forget what the media has done to Lindsay Lohan.

Now, the paparazzi is after new blood.  Miley Cyrus's.  Has she given them plenty to talk about?  Most definitely and most of her behaviours aren't appropriate for the younger audiences.  Yet, I can't help but wonder:  had she begun her career as a twenty-something, if the media would be so mean?  I doubt it.  There are many pop stars, like Lady Gaga or Christina Aguilera or Madonna, who are rarely criticized for their overly sexual stunts during a show.  It's because Miley Cyrus was sweet, little Hanna Montana who always did her damnedest to make the best decisions and correct her mistakes.

Do you remember being a rebellious young adult?  I certainly do.  The more people talked and criticized, the more I fed that rumor mill, each act a little more outrageous than the one before.  Why?  It amused me greatly on my quest to full adulthood.  I was no longer the child who was required to listen to her elders about proper behaviours and life in general.  Unfortunately, the rumor mill will crush you unless you get out at exactly the right moment.

I cannot possibly imagine the public pressure placed on some of these young celebrities.  Having been the daughter of a minister, I well remember the pressure people place on you for making normal mistakes -- not sure why a minister's daughter should be exempt from making mistakes.  Thankfully, I did not have to live my life in the public eye because that would've been one hundred times worse!

The media is no different than a critical congregation was for me.  These young people have been raised in the public eye, and the media creates a public feeding frenzy.  Gaga or Madonna would have been lauded for a brilliant, racy performance.  Miley is criticized. 

What these young people choose to portray once they have grown up is no one's business.  Leave them alone.

Sensitivity Really Burns My Butt

You know what really burns my butt?  People who cry racism or discrimination at every little slight that comes their way.

Recently, a First Nations lady in B.C. had a media melt-down because of some very colorful head dresses being sold in a store.  By the way, my daughters thought they were absolutely gorgeous!  No doubt these head dresses were designed as mementos for those visiting the province, wanting a little piece to remember their vacation by.  She immediately takes offense, screams discrimination and insensitivity to her culture, resulting in removal of the head dresses from all the shelves of this chain store.

Really?  Very well.  We won't buy any more beaded moccasins made by First Nations, as a means of income.  We won't buy totem poles designed by you, either, even though your art is spectacular.  We won't try to learn more about your culture.  This lady made it very clear anyone outside of their culture must "earn" the right to own even a tiny piece of it.

Quite frankly, I have always been very curious about the Indian culture in our country.  Granted, I don't know as much as I might want to, but I certainly would not have been able to deduce buying a head dress, full of colorful feathers, would have offended anyone.  In fact, I would have been thrilled to purchase a little piece of this culture, authentic or otherwise.

How can you educate others about your culture if pieces of it are not out there for us to ask questions about?  Why would you immediately scream discrimination and insensitivity to your culture?  Instead of having a media melt-down, you should have used the opportunity to properly educate those of us who had no knowledge a head dress was to be earned -- not bought.  Rather, you made a nation shake their heads at your crazy behaviour.  No one was intentionally insulting you or your culture.  It's called lack of knowledge.

The same week as this story breaks in the media, Oprah gets her nose out of joint because a sales clerk did not allow her to "see" a certain purse.  What was the ridiculous price tag again?  I can't even remember.  Anyway, the first thing she assumes is racial discrimination.  Holy crap!

Personally, her OWN network isn't doing as well as she thought it would (a name can only carry so much weight after all), and she needed some serious free publicity.  She got it, but for the wrong reasons.  It would have been more amazing to see her helping those less fortunate than her.  I mean, seriously, have you not seen the pictures of New Orleans?  So many areas are still completely devastated many years after Hurricane Katrina went through.  Sandra Bullock won an award for humanitarian of the year for just such help.

Those of different racial ethnicities need to quit using the discrimination card for every little slight.  Some things are just life.  They weren't done to intentionally hurt your feelings or the pride you have for your ethnic background.  Even white people have different backgrounds we are proud of -- whether they are Irish, French, German, English, or Italian.  Are these not ethnicities, too?  Or are they simply "white"?

If racial discrimination is to end, we all need to be treated equal.  We need to quit screaming our woes to the media.  Every single one of us bleeds red.  Educate rather than try to become ethnically more superior because there is no such thing -- Hitler found that out.  What else could all this media posturing is about anyway?

Crushes After Marriage?

A very interesting conversation with my fourteen year old daughter compelled me to write about some realities of life.  It began with:  "Mom, do you sometimes still get a crush on other boys -- even though you're married to dad?"

The answer is, of course, yes, but I did caution her a crush is just that, and no more -- like staring at Channing Tatum or Matthew McC. on the big screen.  What a person has inside their marriage far exceeds anything ever received from a crush.  

Sometimes a crush is a meeting of the minds -- it's not even physical, just a compatibility of thoughts making you feel great.  Other times, a crush is all about lust and excitement occasionally taking a break in a long marriage.  My husband and I have been married for sixteen years and together for a total of twenty-one. 

She asked me if I thought it was wrong to have a crush when you are married.  Absolutely not.  In my experience, it adds a bit of excitement back into your marriage to realize someone out there still "wants" you.  In the back of your mind, remembering you are with the only man who accepts and loves you exactly as you are -- even on the bitchy, bad-hair days -- is heady stuff.

And, that is where the power of a crush loses it's hold -- with the knowledge no one will ever love you as whole-heartedly as the man you chose to marry.  The man who devoted himself to you.  Cares for you.  Raises children with you.  Provides for you.  Has seen you at your worst and lifted you to your best.

At the end of our conversation, she simply nodded her head and said, "Hmm.  So that's how it works.  I've been wondering for a while now."

:)

Inner Bitch

The other day, I unleashed the bitch.  I haven't allowed her out of the cage for about two years.  Last time I let her out to play, it was ugly!  Quite frankly, my inner bitch scared me, so she's been under very tight ropes and chains.

 

Now, for those of you who know me well, I'm sure you've heard me say I come from a long line of nasty bitches.  And I do.  Honest.  Have you ever seen a movie called "Throw Mama from the Train"?  It's old, probably from the 80's.  Anyway, the mama in this movie is the spitting image of my great grandmother, on my father's side - especially in physical appearance.  My first experience with a soul-deep, terrifying meanness was with her.  She often stayed with my grandmother as she was not very well, and grandma took care of her.  My sisters and I were young, and I do mean young!  I'm the middle sister and was about 3.  This old woman, who stayed in bed all day, was quite the curiosity to such young girls.  The three of us were peeking around the door frame at this grumpy pariah, when my younger sister decided to run into the room yelling "beep-beep-ba-bop-bop"!  Startled, my older sister and I pulled away from the doorway, and my little sister streaked past us like a bolt of lightning.  What she didn't bother to do was warn us the ancient lump in the bed could -- and was -- moving!  Throw Mama from the Train was suddenly filling the doorway, a red, plaid slipper in her hand.  She paddled our little backsides all the way to the entrance.  To clarify, it didn't hurt.  The all-encompassing fear is what I remember!  Our mother burst into laughter.  No doubt it looked hilarious!  We collapsed into terrified tears.  And Grandma?  Well Grandma, was angrier than a cat thrown in the sprinkler!  To this day, I get a jolt of fear when I hear intense displeasure in an old lady's voice!

 

Anyway, the rest of the women on both sides of the clan are of the passive-aggressive mean.  You know the sort -- snide comments, buried beneath a thin veil of humor, with the odd blunt flourish.  Which, by the way, I really do prefer blunt because I really hate wondering what the hell you really meant!  Now, that being said, I also possess a healthy dose of passive aggression, but I do try really hard not to let that bitch out.  However, the bitch I do let out on occasion is the border-line psychotic, overly blunt one.  She's the one who is so verbally aggressive -- although, rarely the one to pick the scrap -- people usually call the cops on her!

 

I'm full circle to the day I unleashed this nasty side of me.  We live near the hospital, and we all know hospitals never provide enough parking.  For any of their patrons. We constantly have battles with hospital workers who block driveways, crowd streets, park too close to corners, crosswalks, and fire hydrants.  All pretty major safety concerns.  Neighborhood children must be dangerously exposed before they can determine if it is okay to cross streets.  Same issue when driving -- it really is a crap shoot whether you'll make it safely into the roadway or be hit by a vehicle you were unable to see until it's too late.  And the fire hydrant.  I don't think I need to say more on that one.  So we jumped through all the City's hoops and brought up solid into a brick wall.  Same wall with Alberta Health Services,  only that wall is higher and thicker because NO government agency gives a shit about the little guy.

 

Frustration had been building up for weeks and months, along with a feeling of powerlessness that sinks anyone's ship.  I came home from work, to a hospital worker hogging the space in front of my home.  She'd been asked nicely to park elsewhere on another occasion.   I squeezed my car behind hers.  There was roughly one to two inches between my bumper and hers, and I wasn't blocking my neighbor's driveway -- a.k.a. parked legally.  I marched into my house and wrote a note that this was not a commercial parking lot, park at your place of employment. 

 

Unfortunately, I had just gotten comfortable in my deck chair when she finished her shift.  She put her kid in the car, then asked me why I parked so close to her.  Um, duh.  I live here.  She informed me she has the right to park wherever she wants to and I shouldn't park so close to her vehicle.  Really?  Well, I'm ashamed to say the reins on psycho bitch snapped.  I'm surprised the missus didn't hear them go!  I called her many unsavory names (compliments of working with rednecks for many years and a certain Newfie who taught me many more) with many of the options she could CHOOSE that homeowners cannot.  At which point she called me white trash, I called her something even worse and to keep her vehicle away from my property permanently. 

 

Well, I guess she forgot her big girl panties that day.  Or maybe this piece of white trash outsmarted her with unsavory words and a heavy dose of common sense!  Either way, an RCMP officer showed up at my door and was swiftly told to do something a little more useful with her time -- it was said a bit more politically correct than that, but you get the drift!

 

You know what I had forgotten?  It feels really good to let psycho-bitch off her leash!  She didn't scare me this time.  She wasn't all the way free of her chains, merely a snapping, snarling wild thing on the end of a rope.  And I think she made a very clear - albeit, rude - point.  After all, we homeowners have rights, too.  It felt great to fight back because I've been tolerant so long.

Lesson learned.  Let your inner bitch out and take her for a run once in a while.  You'll feel better when you're not just being a doormat for muddy shoes.  :)