Gas Prices. Again.

Isn’t it interesting that last night gas was selling for $1.049 a litre and today, the Friday before a long weekend for us and our neighbours to the south, that the gas prices shot up to $1.109?

They weren’t bad last weekend, considering. It was close to 95 and 96 cents a litre, but it started creeping a penny here and a penny there for the past two or three days. Then all of a sudden, overnight, we have a major increase.

Sure, some bozos up in Ottawa got some other bozos to do a “study” and concluded that there was nothing “unusual” going on with the gas companies and long weekends. It is just a co-incidence.

BULL DOO DOO!!!!!!

Once is a co-incidence. Twice? Possibly still a co-incidence. But when it happens 8 out of 10 weekends??????? Definitely suspicious.

How would they even know? Do they ever drive their own cars anywhere? Do they ever have to dig deep in their pockets and even stoop to pick up pennies? Because enough of those little suckers and you can buy one more litre!!!!!! Do they even know where the gas tank is on the vehicle they sit in?

I doubt it, very much.

My own little protest, especially when there is no one else at the service centre is to punch in the numbers through my debit card to take exactly 10 litres. Not 10 dollars, 10 litres.

I have unlimited debit card transactions on my bank accounts and I use it to my advantage. I keep my car tuned up, I drive responsibly, tire pressures correct, no a/c, etc; all to conserve gas. So my 10 litres does me pretty darn good. It might be hard for other drivers to do that, because they may have longer distances to go, and my protest may be inconvenient for them. But if dollar cost averaging is good for mutual funds, then it sure as heck can work for my gasoline. When it’s a reasonable price, then I fill up. But until then, thank heaven for the “pick another amount” button.

Too Bad He Doesn't Know

Every Sunday morning we treat ourselves by going out to breakfast at The Ranch House. It is a wonderful little family owned and run restaurant that we have gone to for YEARS.

It is so nice because when you walk in every one says hi and it is like one big family in there. Any way, today was like most others. We were there early and had a wonderful breakfast and pleasant conversation. It was looking to be a beautiful day.

We left their parking lot and had to wait for a red light at the intersection of Queenston Rd and Walter St. We were the second car in. The light changed, the car ahead went through and just as we got to the line a guy on a bike, moving very fast, came through against the light. I jumped on the brakes and he came right on through. Never even saw us or looked or anything. He actually passed within four feet of the car!

If I had not seen him, he would have hit the car right before the front door and flown over the hood. He may have hit the curb or the lamp post or who knows what. Goodness knows how badly he may have been hurt. My heart was pounding. It scared the crap out of me. The driver that had stopped for the light saw it all. I looked at him and he just shook his head.

Why is it that a lot of bike riders seem to think that a helmet and two wheels means they don't have to obey rules or even look where they're going? Now, I am all for people that want to ride their bikes. Good on ya!!! But for heaven sake pay flipping attention to where you are. Remember, you are a vehicle too and in ANY argument with a car you ARE going to LOSE!!!

So many times I see them riding the wrong way or zipping in between stopped vehicles or dashing through against the light. And when someone gets hurt, right away they want to blame the drivers. Most of us take care when maneuvering our vehicles, but we can’t see everywhere. Some drivers don’t care and think they have the right to go where and when they want because they have ‘a license’. Those are the ones the bikers have to watch out for. They think they own the road.

And that goes for the bike riders as well. They SHOULD NOT be on sidewalks and going the wrong way on one way streets. They have to start taking responsibility for their own safety. It’s about time the realized that through physics alone, that they do not stand a CHANCE against a car. They must ALWAYS be thinking ahead to what a driver is doing. They can make it easier on them selves by at least following the rules of the road.

Any way, I am very angry at that guy on the bike. He did not even realize what almost happened. But it upset and scared me for a good many hours after wards. I think his life flashed before my eyes. I know I saw what his life would have been after he hit us and THAT frightened and saddened me.

Sirens and Traffic

Okay, whose brilliant idea was it to give the ambulances and police cars these new multi choice sirens?

They ought to live near an ambulance station for a week and then see how good that thought was.

The station is one block from our house and by the mere location the majority of them pass by our front door. Sure you get used to them and, because it’s a one way street, they usually turn the siren off after they have made the corner. Unless there is lots of traffic or it’s a critical case. How some ever, why, in heaven’s name do they have to try out every sound they can make. Lots of times I swear it is just the fun of having a new toy.

The other evening, for example, co-incidentally, the same day they protested the shortage of crew and vehicles, I was out in the yard and could hear in the distance, the European siren. It kept coming and coming, getting closer and closer. I’m starting to think there must be a very bad crisis for this siren to be going for such a long time. It sounded like it was coming from downtown. Anyway, it kept getting louder and louder, closer and closer. I’m thinking what could have happened in our area? An evacuation? Huge accident? Large, out of control fire?

The ambulance cleared the intersection here, turned off the siren and went into their garage????!!!!!!

Little stupid, don’t you think? Lot stupid!! There were no other ambulances coming out of there at the time and they didn’t go in and trade vehicles or anything. Must have been quitting time.

Anyway, just curious. I really do appreciate all the work and effort they, as well as police, and fire fighters put in. It can’t be any easy life. But let’s go back to the everyday siren and quit playing with the darn thing.

My traffic thing. Again.

Love sitting on the porch watching the bozos going through the intersection. Every single night I am amazed that there are not more incidents here. So many people run the red light or jump the green light that it is just a question of time before we have a major accident. Every single night there are several idiots that will come around the corner a little too wide and nearly clip the dope next to him. The driver of that car has to lean on his horn and express his total displeasure with that idiot, traffic, life, and the world in general. At least now that the weather is better, windows are open and I am learning some new words. None that I would use here, but what the heck.

They also have to speed up the hill, gradual slope actually, and yell some more or at least do the testosterone ‘my vehicles tougher that yours’ thing.

There are two lanes turning left at said intersection. They are turning onto a three lane road, BUT, one lane is there for people coming the other direction and turning right. When I learned to drive I was told that if you are in the right hand lane before the corner you should be in the right hand lane after. If you are second lane out then follow that around the corner and you should still end up in the second lane. There are a lot of the same vehicles going by there every night. I know because I sit out there every evening waiting for my husband to come home from work. I recognize certain cars. Why haven’t some of them learned YET that they have to stay in their lane???????

Why do they think they can cut inside the truck coming around the corner? What do they think that sign “This vehicle makes wide turns” means? And why so darn fast?

Same as the people making the right turn. So many times I have seen them come around there and swing two and even three lanes wide, mainly because they are also going too fast. We actually had some one come around that corner one night that lost control and took out a ten foot tree in front of my neighbour’s house. Now that house is the fifth one from the corner!! We still haven’t actually figured out how he did it, because from the direction he was coming he ended up facing back the way he came in order to get the tree. Even more amazing is that he managed to lose control but miss a fire hydrant on one side and a street lamp post on the other. Threaded it through about 12 feet of open space.