Leeann Minogue

To Canada's Leaders: We're Sorry.

We’re sorry.

We’re sorry about the record low voter turnout in October.  We’re sorry we chose to watch Sarah Palin debate Joe Biden instead of watching the Canadian leaders battle it out on CBC.  We’re sorry we were so enamored with Barrack Obama that we barely paid attention to the Canadian election, and that we’ve been tuning into CNBC for the riveting business news instead of watching Question Period.

We’re sorry we haven’t paid you enough attention lately, and that we’ve forced you into such drastic action.  I can just picture you, all four leaders, drinking beer and playing pool in Jack Layton’s basement: 

-          We’ve got to get people to care about Canadian politics again.

-          Oh come on Jack.  Of course they care.  Can you pass those chips?

-          Maybe is better if they do not care.  When they don’t notice, they don’t ask questions. 

-          What about a woman?  When John McCain brought in a woman, everybody sat up to look.

-          Yeah, and look how that worked for him.  Anyway, we’ve got Elizabeth May. 

-          Who? 

-          And look at us.  We’re all white.  Maybe we need someone more diverse.

-          We’ve got the Governor General for that.

-          Sure, but everybody knows the Governor General doesn’t do anything important.

-          Why don’t we threaten to have an election?

-          You don’t get it, do you?  We just had an election.  That won’t work.

-          What if we talk some more about the changing climate?

-          Good one Stephan. 

-          Hmmm…. Okay guys.  I’ve got something.  It’s kinda crazy, but it just might work….  and even if it doesn’t,  we can all take an extra long Christmas break….

Nice one.  You win.  We’re glued to the news again.  The Canadian channels.

Give me Liberty, or give me.... a Broken Oil Pan

I’m not the kind of person that drives an SUV.  Who needs to take so much stuff with them that it can’t fit into a car?  Why taunt the environment when it isn’t necessary?  Why announce to the world that you think you deserve to ride two feet higher than the peasants in cars?

But since PetroBank built a new oil battery site a mile south of my house, the heavy truck traffic on the road has been taking its toll.  Our gravel road is a disaster.   Not only is there not enough gravel, the road is poorly maintained – it’s not uncommon to see a rock bigger than your head right in the middle of the road.  Cars just don’t cut it.  They don’t have enough clearance.  You need to be driving something higher, that has at least a half a chance of making the five mile drive to the highway.

And then there was the Reconstruction Summer of 2008.  After the rains on our “under construction” grid roads, there were four days when we couldn’t get to the highway with the four-wheel drive, let alone a car.  The Husband doesn’t want to be stuck in the house like that with me again.

And so…. I am now the reluctant owner of a large SUV.    The Husband found me the smallest one possible (that would have reasonable clearance).  But it is still more expensive than a car, uses more gas than the Nissan Altima I used to love.

Thanks, oil industry, for directly increasing my transportation costs. 

Saskatchewan reporters this week have been hounding provincial  MLAs for ordering Jeep Liberty's to drive around the Province.  My MLA has explained himself by saying that he can’t possibly drive an environmentally responsible car in the roads in this riding.  His choice of an SUV is necessary.  Apparently, I’m not alone.

I see two options.  Why aren’t we dragging enough cash out of oil companies to pay for the damage they’re causing to our infrastructure, and then using the money to actually maintain our infrastructure in a reasonable way?  If this industry can’t pay its own way, do we need it?  Or…. It wasn’t long ago that Brad Wall was reduced to announcing that he had so much money, he didn’t know where to spend it all.  How about a rebate program that would provide a subsidy to people like me that have to live near this industry, and can no longer get around with a car?  I’m not asking for a free Jeep Liberty or anything.  Just some cash to cover the difference between driving a mid-size car and driving an SUV.  

 

ps.  Of course, on our way to the Creelman Dinner Theatre last Thursday, we met a semi hauling oil to Petrobank's Creelman battery site.  After the stone hit our windshield, the crack spread from one side to the other, right before our eyes.  The Husband phoned around - it will cost $1,000 to fix.  Thanks again, oil industry. 

 

post-ps.  On the weekend, our local Petrobank rep stopped by to bring us a handful of hats and a couple of fleeces.  Ahh.... my troubles are over.

Toys R Not Us

The husband and I braved the cold wind of Scarth Street to get to our parked car after the show at the Globe Theatre last month.  He was muttering something that sounded like “damn Shakespeare….  Couldn’t the Globe stage something in English?” when we got to the car and found the piece of paper wedged underneath the windshield wiper.   

Oh no, I was thinking.  We can’t get a ticket.  I told him he could park here.  And it was my big idea to drive all the way to Regina to go to the show in the first place.  Pricey enough, once you figure in gas, dinner, tickets, and our stupendously overpaid babysitter (our own fault).

But it wasn’t a parking ticket, just a flyer.  The Husband held it up to see it by streetlight as he folded himself into the car.  “Look at this,” he said, much more enthusiastic than he’d been about the play.  “A new product.  One of those home parties that you hate.  But this one might be good.”

I do hate home parties.    Going to a neighbour’s house to spend 30 minutes listening to a live infomercial in an atmosphere that discourages mocking is not my idea of a good time.  Never mind that there’s rarely any booze at these things.

But The Husband was saying “It’s for toys!  You could have one of these parties!  The Boy’s going to need Christmas presents.  And lots of the neighbours are buying things for their own kids and grandkids.

He was right about that.  We are buying a lot of toys for The Boy these days.  And it would be MUCH more relaxing having a few people over to leaf through a catalogue than trying to get a toddler out of Toys ‘R Us.

“You’re always going to their parties,” he said.  “You could have one of your own.”

And again, he was right.  I was beginning to get a picture of my living room, filled with all the community women enjoying coffee, eating homemade cookies.  Buying enough toys to ‘earn’ me enough free gifts to get us clear through Christmas and The Boy’s birthday to boot.  Well, why not?

The Husband handed me the paper.  That was why not.   Sex toys.

“Oh.” He said.  “Maybe I do need glasses after all.”

We left the flyer on the dash between us and drove home.

Testing

Just testing the new site.  More to come.