People are strange. A story in the Globe and Mail today would certainly prove it. In fact, with this story, strange is the understatement of the century.
Scariest Story Ever
This is a news story about how a guy on a Greyhound bus to Winnepeg from Edmonton randomly attacked a total stranger sleeping beside him. He stabbed him repeatedly in the neck with a butcher knife and then... get this: sawed off his head! Horrified passengers fled off the bus and formed a defense line so police could come take him away. No one else was injured. Injured, no. But scarred and terrified, definitley. I can't even imagine.
I can really fool myself into thinking the world is a pretty reasonable place for the most part... but it's stories like this that just confirm to me that the world is insane. It also confirms that you should never trust anyone who wears sunglasses at night. Especially Corey Hart.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Buyer Beware
So for the first time since I was a kid, I sold items at a yardsale on the weekend. Graham's parents had a lot of furniture, electronics and a million odds and ends to sell so I joined in the fun to offload some of those random items taking up space in my tiny storage closet.
To my amazement, I didn't have that much to sell! I must have done a great job purging all my junk in my two moves in 2007.
Nevertheless, I did find some things to sell: an old desk chair, some computer speakers, a DVD system, and mountains and mountains of clothes.
Interestingly, the clothes sold extremely well. I wasn't even going to bring them, saying just a day before the sale: "No one buys clothes at a yardsale!" But apparently, at a $1 a peice, no one could resist that bargain. Graham's dad informed me that people look for yardsales in the Lawrence Park area assuming that quality is dictacted by location. However, I assure you, not a damn thing I was selling in that heap was quality!
Seeing the onslaught of bizarre bargain seekers buying up our stuff made me giggle with happiness. Nothing like the feeling of free money I thought! But Claire couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with some intense feeling of guilt. She seemed to think the whole process was sad somehow - like these people lack enough money to buy real things at stores or something. I had to disagree. I don't think people go to yardsales because they can't afford something better. It's the old cliche: one person's trash is another person's treasure.
I also couldn't help but laugh at the barrage of folks buying up all the electronics before 9 am. "Does this work?" a guy asked me about my old DVD system with 6 speaker surround sound. "Yes," I said. Now if he had of asked me, "Does this work well?" My answer probably would have been, "No, it's a peice of shit." If it worked well would I be selling it for $10 at a yardsale? Do I feel guilty? Not at all. Buyer beware I say.
All in all, I made $80. Better than the $0 I was going to make having brought it all to Value Village which was the initial plan. And rather than guilt, I feel some amount of pleasure knowing my things have gone to people who want them, rather than in the trash, contributing to a landfill which is likely where a lot of it would have ended up.
To my amazement, I didn't have that much to sell! I must have done a great job purging all my junk in my two moves in 2007.
Nevertheless, I did find some things to sell: an old desk chair, some computer speakers, a DVD system, and mountains and mountains of clothes.
Interestingly, the clothes sold extremely well. I wasn't even going to bring them, saying just a day before the sale: "No one buys clothes at a yardsale!" But apparently, at a $1 a peice, no one could resist that bargain. Graham's dad informed me that people look for yardsales in the Lawrence Park area assuming that quality is dictacted by location. However, I assure you, not a damn thing I was selling in that heap was quality!
Seeing the onslaught of bizarre bargain seekers buying up our stuff made me giggle with happiness. Nothing like the feeling of free money I thought! But Claire couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with some intense feeling of guilt. She seemed to think the whole process was sad somehow - like these people lack enough money to buy real things at stores or something. I had to disagree. I don't think people go to yardsales because they can't afford something better. It's the old cliche: one person's trash is another person's treasure.
I also couldn't help but laugh at the barrage of folks buying up all the electronics before 9 am. "Does this work?" a guy asked me about my old DVD system with 6 speaker surround sound. "Yes," I said. Now if he had of asked me, "Does this work well?" My answer probably would have been, "No, it's a peice of shit." If it worked well would I be selling it for $10 at a yardsale? Do I feel guilty? Not at all. Buyer beware I say.
All in all, I made $80. Better than the $0 I was going to make having brought it all to Value Village which was the initial plan. And rather than guilt, I feel some amount of pleasure knowing my things have gone to people who want them, rather than in the trash, contributing to a landfill which is likely where a lot of it would have ended up.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Things I don't need to see at 8:00 am
So I haven't been compelled to write anything for a long time but today, I saw something on my way to work that has been irking me all morning.
Driving south down Jarvis around 8:00 this morning, there was an anti-abortion protest. People of all ages were lining the sidewalk with massive posters that said "Abortion is Wrong!" with GIANT pictures on each poster of mutilated dead babies. These awful, bloody little things, some with various body parts detached from their torsos. At the bottom of the poster it said, "At 10 weeks."
Okay, I understand that the point of the posters is to be shocking and grab attention but for god sakes, do I need to see dead babies on my way to work at 8:00 in the morning. Do I need to see giant posters of dead babies EVER? Not to mention some of the people holding the signs were children! This just seems sick to me. And to be honest, I really don't think this is a very effective way to protest! How many people's minds do you think they actually changed this morning? If I thought abortion was okay this morning, seeing that protest likely isn't going to change my mind. I think the only thing they were probably effective in doing is causing nausea and general disgust in hundreds of commuters this morning.
And while I'm on the topic of things I don't need to see on my way to work, here's another one. While driving on the Gardiner last week in extremely slow traffic, the car beside me honked at me - one of those little "beep-beep" sorts of honks people do to get someone's attention. When I looked over at the driver, he made a disgusting and inappropriate gesture with his tongue. I really can't be more specific, nor can I demonstrate in print, but I assure you, it was disgusting. I made the most repulsed face I could muster and immediatley changed lanes. Seriously, what the hell did he think that was going to accomplish? I was going to quickly grab a pen, scrawl my number on a peice of paper and hold it up to the window? Why are some guys such pigs?!
As if getting up and commuting to work isn't bad enough as it is, I have to get up, commute to work and see giant billboards with mutilated dead babies on them and have disgusting men make horrible gestures at me on the highway.
I think I may start working from home more often.
Driving south down Jarvis around 8:00 this morning, there was an anti-abortion protest. People of all ages were lining the sidewalk with massive posters that said "Abortion is Wrong!" with GIANT pictures on each poster of mutilated dead babies. These awful, bloody little things, some with various body parts detached from their torsos. At the bottom of the poster it said, "At 10 weeks."
Okay, I understand that the point of the posters is to be shocking and grab attention but for god sakes, do I need to see dead babies on my way to work at 8:00 in the morning. Do I need to see giant posters of dead babies EVER? Not to mention some of the people holding the signs were children! This just seems sick to me. And to be honest, I really don't think this is a very effective way to protest! How many people's minds do you think they actually changed this morning? If I thought abortion was okay this morning, seeing that protest likely isn't going to change my mind. I think the only thing they were probably effective in doing is causing nausea and general disgust in hundreds of commuters this morning.
And while I'm on the topic of things I don't need to see on my way to work, here's another one. While driving on the Gardiner last week in extremely slow traffic, the car beside me honked at me - one of those little "beep-beep" sorts of honks people do to get someone's attention. When I looked over at the driver, he made a disgusting and inappropriate gesture with his tongue. I really can't be more specific, nor can I demonstrate in print, but I assure you, it was disgusting. I made the most repulsed face I could muster and immediatley changed lanes. Seriously, what the hell did he think that was going to accomplish? I was going to quickly grab a pen, scrawl my number on a peice of paper and hold it up to the window? Why are some guys such pigs?!
As if getting up and commuting to work isn't bad enough as it is, I have to get up, commute to work and see giant billboards with mutilated dead babies on them and have disgusting men make horrible gestures at me on the highway.
I think I may start working from home more often.
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