The Road is Scary Sometimes...

I spend more time than I would like driving in the city.  With our store being in the McKernan area and us living in the North end and with the kids going to French Immersion school and with me rehearsing all over the place, I am in the car a lot.  I don't love it.  I have never loved driving.  It is one of those necessary things in my life. I am also an obsessive rule follower.  In certain areas I think the rules help keep us all safe.  Certainly on the roads of Edmonton this is true.  So, it is particularly frustrating and scary for me when I find I am sharing the road with all sorts of rule-breakers.  Yesterday, I might have killed someone because they weren't following the rules of the road.  They were in the outside-right hand lane in the traffic circle North of Westmount.  I was in the inside-left hand lane.  The only option for them was to go straight - it's very clearly posted.  I had the option of going straight or pulling into one of three different left hand turn lanes. I was intending to turn into the furthest one forward, however, out of the corner of my eye I sense the car to my right shifting into the same lane.  The rules do not give this car that option.  She also did not put on the signal light indicating she was turning.  If I had not sensed the movement of her vehicle I would have hit her.  If I had intended to go straight, I would have t-boned her.  Luckily I was slowing down for the turn.  Luckily I saw the shift in her path.  I honked and waved in frustration.  She gave me the finger. We rolled down our windows and yelled at each other.  I yelled "You just about got yourself killed! What you did was illegal!" - my child in the back seat prevented me from yelling worse things.  She was not so restrained as she yelled something to the effect of "You should be watching where you're @#%@ing going!".  She's lucky I was. I have been so angry about this. About the what-ifs.  What if I had killed her? I'd have to live with that - even though it would have been her fault. It's like the pedestrians around the University who dash into the road during the countdown.  I am not going to be surprised if one of them gets killed - I am more surprised no one has been already.  Too many people, be they drivers or pedestrians or cyclists, rely on other people to keep them safe while they do not follow the rules of the road.  I am exhausted keeping watch out for them...

Oh, and to that woman in the Citadel Parkade who cut into the line of people who had been waiting to get out for over ten minutes after being in her car for less than a minute - Karma will get you... I'm hoping for some sort of disease that cuts you down in your prime...

Man, I hate driving....

Dear Parents and Care-Givers of Dunluce School

Re: Traffic Issues – Dunluce School

2011-2012 School Year

I have been growing more and more upset by the way parents and caregivers have been behaving when they come to pick up their children after school this year. I have never seen it this bad and I have been picking my kids up after school for the last 4 ½ years (I did take one year off where they rode the bus – so 3 ½ of the last 4 ½ years).

I have observed rampant jaywalking, with and without children, often done by darting out between parked cars (when visibility is poor) or by making oncoming traffic stop. Remember, because of where the crosswalks are located this means people had less than ½ a block to walk to a marked crosswalk no matter where they were. So not only are these people acting unsafe and illegal, but they are also lazy.

The driving and parking habits that I have observed also concern me. Every single day there are people parking in the no parking areas surrounding the crosswalk. I fear for the crossing guards and pedestrians as your car being in those non-parking spots means that you have greatly reduced their visibility to oncoming traffic. Your being there means they have to step out further into the road to stop the traffic. You put them at higher risk. You endanger the life of those children. I have seen reckless u-turns, high speed pulling out of parking spots, lack of signaling, pulling out into the crosswalk (because, of course, that’s where you were parked). All of those things are unsafe for our children. Yesterday, I saw one van driven by a school parent that thought to go around the line of vehicles stopped at the crosswalk. Why were they stopped? They were stopped BECAUSE THERE WERE PEOPLE CROSSING THE ROAD. She (the driver) looked puzzled that I would honk frantically at her to stop (at this point she was driving on the wrong side of the road in order to get around those pesky stopped cars).

I wrote to Mrs. Busby (our School Principal) about these issues. She informed me that the school is very concerned but unless there are police out there ticketing people will say to the staff members who tell those of you who break theses rules that they could get a ticket that “They will take their chances.” I wonder, are you going to take your chances with a child’s life? Because that’s what it’s about – those children’s lives. It is not about whether you get ‘caught’ and get a ticket, it is about the message you send to our children. The message you send is that it is okay to break rules as long as you don’t get caught. The message you send is that safety is second to convenience. The message you send is that what they are taught in school does not matter. You send a terrible, terrible example to your children and to mine. My fear is that one day one of our children is going to pay for it.

Please stop taking chances.

A Midwinter's trip to Midsummer...

Whew! The things I have to do to go out to see a friend in a play... Last night I went to A Midsummer Night's Dream in Spruce Grove put on by Horizon Players. The show started at 7:30 p.m. (What the? What ever happened to 8:00 starts?) but I had to start driving at 5:00 p.m. to get there on time. My sitter lives by Clareview so I left at 5 p.m. to get her, it was 6 p.m. by the time I got back to my house with the sitter and the kids. Then I headed off to pick up my friend Julie in Beaumaris. A couple of wrong turns meant that took me 20 minutes which was a bout 10 minutes longer than it should have (It was the one place I didn't mapquest! Doh!). Then we were off to get Wanda at the River Cree Casino in Enoch. Whoosh! Down 137th Avenue. Whoosh! Down Anthony Henday. Whoosh! Down the Whitemud? (I'm not sure I just went where Julie told me) Then we headed back up to the Yellowhead and off to the theatre. We rolled into the parking lot at about 7:20 p.m. We needn't have been stressed, the show didn't start until 7:45 due to latecomers. Really!

I was pleased overall with the show. Like most community shows you get a broad spectrum of skills and talents and you could see that, but the piece as a whole was complete and finished. Sure, there were things I didn't like, some of the actor's and director's choices were not the best, but at least choices were made. Everyone was giving their all. I was very pleased as well with my friend Anne Marie's performance. The director was wise to group people so that skill level was matched. However, what that did was make you wish for some story lines to come back and others to go away. What was clear with this production was that the actors were given room to be as good as they could be, so that the weaknesses of the show did not hold them back. Therefore, someone like my friend, could still have a meaningful theatre experience even though some of the other performers were not of the same calibre.

Oh, but a word... The audience etiquette was the worst I have seen in a theatre in I don't know how long. There were several people taking flash photography! What the?! There were people coming late (really late considering the show started 15 minutes late). There were people getting up and crossing in front of the stage during the show!!! With every flash I was taken out of the show. With every idiot standing up or talking to their friend I left the forest. I don't know if people realize the damage they do to a show and the insult they give to the actors onstage and the rest of the audience by doing these things. I could care less if you wear your hat or fall asleep or dress inappropriately, but don't screw around with the show by distracting me!