Since I am in desperate need of cheering up (haven't slept in 2 nights because I'm still upset about what happened Sunday, and Hubby is in Emerg right now, possibly his appendix), I thought I'd just post a bunch of funnies. Here's hoping they'll make your day brighter. All of these are from my 'Tickle My Funny Bone' board on Pinterest. Just click any of the pictures if you want more funnies, I've got almost 1000 pinned there!
Be good to each other and have a laugh on me.
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Apparently when you get into it with an aggressive driver in Oshawa and try to report it to the DRPS (Durham Regional Police Services), they don't really care. Here's what happened to me today: I drove to Walmart to pick up my son at around 11:30am and proceeded to make a left turn (with my indicator flashing) at an intersection. I do not have a stop sign at this location, southbound traffic does have a stop sign. I saw the vehicle approaching his stop sign, make a quick stop, then proceed to turn right, as I am turning left. I did not stop as I had the right of way. He honked his horn. I gave him the finger. I am not proud of it, but I didn't like that he was attempting to force his way without right of way AND honked at me after. I was going to pull to the side to pick my son up, but decided to keep driving as he was driving very closely behind me and I was concerned. It was the menacing way too close and off to the left side kind of following that is so cliche in road rage. I continued to drive along the parking lot, with him close behind. I came to the end of the driveway and made a right turn onto Harmony, he followed close behind. I made another right turn at the first intersection, Coldstream, and he followed. I was very concerned at this point that this man in an SUV was going to keep following me and I had to get my son but didn't know whether I could safely pull over to do that. Or should I just drive home, and was he going to follow me there also? I was starting to freak out. I hit my brakes hoping that he would just pass and I could ask why he was following me (not in a very conversational tone, I admit). Because he was so close and hell bent on staying right behind me, he hit my vehicle from behind. At this point he decided to pull out and drive off. I gave chase, trying to get my cellphone out to take picture of his license plate for evidence. I can only assume that after a few minutes of driving and me following taking pictures (he had pulled back into the Walmart parking lot at this time), he pulled over. I parked next to him and when our windows were down I started to yell at him, asking why he would hit my car and take off. He got out. I got out. He started telling me to calm down and saying that I had gone through the intersection very aggressively. I told him I had the right of way, so I can pretty much drive through it any way I please. He needed to wait until his way was perfectly clear. I also told him he had no right to follow me, and that rear ending me is his fault, no matter what. He said it was all me because I stopped suddenly. I demanded his license, ownership, and insurance. He looked at the back of my car and said there was very little damage, he would pay for it, gave me his business card, got into his vehicle, and drove off. After I dropped my son off at home (and tried to calm down a little before getting back behind the wheel), I went to the closest police station at 77 Center St. N. to report a hit and run. The officer listened to my story (a quick rundown of the above), took the guy's business card from me, called him and spoke very pleasantly on the phone, getting his insurance information. He then told him he'd call him back with my information, to be ready with a pen and paper. Then he got my info and pretty much sent me on my way. I asked if that was it. The officer said "because the damage is under $1000, it is a non reportable accident" and the other guy was saying I was the aggressor while I claimed it was him, so there was nothing more to be done. I said this wasn't about the damage to my vehicle, this was about how this guy acted, and taking off after hitting me. According to him, since this guy gave me his business card, he didn't really take off. Apparently he didn't know that in the even of an accident the drivers are supposed to exchange information. And since this is a "he said-she said" there was nothing more that he would do. I repeated HE followed ME, HE hit ME. I was aggressive later, I don't deny that, but I didn't start the aggression. The officer said that there was no way to prove who was telling the truth. The officer was so nonchalant about the whole thing. He was so focused on the fact that there was less than $1000 damage to my vehicle, that he totally missed the reason I was there. This guy scared the crap out of me, rear-ended me, and took off. Because I chased him down and he gave me his business card, the officer felt it was okay because he identified himself. Wow. Just wow. If I didn't follow him, taking pictures the whole way, this guy wouldn't have stopped at all. He gave the cop a sob story that I was being the aggressor, and apparently he was more credible. Not the woman who walked into the station to report the incident, who, by the way, has damage to the rear of her vehicle. I will admit that I got out of my car on fire. My adrenaline was already pumping because honestly this guy scared me by the way he was following, close behind and off to the left. I drive a small car and he's driving an SUV. I'm alone in my car, trying to figure out how to get rid of him so I can go back to the Walmart to pick my son up, who is calling me asking why I just drove past him. When he hit me and just took off, all fear melted away and was replaced with pure rage. How dare he? Many years ago I was rear ended at a red light and had to chase the guy down to get his license plate number because he took off. So I was really pissed that he would take off like that. So tell me, am I wrong in thinking that this guy deserves more than a pleasant phone call from a police officer asking for his insurance information? I am not willing to let this lie. What he did was wrong and potentially dangerous. Let's pretend for a moment that the collision hadn't occurred. Exactly how long and how far was this man willing to follow me? And what were his intentions towards me when I finally did stop somewhere? I was genuinely frightened and I wonder what, if anything, would have been different if the collision had not occurred and I just walked into the police station with the guy's plate number and the road rage story?
It has been a long, long time since my last blog post, and before I get into it, I wanted to thank those of you who are still reading my old posts, whether you're just checking up on me periodically or find me another way, I appreciate when you spend a little bit of your time with me. Why haven't I posted in so long? It's a long story - multiple ones, actually, and I may get into them at some point, but for now, I'm just going to jump right in as if I never left and the very first thing I thought I'd start with is this story I heard on the news this morning: The above links (which will, as always, open in a new window) take you to 2 articles talking about what the Royal Society for Public Health is proposing as a new way to label food because of the growing epidemic of obesity in the UK. Speaking as someone who has struggled with weight my whole life, I think this is a fantastic idea. Whenever I am on a "diet", I often use as motivation just this idea, and I can tell you from experience that it works way more often than not. Other times you just want that bag of chips, and you're going to eat it no matter what the label says. Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, is proposing a simple infographic on foods to give consumers a better understanding of what they're consuming. Let's face it, nutritional labels on foods are chock full of information that most of us just don't understand, nor can we put it in perspective. I don't know what the numbers are in regards to how many people actually read labels on food before they buy, but I actually do. I want to know what's in that package. More often than not, it makes me put it back on the shelf and head over to the produce aisle, but I feel that I may be in the minority. I think this style of labeling may change that. Picture this for a moment: You're shopping at the grocery store and pick up a Reese chocolate bar. (I picked that because I found the nutritional label online and that makes my life easier.) When you look at the label it tells you this: It makes sense to me because I read labels all the time, and so I would put it back on the shelf and keep moving. Someone who hasn't counted calories like a crazy person previously could look at this and think, "hey, 210 is not so bad - I can definitely eat this. Peanuts are healthy, right?" Say that same person picks up that same chocolate bar and sees this alongside the nutritional info (which, I am only assuming, they will keep on the packaging): Now that 210 doesn't sound so great - not if I have to run for 19 minutes to burn it off. There are millions of people struggling with their weight for a number of reasons. They include lifestyle, income, genetics, and illness, or any combination of factors. One of the major contributors, in my humble opinion, is our society's love of the convenient packaged food. I understand it, I really do. Life is hectic and it is really difficult to cook and clean up after an actual meal. It's also really expensive to eat real food, which is really sad, but a post for another day. Since we're all eating out of boxes, cans, and packages, why not add a little more information in a really easy to understand format? It may help someone who is struggling to make a better choice. To pick up a box of frozen veggies which will take 9 minutes of running to work off rather than a box of Twinkies which will take you 47? I'm only guessing at the actual times, but you get my point. Let me get personal for a minute. I am currently on a diet, since I have a big event coming up in September and I want to look better and fit into my dress. My food intake is restrictive, but I have kids, and I am still feeding them the same as always, which includes full dinners and dessert. Whenever I really, really want to eat something that I'm not supposed to, I go upstairs and step on the scale. One of two things is going to happen; either I'm happy with what I see and I don't want to jeopardize my efforts, or I don't like what I see and I am motivated to work harder. Either way, I really don't want that food anymore. Another way I circumvent my need for foods I can't (and really shouldn't) have is to look up their caloric value. As I mentioned earlier, I have been an avid calorie counter in the past (it helped me shed 60 pounds), so seeing those numbers helps me gain back my self control. Putting simple pictures on a package letting you know how much energy you need to expend to work off that particular food should have the same impact. Of course, there are always multiple opinions about everything, and this is no different. Although I do not remember who it was, and when I tried googling the topic I couldn't find it, I did hear during the newscast that there are some who do not find this idea appealing, as all calories are not created the same. Although I agree that the calories from an apple and the ones from a Reese cup may be equal numerically but never nutritionally, I still think I like this new idea and would definitely like our Canadian health experts to look into it. Why would you be wary of a picture of a stick figure on a bike, but okay with a number? What do you think? Would a system of labels such as these make you think twice before eating certain foods, knowing the amount of time you'll have to spend on the treadmill to burn it off?
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AuthorHi! I'm Sonja and I'm glad you're here! I'm happy to share some recipes and gardening tips with you while I let you know about great (or not so great) products, services, and media I encounter. Visit my online shop at MysteriousDragonfyre.com
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