The Garden City Refugee

On the Road – Reckless Skateboarders, Street Corner Counselors, Souls of the World and More

September 1, 2023

Highlights and lowlights from yesterday’s bus trip to and from Guelph:

1. Left abandoned next to the Presto machine at Fairview Mall was a TD debit card. Upon further investigation, however, the card was scheduled to expire that very day. That said, the cardholder would have been much wiser to cut it up and toss it in the garbage or better yet, shred it rather than dumping it on the ground at a busy bus stop.

2. These mudflaps from Tri-State Trailer caught my attention. As a long lost friend once said, wherever you go in the U.S., you’re always in a “tri-state area.”

3. I can’t think of a better spot to go skateboarding than on the left lane of Centennial Parkway near the QEW during the morning rush hour . . .

4. Spotted on the Burlington Skyway was a black pickup truck with a sticker on the back that read, “My other car is a motorcycle.”

5. This from an organization which forced its employees to take dangerous and potentially lethal poison injections to keep their jobs. Don’t you threaten them with bodily harm, but it’s perfectly acceptable for Metrolinx to do it.

6. Um, you’re supposed to take a dump in the toilet, not in the sink.

 

This is the kind of thing I’d more expect to see in Hamilton, Welland or in the Old Country, not Burlington, one of the most affluent communities in the country.

7. I’m gathering this order from The Keg fell below the customer’s expectations . . .

8. With two large video boards at Aldershot displaying the departure times of trains and buses, a chubby Metrolinx customer care rep was seated nearby shouting the departure times for the benefit of the visually impaired who are equally hard of hearing.

9. Video of the ride northbound on the #17 bus to Guelph:

10. There were maybe a dozen on board on both trips. It was a lot more than when I first took this route back in April, but if there aren’t more riders during the school year, I can’t see them keeping it going.

11. I guess this qualifies as “big news” in Guelph . . .

12. Do you suffer from depression? Do you have a kid who’s addicted to gaming? Mel can help you . . .

12a. Would anyone with such problems really call someone who put up a poster in a park instead of going to a professional?

13. Free clothing . . .

14. Crossing the street near Riverside Park was an older guy wearing a Bombers cap. Ugh.

15. Also crossing the same street was this guy pushing his dog in a shopping cart . . .

16. Inside the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate was this portrait on the ceiling. I’m assuming he’s an important religious figure, but he looks like a younger version of Lenin.

17. No cash. No business. I left them a review on Google to this effect, and the owner replied saying that I was being harsh for saying so. He explained that he had been having problems with theft and went cashless to save on his insurance premiums. If he’s indeed having problems with robberies, I feel sorry for him, but not accepting cash is not the answer. Another shop on the same block had no problem taking cash, nor did I see such a sign outside any other shop I passed by in the area.

18. This homeless woman on Fred Gordon Street who had all her worldly belongings scattered all over the grass was fixing her hair, using the nearby window as a mirror. Yet though she apparently doesn’t have the means to put a roof over her head, she did have the means to get a large tattoo on her leg and for the cigarette hanging out of her mouth.

19. If only people cared half as much about humans . . .

20. Someone who really cares . . .

21. Um, whatever . . .

22. Artistry on display at the covered bridge . . .

23. Soul of the world . . .

24. The feeling is not mutual . . .

25. At least they’re being honest . . .

26. I happened to stumble upon a large gathering across from St. George’s Square in downtown Guelph, where people were blowing whistles and banging drums. All part of Guelph’s sixth annual overdose awareness day. People were dressed in purple. Slogans and signs were everywhere. Every death is a policy failure. Safer supply now! Support not stigma. Naturally, state media was there. Because we’re supposed to feel sorry for those who took dangerous drugs of their own free will. Yet these same people would likely never shed a tear for those being murdered in cold blood by their own government for not taking dangerous drugs.

27. Enjoy “chilli” chicken . . .

28. Why write these things at a bus stop? Take it up with Mr. Ward.

 

29. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

30. Outside a clinic across the street from the Guelph Central Station was a woman yelling, “I’m not wearing a f---ing mask! I don’t care if they f---ing fire me! Show me the f---ing proof that it works!” I felt like walking across the street to shake her hand. Many more like her needed that kind of resolve when our government first declared war on us. And if there had been more like her, we wouldn’t be facing another similar threat from those heinous criminals.

31. Just put your feet up on the seat . . .

32. When I arrived at Burlington, I had expected a 50-minute wait for the #12 Niagara-bound bus. Yet the previous bus that should have left 10 minutes earlier was just sitting there. All the passengers were on board and the driver was just standing outside scratching his ass. Or something. Metrolinx has a policy to hold for those coming off trains from Union, but not from Aldershot, as I was. I was thankful for the lucky break, but those on board must have been doing a slow boil wondering why the bus hadn’t left yet.