For the second year in a row I have received an Honourable Mention in the photo contest run by the city I live in.I don't really enter the contest expecting to win or even do well. I usually enter as a way to sort of legitimize my photography hobby.I take a lot of photos throughout the year and never really do much with them so it's nice to enter the odd contest just to make owning all of the expensive equipment worthwhile. I usually take photos and edit them to please myself but it's nice to see others might enjoy my work as well.I have to attend a council meeting at City Hall on November 16th to receive my prize. Congratulations to everyone else who had their photos selected. This is the photo of mine that they seemed to like the most. It's an old church built in the 1870's that has been restored and turned into a meeting hall.
Copyright 2009 Mark Kennedy
Can I send a bill to the city for my car repairs? No really, I'd like to know because I'm pretty sure their lazy attitude and poor response in resurfacing the roads in my neighbourhood has cost me hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over the years.
I keep saying I'm going to drive down my street and count every noticeable bump I roll over. There are so many places where they've ripped up the street and tried patching it, or spots that have sunken over the years I'm sure I'd lose count.
I'm amazed each year how my street avoids being listed on the CAA website for Ontario's Worst Roads. I guess I need to vote more than once.
According to a poll on the CAA website, 89% of those who answered said the Ontario Government should dedicate a portion of the $3 Billion in gasoline taxes it collects from Ontario motorists each year to local road repairs. I'd agree with that.
My street is by far one of the worst in the city. In fact there are two streets I have to drive on to get out of my area and onto one of the major roads in town and both of those roads shake, rattle and bounce you all over the place. I can literally hear my springs and shocks saying, "Stop driving through a field you bonehead."
It's really quite embarrassing when the posted speed limit is 50 Km/h and if you go any faster than 30 Km/h you risk bottoming out and having to replace the muffler and everything else under your vehicle. It's pretty sad when you need a 4X4 truck just to drive to the corner store.
I've lived in this town trying to be a city long enough and know that nothing will change in the near future. After another winter when the road gets worse and the dips drop even further, the best we can hope for is six well paid city workers manning one shovel and a truck full of hot asphalt deciding which canyon to fill next.
In the meantime, a copy of my next repair bill will be in the mail to city hall asking them to reimburse me. I won't hold my breath of course.
