Of Bus Drivers, Rabbits and Such

Local Street Walker

By Shirley O'Kealey
*A study on lying (R. Feldman, U of Mass. USA.) says  people tell up to three fibs every 10 minutes when chatting with strangers. They do this to cover up insecurities when meeting people for the first time. It is easier than telling the truth because "that takes more thought."
We would have to decide which attributes to play up and which to downplay, which impulses to follow or ignore. And he says we are not very good at detecting liars, succeeding only 47% of the time. That would be an average, so some would succeed even less often.

*There is a scent to fear. Animals and sensitive people pick it up.

*Did you know that seniors are cutting down their lovely trees simply because they don't want to or can't rake the leaves? Donna Fortin says she will gladly rake the leaves for them. Do you know anyone else who will? If you have elderly neighbours who have a big deciduous tree, talk to them about it.

*A friend of mine who lives in Oak Bay told me she counted FOUR chesterfields on the boulevards in her area not long ago. Maybe there was an end-of-summer sale in the stores.

*Am I being picky or what? As I ate my wee lunch in a local cafe known for its fabulous Nanaimo Bars, a woman started chatting with the owner about her grandmother's operation complete with bladder difficulties and "vomit" issues. The owner joined her in this lively discussion while I sat nearby, uncomfortably eating my egg sandwich hoping they would shut up or play some music. Other instances were not in a cafe but in my own home. One guest loudly sounded off on menstruation while the rest of us sat with our plates on our laps and gagged. (I left the room and still she wouldn't stop.) Another time, two friends seated at my table with a mid-afternoon snack, waxed loud and loud on the best bowel movements and the uses of urine. They were not nearly as entertaining as Doctor Oz. How insensitive can people be? Ps: These were not seniors.

*re. the bus system. The last bus going to my home from downtown is @ 5:22 pm on Sundays. Not knowing how early they ceased, guessing maybe 11 pm. I arrived back from the Saanich Fair on a bus at 7:05 pm and was forced to ask some policemen sitting in a nearby vehicle for help. I wanted to phone for a lift but they were very obliging and drove me right to my door. Everything in Victoria had closed and there are no phone booths anymore so I was stuck. (No cellphone, either.) How long will I have to wait for Victoria to grow, become more civilized, people-friendly and up to date?

*Two more happenings on the bus. I'll call them, "Me And The Bus Driver."
#1. Yesterday I got on a bus and put $1.50 in the box asking, "How much is it for a senior?" He said,"$1.65 for a senior and ?? for an adult so I sat down and dug out a dime and a nickel which I added to the box. He then said something like, "You're not a senior." "Yes, I am," I replied. "No, you're not," said he. "YES I AM and I have a Gold Card to prove it," opening my wallet and showing it to him. "It's your mother's," he told me, to which I couldn't think of anything to say, I was so disgusted with him. I did not pay a penny more. I just sat down. This was no joke. He was serious. Shan said I should have curtsied, smiled glamorously and thanked him for the compliment. It's true my hair is not white, I am not overweight, do not have a hearing aid. My memory is okay and I make eye contact when I talk to someone, I dress neatly, do not carry a cane so I guess I escape the senior label for the time being, anyway. On thinking it over, I may inform him when I see him again, that my mother died 38 years ago and never ever had a
gold card.
#2. I got on the bus, sat down and 5 minutes later remembered that I was going somewhere different and needed a transfer. I went to the front and asked for one. "Didn't I already give you one?" he asked accusingly. "No, I said, "What would I do with two?" '"SELL IT!" was
his reply.
These bus drivers are not very good at sizing up people. They seem very disillusioned. Do I really look like I need to sell a transfer? Hmmm. I paid $1.65 for it; if I sold it for half, that would be 80 plus cents I could blow at a Thrift Store.

*If a piglet is a little pig, then a hamlet is a little ham; an inlet is a little in; an outlet is a little out, and an eyelet is a little eye.
*Men in Victoria are surprisingly courteous, waiting for me, holding doors open, smiling. I am not ailing nor all that old. Perhaps they help me because they think I am friendly and cute and maybe just too little to push a big door. I do appreciate it.

*Braids are back. I like them, especially if the hair is rich and thick.

*Jokes For You: God asked a cat newly arrived in Heaven what he would like to have. The cat said he wanted a pillow. When a dozen mice arrived, God asked them what they would like and they said they'd like some roller-skates. God checked on the cat and asked if he liked the pillow. "Oh, it's great," replied the cat, but the meals on wheels, they're the best!"

*I didn't have time to count the autumn leaves that dropped at my feet as I trotted over to get groceries. What a glorious time of the year! These sunny days are making up for all that past rain.

*Isn't the Victoria Rabbit Saga fascinating? How lucky we are if this is our greatest problem. But, of course, there is more to it than a host of multiplying bunnies. To eat our animal friends or not to eat them, that is the question. Those who don't eat meat feel and claim to be spiritually more evolved. Perhaps they are. It does seen a bit like cannibalism. But we don't blame the lion, which, like us kills absolutely anything it can capture and thoroughly enjoys the meal---free of guilt. Perhaps it is a matter of choice. The lion has no choice. We have.I stand between a meat-eating son and a vegetarian daughter so I eat whatever they are having. I support my daughter and I don't blame my son. Does that make me "a wimp?" I admire my daughter's positive action but I think I am like the native peoples who bless their food and, with true sincerity, thank the animal before they consume it.