Happy New Year to you, Carole, and to the rest of the good people at Beach Metro News. I hope everyone had a good holiday break, and are ready to face 2011 with guts and gusto. I know I am.
Firstly let me say how sorry I was to hear of the passing of Mark Dailey. He was a great guy. I had the chance to meet him at a few functions here in the Beach – I think when he was serving on your board – and I know he provided valuable knowledge and support while I was dealing with my ‘problems’. You guys gave him a great send off, and that guy Suddick’s cartoon was great!
I spent most of the Christmas period hanging around the Beach. We retired guys don’t get ‘holidays’ so the weeks before and after Christmas and New Years all sort of blur together. Sometimes I have to be reminded by a phone call from my daughter what special day it actually is. (No, I don’t have an ‘app’ for my old cordless phone – the one I can never find until it rings.)
Speaking of my daughter, she and the grandkids came over Christmas Day, took me out for dinner, and gave me some presents: a scarf, a novel, and a sweater – all very welcome gifts. She keeps trying to get me to get a computer, or a cell phone, but I really have no use for either. I’d end up paying Bell, Rogers, or whatever, money for nothing.
The new year promises to be an interesting one politically for the City of Toronto, now that his Worship, Lord Ford is running the show. Already he has managed to nix the car registration, and cut back councillors’ budget allowances, and threatens to make the TTC an essential service and do away with the five-cent charge for plastic grocery bags.
You know, as much as I hate to admit it, being one of the so-called latte-drinking downtowners (although, as I said earlier, I’m neither), I’ve got to hand it to this guy, he’s at least doing what he said he was going to do. So many other politicians get into office making big promises, only to renege on them, blaming the previous government for their inability to make changes.
Here in the Beach The 3M has already proven her worth. A good friend of mine had all manner of grief trying to get the environmental rebate for his new toilet (something to do with a code number). Shortly after the election he ran into Mary-Margaret at a function at the Balmy and did a little, shall we say, sh** disturbing. She wasn’t in office a week before she sorted it all out and had his cheque in the mail. Well done Mary-Margaret!!
Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? I rarely do, figuring I’m as close to ‘as good as it gets’ as it gets, but this year I’ve decided that a few might be in order. Therefore for 2011 I resolve to take better care of my health (even if it means walking to the pub instead of taking a cab!).
I resolve to learn how to work a ‘puter (even if it means crashing the ones down at the Beaches Library in the process).
I resolve to call my daughter more often (even if it means making her worry that something “must be” wrong for me to call so often).
And I resolve to be more active in my grandkids’ lives (even if it means getting suspicious looks from their teachers for hanging around the schoolyard).
Happy 2011 everyone!
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