Watch out for others

Another week has gone by and I’m still in one piece. My anger level is up and my tolerance for being around others, especially driving on the streets of Edmonton, is at at an all time low. When I say watch out for others I don’t mean in a humanitarian way. Since my accident last October, I have been really cautious. Not only watching how my driving, and riding, habits and skills are, I also have to watch out for the habits of other drivers out there.

Where are most of these people getting their drivers licenses . . . from a cereal box? I’m not just talking about the young drivers but all drivers and include so called professional drivers. It seems there are more and more really terrible, inattentive and thoughtless drivers on the streets. They are not only in Edmonton but also all over the province and beyond. This past week I have had several near misses while trying to navigate the streets and roads of this city and province. One was when a young female ran a stop sign in a residential area and didn’t even slow down . . . did I mention it was also where a children cross to catch the bus? Other near misses include drivers changing lanes without looking, cutting not only me off but others as well and the list goes on.

Is everyone in too much of a hurry or just not paying attention, in a dream world or another planet? Do they think they are the only ones on the road? The number one thing that really makes my blood boil are the drivers that are talking on a cell phone! And lets not forget the ones who put on their makeup, eating a meal or, the all time dumbest thing to do, is read a map that is laid out across their steering wheel! Yes I have seen the map reading while the “passenger” was taking in the sights on Yellowhead Trail during rush hour!!!

I believe that it’s time to ban cell phones while driving as well as any other distraction. I also think that the government should close some of the so-called driving schools. There should be a higher standard that the driving schools have to pass in order to just teach. It seems that with the privatizing of everything standards have dropped from a high rating to a 0. With some I think they slipped the tester a bribe and got your license because there is no way they should be on the road! Also, like getting a pilots license, it should not only be mandatory to take a driving coarse with a log book recording a minimum of 50 hours classroom and 50 hours of driving instruction. Each hour or half hour would have to be signed off by a certified instructor. The mandatory driving coarse should also include taking a basic motorcycle riding coarse. But in order to get a motorcycle license you would need the same amount of classroom time and riding time. Then the testing for both should be done at a facility that is NOT associated with any driving or motorcycle riding school.

Darkness into Light and Back . . .

I’ve be on a roller-coaster the past several years and thinking back it's probably been more than that. All I want is to get through the day in one piece but most of all, to have at least one day where I didn't have the chronic pain that I've suffered for the past 30+ years and one . . . just one good nights sleep. For the past few years, not even the analgesic medication the doctor gives me fully works anymore. I can't sleep at night and all the things that I have a passion for I find difficult to do. So what does one do to get through it all and have a life instead of hide away. Chronic pain is restrictive and after a while it eats away at everything but mostly your mind. To top it all off, I have been the victim of a few motor vehicle accidents which added injury pain on top of the chronic pain.

So now I get into the dark stuff . . . at least for me it is because I can't seem to get out into the light and be the person I'd like to be. Everyone seems to be on a journey, quest or have a goal of some sort. They are able to express themselves in writing, verbally and put forth the teachings that they have a knowledge of. I admire these people because they seem to have the drive to achieve what they set out to do. As for me, I've always struggled and had trouble writing or expressing myself in any way. As a result I've usually stood off to side in the hope that no one would see me. Does that make me a failure? Well in the eyes of my teachers and piers of my youth. That carried through into my adult life. I've made several attempts to express myself verbally and by writing things down in an attempt to express my thoughts . . . but, with no real success. I do great in my mind, especially when I'm walking my dog, riding my motorcycle or driving alone in my car. But when I sit down and try to put down those thoughts in writing . . . I go blank, nada, nothing!!! So once again I am here attempting to start a blog. To make another attempt at it after a great number of failures. What's different about this time? I think it was the bike trip that I took this summer that did it. Time to reflect on the past.

I've just returned recently from a trip down south of the border to attend my daughters wedding which was in Portland Oregon. I packed up my bike and left Edmonton on a Friday night at 2130h and headed south. It started to rain shortly after leaving Edmonton so on went my rain gear. The night riding was peaceful, except for the deer that I encountered in the foot hills, but I felt a calmness riding in the rain. For the most part there was little or no traffic on the QE2 so I could take my time. By the time I got to highway 3, in the Crowsnest Pass, it was starting to get light out and I was feeling happy to be on the open road. However when I got to the US border, it changed my mood to rage! American guards must have nothing better to do that harass Canadians or are on one big power trip. Anyway it's a long story and best to leave sleeping dogs alone.

So 7000 km later I arrived back home refreshed and . . . that didn't last long befor I found myself in the same dark place that I left. Back to the drawing board!