The End is Near!

Well, the end is near for me, at least in terms of attending classes at Teacher’s College. I have a few more assignments to complete and submit, and a couple of exams to write, and I’m done.

All that will be left is to complete my final 5-week practicum, and – hopefully – I will be recommended to the Ontario College of Teachers.

After that, it’s simply a matter of finding a job!

I have enjoyed my time here in Thunder Bay, and I have mixed feelings about leaving. I would like to experience Spring and Summer here, as the area is beautiful, and recreational opportunities – including multi-purpose hiking and biking trails – are plentiful.

On the other hand, it will be nice to get back “home” to the Sault.

I place the word home in quotes because, although I have spent 40 years of my life living in the Sault, and it is my birthplace, I currently am without a permanent residence. As you may remember, I sold my house just prior to heading to Thunder Bay this fall.

This leaves me in an awkward but somewhat liberating position. I am able to look for a job anywhere, as relocating would not pose any obstacle to me whatsoever. Most of my belongings are currently in storage, and it would be as simple a matter to load them onto a truck and drive them across the province as it would across town.

Still, I need a place to live until I find a job, and while living in a by-the-week motel was convenient while attending school, it isn’t as appealing an option for a longer duration. So, I will probably rent an apartment, or perhaps a house, for the short term.

That could mean moving all my belongings into the apartment, only to re-pack and move to another city should I be offered a job elsewhere. Çest l vie!

The prospect of this is both exciting and overwhelming.

On the one hand I am not adverse to change, and yet I am somewhat uncomfortable with facing the unknown.

Thinking about it, there are multiple unknowns to face: a new home, a new job, both possibly in a new city. Yikes!

Then again, “change” has been my middle name for as long as I can remember. Counting short-term residences such as summer camp or my motel stays while at school, I can recall living in sixteen different places in seven different cities.

My résumé runs about eight pages, and lists over twenty different jobs I have held over the years.

You’d think I’d be used to change by now.

I’m sure things will work out well – they always have. It’s just the uncertainty of it all that is a bit hard to deal with.

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Here are a couple of thoughts to end with this week.

Driving styles

I’ve mentioned before how pleasantly surprised I was to see Thunder Bay drivers pull over for emergency vehicles. They don’t just pull over at the last moment, either; as soon as they spot the flashing lights, even if they are still blocks away, drivers will pull over, stop, and wait for the emergency vehicles to pass or turn off onto another street.

On the other hand I have noticed, especially now that roads are bare (they are here, at least) that there are those drivers for whom the speed limit seems to be either a suggestion, or perhaps a minimum.

There are several four-plus-turning lane roads here, similar to Great Northern, Second Line, or Trunk Road, where the posted speed limit is 50 km/w (as it is on those roads in the Sault). I will admit, I tend to drive at 60 km/h – it is a comfortable speed for me, and still affords me sufficient opportunity to react to unexpected situations.

As in the Sault, I find that I am by no means the fastest vehicle on the road. In fact, it sometimes seems as though I am standing still as some drivers weave through traffic at what I estimate to be 80 km/h or more.

Fortunately, these speed demons are in the minority, but they still pose a tremendous danger to other drivers who aren’t expecting another vehicle to be traveling at such speeds.

Folks… please, slow down. There’s nothing so important that warrants driving so carelessly.

On a related note, drivers who cut the apex of a corner – driving into the oncoming lane while rounding a corner – also pose a danger to other drivers. This technique works well at Watkins Glen, but there everyone is driving in the same direction.

Finally, I’d like to remind those few drivers both here in Thunder Bay and in the Sault, that riding a half-metre behind my rear bumper will not make me go faster, and may result in you running into me should I need to top suddenly.

Remember, everyone… we all need to share the roads with each other. Please drive safely.

New penalties for drunk drivers.

I was pleased to read of the new penalties for drunk drivers that the McGuinty government has introduced [http://tinyurl.com/39zj7f]. That a vehicle can be seized after “two or more” offenses is good. I would have preferred it was seized automatically after the second offense, but I guess there have to be some compromises in drafting legislation.

As we have often discussed in the various forums on SooToday, those who would drink and drive really do not seem to give much consideration to others who may be put at risk by their actions.

Perhaps having their vehicles seized will give them something to think about.

But… that’s just my opinion.