I think all of us have things on our bucket list that we would like to either do or events we would like to see. One of my bucket list items was to see an Il Divo concert because that is a group that I have loved listening to, and it is something that I have been able to relax to and it makes me happy.

Well, we found out that Il Divo was going to be preforming at the Falls View Casino Resort in October 2025 and of course I needed to find out the pick of tickets and the cost of hotels. It didn’t take us very long to figure out that we could find a hotel in Niagara Falls as well as get some tickets for the concert so here is another item that I will be quickly checking off my bucket list.

It is so nice when you can see someone perform at the Falls View Casino Resort because it only seats 5,000 people so that isn’t a lot of people, and you do feel that you are close to the performers which is also a nice experience. One advantage of going to Niagara Falls to watch a performance is you also might be able to get a couple of days away from home to just spend some time together and relax and not think of all other things that you should be working on.

I had another group on my list and that was the Tenors and I have been able to check that off my list twice because once we did it in Toronto at Roy Thompson Hall and then the second time was in 2024 when we saw them at Falls View Casino Resort so that was wonderful.

Making sure that you can continue to check some of the smaller things off your bucket list is important. You might not be checking off the major things but at least getting some of the smaller things off the list is important and I have been able to continue to do just that. 

A dream

So many of us have a dream that we would like to happen and for me that dream is to have a craft space and workspace that works totally for me. I keep calling this space my studio because it is a spot that I would like to be able to work and a space where I can do my crafting.

When someone asked me what the ideal spot is I cannot put it into words right now because I don’t know the size of the space, but I do know that I would love a place that my computer is separate from my sewing machine and serge. I even would like to have those two machines sitting where I can sew on both without having to move either of them. Being able to have spots where the difference devices are where I can use each of them without having to move another one would be wonderful.

Sometimes I look around and figure that I might be able to do that all where we live currently but then I realize that there are so many limitations that wouldn’t work here. I am always looking at an ideal space and it doesn’t have to be a large space but being able to work and craft within the same room would be amazing. Sure, I know that currently I work on at desk and I also craft at my desk, but it would be nice to have those two spots different so that I can do things that make me happy. What I would like to be able to do is not have to constantly move things around so that I can do the other thing that needs my attention.

I think we all have an ideal space that we would love to have where we can do all the different things that we enjoy. Even with the spots that I have been trying to figure out I haven’t figure out a spot where I can do some drawing and that is another spot that I would like to have. Being able to have the various spots to do you work/crafting is important and maybe you don’t have it right now but knowing that you can always dream about that space is important.

For me, that space doesn’t have to be large, but it also needs to be a spot where I can escape and do the things that I love and know it is the spot that makes me happy.

Car noises and lack of respect

When you live in a high destiny living area it can be a challenge to deal with all the various car sounds that we deal with. Some of the noises we deal with are just cars trying to speed around the corner that is near our unit so it can get noisy.

Something else that we have been dealing with is cars that seem to be doing almost back firing which means it can be extremely loud. Some of the sounds can also been interpreted as gun shots which we have always heard around here. I know that these cars are just mistuned cars, but it can get a little much when you hear that constantly from around 3 pm until at least 10 pm. I have checked into this issue and of course bylaw enforcement says you need to have the license plate for each of the cars. When you live 10 floors up and you cannot identify which of three cars is making the noise it is rather difficult to get a license plate.

Something else that is happening is that cars don’t seem to understand that when there is a school bus with flashing lights you are not allowed to pass it in either direction. So often we hear horns either because the bus isn’t moving quickly enough or someone is trying to pass the school bus and disobeying the laws.

The other challenge that we have been watching is cars trying to pass another car within the curve that is right by apartment building. There isn’t an extra line for cars to pass and especially even it is in a curse in the road. We have been amazing that there haven’t been any head-on accidents with cars trying to pass another car in the curve. The other thing is this curve is also the entrance to another apartment building so cars cut the curve tight so that they can get into the apartment driveway.

Living in a high destiny area can be a challenge and when you are on the road you must be so careful because of the other cars that are speeding around. It can be such a challenge to even drive out of the apartment building driveway because you never know when a car is going to appear out of no where and do something stupid.

Understanding and respecting the rules of the road can be a challenge and making sure that your car is also tuned correctly is important. If your car is making lots of noises when you accelerate maybe it’s time you get it checked because you might enjoy the sound it is making but think of everyone else that has to deal with that sound and what effect that sound has on them.

Motorcycles thinking they can drive where they want

 Ontario Highway Traffic Act

Lane splitting falls within a legal gray area. Although Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990 c. H.8 (“HTA”) does not make specific or express reference to “lane splitting,” the common elements of lane splitting may fall outside of the type of driver behaviour permitted under Ontario’s Rules of the Road. For example, the HTA requires vehicles to stay within a single lane and sets out express circumstances under which a motorist can legally exit that lane to pass another vehicle traveling in the same direction. 

In particular, Ontario’s laws emphasize that:

• Motorcycles must follow the same traffic rules as cars.
• Changing lanes without signaling, and moving between vehicles in a non-designated lane, violates road safety regulations.

Motorcyclists caught lane splitting in Ontario may face fines, penalties, or demerit points on their license. Police may also interpret lane splitting as dangerous driving, which can result in more severe penalties under Ontario’s aggressive driving laws.

There are so many times when we are driving when the traffic is heavy and we watch a motorcycle think that they can drive between two lanes of traffic just because they are a smaller vehicle. Well, it is very simple to say that what they are doing is against the law (if caught or involved in an accident) and they are both making it a risk for themselves but for other vehicles as well because what if I wanted to change lanes and a motorcycle suddenly appeared out of no where.

We were in a traffic jam the other day and we watched numerous motorcycles drive between two lanes of traffic as if they had their own separate lane where they are allowed to drive. A motorcyclist is not just putting themselves at risk, but they are putting other drivers at risk because someone that is driving a car, or truck doesn’t expect a motorcycle to suddenly be in an area that they have considered clear in a second or two before. When vehicles are driving at a reduced speed no one is expecting some vehicle to appear out of nowhere at a speed that exceeds the speed of what all the vehicles around are going.

It was so amazing to watch the motorcycles just got between the two lanes of traffic as if all the traffic was going at the speed limit. What the motorcyclists don’t think about is they are approaching some vehicles especially those that are trying to change lines withing a blind spot because there aren’t in view and then all a sudden, they are in view. The view of a lot of other drivers is those motorcycles are driving aggressively and that isn’t something that should be allowed on the roads.

I have done some research that ways that yes, lane splitting helps reduce congestion, but it is only reducing congestion for individuals that are on motorcycles not for other vehicles. So, you might be reducing the commute time for a single person or maybe two while vehicles that can carry up four or more passengers are sitting in traffic so how it that reducing congestion.

A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a motor vehicle steered by a handlebar from a saddle-style seat

If a motorcycle was to do lane splitting the only way I can see it working is if they are driving on the shoulder of the left more lane which isn’t normally used for any vehicle even in an emergency. So maybe, lane splitting is something that could be used in the future, but every driver needs to be aware of it happening and there still needs to be rules and regulations (laws) of where and when it can be used. Driving on the left shoulder might be allowed but driving between lanes of traffic at full speed shouldn’t be allowed.

 

Giveaways at events

 Something that I have realized that some events will limit the number of items given away and sometimes it is limited to the first 100 people that get the nice item. The only thing that can happen is that one or two people will get to the front of the line and then a bunch of their friends will push themselves up to them even if they are arriving just before the doors opens. We have seen this happen repeatedly and the event needs to manage people pushing ahead in line. Why should I get in line 30minutes only to have someone that arrives 5 minutes before the doors open receive a knapsack and I don't because their friend was at the front of the line, and they pushed their way to stand with them.

The other thing is that when a knapsack is given out as an event giveaway it can make it difficult for people to move around at the event if space is limited. What happens is that people will wear the knapsack on their back after filling it with the various freebies (swag) and then have another bag that they will continue to fill out. What so many people don't think about is when they are moving around the event, they are taking up a lot of room.

Some people will back up from a booth and not think that given they are wearing a knapsack on their back they are backing into other people. It is amazing how many times we can banged by a knapsack and then you say something they just look at you and don't apologize so even say sorry. Some people will also say that you shouldn't have been in their way when you are standing perfectly still when you walk into you.

I am not saying that events shouldn't give out knapsacks, what I am saying is that the people receiving the knapsack need to realize that if they are wearing them on their back, they are taking up a lot of extra space. If you are lucky enough to receive one of these giveaways, please carry them in your hand so that you don't take up the extra space.   

If you have friends at the front of the line and you arrive long after them and there is a long line up, you need to just get in line like everyone does and get in when it's your turn. Why should you be able to push ahead compared to others that may also know someone that is ahead of them in the line?

Replacing my keyboard

I am someone that uses my keyboard quite a bit and that means that there are going to be times when I need to replace it. I have been using an external keyboard and not the keyboard on my laptop because as my business partner/husband says it’s cheaper to replace the external keyboard then replacing the laptop keyboard.

See one of the problems that happens with my keyboards is that I wear off the letters and most of the time there are the letters on the left side of the keyboard, so it is always fun when we are trying to type something, and you need to look at the keyboard. I am so glad that I am a touch typist otherwise I would have to replace my keyboard more often than I do.  I think I had this last keyboard for at least a couple of years, but we figured it was time to get a new one.

One of the requirements for my keyboard is it needs to be a quiet keyboard and not one of those that clicks with every key that you press. I know that a lot of people like those keyboards but for me they are way too loud, so I needed something that was nice to work with. I did find the Logitech Silent Wireless Combo and that has been the keyboard that I have been using, and I love it.

My new keyboard is once again the Logitech Silent Wireless Combo and there are a couple of differences that I have noticed right away. 1) I can see all the letters on the keyboard which is a nice change and 2) the touch feels so different but that is because the keyboard has just come out of the box.

The new keyboard is a nice change, and I think next time my keyboard starts to show its age I will think about replacing it before I can’t see over 10 of the letters that are on the keyboard. My old keyboard never stopped me from getting my writing done that I have wanted to di it just looked like it had been around for a very long time and had been abused quite a bit. I don’t play games on the computer, so I don’t wear the keys down that way it is just I have fingernails, and I think that doesn’t help the letters stay on the keys.

It is now time for me to get back to getting some more writing done as there are a lot of things that I want to write about.

 

 

Service Ontario and Staples

Recently we were going to Staples to do some shopping as there were some items that we needed and something that we saw that was funny were the number of people that were sitting waiting to be served by Service Ontario. The funny part of this was Service Ontario provides chairs for people to sit but the people waiting were not sitting in those chairs they were sitting in chairs that Staples have for sale. 

I understand that people want to be comfortable while they are waiting to be served, but what happens is people that want to look at the chairs and possibly purchase one cannot try the chairs out or even look at them before they are all being used. Maybe what staples needs to do is figure out a different location in the store for the display of chairs so that customers can look at them without having an issue.

It is nice to have the ability to sit comfortably while waiting to be served by Service Ontario, but the chairs that are within the Service Ontario area are the chairs that should be used first before the other chairs. One idea that might help people sit in the correct chairs is to have the display for the number being served to be facing those chairs not facing the chairs that are for sale.

It is nice having a Service Ontario that is easy to get to with lots of parking because it means also means that Service Ontario is open longer because of where it’s located. We have used this location once, but we were lucky as there wasn’t a line up, so we didn’t have to sit and wait to be served. The only day that Service Ontario isn’t open now is on a Sunday so it means that people that work can at least go after work instead of having to try and do it during a workday.

Service Ontario isn’t available at every Staples, but I know they have been trying to get them around Ontario to make it easier for people to get their Health Cards and other ID’s renewed without having to get a long distance or even stand in a long line. At least while in Staples you can pick up some of the stuff that you need as well.

So, if you do go to Service Ontario within a Staples, please think of the Staples customers and sit in the chairs that are provided by Service Ontario not the chairs that are for sale.