Socialism brings Squeals and Smiles
Hey, I just read an article out of Forbe's magazine naming the world's best paid cities. No surprise is that Switzerland tops the list with an average net pay of $20.40 U.S. Dollars an hour, after taxes. Also on the list is Copenhagen, which offers workers a gross average wage of $32.80 per hour. Although, 46% ends up on the cutting room floor in the form of taxes, they are used responsibly in order to pay for health care, education - including post secondary - and other social services. Let's not forget the government mandated 5 to 6 weeks paid vacation, which everyone is entitled to, regardless of make, model or serial number. I can't omit the apple of my eye, subsidized public transit. Yippee!!
These are just a few of the reasons I've been missing Copenhagen, as of late. I'm supposed to return on Tuesday but I'm not sure if it will be then or not - more on that another time. I've actually grown to love and depend on the public transit I have access to over there. Perhaps, I appreciate it more after my summer over here in rural Ontario of paying for car repairs, gas and battling traffic. There are such long distances where I am currently, that there's no other choice but to drive, and granted I love the independence and sense of pride that comes with driving a 1995 stunning, candy apple red Ford Ranger, but the glamour of it all does get trying from time to time.
It's been especially irritating today because I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, seeing the gas tank half empty, rather than half full, both literally and figuratively. The whole episode started on the wrong foot this morning when I'd discovered that I'd left the window down in the truck last night and it rained - no need to elaborate on that one. I started up the truckster, which has over 350,000 km's on it by the way, went to pull out of the driveway and there was a pickup truck and a tractor blocking my way. The dude with the tractor came over and told me the brakes went on his tractor. I'm thinking to myself, "Yeah, I don't care. I ain't driving the truckster through the field so move!?!?"
Anyhow, he drove off with it. I don't know where he ended up because I didn't look back. Perhaps, he took a little tumble off into the lake if he had no brakes. Now, you know I don't really hope that, and I came to be a bit concerned about him afterwards. Oh well, not quite concerned enough to follow up on it because after, I got my motor runnin', buzzed by the tractor dude, and zipped on up the highway.
Someone pulled out in front of me. I thought he must be in a hurry. I don't mind if he gunned it because he needed to get somewhere "tout de suite," but it seemed like he so desperately needed to cut me off, only to drive at a snail's pace. I'm not the fastest driver in the world, especially because the truck doesn't have a lot of get up and go but this was ridiculous; I could have crawled faster.
To add insult to injury, not long after he pulled out in front of me he just stopped on the corner, in order to take a closer look at an old house, I think. That's fine and dandy and all, but the car was parked mostly on the road. I would have beeped at him but I have yet to figure out how and if the horn works on the old truck. Irritated, I just gave him the evil one eye, tore on by him and headed to the nearest tourist filled town.
This is where I found my first laugh of the day. It's kind of fun for long time residents of the area because one thing that the local yokels know and this includes me, is that there are secret, less stressful ways to get through the town, where there is virtually no traffic. I dodged the seemingly endless line of traffic and I turned down one of these secret side streets. In doing so, I accidentally squealed my wheels - my dad would turn over in his grave - and whipped by a couple who were walking all too slow for my taste. I smiled, waved apologetically to them and drove off into the sunset... Oh happy days.
