Back to the grind. Or, rather, for me - the start of it. 

Audible groans were chorused last week as students of all ages returned to the classroom. I, however, could not have been more excited. I've wanted to go back for what seems like forever - and now I'm living it, and thrilled.

I had a car accident back in January of 2011 which has left me with a moderate - severe back injury (depending on the day it's definitely worse). As such, I've had a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that not only do I need to live with this problem, but I need to work and come up with a career that I want to do - with this problem. Well, for two years I grappled with the concept of actually having a worthwhile job, let alone being able to do it. Sitting, standing, walking - anything really, causes me back pain. How was I to consider a career, let alone the rest of my life, with a smile on my face and "giving it my all"?

Well, I'm still very bitter about what happened to me. I think that anyone would be - it's not as though I'm able to walk away from it, or fix it (I have gone to three different Physiotherapy clinics on three separate occasions for several weeks at a time to no avail). I will be disabled for the rest of my life. It is practically an invisible disability - as at this point I have not purchased a walker, cane or scooter to help me move around. That may change - but I hope that it doesn't. The problem with an "invisible" disability is that you are treated equally..... let me explain why this is a problem.

I've always considered others, in everything. If I am walking across the road and I know that a vehicle is waiting until I am out of the way to turn, I will not take my time, check my phone, etc. because I feel that would be rude. Instead, I usually quicken my pace and cross to the other sidewalk as quickly as I can. Some days, though, I am unable to do this as I'm in too much pain. Those are the days that I can feel the driver's stare boring into my skull - I would imagine they're thinking things like, "hurry up" or "lazy! Can't you see I'm waiting?".

It's the same thing for buses. I've noticed that Durham Region Transit in particular seems to be bad for this.... they take off before you have a chance to sit down. I know I'm not the only one affected by this - however I wonder if they would do the same thing if I had a cane, or perhaps only one leg? Maybe not... but having an invisible disability is sometimes a disadvantage.

Back to the point of this post - school. I decided earlier this year that I wanted to be an editor. I've always loved reading, and considered myself to be a fairly good speller, and grammar was ok (blog posts not always included :P). I couldn't find an editing course, but I found Journalism. Boy, am I glad that I did.

Almost every part of this course is exciting - despite the amount of work I've been given. There are so many professions I could do when I've graduated - and most can be done even with my back injury. It's truly a thing of beauty when you're able to accept something negative about yourself and turn it into a positive. Remember that when the future seems so dim that you can't see a way out - there is always a silver lining and at the end of it all, the result will make all the heartache and suffering seem worthwhile.

After all, everything that I've done up until today (including the car accident) has lead me to where I am now. How could I regret any of it?

10 Awesome life tips

Short and sweet for now. Came across this website and it had some really interesting reads - this being one of them.

10 Awesome life tips

Thought I'd share. Enjoy ;)

Dog food..... who would have thought that something as simple as dry kibble could cause so many problems?

Part of our problem in this economic stricken society is big box stores. People start shopping there as it's a one-stop-shop for everything that you need, at better prices than the other guy. This is great for the short term, I suppose, but in the long term it has some scary consequences.

I own two beautiful dogs whom I consider my children. They are given many more treats than they should probably receive, and I feel really guilty when I'm not at home with them for long periods of time. I'm sure that many dog owners are able to relate. This post is about dog food, though, so I'll get back to it. Last year, I had a bit of a scare when it came to my one dog. I was living across from a soccer field where I'd take my dogs sometimes for a few sniffs and to go to the washroom. This one day I saw a sign saying that they were going to be spraying pesticides, so I tried to stay clear of the areas that they were spraying. Then, a few days later, my dog had a seizure.

I had taken them out, came back inside and was watching tv. My dog was beside me on the couch, and he suddenly got up, jumped down, and led on the floor underneath my coffee table. I didn't think much of it until I heard him scream. There's not many noises that scare me to the absolute core - but this was one of them. He peed himself, and didn't appear to see me when I was talking to him. His body went rigid, and I felt completely helpless. Luckily, he became himself again, was cleaned up, and hasn't had another episode since. After I got over my initial shock, I started to get angry. It must be the pesticides! Something must have gone wrong - they sprayed in an area that wasn't listed, or they changed the day - someone must be accountable!!! Then, I heard about Beneful.

Beneful happened to be the brand of dog food that I was feeding my dogs for the previous few months. I admit - I bought it because it was cheap, liked the commercials, and it was dog food... so how bad could it be? Well, pretty darn bad. You have to take everything you read online with a few buckets of salt - that is, don't believe everything that you read if you see it once. So - when someone told me that Beneful was a terrible food, causing liver problems, seizures, and goodness knows what else in dogs, I got very worried and looked into it a bit. Apparently there are people being affected all over North America by this company - and they aren't helping dogs and their families at all. Taking no responsibility - although it's actually been pretty much proven that the food is the cause of all these problems.

After this little incident, I started reading ingredients in dog food. Go figure - I found that the reason a lot of this food was cheaper is because the ingredients sucked. I therefore changed to a "middle" brand - not the best, but better ingredients than the rest on the shelves. About $37 for a big bag. I thought that it was great, and even when they increased their prices about $5 I didn't complain - it was still the better bet.

Then, about a month ago, my little guy got a bad ear infection. After looking for other reasons, I decided to look at his dog food ingredients. Low and behold, they've been changed. This, I found, to be ridiculous - no warning to the consumer, just changing their ingredients and raising the prices. Here's the letter I wrote to them today:

Hello,

I am the proud owner of two wonderful dogs whom I consider my children. Therefore it hurts me when they hurt - which is the reason I'm writing to you today.

One of my dogs seems to be prone to ear infections. When I talked to my vet about this, he explained that it was probably due to a food allergy - so I should change his food and the ear infections should stop. That's when I found your dog food. I don't like paying an exorbitant amount of money for dry kibble, but I don't mind paying a little more as long as it's good for them. When I found your dry food it was great, as it was reasonably priced and seemed to have good ingredients. Then, about a month ago, my dog got another ear infection. Something made me take a look at your dog food ingredients. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when I first started buying your food, I could have sworn that the ingredients were real chicken, salmon, etc. Now, it's chicken meal, or salmon meal. When did this change?

I couldn't tell you how mad I was. The prices have been raised on this food, and the ingredients have gotten worse. I now need to change foods again, and you can bet that I won't be buying any more of your brands.

I feel cheated and mad - my poor dog is suffering because of your inferior ingredients and the need to make a higher profit. There was no notice of change to the ingredients, it just happened - therefore upsetting my dog's stomachs without me knowing why and now my poor dog has an uncontrollable ear infection which is giving him daily pain and discomfort. If I could afford to go to the vet again to have proper treatment for it I would - but I'm stuck with over the counter topical medication for the time being as I simply don't have $300 sitting around to spend at a vet's clinic because of your product. I am saddened by this - and I do believe I will be changing grocery stores as prices on other items I purchase from you regularly have gone up quite a lot as well. 

Well, we shall see if I get a response or not - but I'm assuming that if I do, it'll be pretty generic. There wasn't even a confirmation of them having received the complaint - so who knows. My whole point is - why is dog food so expensive when there's nothing but garbage in it? I would imagine it has something to do with all the advertising that these companies are paying for - they'd rather spend their money on that rather than good ingredients. It's sad.... but, like I said initially - this is what happens when the world seems to care more about paying less. Unfortunately for me, this means that instead of paying $42 for a large bag of food, I'll be paying closer to $70. I'm kinda miffed about it - but, you wouldn't feed your children garbage, so I'm not going to feed my dogs garbage, either.

Take a stand - and tell these big box stores that we won't pay $12 for a bag of dog food that is going to kill your dog. The whole reason we have these animals is because we love them....

I love to read! I also love free stuff - and really super cool experiences. Who doesn't, right?

Well..... in reading, and researching cool experiences, I'm able to find out awesome deals and events that maybe not everyone is aware of. Why am I blogging about this right now?

I think that it's very important to be well aware of things happening in and around your neighborhood - especially when complaining that there's never anything to do. I find contests, coupons, events - stuff that I get really excited about and try to involve my family and friends in.

One such experience happened a few months ago... and I thought that I would write about it tonight for your reading pleasure :)

Who hasn't heard of Cesar Milan? Mmmmm.... not many people in North America - especially dog lovers. I happen to be a very big fan of Mr. Milan, and what he does for our four legged friends.

What does this have to do with my love of reading and finding one-of-a-kind experiences? Well... I found out that Canadian Tire was having a kind of expo in Toronto and that.... guess who.... Cesar was going to be a guest! Not only was he going to talk and have a mini seminar there, but you could actually meet him. Wow.... basically a dream come true. Not just for me - my mother adores him and is a dog groomer. It became absolutely essential that we were present at this event.

On the day of, we woke up at 4:30 AM. Yes, this was on a Saturday - and yes, we did this voluntarily. We packed ourselves into my mom's jeep and headed for the GO station to get on the first available train that wouldn't make us look like Cesar Milan stalkers (6:20 AM). Barely able to keep our eyes open and sick from being excited for meeting one of our idols, we probably looked like quite the Motley crew.

Anyways, we made it to the event in one piece, and were third in line to enter the show. I also became a crazed fan when I saw Buddy, the cake boss, walking down the hall with his armed body guards... I actually jumped up and down when I saw him and yelled, "Hey!!!! BUDDY!!! HEY! BUDDY!" As if he doesn't know his own name.

Needless to say, I don't have much care for how I look when I get excited.

Either way, I avoided being taken into custody by Buddy's body guards and finally stood in line to meet Cesar. We were there.

Cesar then showed up and I became speechless. Apparently I have two ways to behave when I see a celebrity - completely insane or mute.

When it was my turn to meet the man, I lost all train of thought and started blubbering.... he had to grab me to get a picture where I was actually looking at the camera instead of the floor. So sad.

Either way - the mission was complete - I met Cesar, and even got a picture to show for it. Moral of the story? Well, take what you want from it - but my initial point was that if I hadn't researched stuff to do, I never would have been on Buddy's watch list. ;)

Häagen-Dazs - The Perfect Cup

Häagen-Dazs - The Perfect Cup

Please click on the link above for your chance at free ice cream! If you win, I win too - and I looooove winning!!! BONUS - checked these little delectables out on the weekend and they're around $7.00. If you win, that's $7.00 in your pocket, and some amazing ice cream. It takes about three minutes to sign up.... so.... do it....  :)

Racial profiling.

Doesn't exist anymore, right? It's 2013, we've gone through so much to get this far - movements by every race, ethnicity, gender - whatever you want to call it..... people have been fighting for their rights as long as there has bee prejudices against them.

I, myself, was lucky enough to have been born in an era where I have a right to vote, a right to say no. Millions of others have fought for me, and I never really have stopped to thank them. They've fought for you, too.

If you live in a society such as mine, you're blind to the problems which affect a lot of people - if you allow yourself to be. I'm in a relatively middle class community, with mostly middle class problems. Where's the next pay cheque coming from? The car needs to be fixed. We've got just enough money for rent and groceries - maybe we wait until next week to go out to the movies.

In Canada, we've been very lucky, for the most part. Of course, we still have the big problems - as you can see from my previous posts, I'm an advocate against BSL. A lot of people have called me out, though, to say that you can't use discrimination as a term when describing an issue with the canine population. Well, maybe this post will make those people happy.

I've never been a racist person. I don't believe that it's right to judge someone based on their looks, or things that other people have done within their race in the past. If all African American people hated Caucasians for our stupidity in past years, we'd be in trouble. Generally speaking though, blacks are able to get along with whites on a daily basis, living in harmony.

I recently came across a video, though, which illustrates that this is not everyone's view. It disgusts me, makes me very angry, and solidifies how I feel about a lot of police officers. And I hate that.

I've always been what's called a "devil's advocate". Without even realizing it sometimes, I will fight for the person who everyone else is against - and try to voice their possible side of the story. I've done this a lot for cops - I don't think it's fair to paint them all with the same brush.

This video is from the United States, specifically New York. Hopefully this won't get taken down before you get a chance to watch it, because I think it's important to see. Racial profiling still exists, and in a big way. You can find the link to the video here.

Try to watch the whole thing - there's some important stuff close to the end. It's imperative that we don't stay ignorant to these things, so that we're able to force change - just as so many have done before us, for our generations and generations to come.

I absolutely adore contests and free stuff.... who doesn't? I have enjoyed several free birthday coffees this month, as well as a free icecream from Tim Horton's this past Sunday. I participated in a Tic Tac competition for their new flavor and was rewarded with a free package of Tic Tacs. I have coupons waiting which can only be used on specific days for free bread, cereal, and snack bars.

One thing that I've been unable to commit to is extensive couponing. I'm not talking about the occasional coupon, I'm sure everyone's done that at some point. I mean what the shows and newspapers call "Extreme Couponing". I tried - I really did. It's soooo hard!!! Not only do you need to ask your paper boy/girl for a dozen extra newspapers (or more), but you need to belong to as many online couponing sites as possible. Sometimes they send you coupons, but more often than not you need to print them yourself.

Hours and hours are spent cutting out these money-saving pieces of paper. I couldn't believe how long it takes. Then, you have tons of paper left over for your recycling - which I found to be rather wasteful.... although I guess it's going to end up there anyways.

Then, you need something to organize all of these coupons - a purse simply won't suffice. So you need to be a master organizer, as well.

Then, there's expiry dates. All coupons have one - and since all this work has been put into it up until this point, it would be a shame to waste them due to an expiry. So - they need to be organized in a way that ensures you will use the appropriate ones by the appropriate date.

And then there's storage! The only way that extreme couponing works is if you buy things in bulk. This means that all the items won't fit in your freezer - and if they do then you've got zero change in what you're eating for the next month or so.

And, if that wasn't enough, you need to find a retailer that accepts multiple coupons on the same items. For example, you find a coupon for buy one, get one free shampoo. Then, you have a coupon for $2 off the same shampoo. You have fifteen of these coupons, or so, which means you're picking up 30 bottles of shampoo. But that's not the end - if you can, you wait until it goes on sale at the store - sometimes they will even owe you money*!

This is just too much work for me.... and it seems impractical. Of course everyone loves saving money, but it's so much work.... and if everyone did it then the economy would be in some serious trouble.

The point to this rant? I'm perfectly happy with my free coffee and icecream in my birthday month, and the occasional pack of free Tic Tacs..... but that's me ;)

* some stores will not provide you with cash, but instead take that amount as a credit towards additional merchandise

Häagen-Dazs - The Perfect Cup

Check out this contest..... this is not spam - I promise. There's a lot of free icecream to be won, among other things. And what's great is if you win, I win too!!! Same goes for anyone that signs up through you! So join in -doesn't take long and the more people who sign up through you, the better the both of our chances!!! Here's the link:

Häagen-Dazs - The Perfect Cup

That is all :)

Ode to a bus driver

Most of us have taken public transit at one time or another. I'm sure we've all had our days where we bad mouth the system because either a bus was late, too full, rode right past us, or the bus driver couldn't drive. I've had many of these days.

I can't tell you how many times I've been waiting for the lights to change so that I can cross the street to the bus stop, and the bus that I was going to board goes flying past. And yet, when I'm early, they're generally late. Geeze.

The other day, I walked to the bus stop and such a thing happened. I was waiting at the bus stop then for a half an hour, until the next one arrived. Today, I was early at the same stop - and the bus was several minutes late.

We all hear or see transit ads saying "Take Public Transit". It's supposedly much better for the environment, convenient, and cheaper than owning a vehicle. The problem is that this just isn't true - not any more, anyways.

Bus fares for my local area have increased from $3.00 per trip to $3.10. The monthly pass has increased from $100 to $103. A similar increase was made last year. When you're paying this much to be waiting for buses that only come every half an hour and you still need to walk 10 minutes to your destination, it can make a person a tad cranky.

Today, though, I decided to have some reflection. Amongst a meaty sandwich smell, a mixture of B.O and perfume, and too-hot and crowded conditions, I had an epiphany. If I'm irritated by these small occurrences, how must the bus driver feel?

I doubt that they're making a great wage - although of this I can't be certain. Day in and day out these community workers need to be driving for up to eight hours in daily traffic, remembering to stop each time the "dinger" sounds, answer questions from people who are too lazy to look at bus schedules (and I include myself in that category), have a smile on their face and greet each person that comes aboard. They need to have their "game face" on all the time.... being courteous to everyone, although they don't always receive courtesy. 

It would be a much nicer place, I think, if we stopped and realized that bus drivers have bad days at work too - and maybe that's why they missed my stop and have been driving like a maniac. 

: D 

Go figure. As soon as I find an excellent article written by a real veterinarian, I decide to read the comments. This was a mistake, as it started my blood to boil.

I understand ignorance - there are an exceptional amount of things that I'm ignorant about... after all, not many people actually know everything. I don't claim to be an expert on things that I know nothing about, however there are many people who do this on a regular basis, and I'm so sick of it.

If you pick up a newspaper, and you see "PITBULL ATTACK", what's the first thought that comes to mind? For me, it's, I wonder if it really was a pitbull.... or if that word is just being used to sell newspapers?

Now, I understand that this is not the normal way of thinking. Most people would probably read the article and assume what it's says are true. I understand this, and I don't think badly of anyone who would do so.

What I have a problem with is people who are uneducated on the subject of Pitbulls forcing these media articles down other people's throats and claiming them as truth. I, myself, have done a LOT of research on the topic of Pitbulls and I also own one. I'd like to think that I have a right to say what I believe is truth, and try to educate others in the same. 

Anyways, back on topic. The article in question can be found here. The article itself I found to be quite uplifting - a man whose profession involves seeing (probably) hundreds of dogs each week is speaking out on behalf of the breed that I've come to love. My problem is with the comments after the article, all of which (until mine) were extremely negative towards pitbulls.

I am curious to see what (if any) response I receive from my comment. I'm happy to have a conversation about Pitbulls and give my side of the story - and I won't take an opposing side personally should they have TRUTH to back it up. I'd like to think I'm an open person.

I will, however, get defensive when someone says that Pitbulls are the cause of ALL attacks on other dogs. ALL other dogs are innocent - and ALL Pitbulls should be put down because they're ALL bad.... this is just ignorance - and I will NOT be quiet about it.

If you'd like to have a conversation with me, please let me know - I'm always happy to talk to another level-headed individual.

Why is money so hard to come by for the general populous?

You'd think in this day and age that it would be easier for the general public to make a comfortable living, but it seems harder than ever.

Being only 27 (28 next month) I can't speak from too much experience - I simply haven't had enough time. That being said, I hear about how difficult it was for our parent's generations and I can't help but be skeptical when they say we have it easier.

Previously, I blogged about school. This is something that means a lot to me, and I'm sure to many people - it's the difference between a mediocre income and a half-decent one, or sometimes even a really good one. Why is it that students (young and old) are required to receive education to do almost any job these days, and yet it's so difficult to get one?

I believe that minimum wage right now is hovering around $9 - $10. That's increased since I got my first job and was receiving something like $6.50 an hour. You might say that's an improvement - but you also have to consider the cost of living has gone up. In retrospect, minimum wage technically hasn't increased, because the money is still spent at the same rate it was over ten years ago.

So you take your typical teenager, working through their last years of highschool with a part time job at McDonald's. If they don't have a cell phone (ya right) or a car, they can probably save a couple grand a year.

At my local college, the cheapest tuition hovers around $3000. This does not include textbooks or any other fees - like in the case of the course that I'm going to be taking, laptops.

How are people supposed to be able to afford this on their own? Generally, we can't - which means we have to get loans. What's on loans? Interest.

This creates a mess of a circle in which we're paying even more money for school, which takes sometimes many years to pay off once we've entered the work force. 

And we're not even guaranteed a job when we graduate!

There needs to be another, better system in place. I don't have the answer, but I'd like to start that conversation.

Ah the great West. Such a wonderful place to go to school, get a career, and raise a family. Why, then, do westerners find themselves short-changed? I can't speak for everyone of course, however everything I write here is from my own experience so I feel that it's valid. 

When I started life, I lived in an apartment with my parents. I don't remember this part of my life, though, as shortly after I was born we moved to a small starter home in the town of Whitby, Ontario. This was where I've lived the longest so far - where all of my childhood memories stem from. I remember times where my father had some difficulties making ends meet, but for the most part we were your typical middle-class citizens.

Today, it seems, times have changed. No longer are you able to leave highschool with mediocre marks and expect to make a decent living - everything these days involves a piece of paper stating that you are educated enough to be able to do what past generations learned in a day or two. This piece of paper that I'm talking about comes from either college or university.

When did it become such a government institution, I'm wondering? Have you checked recently the price of tuition for even the (seemingly) most trivial of courses? Over the past few years it seems to have doubled from what it used to be - with compulsory fees for new building construction, athletic improvements, etc. That is just included in tuition nowadays. And forget government assistance.

Try going to your local agency and ask for a loan, or even go as far as asking for free money to better yourself. HA! Not only does no one in the office know who it is that you need to talk to, but the paperwork required for the smallest of requests is insurmountable. It's almost as though they want you to give up halfway through and just pay for yourself - and I have a feeling that it's exactly what they're expecting.

Well, not this girl.

I WILL NOT let the people who are coming into this country take advantage of all the 'free money' when I'm the one who's been paying taxes since I was 16. I'm the one whose parents worked hard for years and years doing everything 'by the books' to raise their kids right. I'm the one who's a Canadian born citizen and deserves a break once in a while! Why does no one understand this?!?!?!

I will ensure that I have the same opportunities as those entering the country this week. I will ensure that any grants, loans, bursaries or scholarships that are within my grasp will be applied for. I will be heard - and I will not go away.

Like most people, I don't have much money.

This translates into doing less - because I can't afford it.

Then, once in a while, you think.... screw it - I'm going to treat myself.

This was my thought on the weekend. My friends and I decided to go out and watch a movie in the movie theater. Luckily, I am a Scotiabank customer and had earned enough points to be able to have a free ticket, technically saving myself $10.99. My boyfriend, however, needed to pay - as did the rest of our troupe.

This particular movie had just been released - so it was quite busy, to say the least. Elbow to elbow we crammed ourselves in the overcrowded theater eager to enjoy our one night out.

My boyfriend and I had arrived only a few minutes before the show was scheduled to start - luckily our devoted friends fended off other movie goers to ensure that we had seats next to them. Clambering through the too-small isles we finally arrived next to our friends about five minutes before the insanity started.

I am talking, of course, about advertising.

When was it implemented to have actual commercials before movies? I don't think that it was too long ago - within the last three or four years, maybe? I don't remember seeing a memo about this, one day - they were just there.

I hate advertisements - funny ones, long ones, soppy ones - it doesn't matter, they're shouting at you convincing you that you need to purchase their product or service. I don't appreciate being told what to buy or what to think, I do happen to have a head on my shoulders that has served me quite well.

The fact is, advertisements will be there whether we like it or not - so we just have to learn to live with it. This is one reason why I don't subscribe to cable television, it seems that commercials dominate the airwaves more than the actual content we're paying to see.

Anyways, back to the movie. So, it was set to start at 8:10pm. Right on cue, the lights go dark and the screen changes sizes (what's with that, anyways?!?!). Right away, we're pelted with a too-loud advertisement about some product.

And then another one comes on.

And another.

They continue to happen for over five minutes. Remember, this is not previews - this is commercials. I just paid $10.99 to sit in an over crowded theater and listen to what turned out to be just under 10 minutes of obnoxious advertising.

What am I paying $10.99 for, exactly??? I mean, if you're going to insist on the insane amount of commercials then at least subsidize the pricing of the movie - who is benefiting from this? I honestly don't understand. And the big companies wonder why so many people download or pirate movies? It used to be an experience - something exciting to look forward to. Now it's just an overcrowded room filled with people playing on their phones, having loud conversations and advertising.

Remind me why we think that this is a great form of entertainment?

I love animals. Big ones, small ones, weird looking ones, and the pretty ones.

This love is not shared by all.

That's ok - I don't expect everyone to share the same beliefs and values as I do, however I do expect everyone to respect mine. I don't like it when someone looks at my dog and has the nerve to say that she's a vicious creature which should be put down. You've never even had the chance to get to know her.

I own a dog that is widely viewed as a menace to society. If she had lived in the 70's, she would have been fine. If she had lived in the 80's, she would have been adored. If she had been born in the 90's, she would have been popular. But, because she'd had the misfortune of being born in the new Millenia, she's looked upon as a beast. I am talking, of course, about a Pitbull.

It's funny, though, calling her a Pitbull - that's not even a breed of dog. It's actually a classification - like calling a dog a terrier or a teacup. It's not correct. And yet, stories continue to circulate about Pitbulls attacking innocent people and their dogs. Who classifies what a dog is, anyways? Not the media, nor many "dog experts" who decide on which poor animal lives or is killed. If you ask your typical "Pitbull fearing human" what makes a dog a Pitbull, I bet they couldn't give you a correct answer.

The truth is, many dogs could be considered to be this type. And, I may point out that many stories that the media is reporting about dog attacks are actually not involving Pitbulls at all. It just looks better on a headline.

Do me a favor. Before you judge an animal based on media hype, take a moment to talk to a person who owns one - or better yet, go play with one. They may just change your mind for you.

So today while I was on the bus returning from my latest Physiotherapy appointment, I had an errant thought. It led to my new blog - and I will explain my thought process which brought me to this decision.

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of "inconsistencies" with daily life. Why do some people seem to have it so much better than others? What am I missing? And then it hit me - it's not true. The thought that others have an easier life than me is a fallacy, and I intend to start discussions about our daily struggles.

Here is my very first, of what I hope to be many, daily struggles in which I've been encountering.

This is a bagel, from Tim Hortons. More specifically, this bagel is from the Tim Horton's Drive Thru at Harmony Rd and Taunton in Oshawa, Ontario. The reason that I decided to take a picture of this normal - looking bagel is because I requested it to be double-toasted, with herb and garlic cream cheese. Not only did I request this, but I also asked the gentleman at the speaker to ensure that it was in fact double toasted. Does this look to be double toasted to you?

Me either.

I couldn't believe it - and it's not the first time. In fact, every time I have ordered a bagel double toasted, it looks similar to this one. I am tired of it. Why am I requesting something if no one hears me? Why do I bother spending my $2+ on something that I didn't ask for?

Because this occurred in the drive thru, I wasn't actually in a position to return to the restaurant and complain about this. I will, however, be writing to Tim Hortons (again) in regards to my complaint. I believe that it is founded - and am sure I'm not the only one affected by this.

It's outrageous that in the world we live in we're more focused on convenience and speed than on individual customer satisfaction. Things seem cheaper on the surface when in reality they're more expensive than they used to be. I don't like paying for something that I don't enjoy - and I'm assuming that you don't either.

Thank you for sharing my first blog post with me :)