Making Progress

The first indoor party we've been to in more than two years:
Rick and Bernie Brown celebrate 40 years of marriage.

One day about twelve years ago, when I worked at the Ministry of the Environment building at Avenue Road and St. Clair, a man walked into my office with a sample board of roofing shingles. A security guard accompanied him. I was in a meeting with staff. 

As the guard and my staff watched and waited, the man asked me which colour shingles I wanted to go on the roofs of the front row of townhouses in my condo complex. He needed my decision right away.

I asked which colour was most like what was on the roof already. The man pointed to a dark grey tile.

"Fine," I said, "that's the one I want." He thanked me and left, taking the security guard with him.

I had to make that decision then, that day, that way, because I was the Vice-President of Maintenance on our self-managed condo board. I think that was the first time it crossed my mind, as I explained to my staff what had just happened, that being on the board of a self-managed condo was insane.

The insanity is almost over. Watch this space for more news in coming weeks.

Marty

Joining Dianne Saxe's Friday afternoon door-knocking crew this week was Marty, a friend of Dianne's since first year law school. He's about six four and maybe 280 pounds. He said he'd be our security detail, which seemed plausible until I saw how much trouble Marty, a sweet, garrulous man in his 70s, had getting up and down even short flights of stairs. 

Marty's special gift was accosting passersby on the sidewalk while Dianne and I took the stairs up to houses all along Beverly Street. One fellow, at Marty's prompting, dodged the traffic just south of College so he could stand on the sidewalk with Dianne, look her in the eye and tell her he'd be glad to vote for her. 

Our stomping grounds this week were smack dab in the middle of the student ghetto south of University of Toronto. There are few apartment buildings, and almost every house is subdivided into tiny rooms. It doesn't seem to matter where we go, though, on the Friday afternoon canvass. We always gather about five or six sign requests and distribute about 200 flyers. Half a dozen or so people are thrilled to meet Dianne; about the same number are dismissive or hostile. Everyone else is noncommitally pleasant or not interested.

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen