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Beefs & Bouquets, Aug. 14

To submit a beef or a bouquet to the Nanaimo News Bulletin, e-mail editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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Beef to three neighbours who constantly leer, make false police reports, damage and trespass on private property, etc. You recently rummaged through the boxed personal possessions stored beneath my carport. Your actions cannot be erroneously justified under the pretense of ‘curiosity being human nature.’

BOUQUET Thank you to Alicia M. at Service B.C. She was so kind to take the time to help me through a very confusing task. I was frustrated trying to do it myself. She made the deferral of taxes form seem easy. I am so grateful. From a computer-confused senior.

BEEF To online social warriors. Some of you like S.M. should be ashamed of your blind and obliviously misinformed posts. Mind your own biscuits and things will be gravy.

BOUQUET To Neil. His recent work shows his commitment to both truth and reconciliation. Good job buddy.

BEEF Oh, how many roads must a bike travel down, before it’s turned into a narrow street with a bike lane? The answer my friend is not even once, they’re building them whether you like it or not.

BOUQUET Many congratulations to the staff, volunteers and sponsors of SPCA for creating the wonderful event at Millstone Winery. Thanks also to the great musical talents for super entertainment and for our MLA for making the time to attend and speak. Look forward to next year.

BEEF To pet owners who deny the environmental impact of their furry friends. Do a little research please. You will immediately run into the truth. Their worldwide meat consumption alone runs just behind Brazil’s in quantities. And we certainly now know the effects of meat production on the planet. Sorry, but your emotional response to a real dilemma simply exacerbates the larger problem.

BOUQUET So grateful to our neighbour Colleen who shares her home-grown flowers with the neighbourhood every week. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous creations.

BEEF Thankfully I don’t walk or bike the roads in Nanaimo because it’s rare that I don’t see oncoming vehicles driving over the yellow line on even blind corners, especially Hammond Bay Road. This in turn causes the vehicles travelling in the opposite direction to drive in the bike lane.

BOUQUET For the first time, we attended a NightOwls game and had a fantastic time. Great, high-talent baseball, enthusiastic crowds and fun prizes and entertainment. A huge shout out to the players, coaches, staff, host families and everyone else who makes this happen. We will be back.

BEEF To news reporters who use acronyms incorrectly by not translating what they stand for when first mentioned. When I googled ‘OCP’ I got ‘oral contraceptive pill’ and ‘AAP’ gave me ‘affirmative action plan.’ Both examples didn’t fit the article.

BOUQUET Thank you to the city parks operations staff for showing up quickly after I contacted them to deal with a wasp nest in our local park, graffiti and professional advice about our boulevard trees. This is the first time I reached out for help and I got a great response.

BEEF Here to remind you that instead of mixing salt into your burger mix, you sprinkle salt on top and bottom of your patties just before you grill ‘em. You’ll have tender patties that are better than store bought and aren’t rubbery. You’re welcome.

BOUQUET Gratitude to the paramedics tasked with transporting my elderly mother to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital all the way from Tofino General Hospital. Your bedside manner was delightful and your good humour and light-hearted natures put a smile on everyone’s face. It was comforting to know she was in such great care.

BEEF To Westwood Lake ‘improvements.’ Like the others state, it looks nice but still we are left with no parking. Why didn’t they use some of the concrete to fill in the potholes in the back parking lot? And another thing – artificial grass? Who wants to feel plastic on their toes? The efforts are appreciated but need some work. Thanks.

BOUQUET Thank you to all the motorists who park in the ‘no parking’ spots along Departure Bay Beach. Your $35 fine helps with the city coffers, and you help the local economy of the towing companies.

BEEF Some Nanaimo transit drivers need to focus more, look in front, stop tailgating and going too fast.

BOUQUET Patrick’s Handyman Services always does a very good job here in Woodgrove Estates Park, we seniors are happy that he is there. Thank you.

BEEF To the city and the event organizers for no fireworks, again.

BOUQUET To the lovely people in the white pickup truck ahead of us in Tim Hortons drive-thru on Bowen Road. Such a surprise when we were told our lunch was paid for. We then paid it ahead. Thank you.

BEEF To the childcare space. Why is it necessary to have music playing outside from 7:15 a.m. to closing Monday to Friday? As I live in the area and sound does travel, it is getting annoying when you would just like to sit in the backyard and enjoy some peace and relaxation.

BOUQUET Thank you for a great paper. The Bulletin has improved so much. Nanaimo is very lucky to have its own local newspaper. Great work.

BEEF Heads up, people. Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Whether driving or walking, stop texting. Keep your eyes open so you don’t run over me.

BOUQUET To the lovely group sharing a table at the Black Goose in early July. Thank you so much for the laughs and for secretly picking up the check on our anniversary. That was so kind. It was great meeting you and I hope we get the chance to do the same for you one evening.

BEEF To the editor. I took a lot of time to craft my beef. To my shock it was edited down to two sentences, when there are tons of longer beefs. I’ve been reading this section for over seven years and I love it, but after this experience I’m sad to learn that people’s submissions are edited and trimmed. Freedom of beef!

BOUQUET To Brandan at Country Grocer He’s such a happy, cheerful bundle of sunshine. I look forward to seeing him when I shop.

BEEF To the city. Families spend hours down along Nanaimo's beautiful harbourfront. Please provide recycling and composting bins to mentor environmental responsibility.

BOUQUET To the ferry driver who entertained the kids’ pirate fantasy and went by the ‘pirate ship’ that he saw bring something ashore the previous week. Beef to outhouses there. I have been going to the island since I was a child and am disappointed at the lack of care.

BEEF To the bus driver questioning the authenticity of my son’s Compass card due to our family surname not fitting his pre-conceived notions. Our Slavic-rooted surname comes directly through our family’s eastern European DNA and isn’t yours to question. Mixed-race is a thing. Deal with it.

BOUQUET To those who are civil and pleasant with the hard-working people of this community, who are working in whatever field for all our benefit. It costs nothing to be nice to your serving staff, and being ‘the squeaky wheel’ doesn’t get you grease – it gets you mocked roundly (and rightly) by the staff you are unpleasant toward, and might even net you delays because everyone dreads dealing with you.

BEEF To the high-speed driver who nearly T-boned us as we were turning north onto the highway from Enterprise Way. A yellow light doesn’t mean speed up so you can blow through before it turns red. You were witnessed, by many, sailing through the red. And had the gall to honk at us. Afterward, my son was so rattled he was sick to his stomach.

BOUQUET Many thanks to the person behind me up Mills Road hill who took the time to follow me and stopped to tell me a tube of caulking had rolled out of my truck on the hill. I was able to quickly return and retrieve it thanks to you.

BEEF To the province and city government. The province is now dictating housing policy to our cities. So why do we need a planning department or an official community plan if the province can dictate the density and type of structures to be put up?

BOUQUET To the letter writer for the two bridge idea in order to take a shortcut away from the Malahat. I have a better idea; a bridge from the existing Mill Bay ferry terminal straight across Saanich Inlet to where the bed and breakfast is on the other side. The distance across is only about one kilometre and would not cost billions.

BEEF To the Olympics. I will not be watching as I haven’t been since they allowed ‘professionals’ to participate. However any group or individual who decides to cheat should be sent home immediately. There has to be consequences. Anything less makes the games even more corrupt.

BOUQUET To all the good Sarahs out there. Please, do not let some anonymous beefer and the community newspaper bully their way into your head simply based on your first name. This particular beef singled out every single Sarah in town, creating self-doubt and anxiety for all Sarahs. Not all Sarahs are created equal and nobody deserves to be singled out like that.

BEEF To three neighbours who constantly leer, make false police reports, damage and trespass on private property, etc. You recently rummaged through the boxed personal possessions stored beneath my carport. Your actions cannot be erroneously justified under the pretense of ‘curiosity being human nature.’

BOUQUET An anniversary bouquet to my beautiful wife. Thank you for everything you do and for being such a wonderful person. I love you.

BEEF To people standing around chit-chatting for 20 minutes while their car engines idle away. Have you heard of the recent forest fires consuming towns, endangering people and wildlife, not to mention the health of our firefighters? What about the health of your own children breathing in these toxic fumes? Talk about ‘an inconvenient truth.’ Your actions tell us that you just don’t care.

BOUQUET Thank you so much again to the lovely couple who paid for our dinner at Montana’s. They complimented us on our looking like a very happy couple while we were conversing. Asked us the secret to our 28 wonderful years together: open communication and mutual respect. We would like to also add: a shared sense of humour. We wish you both all the very best and a very happy marriage also.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com



About the Author: Nanaimo Bulletin News Staff

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