BOUQUET To our building manager Mark for doing such a great job looking after the tenants and the building. Your hard work and attention to detail is appreciated.
BEEF We now have another death in the downtown core. And our mayor and council still want to spend taxpayers’ money, over $4 million, on the downtown streets. Why would we be doing this, for who? The general public don’t want to go into town. Sounds like another Metral Drive mess.
BOUQUET To those recognizing the overuse of hyperbolic descriptors. If I hear the term ‘breathtaking’ one more time, I’m likely to start fanning whoever forces this tired utterance lest they dramatically faint à la silent movie.
BEEF To the beefer who complains that the employer doesn’t pay out unused sick leave. Sick leave is not the same as vacation pay. Sick leave is insurance. If the tires wear out on your car, do you call your auto insurance and tell them your tires were stolen and they need to buy you a new set? Using sick leave when you’re not sick is the same thing.
BOUQUET To the person(s) who found my set of keys at Neck Point Park and pinned them to the bulletin board there.
BEEF What’s next after warning labels on alcohol? Labels on all speedometers warning higher speeds can lead to tickets, injuries or even death?
BOUQUET The Car 54 plan is an excellent idea. I was diagnosed as bipolar and I had a message that I was the son of God. To get me to go to the emergency room, my wife suggested talking to a Catholic priest. The priest said it would be a good idea to go to the hospital and I listened to him and walked right into the emergency room and started to perform miracles right there. Creative solutions like this work.
BEEF To the local government worker who gave me the finger. A pickup was holding up traffic stopped on a green light on Rutherford Road. I waited a few seconds, then honked. The driver lowered the window and with a fully extended arm flipped me off, then made a turn, nicely revealing the logo on the door for all of us to enjoy.
BOUQUET To the kind gentleman at the dollar store who paid for my second basket when I found I did not have enough money. I paid it forward.
BEEF So we have so many COVID vaccines that they are expiring, yet a parent can’t find cold medicine for their young child at any store. Something is very wrong here.
BOUQUET Kudos to the Black Bear Pub. Fabulous service and the best nachos.
BEEF To Nanaimo for not having more walk-in clinics. Why tie up emergency for an ear ache?
BOUQUET To the Port Theatre for bringing in the wonderful Red Sky Performance Miigis: Underwater Panther. Very enlightening and artistically executed.
BEEF To the ‘freedom and truth’ enthusiasts who choose to express themselves on the shoulder of the only main transport artery through Nanoose. Your antics are distracting. I admire your energy but is there a safer spot to collect honks?
BOUQUET To the doctors and staff at the medical imaging department of Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Very competent, professional and friendly health care.
BEEF To the clinic employee who treated my husband like a dirty, diseased outcast because he was exempt from wearing a mask. A complaint has been made to your superiors.
BOUQUET To Joel, my News Bulletin paper person. So very pleasant and always puts the paper on the top railing out of the rain. Much appreciated.
BEEF To the fellow who works out early in the morning at the gym and drops his weight stacks with a very loud bang. Please be considerate and lower your weights quietly.
BOUQUET To the wonderful, honest person who found a gold man’s ring in London Drugs at Port Place shopping centre and turned it in to staff. My husband returned to his car and noticed his ring had fallen off. We were so relieved and grateful that within a short period of time the ring had been turned in. Thank you so much, this ring is so emotionally meaningful to us.
BEEF As a senior, I want to be seen, heard and treated. Not be pushed into a wheelchair and given a bucket of pills. I’m not past my best-by date.
BOUQUET To the News Bulletin for the Beefs & Bouquets section. It allows many to express and vent. It is also very entertaining. Thank you.
BEEF To the organizers of the gala at the Beban Park social centre. My family and many others paid hundreds of dollars for a table at this event, so you probably should have at least rehearsed it.
BOUQUET To the women in the gold Volkswagen van who stopped and offered me help on the highway. Your kindness got me and my pup home safe to my kids.
BEEF To whoever took the ‘Deer Haven’ sign from the end of my driveway. As my recently deceased husband and I made it together, I really would like to get it back. You have worsened the grief I already feel.
BOUQUET Thank you to two nice young men at Best Buy, plus one from the Geek Squad, for taking the time with this non-techno-savvy senior gal who just wanted to get radio stations on my iPhone. It took about 15 minutes, but they got to the problem, helped me reset my password and done. I am so appreciative.
BEEF To the ‘my body, my choice’ protesters who were silent when women and girls were being coerced, threatened, and fired for choosing not to put a substance in their body. Where were you then?
BOUQUET To my three young neighbours, Bob, Tyler and Freddie. They cleared my driveway when the snow fell in November and December when my shoulders went on strike from lots of lifting. Thank you guys, from your old neighbour.
BEEF To the city, which hasn’t put a disposal box for used needles near the flophouse on Machleary Street.
BOUQUET To Doug at London Drugs at North Town Centre for sorting out a pick up order. Great customer service. Thank you for all your help.
BEEF To people who wear a face mask against a virus when a virus is venom. For protection against venomous snakes, wear a face mask? I speak to people who don’t believe in God, either. Ignorance is blindness. Check the dictionary.
BOUQUET To the staff in the emergency room at NRGH for the exceptional care I received. It was a Saturday night and I had to return on Sunday morning to continue treatment. The speed in which I was taken care of was impressive. Thanks Dr. Johnson and Dr. Kim, plus nurses. Only disruption was when a baby goat arrived on the scene.
BEEF To the patients and visitors who are standing outside the main entrance to NRGH smoking. There are signs all over stating it’s a no smoking area. It’s disgusting to come outside after wearing a mask for eight-hour shifts and the first breath of ‘fresh’ air is filled with cigarette smoke.
BOUQUET Gracias to Mexico for banning smoking. Only permitted smoking within homes. Prohibited elsewhere. C’mon Canada, we can do same. Air Canada was the first airline to prohibit smoking on board. Hummingbirds also want fresh air.
BEEF To the drivers of the two vehicles who couldn’t wait safely behind the sanitation truck picking up cans along the blind corner on Labieux Road. Your impatience nearly caused a head-on collision. Is waiting an extra four minutes worth putting others’ safety at risk?
BOUQUET To Bodhi’s Bakery for the very generous donation of bread and pastries for Georgia Avenue School’s Christmas hampers. You are so sweet.
BEEF To the new happy hours at the bar. The establishment offered two different times, from 5-6 p.m. and from 9-10 p.m. for theatre-goers, which was most amenable and I have been to both. Imagine our disappointment when without warning, the 5-6 p.m. happy hour has been discontinued. Not everybody wants to drink publicly at bedtime or on rare nights post-theatre.
BOUQUET To my family and friends for making my 75th birthday marvellous. Feeling grateful. Love you.
BEEF To the bakery. There could be 12 hours in a day to bake and a loaf baked in the first hour is not as fresh as one baked in the 12th. The bagged bread should be offered, not forced upon a customer. Today two employees were rude when asked for unbagged bread.
BOUQUET To all the nurses, doctors, techs and specialists whose tender loving care and sense of humour were so appreciated by both myself and my 94-year-old mother. From the triage nurse, to the ambassador, to the cleaner who tried to ‘wrangle’ the vending machine, you were all wonderful, positive and pleasant (and probably run off your feet). Our recent experience was such a good one.
BEEF I have been investigating the potential to legally turn a two-car workshop near Long Lake into a carriage home to help my elder relative. We were prepared to bring it up to current standards including insulation. The end of the project came when the city insisted we jackhammer out the concrete floor to install new footings under the concrete and then pour a new slab. I realize building codes are put in place for a reason but sometimes common sense should also be given some consideration.
BOUQUET To the Legion Branch 256 for an amazing Robbie Burns dinner. Well done to all the volunteers.
BEEF A fire in an unused health clinic, being lived in by squatters? Of course. At least it was being used for something, as health care is way down the list of NDP priorities. EVs are far more important. Maybe Musk can tweak EVs to cure cancer or heart problems.
BOUQUET To the generous woman behind me in line at Thrifty’s, who impulsively, as a random act of kindness, paid for my groceries. The world is a better place because of people like you, and I will most certainly pay it forward.
BEEF To the beefer regarding wood stoves. We can anticipate more people will be using their wood-fired fireplaces, furnaces, etc., due to the rising cost of electrical and natural gas heating. It may not be good for the environment; however, people need to stay warm in their homes. Wages in some sectors, pension rates, and welfare rates have not kept up with the rate of inflation.
To submit a beef or a bouquet to the Nanaimo News Bulletin, e-mail editor@nanaimobulletin.com.
