Nice Try

I'm currently following up on something that didn't "sit right" with me and, as it turns out, my instincts were probably correct. Now it's just a matter of what to do about it.

On Halloween I worked the morning shift (9:15-3:30). I'd driven Linds to school beforehand and had cleared the windshield as I warmed the car up - I'd pulled the wipers out to get the outside of it done. Linds helped me with her side. This is relevant because I know there was nothing there - no parking ticket.

After work I noticed something blue on the windshield. When I took it off, I was surprised to find a parking ticket and was completely baffled, as I hadn't been anywhere except to work. I work in a very large "strip" type mall that's actually two malls sharing one piece of property. The south side is known as Richlea, the north side, including the building that I'm in (that "overlaps" onto Richlea) is called Broadmoor. Many (as I wasn't) aren't even aware that it's two separate malls run by two different management companies. It's a weird set up and there's really no way of knowing it isn't one big mall. The building I'm in also houses two banks and their ATM's are facing south and border on the south parking lot (Richlea side). There's never been any problem with any of it - I've lived just up the road for twenty years and parked/shopped there. Until now that is.

I was rattled by the $50 ticket and looked over it carefully when I got home. I'd always parked there, in front of my bank, and gone in through the mall to get to work, often stopping to use the ATM along the way. Most who use the "Richlea" mall park and enter the Broadmoor building first...using the banks before going off to shop. It's common for people to start at one end of the strip and carry on right through to the other, doing business with both Richlea and Broadmoor in one swoop and stopping in the middle (my building) to eat and rest. Apparently there are going to be problems with that. People are being ticketed (immediately) for "leaving" the Richlea lot upon parking then entering Broadmoor (the banks), even if it's only for a moment before returning to finish their shopping. This came without warning and is a very aggressive ticketing campaign, catching everyone off guard. The parking has never been a problem and it's unrealistic to consider parking in one side of the mall to shop there, then having to move the car to the other end to finish shopping at that end. Not environmentally sound OR practical, by any means. It makes no sense at all.

When I inspected my ticket a little closer, I noticed an error - although it was Halloween when it was issued, the ticket was dated Oct. 2. I checked my schedule/calendar to discover that I didn't even work that morning and wasn't parked there at that time at all. I'd already planned on calling/fighting the ticket - I WORKED there so the two hour parking limit hardly applied to employees, right? Wrong.

When I called Diamond Parking, I was informed that the Richlea side had hired them to ticket people who either 1) parked longer than the two hours alloted (me) 2) parked on the Richlea side but went into the Broadmoor mall/side (me). The manager was quite friendly and advised me to send him a fax/letter from my boss, stating that I was unaware of the parking set up and that I wouldn't park on the Richlea side anymore, as an employee of the Broadmoor side. Fair enough. I did that. I also told "Mike" of my concerns about the incorrect dating on the ticket - to which he suggested that it had been there for four weeks, through a week long torrential rain/wind storm. I quickly shot that down - the ticket didn't have so much as a "smear"/watermark on it and was in mint condition...impossible. "Oopsie, must be a mistake" was his new explanation. He assured me that he'd look into it. I guess he forgot.

Fast forward to Nov. 9 and I received a letter (pictured), stating that my $50 fine had jumped to $96.01, as I was "deliquent" in paying it. I immediately called Diamond and they said "disregard it...your fine has been waived", as they'd received the fax that I'd been instructed to send. Now, that should've been the end of it, but things still didn't sit quite right with me. I was infuriated by the fact that they'd tried to extort extra money from me on a ticket that wasn't actually even due yet! And that their dating "mistake" obviously hadn't been corrected, as Mike had promised. Another "oopsie"? I wanted to know how a ticket issued on Oct. 31/06, giving 15 days for payment, was considered late and had resulted in extra charges only 9 days after issue?. Besides that, the ticket clearly indicated that if it hadn't been paid within 15 days, the fee would then jump to $65, not $96.01? It hadn't even been fifteen days yet. The breakdown of costs on the letter was very misleading (intentionally?) and made no sense at all. Did they really think I was stupid and they could bamboozle me with a bunch of numbers? Ha, nice try. Funny how nowhere on this "late payment" letter did it indicate the original fine of $50 - that amount was completely omitted? So, supposing I had decided to just pay the ticket and Mike had adjusted it to correct the date - how did the costs jump to $96.01 in 9 days? According to them, it should've been $50 and not jumped to $65 until Nov. 16. Despite the fact that I wasn't "on the hook" for the ticket, I still wanted to know exactly how they'd arrived at this $96 amount. For many others wouldn't have their tickets waived and would therefore be expected to pay...what process took us from a $50 parking ticket to $96.01 in a matter of 9 days? I want to know. Suspicious. Criminal?

I hope I haven't lost you...it IS confusing and I think that was part of their "game plan"...to throw out a whole bunch of stuff that didn't make sense in the hopes that we'd just "pay up". They tried to confuse me (and others) with some very professional looking documents that didn't mean shit and are invalid (if not fraudulent). You simply can't go making up tickets for people and pre- date them, with the intention of gouging them even more, for late fees. It's immoral and illegal.

The "buzz" at the mall is the Richlea "ticketing" - EVERYONE is furious. Confused. Talking. Questioning. People who park at Safeway and run in to the ATM first are being ticketed within a minute....someone from Diamond is "watching" and not considering that the customers are shopping in both locations. The management company for Richlea is somewhat of a mystery - they've issued a statement that, for those ticketed, they can simply keep their receipts as proof of their shopping and submit them in order to have the fines waived. I say I'll be damned if I have to go through that and it's none of their business what I do when I'm over there - as long as I'm not leaving the property while parked in their lot they can take a flying leap. (And I suggested to them that the '2 Hour' limit is hardly enough time...there are hairdressers there and it sometimes takes over two hours for a perm. Or that some of us eat in the family restaurant, then go rent a movie and grab snacks at Safeway. This easily can take longer than 2 hours. There are dentist offices there - it's common to have a two hour appointment if you factor in the wait when you arrive.)

The bottom line here is that this company is falsely dating these tickets, resulting in bogus "late" fines..this needs some serious investigating and is a criminal activity as far as I'm concerned. And, further to that is the fact that loyal, longstanding customers are being treated this way by the management company that's responsible for the hiring/activity of these thugs. Most people who shop here use both malls in one trip and that's being conveniently overlooked.

People are outraged and have been coming in, complaining to me for the past couple of weeks (my booth looks like an information booth). Understand here that the ATM's are situated on the south side of the building that overlaps both malls, into the Richlea parking lot. But they are still considered part of Broadmoor mall. It's a stupid set up. Picture it like this - one long strip mall (which is two separate buildings). A building smack dab in the middle, which is considered part of the borth mall (Broadmoor). Yet the bank aren't accessible from the north and their entrances are on the south, on the Richlea side. How are bank customers to know that the front entrance isn't to be accessed from the front...that you need to go to the back and enter through the mall to access them? So there is no parking in front of the bank/ATM...it's a walk around (or through - the mall closes early) the building. If it sounds confusing, just trying shopping/parking here. These new parking regulations mean that, in order to access the ATM when the mall is closed, customers must park in the north lot and walk all the way around the building to the ATM's on the south side. They walk all the way back around the building, to the north lot and their car, move the car back to the south lot and continue shopping there. The mall has turned a blind eye to the rampant drug activity in their parking lot and it's very common to be approached by panhandlers on a regular basis in the parking lot there - now they want us to walk around at night with a pocket full of money? Who was the brainiac who devised this plan. It does nothing to consider customer safety. Safeway & Blockbuster are the only shops to stay open late (midnight), everything else is closed by 9. This means the lot's virtually empty...so what's the problem if people park in front of the bank to use the ATM in an empty lot?

Expecting us walk to and from our cars on the north side after banking on the south side, only to have to drive back around to the south side of the building and park in front of the ATM that we've just used/walked to is absolutely fucking ridiculous! Who the fuck came up with this plan....George Bush? If nothing else, it isn't very green to drive from one spot to another when the establishments you're using are right next door to each other.

As an employee, "our" side (Broadmoor) has a buggy return cage for the (Richlea)Safeway buggies. So I guess they figure it's o.k. to use our parking, yet we can't use theirs. They shouldn't need a buggy return there because, according to their standards, their customers shouldn't be parked over here either. And all day long Safeway (Richlea) employees use our mall to "cut through" and retrieve their buggies from our lot, where they're secured. Double standards really piss me off. I know, it's a lot to follow. It's a ridiculous, blatant attempt (by Richlea management/Diamond Parking) to extract money from unsuspecting "violators" (otherwise known as paying customers), while breaking all the rules themselves.

The aggressive ticketing procedures drew the attention of the local paper, who ran a story on it. Funny thing is, in trying to locate an address/contact for the management company (who'd hired Diamond Parking), it was proving to be a near impossible feat. I tried the name of a manager that was printed in the newspaper article - when I searched the internet it came up as someone in the Dominican Republic. I got a friend of mine, who is a Safeway employee, to get me the number/name that they have as a contact for property management and she passed it along to me. When I called it, it was a recording...and there was no company "name" specified on the recording - it simply said "you've reached the Richlea mall property management". I looked through the Yellow Pages under Property Management Companies and couldn't find the number anywhere. Who the hell is running this joint and trying to gouge patrons? I wand to know. And it seems like they don't want us to know who they are. Seems very suspicious to me.

I called the number and left a message and have yet to hear anything. But, over the past few days several people have been complaining to me that their tickets were "misprinted" and the dates were wrong. There's an uproar here, as long time customers are being "dinged" (reminds me of that stupid commercial) as fast as they leave their cars.

I don't think the incorrect dates are mistakes at all. I reported my "mistake" on Oct. 31/06...it's now nearing the end of November and they haven't resolved the problem or rectified the situation? I'm pretty sure that these so called "mistakes" are nothing less than a strategic move by Diamond Parking to (fraudulently) collect "fines" for "late" payment on tickets that aren't deliquent (or even valid, in some cases) at all. They're initially suggesting to people who call in that perhaps they've "missed" the ticket on their windshield and the dates are correct. They tried it with me...nice try boys, I'm not buying that bridge you're selling either.

They then offer the "mistake" theory. But, guess what?...they've had ample time to rectify the situation and when a mistake is identified and it continues it's no longer a mistake...it's then called negligence. Or, in this case, an attempt to pull a "scam". I'm livid about the entire thing. I "caught" their atttempt to gouge me...others (my seniors) aren't looking closely enough and are simply paying the fees that they're being intimated into paying (by these very official looking letters - funny how Diamond Parking doesn't have a return address, other than a PO Box number, on their correspondence? Do they not have an "office" somewhere?...again, I'm having trouble locating anything in the Yellow Pages). Hhhmmm, this isn't sitting very well with me at all. I don't like liars/cheats and I'll be damned if this will just blow over with me.

I've written the local paper with my concerns. I'm going to follow up with the BBB and the City Licensing Dept. These crooks have not heard the last of this.

(There are several other people "blogging" about this....it's becoming quite a story. And I have proof that this company is well aware of the "dating" issues, yet continue to issue "pre-dated" tickets that result in extra payment to them. I hope their asses get canned. And we can resume our parking/shopping as we've done here, for twenty + years. In the meantime, I'm warning everyone over there about the parking scam and that, if they're smart, they'll avoid the Richlea mall completely until they quit trying to rip us all off).

BREAKING NEWS...by Deb

I'm way too tired tonight, but remind me to tell you about a scandal/scam that I'm helping to uncover here. Nothing earth shattering, just that I caught someone trying to cheat others and I'm in the process of busting them on it. To be continued.....

Oh, that reminds me of another "scoop" I want to tell you about. Remind me to tell you of the con man who I think is my MySpace friend. Tomorrow, k?

What's In It For Me?

Today I came to the very sad realization that many people only do things when there's something "in it" for them. I came to this conclusion after I arrived at work this morning and noticed people struggling to get around on the ice outside the building. My booth is right beside the glass doors leading outside and up a little incline to Safeway - this meant I had a birdseye view of those struggling to get up and down the icy slope. It took about four minutes (and one elderly customer sliding dangerously out of control) before I borrowed a snow shovel from next door and went to work. The entire area was a thick sheet of ice...I thought I'd be "shovelling", but it turns out I had to smash and pick at it with the side of the metal shovel until I loosened bits that could be scraped away. Bloody hard work, I'll tell you. But the sun was shining and the fresh (very cold) air did me good...I like physical work and welcomed the time "away" from my booth. I could keep an eye on things and went in and out as I had customers throughout the morning. I really didn't think twice about it....rather than sitting and watching as my 90 year old customers (friends) nearly wiped out in their walkers, risking serious injury, I thought I'd try and help. No biggie. Just doing what I thought anyone would do. Apparently not I learned, as all day people (bewildered by my actions) said things like "wow, how much extra are they payin' you for that?" and "you shouldn't be doing that, that's management's job" (it was). Several said "why don't you just leave it - they'll sue if they fall"!! "IF THEY FALL"...that was the 'kicker' for me". Did they really expect me to just sit back and watch as they fell, taking comfort in the fact that they could sue? I'm sure that money wouldn't be on their minds with broken hips and concussions. People were more concerned about who was responsible than they were with someone getting seriously hurt and they couldn't seem to grasp that my motives were nothing more than wanting to help. Is that such a hard concept to understand these days? Worrying.

I fell on the ice on the way in to work today and really hurt my shoulder...I thought about how these seniors, with poor eyesight and brittle bones, would fare through a fall? Some of them were terrified as they slipped and slid all over the place...they were really helpless and people just hurried on past without batting an eye.

I was very disappointed with the mall management AND Safeway....regardless of WHOSE responsibility it was. SOMEONE should've been out there, cleaning up that mess and ensuring there was a safe path for customers. Many of the employees who came out for their cigarettes/breaks could barely manage to get around on the ice. Yet noone bothered to do anything about it. My next post will be about the parking tickets that they're issuing there...they're more concerned with people parking 2 minutes past the 2 hour time limit than they are of them falling down and breaking their necks. Disgusting.

I just happened to have my camera in my purse so I took pictures, just in case someone DID get hurt...if it was one of my old gals I'd make sure they COULD sue with proof of the treacherous conditions. The pictures show the "line" where the clear ground meets the icy danger zone. Just about every person who approached this patch did so apprehensively and most had a hell of a job navigating their way through the worst spots. Unfortunately, I had to quit shovelling before I finished, as things picked up and got busy inside.

I went out and helped a few who had a really hard time by offering "an arm" to get them to stable ground. (The Asian woman with the cane was having a particularly rough go. I went out and stuck my arm out and she grinned a huge grin. She seemed so relieved/grateful. She kept saying "thank you, thank you" as we stumbled along and she actually cried and hugged me, tight, with her head buried into my waist when we got to dry ground (she was all of about 4'). Then she started speaking Cantonese and completely lost me.






(This is in front of our doors, after I'd cleared the thick layer of ice, like the stuff leading up to "Safe(?)way" and shown in the pictures above. I'm not trying to "blow my own horn" here...it's just I don't understand why noone else saw the urgency in ensuring customers didn't kill themselves trying to enter/exit the premises. The pictures really don't do the slope justice, it was pretty bad!)

The Casualties of Snow

There were trees with their tops/limbs sheared off all over the place today. These are some of them (there were many more):









And you know it's bad when the guys coming to clear the stuff get stuck in it!



But, never fear, the "snow" soldiers are here. Oh, maybe not. Just high school students, returning from lunch.

More Snow Pics (Day 2)

Snow Day

We had a whole bunch of snow dumped on us here yesterday...it's STILL snowing at this very moment. While it "grounds" me somewhat (I refuse to be like the other crazies I see sliding, sideways, down the street), I love to look at it. Linds and I took a walk last night and went to our favorite family restaurant for dinner, then over to 7-11 for a hot chocolate for the walk home. She found it very entertaining when the 48 rolls of toilet paper I'd bought at Safeway were splitting out of the packages and, apparently, it was quite amusing to watch me try and navigate my way home with it (pics to follow - on her camera). We had a good laugh, needless to say.

How Much Is Yours Worth?

My blog's worth $4,516.32. Unfortunately, the text is yellow, making it impossible to read, but click in the middle of the box below to find out how much yours is worth. (Apparently mine's dollar shop quality.)

My blog is worth $4,516.32.
How much is your blog worth?

Wide Mouth Mason - I Love Not Loving You

It's always kinda cool when you find out that a member of a band you like is in the extended family. I didn't know until I missed my cousin's wedding in Saskatchewan and, while looking at the pics, questioned how Shelley managed to get Wide Mouth Mason to play at the wedding. "Duh...she married the bass player's brother". Oh. Love them even more now that "Uncle Earl" is family.

The Stupidest Thing I Ever Did (or Why Hitchhiking Is Never A Good Game Plan)

This one was prompted by, and is for, Allison.....

It was a beautiful day in '77. I was fifteen and fearless when I made a split second decision that could've been a very fatal mistake. I never gave it a second thought. I'd bought my Zeppelin ticket the day they went on sale and there was no turning back...it was my (our) band and I wouldn't miss it for the world.

My friend Marion called me that morning to confirm our plans, as we'd discussed for months. The only problem was that they'd suddenly changed and her older brother no longer had room for me in his car. I was devastated. And determined.

I headed straight to McDonalds, where others my age "hung out", to see if I could find another ride. When I was unsuccessful I left, wondering what I'd do. The only time I'd ever even been to the US was when we went to Disneyland when I was 12...I didn't even really know where Seattle was. I guess I'd find out.

I don't remember all the details...just that I told my Mom the concert was at the Coliseum (bad girl), as I knew there was no chance she'd ever agree to let me go. I hate the fact that I lied to my Mom...I'm generally a very honest person. But when you're 15 and Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are coming to a town (not really) near you, you do what you have to to get there.

I stuck out my thumb and don't remember much after that. I couldn't tell you who picked me up and drove me through the border. But the ride immediately after I'd crossed into the US I do remember - quite vividly. It was a man who picked me up on the I-5, just outside of Blaine. I remember feeling uneasy as soon as I got into the car...beside him on the front seat was a whole flat of Coors. "Not good" I thought. As we made small talk I was very nervous - I was barrelling down a highway with a complete stranger in a place that I was completely unfamiliar with. The signs on the side of the road were my only indication of where we were and where we were heading. As long as we were on the I-5, I knew we were going in the right direction. So, when the driver slowed down and took an exit off the highway, I knew I was in trouble! There was nothing around on the desolate road that he took. It was nothing but dry, overgrown fields and there was not a house to be seen. We crossed some railroad tracks and came to a stop sign. It was flight or fight time...I opened the door and bolted, running as fast as I could. I was very fit and very fast...I made it back to the I-5, all the time looking back over my shoulder to see that he didn't return for me. He didn't. (When I look back on this now, I shudder at the realization that the Green River murderer was in the area back then - it was not long after that he went on his "spree".....my gut tells me that I could've been in real trouble that day).

I stuck my thumb out again, now very nervous, anxious and upset that I'd done such a dumb thing. But, too late for second thoughts - I was in deep. My next ride was with a couple in a van who were going very near the Kingdome and said they could take me there. Thank God for that I thought. As we proceeded along on our way to Seattle, the driver noticed he was getting very low on gas. We took an exit that, apparently, was the one we needed anyway. We stopped at a gas station and, after sitting for a few minutes waiting for service, realized it was an old, abandoned one (in my defense - I couldn't see from the back of the van - these people were a few bricks short of a load). We limped along until we ran out of gas, just blocks away from the Kingdome. The couple pointed me in the direction and I continued on alone.

When I made it to the concert it was a mix of emotions that I was feeling. I was initially elated to be there, but that was shortlived and replaced with the overwhelming reality that I was all alone, in a foreign country and it would be nightfall when I'd be leaving. Terror set in fairly quickly. Panic. Anxiety. Before the lights dimmed for the show I remember looking around at all the people and feeling like I wanted to scream. What would I do? What had I done? I can honestly say that I've never been more scared in my life. I seriously thought I might die...I'd put myself in a very precarious position and the ride to get there was a prelude to what I might be encountering when I'd be leaving late at night. It was sheer terror that was overtaking me.

I knew of quite a few people from home that also had tickets to the show....my friend and her brother would surely cram me in their car if I found them. Afterall, they were somewhat responsible for my situation...Marion and I had bought our tickets together and had planned, all along, to go together in her brother's car. They'd really let me down.

I frantically searched the crowd (of thousands). I can honestly say that the anxiety of the moment was almost choking me...I couldn't scan the faces fast enough. I was desperate, I felt so alone and scared and hadn't really thought of what I was doing until it was too late. If only I could undo it all, I would...in a heartbeat. I even went over things in my head like how my Mom would cry when she learned of my fate. Those flash before your eyes kinds of things.

The lights dimmed and the crowd roared. It was too much - I cried. And then I could've sworn I heard someone saying "there's Debbie". It couldn't be? I whirled around to look behind me and there were some friends from home...laughing and saying, "yeah, we knew YOU'D make it here". I was never so happy to see three guys I knew in my entire life. They immediately offered to take me home after the show when they learned of my "journey"/predicament.

I did eventually make it back to the safety of home that night. Now I know how Dorothy was feeling as she clicked her ruby slippers together. I can relate.

When I finally did arrive home it was 4 a.m. My (favorite) aunt was over and sitting at the table with Mom. "Hi, how was the concert?", Mom asked. I knew she knew. "Great", I answered. "And WHERE was it again?". BUSTED. My aunt had let it slip, unaware that Mom didn't know it was a Seattle show.

But, in all honesty, I can say that the punishment/grounding I received was the best I'd ever had. There really is "NO PLACE LIKE HOME".


(And, as stupid as it was, I'm still thrilled that I got to see my boys, in action.)

Clean Out Your Closet For Others Less Fortunate

Every year at this time of year I load up a couple of bags of blankets, coats, gloves, scarves and other winter "warmies" that we are no longer using and take them over to my mother in law. She and her friend then head down to the Salvation Army in Vancouver and unload it all there, to those who appreciate it more than you can imagine. It's distributed to homeless people who are out in the cold and need any help we can give them. Please, I urge you to donate a few articles of warm clothing to those who can really use it. There are Sally Ann's all over the place - please look one up in your area. Here are a few local chapters: 261 W 12th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada - (604) 874-4721 / 3213 Fraser Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada - (604) 872-7676 / 1906 W 4th, Vancouver, BC, Canada - (604) 737-2444.

(Warm socks are especially appreciated. Children's clothing is not needed as desperately as stuff for the adults. Thank goodness for that.)

A Perfect World

I commented somewhere about this already tonight, but I still feel inclined to write about it as well. It just doesn't happen this way very often.

Today at work after I'd sold someone their tickets and they'd left, I was surprised a short time later when they returned to the counter. The man (a regular customer) looked puzzled and was thumbing through his wallet. "Is there a problem?" I asked, to which he replied, "yeah, I don't think you charged me enough". I thought about it for a moment and really wasn't sure if I had or not. I looked at his two tickets and then remembered that he'd placed two tens on the counter and I'd given him his change - $8.00. I told him that he'd paid me in full, but he still looked perplexed and unconvinced. After going through it with him, he finally accepted that he had, in fact, given me enough - that the twenty in his wallet was HIS. We then joked about "getting older" and forgetfulness for a few minutes before he left for good.

A short time later another person did the exact same thing - came back questioning whether they owed more money than they'd given. Now how refreshing is that, in a world full of greed and "fast ones", to see people actually concerned about "being fair"? People arguing that they haven't paid their fair share? I sure hope one of them wins big on their ticket. Karma.

WE ARE THE (GREY CUP) CHAMPIONS, MY FRIENDS...

Well that was fun, let's do it again real soon. I wasn't sure if I was going to be watching the game alone or not...Ty & Linds visit with their Dad on Sundays and I just didn't know what the plan was. As it turned out, we had a little shindig here...had I known we could've had it aired on CTV....they contacted me (through the CFL/Lion's forum) and asked if they could come and tape my "party" to air on TV...I replied by telling them that my party was me, myself and I (not even Irene was coming) and it probably wouldn't make for great TV viewing. Had I known I WAS hosting a party, I would've invited them along too. Darn. Maybe next year.

BC LIONS

(From the Hamilton Spectator). Warriors. (Oh, and another reason I love Geroy. Besides his awesome talent and phenomenal skills on the football field, this was an excerpt from a recent interview: The Spec: "What do you enjoy most about Canada?" Simon: "It's a beautiful country, people will accept you for who you are here". He "gets" it. Again, from the Hamilton Spectator.)

GREY CUP TODAY!!!

Well, this is it. And, quite frankly, I'm worried. We've got wind gusts similar to that of last week's storm and the rain is due to come pouring in. I'm picturing the kickoff, followed by a power failure. That wouldn't be good. I'd have to run, barefoot, to Winnipeg - jersey soaked, orange hair color smearing down the sides of my face - wouldn't be a pretty sight. So, keep your fingers crossed for us - may the hydro Gods smile on the wet coast today (please). Oh, you thought I was worried about the Alouettes?....nah.