680News - Lisa Brandt

The 130th edition of the CNE opens this morning. And of course the buzz here as in many places this morning has been all about our Ex memories.

My family lived quite a ways outside of Toronto but I remember the big trek into the city for the CNE. Mom, dad and my brother Kevin and I would wear our comfortable shoes and dad would give us an allowance for the day’s activities. It was up to us if we spent it on rides or the midway or on so many candy apples (my favourite!) that we felt ill for the whole drive home!

I loved rides that scared me a little. I also got a kick out of some of the midway games and I remember the optimism in my little brain that I would win that big bear. The year I finally covered the big circle with the black discs was a big moment! I imagined myself going pro, as a Disc Circle Coverer. But my feat was never to be repeated.

My brother was a master at any and all shooting games and he helped me get over the embarrassment of losing my substantial cookies on the ferris wheel. I’ve never really liked heights!

Later on, as teenagers, my cousin and Wanda and I took the bus to the big city and on one visit we rode the Alpine a personal record 26 times! We just kept handing the guys more tickets as we swung around to the loading areas.

More recently, I’ve been to the Ex in my role as a Big Sister. I’d take my Little Sister and one of her friends and hold their backpacks while they had all the fun. I’m not into rides so much anymore and I’ve morphed from the fun-lover into the “parental” role. But I still enjoy a candy apple and playing a game or two. And now if it seems the carnies are getting too friendly with my pretty little charges, I furrow my brow and they back off! Such is the role of caretaker!

My CNE memories are probably pretty run of the mill. What are yours? The end of summer is coming, so let’s go to the Ex!

Our Shauna Hunt interviewed the author of a new book on traffic patterns who says, basically, that we need to be more confident and a bit more aggressive on the road.

But he means aggressive in a good way, not in a selfish me-at-all-costs way. And confidence is not to be confused with arrogance.

Tom Vanderbilt is the author, and - as an example - he says studies show driving all the way to the end of the merge lane before butting over, actually improves the flow of traffic.

But he also admits it’s very hard to get people to change their ways on the road and that everyone thinks they’re the good driver and everyone else is wrong. Plus, waiting until the end of the merge lane to butt in seems pretty risky, doesn’t it? What if you run out of lane?

Left lane hoggers, scaredy-cats who putt-putt in the centre lane, bobbers and weavers - they’re all trouble on the roads but trying to modify their habits is a bit of a losing battle.

The book is called Traffic, Why We Drive The Way We Do And What It Says About Us. Vanderbilt says from what he’s seen, Toronto drivers are quite polite. But he’s from New York so, it’s all relative.

Gas prices are $1.20 a litre for regular as I write this, and some say they’re going to go even higher. Liberal MP Dan McTeague tells 680News he blames the spike on profit taking by the refiners.

Our morning business editor, Mike Eppel, finds even more reasons behind the rise.

“China is importing record amounts of crude oil to fuel a booming economy. American fuel supply levels have been declining. Americans are now paying a record for gas; on average $3.44 per gallon and so far they’re not driving any less.”

Mike predicts there’ll be some gouging if there’s a transit strike on Monday.

“Gasoline retailers in the GTA will also raise prices if there is a TTC strike, to take advantage of a bad situation. People seem to think the gas companies should be altruistic when setting prices, but it is still a business, in business to make money.”

And make money it does! And we, as consumers, appear to be entirely helpless on the never-ending roller coaster.

When I see a snow flurry lately, I feel like a woman I once saw in a commercial for - Canadian Tire I think? - who screamed at the top of her lungs when a leaf fell from a tree! The approach of fall was too much for her to take!

And I’m not even having to shovel this year, living as I do in a condo, feeling like a princess with a staff of serfs and shovellers to do my dirty work.

But I can just picture the overworked homeowner, staring blankly out the front window at the sight of more flurries falling on our city.

Yes it’s winter, yes it’s Canada, yes it’s Toronto but it’s a little more snowy than most of us would like. Unless, of course, snow removal is your business. Then you’re having a good season!

Brian Hill is calling for more accumulation around the middle of next week. I wish you patience and a strong back. Lift with the legs!

Holiday shopping. It raises the ire of some and warms the debit cards of others.

Depending on how old you are you may remember when Sunday shopping was brought into Ontario. You would have thought we were talking about public hangings! The outcry! Some folks felt that the complete decline of the nuclear family was imminent.

Unfortunately, their arguments centered on claims of a lack of desire for shopping on the so-called Family Day, but that turned out to be not the case at all. In fact, if you go out to a store or mall on a Sunday, you can see for yourself that it’s quite the opposite.

Now city council is considering whether to allow wide open shopping every day except Christmas, even outside of designated tourist areas. No more fines for throwing open the tills on Good Friday. Each and every retailer would be allowed to open.

If the city’s economic development committee agrees, the concept will go to a full council vote and could be in place before this Good Friday, next month. Ladies and gentlemen, start your protests or your bank accounts!

Oh no, there’s no conspiracy to prop up gas prices. Not at all! (In case it’s not obvious, this is sarcasm!)

Here we are on the cusp of the first ever February long weekend, now known as Family Day, and what do you know? Prices at the pumps are up about three cents a litre. You will not see many surprised drivers pulling up to fill up today. Long weekend equals price hike for gas. It’s just the way it seems to be and we pretty much expect it.

Liberal MP Dan McTeague is the country’s self-proclaimed gas price critic, but I don’t really know what impact his comments have, beyond him being readily available to rant every time there’s a price increase. Nothing really seems to change.

Maybe it’s apathy setting in, but it really doesn’t seem to matter if prices go up or down. A long weekend arrives and we just ride along with the changing numbers, because we need to travel and we’re held hostage by whatever it is they want to charge. And I don’t know about you, but I hear so many predictions about where prices are going that I can’t even remember what they were! I can’t imagine how confusing it is when you miss a prediction or two!

Meanwhile, if driving somewhere is in your plans this weekend, I’m guessing that – like me — you’ll suck it up and fill up at whatever price is on the pump.

Here’s an old joke: Q. Why can’t Hamilton have a pro hockey team? A. Because then Toronto would want one too!

Maple Leaf fans are a hardy breed of folk. I stand back and watch them with wonder. The team is having a pretty lousy year by any definition and there are a lot of long faces in Leaf-land. Some of the longest among them work at 680News and the FAN 590. Every morning they discuss what needs to be done to make the team a winner. Lately the talk has been about just blowing up the line-up and starting fresh. That’s drastic!

You either understand fandom or you don’t. I’m afraid I don’t! That doesn’t mean I judge or look down upon fans, not at all. I just can’t get on board with them. And I mean fans of just about anything.

I like the Maple Leafs, truly I do, and I would love for them to bring home the Cup, I really would. But if they have a crummy season it doesn’t have any effect on my psyche! I’m not invested in them, like a true fan would be.

I realize my standoffish perspective puts me in the minority in this hockey crazed city. So while we watch the Leafs unfortunately linger near the basement this season, all I can say to my rabid-fan friends and colleagues is the same old cliche - there’s always next year!

Tis the season of holiday parties. So many little crustless sandwiches to nibble on and so little time!

For most of us, it seems we simply have to just say “no” to something or another. It’s a matter of survival. I’ve heard what I consider to be time-sucking horror stories of couples who have started out in the afternoon at one get together and ended late that night at a 4th or 5th party. I suppose there are obligations that need to be met but keeping up that kind of pace for very long would be just insane! And it’s the reason summer barbecues were invented. You don’t HAVE to see everyone during the holidays only!

This week, Paul Cook and I host our annual Paul and Lisa Festivus Brunch for more than a dozen of our colleagues who regularly contribute to the 680News morning show. It’s our way of saying “thank you” for going above and beyond the call of duty every day.

Maybe your workplace is like ours. We work together in a very intense environment and don’t always get a chance to socialize, certainly not all together at once. I look forward to the Festivus brunch every year for that reason!

And this year I have a surprise for the crew. But I’m going to tell you about it here as long as you promise not to tell anyone! I am bringing a real, authentic, internet-ordered, Seinfeld endorsed Festivus steel pole! How I’ll get it into the restaurant is still to be determined. But I’m also determined, so I’ll do it somehow! We only enjoy select traditions from the Costanza Festivus. No feats of strength or airing of grievances. But with Santa Claus as my witness, we will have a pole!