Shooting Myself in the Foot!

posted by Odin on Jul 26, 2009

'decarie-evening' by afternoon_sunlight, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Am I really doing this to myself?  Am I some sort of masochist?  Fifteen months ago, right before leaving Montreal to work in Paris, I had sold my 10-year old car.  I didn’t know how long I was going to be away from Montreal, so I figured “why leave this car to sit around and lose value indefinitely?".  Plus, I live in Westmount, and have always either worked downtown or from home, so I thought I really wouldn’t need a car when I returned.

Now I am back and working from home again.  I have easy enough access to anything I need.  I have a bus stop for the 24 line right in front of my building, and the Atwater metro station is ten-minutes away on foot.  I can go to Supermaché PA on du Fort for groceries, and get them delivered for $1.  For almost anything else, I can go to Alexis Nihon (Pharmaprix, Canadian Tire, Zellers …).  Therefore, obviously I don’t “need" a car.

However, after lulling over the issue for a bit, I am starting to want a car again.  There are many things I got used to when I owed one before.  How else am I going to get my favorite groceries from Adonis in Ville-Saint-Laurent?  Or visit my in-laws in Candiac?  Finally, I have come to enjoy a number of restaurants scattered around the island, but that are difficult to reach using public transit.

This blog entry isn’t just about cars.  It is also another jab into the Montreal public transit system (or the lack of it).  Had we had a better, more connected grid with more metro stations, maybe I could have done without a car.  During the fifteen months I spent in Paris, I was really able to go anywhere without too much complication or distance to walk.

So now that I have actually started to look at car prices and what sort of deals are out there, my hate of all automotive-related professionals is coming back to me.  Am I really going to put myself in a situation where I have to deal with all these clowns again?  The SAAQ, dealers, mechanics, insurance agents!  They’ve all given me a hard time in the past!  Not to mention all the costs associated with owning and maintaining a car!  And what about being stuck in traffic and not finding a parking spot?  Do I really hate myself this bad?

Finally, there’s the whole “environment" issue.  I consider myself eco-conscious to some extent, so I do feel a little bad owning a car for non-necessities.  Maybe I can get a hybrid to feel better about myself, but they’re pretty expensive and the choices are few.

At this point, I still haven’t made up my mind for certain: do I get a car or not?  However, of all the disadvantages, the one that worries me the most is having to deal with mechanics (especially at the dealer): their high prices, their “invented" problems with your car, their pressure tactics …  Man, do I hate this bunch!

Sunday Shopping & Our Social Values

posted by Odin on Mar 17, 2009

'Louis Vuitton' by Coc@, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Last week I read an article from France's Le Figaro about how the government ordered the Louis Vuitton flagship store on Paris' Champs-Élysées to close on Sundays.

The country has been debating whether to allow stores to open on Sundays for a few months now.  Currently, the law wants to limit Sunday opening to leisure, sports, recreation and cultural activities, none of which, naturally, the luxury clothing and accessories store provides.  The French are hardliners when it comes to the principle of “repos dominical" or Sunday resting, even when faced with a largely tourist-oriented landmark such as the Louis Vuitton store.

After reading the article, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the French, especially since I've been working among them for almost a year now.  Why can't Montreal, or Quebec more generally, adopt such an attitude?  Do we REALLY need to shop on Sundays?  Granted, I would still want certain supermarkets and such essentials to open, but I would be happy to see the consumption machine take a complete halt on Sundays, allowing people to spend more time on other recreational and cultural activities.

Some may object and claim that Saturday alone is not enough for shopping.  To those I would respond by asking how can it be enough for a much larger city like Paris then?  Especially since our stores open until 9 PM a few days near the end of the week, which is not the case in Paris, where most stores open until 7PM six days a week.

So why can't we adopt such a rule?  Are we that absorbed by consumerism?  Is it because shopkeepers WANT to work more?  Or because stores cannot afford to close one extra day?  If so, why not?  Why aren't they making enough money the rest of the week?  Would unemployment rise if shops needed fewer people in order to close on Sundays?  Or do we simply not value leisure and relaxation as much as the French and other Europeans?