Published: July 13, 2008 12:56 am            

MARREN: Oh, what a week

The week after a holiday is never easy. It’s always an undertaking to drag yourself out of bed on a Monday, but after a holiday it’s especially trying.

So, with that, I’d like to do a couple quick hits on some things that have gotten to me on this already troublesome week. Here goes nothing.

PENNIES FROM HORTONS: I hit the drive-thru at my favorite (and it should be yours) doughnut shop, Tim Hortons, on Friday for a medium double-double. Normally I use my debit card, but I actually had a dollar bill and some change on me, so I went that route. The total was $1.46. I gave the window-worker $1.50. Immediately he asked, “Do you want your pennies?” I stumbled and mumbled for what seemed like an eternity, but somehow muttered “ah yeah, I probably should.”

“I probably should.” What the heck does that mean, Tim?

But my stumbling and awkward answer was because of the peculiar question he posed. Right?

Since when does the Tim Hortons kid get a tip? Do they have tip jars in one of the most lucrative and profitable eateries in Western New York and Canada?

Where would my pennies go? Is asking for the 4 cents cheap? You know, one more penny makes a nickel. I’d pick up a nickel if I saw it on the ground.

So I was left baffled. I don’t know if I inconvenienced him by making dig in the register for the 4 cents or deprived him of 4 cents for his hard work. It was a strange scenario.

I immediately thought of that “Home Alone” scene with the black and white film playing in the kitchen with Kevin, bullets flying, where the actor said: “Keep the change you filthy animal...”

Maybe that should have been my response.

DRIVING MISS DOGGY: Why is it that it’s still illegal to hold a phone to your head and operate a motor vehicle, but people can drive with dogs in their laps?

You’ve all seen this, men and women driving around town with a dog head popping out of the driver’s-side window. People always joke that maybe the dog is driving. That may be the case with the dog plopped right where the steering wheel lies. Talk about impeding your control of the wheel.

To me, this is much more of a potential hazard then someone talking on their phone. Is it illegal to have your dog up there? Britney Spears thought it was OK (it’s not) to drive with her baby in her lap. Maybe people think it’s OK to drive with a pet in your crotch.

I saw two people driving this way this week, both oblivious to the cars around them. Pretty scary.

ENHANCED LICENSES: This isn’t really something that ticked me off, but more makes me wonder. The news this week that the state’s enhanced licenses are just weeks away from being available excited me. I think the idea is a good one, but, I wonder how long these will remain a valid document.

The passport application has shifted from my briefcase to kitchen table many times, each with the intention to fill it out and get it submitted. But I’ve dragged my feet and now there’s a chance to get an enhanced license, for less cost and ease of use.

My worry, though, is that if I get this license, something will happen, some national travesty regarding travel, where the license versus a universal passport will become a heated topic of discussion. Then they’ll just do away with them. So I’ll be back to needing a passport for traveling to Canada. Well, at least I won’t need a passport to visit the Buffalo casino.

Managing Editor Tim Marren’s column appears every Sunday. He blogs daily at lockportjournal.com/blogs. He can be reached at 439-9222, ext. 6238, or marrent@gnnewspaper.com.

        

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