Traffic on Highland Ave in Salem this week has been massively fucked in the daytime due to some sort of public works project. At first I thought they were repainting the lane markers, but actually what they did was dig up the street for some sort of mysterious purpose, then fill it in again. But the other thing they did yesterday (apparently)? They repainted the traffic lights. Black. When I noticed it, I was like, what? I am totally flummoxed as to the purpose of this. I took especial care to observe the traffic lights further on down the road, and those are the original yellow. One would think yellow would in fact be a better color for something you wish the eye to be drawn towards. But what do I know? No one's given me a Masters in Urban Planning or whatever.
The other thing I noticed further on down the road is that the former Hillcrest Chevrolet is apparently slated to be turned into a methadone clinic. Or so the signs urging the citizenry to come out and protest this would have me believe. Not sure *why* this is supposed to be a bad location for a methadone clinic. There's a large "luxury" apartment complex across the street, but otherwise it's all commercial. (And think of all the new prison bus riders with fascinating cell phone conversations there'd be!) I suppose the answer is that people do not want a methadone clinic anywhere. And that it's not surprising, because when the massage school I attended moved to its new location just before my class started, the neighbors there protested THAT. Because you know us rowdy massage school students, doing keg stands on people's lawns and all. People want *nothing* in their backyards. Even when they, y'know, live in the city and should not expect cow pastures next door.
Anyway, the timing of this is coincidental, because when M2 and I were out the other day, we walked by the methadone clinic in her neighborhood. I never knew it was there, down a side street and all! And M2 told me that she had once very briefly worked in a methadone clinic, only to quickly give notice because she had the worst boss in the history of bosses. She said she felt really bad about that, because all her clients (or patients or whatever the proper term is) thought she was leaving because of them, and she had to try to reassure them she was not. But, y'know, junkies apparently have low self esteem as a rule.
Happy Saturday, bitches. Stay off the narcotics.
xoxo
2 comments:
You know, when urbanites move to the country they then complain about cows in the cow pastures next door. No joke. Well, they especially tend to complain about the cow patties, though I think they may complain about the mooing, too.
There's no pleasing some people, the thing is if you're a NIMBYite you can get people's attention by bitching. If you actually don't care--which for a lot of projects is probably the majority of people--you don't usually rally to get people's attention to your IMBY attitudes. Nor do you sue.
Next thing they'll want to get rid of all those sick people in Salem Hospital. Putzes, every one.
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