... hold it tight and it'll start to holler.

And if it ever rained pennies from heaven I’d probably run screaming. I mean: Ouch!

While it hasn’t yet rained pennies here in Canada, every now and then we do toss around the idea of abolishing the penny—and that’s one bandwagon that I’d fling myself upon.

I’ve never liked carrying those little copper bits around in my pocket. For years (really—years) I dumped all of them instead into a 23L wine jug under the general theory that a penny saved is piddly amount of cash—but a lot of them saved would add up to a decent amount of spending power. Over time there were even quite a few regular contributions from other people to the jug.

And so, after all those years, I gathered several friends together for an evening of rolling.

After nine years, it took 3 guys roughly 3 hours to count up and roll… wait for it…

You might understandably think that with a 30-day, 2,500 Km cycling trip under my belt, another month’s worth of cycling in Africa (and hopefully more to come), along with a smattering of other multiple-day cycling trips—that I’m an ardent cyclist. In fact, I’d hesitate to associate myself with the term “cyclist” at all. I don’t identify with it any more than most people who drive would ever think to identify themselves as “drivers” or people who take taxi cabs “taxists”. (Is that term reserved for those who work for Revenue Canada?) The simple fact of the matter is that I cycle to get somewhere or see something, just as others might drive or take the streetcar. If it’s less than a half-an-hour walk, I’m probably much more likely to walk than take my bicycle—because it’s less trouble and generally less stressful than cycling.

Here in Ontario we love to ban anything that does us or anybody (i.e. innocent bystanders) harm. Smoking in public. Incandescent light bulbs. Plastic bags (in liquor stores, for now). Trans fats. And, more recently: handguns. Our dear mayor is trying to get as many people as possible to sign an online petition so they can be banned nationally. He's got a catchy quote, too: "It's clear. Strict gun laws, fewer people shot." Can't argue with that logic. It's right up there with, "Strict speeding laws, less people in speed-related car crashes," or perhaps, "Strict pedestrian laws, less people run over." Nope—that kind of logic is unassailable.

On March 29th, Torontonians are encouraged to turn off their lights for the hour between 8 and 9pm. More than that, we can even go so far as to unplug those energy-sucking devices that draw power even when turned off. And, I would assume, turn off the furnace and grab a sweater. Light a candle. Play a game of scrabble and get hosed on wine.

Actually, I'm just reading in between the lines on that last one.