On My Mind Mondays: Pride and Prejudice

We're having our first solid snowfall.  Winter is here, and with it, I'm thinking about the following:

1. Lack of corporate pride or responsibility.  I know, that's what everyone thinks about when they think about winter.  I'm relating this to the calendar I have ordered for many years from Letts.  When I got my 2015 calendar, I was disappointed by not only the quality of it, but the fact that production had moved from the UK to Mexico.  After several emails (one was bounced back and another simply elicited a shipping receipt), I've gotten a response. A response that pretty much ignores the issues and simply puts it down to, and I quote: "We are sorry to hear your disappointment concerning the country in which this item was printed."  For some reason I don't believe them.  I'm not going to bother to return it because shipping will cost me more than the calendar and they'd only give me a credit, but I'm also not using it.  I don't know that I even want to give it to anyone.  It will probably go to Goodwill or Value Village.
2. Bike lane snow removal.  I've come to understand that many Hamiltonians are not into the new network of bike lanes or the idea that the city will take special pains to keep them snow-free (I'd heard something about special bike lane snow plows).  But at least they have real bike lanes and seem to be interested in increasing ridership in the city.  I can't say the same thing is apparent in Burlington, which I cycle through to get to the train station Wednesday mornings.  Their bike lanes, at least along the heavily trafficked street I take, are actually just shoulders now called bike lanes.  I don't think they're even a metre wide.  Is it because Burlington allows cyclists to ride on the sidewalks?  I'm glad my studded tires are coming in on Friday.
3. Schedule/Framework.  I'm really trying to get back on my schedule.  It's particularly important at this time of year because everything is culminating.  But really, all I want to do right now is knit and maybe have a cup of tea.  I'll have to schedule that in for later.