Blog or white ... because it never is.

Canadians aren't Saints, as much as I would like to believe it  As all human beings are, we are deeply flawed and complex.  Of course, we can't be perfect.  Look at the amount of times we apologize and say sorry every day.  Yesterday, I was buying groceries and it was very busy.  I bumped into another shopper.  I apologized.  She didn't accept my apology and insisted she bumped into me and said sorry to me.  We politely discussed this for a few minutes only to block an aisle in a very busy store.  Soon both of us were bumping into people accidentally and saying sorry only to be told that they were the ones who were sorry.  We all know stories of Canadians behaving badly.  I remember there was a bet between then President Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau.  It was a joke that the loser got Justin Bieber.  Remember when Rob Ford was Mayor of Toronto.  It would have been an opportunity for the rest of Canada to gang u...

It is has made major headlines all over the world.  Curling Team ejected from event in Red Deer, Alberta because of drunkenness.  It seems that, in reality, it was just Ryan Fry.  He was subbing for the Jamie Koe rink.  They were upstairs in the lounge and putting them back, so to speak, They got cut off and just as that happened, they had to go curl.  I wasn't there, so I am relying on reports in the media, of which there have been plenty.  Jamie Koe took a practice slide and decided he was too drunk to curl.  He sat out.  That left Ryan and two others.  Apparently, the other two tried to cool Ryan Fry down but it didn't work.   He broke three brooms during the game, and disrupted the game for other players who weren't even playing on his sheet.  Apparently, some damage was done. Ryan Fry has apologized and has offered to pay for damages.  This story was even covered by Fox News. It made headlines all over the world....

My father used to tell me a story.  It was something that happened in the early 1960s.  A teenager from a small farming town in Saskatchewan got scouted and invited to spring training of a major league baseball team.  This was before cable television or dedicated sports channels.  The teenager was given the opportunity of a lifetime.  He had an amazing fastball and could swing a bat as well.  But, after a week he left.  He had never been out of Saskatchewan and there he was in Florida in the big leagues.  He said it was all too much for him and he walked away to come back to Saskatchewan.  The real truth was that he couldn't stop thinking about this girl that he had just started dating.  He came back and asked her to marry him. I liked the way my dad used to tell the story.  He used a lot of detail and my dad was a huge baseball fan and it likely was his dream to play in the major leagues, or even the minor leagues.  Th...

I deliberately chose this picture of my dad.  Obviously, taken before I met him.  In the picture, the image of him is fading.  In my heart, the images of him will never fade.  This Christmas, he will be gone for 18 years. Today is also the birthday of another father, my partner's father.  He would have been 89 years old.  He hasn't been gone as long as my dad so my partner's pain is still fresh and raw. Even though our fathers are not physically in our lives, they still play a role in our lives every day. My partner and I had different paths with our fathers.  I grew up with my father on a pedestal, thinking he was greatest dad ever.  Recently, I have had to face the fact that he was like all humans, deeply flawed and complex.  That realization  hasn't done much to revise his memory in my mind.  He still is the greatest.  My partner grew up with some notions of his father that were not positive.  He didn't have ...

I remember when I first heard about the proposed Bruce Oake Recovery Centre.  It was when the abandoned Vimy Arena site was sold to the Province for $1. with the intention that the land be used to develop the Recovery Centre. I was quite disappointed in myself.  I used to work in Addictions Treatment but hadn't kept myself current with addiction issues for a couple of decades.  Over the next few months, I learned a lot.  I always knew the power of addiction and the hidden and overt costs to society.  What had changed was the very cheap and accessible methamphetamines available.  You can buy this for about $5.00 literally on any street corner and it will give you a buzz that can last up to 72 hours.  Buzz is not the right word.  We used to say there were three types of drugs; uppers, downers, and all arounders.  With uppers and downers, you can predict behavior and design treatment.  The psychedelics, or the all arounders, were chall...

So, what do we think about Stella's.  In just a few days, the company has changed.  It started out as one instagram account "Not My Stella's". Some hundreds of allegations from past and present employees. Once was the floodgates were open, more and more allegations.  People gain power from speaking in numbers.  They hired an HR firm to provide training and to review policies.  Two top executives were placed on administrative leave.  A restaurant chain with only 6 locations in Winnipeg.  Hard to imagine they needed a General Manager and a Regional Manager, but didn't have a dedicated person to handle HR.  Maybe it was the Time's Up movement coming to Winnipeg, but allegation after allegation.  Varied allegations.  They didn't seem to be the same.  I think it is long overdue in the service industry.  Service industry employees are usually quiet, but we are now hearing them roar.  Some of the allegations seems to have le...

I believe in people and their unlimited capacity to grow.  I believe in hope.  I believe in change.   I believe in the ideals of our legal system that it is better for a guilty person to go free rather than to convict an innocent one.  I know the power off addiction.  So, I also believe that it is appropriate to treat an addicted person as many times as it takes, rather than to not try and to lose an addicted person to the disease.   I have strongly supported the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre for those reasons.  Also, I have found fault in the arguments of the people opposed to opening the Centre at the Vimy Arena site.  But, the primary reason that I support BORC is economic.  I live in St. James/Brooklands Ward.  Walk down the streets of St. James Biz.  Businesses are closing and nothing is emerging.  Walk through the streets.  Few new home starts.  That is one of the primary indicators of a heal...

Those are my Angels.  They now are young adults forging their own path in the world.  When I look at them, I see these two incredible young adults, but I also see them as my little angels.  I know it is truly annoying for them, but I just want to take them in my arms and rock them.  I think one of your primary job as a parent to to provide good role-modeling for your children.  In essence, show them good character.  It is easy to show good character when life is going well, it takes a strong person to demonstrate good character in challenging times.  There have been many times in my life where I have displayed poor character, but one time I got an opportunity to correct this and to rebuild some character.  I did it for my children. My son was born at 32 weeks following my labour being induced.  He was 3 lbs and had some health problems and was placed in NICU.  Only parents were allowed in NICU at that time.  He was going to be t...

It somewhat pains me that the generation that follows me has no idea about the Glamour Sticky Situation of the Month.  The release of Glamour mag was usually on the 17th of the month and in my twenties, I was a faithful reader.  I read it cover to cover and it provided me with fashion advice, makeup techniques, which bathing suit was right for my figure, and other things I needed to know at the time.  My favorite section was "Glamour Sticky Situation of the Month".  I turned to that page first.  It would describe a real life dilemma that was common for women in their 20s and provide possible solutions and analysis of the solutions.  Situations like, my room-mate and her boyfriend are keeping me awake with their sexual activities, why do I do?   Or, I went out with 3 friends and only had an appetizer while they had alcohol and an entree and a dessert and then they want to split the bill equally four ways?  So, whenever, I had a dilemma, I...

Yesterday was a difficult day.  I got a parking ticket downtown.  Of course, I was innocent.  I knew exactly how much time I had in the meter.  Unfortunately, as I was rushing to my car, I got behind two RPs (retired persons) and couldn't pass them on the sidewalk without knocking them down.  As there were other people around, I arrived just as the parking police were putting the ticket on my windshield.  I tried to flash my pretty blue eyes, and was prepared to flash more, but she wasn't buying any of it.  I guess, to protect themselves, they have gone computerized so once it has been printed, it can not be withdrawn.  I wanted to pay the ticket right away so I didn't have to prolong the unpleasantness.  I didn't realize that paying the ticket would be the unpleasantness.   If I paid that day, my ticket would be $52 and I had 15 days to pay and then it would go progressively higher.  The ticket strongly encouraged you...

My first job was working at the Tourist Bureau in my beloved hometown of Dauphin, Manitoba.  The tourist bureau was a small poorly insulated shack next to the town statute/mascot, Amisk the Beaver. I used to joke that I got to spend an entire summer asking people if they wanted to see my giant beaver.  It's true.  People would come into the tourist bureau and say, "what is there to do in Dauphin?" and I would say, "have you seen my giant beaver?"  They would reply no and I would point to the statue of Amisk and say, "there, it is."  I thought it was hilarious.  No one else seemed to get it.  There were three of us working at the bureau that summer.  We were paid from a Canada Summer Jobs grant.  My friends were jealous thinking I had the perfect job.  The first day we started in May, all three of us worked that day, cleaning the shack from top to bottom and unpacking all the boxes and boxes of pamphlets sent to us from Tourism ...

This photo was me and my bestie at Halloween a few years ago.  "Wilma !!!!!"  I know the photo doesn't make much sense in relation to the title of this entry.  I chose it because I am trying to increase my self esteem by posing and posting for more photographs.  So, I have a hidden agenda even though it doesn't appear to make sense.  I used to think Trump was a complete idiot.  Ok, I still think he is a complete idiot, but I am starting to give him credit for being politically astute.  Why would he fire Jeff Sessions?  It makes no sense. Sessions was one of his few loyal soldiers.  Well, there are two possible reasons.  The first is that it was a reactive move to the mid-term election.  Now, that the Democrats hold the power in the House of Congress, Mueller is more secure in his probe of Russia meddling in elections.  Trump realizes it and is angry that Sessions didn't shut down the probe months ago.  The second...

So, I had this idea.  It was motivated by a number of things.  First, I have heard many times that Winnipeg is a very generous city.  Second, I heard a lot during the recent civic election that people are finding those who engage in aggressive panhandling as a threat to their personal safety.  Thirdly, that local foot patrols are cracking down on panhandlers.  Fourth, that the stigma regarding mental health issues is going away and people are willing to talk about it.  So, October 30, I was going to do a two-part experiment.  On October 30, I was going to sit on the corner of River and Osborne with a sign that said "Broke(n).  Please help."  On October 31, I was going to sit on Portage and Donald with a sign that said, "Lonely.  Please talk,"  I was going to dress down on October 30 and dress respectively on October 31.  If you look closely, you can see me on the corner.  When I set out that day, I was so pleased th...

Why do we give money to businesses that don't like us?  Not only do they not like us, they have no desire to interact with us.  This picture is A and W is advertising a new burger and is also encouraging us to order via Skip the Dishes.  Don't get me wrong, Skip the Dishes is a great company.  They saved our Santa Claus parade.  They obviously found a serious niche within our population.  Who hasn't had a bad day and wanted to get in comfy pjs at 5 pm and spend the evening binge watching netflix.  It is an added bonus that you don't even have to open the fridge and get your local faves delivered to you at the door.  And, that is how it starts.  You have a bad day.  You use Skip and it is efficient and easy.  Then, you are a little hooked.  You start using Skip several times a week.  It seems like a win/win.  Well, it is certainly a win for Skip the Dishes.  Their business is thriving.  It is a win f...

. Let me tell you about my romance with curling. First of all, if not for curling, I wouldn't be here.  My parents met at a curling rink in Biggar, Saskatchewan.  New York is Big, but this is Biggar.  Biggar produced the greatest curler of all times, Sandra Schmirler.  There was something about Sandra that will never be repeated.  Her on-ice accomplishments speak for themselves, but, there was just something about her.  I tend to cheer for the underdogs except when it came to Sandra Schmirler.  If she was still alive and curling today, I would still be cheering for her.  I never would have tired of her winning.  A remarkable documentary was produced about her and her team.  It was titled "Friends First".  It talked about the deep friendship that existed between the four of them and Sandra credited the chemistry to their success.  She also said curling was a sacrifice in terms of family time and she could only just...