Blog or white ... because it never is.

That is me and the man that I love and value tremendously.  In this picture, we are getting ready to do something that we value and that is volunteer.  We have been blessed in so many ways and giving back to the community is very important to us and is a mutual value we share.  (Actually, if we had to be honest, we always feel guilty when we volunteer.  We get back so much more than we give.  Don't tell the organizations that we volunteer for.  We don't want them to know.)  We also value life.  All lives.  That is why we are proud that our group of friends is eclectic.  My parents taught me that you can always learn something from everybody.  They challenged me to learn something from a different person everyday.  My man came from a different path.  He was taught to fear people and the only value to be concerned about was status.  He learned that he was missing out on a lot of life lessons, so, now he talks to ev...

Today would have been my Dedo's 119th birthday.  I called him Gedo.  Either way, he was my grandpa.  He and my Baba were my strongest connection to my Ukrainian roots.  Only, my Baba was plagued with health problems most of her adult life and died at 57 when I was 3.  I only remember what has been told to me,, but I know she was quite the woman.  At a time when men were the sole bread earners and women stayed at home and obeyed their man, my grandma ruled her roost. I always thought my grandpa immigrated from the Ukraine when he was a small child.  It turns out that he immigrated when he was 20.  Either way, my grandfather never had any formal schooling.  He obtained employment in rural Saskatchewan with the CP Rail.  My mother said it was a grueling job and he had to walk the line several times a day in all weather.  My grandpa rarely talked about growing up in the Ukraine other than it was a very hard life, and they learned ...

It has been a while since The Evil Empire (aka Tim Horton's) has been in the news.  Last time they were in the news, they were planning to add something ridiculous like 3000 new locations in China.  This was the new CEO's idea of energizing the company.  Despite being an American company, they are leveraging "Canada" overseas.  Regardless, first quarter profits are down.  I hope they get used to it.  They are going to continue to go down.  The CEO blamed the downturn on cold weather and a poor Roll Up The Rim campaign.  I agree the Roll up the Rim Campaign is garbage and now it is over.  They will come up with some other copycat idea.  They are already copying McDonald's loyalty cards.  But, the cold weather.  Sheesh.  What a joke.  The cold weather has nothing to do with people not going to Tim's.  The real reason is their product is lousy.  If I am going to spend money on coffee, I actually want coff...

Today was the start of the Spring Session in Parliament.  Members of Parliament will be back on the Hill for 7 weeks.  Then, summer break and a fall election.  This is an important day in Ottawa and for the country.  MPs have had a break to meet with their constituents and caucus together.  They are getting for the election.  In my riding, three candidates have already been chosen.  All three are excellent candidates.  I have a lot to think about.   But, today, is an important day because the major Parties get to test drive their key messages for the campaign.  I don't know much about politics but I am a voter.  Here is my two cent analysis of the messages of how they landed.  Andrew Scheer spoke about the crisis for canola farmers.  He offered a three point plan on what he would do to help.  I liked that.  It was specific and positive.  He is obviously trying to get back the prairies.  He pi...

That is me waking up to the light falling snow.  I have been having some pretty strange dreams lately so I might be dreaming again.  Nope, I am awake and it is April 29 and it is snowing.  As I still asleep and trying to make sense of the world, I turn to social media.  Apparently, GOT (Game of Thrones) fans watched an incredible episode last night.  I take it that it wasn't just a normal episode, it was one that their fans were looking forward to, betting on, and watching in groups.  I've never watched an episode.  I feel like I am missing out on something great.  The twitterverse is rehashing parts and it seems like it is going to be discussed for a while.  Meanwhile, yesterday, I didn't have any access to the remote control of my tv.  (It was across the room and it would have meant that \I would have to walk 5 steps to get it.)  So, somehow I ended up watching Trump at some rally where he went off script.  It is diffic...

I was meeting friends for dinner last night at a pub.  One of us lives life loudly so we try and pick a noisy pub where we can be loud and no one notices over the cheers of sports fans.  I happened to notice a friend sitting by herself eating dinner.  It was a little odd and I couldn't figure if she wanted company or not.  She didn't have a book, and she was at a noisy pub, so I figured she was open for company.  I invited her to join us and she declined but she said it was alright if I joined her for a bit. She said she was just taking a little holiday from life.  She came to the noisiest place she could so she wouldn't have to hear herself think.  That's all she was doing lately, thinking.  Thinking, reading, wishing.  Her son was in trouble.  I had no idea.  He was still in high school and was addicted to meth.  I was ruining her holiday.  She didn't want to think about it for an evening, but, somehow, we went to a ...

I confess that prior to last fall's civic election, I didn't pay attention to City Politics.  Helping with a friend's campaign opened my eyes.  There is a lot going on at City Hall.  Strong leadership is needed.  I had always thought the Mayor and Council were glorified cheerleaders.  Now, I realize that is what many of them would like to do, but, there is a great deal of work they can do.  Right now, many of us are focusing on the scandal in the Planning and Property Development department, but, I am sad to say that this may be just the tip of the ice-berg in the crisis of culture that is City Hall.  I remember being warned of this by the Candidate who finished second for Mayor.  She told me that morale at City Hall was at an all-time low due to a lack of leadership. She said this was leading to an "I don't care" attitude among our civic employees.  These were good people who have grown cynical about their jobs. Just a week ago, there we...

Curling is winding down this week.  The Humpty's Championship Cup is happening this week.  A new rule is being tried out.  The no tick rule.  If your guards are on the centre line during the free guard rule, you are not allowed to play a tick shot to get them off the centre line.  In this event, it will only apply during the 8th end and in an extra end.  It seems that some curlers like the rule and some curlers don't.  It appears more women's teams don't like the rule as they think the tick shot is a skill that not all curlers have mastered.  Apparently, curling has to "try something" in order to gain more interest in the game.  They are trying this out and will get feedback about this potential new rule.  It has already been said that the most important feedback will be from the curlers themselves.  A couple of weeks ago, I suggested that the game of curling was declining and that is needed to change in order to increase sp...

Joe Biden is running for President of the United States.  Most of us have known that for a few months.  Many of us hoped that for many months.  His announcement on Monday was passionate and appealed to all Americans.  He will be an outstanding candidate.  He has the experience.  He has the passion and the vision.  It is very early and the Democratic hopefuls are many and already struggling to find themselves air time to reach Americans.  His first media appearances will begin tomorrow.  He has many scheduled but his first will be on The View.  I don't know how I feel about this, but, somehow a little voice inside of me is telling me this should not be his first interview.  I had thought that too many candidates would favor Trump and they will eventually have to throw mud at each other.  I now think it is ok to say many people finding for the highest position in the land.  It may inspire more voters.  Voter sup...

It has been a tough day to be from the 'Peg.  Last night, I was watching the news and the Winnipeg Police were giving their stats.  The Winnipeg Police Service gets on average of 45 calls/day of domestic violence alone.  I think of all the people I have been in contact with for the last year.  It has been a lot.  You never what goes on behind closed doors.  Could some of the people that I have contact with be victims or perpetrators. It is a sobering thought.  And, that wasn't even close to the top story on the news last night.  We are mourning the loss of a father and praying for his children who were involved in a pool accident.  The City is still investigating allegations against their inspectors in the PPD Department.  Another City worker, in another department, was arrested for stealing from the City.  It appears there are problems at City Hall.  Also, yesterday, we heard of a hate crime perpetrated in Winnipeg, on...

It has been a little over one year since I became aware of the proposed Bruce Oake Recovery Centre to be built at the site of the closed Vimy Arena.  I was immediately in support of this facility.  As I learned more, I became more supportive and was convinced that it was going to be built at what would be the perfect location.  Ground will be broken this August on Bruce Oake's birthday.  Throughout the public consultation process, I have seen people shifting in their position.  This weekend, I found that my position also shifted. It started out innocently enough.  My partner asked if I knew whatever happened to Mike. Mike used to be a colleague of mine but we worked at different locations.  We didn't have daily contact but through meetings, we saw each other about once every two weeks.  We met about six years ago and he was very professional and accomplished.  I admired his skills and talents and we became friendly.  That was six y...

Struggling today a bit ... During this crazy time here in the ole USofA I have always been able to lean on the fact that i could go home if things got really bad. Back to a place where people were more ... Canadian. The news in Alberta is a direct and complete rebuttal of that notion. If you don't believe in the NDP's policies, fine. She seems to have more than enough results in the positive, but fine. But to vote for a piece of shit like Kenney? Like trump, that dude transcends policy. He's horrible. By any even semi-objective metric, this guy is not fit to hold office and yet ... a majority. It's disheartening. I think the most crushing thing for me is ... I am not living in the world I thought I was. I mean I always thought it was bad out there but not in my wildest dreams did I think that it was this bad. So many people are racist. They are. So many people are misogynists. They are. So many. Brown people are nonplussed of course. I, as a white, heterosexual mid...

Stacey Abrams is so smart.  Personally, I don't find her overly partisan.  I find her to be a person who is looking for more people to be part of the conversation about change.  I like that she knows who she is and that she doesn't apologize for having money.  She notes that she grew up poor and that sucked and she doesn't want to go back to that.  She understands common sense.  When speaking of the summary of the Mueller report given by AG Barr, she gives the analogy of your brother summarizing your report card to your parents.  Brilliant.  My advice to all candidates, and actually to anyone, is read her new book, Leading from the Outside.  It isn't what you would expect from a politician.  It is not a political memoir.  It is "how to" develop leadership skills.  Leadership skills that promote more people to change and to listen.  Leadership skills that are good for anyone who wants to make a difference in the world...

The Jets win !!  Tying the series, that everyone knew would be tough, at 2 games a piece.  Home ice advantage has not been that.  I am sure we can change that trend on Thursday. A huge positive thing for the city of Winnipeg has been the White Out parties during home playoff games.  I think the vast majority understand that "White Out" has nothing to do with white privilege or is meant to exclude anyone.  Usually, the more the merrier.  Except for this Thursday, the white out party capacity has been reduced to 11,000 from 14,000.  The reason is that the Winnipeg Police Department note that the Thursday before Good Friday is the second busiest night for them only being surpassed by New Year's Eve.  The Police thought in order to still have enough resources to respond to the rest of the City, this was the best compromise. Deep sigh.  I understand. However, wouldn't it be wonderful if the White Out parties could be "policed" by volunteer...

The twitterverse was not my friend yesterday.  People took great offence to a blog entry yesterday.  That is the wonderful thing about living in a free country.  We have the right to disagree.  Actually, I was pleased that there was so much defending of people's favorite curlers.  I do love the sport of curling, and anyone who knows me, knows that.  It is nice to see so much passion for curling and curlers.  I said my piece and I am not going to defend my entry.  It is history.  But, I have a few additional points.  1.  Last year at the World Men's Championship in Las Vegas, my partner and I sat next to the father of one of the curlers competing.  The reason was that we were sitting at the top of the stands and he was too intoxicated to make it down to his seat.  We were fortunate enough to sit with him for 5 ends.  With very little prompting, he dished on just about every curler in Canada and in very colourful...

Sweeping majority for the UCP in Alberta.  It is clear that voters were upset and wanted a change.  It will be difficult for any government to restore Alberta back to the glory days.  The Ontario voters elected a majority Conservative government with Doug Ford.  It hasn't worked out so well for them.  Many in Ontario are very upset with his government's cuts and agenda.  It is hard to find anyone who admits to voting for him, but he did get a majority, so, obviously there were many.  One of the consequences of being taught to avoid talking about politics and religion has led to a lack of understanding.  Many don't have a clear idea of what they are voting for.  We don't talk about philosophy anymore or policy direction.  Most of what we see is negative campaigning.  We need more discussions about ideas and in general we need to learn how to disagree and still have civil conversations.  We need to treat each other better...

On Sunday while watching the Men's Final at the Player's Championship, I objected to a comment that I heard made by Ben Hebert and I wrote a blog entry about it.  It was viewed by 600 people in a 24 hour period.  Since my blog is, to quote my partner's brother, "pure drivel and poorly written", that is a lot of views.  People don't give a lot of feedback on blogs, essentially their feedback is their views and shares.  On this one, I got two pieces of feedback.  One agreed with me and one disagreed with me saying that Ben Hebert was opinionated and not afraid to share those opinions and other curlers get away with worse.  I wrote the entry because I was equally offended by a comment he made the previous Sunday at the World Men's Championship.  He made a similar comment about the "amateur" conditions at the world championship.  Those comments really offended me because he was representing Team Canada.  It takes hundreds of volunteers to tak...

Albertans will be deciding on a new government today.  Meanwhile, my grandson is lucky that he only has to decide which toy to play with first.  I'm glad he doesn't have to think too much because he can't make a wrong choice.  There are only good options for him. For Albertans, not so much.  25 candidates election campaign's were involved in political scandals.  2 scandals caused 2 candidates to withdraw before the nomination meetings.  All three parties, the United Conservative Party, the Alberta Advantage Party, and the NDP had scandals.  However, in fairness, the scandals of the NDP candidates seemed to be the least in terms of effecting voters.  It could be a function of our digital lives and that everyone's life is on display on social media.  Even those that think they don't have a social media presence are kidding themselves.  Everyone has done things that they regret and it is actually surprising that there aren't more sc...

The world is in mourning for the loss of the heartbeat of Paris, the Notre Dame Cathedral.  It can never be replaced.  They will rebuild but it will never be replaced.  I think we all watched in horror last evening and said a little prayer.  So many friends shared their memories of visiting the sacred place and what it meant to them.  It is true that the human experience is universal.  Hopefully, it will be a call to action to not take our blessings for granted and to appreciate all that we have.  That is all my higher power expects of me, to love everyone, even those hard to love, and to appreciate all the abundance in my life.  The picture was taken my one of my junior high school friends and it happens to be her birthday today.  She visited Notre Dame 10 years ago at Easter.  I found her thoughts particularly poignant and I hope she doesn't mind me sharing but I just thought it was a fitting tribute.  "I am absolutely heart...

You don't criticize anyone on the job anymore.  You provide corrective feedback or you coach for resolution, or whatever the current jargon is.  Despite most supervisors feeling uncomfortable in doing it, employees want it.  They sincerely want to perform well, to contribute positively to the company's mission and to be the best version of themselves.  Despite the term you use, there is a right way and a wrong way to provide constructive criticism/whatever tern you want to use.   That was high-lighted for me in a conversation I had with my friend, Jane.  Jane was asked into a manager's office.  The manager talked about her positive contributions to her team and talked about how much he enjoyed working with her.  He then said she would be even more outstanding if ....... and then he ended it by saying how valuable she was to her team and he noticed her extra work and initiative in covering for a colleague.  She was sincerely gratef...

While everyone, including the President of the United States, was watching Tiger Woods win The Masters, I was monitoring twitter. And, I found what I was looking for.  Scott Rogowsky's tweet about leaving HQ.  Or should I say, his epic twitter threads containing about 8 tweets.  He tweeted all the things he wanted to say on his last show of HQ.  For those that don't know about HQ, please message me and I will invite you to download the app.  Whatever you do, don't download the app without an invitation from me.  It would be very bad if you did, and also I wouldn't get free lives for everyone that accepts my invitation.  Also, if you don't know about HQ, have you been living under a rock?  HQ is like the hottest craze ever, despite the crazy glitches that are super frustrating.  Once you start playing the trivia game online, you will be hooked.  Both my partner and I have won a few times, along with thousands of other people, so w...

Kevin Koe rink has won the Canadian Men's title which comes sponsorship, cresting, and funding from the government of Canada.  They are currently playing for the Player's Championship after already winning the Pinty's Cup with a prize of $75,000.  Not too bad.  Curling is the gentleman's sport and it is also the sport that I chose to watch on a Sunday afternoon with my grandson.  I am sure there are families all over Canada watching this.  \\ Yet, for some reason, lead Ben Hebert doesn't think his life is blessed enough.  In the sixth end, he called out "Amateur hour on the ice.  Someone gets paid to make this shit."  This is the second straight weekend he has said something like this.  What is wrong with him?  Is he that arrogant?  Does he not understand that our curling dues and our watching you on tv pays for your prize money?  Listen buddy, we all tired of your lack of class and self-control.  You need to be fi...

I know it is not dawn or anything, but I have been up for several hours thinking of something to blog about.  I was going to blog about employee engagement as that is a very important issue to many of my friends and to myself.  I've lived through some extraordinary jobs at both ends of the spectrum.  However, it seems like too beautiful of a day to address that issue.  I watched last night's issue of SNL this am and noticed the shout out to Kevin F's story about the accidental stolen car on Weekend Update.  How cool is that?  The cast of SNL is so amazing that you can't talk much about social justice when you are laughing with Leslie Jones and the rest.  Yeah, Leslie is my favorite.  My partner's favorite is Kate McKinnon.  Both talented beyond belief, as is the rest of the cast.  The sun is shining.  My partner is pumped by a ProLine win and we know the Jets will win tonight.  Our grandson remains with us for one more ...

Right now here in Winnipeg, nurses who have reached their Magic 80 are seriously thinking about retirement. Why? Because their employer is being held hostage by a government whose only concern is to balance the budget. I went through this in the 90’s.  It is demoralizing. Your job as a nurse is to give the best care possible to patients. When staff ratios, layoffs, movement of staff, mandated OT, working short, Burn out, missed breaks, violence on the job. The list goes on. You can not give the best care possible. It works away at you. It is a toxic work environment and it is not going to go away. There is a toxic workplace here in Winnipeg and it is coming to the rural communities.  Years ago during the 90’s, I remember having a rather heated discussion with my manager. We discussed or I discussed the lack of appreciation for the nurses who were working their butts off under the very real threat of pink slips. We agreed to disagree. She was towing the government line. The...

Today concludes Volunteer Week.  I can't let the week go by without acknowledging my favorite volunteer.  He's the guy on the left and he happens to be the love of my life.   I can write this now because he is off volunteering for Sport Manitoba.  He will be doing this all morning and all evening.  He happily gives up his Saturday night to volunteer.  On Thursday, he was volunteering with CMHA talking about depression and anxiety to a group of middle school students.  Every time he does this, he tells me how positively it contributes to his mental health.  Every time he does it, he says this is the best one yet.  This was the best one yet, he says, because one of the teachers was inspired by his story and shared with her students her battle with depression and anxiety.  This wouldn't have happened 10 years ago.  There was still too much stigma associated wtih mental illness that a teacher wouldn't have given her students...

Yesterday was National Siblings Day according to Facebook.  I saw the cutest pictures that my friends posted with their siblings both past and present.  It was a really hard day for me. There are no pictures of me with all of my siblings.  I have pictures of a few of us together but none with all five of us. Do not get me wrong.  I had an amazing childhood.  I was raised by two loving parents.  They showered me with love and attention and anything else I wanted.  I was spoiled, but not spoiled rotten.  I do not have anything to complain about. However, there was this one thing.  You see my father was married before my mother.  He had four children.  He did not rob the cradle but he found a much younger bride in my mother.  In fact, my mother was a grandmother before she was a mother.  My siblings were much older.  Two sisters fairly close in age.  Two brothers fairly close in age.  It was difficult f...