Blog or white ... because it never is.

One of my pet peeves is the long good-bye.  You know, the co-worker who comes to say good-bye to you because she is leaving for the day.  And good-bye leads to telling what she accomplished that day, and then the good-bye lists all the tasks we will do the next morning, and then the good-bye tells you what her plans are for the evening, and then the good-bye leads to what she will be cooking for supper, and then the good-bye leads to useless small talk, and 15 minutes later, after confirming once again she is leaving and says good-bye for the 18th time, she actually leaves. Or, my loving sweetie, you gets up earlier than I do.  He will come and kiss me good-bye right after he gets dressed.  I love getting up early so I think he is probably gone so I think it is safe to come out, and there he is writing me a good-bye note telling me where my coffee is (always in the same spot) and telling me where he left my pills that he set out for me (again, in the same spot, as ...

At the end of 2017, when I reflected upon the year, I decided it was not the best year of my life, but it also was not the worst.  I did predict that I had positioned myself to have a great year in 2018.  So far, it has been.  My partner and I decided to better start to keep track of the good things that have happened to us so we do not forget anything.  We wrote down the good things so far and our list was 26 items long.  No, we did not win a lottery or have someone volunteer to keep our home clean for the year, so most of our list might objectively not seem that significant.  But, it is significant to us.  It is the old adage, if you look for what is wrong, you will find it.  If you look for what is right, you will find it.  We have just had a mindset to look for what is right and to celebrate it.  We have both been engaged in putting out positive energy to the universe.  This looking out for what is right has had unintend...

My partner may not be perfect but he is perfect for me.  We have grown into a wonderful mutually supportive relationship.  We both have many passions, some of which we share, but we are most passionate about each other.  I am proud of him for so many reasons.  He gives back to the world more than he takes and he loves my children and is completely in love with our grandson.  I am very proud of him. But, getting back to the "not perfect" part, he does do something that really bugs me.   When I point it out, he shrugs and says that it is a family trait and that everyone in his family does that so he is powerless to stop.  He says he doesn't like this trait either but it is out of his control.   I keep pointing out that it is just learned behavior which can be extinguished if he wants.  He says he does want to get rid of this trait, but I think in some way, he feels that he might be betraying his family if he gives up this trait....

Last night, the prestige auction house, Christies, sold that last privately owned painting of Leonardo DaVinci.  It was called The Savior of the World and sold for over $450 Million.  That is not a typo.  It was sold to an anonymous collector.  I really do not understand how someone could have that much disposable income and choose to buy a single painting.  Think of what a difference half a billion dollars would make in the world.  After I saw the painting, one question was answered for me.  I understand why the buyer decided to remain anonymous.  Admittedly, I am not an art expert, but, I know what I like.  This is not a good painting.  Somehow the phrase, The Emperor has no Clothes came to mind!  Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks this.  Apparently, most of the art world feels the painting is either a forgery or is not an authentic DaVinci.  Even if it is a DaVinci, certainly not Leonardo DaVinci. ...

Canada has a thing called Statutory Holidays or Stats as they are commonly referred.  It seems funny just saying that.   A mandatory rest time.  Seems a little counterproductive.  I don`t agree that we should be given a work day off to commemorate Remembrance Day if it falls on a weekend.  I think Remembrance Day shouldn`t be trivialized by making it just another Stat.  However, one of the worst things about a Stat is finding something to watch on early morning television.  All I could find this morning was a re-run of Dragon`s Den.  I can`t believe my good fortune. There was a group of children on from Hope Blooms out of Halifax.   These particular pre-teens were identified as at risk kids.  There story is nothing more than extraordinary.   Their motto is when you change the way you look a things; the things you look at change.  I know most adults spend a lifetime trying to learn this lesson and these kid...

I love ramen noodles. I rarely eat them anymore, but I remember a time in my youth where I might have eaten them 6 times a week.  By choice.  When I was a University student, or even when I was young adult in my first job, I used to love eating ramen noodles.  I used to budget spending $40/week on groceries.  For 6 days of the week, I tried to live on less than a dollar a day.  That sounds like nothing, but it was actually a lot of money.   Ramen noodles were about $.19/package and this was my dinner.  Sometimes I could buy a case of noodles on sale and it would work out to $.11/package. That would be my dinner and leave me with $.89 left.  A lot of money.  I would have a piece of fruit for breakfast.  Usually an orange, sometimes a grapefruit, some grapes, sometimes a banana. Whatever was seasonal and whatever was the best value.  Lunch also gave me options.  I would have two hard boiled eggs.  Sometimes cans of tuna ...

One of the reasons why I enjoy the Saturday edition of the Winnipeg Free Press is the column on workplace issues written by Barbara Bowes.  I have admired her column for a long time and I respect her thoughts and I find she is usually a trend setter in workplace issues.   I have to admit that I was very surprised that she was writing about workplace bullying, particularly bullying by leadership in the workplace. Surprised, because I thought we were over the issue.  Really, we have spent a decade talking about bullying in all forms and there has been no evidence that this produces positive results.  Many jurisdictions have legislated against bullying in the workplace.   School divisions have spent a great deal of money providing education for all educators and students about the effects of bullying.   To be a volunteer sports coach, you must take education on anti-bullying.  Our workplaces claim to be inclusive, supportive, and tolerant.   ...

People often ask me how I work with people with dementia?  They perceive that it must be really difficult and think that I must have a great deal of patience.  They think my days are really stressful. Personally, I can't believe how lucky I am that I work with people with dementia.  My work days are very rich and full of joy.   Here are a few reasons why my days are so fulfilling: First of all, I never think that I am working with people with dementia.  I just think that I am working with people.  In fact, many days I wish more people had dementia.  People with a diagnosis of dementia seldom have a hidden agenda and are genuine in their thoughts.  They rarely have an intent to hurt you with their words.  Every day when I am work someone tells me I'm beautiful, and I know they really mean it.  Every day, I get hugs and I know they are sincere expressions of compassion.  It is very fulfilling and I don't know many workplac...

This was the quote of Ralph Smedley, founder of Toastmasters International.  I don't know when he said this but Toastmasters has been around since 1924 and it was shortly after or shortly before that he said this. I thought of this on Thursday when the World Headquarters of Toastmasters tweeted this for throw-back Thursday. Toastmasters is a great organization which is in constant evolution trying to capture the magic formula that will cause the membership to grow.   It actually is growing in Asia and India and the Middle East but has never attracted the membership that it has wanted to in North America.  It used to be known as primarily a Public Speaking organization, then it wanted to be known as a Communication organization, then it wanted to be known by two parallel tracks; Communication and Leadership.  Now, it appears to be wanting to emphasize the leadership aspect as noted in their tag line, "where leaders are made." I have committed to becoming a membe...

When I was in Grade 10, I attended a Leadership Skills Development Weekend.  As this was a looong time ago, I am sure you can appreciate how innovative and progressive my high school truly was. There was so many opportunities to take advantage of, but it wasn't due to the policy of the School Board, it was due to the School Board being able to attract such vibrant, innovative, and visionary teachers. To be fair, this wasn't labeled as a Leadership Skills Development Weekend, it was a Student Match retreat, but it really was a Leadership Skills Development weekend.  Student Match was one of those visionary programs led by two teachers who volunteered their time after hours.  It matched high school students with elementary students "at risk".  It was a mentoring program. One of the stories that we learned was that we all woke up with a full IALAC sign on them.  I Am Lovable And Capable.  The examples that we were taught were applicable to high school stud...

It has been over a month since a Winnipeg Transit Driver was killed while on duty.  The first in Canadian history. I remember in the first week following the death there was a lot of calls for increased safety for transit operators and I was curious if this has been followed through on.  While researching this on google, here are some significant things that I have found out. In 2000, there were 10 attacks on Transit Drivers.  In 2016, there were 45 attacks.  The most attacks came in 2009, when there were 70.  All of these statistics were reported to the press by the Amalgamated Transit Union,   Basically, I found 6 news articles which primary sourced the Transit Union or Transit Operators.  They claimed to be fearful for their lives on shift, and many were threatening to quit if increased safety concerns weren't adhered to. The Winnipeg Transit Service itself, issued a copy of the Public Bylaw and Code of Conduct for Public Transit.  Mo...

Apparently, this is a thing.  I saw it on facebook so it must be true !! So, now we need a day to tell us to be happy?  They really should give us a little more notice.  I needed advance notice in order to prepare. Just kidding.  I believe happiness is largely a choice. Exhibit A.  Newfies.  People from Newfound/Labrador.   Have you ever met someone from Newfoundland/Labrador that hasn't been the nicest person, ever?   Every Newfie is so nice and so happy.  Oh, their likely is one or two grumpy person on the rock, but, for the most part they are amazing.  They are proud of their arrange, their accent, their screech, their lifestyle, etc.   Well, let's look objectively.  It is a pretty desolate place and they have had traditionally hard lives.  But, don't tell them that.  Newfoundland pride is something pretty special.  I think Bob Cole described it best. Before the 2017 Brier, he was asked about the pressur...

I read an article on the internet that was talking about the debt load of the average Canadian.  It noted that for every dollar that was made, there was $1.67 in consumer debt.  This means, if you were average and made $30,000, you likely had $50,000 in consumer debt, this means, not including your mortgage. Using this statistic, my partner was pretty close to average.  In July, we will celebrate our 7th year together.  For our first year together, he thought he was cleverly hiding the debt from me.  He wasn't hiding anything, I knew he was pretty close to average.    Once he finally revealed his situation (read:  he couldn't hide it anymore), I told him that this was a significant issue for me.  He pledged to make a lot of changes and take care of this himself.  For the next five years, I watched him work on this and he had a fair amount of success.  In the five years, he only accumulated an additional $1000. in debt. ...

Asylum seekers continue to come into the province of Manitoba.  Some of us feel positively about this, and others feel negatively.   Regardless, the asylum seekers don't seem to care what we feel, they are just seeking a safe place to live with a hope of a future.  They are continuing to come and we have to accept this.  Our next challenge is to find housing for them.   Lipsett Hall and the 100+ vacant homes surrounding such have long been the elephant in the room for Winnipeg.  I've read some estimates that having the barracks empty costs taxpayers $3.3M in revenue yearly.  Negotiations have been going on since 2004 of what to do with this land and the accompanying buildings.  Meanwhile, they were vacant.   When most of us were in kindergarten, we played a popular game called Connect the Dots.  Simply put, you could turn an ordinary piece of paper into a piece of art by simply connecting dots. Sometimes we think a complex prob...

I just watched a talk show in which a travel "expert" gave exclusive insider tips on how to travel successfully. Who wouldn't be interested in that?  Inside scoops are the best ! Tip #1.  Something to do with packing.  I think it was something to the effect of pack less than you are planning. Tip #2.  Brush your teeth after a flight in the airport washroom.   You will feel instantly refreshed. Tip #3.  Be kind to people providing you service such as flight personnel, etc. The travel expert went on to explain tip 3 by indicating that you never know when you might want something such as a blanket or a pillow and staff will be more likely to accommodate your requests if you have been nice to them. I don't know if this was so much as an "insider tip" as it was something my mother told me every day of my life.  Say please and thank you.   Use your manners.   Treat everyone like you would want to be treated. Now, it is an "insider ti...

South of my border, the US President is not able to fulfill his campaign rhetoric of scrapping the Affordable Care Act.  It turns out, that health care is complicated.  It actually really isn't.  Health care can be explained in two words:  prevention and intervention.   Give people the tools to prevent them from becoming sick; and then, when they do become sick, treat them. Health care is simple.   Bureaucracy.  Now that is difficult. I am in not way trying to trivialize the struggle of a nation to find a way to provide health care to a complex demographic.   Donald Trump has already done this.   Throughout his 18 month ego tour masquerading as a campaign, he trivialized health care.   It was so simple and he would figure it out in less than 30 days.   He hadn't actually looked into it, but he was convinced it was simple. He obviously did not attend a simple Grade 7 history class where he would have learned that America as...