The Status Quo

Today I went and saw the movie Moneyball. It's the story of how the Oakland Athletics took a different approach to choosing players and put together a very successful team with a very small payroll. Besides being interesting because the movie was about sports it spoke to another key idea of challenging the status quo.

Most things are the way they are because somebody has found a level of success doing it that way. Others see the success and try to emulate it. Eventually, it becomes the accepted norm.

Now here's the interesting part. Once everyone adapts the methodology, it's benefit is neutralized. The systematic advantage has disappeared and the determining factor is once again how well everyone does their job. So, to obtain an advantage based on how you do something instead of how well you do something you need to challenge the status quo and do it differently.

This is most important if you are under-resourced and can't compete directly on a level playing field. To be able to tilt the game in your favour, you have to do it differently. You have to approach the problem in a different way. You have to change what you believe to be important and move towards that goal.

The hard part of challenging the status quo is it requires change. It requires you to take a risk and do things differently from what is generally accepted as the best way to do it. If you try to change the game and doesn't work the consequences can be significant. Much more than if you do it the accepted way and fail. That doesn't mean you should just go with the accepted norm. If you can't get the job done by following the rules, you must work to change the game.

I know it's not as easy as it looks in a Hollywood but if you are not getting it done, change what you are doing. You may be surprised how well it can work.

Ride On

As I was reading the news online on the CBC today I came across a story indicating that a lot of people are unhappy with the route changes implemented by OC Transpo. To that I have a couple of things to say.


First, if you think there are problems with public transit in Ottawa you should try to take the bus in Winnipeg. Ask anyone from Winnipeg, they will fill you in.


Second, since one of the big complaints is overcrowding it should be noted there are a lot of people using the bus that really don't need to. I have witnessed this every time I have been on an OC Transpo bus, people wait for the bus, get on, go two stops and get off. I am not talking about elderly people, or parents with small children. I am talking about able bodied people.


There are two things that are not right with this. 


This behaviour makes the bus more crowded. There are a lot of people who have to travel a great distance each day and are not in a financial position to drive. Be it they can't afford a car or can't afford to park, it really doesn't matter, they need the bus to travel a long distance.


Additionally, if you are able bodied, you would benefit from the short walk. With the wait to get on the bus and the slow speed it travels you are probably only saving a minute or two. You will also see the health benefit of being active. That's a whole different entry.


I don't take the bus very often. If the weather is very miserable, I will consider it. I took it home from work one day when I seemed to be coming down with the flu. It was also raining that day so it seemed reasonable.


Travelling by transit bus is affordable but most affordable options don't come with convenience. It is a trade-off. I understand how a change to a routine can be upsetting and if you had your system worked out and it was changed on you that is definitely frustrating but if you choose to rely on the bus you have to live by their whims.


I do see public transit as a viable means to get around and compared to many cities, Ottawa has a good system, however if you don't need to use it, consider leaving the capacity to someone who does.

Vertical Visibility

There is a funny thing that happens when you live on the 21st floor. When it's foggy you may not be able to see anything on the ground when you look out the window. I don't think there is anything wrong or even right with this but it does tend to mess with your head a bit.

This morning was an example of this unique phenomenon.

It was foggy in the Nation's Capital this morning. I looked out the window. I saw absolutely nothing. If I looked straight down I could faintly make out the river below. I think this prepared me for a trip to work with very low visibility and very high humidity. When I walked out at ground level, the visibility was rather good. I was just a bit confused.

Nothing I'm writing today is going to change the world. It's just a observation of one of the little things in life. I think it's the little things that make a typical day a little more interesting. If each day has a bit more to offer, life can be really good.

Dream Job

I'll admit I have a great job. I don't write about my job but it is rather cool. That being said, I can dream. As I was riding the exercise bike at the gym today I started to think what would be my dream job.

I think for a job to be a dream job it needs to have a bit of an unobtainable quality. It needs to be a job that you really can't see how you would get there from here. It needs to be a job that there aren't too many or maybe only 1 of it in the world. It needs to have a cool factor. It needs to to be something that interests you.

For me I think my dream job would be Commissioner of the Canadian Football League.

I am and always have been a huge fan of Canadian football. I have a business degree and I can get things done. All that being said, I have no idea how to get there from my current place in life. I'm not sure if my mixture of education and employment experience is what they would be looking for. However, I can dream.

If you are going you might as well dream big. You should shoot for something that could be amazing. I think that job would be.

I don't know how or if I will ever be in a position to have my dream job, but that doesn't mean I can't dream.

Crisp Fall

I like 3 seasons. I like summer because its summer and it offers so much. I like spring because we climb out of a cold dark winter. I have to say that a winter in Ottawa is a piece of cake compared to a winter in Winnipeg but that's for another time. I like fall because it can be so livable.


I have the day off today so I went to the gym this morning. The walk down and the walk back were great. . It was bright out, it was comfortable to have a jacket on but undone. It was generally nice to be out and about.


There is one small thing I don't really like about fall. It means that winter is coming. There are some good things about winter. Christmas is during winter. Winter makes spring seem that much nicer.


Fall also brings a return to routine for a lot of people. The school year starts up again. For university and college students this means they get to reunite with some of their friends they have not seen sine the spring. It may mean you are off to a new adventure. There are so many things that fall can bring.


I like fall and this one looks like it will be a really nice one.

The Power Nap

I have to admit, I like naps. Some quick shuteye can really energize me and get me going for some more action. Lately I am finding my naps have been a bit long. I'm not sure why but I seem to fall into some rather deep sleeps. The nap is great but there is a small drawback.

Sometimes I sleep so much it ruins my night of sleep.

I understand the importance of a proper night of uninterrupted sleep. I think the nap sometimes ruins my proper sleep causing another nap the next day and the pattern repeats itself.

I don't want to give up my awesome naps from time to time but as I get older I find my body doesn't react to unreasonable demands as well. I can still push my body and I can still get the initial results I want but sometimes the carcass decides that's enough and fails me for a brief time. I'm also noticing the brief time of failure seems to be getting longer. At one time it was a few hours now it could be a day or more.

It may be a fact that I'm getting older but I wouldn't trade my past since I have lived a great life thus far and have no reason to not expect it to continue. If it means I have to have a few more rewarding naps, so be it.

Walking Lifestyle

Since moving to Ottawa I have started walking most places. I walk to work, the mall, for most of my entertainment, and to the gym. I haven't given up on driving but I don't need to very much. I like it. I wasn't sure if I would but I do.

Last weekend I was in Edmonton. That city isn't really set up for walking. There are a lot of large parking lots and urban sprawl. It's very difficult to a lot.

The differences make it clear that to have a waking lifestyle you need a city laid out to accomplish that.

There are other factors working against Edmonton being a walking place. It has a long cold dark winter. For much of the cold period the sun isn't up before you arrive at work and has gone down long before you leave for home. That can really discourage you from walking.

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta. The economy of Alberta relies heavily on oil extraction and refining. It would be reasonable to assume they would build their cities to use fuel.

When you walk you can see so much happening. You can take in the city. You can interact. It is part of living. You can feel the pulse. You get part of conversations. It can be quite entertaining.

I like my walking lifestyle. It's hard to deny it's a good way to live. It is very sustainable and today, I don't want to trade it for anything.