It's Only Rock 'n Roll, But I Like It.

This morning I watched The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concerts on HBO. It was 4 hours of epic. I was thoroughly entertained. There were many excellent performances by many excellent performers. You know it is going to be good when U2 is singing Gimme Shelter with Mick Jagger, Fergie, and Will.i.am. When Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel are belting out Born To Run it makes for great music.

I think one of my favourite performances was Metallica singing Sweet Jane with Lou Reed. This performance highlights to me what music is all about.

I'm sure most people today know who Metallica is. They are the best at what they do. If you don't know what they do, they play heavy music. Really heavy music. I have seen them twice and they are amazing performers.

Some of you may not know who Lou Reed is. He was the force behind the late 60's early 70's New York band The Velvet Underground. I know that may not help all of you. Without going into too much detail, this band is one of those bands that influenced everyone to come after them even though they never really sold any records.

So you may be wondering why I like this performance so much. When you watch it there are a couple of things that I noticed.

First and most obviously, this is not the style of music Metallica plays. For a band that has albums called 'Kill Em All' (only because their record company would not let them call it 'Metal Up Your Ass', and 'Death Magnetic,' who sing songs about nightmares and death, this is a rather poppy song. Watching James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett smile and bop along as they play is quite different from how they normally project themselves. It shows that they are true fans of all music, not just the type they play.

Second, you can see that the band members truly respect and admire Lou Reed. The genuine looks of amazement on their faces as they play with him in Madison Square Garden, is refreshing. Remember, Metallica is the best in the world at what they do and they are the ones in awe. It shows a human side to them.

Third, this is a cool song, it always has been and it always will be. It is one of those songs that will never go away. You probably won't hear it every day but it will keep on coming back.

Stuff like this is plastered all over this concert. Watching the greats be truly in awe of each other reminds me of why so many people like music so much. Music is the background and foreground to our lives. It is everywhere and enjoyed by everyone. For some it is their great passion while others it is their companion. It brings people together and produces a commonality that is rarely enjoyed.

If you are a fan of music you should take the time and sit down and watch this concert. It is worth your time and your effort. When you get a chance look up some of the music you don't know, there are probably some real gems out there just waiting to be discovered.

Christmas Shopping

I am the most laid back Christmas shopper ever. I don't get wound up, I take my time as I know it will be busy. I roll with the punches. It may be because I am a Christmas buyer more than a Christmas shopper. I know what I want and go out and find it. Being this relaxed has allowed me to figure out when the busiest times are. There are a few factors that play into this but it seems to have some logic to it.

Week-ends and evenings are always busy. There are a lot of people who really only have time to shop at these times. If you can avoid these times it is best. Not only will you be less frustrated but you will make it easier for the people who can only really shop at these times.

If Christmas is late in the week, lets say a Thursday or a Friday, then school will be out for nearly a week before the big day. The Monday after school lets out will be really busy. A lot of people have the same thought. I am off during the day, it won't be as bad, I will get this done on Monday and enjoy the rest of the week. If yo can avoid that day it is probably to your benefit. Tuesday and Wednesday will not be nearly as busy and you probably can find parking much easier, and move about the shopping establishments much better.

Now, if Christmas is early in on a Monday then the week-end before is super crazy but some people identify this and get it done in the evenings the week before. However, if Christmas is a Tuesday then that Monday Christmas Eve has all the makings of the perfect storm. School has just let out on Friday so the Monday is busy from that and the Monday is the end of opportunity so the real die hard last minute folks are there too. To survive this encounter you must either be really patient or the Alpha Male.

Christmas Shopping is really a great sociological watching ground. It exposes the good and bad in everyone. You will see things you will not see any other time of the year.

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays.

I May Be Getting Older, but Sometimes I Don't Act Like It

Saturday night I celebrated my 33rd birthday. We went to a hockey game. The home team scored two early goals, and visitors scored 3 after that. So, it was a losing effort, but it was fun. I had a couple of beers at the game.

From there we carried on to Shannon's Irish Pub. I may have had a few beers there. I may have sang with the band and played the tambourine. I may have not been very good. Through all that, I had a lot of fun.

I am getting older. We all are. I can't deny that. I find that as I get older it seems that I am acting older, a lot more often. I seem to take the responsible position and the responsible actions most of the time. I don't often throw caution to the wind and just giver any more. This is probably a good thing, but once in a while, buckle up your chinstraps, I'm going to party like a rockstar.

I'm quite sure everyone needs to let really loose on occasion. I think it is good for the psyche to do so. I think we need to act young from time to time.

On Saturday I definitely partied like a rock star. I had fun. My friends had fun. On Sunday we licked our wounds and commented that we probably shouldn't do that too often. One good friend missed his flight. It was a moment in our personal histories that we will all look back at and never quite replicate. We will have other great moments. Some will probably include a couple of drinks and staying out late and that's ok, because we are all getting older but we don't always have to act like it.

Another Spin Around the Sun

Today is my last day at the fine age of 32. Tomorrow I move onto 33. It's difficult not to look back at the year that was. Since I was born just before the end of the year the urge is even bigger. I know this is cheesy but this is my blog so indulge me.

In the last year I:

Got rid of my Motorola Razer for an iPhone and my PC for a Mac. Two of the best purchases I have made in a long time. Apple makes great products that interact so easily with humans. Way to go Steve Jobs.

I did my 2500th glider flight. I have been flying gliders since I was sixteen. It is part of who I am. Looking back 2500 is a lot of flights.

I was awarded a medal. I received my Canada Decoration, awarded for 12 years of honourable service. On the day I was presented it I was surprised how I felt so good about myself.

I went to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Both places are like no other and I enjoyed the trip immensely.

I reconnected with some old friends and made some great new ones. I continue to be amazed by the quality of people that choose to hang out with me, way above the national average in people quality.

I bought a Playstation 3. Watching movies and playing video games in HD makes it easy to stay in and save some money. Music is also amazing on the PS3.

I started writing two blogs. If you told me in High School that I would write for my own enjoyment, I would have called you crazy. I guess that's why we get up every day, we really don't know where life is going to lead.

There were several other moments, as there always is, but we all have to look back from time to time and I realize I am fortunate.

Oh, I know, this is a bit cheesy, but its my blog and once in a while I gotta indulge.

Common Courtesy

Apartment living has some realities attached to it. You have to watch how much noise you make. You may have to wait to wash your clothes as all the machines are busy. You can't just paint the interior of your place. I accept these are parts of living in an apartment. I also expect people to do their best to not make it any more unreasonable for others.

Tonight I was doing my laundry. I needed three washing machines and two dryers to get it done. The washing machines were immediately available. I went back to the laundry room when the washing was done. There was still a few minutes left on all the dryers so I waited. The dryers finished. I waited. The person who was using them left their clothes in the dryer for 21 minutes after they were done drying.

That's ridiculous.

Laundry is a necessary evil. We all want to be done it as quickly as possible. So, why would anyone leave their laundry in the dryer for 21 minutes after it is done drying. I think it is rude. I think it is wasting my time and theirs. Don't you want to be done your laundry as quickly as possible. I know I do.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We are definitely rolling into the holiday season. There is the hustle and the bustle. We go to functions and parties. We give well wishes and greetings. It often feels like we are going through the motions. Many people get stressed and worried. Many people feel lonely and sad.

For me, Christmas is all about taking some time for people that matter.

It doesn't matter what you do for them or with them. It is the who that matters in the equation. It is easy to do good things for people who matter in your life. It is easy to take time for those people you hold dear to you. At least it should be easy.

We often get caught up in everything that doesn't really matter about Christmas and as such forget about what does. If you take some time to do something nice for someone you will be rewarded. It won't make you rich. It won't make you famous. It will make you feel good about yourself and the world around you. It doesn't have to be anything big, it just has to be genuine.

To me the holiday season is a time to reflect and enjoy with people who matter. If you do something nice for someone this time around you will be surprised how much it will enrich your life, during the most wonderful time of the year.

Guilty Pleasures

We all have guilty pleasures. We all have more than one. There are the trashy TV shows we watch. There are the bad songs on our iPods. There are the cheesy movies we just seem to like and there are the foods we know we shouldn't eat but we do.

I have them all.

I'm only going to talk about one of them. KFC. Yes you heard me. Kentucky Fried Chicken, the unhealthy, greasy, yucky chicken that, from time to time I just need to eat.

I don't know why I ever eat KFC. I always regret it a few hours later but, once again I just couldn't help myself and stopped and picked up some chicken on my way home from the gym. I ate some. I enjoyed it in the beginning. I'm already starting to regret my decision. Just like every time before.

I can feel the junk that is KFC oozing though me. I am starting to feel sluggish. All I can think is I should have had a salad.

I guess that's why its a guilty pleasure. I know its bad but for a brief moment it seems so, so good.

The Grand Canyon

On the last day of my trip to fabulous Las Vegas, we rented a car and headed out to the Grand Canyon. I have seen many pictures of the place over the years and thought that's nice, but I don't know if that's worth the trip. The picture I included is a nice picture but I'm not sure if it says you have to go see this place.

Everyone should go see the Grand Canyon.

Located entirely in the state of Arizona this natural spectacle is so far amazingly beyond any natural destination I have ever seen. I have not been everywhere. By no means have I seen it all. I have been a few rather cool places in my life. The Grand Canyon tops my list.

The canyon is wide. The canyon is deep. You can see many layers of the earth. You feel small as you stand at the edge. It is difficult to write about as words do not do justice to how I felt as I stood next to this natural wonder.

Since we were in Las Vegas we went to Grand Canyon West. The Hualapai Indians own the land and manage the attraction. They are business people, it will cost a bit more than a couple of bucks to visit, but I was completely satisfied and felt I got more than I paid for.

I also pulled out my iPhone and turned on the GPS app I have in it. The south rim at the west end of the Grand Canyon has an elevation of over 4600 feet. That's higher than Calgary but not quite as high as Denver. It added to the feeling of being with nature to be up in the thin air.

Although it was fairly cloudy the day we were there, it was quite the place to be as the sun set. As the sun gets lower in the sky and strikes the canyon walls at different angles the experience is enhanced. As the sun was setting it did manage to find a bit of a hole in the clouds. Sunshine on the bottom of clouds is always breath-taking, even more so at the Grand Canyon.

There was one thing I did find a wee bit strange. There is was no safety barrier along the edge of the canyon and the ground is not prepared along the edge. If you mis-step, you could stumble and fall over the edge. That would be it. However, it was part of the amazing experience that it was not too prepared. The adrenaline rush from standing so close to the edge without any safety equipment was unique in this day of over safetied everything. It felt closer to nature.

I've tried but I know I have not done justice to this amazing natural spectacle. All I can really say is everyone should make every attempt to visit the Grand Canyon in their lifetime.

Vegas - There is Nothing Like the People You Will Meet

No matter where you go you inevitably meet people. Las Vegas is no different. How people are in Las Vegas is unique.

I'm sure many of the people you meet in Las Vegas are normal when they are at home but, since they are on vacation is Las Vegas they relax and act like the person they sometimes want to be. They probably have a few more drinks on vacation. They let their hair down on vacation and Vegas is all about vacation.

We talked to a couple of dudes from Finland in Coyote Ugly, they were there to relax and have a good time. One looked like Kirk Hammett's long lost brother.

We danced with girls from Brazil in Body English. They seemed rather impressed we took the time and put in the effort to wear suits out for the night.

We posed for a picture with a group of women from Calgary that were in town for a wedding the next day. They had all gone to see the Chippendale's and appeared to have enjoyed a few more drinks than they normally do. The were kind enough to point out that we were not like the Chippendale dancers, but we were still cool anyway. They were cool as well, but would never do that back home.

There are also the people who live and work in Vegas. Some of them are just as unique.

There was Al the bus driver. Al drives The Deuce up and down the strip for a living. He likes to talk on the bus PA system. He talked about the wives he had. He told us about the peanut pecan cheese cake waiting for him when he was done his shift. When he was asked how late the bus ran he replied, "In the words of the brother Lionel Richie, All Night Long!" He greatly added to the bus riding experience.

There was also our waitress in Hooters one night. She had a rather sharp tongue and quick wit. She told us about her bookie back in Florida and how it was so inconvenient to bet on a football game in Las Vegas.

There were others that we encountered throughout the trip and only served to enrich the experience. If you are ever in Fabulous Las Vegas watch the people and enjoy the interactions, they are a big part of the trip.

Vegas - Getting Around is an Adventure

In any city there is usually different ways to get around. Las Vegas is no different. You have several options to get around each with their advantages and disadvantages.

No matter how else you travel you will have to do some walking. Inside hotels and casinos it is big. To get to where you want to be you will have to walk. You can also walk outside. There are two distinct advantages to walking. It is free and it is healthy. There are also disadvantages to walking. You cannot walk in a straight line anywhere in in Vegas. In the casinos you are always walking around slot machines, game tables and various other things. Outside is not much better, you need to get over the overpass foot bridges. They do not just line up with the sidewalk, but that's ok since the sidewalk is not straight anyway. Add in some street vendors and your mile walk is probably closer to a mile and a half. However if you walk you sure get to see a lot, even if it does take a lot of time.

If you are really in a hurry you can take a cab. They are pretty much like any other cab in any other city. They are priced fairly similarly to any cab I've been in. However, the cabbie is probably going to try and hustle you and take you to a strip club. I don't blame them, they make good money from the strip clubs taking customers there. Taxis will pick you up and drop you off on the main entrance to the big hotels. For the most part these entrances are located on the side of the hotel back a bit from the strip. So, once you are dropped off you may have to walk a bit inside the hotel to get to where you want to go. The additional upside to a taxi is the drivers can be really interesting to talk to and know were everything is.

I between there is the bus. For $15 you can get a pass that is good for 72 hours on the whole system anywhere in Las Vegas. You will probably only need to ride 'The Deuce' up and down the strip and out to Freemont Street at one end and the outlet mall at the other end. The Deuce is a Double Decker bus that runs 24/7, only the frequency the bus comes by changes with the time. On the bus you will probably have a chance to chat with other tourists. The downside to the bus is it is not very quick. Probably 90% of the people on it do not ride public transit regularly and it takes a long time to load and unload. If you are on a schedule it may not be the best choice but if you have been walking quite a bit, you probably don't mind taking a load off a little longer.

If you rent a car in Las Vegas at the airport you need to take the shuttle from the airport to the car rental facility. It is free and takes about 7 minutes. Overall not a bad idea as it gets the tourists away from driving near the terminal. The facility itself is quite big but well laid out, organized and easy to get around. Car rentals cost about the same as any other city. I don't think you would want to rent a car unless you were headed out to the Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam.

There are also limos, but we never took one anywhere, and that's all I have to say about that.

Navigation in Las Vegas is not difficult, but the time it takes to get around inside and outside is staggering. It may look like your destination is just over there but it is probably quite bit further than you initially thought. Each way you travel has its upside and downside but you should probably use a mix to get around when you want within your budget. And like everything in Vegas, have fun with it.

Vegas - Everything is Huge

Las Vegas is built on a different scale. It is big. However, since everything is so big, it looks normal, until you start to move about. At that point you realize it is really, really big.

We stayed at the Hooters Casino Hotel in Las Vegas. This is a hotel with nearly 700 guest rooms. This hotel appeared to be really small. It was dwarfed by the massive MGM Grand, which is dwarfed by the incredibly massive Mandalay Bay.

If size matters then Las Vegas wins.

All these places are big. The casino floor just keeps going and going. The attractions are all encompassing. The buildings are tall. Everything is built to be an impressive size. Yes much of it is over the top. Yes much of it is cheesy, but that is what you look for in Las Vegas. If you like big you will like this city.

Even more amazing is they are still building more. There are partially built structures. There are new sites just being set up. As far as I can tell, Vegas is big but is going to get even bigger.

Vegas - Everything is a Hustle

It's no surprise that Las Vegas exists to separate a man from his money. It is amazing how well they do it. If you are naive do not go to Las Vegas. You will be fleeced for everything you have.

Everyone there is trying to hustle you.

The cab drivers are always trying to take you somewhere. They will definitely take you to a strip club, especially since the strip club will pay the fare. Once there, I'm sure the dancers will hustle you for very expensive very short lap dances, while you drink expensive drinks and have payed an outrageous cover.

There are guys on the street trying to pass you cards advertising hookers. They are everywhere. you cannot get away from them. They are snapping the cards and trying to get you to take them in hopes you give the girls a call.

There are people in the hotels giving you passes to the clubs in the hotels.

There are people in the hotels and on the street trying to sell you passes to clubs all over the city. It's a hustle that's just the way it is.

There are guys with limos looking to take you places. They have the best lines. "You don't want to go down there, its only homeless people with guns and they know you have money." or "What are you guys looking to do tonight? Club, Strip Club, Party Favours?"

If nothing else it can be entertaining.

One night we had been at one place for a while and it was about 11pm. We were looking for something else to do for the next part of the night. As we walked through the MGM Grand a dude and a woman started to try and hustle us on some passes to PURE nightclub in Caesar's Palace. It was obvious it was a hustle however in the middle of her pitch the woman stopped and says to my good friend Kent, "You have the most beautiful blue eyes." So we bought the passes and headed down to Caesar's. Sure enough as we were walking in a guy handed us passes that would get us exactly the same thing for free, but I had no buyer's remorse since she commented on Kent's eyes. (I tease him regularly about them.)

The flip side to the hustle is you can often bargain with them. We managed to swing a deal with a guy on some passes to Body English in the Hard Rock and did save 66% of the cover charge.

You can try to ignore the hustle, but it is in your face constantly. Maybe the offers we had was because we were three fairly young, presentable guys walking about, but in the end, in Vegas, everything is a hustle.

I Survived Vegas Baby!

I returned from fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. I saw a lot. I did a lot. There is a lot more than I can fit into one blog entry so I will be talking about several aspects of Vegas over the next few days. A few of the points that I will cover include:

Everything in Vegas is a hustle.

Everything in Vegas is huge.

Getting around Vegas is an adventure.

There is nothing like the people you meet in Vegas

There may be a few surprises along the way as well.

So tune in regularly to hear about my adventures, since there will be some great observations and opinions.

Vegas Baby

Tonight at 10:01 pm the wheels will be touching down on my flight to fabulous Las Vegas. Quite a bit of preparation has gone into this trip. The research is done, the resources are booked, and I am ready.

I am rather excited.

If this place lives up to the hype that everyone is giving it I am going to have a super-duper good time. I sure hope it does. I need to live in a fantasy world for a few days. I need to remember why I work hard. I need to take some cool pictures of cool stuff. I need to make some new memories.

I was once told that Las Vegas is the best and worst of America all in one place. I want to see that. I want to people watch. I want to party. I want to ride Vegas style amusements. I want to see what this over the top city has to offer.

I really don't know what this trip will bring. I am open to whatever pops up. We only have a rough plan and will enjoy the rest the way it was meant to be. I hope to come home exhausted with a couple of loonies in my pocket, with a camera full of cool pictures and a head full of memories.

That's A Long Time

As I walked into the Sobey's I regularly shop at on the week-end I noticed a sign indicating they were now open from 6am to Midnight, 6 Days a week. In Manitoba the law limits retail shopping to noon - 6pm on Sundays so they would not be able to be open that much on Sunday. That is a lot of hours to be open.

The store will only be closed for six hours a day. I believe this is to compete with Walmart being open 24 hrs. That is a lot of time to be open.

I worked for Sobey's West, A Division of Sobey's Capital Inc. as a in-store manager back in 2001 - early 2002. From that job I learned that retail can really be a killer. The hours are insane. The public can be really good or really bad and everything in between. When I started we were open 9am to 11pm. The hours were reduced to 9am to 10pm as that last hour was not very productive. It was easier on the staff and the schedule. These new hours they are open must be murder on their staff. I can see strong morale developing when people are being stretched further.

I also noted the store was not in great shape. There were normal products that were not stocked. There was not a lot of staff to serve customers. It seemed that the store was suffering.

So, why am I ragging on Sobey's? This is a classic example of letting another company dictate how you will do business. The fear that Walmart strikes in the heart retail executives forces them to make bad and expensive decisions.

In any organization you must figure out what you do and figure out how to be the best at it. If you do what you do well, you will get the results you want. I see Sobey's being a follower in the marketplace and you cannot come in first if you are following someone.

Friday the 13th

It appears that I survived another Friday the 13th. It is said that this day is unlucky. I'm not sure if you can attach luck to a specific date. There are a couple of things you may be able to attach luck to. A broken mirror. Well, maybe, I don't know if you get seven years of bad luck but I'm sure you will have to deal with the aftermath of the mirror. Broken glass strewn about and replacement costs definitely rate badly on the good bad scale, as do the potential for injury in the breaking process. Walking under a ladder is another unlucky act. In reality walking under a ladder is more likely to be unsafe than unlucky. Objects could fall on you, not to mention the ladder. It just makes good sense to not walk under a ladder.

I do believe there is an element of luck that effect everyone's life. Gambling especially games of chance are based entirely on luck. Things happen beyond your control that influence your life. Many of these are so remote that significant preparation for their occurrence is futile. However, how you deal with or react to bad luck is a true measure of your character. If you work through bad luck, you will be less effected by it. If you work hard and are prepared for what you are trying to do you reduce the chance you will be unlucky as you will be performing your tasks properly and may be able to overcome bad luck or the luck will not produce a significantly negative effect since you are in a significantly positive position.

Some people seem to think they only have bad luck. We all feel like this from time to time. We all know people who chronically complain about their bad luck. If you feel you are having a lot of bad luck, I suggest you look inward. You are probably not a good as you think or are not willing to accept responsibility for your actions.

It has often been said, "You have to be good to be lucky and lucky to be good." There is definitely, some truth to that. If you are good at what you do and are working hard at it, chances are you will reduce the influence of chance. If you have some good luck come your way you will probably be in a position to effect change and may make a difference.

I believe luck exists, at least at the individual level. It is that unknown factor of chance that statistically will even out but in the one of cases can have a significant effect on a person or a small group. You have to live with it. You can tell stories about it. Your day may be changed by it. You will always wonder about it. Don't rely on it. Don't blame things on it.

I will admit, I would rather have good luck than bad luck.

KISS! What Else Can You Say?

Last night I saw KISS at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. I have seen them before, I knew what to expect. They delivered. The did everything that I expected them too. They didn't take themselves seriously and took themselves too seriously at the same time. They wore makeup and capes. They played loud catchy music. They used a lot of fire. They spit blood. They flew through the air. They lit a lighting rig on fire, I don't think that was part of the show. They lowered it and a couple of dudes with CO2 fire extinguishers put it out.

I admit I didn't have the best seats, but they were not the worst either. People were having fun and put all the worries of the world around us to the side for a couple of hours.

A KISS show is timeless. It doesn't really fit into any era. They are so unique that they can put out the same show for 35 years and it never gets old. That's what makes them who they are. If you have the chance I strongly recommend you go to a KISS show. The people in the crowd are a big part of the entertainment. Young and old, grandparents and little kids, you will see it all, including a good dose of very attractive women. Everyone seems to like KISS. The guy on one side of you could be a dentist and on the other a tow-truck driver, but this music seems to bring them together.

If you have a chance then Rock and Roll All Nite and party every day!

The Shot

I was the recipient of my H1N1 shot yesterday. I don't seem to have any side effects, yet. My arm is OK if I move it most ways but there are a couple of angles that I seem to want to stop moving it for the moment. In the big picture I have moved from one statistic to the other.

Enough about me.

The whole H1N1 thing is scary and not scary at the same time. On the one hand its ripping through the young healthy population. It has killed a few and made a whole bunch of people feel really bad for a few days. Nobody likes to be sick, and a lot of productivity will be lost during the latest wave. However, we will get through this.

Many people will get inoculated, others will get sick, some will get both (those are the really unlucky ones) but through this humanity will begin to resist this strain of the flu. At some point in the future, this latest threat will become a lesser threat. In many years we will sit around and talk about this like we talk about many other significant moments that define a generation. This occurrence will become part of the collective conscious, and that's OK. I'm not suggesting that a pandemic is a good thing but it is an opportunity to grow and learn. We see what we can do in trying times. I don't know how trying this is, but I do know it has a lot of people concerned.

People are afraid to catch this bug. People are concerned about the vaccine. People are concerned for their children. People are worried because most of us in the general population do not have the knowledge to evaluate the facts, we are at the mercy of the people who know about this stuff, and many people are distrusting of authority. This distrust makes fear-mongering easier. If there are opportunities for people to leverage situations there will always be people who will try to do so. Where we come in is to be logical, and seek out information. We must make the best decision for ourselves and our communities. In doing so we will move beyond this and learn from it and that is an upside to a not so good situation.

The Mass Email

If you work at a desk job you know what I'm talking about. You email a small fact off to a couple of buddies and the conversation begins. It starts out innocent enough but eventually it spirals deep into a pit of degenerate discussion.

Yesterday, I emailed a couple of buddies about the opening acts at a concert we are attending in January. From there we moved on to intimate relations with the undead and finally finished with metaphorically comparing each other's 'junk' to data storage media. How does this happen.

Today, I received an email about helping a friend move a table. Somehow this conversation degraded to a discussion on polygamy and the competition for head wife. How does this happen.

I think part of this is desk jobs are not particularly exciting. Most of the people capable of doing the work also happen to be rather creative and need those quick one or two minute breaks. The mass email provides an outlet to help people get through the day. Some of it is rather funny. Some is rather bizarre. All of it is saved on a server somewhere. I'm sure someone will publish a book someday about their mass email, it would be quite the read. You would have to take it with a grain of salt.

I know it appears that the mass email may be unproductive, and I am sure it is at times, but I am also sure that it often recharges desk workers and helps them get through their day.

The Sun Will Come Out.....Today

The continuous dense overcast layer that has been inhabiting Manitoba for the last month or so finally left, and lo and behold a great glowing how gaseous orb was spotted in the sky. I heard about this orb from a crazy old wizard one time. He called it the sun and spoke of magical powers it possesses. It can help create and sustain life and improve the well-being of mortals as they travel about the surface of this rock called earth.

I really noticed a difference as I walked to lunch with my good friend Kent. The sun was warm on my face and gave me a feeling of warmth and promise. Our daylight hours are dwindling and I am noticing. I see that as daylight gets more scarce I will miss it more. It is also good to know that the sun does come back out. I immediately feel better more optimistic when the magic orb makes an appearance. It was enjoyable to be outside and I have not felt that way for a while.

I would rather take two degrees Celsius and sunny than ten degrees Celsius and a cloudy, rainy day. Maybe its because it is better for both flying and photography (two things I enjoy very much) or maybe its just because a sunny day makes you feel all good.

I know that I may sound a bit nuts here but dude, I really like a sunny day.

Flu Scare

I'll admit there is a bit of a lead up to the point of this entry, stay with me.

A friend of mine hurt her back playing volleyball on Thursday evening. To make the story go a bit smoother lets call this friend "Jill." Now Jill really did a number on her back and the ever so helpful Doctor prescribed Tylenol 3 for the pain. Now I have taken T3's before and didn't like how they made me feel. I will live with a lot of pain to avoid taking them again. Apparently Jill has a similar reaction, however her pain was so bad she kept taking them. The combination of the pain and the medicine was causing her to puke, a lot. So after a couple of days of this she broke down and asked me to take her to the pharmacy to get something to calm her stomach down since she was getting rather weak from bucking her cookies for days now.

After the pharmacy we went to the Safeway next door to get some Gatorade so she could hopefully get some calories and fluid back into herself. She looked and felt like a bag of smashed apples. She was not doing well. So after roaming about the store we head to the till to pay.

This is where my story actually starts.

While waiting in line sickly Jill blurts out, "I just want to go home so I can puke in the privacy of my own bathroom."

The cashier responds, "Oh, are you hungover?"

I respond, "No she isn't feeling well but don't worry its not H1N1."

The cashier looked rather worried and a bit disgusted with my poor sickly friend. She pays for her stuff and we head off. As we are leaving the cashier showers her entire work area with hand sanitizer.

Paranoid a bit, are we?

Yes there is a pandemic. Yes it would suck to get sick. Yes you should take precautions. Yes Jill looked like death warmed over, but I'm pretty sure no one was going to catch back pain from her. It seemed a bit excessive if you ask me.

By all means protect yourself. Do what you feel is necessary to ensure your health is maintained. But I do suggest to try to be sensitive to others. I just found her rather rude. Her demeanour was standoffish. If you are hypersensitive, maybe a job interacting with the public all day is not for you.

This woman definitely had a flu scare.

Cloudy Days, Sweeping the Fun Away

It has been cloudy a lot lately. Cold dreary and cloudy. This has been going on for way too long. It has had a real effect on my mood. I'm not feeling as cheerful as I usually do. Now, I'm not saying I am always a big, bouncing ball of happy, but usually I'm reasonably cheerful. Lately I have not been so cheerful so on Tuesday I said, "That's it!" and booked a trip to fabulous Las Vegas.

It was impulsive. It was last minute, it will be fun. I am off to Sin City with a couple of friends for about 5 days, four nights of fun and stories I may not be able to tell.

I did this because I was in a rut and did not want to stay there. I know the weather can influence my mood. I do not want to let the world around me run me. I can make my own happiness, or at least have a say in how happy I am. I want to be a happy guy and until I booked the trip I was rather miserable.

The anticipation of going has cheered me up. The trip will be fantastic, and the memories and pictures will be with me forever.

I realize not everyone can just up and go on a holiday when they are feeling blue, but they can try to do something to cheer themselves up, and they should.

You have the ability to influence your happiness, so if the weather is getting you down do something to help you feel better.

Pay Attention Around You

I was driving home from work today. Traffic was very heavy and very slow. Several cycles of the lights would pass before you could get through. This happens from time to time. I realize it can be frustrating, but that's life in the big city.

As I was sitting in this mini-traffic jam a car moved into the curb lane, and zipped past a bunch of traffic. I needed to get into the right lane to make my turn, when there was a chance I also moved over and started to make really good time, until this car that had zipped past me was trying to get back into the second from the curb lane. That lane was not moving, even when the light was green, now the curb lane was not moving because there was no room for him. He was stuck between two lanes.

Now I'm not sure if he didn't realize he would not easily move back into the lane he previously was in or he was so rude he didn't care he was holding up traffic that was trying to get off that street, but in either case he sure wasn't paying attention to the world around himself.

The experts call this situational awareness. It's about knowing where you are how you are interacting in the world around you. This dude did not have it at all. It was rather obvious that if you have to get out of one lane of traffic to get anywhere, getting back into that lane quickly will be next to impossible.

However, he was using his turn signal.

I Thought I Was Doing Well

I was at the gym yesterday doing my thing. I have been working fairly hard lately and have seen some results because of it. My cardio is up, I am stronger, I can see the results. I was feeling pretty good about myself.

There was a dude standing on a full Swiss ball, lifting weights over his head.

Yes you read that correctly.

I tried to stand on a full Swiss ball once. I couldn't. I fell off immediately. I do not know how this guy did this. He is clearly better at that than I am.

Now I could sulk and say that's it, but I am going to use that as motivation. I don't know if I will ever stand on a Swiss ball. I don't know if that will really prove to myself that I have made it. I do know that I can improve, so I will try to step it up. I will try to take it to another level. I will work harder. Not because I have to but because I want to.

I find that when you see someone exceed shat you can even try, there is a good motivation to improve, and improvement always makes you feel better about yourself.

When Good Intensions Don't Quite Work

While I was driving to work today, an ambulance was coming the other way. I was stopped at a light and had no influence in the the situation. I was only an observer to this.

Here is what I saw.

There was a vehicle in the left turning lane. He saw the ambulance coming down the street in his rear view mirror. He decided to get out of the way, and move to the right. This is the law. The street we were waiting to cross was a busy street, at a busy time. His idea was to get into the flow of traffic and get out of there.

It was a great idea.

Moving across the other lane, he managed to block the entire lane for a brief time. He left as soon as he could. He also managed to delay the progress of the ambulance.

The vehicle in question managed to block the entire street. I know he was trying to do the right thing, but this time doing nothing would have worked out better. The driver didn't know at the time, and wouldn't have any info that would have helped him know at the time. I am not here to criticize the decision. He followed the rule. it just didn't work out this time.

Always do what is right, but also look around and do what is best.

Expanding the Empire

I like sports. I like to talk about sports. This really isn't the venue to talk about sports so I created a new blog. flyingcookiesports.blogspot.com is the home of Flying Cookie Sports. Here I will be discussing various aspects of sport.

I have plans for additional blogs within the Flying Cookie franchise as time goes on.

There will still be regular posts here for subjects that fit within the scope of the original Flying Cookie.

I invite you to check out Flying Cookie Sports. As time goes on I will start to fill it with content as well.

I Might Be Getting Old

I participate in the fine old game of curling. It is a good reason to get out for some socializing and exercise during the long cold Winnipeg winter. I do not curl at all during the summer, so I have to get back at it about the middle of October each year.

In the past, after my annual return, I have not had any real aches, soreness, or stiffness over the next few days. This was not the case this year. I was rather sore in quite a few places for a couple of days after my first attempt of the year.

I'm sure I will get used to it again, and a normal game will not cause any real discomfort. Everything will be fine.

I'm also sure that this happened because I am getting older.

I know as you get older the body starts to slow down a wee bit at a time. It just seems to be difficult when you actually start to see some real evidence that you are not immune to Father Time.

I don't have as much hair as I used to and some has turned grey. Now I apparently i can't just fly into action after a long lay off. I figured since I exercise regularly I didn't need to worry, but I had a couple of sore days this week. I think continuing exercising sped up the departure of the aching, but I was not expecting it to arrive at all.

So, here I am, with some more evidence that I am getting a bit older. I will fight it with exercise and a positive attitude, but I also should try to not go overboard too often either.

While Looking for a File

While I was looking for another file I came across this that I rattled off. It struck me as useful and fit within the context of this blog, so I reproduced it here. This is one area that I found people were routinely bothered by is all facets of life. Enjoy and use it if you think it may help.

Making Better Decisions

How often have you looked at a situation and said to yourself, “Why did he choose to do that?” We have all been there and probably will end up there again. There appears to be a lot of bad decisions being made all the time. They can be frustrating, expensive and even dangerous. So, what can we do to make better decisions?

There are several models that describe what happens when a decision is made. They normally don’t explain how to make a decision. When trying to make a decision many people become overwhelmed. It can become very daunting when you are faced with a new or unique decision. Life doesn’t always play out how the experts portray it to. There are constraints on our ability to make and implement decisions and often people get lost in the clutter. Here are a few simple guidelines to help you make better decisions more often.

Accept You May Make a Bad Decision

I have often seen people become so engrossed with making a perfect decision; they end up not making any decision. If you have the authority and responsibility to make the decision, you are expected to make it. It is important to understand that leaders may have to make unpopular decisions, but they may be the right decision. By accepting that you may make a bad decision you are freed up to make a good one.

Determine What Criteria are Truly Important

When faced with a decision, you can often boil the issues down to two or three main points. If you have too many criteria to consider, the minor items may skew your result and the choice will not adequately address the problem. Remember you must address all the criteria that truly matters but also cut through the fluff.

Be Mindful of Time Constraints

A good decision must be timely. It is no good to decide to get on a plane after it has left the runway. On the other hand if you have some time before a choice needs to be made, take the time to seek out the information that will help make a better decision.

Seek Assistance When You Need It

Nobody is an expert on everything. When you don’t know the answers ask for help. Always review the applicable policy for guidance. The decision may be already made for you. If the policy doesn’t provide much help for your current dilemma then supervisors, colleagues, and subordinates are all excellent sources to draw on. Remember, we are all working toward the same goal.

Making decisions can be difficult but, if you keep these guidelines in mind when you have to make one, your chances of success will increase.

You Would Think It Would Be Obvious

In aviation safety there is an old saying, "Learn from the mistakes of others, you will not live long enough to make them all yourself." This is true, eventually a mistake might kill you. This bit of info is true anywhere in life, not just aviation safety.

In the spirit of this bit of info, I have some good advise to share based on some recent experiences.

If you decide to go to Oktoberfest after work on a Friday, and that carries on to the Palamino Club, which leads to eating breakfast at Smitty's at 1 am, followed by a stop at Perkins the next day around noon on the way to pick up your car, it is not a good idea to proceed directly to the gym, which is right across the street from where you picked up your car. The results will not be anything like what you hoped for.

You will feel like garbage.

I know that I usually advocate exercise. It is good for you, and often makes you feel better, however after that combination of events, you will not benefit from exercise. If that perfect storm arises in your life, go home, lay back down on your couch, turn on your big screen, and fall asleep to an afternoon football game.

I realize this should be obvious, however I think I'm reasonably intelligent and I figured it would be a good idea to go to the gym.

Thanksgiving

In Canada, tomorrow will be Thanksgiving. Since my holiday Monday will be full of fitness, football and Metallica, I will take this time to say a couple of things on Thanksgiving.

This is a holiday centred around a traditional meal. I love a good turkey dinner and am thankful that once again I will have the opportunity to enjoy another meal this year.

When I was growing up in Russell, Manitoba Thanksgiving meant it was time for Beef and Barley, the town festival. It was always a good time. I didn't often make it home from university but I always made a point of going home for Beef and Barley.

Thanksgiving is really about being thankful for the good things in your life. We all know that the celebration has its roots in being thankful for a bountiful harvest, as this will ensure we can make it through the long winter.

I must say that there are many things I am thankful for:

1. The people in my life. I was lucky and ended up with a great family. You don't get to choose your family but I managed to join one of the best I have ever seen. I have great friends as well. I'm sure there are times I am not the best guy to be around but I have friends that stick with me even when I'm less than perfect. You can choose your friends, and my friends choose to stick with me, and for that I am very thankful.

2. Being Canadian. There is some choice in your nationality depending on your circumstance. I have never questioned how great it is to be Canadian. We can speak freely. We look out for each other. We can effect change. We can travel freely. We can live safely and comfortably. This is all partly in due to being Canadian.

3. Free Speech. This may be linked to being Canadian, but I am truly thankful for the concept of free speech. The ability to express our differing opinions openly without fear of persecution is a very powerful concept. This is the only way to advance ideas and better the world we live in. It is important to understand for this to work we need tolerance and be willing to look at the counterpoint for its merits.

That's all I have to say on being thankful. Everyone should take some time and spend time with people important to you and take a moment to reflect on what you are truly thankful.

This is Too Easy But...

I drove to work and out for lunch, to the barber, to the grocery store, and home today. It was probably about an hour and fifteen minutes in total. I saw five people run red lights today. Four of them were not even close.

It is common for people to complain about Winnipeg drivers. There are a lot of bad drivers in Winnipeg. There are a lot of bad drivers everywhere. There is no reason people should drive badly. It is not that hard. Most people drive cars that are almost completely automated. We do not have to shift gears, adjust fuel flow, set the spark advance, monitor the engine temperature, turn on the lights, adjust our breaking if we stop suddenly, straighten our car out if it skids on ice, turn on our windshield wipers, or darken our rear view mirror. I realize that not every car does every task but most do most.

If the car is doing all of this, I'm sure the driver has enough mental capacity to accelerate, break, turn, and look out for signals and other vehicles. It is not that difficult.

I am not saying I am a perfect driver. I do make mistakes from time to time, but I do look out and do my best to not cause grief to to others.

It is time for people to start driving better.

SAD

Fall is here. With it the days are definitely getting shorter. With this usual occurrence I now have to wake up before the sun comes over the horizon. Well, I don't actually have to get up, but if I don't I will probably not be employed very long. I have always found it harder to wake up before the sun gets up than after. I also find it harder to be chipper when it I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. I'm pretty sure I am somewhat effected by Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD.

I am not incapacitated by it, but I do notice over the winter I don't seem to have as much umph as I do in the summer.

I have also discovered a couple of things that help me:

a. Regular Exercise. The more I go to the gym the better I seem to feel.

b. Getting Out. Going out and doing things, even if they are trivial make me feel better.

c. Eating Healthy. I am not proclaiming I always eat well however, I do notice the better I eat the less I seem to affected by the dark and cold.

I see signs of SAD in a lot of people. It seems the to grow on itself. As people become more affected by it, they seem to not do the things that help themselves and as such it gets worse for them.

I'm not a doctor or any other type of medical authority, but I figure everyone should try to reduce the probability of suffering through SAD. If nothing else it will make the people around you happy.

After a Long Drive

I spent a good portion of last week-end driving to Thunder Bay and back. It is a scenic drive, but it is rather long and is primarily a two lane highway from Falcon Lake on. Needless to say I had a fair amount of sitting motionless in the truck. You have to be alert to drive but you sure don't move very much. Nineteen hours of sitting doesn't get you much exercise.

To add to the unhealthiness, I ate several greasy burgers and the dreaded KFC.

By the time I returned to Winnipeg I was feeling rather lethargic, bloated, and generally crappy.

Monday I returned to the gym. It was not an enjoyable workout. Things hurt. I could feel the remaining greasy food lumbering about in my gut. I didn't seem to be too strong. But, something happened as the workout carried on. I started to feel a bit better. As the day went on I felt a lot better. I started to feel like I normally do. About three hours after my workout I was feeling quite good.

I am sure it was the exercise that improved my overall feeling. I am sure that my life is greatly improved because I regularly work out. There is no magic snake oil that makes you young. Regular exercise will help with feeling like you feel young.

If people don't want to exercise that is their choice but I do not want to hear them complain that they feel old. It would only take a few trips to the gym to take a lot of years off of how you feel.

So I Went To the Apple Store

I had some time today so I checked out the new Apple Store in Winnipeg. This is a retail marvel. Simple accessibility, lots of equipment to try, bright room, friendly staff, and excellent staff. Overall it is an excellent space. I browsed for a while. I tried out some equipment. Eventually I was approached to see if I need any help.

I have a 5 year old Acer computer. It barely does anything anymore. Time has passed it by. I have been completely turned off by Microsoft in the last couple of years. It is cumbersome and glitchy at best. The best offering that Windows has ever had (XP) is no longer available and is barely supported. My computing experience is generally not enjoyable due to the interface and equipment I have.

So I bought a MacBook Pro.

This is my first blog entry on my new computer. It is different, but really easy to use. It is intuitive. It is fast. It is even a bit nifty. It was simple to set up. The help is clear and straight forward. It is everything the commercials promised so far. I'm sure that there will be times I have difficulties but so far so good.

How Can You Tell Fall is Here?

There are always a number of ways to confirm fall has arrived in Winnipeg. After having an excellent month of September weather wise, in Winnipeg, the weather has returned to more typical temperatures. There are a number of ways to confirm that it is in fact fall:

1. School buses have returned to the streets.

2. It gets dark a lot sooner.

3. It is not as warm.

4. Football and hockey have returned to the collective consciousness.

5. The gym is once again busy with people doing their cardio.

During the warm months many people choose to exercise outside. I'm all for this. We need to enjoy every minute of nice weather in places like Winnipeg. It was quite noticeable, on the first cool day I was at the gym, the population was triple what it had been during our beautiful September.

It's good to see that a lot of people are taking charge of their life and wellness. It's good to see people were taking advantage of the nice weather during September. I think slowly, Canadians are embracing the idea of being more active.

No matter how slow the change is, as long as more Canadians are actively exercising and living a healthier lifestyle the better we all are, even if it means the gym is suddenly much more busy.