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.