Butt Out

I've been dwelling on this for a while. An increase to locations where smoking is prohibited is on its way to Ottawa. Soon you will not be able to smoke on patios, beaches, parks, and at festivals on city land. As usual there is backlash from people who choose to smoke. Why wouldn't there be? This change is further limiting their ability to smoke.

The social acceptability of smoking has been decreasing over the last several years. I would be surprised if there were five people who worked on the same floor I do that smoke. With the significant cost and damage to personal health, I don't understand why anyone would even want to smoke.

There is the argument that I always hear about it being an individual's body and they can do whatever they want. The free will side of me agrees if you want to degrade their quality of life, why should I care. Well, in a nation that has universally accessible health care, there is a cost to all taxpayers for everyone who smokes. There are not a lot of people requiring long term medical care, in or out of hospitals because they have been exercising too much. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who use costly treatment and management of smoking related illnesses including lung cancer, emphysema, COPD, and heart disease, just to name a few. So, we all pay for that. The government wouldn't need all those tax dollars they collect from cigarette sales if they didn't need to expend them on smoking related diseases.

There are really only a couple of things that detract from my daily walk to and from work. One is freezing rain, the other is tobacco smoke. It's quite prevalent. It only takes one person upwind of you to foul your time. It happens every time I walk. I accept it. Overall, the benefits of walking far outshines the brief moments I have to endure second hand smoke but it is always there.

It's unfortunate that people choose to smoke. It always starts out as a choice. At some point many develop a physical addiction, then they are trapped until they can build a lot of willpower to quit. Making smoking less accessible will only help motivate someone to quit. Hopefully many people will take that step and start leading a better life.

Bad Perception

I have to get something off my chest. It's been bugging me for a while and doesn't seem to be going away.

Last fall when I went back to Manitoba for Christmas I had the pleasure of going through the new passenger terminal at the airport in Winnipeg. It's nice and it's shiny and it makes sense. My beef is people keep referring to it as the new airport.

The airport is not new.

The runways are the same. The taxiways are the same. The NavAids are the same. Moist of the buildings are the same. If you are flying as a passenger you drive down the same road to get to the new terminal is the same as the old one. So, why do people keep referring to it as the new airport?

There are two possible explanations.

It may be possible most people don't understand what an airport is. Their only experience is as a passenger so they incorrectly ass opiate the passenger terminal with the totality of the airport.

It also may be possible that the recent name change to the airport has thrown them off a bit. What was once known as Stevenson Field, then became the Winnipeg International Airport, is now known as the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.

For whatever reason, people are confused and I don't understand why. If they had built the new passenger terminal on the other side of the maneuvering surfaces I could understand some confusion. You would have to drive a different route to get there. It would be easy to perceive it was a new airport but you don't. It's the same road in. In fact you can see the old terminal from the new terminal.

Maybe I'm being picky on this point but if they had built a new runway or updated central de-icing nobody would say there is a new airport but the new passenger terminal has made a lot of people thing there is a new airport and if that's how people perceive what a new airport is, we may not be in as good a place as we should be.

Don't Overdo It

Last weekend I curled in a bonspiel. It's the same one I have gone to for years. There was a bit of a twist this year. I haven't thrown a curling rock in a year. It's not the end of the world but like any physical activity, if you haven't done it regularly you should probably ease into it.

The way the draw worked out, I had to play two games on the first night. It wasn't really a good job of taking it easy. My somewhat competitive nature may have influenced me to play as hard as I can.

It turns out if you are your mid-thirties and jump into two games with both feet, you may feel the consequences of your actions.

Despite the fact that I walk back and forth to work and exercise regularly, I could definitely feel some muscles that Re not used to curling. The main muscles were ok but all those muscles that support you had a different opinion. My ankles hurt. The inside of my left thigh definitely knew I had thrown some curling rocks, and my right thumb definitely lost some mobility for a few hours.

By Sunday night any curling related pain was gone and only the great memories of all the fun remained. I may have jumped in with little regard for injury but I had no regrets since I had so much fun.

Too Late

I wasn't exactly a fan of her's but Whitney Houston's talent was undeniable. She could sing and it could stir your soul. It appeared she wasn't even trying, it just came naturally.

I have been thinking about her passing all day. There has been the usual public outpouring of sympathy. Even though she hasn't done much lately, she has left an indelible mark on the world.

There have also been the stories of her troubled years. She definitely had some demons in her life.

I am not famous, I don't know,what it is like to be constantly scrutinized. I think it could become tiring and you may want to escape from time to time.

It was obvious to almost everyone she needed help. My question is, why didn't someone in her life make the difference?

It's not tragic that a celebrity died it's tragic that a person died. We just know about it because she was famous.

The people around her should have done more.

Someday we will find out why she passed. It may have been an acute occurrence or it may have been from years of hard living. Either way it could have been avoided. Someone should have helped.

I wasn't a fan but I appreciated her talent, now she will lie in peace. That's unfortunate because it didn't have to happen yet.

The Value of Standards

For a long time I was a Standards Officer. It was my job to ensure that things happened the way they are supposed to. It's not always easy to do so but it is important.

Tonight, I went for supper in a restaurant in the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, in Quebec City. The meal was impeccable. A big reason it was so good is the organization has high and uncompromising standards for their meals.

Operating to a high standard can be expensive. It can lead to significant training costs and large rejection rates. That being said, having high standards and projecting that image, can allow you to charge a premium price. The meal I had tonight was not cheap but I felt I received value for my money.

I understand that not everyone can be The Fairmont. That being said, everyone can do the best job possible within the resources they have. Anything less is not maximizing value for yourself or the people you serve.

Cold Dark Winter

I'm on the road this week. It can be good to get out of the office from time to time. For the most part I am enjoying my time. There was one small hiccup.

The first night I had no heat in my room.

This would not be a problem if I was in Cancun but I'm in Valcartier Quebec. It was a bit chilly. I figured out a way to stay warm enough. It was definitely an inconvenience but manageable. Some extra clothes and not moving to a cold spot in the bed got me through the night. In the morning, I carried on. I was a bit grumpy but it wasn't the end of the world.

There were 25 other people that also didn't have heat. Some were adaptable and some were not.

I understand why people were disgruntled. It is 2012 and unless you are told otherwise, you should expect that a room in a building will be heated.

I will say, the issue was fixed for last night and I slept really well.

Life will throw you some unexpected things. If they get fixed up, they make for good stories over beer. If they don't, it's not such a good thing.