Staycation

I used to use a lot of my time to just stay home and chill out. It was a product of a lot of work travel. Since I moved and have reduced my work travel, I have have been using a lot of my time to go places, both near and far. Well, this last week I took the week off and just hung out. 

I had very little on the schedule. The only thing I had to do was convince a doctor I had never met before that I was still healthy enough to fly airplanes. As it turns out, I am. I did a few things that you would expect, such as laundry and grocery shopping. I went to the gym three times, as I do most weeks. I saw a couple of movies and liked them both.

What I did with most of my off time is sleep. 

I knew I was getting a bit tired but I had no idea how bad it had become. Getting tired is a slow and insidious thing. It doesn't happen overnight and each day you really aren't any worse than the day before. Over the long haul, you can get pretty tired and that's what happened to me.

On Friday I woke up refreshed. I looked at myself in the mirror as I brushed my teeth and noticed I looked much more refreshed. I have also noticed my mind is much sharper. I am thinking like I can.

I've always been a guy who will grind himself down. I feel I have to get things done or take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. It's a good way to live. It makes life worth living. The drawback is you can get really tired if you are not paying attention. 

It was great to get caught up on some sleep. I feel I can take anything on. The alarm is set and I will take on anything that pops up, all because I took a staycation.

Room Service

I stay in a lot of hotel rooms, it comes with travelling regularly. Most rooms are better or worse. They have a great bed or a lumpy mattress. The TV can be too small. Most of this really doesn't matter and most are comparable. There is one thing that is lacking in almost every hotel.

There is nowhere to plug in your devices.

There may be one plug in on the lamp. There is almost never a plug in near the bed that is not being used. 

If you are providing free wi-fi, what do you expect us to use it on.

Nearly everyone travels with a cell phone and some other devices. Business travellers often have a lot of equipment and use it in their hotel room.  If you don't have anywhere to plug in, you are not serving the needs of today's traveller.

Thankfully, this can be easily rectified.

All it takes is a power bar on the desk in the room.  It should have enough plugs to power up your phone while you use your laptop and maybe charge your iPod. If you buy them in bulk, you probably will get a decent model for under $10. If it's there to be used it will be and quickly pay for itself. This luxury is so uncommon, word of mouth would quickly drive business up.  Companies would see you as a location of choice. It would be an improvement, that would be noticed, for very little cost.

We have all been there. We have all been crawling behind the bed or the chair, looking for a place to plug in. The problem is only multiplied by the number of people in the room.

So, if you run a hotel, take note and give the modern traveller a place to plug in.

Olympic

After two weeks, the Olympic games in London have come to an end. I didn't comment on them as they happened but as a package there is a lot that can be said.

As always there were winners and losers. There were people who tried to cheat and were caught. There were people who didn't mean to cheat but were disqualified. The officials made some calls that had people shaking their heads.

There were some amazing moments.

Usain Bolt revved up the big engine and won three gold medals.

Michael Phelps won enough medals to become the most decorated Olympian ever.

Ian Miller competed in his 10th Olympic games. His Olympic campaign has lasted longer than my career will probably last. That is incredible focus and dedication.

The Canadian women's soccer team won a bronze and it was celebrated.

Records were broken and so were hearts.

Some people did their best and it wasn't good enough, at least they know they couldn't have been better on that day.

There was controversy in Badminton. Some players were trying to lose so they could face easier opponents. That may speak to a problem with the tournament structure. However, this is the Olympics. It only comes once every four years and you don't know if you are ever going to make it back. I can't imagine being the person who looks back and says, I didn't do the best I could. That would haunt me.

I like the idea of the Olympics. It brings the world together and makes the world watch. It makes you proud of your country. You get the highest and the lowest. It is a human drama that may or may not go as expected.

I didn't go to London. I may go to Rio. You never know what the future may bring but i'm sure the Olympics will be full of excitement.