A Routine

It can be surprising how quickly people can fall into a routine. I'm currently living in barracks style accommodations. I't decent. I get my own room but the washroom and shower is down the hall. Not the end of the world. There are lots of facilities. Here's the thing. I seem to always use the third toilet from the end and the first shower on the right. Beyond that, I actually found myself getting a bit upset that I wasn't able to use them one time because someone else was using them.


There is no reason I should get upset about this. They are communal use assets and I know that. I have no claim to them but I was upset my routine was changed.


It may sound crazy but I had legitimate feelings that this wasn't right. It shouldn't be that way but as I get older, I don't adapt as well as I used to. I find I just have to deal with it like I always have but now I don't want to. That's the part I find strange.


I see a lot of small things really bother people and I am often dumbfounded at why these minor inconveniences could be such a bother. I'm finding I'm becoming more like that. Maybe I should just adjust my attitude and get over it, after all I think I'm better than not begin able to sit on the same toilet seat all the time.


Yup, it sounds just as silly when I type it as when I say it.

Idle Pilots

This is probably true in any flying organization but idle pilots are up to no good.  After some bad weather this last week, I can safely say this is true.


A lot of people who learn to fly are Type A personalities. Not everyone is like that but the type dominates the community. Not all weather is conducive to all types of flying and when pilots cannot fly for extended periods of time, they tend to get a bit punchy.


This makes a lot of sense. They want to be contributing and moving forward. Their day is scheduled to be full of flying when it's not there isn't much to do. This is compounded with the weather that usually prevents pilots from flying isn't much good for a lot of other activities. So, they sit around, come up with silly ideas and generally stew.


Several days of bad weather can lead to bad morale. Pilots must be flying to be happy. I am no different. The good thing is one good day of flying can significantly lift the spirits of everyone. If you get some air under your bum, you feel alive again. All the crappy feelings go away, you are happy.


Hopefully going forward there is lots of good weather so we can keep flying and we don't have a bunch of idle pilots.

Playing Tourist

I drove up to Pictou Nova Scotia today. It's a really nice place. I wandered around and took some pictures. It was a good day off.


I have the opportunity to travel as part of my job and when I have time off I like to explore a bit. This was a neat place to visit. It's historic sea-side town. It looks good and there were a lot of people around.  The place was fairly lively.


If most people have their way they wouldn't work but I think a lot of people would let their time go to waste. It's their choice but after the enjoyment I had today, it has been reinforced to me to get out and see things. It doesn't have to bee the coolest things but as you see more you get a greater sense of the world.


All to often people let their lives slip by. I too have been guilty of it at times. It's important to see what the world has to offer. Especially being Canadian, living in such a diverse nation, the more you see the better you appreciate others point of view. You can get a lot of this by playing tourist.


It was a good day today and I better understand a few more things because of it.

Beer or Exercise

As I left the airfield today it was mentioned that a co-worker and I should leave some beer for the crew coming off the last shift. I replied by saying I was going to the gym, and I did.


There was a long period in my life where a beer after work would always trump anything else. It seems that those days are behind me. I've noticed since I have been in Nova Scotia for a temporary assignment and have not been exercising as much, my body does not react well to not walking to work and back everyday and working out hard three times a week.


I think part of this is from getting older and my body not recovering from things as quickly. I think part of this is from wanting a different life than I used to.


I'm not saying I don't like beer but the time and places have become much more limited and I'm quite happy with that. I like to feel good at work. I like to be productive. I'm past the days where the only thing I want to talk about is how crazy last night was.


The gym has the magical power of making you feel much better. A bit of healthy stress on the body makes it cope a lot better and makes it not have to work so hard to get through the normal day.


When given the choice of beer or exercise I will pick one but it depends on the situation.

Good O' Canada

Yesterday was Canada Day where everyone Canadian celebrates everything Canadian. I did so by working and then drinking some beer.


Being Canadian is a blessing. There is so much that I love about it. Here are a few of the things I absolutely love about being Canadian:


1.  You have the freedom to disagree. You don't have to tow the party line and can choose to argue against any policy. It's important to know you can say what you truly believe and still be accepted. In fact you are encouraged to step outside the box and go against the grain.


2.  Diversity is encouraged. Canadians celebrate our differences. We tell jokes about them. We talk about how it can be difficult to be accepting but we work to be tolerant of differences. We want to know what's cool about our differences. 


3.  We are free to travel and many have the means to do it. I am writing this from Nova Scotia as I temporarily work from a different location. I have had many chances to see many places and I know many people who have as well. It's great to see many different places inside and outside of Canada.


4.  We like to have fun. Canadians try to not take life too seriously. We have serious moments. I am always all business when I'm below 100 feet while flying airplanes but I try to inject as much fun in as often as I can.


5.  We take care of each other.  We stop to help on the side of the road. We cover for our friends and we have universal healthcare. We are generally helpful by nature. We do it to a fault.


6.  We value education. We believe it is important to be knowledgeable about what we do and we make post-secondary education accessible to most of our population.


There are many, many other things that are great about being Canadian. I could keep writing for pages but that's not the point. I picked a few things that I really like and left a lot that I also like. It's amazing to be Canadian. Our problems are so minor and insignificant compared to much of the world and we are lucky. Now, if we could do something about winter....

The Value of Staying Optimistic

I have to admit, I'm not having the best week. I haven't slept well for several nights and there is a lot on my mind. So, when I looked out the window before leaving the office yesterday and it was raining lightly, it seemed like it couldn't get worse.

I don't mind walking to or from work in light rain. It's a lot better if I have a jacket but on the good bad scale its really not bad. Yesterday I didn't have a jacket and it just irked me. I actually complained out loud to the two people within earshot. We all have those moments. I also knew it would be a rainy day today so I figured it would be better becuase I would be prepared with my jacket.

This morning as I left for my 30 minute walk to work, it wasn't raining at all. I thought I had cheated nature. I figured it was going quite well. About a block before King Edward, I looked at the sky and my heart sank. It was dark on the horizon, coming my way, and I had to walk right into it. By the time I reached the Rideau Centre, it was raining quite hard. my jacket was soaked, my wool pants were drenched and even my feet were starting to get wet. What's worse is it is still about 10 minutes of walking to get to the office. Thankfully the rain let up to a light but very steady rain by the time I arrived at work.

Many people tell me that I'm a glass half full kind of guy. Often I am, there is no point in complaining when that energy can be used to solve the problem. This week I have not been so cheery and I lost a relatively good afternoon to my own grumpiness. If I would have stayed optimistic, I would be in a better place right now.

Time flies, and before you know it you have a lot of stories to tell. The key is to recognize when things aren't so bad and see the upside whenever you can. I lost what would have been decent time because I didn't, I'm sure I will do it again but I hope I limit the occurances to as few as possible.

Dog Days of Summer

I love summer. It has a lot going for it. It is a lot easier to be outside in the summer. You don't have to get bundled up and hope for the best. You wear light clothing and enjoy the weather.


Beyond the weather people seem to be more social in the summer. The pace of life slows down and everyone is more likely to chat. People seem to be more approachable, its probably related to the weather.


A lot of people have told me that if it was always summer I would not truly appreciate how good it is.  I suppose if I had not lived through over 30 Manitoba winters that may be true but I could go a long time without winter before I would ever take summer for granted.


Cities come alive in the summer. People are out on the patio enjoying their favourite beverage. It's easier to interact with the people around you. Strolling to the next place is almost a right of passage. It's a good thing.


Not every summer day is perfect. It rains. I think these less than perfect days are enough to make me appreciate the good days even more.


I love summer, it makes life worth living.