WTF is with the weather this summer?

I know, it's such a Canadian thing to talk (or post) about the weather. But I just couldn't help myself. What is with all this rain? The last time it rained this much was right after Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991!

I live on the River and have a boat but I can't go boating because it's always raining. We spent a small fortune on a tricked out 'top of the line' wake board and it's sitting in the shed along with all the other water toys. I have a small garden that I like to muck about in but these days 'muck' is only an analogy to describe the soil and waterlogged plants. I planted over 100 garlic bulbs last fall, lovingly added compost, spent a ridiculous amount of money on straw to mulch the babies so they wouldn't freeze this winter - and I could barely harvest them the soil was so wet. I'm lucky I only lost about 5 due to rot. I would have cried...

I know, I shouldn't complain. I have lots to be thankful for. I have a roof over my head so my head is dry. I have a boat which, although it is actually our 'addition on our house' $ wise, I do have a boat. The garlic is harvested and hanging to dry in the shed. The flowers and trees are looking very healthy in a tropical rainforest out of control jungle kind of way. And you have to admit, there is nothing like a walk in the woods on a rainy day!

If this became the norm for summers in Kemptville/Ottawa, I'm sure I could get used to it. After all, I was born in Vancouver, it's in my bones....Now if it was only nice and mild in the winter too.....

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Canadian gardening magazines - who are they kidding?

So I'm leafing through a new edition of a famous and trendy Canadian gardening magazine. I couldn't help but notice the lovely garden decor and architectural details. I'm thinking to myself; "well that looks georgeous", but wonder where in Canada this type of decor is feasible.

I mean, who would have thought you could have an outdoor bed including vintage quilts AND a mattress in a mosquito infested yard? And those lovely tall spindle candles, they ought to hold up to a raging thunderstorm, right beside the Laura Ashley table linens!

The 32 potted plants (I counted the pots in one of the features) look beautiful. I don't know about you but I especially enjoy coming home from a long work day and spending the first 60 minutes watering the plants that look to be dying due to the 35C temperatures!

I try to be green and have a rain barrel to collect rainwater to water the plants. It works out well for the first 3 days of a heat wave, but by the 4th day who are we kidding? Screw the rain water! I whip out the hose and water those suckers with the freezing cold well water. They are lucky to get it!

By day 8 of the heatwave I've given up and spend all my 'water arm' muscles on hoisting a couple of cold coronas. The plants start to look much better by the 3rd one!

Ok, it's not that bad. I do love the garden and I have potted up some herbs and flowers (keeping it to a managable number of pots) but I really do wonder where these people in the magazines live?

My humble pots - Happy gardening!

Something to ponder: In gardens, beauty is a by-product. The main business is sex and death. ~Sam Llewelyn

WTF kind of feedback is that?

So I asked for feedback. I appreciate it. It makes what we do that much better. But how is it that some people can give you feedback and you feel as if you won the lottery and yet others scream it in your face like you can never do anything right?

To get ahead in the workplace, any workplace, you need to be able to give and get constructive feedback. I'm the first to admit that I am a tad sensitive and am not THAT good at receiving feedback. But I do ask for it (painful as it may be) and always, always appreciate it and use it to try and make improvements. Yesterday however I asked for feedback and it was given in the same way as a freight train, sledgehammer, cannon shot, bazooka, you get the picture. So I'd like to offer some feedback on how to give feedback.

1/ Always start with positive feedback. If you don't tell someone their work or behavior is good however are they supposed to know?
2/ Ask what it is they are trying to accomplish and what message they are trying to convey.
3/ Give them your perspective as an outsider, NOT a know-it-all.
4/ Do not tell the recipient 5 or even 1 story from your past and how it relates to what they are doing. BORING!
5/ Suggest they also obtain feedback from others. 2 heads are better than 1, 3 are better than 2, you get the picture.
6/ Lighten up for F**ks sake. Don't be so serious. More boring.
7/ End the discussion by summarizing the feedback including the positive. I guarantee you will be sought out again.
8/ Now go for a nice cold corona. Giving good feedback is a tough job and you need to treat yourself.

Something to ponder: Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won't have time to make them all yourself. ~Alfred Sheinwold

Too much work!

What is it that makes us work like dogs for our employers? Why do we come in early, stay late, sit at our desk during our lunch, spend all of our time making sure that everyone else gets what they need? What about our needs?

Wouldn't it be nice if our employers, and I'm not talking about our direct leaders, I'm talking about senior management, came to see us, shake our hands, give us a pat on the back and tell us they appreciate our hard work and tell us what a great job we are doing?

I don't care so much for the title, the money, the odd free day off, I'm talking about the big cheese, coming to my desk, calling me by my name, and thanking me for working my ass off.

In honor of this rant, I have submitted a new definition to urban dictionary.com, I hope you like it:

Workover
Workover is when you have way too many projects all at the same time, you didn't have enough to eat as you were too busy working, and as a result you wake up feeling like you have a hangover even though you had nothing to drink. Being Workover is when the work makes you feel that way, not the booze.
"Man I could barely get out of bed today because I was sooooo Workover".

Something to ponder: Leadership is action, not position. ~Donald H. McGannon

Things that pissed me off today.

The things that pissed me off today. There will be other things on other days as always..

1. Bad drivers. Why are there so many of them? Give me a gun so I can shoot out their tires.
2. Bad parkers. They put the lines there for a reason. If you can't do the lines how did you get your licence?
3. Bus talkers. I have talked about this before. If I wanted to chat with you I wouldn't be wearing my headphones.
4. Slow walkers. Really slow walkers. Are they secret millionaires that have nothing else to do?
5. People who use their blackberries in a meeting. Is your time more valuable than mine?
6. TV Commercials. About 2% of them are good, the rest assume we have the intelligence of a tadpole. This is why I don't watch TV.
7. Whiners. Nuff said.
8. Too many restaurants that serve crappy fried food. Who eats this shit? Why are they still in business?
9. Long lines for anything. I don't know about you but I won't stand in line for ANYTHING!
10. People who think that the world revolves around them. As if! At the end of the day, they will only be remembered for the selfishness. How sad.

I feel much better now.

PS, water is down, dock is in, boat is ready to go!

Something to ponder: I can't complain, but sometimes I still do. ~Joe Walsh

Green Shirt Day

So yesterday was Earth Day. What a great idea. Raise awareness, get people involved, give some project funding for earth friendly activities, wear a green shirt....

Wear a green shirt? What does that have to do with Earth day? My point exactly!

Yesterday....workplace....wear a green shirt and receive a special earth day gift. Woohoo. Now tell me again what wearing a green shirt has to do with Earth Day?
So I arrive at work, not wearing a green shirt as I don't have any, and when I asked what the special gift was I was asked where my green shirt was!

My response....I wash in cold water, I hang my clothes on the line, I compost all vegetable materials, I don't use fertilizers and my whole garden and lawn is pesticide free! NOW GIVE ME MY GIFT!

Happy earth day :)



Something to ponder: There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew. ~Marshall McLuhan, 1964

A little boldness is good for the soul

The big melt is over so today I'm going to rant a bit and talk about the bus people from Mars. I say they are from Mars because they can't possibly be from around here.

Here is the typical daily scenario:
The first persons to get to the bus pick-up area generally should be the first in line on the bus. Not so at all. At least half the martians wait in their nice warm cars until the bus shows up, then go right to the front of the line. Where in the hell did they learn this? It you did this at school you had to go to the back of the line. If you did this at a concert you would get your ass butt-kicked.
Not only do they go to the front of the line, they hurry to pick their favorite seat, and then proceed to hog the seat beside them by dumping all of their baggage there.

These people are all adults. Adult martians no doubt.

So, why am I taking the bus anyway, and why don't I suck it up and quit whining? Good question. I drove 100 km a day for almost 20 years. When I first started to drive it was no problem. 20 years later the traffic is, well, you can imagine. I was going to buy a gun and start shooting tires out. So that is why I'm taking the bus.

So I should suck it up and quit complaining? Nah, what fun is that? Today my friend and I decided wtf, and we quietly got out of our cars, we looked at each other and without saying a word we knew what to do...we both went right to the front of the line.

Something to ponder: But the fruit that can fall without shaking Indeed is too mellow for me.~Mary Wortley Montagu, The Answer

Only in Canada

Only in Canada, where you can put on your hip waders, get in the water and push the ice out, and come inside and watch a hockey game..









Something to ponder: Ice hockey players can walk on water. ~Author Unknown