Litter bugs

I was visiting my nieces in Brantford yesterday.  I decided to take them for a walk in the "little red wagon" or (green plastic as the case may be) to the grocery store.

We walked down the residential street to the sidewalk that ran along the main road.  From there is was about a 10 minute walk to the mall with the grocery store, hair cutter, gym, coffee place etc that all these generic suburban settings have.

As we walked along the pathway the surrounded the parking lot, in front of all the stores, I was blown away with the amount of litter strewn everywhere.  Receipts, coffee cups, candy wrappers etc.

I watched people get in and out of their cars, go in and out of the stores, oblivious to the fact.  Ignorant to the point that the litter was clearly just white noise to them.

We completed our little shopping trip and began the trek back home.  As we traversed the mall, I couldn't take it anymore.  I had to do my share and hopefully contribute in a little way to cleaning the place up. I bent down and picked up so rubbish and placed in the garbage can not 5 feet away.  I continued on our walk, only to find myself picking up garbage every few feet and placing it in the bins that were placed, seriously, every 10 feet or so.  There is no excuse people!

There was a garbage can beside every store entrance and yet somehow people just drop litter as they enter and exit on their way to their cars.  It doesn't take much.  Just walk the extra few feet.  In fact, this just reinforces my previous post about laziness.

What kind of example are we leaving our children.  We all laugh at how kids say the craziest things, likely from over hearing the adults around them.  It also extends to our actions.  Didn't we all learn as kids that littering was "bad"?  Why do we choose to ignore those lessons?  Or worse, teach those same lessons to our kids at home and at school and then provide a poor example.

On the remainder of our walk home I began to notice the garbage that was all along the main road.  It is one thing to casually drop a receipt on the sidewalk, not that I can excuse that behaviour, but it is something else to be driving along at 50km/h, open a window, take the last gulp out of your slurpee and jettison the extra-extra large cup out the window to join the cigarette boxes, water bottles, shoes, napkins, coffee cups etc along the roadside.

We should all be ashamed of ourselves for this behaviour.  We are fortunate enough to live in a country as vast, beautiful and largely clean as Canada.  We should not be acting like this.  You would just drop your empty coffee cup on the floor of your living room would you?  Or would you?

Take responsibility for your actions, your home, you town, your province and your country.  Clean up after yourself - it really isn't that hard.

Selfish and Lazy

March 14, 2010

One of the central tenants to humanity, in my opinion anyway, is that we are all selfish and lazy.  If didn’t have to, we’d all stay in bed watching TV eating Doritos.

The only reason we don’t do that, at least some of us, is because to varying degrees we have some sort of work ethic or aspiration or desire to be more than we are instilled in us.  Even those that are “successful” still demonstrate these intrinsic behaviours of laziness and selfishness.

Let me cite some examples.  Yesterday, I was walking down the street on a very windy day.  Outside of my local coffee shop was a gentlemen desperately trying to suck back as much of his cigarette as quickly as possible before he got too wet or cold.  As he paced back and forth he walked around a garbage can that had been knocked over in the wind.  The garbage can belonged to the coffee shop which he was frequenting.   Only interested in his nicotine fit and not at all interested in expending any extra energy he did nothing to right the can.  In fact, no one who passed it on the sidewalk did anything either.

Other examples: 

• People who bud in line
• People who don’t signal when turning corners in their car or changing lanes on the freeway
• People that litter
• People that don’t hold the elevator
• Etc

In fact, in day to day life, you can find all sorts of examples of people’s behaviour that when you think about it can be explained by these two concepts.

It takes effort, work even, to participate in the world around us.  I suppose that is why it is called work.  Getting up in the morning is work, getting dressed is work, making dinner is work. It is far easier to order pizza than to make a nutritious meal – my goodness that might involve leaving the house to go to the store to buy vegetables!  Staying fit requires work for crying out loud!  As does holing the door for someone, buying flowers, being nice etc.

Life is hard work, get used to it.

Impressions of NYC

November 5-9, 2009

Nine years ago I found myself in New York City on my birthday. I was there for business but had the good fortune of working for a great boss who introduced me to the city and showed my how to order a proper martini! On top of that, I had a couple of friends working in NYC at the time who I was able to also celebrate with.

This year for my birthday I found myself in NYC again, this time with Dan. We came in on a Thursday and out on a Monday. We had an awesome time! NYC is just an amazing city. Below are some of my impressions from our stay.


We managed to get ourselves into the Hudson Hotel at Columbus Circle (58th street and 9th ave). Awesome hotel. It's like staying in a dance club. Rooms are super small but the aesthetic is pretty slick. The windows don't do much to block out the noise of the city. Seriously, it never gets quiet in New York.


We spent the first day treking up and down 5th Ave. FAO Schwarz rocks! You totally feel like a kid in there. I've never seen so many stuffed toys of so many different sizes. Tourist trick - the view from the 2nd floor up and down the Avenues is pretty good.


Just outside FAO is of course the famous Apple store (the glass cube). Had to go in there and check it out. We laughed at all the tourists taking the glass cylinder elevator down the one floor instead of the stairs. But it is hard to resist, we took it on the way up! LOL. Dan, being a "PC" couldn't wait to get out of there.


We came across the Trump Hotel where his show was filmed. The interior is classic Trump - acres of pink marble and gold fixtures. Classic 80's glam but I will give him credit for executing great craftsmanship. You really don't see it like that anymore in the modern world.


Heading south on 5th I came to appreciate the energy of the city. People everywhere, going in all directions. Everyone in motion, all connected to their BBs and iPhones. iPhone is the clear winning in NYC by the way.


Even with all this activity I was struck by how friendly everyone was. New Yorkers often pick up a 5 second conversation with anyone who will listen. There was a humanity there that you don't get in TO. In TO we walk around pretending there is no one around us and are often caught off guard when someone dares to speak to us. In NY people will pick up and drop off of a conversation very easily. It was really very nice. Oh and by the way, it was never about the weather. :)


Times Square really is something to see. Tonnes of people, tonnes of billboards of all descriptions all lit up. You could stand there all day and just watch TV from all the various screens. They've also done an amazing job making it pedestrian friendly. They've taken out an entire lane of traffic from Broadway for bikes, pedestrians and even tables and chairs to sit back and relax. Good for them!


Central Park is just amazing. You don't have to go too far into the park to completely forget that you are in the city. The sound drops away, it gets quiet and it is massive. it is really very cool to look around you and see so much green; lawns, trees and then the sky scrapers popping up above the trees.


The skyscrapers are amazing. They have so much character given how old many of them are. Any architecture buff will have a field day. The Rockafeller center specifically is just amazing. Truly art deco in its execution. The Rainbow Room was unfortunately closed for renovations so we couldn't get up. We did make it up the Empire State Building however. Those are some serious views - check out the pics in the album posted here.


We spent a lot of time walking through all the different neighbourhoods. Greenwish, Soho, lower east side, meat packing, mid town, upper west etc. i think my favourite was Greenwich. Awesome, low rise townhomes and buildings. I felt like I was in a little village. Shopping in Soho by the way is killer!


We spent some time at the World Trade Centre. I had never seen the twin towers so I can only guess at the physical impact of that tragedy. The city has done an amazing job with the memorial centre they have created. It gives a very good sense of the enormity of the event. I cannot imagine what it must have been like and I admire the strength of New Yorkers to rise above it and get through it. The plans for the memorial itself are inspiring and I look forward to seeing them when they are complete.


With respect to food I think one would be hard pressed to have a bad meal. Whether dining in Hell's Kitchen or just in a local deli, the food was great! We even ended up eating in the same restaurant when Mr. Big (Chris Noth) came in for dinner.


Oh one thing that we were blown away with was the number of french speaking people we encountered. It was like being in Montreal. :)


I truly fell in love with the city and I can't wait to go back. The weather was amazing. We had been told that November was a great time to visit and I totally agree. It is a memorable city with so much to do. For us, it was more profound to realize what we didn't see versus what we did. I totally need to go back. I can see myself going back every year.

Separation Anxiety part 2

Well, my partner has been gone for 1 month now.  It has been different for sure.

Initially, when i think back to what i was feeling, it can most closely be compared to a major break up.  all over the house are memories of him.  all my habits remind me of him.

he likes to have the toothpaste on the right side, i like it on the left.  so seeing it on the left, reminds me that he likes it on the right.  

our morning routine is no longer valid.  our weekend routine of going for a walk is an ever present reminder of his absence.

but i adapt.

the first couple of weeks really reminded of me of being single again.  all my old single routines needed to be reinstated.  for example, i had become accustomed to making dinner for two.  now it is just me.  back to left overs.

back to working late at the office too.  no reason to come home either.

after several weeks, the routine is establishing itself.  my friends have been fantastic, keeping me top of mind and inviting me out for dinners and social events.

i'm starting to feel more comfortable with it all now.

we are blessed with the state of technology.  given the 12 hour difference we are able to communicate by email and text almost real time.  online chat has been great too on the weekends when we are both in front of a computer.  midnight for me, lunch for him.

we've even chatted on the phone a couple of times.  it was weird though...both calls were slightly awkward, both of us searching for things to say.  i was a bit upset until i realized that due to our regular electronic communication we were actually current. there was nothing to say.

however, even though things are going well and i'm adapting just fine there is one thing that happens every day.

whenever i get into bed at night, it is incredibly obvious that he is not there.  our evening routine of a quick chat, a cuddle and a kiss are not there.

that is when i miss him the most.

Separation Anxiety

So my partner decided a while back to pursue volunteer work with an organization that places people overseas.  After much back and forth, ups and downs, his departure date is fast approaching.

I'm very proud of him and support him completely in this new adventure.

That said, I'm going to miss him terribly.  Yes, I will get on a plane and join him for some R&R at some point during his 6 months term.  It is still going to be weird.

We've of course been separated for days at a time when we've travelled on business, but in the back of one's mind you know the other will be home again soon and in the meantime you busy yourself with work.

What am I going to do on that first weekend that he is not here?  What about our weekend morning routine of waking, reading the paper and then walking up to the high street for a coffee?

Now I'm mature enough to know that I'll be just fine, as will he.  We'll both focus on our lives as they are for these 6 months.  But what about when he comes back?  Will things be the same?  Can they be the same given what life has thrown at us in isolation of each other?

It is at times like this that his influence on my life becomes apparent. 

I'm analyzing, which I believe it good and important to do.  But in my heart I know that both he and I will be just fine.

I'm still just a little scared though.