One of the favourite things I enjoy doing is visiting my friends Dave & Eileen which I do most every Friday after suffering through another work week. We end up sitting at the kitchen table for hours drinking and reminiscing about past events. Over the years we’ve gone on several road trips together to the States but only once have all three of us gone together. This gives me a definite advantage because we tend to jump from one incident to another in our story-telling. Such was the case... Read Full Story

Some people do it more than others; some won’t admit to doing it; others do it without even realizing it. What is it? We all gossip! According to Wikepedia, “Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing (unproven) facts and views.” But, how do you distinguish between gossip and normal conversation? Often when I’m talking with a friend the conversation will begin with “What’s new?” Recen... Read Full Story

It’s time now to reveal secrets! Have you ever been involved in an office romance? With the news recently about David Letterman’s “indiscretions” with staff, the topic of office romances has been gaining some coverage. Some experts are claiming that millions every year enter into at least one romance starting from work. Personally, I see nothing wrong in being involved with someone from work – but there are certain conditions that should be met. For example, if you’re married, then you shou... Read Full Story

It’s that time of year again and so I’ll wish a Happy Turkey Day to any Canadians reading this. Last year at this time we had a double dose of it because the day after Thanksgiving was Election Day in Canada, so on Monday we ate turkey and on Tuesday we voted for turkeys! I don’t usually take part in these types of posts but I found this “I’ve come to Realize” on a couple of blogs I read (All Stace, All the Time and My kids are my World) and decided, what the heck,a blog isn’t a blog until y... Read Full Story

Do you ever avoid saying something to someone because you know it will cause conflict? Usually, I will say what’s on my mind when discussing subjects that don’t specifically relate to myself – current events, politics, religion, whatever. And, I don’t really care if what I say may offend or if I know that it will definitely cause an argument. But, when the issue at hand might involve a conflict with friends or family, I often don’t bring it up. A case in point involves a discussion I had wi... Read Full Story

I’ve been working in the hotel industry for the past 30 years and have come to realize that no matter how much effort you put into pleasing guests, problems always arise. One thing for certain – there’s never a dull moment because you’re dealing with people from all over the world and with different people on a daily basis. What we have to deal with on a daily basis will probably surprise you. So, here’s a “behind-the-scenes” look at some issues I’ve had to deal with over the past couple of... Read Full Story

Underage drinking has been around since alcohol first became available. Back in the ‘60’s when I was a teen, we partied a lot and attitudes toward drinking were much different than today and thankfully so, because when I think back about those times there was little concern about drinking and driving. It was almost like “I have to drive because I’m too drunk to walk!” There’s an organization in the States called the “Amethyst Initiative” that is questioning the minimum drinking age of 21. T... Read Full Story

How we feel about the events in our lives is very important. Such things as getting married or divorced, changing or losing a job, coping with the death of a loved one or an ongoing illness are all stressful. Then there’s the daily hassles of dealing with traffic jams, rude people or things that don’t work. It takes a lot to get me angry or stressed out. As I approach retirement, however, I’m finding that growing older is an experience I worry about. Aging brings with it new forms of stress ... Read Full Story

This past weekend in the States saw yet another protest, this time in Washington. The right to protest – to come out and show your disdain for or support of various issues – is something that we value. As a citizen of a free society I believe in the rights of people to protest. If you truly believe in a cause then there is nothing wrong in showing your support for it. Watching TV news coverage of recent protests throughout the States it is disappointing to see the amount of coverage that is... Read Full Story

I had been looking forward to the Labour Day long weekend so that I could head out on another of my road trips, but alas, it was not to be! Instead, I’m stuck at home recovering from a bout of bronchial pneumonia. About 2 weeks ago I developed what I thought was just a chest cold. When it didn’t clear up after 8 days, I decided to visit the doctor and she put me on antibiotics. After 4 days I’m feeling a little better and will enjoy what’s left of this long weekend!. Speaking of not feeling... Read Full Story