Small is slowly disappearing. In our rich world small realy does get a bad wrap. Oh, to be small. Tall, grande, large, even medium is better than small. Anything but small.
Today this was proven yet again. I read this morning that Tim Horton's, a doughnut chain in Canada, had decided to eliminate the small-sized drinks serving and replace them with the medium-sized. So I guess that in theory small still exists.....it just got bigger.
It's been sometime since I wrote in my blog but this story has given me the itch again.
Consumption is king in our society and "more for less" is seemingly the law that guides consumer spending and thus the actions of corporations who seem to just blindly accept this law.
I believe I have already written about the pizza ordering episode I once had to endure. I simply wanted to order a medium pizza for delivery. I was told by the nice girl on the other end that I should rather get the special which not only gave me a second pizza for an extra buck or two but also a free two litre bottle of pop and an entire chocolate cake. All I wanted was a medium pizza and it seemed that I was really breaking one of the basic laws of physics. That law was one that the clerk definitely remembered from their physics 101 class because she simply could not understand how a customer could refuse - I did. She succeeded in making me doubt my decision by the way.
This change in Tim Horton's drink sizes also reminds me of how the small drinks at McDonald's are now the same size as the large drinks I used to buy there as a child. It reminds me that you have to know that Starbucks had something called a "short" to now order a short. They'll still serve it...it just is no longer on the menu.
Then we wonder why North Americans waste so much food. I go to most restaurants and feel sick at the end of a meal having pigged out so as not to leave any food on my plate (good boy always finishes his plate). Many people would gladly pay as much for a portion they could actually finish (ie. a smaller one) than leave half of the food on their plate. I know I would. Wouldn't you?
It is time for us to think small is beautiful again. Timmy should not fall for such a brainless law and grow up.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
August 29, 2011
March 7, 2011
North American Trains
I have really tried hard to avoid writing about this. If I look at the draft articles I have written for this blog and kept in draft, no less than three in the last eight months, touch on the subject I am going to breech today. I wanted to avoid the subject, as I tell two of the guys I regular commute with, because I really wanted to believe in the train system and support it. I did not want to whine about it. Today, unfortunately, I just can't hold back and I will be hitting publish on this article - an amalgam of the drafts.
Let me sum it up very simply....trains in North America are terrible. Unreliable and aging they trudge along their lines achingly. Some recent examples from the last ten days...yes only in the last ten days:
A week or so ago I went to Toronto. Rather than drive or fly, I thought I'd try the VIA Rail train that runs between Montreal and Toronto. I arrived at the station thirty minutes prior to boarding, as recommended. At the designated time of departure we got notice that the train was delayed by twenty minutes. Twenty minutes later we were told that it would be another twenty minutes. This was repeated a third time so that we were now one hour late. Finally we were advised that the train had mechanical problems and that it was being pulled out of the yards and would be at the station in twenty or so minutes. Finally we left, approximately two hours late. Mechanical problems.
The same day my wife and children were leaving, via the Amtrak service, for New York City. It is bad enough that this trip normally takes eleven hours (driving takes seven - you really have to want to take the train from Montreal to New York). This particular trip took sixteen. Twice shortly after departure the train had to reverse to, first, go around another broken down train, second, for some unspecified reason. They were one hour late leaving. Then about ten hours into their journey they were advised that the train had hit a fallen tree and that it would have to be towed back to Albany, New York where all passengers were to transfer to another New York City bound train. Mecahnical problems and track maintenance.
Example three. On my ride home from the above mentioned weekend in Toronto I was seated in car 9. This car was the first behind the locomotive. From there the numbers dropped off to one which was, presumably, the last car of the train. (I would have reversed the numbering scheme....but that's just me!) One lady boarded the train with her mother, an elderly woman, and asked where car 10, the car indicated on her ticket, was. Good question! She was informed that car 10 was - get this - a bus!!! Yessir. She was justifiably flabbergasted by this response and told the attendant that she was not leaving the train as her mother was seated in car 9 and, having booked two train tickets for her mother and herself, she did not intend to leave her mother alone while she took a bus to Montreal. Terrible logistics and customer service.
Example four. Today it snowed in Montreal. Yes, it snowed a fair bit (about 15 cm or so) but this is not unusual given the location of the city in Canada. It snows here OK? Let's just say that trains have been running in these conditions, in this country, for well over a century - they have had time to perfect the system. My twenty kilometre commute took two hours. Another mechanical problem was to blame - this time a switch. This switch problem seems to be a recurring issue on these commuter lines as I have had numerous delays caused by frozen, defective switches.
So listen to me. I have really tried to avoid bitching about the reliability of train service in Canada but I simply could not anymore - not after today's marathon commute. For you doubters, those who are thinking that I am complaining for no good reason, I may just hit publish on one or two more of my drafts. Just to drive the point home.
It is time that some investments be made in decent passenger train service in North America. Let's join the modern age folks.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
Let me sum it up very simply....trains in North America are terrible. Unreliable and aging they trudge along their lines achingly. Some recent examples from the last ten days...yes only in the last ten days:
A week or so ago I went to Toronto. Rather than drive or fly, I thought I'd try the VIA Rail train that runs between Montreal and Toronto. I arrived at the station thirty minutes prior to boarding, as recommended. At the designated time of departure we got notice that the train was delayed by twenty minutes. Twenty minutes later we were told that it would be another twenty minutes. This was repeated a third time so that we were now one hour late. Finally we were advised that the train had mechanical problems and that it was being pulled out of the yards and would be at the station in twenty or so minutes. Finally we left, approximately two hours late. Mechanical problems.
The same day my wife and children were leaving, via the Amtrak service, for New York City. It is bad enough that this trip normally takes eleven hours (driving takes seven - you really have to want to take the train from Montreal to New York). This particular trip took sixteen. Twice shortly after departure the train had to reverse to, first, go around another broken down train, second, for some unspecified reason. They were one hour late leaving. Then about ten hours into their journey they were advised that the train had hit a fallen tree and that it would have to be towed back to Albany, New York where all passengers were to transfer to another New York City bound train. Mecahnical problems and track maintenance.
Example three. On my ride home from the above mentioned weekend in Toronto I was seated in car 9. This car was the first behind the locomotive. From there the numbers dropped off to one which was, presumably, the last car of the train. (I would have reversed the numbering scheme....but that's just me!) One lady boarded the train with her mother, an elderly woman, and asked where car 10, the car indicated on her ticket, was. Good question! She was informed that car 10 was - get this - a bus!!! Yessir. She was justifiably flabbergasted by this response and told the attendant that she was not leaving the train as her mother was seated in car 9 and, having booked two train tickets for her mother and herself, she did not intend to leave her mother alone while she took a bus to Montreal. Terrible logistics and customer service.
Example four. Today it snowed in Montreal. Yes, it snowed a fair bit (about 15 cm or so) but this is not unusual given the location of the city in Canada. It snows here OK? Let's just say that trains have been running in these conditions, in this country, for well over a century - they have had time to perfect the system. My twenty kilometre commute took two hours. Another mechanical problem was to blame - this time a switch. This switch problem seems to be a recurring issue on these commuter lines as I have had numerous delays caused by frozen, defective switches.
So listen to me. I have really tried to avoid bitching about the reliability of train service in Canada but I simply could not anymore - not after today's marathon commute. For you doubters, those who are thinking that I am complaining for no good reason, I may just hit publish on one or two more of my drafts. Just to drive the point home.
It is time that some investments be made in decent passenger train service in North America. Let's join the modern age folks.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
March 6, 2011
BBs from Chile
At 2:30 pm this afternoon I cracked open the plastic container that contained some plump blueberries I had bought a few hours before at the local supermarket. My mouth was watering thinking of the tasty sweet blue fruit that I was planning on combining with some strawberries, granola and some vanilla yogurt. It was going to be great.
As I started rinsing these BBs I started getting annoyed. Many of them - too many! - were mouldy and soft. I was literally throwing money away and I was annoyed with these fruit and with their seller. How could they sell me such garbage? Such low quality produce?
After about one minute of these thoughts, as I started rinsing off the strawberries, I realized that the annoyance should be directed at a different target - myself. How foolish of me, really, to expect fresh, high quality BBs in Canada during the winter season. How could I expect fruits that were picked who knows how long ago, some 8000 kilometres away, to be fresh when they reached the store shelf in this suburb. After being picked, packed, driven, flown, driven (and who knows what else?) how foolish I was.
More frustrating was that this person, me, had debated - for a few seconds while standing in front of the fruit stand - whether or not to spend the coin. Clearly part of me did think it was a pretty foolish purchase.
So my lesson is this, and it should be an obvious one to all....do not buy fruits when they are out of season in your area of the world. At the very least do not buy fruits that are out of season in your hemisphere!
I should have stuck to the local apples that keep well.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
As I started rinsing these BBs I started getting annoyed. Many of them - too many! - were mouldy and soft. I was literally throwing money away and I was annoyed with these fruit and with their seller. How could they sell me such garbage? Such low quality produce?
After about one minute of these thoughts, as I started rinsing off the strawberries, I realized that the annoyance should be directed at a different target - myself. How foolish of me, really, to expect fresh, high quality BBs in Canada during the winter season. How could I expect fruits that were picked who knows how long ago, some 8000 kilometres away, to be fresh when they reached the store shelf in this suburb. After being picked, packed, driven, flown, driven (and who knows what else?) how foolish I was.
More frustrating was that this person, me, had debated - for a few seconds while standing in front of the fruit stand - whether or not to spend the coin. Clearly part of me did think it was a pretty foolish purchase.
So my lesson is this, and it should be an obvious one to all....do not buy fruits when they are out of season in your area of the world. At the very least do not buy fruits that are out of season in your hemisphere!
I should have stuck to the local apples that keep well.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
January 1, 2011
The Most Optimistic Day?
The first day of the year is, arguably, the most optimistic day of the year.
With determination we, as individuals, decide at this moment of time to affect some positive change into our lives or those of others. As a result of this clean sheet of paper offered to us by the New Year we feel that all the possibilities of the world are in front of us awaiting the reach of our hands. We can write the script. With all of the previous years baggage thrown out on December 31st there is nothing left to weigh us down and prevent us from attaining our objectives and resolutions. It is an optimistic day and we are hopeful that this sense of optimism will last for the remainder of the year's days. A new beginning.
It would seem to me that this would, therefore, also be a day when world leaders might be feeling slightly more optimistic than normally. They may be entering 2011 with some real beliefs that this just might be the year that they can, as individuals, affect positive change.
I would therefore suggest that conferences meant to discuss the most important of issues facing us be scheduled on January 1st. Just maybe the collective optimism of the gathered leaders might lead to something positive happening for a change.
To top it off, if you believe that collective consciousness is real then, just maybe, all the hope that the world's citizens feel on this day might influence those gathered leaders to act positively even if, by chance, they happen to still be in the dumps.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
With determination we, as individuals, decide at this moment of time to affect some positive change into our lives or those of others. As a result of this clean sheet of paper offered to us by the New Year we feel that all the possibilities of the world are in front of us awaiting the reach of our hands. We can write the script. With all of the previous years baggage thrown out on December 31st there is nothing left to weigh us down and prevent us from attaining our objectives and resolutions. It is an optimistic day and we are hopeful that this sense of optimism will last for the remainder of the year's days. A new beginning.
It would seem to me that this would, therefore, also be a day when world leaders might be feeling slightly more optimistic than normally. They may be entering 2011 with some real beliefs that this just might be the year that they can, as individuals, affect positive change.
I would therefore suggest that conferences meant to discuss the most important of issues facing us be scheduled on January 1st. Just maybe the collective optimism of the gathered leaders might lead to something positive happening for a change.
To top it off, if you believe that collective consciousness is real then, just maybe, all the hope that the world's citizens feel on this day might influence those gathered leaders to act positively even if, by chance, they happen to still be in the dumps.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
December 31, 2010
Time to Bin the Past
During the last two days of the year I, like many millions, grab onto that most amazing human construct called Time, specifically the unit we call Year, and look forward in the space of time.
I have always been someone who enjoys throwing stuff out. Decluttering brings me joy. Simplification removes weight from my shoulders. At this time of year I like to take the piece of paper that has all of the past's stories written on it, crumble and pitch it across the room straight into the bin.
This human construct called Year allows me to bin the past and start afresh. The past has passed and the future awaits.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
I have always been someone who enjoys throwing stuff out. Decluttering brings me joy. Simplification removes weight from my shoulders. At this time of year I like to take the piece of paper that has all of the past's stories written on it, crumble and pitch it across the room straight into the bin.
This human construct called Year allows me to bin the past and start afresh. The past has passed and the future awaits.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
December 12, 2010
What's the Rush?
A recurring thought recently found its way into my consciousness. The subject of this familiar thought is how the measurement of time has impacted society. Those of you who have read my book, "Avoiding the Blues", know some of my thoughts on this subject and how time has had an impact on my life.
Time management has become an ever more important skill for human beings. The slice of time we use to measure it has diminished from from years and months, through days and hours, on to minutes and seconds and, finally today, to nano and pico seconds. As a result we now have potentially more and more items that need to be managed in a day. More and more bits of data compete for these ever smaller slices and, because we are now able to measure and schedule time in smaller units, we allow more of these disparate items to enter our days. We feel a need to manage more and more into the finite number of twenty-four hours.
To do this, successfully, we need to all become good managers of time and of schedule - of OUR schedule. Of all the tasks that we time managers must perfect, the most important is to determine which items to allow into our days. The Catch-22 is that we seem to allocate less and less time to this task as other, less important, tasks run us over in a consistent and automated - robotic - fashion. So we wake up and let the day take us over. We let externalities take over and run the day.
And so.....to how the thought came to me once again.
Last week I watched, and heard, the reaction of commuters to the inability of trains to keep to a schedule in Montreal. You see winter hit Montreal during this first week of December. A storm made a surprise appearance and dumped 25 cm of snow on the city. For the weeks leading up to this inevitable yearly event I had been warned by long-time commuters that the result would be delays, cancellations and chaos.
I will surely write a blog entry about the subject of how an annual event somehow always results in the same behaviour and results from the participants of the charade (the operator and its customers). I can easily let myself get taken into the trap and criticize the operator - I most certainly do - but today's entry is not about this. Rather it is about coping with the ensuing chaos.
So why do we care about a late train? What is the rush? Why the stress, the arguments, the yelling, the worry? Simple....we have a schedule to keep to. If I don't make it to work for 8 a.m. I will be late for a call that I have with peers in Asia or Europe. They'll either be waiting for me, cancel the call or they'll proceed and I will miss out on the exchange of information and ideas that occurs. The stress that I feel is that I am going to be late. Late for a scheduled event. Late for the doctor, the bus connection, the drink after work, the appointment at lunch, the next meeting, the deadline. The this. The that.
How much more calm it might all be if we were not told the train would arrive at precisely 7:04 a.m.? What if we did not have a meeting that started at 8:00 a.m.
When I was a child I was an airplane fanatic. I'd pick up airline schedules and dream of flying planes to the different destinations listed. It used to be that the flights arrived in increments of five minutes. Schedules did not state that a plane landed at 8:09 a.m. It landed at 8:10 a.m. Today it lands at 8:08 or 8:11 a.m. I remember my mother and I thinking how ridiculous it was that airlines had decided to make this scheduling change. Were they attempting to show us the level of precision they operated under? A perception that the airline had orchestrated its flight schedules perfectly and with clock-work precision and repetition? What caused us to need to save that minute? We mocked the airlines then for trying to be so precise. Today we bitch when the flights are minutes late pushing back from the departure gate.
Have we in fact saved a few precious minutes? Or are we living in some sort of time machine induced state of high-expectations that can only be met rarely. Slow down, care less about your schedule, schedule more free time into your days.
Live your life.
All your friends, colleagues and fellow commuters will breath a sigh of relief as your complaining diminishes.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
Time management has become an ever more important skill for human beings. The slice of time we use to measure it has diminished from from years and months, through days and hours, on to minutes and seconds and, finally today, to nano and pico seconds. As a result we now have potentially more and more items that need to be managed in a day. More and more bits of data compete for these ever smaller slices and, because we are now able to measure and schedule time in smaller units, we allow more of these disparate items to enter our days. We feel a need to manage more and more into the finite number of twenty-four hours.
To do this, successfully, we need to all become good managers of time and of schedule - of OUR schedule. Of all the tasks that we time managers must perfect, the most important is to determine which items to allow into our days. The Catch-22 is that we seem to allocate less and less time to this task as other, less important, tasks run us over in a consistent and automated - robotic - fashion. So we wake up and let the day take us over. We let externalities take over and run the day.
And so.....to how the thought came to me once again.
Last week I watched, and heard, the reaction of commuters to the inability of trains to keep to a schedule in Montreal. You see winter hit Montreal during this first week of December. A storm made a surprise appearance and dumped 25 cm of snow on the city. For the weeks leading up to this inevitable yearly event I had been warned by long-time commuters that the result would be delays, cancellations and chaos.
I will surely write a blog entry about the subject of how an annual event somehow always results in the same behaviour and results from the participants of the charade (the operator and its customers). I can easily let myself get taken into the trap and criticize the operator - I most certainly do - but today's entry is not about this. Rather it is about coping with the ensuing chaos.
So why do we care about a late train? What is the rush? Why the stress, the arguments, the yelling, the worry? Simple....we have a schedule to keep to. If I don't make it to work for 8 a.m. I will be late for a call that I have with peers in Asia or Europe. They'll either be waiting for me, cancel the call or they'll proceed and I will miss out on the exchange of information and ideas that occurs. The stress that I feel is that I am going to be late. Late for a scheduled event. Late for the doctor, the bus connection, the drink after work, the appointment at lunch, the next meeting, the deadline. The this. The that.
How much more calm it might all be if we were not told the train would arrive at precisely 7:04 a.m.? What if we did not have a meeting that started at 8:00 a.m.
When I was a child I was an airplane fanatic. I'd pick up airline schedules and dream of flying planes to the different destinations listed. It used to be that the flights arrived in increments of five minutes. Schedules did not state that a plane landed at 8:09 a.m. It landed at 8:10 a.m. Today it lands at 8:08 or 8:11 a.m. I remember my mother and I thinking how ridiculous it was that airlines had decided to make this scheduling change. Were they attempting to show us the level of precision they operated under? A perception that the airline had orchestrated its flight schedules perfectly and with clock-work precision and repetition? What caused us to need to save that minute? We mocked the airlines then for trying to be so precise. Today we bitch when the flights are minutes late pushing back from the departure gate.
Have we in fact saved a few precious minutes? Or are we living in some sort of time machine induced state of high-expectations that can only be met rarely. Slow down, care less about your schedule, schedule more free time into your days.
Live your life.
All your friends, colleagues and fellow commuters will breath a sigh of relief as your complaining diminishes.
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
December 10, 2010
It Blows to be Doe
Why is it that it is always John Doe that gets shot dead and murdered, beat up or harassed, or just goes missing?
Why can't it be Joe Blow - that unknown, generic man that makes no difference in anyone's life - that goes missing sometimes?
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
Why can't it be Joe Blow - that unknown, generic man that makes no difference in anyone's life - that goes missing sometimes?
Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
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