Knapsacks on public transit

Nowadays, there seems to be more and more knapsacks on public transit than before. Yes, they do hold a lot of stuff and yes they are easier on your back when you are walking a distance. No, they are not to be worn when you are on public transit.

So many people who have a knapsack get on public transit and do not take their knapsack off their back. Now remember when you wear a knapsack there is almost the depth of another person on your back, so you do take up more room. Considering the knapsack doesn't have eyes and nor do most people have eyes in the back of their heads, it means the knapsack can hit other people, but the wearer doesn't know this. In some cases, I think the person that keeps moving around and bumping people with their knapsack is trying to show how good they are. What these people are actually showing is how weak they are because they are not considering others.

The TTC in Toronto makes announcements to please remove knapsacks upon entering a vehicle. Yes, they state it, but I think what the bus and streetcar drivers need to do is remind people who are wearing knapsacks to remove them from their back. The knapsack is supposed to be either put on your knee or on the floor in front of you when you are seated. I know in the winter you don't want to put it on the floor, but on your knee works. Also, if you have to stand, you can hold your knapsack by the handle like people with briefcases and purses do.

Yes, a knapsack is a great means of carrying items, but I don't like seeing it up close and personal in my face. Also, when you are trying to get out from a seat, you are that much wider when wearing the knapsack.

So please when you are taking public transit be considerate of others and remove your knapsack from your back. I paid the same fare that you did, and I deserve to have an enjoyable ride and not have to be hit by your knapsack.

Juggling many jobs

There are days that when they are over you really wonder what you got accomplished that day.  These days are what are normal for me as I juggle many jobs.

Some days when I sit back, I can see some really good results and other days I can work all day and not accomplish much of anything.  Of course, I can see that I got parts of a lot of things done, but I didn't get another finished.  Juggling many different jobs at once can really get frustrating, something, but having the variety is also very rewarding.

Everyone has days when things just done seem to get done no matter how hard you try.  There are also days that you can plow through a lot of different things and get lots done in a day.  Knowing that there are days which are good and days which are bad does help.  For those of us that juggle a number of different jobs each day, some days are odd.

I am writing this as I juggle a number of tasks, and my to-do-list seems out of control right now.  Yes, I am juggling a number of tasks, but at least I am seeing some slow results.  I may not get something completed each day, but I know I am making some progress.

Having a to-do-list really helps when you are juggling multiple jobs, otherwise you can so easily forget about some of the jobs that need your attention.  Juggling many jobs can be a challenge, but can also be very rewarding when you see the end results.

Time to stop juggling all the jobs for today and take a bit of me time.

Dealing with People

Over the last couple of days, I have had to deal with an individual that is rather difficult to deal with. She figures that she knows everything and when she needs help, she can just knock on our door, and we will jump. This woman, lives across the hall from us and most of the time doesn't talk to me. She will walk by me in the hall without even a simple hello, but when she has an issue, she figures we have to help her out. She has also tried to force herself through a door in our lobby that I opened for myself to go through.

Yesterday she knocked on our door twice trying to get us to help her deal with a notice that she received and one that we didn't receive. Why should I jump to help someone that is demanding and very unfriendly. Yesterday, we heard the superintendent at her door and this woman gets very defensive. Of course, being like that doesn't make things go will with the superintendent or even the property management.

Today she knocked at our door demanding some information about some inspection that took place yesterday. It is none of her business how our unit is dealt with. We are friendly with the superintendent and everyone that works in our building because we know that helps everyone.

Dealing with this woman is always a challenge, and hopefully she will now learn that we cannot help her with her issue, and she has to deal with it herself. There are so many times that when she knocks, she wants to know if we have heard noises from the unit above her. We are in a concrete building, so it is difficult to hear noises across the hall.

If people want others to help them out, they need to be friendly. I will help people that are nice to us all the time, but won't help people that only talk to me when they need my help.

2013 in review and 2014 goals

It's hard to believe, but the year is over, so I figured it's time to look at my goals and see how I really did this year.

2013 Goals:
1. Blog four times each month: 6 months of 4 posts, 2 months of 1 post, 2 months of 2 posts and 1 month of zero posts, therefore total of 30 posts for the year
2. Complete 3 course toward Fundraising Certificate: have completed 5 courses
3. Write a minimum of 15,000 words a month.: By the end of the month my total word count for the year exceeded 180,000 words which is 15,000 words a month
4. Take time for myself on a regular basis: still working on this but getting better.


2014 Goals
1. Blog four times each month
2. Complete remaining 2 courses of Fundraising Certificate
3. Write a minimum of 15,000 words a month
4. Take time for myself on a regular basis 
5. Get home office area organized

Yes, some of my goals are the same in 2014 as I want to get into the habit of writing and making sure that I have things on my blog more often.

Of course, they will be other things that I accomplish in this coming year because some of these goals will lead into other things.

End of the year

It is now the end of yet another year.  What have you accomplished and what didn't you quite get done?

For me, I can say that I have grown through my writing as I continue to write as much as I can.  Of course, there are days when the schedule just doesn't work for me to sit and write, but at least I am seeing that I can write a lot more without sitting and dealing with writer's block.

I know that I didn't reach all of my goals for 2013, but I will review them either tomorrow or early in the new year.  I can say that I am happy with what I have accomplished and look forward to writing out my 2014 goals as well.

Time to sit back and enjoy a bit of time with people you love.  Tomorrow is another day and a start to another year.

No Solicitation

Solicitation – In criminal law, it most commonly refers to either the act of offering goods or services, or the act of attempting to purchase such goods or services. (wikipedia)

Yesterday we ran into a situation where people don't respect the No Solicitation sign that is up in our building.

A knock came at our door, and it was a lady asking for money for disabled children in the 3^rd world countries. Of course, she just had a laminated piece of paper and didn't show any confidence when she was asking for money. I do not give any money at the door because there are so many scams where people have causes, and it's either them or someone else that gets all the money, and nothing goes to where they are saying it is to go.

Shortly after that knock we got another knock at the door (less than 5 minutes apart) and this time we were handed a gift which was a book and CD from a religious group. Again, another interruption to our day which was frustrating. Before we could get back to the kitchen another knock, and it was the same group, and it was because the girl thought she had given us her clipboard. I did yell “What now” before we opened the door because it was frustrating. Of course, the girl had found her clipboard before we answered the door.

People do not understand what they are doing and why it is wrong. We have had situations where people tell us they live in the building, so it's OK for them to knock at our doors and ask us to buy things or donate time or money.  We continue to try and explain what is wrong and people quite often apologize to us, but we then hear them knocking on the next door as soon as we close our door.

NO SOLICITATION means do not knock on someone's door asking for their time, soul, or money. Also, do not knock on my door to offer me something for FREE. Free is never free when you are standing at my door.

Ice Storm 2013

This past Saturday evening, the Toronto area was hit by a major ice storm. The storm has resulted in hundreds of thousands of homes without power. The trees around the city couldn't handle the weight of the ice, and the old trees breaking brought down the power lines.

It has been a challenge for everyone in the city over the last couple of days to manage due to no power or knowing someone that has lost their power. Today we were out for a bit to try and assist in getting the family some supplies only to discover that all the salt, deicer, batteries, and flashlights were sold out. Of course, everyone figures that they live in a city, so batteries and flashlights are something that we normally have to think about. I am glad that we had some batteries, so they can be used in the flashlights that the family has.

As I am writing this there is still almost 200,000 customers in the city of Toronto without power, and it is almost 42 hours since the power first went out for some people.

To everyone that is working to restore power to the city, THANK YOU, and know that you are appreciated. For those that are without power, I hope you will get your power back soon. To everyone, stay safe.