An Early Winter Wonderland

This week we had our first real snowfall of the season…not winter but autumn.

OK, I can hear you all now. I live in Canada, we get snow year round right? Not quite.

I know that as a Canadian citizen I am supposed to embrace and enjoy winter, and for the most part I do. In Eastern Canada where I choose to live, we have four distinct seasons, each offering it’s unique contribution to our cumulative climate and making this a fairly mild (weather wise anyway) region in which to live. It is this diversity of the seasons I like, not just winter or summer. In fact the milder the winter the better as far as I am concerned.

The temperatures here are rarely too high or too low to bear for prolonged periods, the region is not susceptible to extreme storms like tornadoes or hurricanes and usually the worst of our weather is one major snowstorm in January or February.

I like my seasons to be what they are, not an imitation of one of the other seasons. So when there is still almost a month of autumn remaining, to have old man winter blow in with 20cm (8 inches) of white decorative precipitation makes me a little leery of what is to come in the next few months. The fact that it has mostly melted away already offers me a little solace, but not much.

Was I inconvenienced in anyway but the snow? Not really. I had no need to drive anywhere during the week, I got to work on time and I did not lose my power. All in all for me the week was like any other week since April. It is the principle of it all.

Maybe I should lighten up. If the situation were reversed would I care? Nope, there is not a chance of me caring.

If there was suddenly a day in late February where the temperature soared to 27C (80F) I am pretty sure I would shed my winter jacket and enjoy the sunshine.

So what am left to do?

I have put away my golf clubs for the long Canadian winter, I did not get to use them much this past summer which is still a bit of a sore spot for me. Winter is coming whether I want it to or not so I might as well join in the fun. I think this winter I should learn how to snowboard, I always thought I would be good at that.

Look for me in the chalet, I’ll probably be the guy with the cast on.

The Jury is Still Out

I like to think of myself as an early adopter of technology. My teenage daughters think I am a bit of a technology geek and I have to admit they may be right. So when Google launched the Google + Project I was one of the first in line to get in.

Perhaps I have not spent enough time there, or maybe I need to give it a few more months. I am struggling to make Google + a part of my online life. The reasons for me are simple and may just apply to you too.

I already have a social profile that is extensive, by my standards anyway. I use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Blogger. I have a Tumblr account that I have yet to use and I check in on FourSquare semi-regularly. I have tried many different tools to post content and I like things to be simple. Adding what has appeared so far to be a redundant social network has been far from simple for me.

Admittedly, my biggest challenge is my own, Google + has not yet become a habit for me. Facebook is easy to start using, it is simple and I connect with my family and friends here. LinkedIn is great as it allows me to connect with colleagues in a professional way and share business/professional content that person friends may not be that interested in. Twitter has a different role in that I follow people I have never met and learn from their content.

I get the feeling that Google has tried to bring the features and uses of these three networks together in Google +. I can group my connections in to “circles” that define how I know them and what content I want to share with them. The challenge I have is that I have no family members using Google + so that “circle” is empty. I have a large number of co-workers, a few friends and many twitter followees. All of the people in my circles are in a twitter list (or two).

Maybe with the first API release earlier this month to developers there will eventually be third party applications to push content and I will have more success embracing the new network. Until then I will continue to look for the value in Google + and hope that it does not turn out to be Google -.

In the mean time feel free to connect with me on any of the social networks I frequent, especially Google +. Let me know if you need an invite and I will be happy to send you one!

Remembering an Infamous Anniversary

September 11, 2001.

Like most, I remember it very well. I remember where I was, what I was doing and who first shared the news.

For me 2001 was ten years and two careers ago. On September 11^th I was an independent manufacturers’ agent in Atlantic Canada exhibiting at a trade show in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was living an hour north of Halifax at the time in the small rural community of Lower Onslow. I lived a peaceful, insulated life. The thought of what was to happen on that day had never entered my mind.

By 9 am EDT news started to spread across the trade show floor that an airliner had hit one of the World Trade Center towers in New York. My first thoughts were immediately that this was a terrible accident. It wasn’t long until a second airliner hit the second tower and it was clear that this was not an accident.

My immediate reaction was to call my wife. Did she know what was happening in New York? I asked her to turn on the television and keep me updated.

The possibilities were unfathomable and the rumors were incredulous. Speculation that there were more planes hijacked, that even the bridges in Halifax were at risk. I remember working with a client who was also a member of the Canadian Military on leave. While with me he was called in for duty – all hands on deck.

As it turned out there were four planes, all US bound, that were hijacked. Three planes were used as missiles and slammed in to buildings, one plane crashed in a rural area of Pennsylvania due in large part to the courageous actions of its passengers. Canadian cities were not attacked.

Canada’s role was that of a good neighbor. Hundred’s of planes were diverted to Atlantic Canadian airports where they stayed on runway parking lots for days. The thousands of passengers from all over the world were taken in, fed and cared for by everyday people. It is this act of kindness and global community spirit that exemplifies what we as humans can do for each other.

While we remember the tragedy and loss we witnessed 10 years ago, lets also remember the kindness and caring for humanity that became prevalent here and abroad.

We have only one planet, we are one global family.

Feel free to add where you were and what you were doing in the comments.