That flight, back to school shopping, and rusk

There are a lot of things that I’d like to do over the weekend… like go for a run, start swimming again, finish painting the walls in our house, finish all the half-written posts in my backlog (many from France), pull all the weeds out of the completely untouched garden, take French lessons, ride my bike…

But when you’re on the road, a lot of things get half done because weekends are spent trying to regain balance.

That Flight

On Thursday night, I sat on a what was supposed to be a quick 6pm flight to Toronto and then Montreal. But, at 9:30pm I found myself sitting on a plane in the middle of an unused portion of the airfield in Boston just waiting and wondering what was happening.

Eventually, I made it into Toronto. I missed my connection… but then again, so did everyone else. I know this because I had to wade through the sea of confused people who all arrived in Toronto at the same time. Eventually, I made it to the gate of the last flight out to Montreal… but when they started the boarding process they discovered the plane had a flat tire.

I was one of the few people on the plane when they realized this. So, I sat for another hour in a jerky stunned silence while the plane bounced back and forth as they were changing the tire. I’m glad they let me stay on the plane because I needed the uncomplicated, quiet time.

Eventually, I made it to Montreal by 1:30 in the morning. And, at this time I couldn’t pull any language (let alone French) out of my brain so it was really difficult to give directions on how to get home. I will say, however, that the one thing I can do in French really well is give directions.

Back to School

It’s back to school shopping weekend. Back to school means synchro too but luckily suit shopping was easy this year thanks to one smart lady in our community who brought a bathing suit rep to the outdoor pool. Bathing suit shopping… done.

Clothes shopping lets me get to know my really interesting daughter.

She starts out by thinking she wants to be just like everyone else and to blend into the crowd. But, she has a very specific idea of what “everyone else” is and it’s her own definition. And by the end, she’s picked elements from “everyone else” and completely defined a new style. She knows what works for her and what does not. And, she doesn’t compromise.

The one thing I don’t like about mall shopping is that every path leads to eating disorders. In fact, everything in our society leads girls to eating disorders and feeling uncomfortable with how they look and who they are.

Believe it or not, that sporty little rake of an undeveloped 11-year old in the photo above is an XL in some adult stores. And, that makes her question whether or not she should be on a diet because she’s heard that being an XL means you are fat. We don’t shop in those stories but the message is still there and kids pick up on it.

We did find these really cool socks. There were $40 a pair… so they weren’t cool enough to buy.

Interesting Things Discovered this Week

Did you know that Quebec uses the tallest construction pylons in the world?

The taller cone replaced metal signs in Quebec and are being hailed as innovative because they are sturdier, more noticeable, and people/vehicles don’t get hurt when they hit the pylon.

This customer feedback tool in Toronto makes me happy…

I’m always telling clients that they need to find faster, easier, and uncomplicated ways of gathering user feedback. This is one fantastic way.

And, here’s the sign of the week… can anyone tell me what a “rusk” is? I know what biscottis are… but does anyone in the world actually use the term “rusk?”