A Depressing Thought

Some weather news in today's Metro newspaper:

• So far it has rained for 19 days this month. It usually only rains for 17 days in all of March - and we still have a week to go!
• As of today, we have gotten 170mm (6.7in) of rain, the norm is 114mm (4.5in).
• Worst of all, we have had only 43 hours of sunlight so far this month. Normally, it's 89 hours in March!

No Smoking

For several years now, there's been no smoking in restaurants and bars in BC. As a non-smoker, I often forget that the law even exists. When I was in The Calgary a couple years ago, I had a bite in an airport restaurant. I initially sat in the bar side, but it smelled so bad I ended up moving into the dining room side - and there wasn't even anyone smoking in the room, it was just the room itself!

The BC government recently announced a new smoking ban which will increase restrictions on where people can smoke - including some outdoor spaces. While some people say this is an infringement on the rights of smokers, I have to disagree. Part of the role of the government is to serve the interests of those who elect them - if the majority of people don't smoke and prefer not be around smoking, then the government should act accordingly.

Just recently, I was at a bus stop and it was pouring rain so I was standing inside the shelter with about three other people. Within ten minutes, two people other people came by and lit up inside the same shelter as the rest of us. Frankly, I think it's just rude - it's pouring out, there's an elderly women sitting on the bench, and we're in a mostly enclosed space. There were similar stories on the news of mother's with children standing outside bus shelters because there was someone smoking inside it. People do the same inside Skytrain stations - yes, it IS open air - but really, at least go stand away from everyone else.

I don't have anything against those who choose to smoke, I'd just appreciate a little courtesy!

Spa Day

Back in January I worked at the company's annual sales conference. As a thank you to all of us who helped out, the women organizing the event gave us gift certificates to the spa in the Pan Pacific hotel. Not a bad gift considering it's a five star hotel! So, as a nice break on a rainy Sunday, I headed out for an afternoon at the spa.

Now, I've been to spas before for massages - but THIS was a spa. As I checked in at the front desk they took my coat for me. I was then escorted through the salon and through a set of glass doors to the spa itself. The whole place is decorated like some sort of Italian grotto - the lights are low and soft music plays in the background. Next, I'm given a tour of the change rooms - complete with sauna and steam room, showers with shampoo and conditioner, as well as an array of beauty products. After I change into my robe and sandals, I move to the lounge to await my masseuse. There's a few bistro tables near the waterfall and large comfy couches near the fireplace. There's a bar with tea, coffee, and ice water, bowls with dried fruit and nuts.

My masseuse came to get me - my MALE masseuse. I have to admit it was a little odd having a male masseuse, but probably not a bad thing since I was getting a deep tissue back, shoulder, and neck massage. The one thing about a deep tissue massage - it hurts - not all the time, but definitely on tender shoulders. Today, it feels like I'm recovering from a hard workout!

The Lady of the Crosswalk

This is a story I heard on the news this morning:

The small town of Fuenlabrada, just outside of Madrid, is “taking a novel step in the struggle to achieve equality between Spanish men and women”. They are updating their crosswalk signals and signs to be gender equal. Now half of the stick figures on signs at pedestrian crossings will have skirts and ponytails. Also, the stick figure on the crosswalk lights will flash between being a man and a woman. The person goes from the traditional stick figure man, to a woman with a skirt and long hair. There have been mixed opinions: while most think it’s a good idea, some say they never thought of the stick figures as necessarily being male, and others do not like stereotyping women as wearing dresses. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6206084.stm

Like some of the people interviewed for the article, I also have never thought of the stick figures as being male. Though I’m sure, if you’d asked me directly, I would have said that the stick figures were male. Personally, I’m not too sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, I have to agree that I’m not sure we should be women should be defined as only wearing skirts. Then again, how else are you going to differentiate between male and female when using stick figures? If most people are like myself and don’t consider the figures to be male or female but merely a person, do we even need to differentiate?

Then again, it’s always a good thing to question the norms. If nothing ever changed, how would we better ourselves? If these signs make people think about why things are the way they are, then that can’t be a bad thing. Why not a woman? Maybe the signs should not be seen as a statement of equality but rather a trigger to question our feelings and attitudes on the subject. Consider larger issues such as the glass ceiling, pay inequity, etc. They’ve even got me to spend time writing a post on it!