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Saturday, December 31, 2011

Top Ten Tips for Staying in a Hotel Room (by a Former Executive House Keeper)





After working as a Supervisor in the Housekeeping department of the 4 Diamond Grand Hyatt Denver ( suit, tie and all), a VERY brief stint as a room cleaner at the Jasper Park Lodge and finally a great time as Executive House Keeper at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites Valemount, BC ( not to mention being a hotel guest myself ) , 

I thought I would share my Top Ten Tips for staying in a hotel room!

These tips are in both your interest, the interest of the housekeeping staff and the environment in general.

Let me start by saying that the job of the housekeeper is a very difficult one. Back breaking labour, very low wages, the disgusting things that sometimes need cleaning up  and very little recognition make it one of the hardest jobs going  - in my opinion.

I remember when I first started as an Intern at the 511 room Grand Hyatt in Denver, Colorado. Being a student of the Hotel management program at the College of New Caledonia  and an International Intern, I didn’t have to clean rooms – I got to be a “Supervisor” straight away. This basically involved inspecting the rooms after they had been cleaned to ensure quality and managing the staff on a given number of floors.

My first day as a fresh faced Canadian at the Hotel, I was assigned to learn how to clean a hotel room “Hyatt” style , learning from an elderly Mexican lady named Hermalinda.  She was a fantastic person but the irony of this situation was not lost on her. 

As she showed me the proper way to make a corner fold on the bed sheet, she said to me “So, I train ju and then ju be my supervisor?”

I didn’t know quite what to say to that so I was like “ Ummm ... yeah. Sorry about that... “  

Needless to say this was not only humorous but a great lesson in treating these ladies (and men) with the utmost respect.  

So without further a due ,  here is the Top Ten:

1)      Leave a money tip.  If you’ll tip a waiter/ waitress for an hour of bringing you some food and cleaning your table – do something for the housekeeper who cleans your bathroom!  They don’t get tips or any recognition very often and it will make their day!

2)      Once in your room, always turn the deadbolt closed ( and/or have the latch on). This is for your safety - but also privacy.  If a housekeeper makes a mistake or is given the wrong room number by the Front Desk ( which has been known to happen) they will think you have checked out already and may just barge into your room with their master key. 

This happens.  A lot more than you’d think.  And it can be  horribly horribly awkward.

Unfortunately I am an eye witness to this as I once un-assumedly walked into an occupied room. What I saw in the following moments still haunts me to this day. 

An ordinary middle aged couple were engaged in a very intimate, very amorous, very naked activity on the bed ( by the way - see tip # 3).

I looked up and he looked up and we made eye contact.

Then she looked up and we made eye contact.

He said “Hello?” .  I said something like “I’m so so sorry” and ran to a bathroom my good friend Diane was cleaning and hid there until they checked out. 

3)      Don’t touch the Duve cover – Ever. Ever. Ever.

This is changing lately, but for the most part Hotels  clean their Duves or Duve covers very RARELY. In fact, once a year if your lucky.  

If you can imagine all the things people may do or leave behind UNDER the covers, you can be assured that they do the same ON the covers – see example in Tip #2 .  (The white bed sheets and pillow cases are okay as they get washed everyday).

4)      Don’t be afraid to ask for a late check out – they usually give them out no problem.  Just remember to keep the Do Not Disturb sign on the door.

5)      You may be the type to negotiate the price of the hotel room. That’s okay but doesn’t always happen. 

      Another way to go is to simply ask for an upgraded room ( at the original price). This is easier for the Hotel to swallow as they would rather give you some extra amenities and pay more labour hours or electricity than drop the price tag.

6)      If you are staying multiple days and you do not need or want your room cleaned each day – make sure you keep up the Do Not Disturb sign – or even better give your instructions to the front desk or House Keeping ( i.e. – “just refresh the towels and coffee packets” ) This can save on a lot of unnecessary work, cleaning product use and Energy.

On this note also, if you don’t need your towels washed during an extended stay, keep them hanging up – anything left on the floor is assumed to be dirty or garbage.

7)      Don’t leave the luggage cart you used to bring up your luggage INSIDE your room. If you don’t want to bring it back down to the lobby just leave it in the hallway and hotel staff will be happy to take care of it. ( Otherwise they run out of luggage carts and have no idea where to find them... making other guests go without)

8)      As for valuables such as wallets, electronics and jewellery etc... make sure to hide these away in your luggage. The vast majority of housekeepers are honest folk who don’t want to lose their jobs but there’s no need to tempt fate!  

      The Front Desk may also have a safe for you to keep especially valuable items in.

Also, if you do think something has gone missing, make sure to look for it thoroughly first and if you do contact the Hotel staff be non accusatory at first, just asking for help finding this object.  Its quite humiliating to make a raving scene and then realize it was at the bottom of your purse the whole time or stuck in the fold out bed ( true story).

9)      When leaving your hotel room at the end of your stay , gather all your luggage together and then do a scan of the room.  The most popular places where things are left behind?  The fridge, drawers, under the bed skirting and in the wall sockets.

10)   Towels, Linens and TVs are not the type of things you can take home from a hotel room.  Nor do you want to trash your hotel room . Not only are these things deeply disrespectful to the staff – you have to remember –

They still have your credit card info and are more than happy to charge your card after the fact!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Hockey's Triple ( and Quadruple) Gold Club


As all of we Canadians know, the Stanley cup is the ultimate prize of Hockey.

But what about the other championships a great hockey player can win?

The IIHF considers the Stanley Cup, the Olympic gold and the World Championship gold to be "the three most important championships of the sport". In fact, they have made up an official club for the 25 elite winners of all three and had an induction ceremony at the  2010 Vancouver Olympics

My opinion of the IIHF is mediocre at best but I do agree that these three championships are extremely important to the sport.

Canadians, however,  also place a very high esteem on the World JUNIOR Championship and so I would pose that there is actually a Quadruple Gold Club.

In fact, I would argue that the WJC is actually more important than the World Championship.   Why? Because it is a more accurate representation of a country's best player at the critical age level. Although some WJC eligible players are playing in the NHL, the team is usually full of the country's best.

The World Championship unfortunately is scheduled during the Stanley Cup playoffs and so many of the best players in the world are playing for their respective NHL teams or in some cases, too beat up from the NHL regular season to play ( to this point though, I always have a great respect for the players who go to sporting battle for our country anyways!)

The question could also be asked ( and often has been)  , "Which is most important - A Stanley Cup ring or an Olympic Gold Medal?"

Almost unanimously, North American players will tell you a Stanley Cup ring - and I think many NHL Europeans would as well these days.

But there is something to be said for that Olympic Gold.  The odds of winning one are much less as the opportunity only comes around once every 4 years - and then you have to be good enough to make a very elite team... and then of course win ( which is no small task these days). In addition you are able to represent your country - and as Canadians we are a very patriotic bunch as the world found out in February of 2010.

So all of this brings us to WHO is in this Triple Gold club and even more importantly who is in the Quadruple Gold club!

Let's start with coaches - because there is only one who has the Triple gold.

 That would Mr Mike Babcock! One of my all time favourites.

There is a list on Wikipedia of all 25 players in the Triple Gold club here. This includes 9 Swedes, 8 Canadians ( not including Coach Babcock), 6 Russians and 2 Czechs.

Notable players include Peter Forsberg, Igor Larionov, Jaromir Jagr and  Nicklas Lidstrom (also only European Captain to win the Stanley Cup) .

Your Canadians are Rob Blake, Joe Sakic, Brendan Shanahan, Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger, Eric Staal, Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron.

Members of the Quadruple club?????


Brendan Shanahan - sort of ( Team Canada was disqualified from the 1987 WJHC, though they had a strong shot at Gold). Shanahan also won the 1991 Canada Cup

Scott Niedermayer ( also MVP and winner of the Memorial Cup!) 1991

Chris Pronger  1993 ( 2 Olympic Golds)

Patrice Bergeron

Jonathan Toews  2005 World U-17 Hockey Challenge2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships2007 World Championships, and the 2010 Winter Olympics (a tournament in which he was named Best Forward).

Scott  Niedermayer has won the Memorial Cup (CHL) and was its MVP , The WJHC gold (twice) , The Stanley cup ( 4 times, 2 different teams) ), Olympic gold (twice) , World Men's gold and the World Cup gold ( which is the old Canada Cup - NHL's counterpart to World Mens)!!! The most decorated Canadian of all!!!!















Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Love ‘em and Tell ‘em the Truth – Tales of a Youth Leader.




I’ve had the privilege and blessing of leading three distinct youth groups in my life so far. I was going to write a few lines on that topic and specifically the title  - and then, as it often does,  it got a little longer....

The first – Prince George Gospel Chapel Youth.  My home church ( although I grew up in Valemount, 3 hours away) .   It was a small church made up of a tight knit group of believers and a proportionately large group of kids who were entering their teen yeas. 

I’m not sure I had thought of being a youth leader  "per se" before then , but I was asked if I would do it and the love in my heart for the role immediately grew.  I had actually , initially,  felt the call to be some type of Bible counselor  - but I soon realized that being a church youth leader is very much like being a Bible / Life counselor. 

I was only about 19 but with the guidance of the elders I took it on.  The group was made up of mainly “lifers”  - in other words kids who grew up in Christian homes and claimed Christianity  since a young age.  Sometimes "lifers" are misjudged. People figure they are from good Christian homes so they'll be fine.  While it is a tremendous blessing to have good parents, i can personally attest that it does not exempt you from the pitfalls of life - these kids need as much care as anyone. ( For more on "lifers" you may want to read When I understood grace... or at least began to  )

I loved ( and continue to love) these kids dearly. Today they are either somewhere in their careers, university grads, married  - and some have kids older than my own!  We had great memories and, although I know I was young and inexperienced and was not always the perfect youth leader , I trust God used those years to bless them and grow His Kingdom.

The second – threecrosses youth group, Valemount, BC After finishing my diploma at the College of New Caledonia  and living in Denver, Colorado for a year,  I went about to find a job.  I ended up back in my very small hometown of Valemount .  I worked at the new and beautiful Holiday Inn and , remembering  how hard it was to grow up in a small isolated town myself, I wanted to reach out to those who were experiencing that now.

This was a decidedly different group of kids – most of them “unchurched” as they say.  A bit edgier and decidedly into Hip Hop culture ( despite their lack of melanin ;) .   Family backgrounds were different ,  the size of the town was different , it was all different – but it was awesome.

I came up with the name “threecrosses” from the story in Luke where Jesus hung between two thieves – one mocked Him, the other recognized His innocence and Almighty power masked behind the humility of this human form. The question I posed to those youth was – “Which thief are you?” .   

I was fortunate enough to come across some incredible Christian Hip Hop music ( specifically a young group of men from Philadelphia called “Crossmovement” ) and that, combined with pop culture references from movies and music etc I did my best to teach them the over all story of the Bible or as we called it  “God’s Drama”.  My poor parents graciously opened their house once a week to this horde of teenagers - after mom put away the breakables.

We went on basketball trips, played town wide games, and finally went to a Crossmovement concert live in downtown Vancouver.  So many memories, so many good times and like the group before – so many lessons learned from the youth themselves. 

I, along with a local Pastor ( shout out to Pastor Ted! ) , had the honour of baptizing 4 kids in the pool of the Holiday Inn that year. 

Something else very special happened that year as well – I met ( or re-met) my future wife , Sherry .  We were both from Valeount but being 6 ears apart didn’t really know each other growing up ( probably a good thing ;) .  But now Sherry was all grown up and was on a Drama Team travelling through the area raising awareness of the persecuted church overseas. I asked if they would do their performance for the youth group… and the rest is history. Sherry came alongside me as a youth leader ( and a role model for the girls) and tirelessly prepared for and cleaned up after all the events.

The third – Grace Bible Church Youth.  Sherry and I were now married ( having 3 young men from threecrosses and one from Prince George as our Ushers ) and living in Vernon, BC.  We began attending a church that ended up being Grace Bible Church – which was to me a large church ( 200 + or so). 

I had had significant health issues recently with depression, anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and I didn’t know if I would ever lead a youth group again.  In time, God made such a thing possible and I entered into yet another type of youth group leadership. This group was from a larger church, some went to Christian school and their were many other fun and exciting youth groups in the area. It could be said I went from “unchurched” to “overchurched” - if there is such a thing.

As Sherry and I slowly learned the dynamics of the youth, we began a Sunday night Bible study.  Their was not usually a ton of kids but they were a great and tight group.  I learned , both through my personal weakness and some years of experience I guess, to let the kids be more involved in the discussion of the life lessons we were hoping to teach.

We became a sort of youth “care group” where we were challenged in our faith, learned how to defend it in a postmodern world , discussed personal issues we were facing and then prayed for each other and others. 

Many fun events were had as well – but I think these Sunday night are what I treasure most.  

Though these were three very distinct youth groups, there was a common motto lived by through out them.  “Love ‘em and tell ‘em the truth”. 

I had heard this phrase from a preacher as he was recalling a youth leader he meant once. The man in question was middle aged, a bit over weight and balding and the preacher wondered why the kids were so drawn to him – after all he didn’t fit the typical profile of a church youth leader / pastor. You know the one – Young, athletic, good looking,  outgoing and really really amped about everything… probably a surfer or a star basketball player... maybe a rock star.

This , of course , is the only type of person the kids ould relate to right?  Unfortunately this was the thinking of many a church back then. 

So when the preacher asked him what his secret was – why the kids came out to his youth groups so much and seemed to love them , and him , so much - the man said “All I know is you gotta love ‘em and tell ‘em the truth”. 

And apparently that worked. Apparently it still does . Some folks nowadays say we don’t need youth groups, that they ‘ve become just a big entertainment production with no substance. I’m sure there are some out there like that – but we must not throw the baby out with the bathwater, or in this case – the teenager.

I’m a big believer that all ages should be intermingled in a church and learn from each other. But there is no question to me, that teenagers, like children in Sunday School, married couples  or seniors, need a special place for them.

Adolescence is a complicated and confusing maze, filled with change and often pain. Its struggling to find an identity – and there are many sellers of identities out there.  We need to help them find their identity in Christ.

There is nothing wrong with some entertainment or fun – it just needs to be combined with the substance of Gods Word,  deepening interpersonal relationships, prayer and going out to further the Kingdom of God.

So now I have just stepped down from this last youth group – but not from the lives of the kids. I think ( and hope) that I will always have a heart’s desire to help the young person struggling to find an identity, wanting to be loved and accepted for who they are and challenged in who they can become.  I thinks its important for all of us to have a heart to be a father of the fatherless or a mother to the motherless as the case may be.

Its also important of course not to burn ourselves out as leaders.  I was taught that no matter our age, we should all have 3 types of people in our lives  - a mentor, a peer and a disciple ( a younger person you can be a role model and help to).

You see this in the case of the Apostle Paul, who was mentored by Gamaliel, had a deep brotherly love and friendship with people like Barnabas and Silas and who also was a great mentor to a new generation of leaders like Timothy and Titus.

So I have now been blessed with a beautiful daughter and I am focusing not as much on other people's kids – but now my own. 


I think that this principle of love and truth will work well in parenting too and I know one thing for sure – as my daughter ages I hope she has positive role models in her life, people who aren’t her parents but who love her and teach her to love God.


If God used me, my wife and fellow leaders and other leaders to do this in  someone's life - then it was for His glory , by His grace - and it was motivated out of His deep love for us personally.

We’ll see what the next chapter brings!



Eph 4:15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ..

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Glorious Impossible


See the Virgin is delivered
In a cold and crowded stall
Mirror of the Father's glory
Lies beside her in the straw

He is Mercy's incarnation
Marvel at this miracle!
For the Virgin gently holds
The Glorious Impossible

Love has come to walk on water
Turn the water into wine
Touch the leper, bless the children
Love both human and divine

Praise the wisdom of the Father
Who has spoken through His Son
Speaking still, He calls us to
The Glorious Impossible

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Glorious Impossible

He was bruised for our transgressions
And He bears eternal scars
He was raised for our salvation
And His righteousness is ours

Praise, oh praise Him, praise the glory
Of this lavish grace so full
Lift your souls now and receive the
Glorious Impossible!

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Glorious Impossible

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Glorious Impossible
Glorious Impossible

Praise, oh praise Him, praise the glory
Of this lavish grace so full
Lift your souls now and receive
The Glorious Impossible

Glory, Hallelujah
Glory, Hallelujah
Glory, Hallelujah
Glory, Hallelujah
Glory, Hallelujah
Glory, Hallelujah
Glory, Hallelujah 



Gaither Vocal Band

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Is Canada a Socialist Country?



So I’ve been getting tired of some our southern neighbours continually referring to Canada as a “Socialist” country…. always leaving the hint that that is a very bad thing.


I’m not a political scientist but I wanted to look up the definition of some of these terms we throw around like “socialism”, “communism” and “capitalism”. 

Below are the definitions as found in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. You may read through them now  or refer back to them as we discuss some of the terms below.

Socialism

1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods

2
a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property

b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state

3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done



Marxist Communism

Capitalized

a : a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

b : a totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian party controls state-owned means of production

c : a final stage of society in Marxist theory in which the state has withered away and economic goods are distributed equitably


Capitalism

: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market

a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government 




Looking at the definition of Socialism, Canada does not fit it very well – we indeed have private property , freedom of choice ext.. However, if you are using the term  “socialism” to mean caring for the poor, the weak, the marginalized, those in need generally – then we plead guilty!

Every government, including the U.S.A. has some form of this “socialism”. It only makes sense to help your own people. 

I don’t mean to wade into heated debates and I certainly do not mean to offend any of my American friends ( whom I love dearly) but I think the words we are using need some definition.

Canada is obviously not a communist country ( as some snide comments seem to suggest).  Canada is not even very “socialistic” compared to some of the European democracies such as Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.

(Note: Wikipedia describes Canada as having a mixed economy - Mixed economy is an economic system in which both the state and private sector direct the economy, reflecting characteristics of both market economies and planned economies.[1] Most mixed economies can be described as market economies with strong regulatory oversight, in addition to having a variety of government-sponsored aspects)

Canada is a parliamentary democracy with capitalism and a free market but also with an incredible health care and welfare system.

Is that system perfect?  No.

Does that system ever get taken advantage of? O yes.

But I thank God for it all the time.

For the fact that my friend whose daughter was born premature didn’t have to go bankrupt. (This friend is of  flag waving American heritage but admitted his deep appreciation for our health care system)

For my own family. For though I struggle daily with a mental illness and cannot work full time, I can still work part time and my wife can take an entire year off work to be with our newborn ( whose birth did not cost us thousands of dollars in hospital fees ).

I am deeply grateful to God and country for these things.  This is not about putting down any other countries ( including the U.S. who has been a massive supporter of Canada and without whom we would not be where we are) – its simply saying  let’s stop with the governmental extremism and work together a bit more.

Comprise, primarily, is not adjusting one’s principles, but adjusting one’s attitude.

On another note, a lot of people from the left and right like to quote Scripture in this regard – so lets take a look at that.

Both Jesus and the Biblical authors speak much on caring for the poor, the widows and orphans, the weak,  the sick, those in prison and  the “feeble minded”

( i.e. Mat 25:36, Luke 4:18, James 1:27)

Also in the book of Acts it speaks of the early church laying aside selfish gain and greed and “having all things common”.  (Acts 2, 5)

Please note this is hardly Marxist communism, with ruthless dictators and forced giving up of goods. This is voluntary. It is love in action. And I suppose for this broken world it is a bit too Utopian.

However The Bible also speaks firmly about personal responsibility.

As usual people can quote the Bible picking out only the verses they want to hear,  or they can do a wholehearted search of it, balancing one passage with another to see what this Book actually teaches in all its CONTEXT.

A perfect example on this topic ,  I find, are the 1st and 2nd  books of Thessalonians.



1Th 5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
1Th 5:15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Or as the less literal NLT puts it:

1Th 5:14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.
1Th 5:15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

Further on we read:

2Th 3:10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.
2Th 3:11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.
2Th 3:12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.


In the end, my personal belief is that all human beings are created in the Image of God and are therefore of invaluable worth and should be treated as such.

It is also my opinion ( and it seems to be the consensus of most actual professionals) that the best and healthiest long term way to help a human being is to treat with both compassion AND accountability.