StrictlyCome

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Jack Knox: Still time to get sand in your shoes - Victoria Times Colonist

Posted on 4:58 PM by Unknown

It rained this week. Not a lot, but after the driest summer since Prohibition it felt like a deluge. Six Victorians, gaping open-mouthed at the sky in confusion, drowned.


Take it as distant thunder, a warning of what lies ahead: short days, long pants, longer faces. The back-to-school ads read like obituaries for our Huck Finn freedom.


The question now is whether you took advantage of the glorious summer that God gave us or — blasphemy! — frittered it away at work. Here’s a checklist:


• Did you get sand in your shoes?


• Are you still using last year’s sunblock?


• Did you have to refill the barbecue tank?


• Is your fishing tackle rusty, your sleeping bag musty?


• Did you throw an outdoor party? Are you too embarrassed to give the bottle-drive kids all your empties at once?


• Did you take vacation?


That last one is interesting, as surveys show Canadians often don’t take the holidays to which they are entitled — and relative to the rest of the developed world, we’re not entitled to that many.


When the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Economic Policy and Research compared the minimum number of holidays required by law in 21 wealthy countries, Canada ranked third from the bottom. With a combined total of 19 vacation days and statutory holidays, we trail only Japan and the U.S., according to a survey released this summer.


By contrast, all European Union countries demand at least four weeks paid vacation alone. Austria and Portugal have a minimum of 35 paid vacation days and stats. Spain and Germany have 34. (Getting out-vacationed by the hard-working Germans is like losing a hot dog eating contest to a supermodel.)


And get this: Five of the countries in the survey even make employers pay vacationing workers a small premium to offset holiday-related expenses. (The sound you hear is the exploding heads of Canadian employers, not to mention the self-employed and unemployed.)


A separate study by Mercer Consulting placed Canada dead last in the number of minimum paid days off, saying that in practice U.S. companies typically offer at least 25 stat and vacation days.


Of course, the minimum legal requirement doesn’t reflect the number of days actually taken. According to Expedia.ca’s online 2013 “vacation deprivation” survey, Canadians get an average of 17 vacation days annually — half as many as most Europeans enjoy. Expedia ranks us near the bottom of the list in a “vacation-deprived” group that includes the U.S., Mexico, Singapore and South Korea.


What’s more, 27 per cent of Canadians don’t take all the holidays they earn, largely because they are too busy at work or there aren’t enough staff to cover their jobs. Just over half of the British Columbians surveyed have cancelled vacations because, gosh, they couldn’t possibly leave work without the whole company collapsing like the Maple Leafs in the playoffs.


Even when we play, we work: Six in 10 Canadians check office voice mail or email at least sporadically while away. Just have to scratch that itch.


Which brings us to the appropriately named Labour Day, when you are supposed to swap your swim trunks for corporate climbing gear (suit, tie, underwear) and go back to the grind. Everybody out of the pool and into a funk.


The question, whether you have a job to return to or not, whether you took an actual vacation or not, is how you spent a summer so glorious it belonged in a beer commercial. Did you carouse, neglect the yard, call in “sick” from the beach, outsleep the dog, lose your sunglasses to an outhouse, and jump into the lake with all your clothes on (and your phone in your pocket) — or did you squander summer instead?


It’s not too late. Draw up a bucket list of what you want to achieve (or, better yet, not achieve) before the season dies. Get outside, as far from the pavement as you can. Wear short pants. Or no pants (but don’t forget sunscreen). Sleep under the stars, or at least the moderately well-known.


This summer has been a gift. Open it.


© Copyright 2013


Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in Sport | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Katie Holmes Wears A Wedding Dress On Set Of Her New Movie - Huffington Post
    If you're reading this, Tom Cruise, worry not. Your ex-wife Katie Holmes is not remarrying for real, she's only donned this wedding...
  • Austin YMCA: Fall into new shoes - Post-Bulletin
    It's the end of August, and many of you are shopping for the school supplies, clothes and shoes. The shoes may be for everyday or a spor...
  • 20 life hacks to save you money and make your life easier - The Daily Telegraph
    Binder clips are an easy way to organise your cables. Picture: sillysimpleliving.com Source: Supplied FORGET the fancy gadgets and devic...
  • You can leave your shoes on: Speedy boarding coming to Colorado Springs ... - Colorado Springs Gazette
    For $85, people who frequently fly out of the Colorado Springs Airport will soon be able to breeze through security for the next five years ...
  • Jennifer Garner Shops for Shoes with Violet! - Just Jared
    Jennifer Garner [1] takes her daughter Violet [2] , 7, to pick up some new shoes on Tuesday (August 6) in Brentwood, Calif. The 41-y...
  • Something old, something new – Amy Huberman steps out in her wedding ... - Irish Independent
  • New York Today: Old-Fashioned Shoe Leather - New York Times (blog)
    Alyssa Loorya/ Chrysalis Archaeology If baby needs an old pair of shoes, look no further. Updated 12:54 p.m. | The excavation of this ci...
  • Ben Affleck steps into Batman's shoes - gulfnews.com
    He will star in the sequel of Man of Steel and will face off with Superman Reuters Image Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Actor/director B...
  • Celebrity Big Brother: The Cult Of Celebrity Choose Danielle To Join Ron In ... - Entertainmentwise
    The Cult of celebrity, AKA Louie Spence, Sophie Anderton and Lauren Harries, have chosen Dublin Housewives star Danielle Meagher to join fo...
  • Keep your shoes, jackets on: TSA to expand pre-screening program - CNN
    STORY HIGHLIGHTS The TSA will allow pre-screening at 60 more airports, expand it at 40 current airports PreCheck participants can skip re...

Categories

  • Entertainment (258)
  • Health (18)
  • Sport (44)
  • Technology (80)
  • Today Shoes (94)
  • Womens Athletic (4)

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2013 (498)
    • ▼  September (237)
      • Rocco Shoes Unveils the Latest Technology in Eleva...
      • 3D Print Everything: Printing Birdhouses to Violin...
      • Joe South, 'Walk a Mile in My Shoes' Singer, Dies ...
      • 3D Printed Shoes By Janne Kyttanen Turn Home Compu...
      • Parents, neighborhood get shoes for running grade-...
      • Eve's pain over Sex movie shoes - Hollywood.com
      • Jim Donaldson: Amendola, filling big shoes, hangs ...
      • At New York Fashion Week, designers mix it up and ...
      • Sarah Castille mounts an exploration of MMA - USA ...
      • Celebrity Super Spa: Beauty and the beasts - Daily...
      • Foot health - Another Cubs Blog (blog)
      • Jim Donaldson: Patriots' Amendola, filling big sho...
      • Midway through NY Fashion Week, designers say it's...
      • Designers Defy Matchy-Matchy Wisdom For The Mix - NPR
      • Jim Donaldson: Amendola, filling big shoes, hangs ...
      • Designers in New York keeping it simple with black...
      • Jim Donaldson: Danny Amendola, filling big shoes, ...
      • School library redo goes high-tech - Monitor Onlin...
      • Has Apple lost its mojo? - Kingston Daily Freeman
      • Designers defy matchy-matchy wisdom for the mix - ...
      • Man works to give Haitian kids a childhood he neve...
      • Designers defy matchy-matchy wisdom for the mix - ...
      • Mimi Naman: She sold lots of clothing, shoes and w...
      • New Angles on the Fast Track - New York Times
      • What It Takes To Get The New York Giants To An Awa...
      • Lady Gaga's latest outfit is actually very, very, ...
      • Julius, Jesus and Joshua - an unbeatable lineup - ...
      • Capacious closets - San Antonio Express
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • Pixie Lott, Union J, Louis Smith attend Nickelodeo...
      • Stars attend Nickelodeon Awards: Pictures! - Reveal
      • Why Do We Wear Sneakers Instead of Shoes on Yom Ki...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • Fairytale moment! Keira Knightley stuns in magical...
      • Shoe-stopping Moments - OK! Magazine
      • BIG SHOES TO FILL - STLtoday.com
      • BIG SHOES TO FILL - STLtoday.com
      • Technology comes to aid of wanderers - Newcastle H...
      • Toronto International Film Festival 2013: Labor Da...
      • From Myspace's Ashes, Silicon Start-Ups Rise - New...
      • From Myspace's Ashes, Silicon Start-Ups Rise - New...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • Strictly Come Dancing will waltz all over ITV's ne...
      • Double trouble! Jennifer Lopez juggles her twins w...
      • Technology comes to aid of wanderers - The Border ...
      • Martha Stewart Pushes Adorable Granddaughter in St...
      • Ballet prodigy gets a big lift from mom - The Japa...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • Kim Kardashian's Karl Lagerfeld photo shoot: Brill...
      • Fashionistas love the Janelle Monae concert and th...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • Notable Neighbor: Speedboats, celebrities and size...
      • 'You make things happen': The smoked meat, dog mas...
      • Kate Hudson Talks Shoes: Watch Here! - The Gossip ...
      • Boy's shoes duct-taped to his feet - ActionNewsJax...
      • Elaine Lui @ TIFF: A charming Brad Pitt bros down ...
      • Fashionistas love the Janelle Monae concert and th...
      • Shelby teacher headed to Peru to pass out shoes - ...
      • Bend Tech, Flexpoint Sensor Systems Receive Fundin...
      • When is it okay to wear sneakers with a suit? - Th...
      • Teammates pitch in to get friend new kicks after $...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • Flexpoint And Bend Tech Announce Funding For Sport...
      • Shoe-stopping Moments - OK! Magazine
      • Community Calendar for the Midlands, Sept. 7 - The...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • Flexpoint And Bend Tech Announce Funding For Sport...
      • #1: Man Booker Prize Winner 2003 (Man Booker)
      • Boy's shoes duct-taped to his feet - ActionNewsJax...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and fabulous footwear ...
      • Flexpoint and Bend Tech Announce Funding for Sport...
      • At Minkoff, Janelle Monae _ and Fabulous Footwear ...
      • Dinner with the FT: Anya Hindmarch - Financial Times
      • Nick Nairn on his fall and rise as a celebrity che...
      • AP Photos: A few minutes of glamour, weeks of work...
      • How to choose running shoes - DesMoinesRegister.com
      • Six Things You Didn't Know about Firstborn's Top C...
      • AP Photos: A few minutes of glamour, weeks of work...
      • Serena Williams' shoes have custom US Open hearts ...
      • Footwear | Step into the right shoe - Livemint
      • From Naomi Campbell to this season's best shoes: t...
      • These Spiky Shoes Literally Put A Spring In Your S...
      • New York Today: Old-Fashioned Shoe Leather - New Y...
      • Why Not Treat CEOs More Like NFL Coaches - and Fir...
      • Halloween Costume Ideas 2013: 10 Celebrity And Pop...
      • Store Front Roundup: Running shoes delivered, yoga...
      • Flexpoint and Bend Tech Announce Funding for Sport...
      • Irina Shayk: XTI Shoes Stunner - The Gossip Girls
      • In light of the NSA, how to think about encryption...
      • Someone didn't check the forecast! Fearne Cotton b...
      • Tim's Travels: Chuck's Chucks - WMTV
      • Tim's Travels: Chuck's Chucks - WMTV
      • Flexpoint and Bend Tech Announce Funding for Sport...
      • British shoppers hoarding £4.67bn worth of unworn ...
      • Schools tech director leaving - Hernando Today
      • While Becks was partying at Bodo's Schloss in Kens...
      • Jason Wu: The American Dream - New York Times
      • Celebrity Spaces: Jackie Geary - Toronto Sun
    • ►  August (261)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile