Polkaroo? Where are you?!

After a long break from writing (if this can even be considered that) I am back! Since mid-June I would like to say that I’ve been travelling the world, living the life, and doing so many exhilarating things that I haven’t had time to write – but that would be a lie. In fact, I’ve been lazily studying for an exam, working, and had GREAT ambitions to revamp my blog via a new design and possibly even new title...

Alas I discovered a few things about myself, I am neither good with computers (hard time designing a blog) nor am I creative (hard time designing a blog). I have initially let this stall my progress, but I feel confident that one day I will wake up and have a brilliant stroke of genius which helps me accomplish this...or a good friend who gets paid to do this kind of stuff will help (pro bono preferably) J

All that being said, I have continued with my monthly challenges to do something I’ve never done before, and in July I (drum roll please)...went to a cottage for the first time! Being Canadian and from the suburbs this is both embarrassing and shocking but as a child I camped, as a teen I had no friends with cottages, and well...I can’t really explain the rest of the years but I finally did it! And while I do stick to the argument (justification?) that camping is better – I had an amazing time.

Relaxing on the dock, eating, drinking cold beer and caesars (another first for me!), eating, swimming to the island, eating, and unsuccessfully attempting to water-ski was the best way I have spent a long weekend in a long time. And in conjunction with all that, I was also with 10 of the best chicks ever.

So there we have it...I’m back up a running and have lots of new material...so stay tuned there’s more to come! Thanks for everyone’s support as I continue on my blogging journey J

Don't Be a Floozy, Get a Beer Coozy

An epic 24 hour road trip, followed by 4 days of non stop music, dancing and fun - is what I just returned from. Being off work for 7 days is a luxury I have not had since I started working two years ago, so this was a much anticipated trip - and it lived up to every expectation I had.

We started on the road to Manchester, Tennessee for the 10th anniversary of the Bonnaroo music festival at the early hour of 3am Wednesday morning. Exhausted but full of excitement we started the trip with a stop to Timmies to get our caffeine fix - although not sure it was needed as the adrenaline was pumping pretty high through the car. With luck on our side, we had no traffic, no border wait, no snags hitches or difficulties - until we arrived in Manchester. Completely drained, uncomfortable and ready to be OUT of the car, we arrived at the exit to the festival to learn it was backed up 20 miles (an approximate 12 hour wait time).

The expert navigator Anmar got on her GPS asap and found a detour that got us in to the gates in just under two hours! Tent setup in the dark was interesting, and after all was said and done we sat down to crack our first drink of the trip at just before 3am.

Without going into too much detail - the four days following this consisted of waking up with the sunrise as it was too hot to sleep any later, hiding in shade as much as was possible, drinking lots of water and no booze because of the severe heat, and listening to some of the best music I have ever heard. It was such an incredible experience, and despite its many drawbacks I would (and will) definitely go back.

My favourite bands of the weekend were Arcade Fire, Eminem, and Beirut and the bands I was most disappointed with were The Black Keys and The Strokes. The stage presence and vibe was poor with the latter bands - giving the impression they were too cool for the audience, not my kind of thing. One new artist I discovered, from a suggestion by my friend Lia was Ben Sollee. He is a cellist who plays with a woman violinist Phoebe Hunt, and a drummer (name unknown) - and they were incredible. Many of his songs are based on political and social activism and the lyrics are astoundingly profound and moving for such a young man. 

The old adage of southern hospitality could certainly be affirmed here, as the people we met were some of the most genuine, friendly and welcoming people I have ever known. The vibe of the festival was probably what I loved most about the whole weekend - never feeling an ounce of pretentiousness, negativity or danger. While some of the hippies were a bit extreme - trying to sell beer cozy's without even knowing how to pronounce the word (Be The Man, Have Frost On Your Can!) the majority of the festival goers were eager to meet new people and share a piece of the shade when needed.

Check out the picture/video slideshow below to see what the weekend consisted of:

The Painted Lady

I am officially inked! What I tried to do in March, and then April...finally happened in May. This was a long awaited challenge that I chickened out of on a couple of occasions and was incredibly nervous to have done. But I must say that I absolutely LOVE it, and could even see myself getting another one.

The entire day leading up to my 6:15pm appointment I was thinking "I'm cancelling, I'm not showing up, I'm NOT doing this!!!" I was absolutely petrified about the pain, envisioning it being something like a scene out of Hostel. As I sat on the table while he prepared the print - I started chatting with another woman who was there getting her fourth tattoo. She could tell I was a novice - as I was taking lots of deep breaths and sweating profusely - and she was explaining to me the meanings behind all her tattoos and how it really isn't that painful, and she promised me she wasn't lying.

While I don't think that conversing with her actually helped me be less afraid of the pain, she did help to distract me from my nervousness and before I knew it he had the needle and was ready to start. I warned him (tattoo artist - Eric from New Tribe) that I would probably be screaming and crying, and he said in all his years tattooing he had never once had someone cry and that I couldn't be the first. So like a brave little girl - I crushed my friends hand and made faces instead (see below for video footage). It helped that Eric was an incredibly cute guy, so I didn't want to look like a fool :)

It DID NOT feel good. But to be honest, it really didn't hurt that much. There were parts that hurt more than others - I would explain the feeling to be like a bee sting over and over again and the after feeling is like a bad sunburn. The pain is so brief though, that almost as soon as you're done getting it you've forgotten how awful it felt. And really, the most inconvenient part of the process was the forced week and half of no working out, cause I couldn't put on runners until it scabbed.

I'm so happy that I went through with it and had it done - I've always thought about getting a tattoo and now that I've got it, I'm not sure why I waited so long. I don't know if I will ever get another one, probably not unless there is a reason for it - but it was a great experience and something I'm so happy I can say I've checked off my bucket list!

I Believe I Can Fly

So for the month of April the initial challenge I set out to do fell through due to lack of planning on my part and has been moved into May – and this time will hopefully actually get done (it may have been more about me chickening out and less about me not planning it).

Instead, I decided to take up one of the more unique and interesting challenges that was suggested to me, and my friend Kim and I joined the circus. As I’m sure most can deduce, no we did not quit our jobs and become contortionists in a travelling road show – but we started doing a Jukari class at King West Fitness which is based on concepts from Cirque Du Soleil.

 What I imagined would be me gracefully prancing about, doing flips, tricks and flying through the air was of course exactly how it happened. Except that lifting your own body weight is A LOT harder than one would assume, especially on a bar suspended in the air.

This class was certainly, and slightly disappointingly, much more of a fitness class than a circus class. However, it wasn’t enough of a fitness class to really be a challenging workout – so it fell somewhere in the middle. That being said, I definitely utilized and engaged upper body muscles that I very rarely use – and I would assume that would be the same for most women and the next day my muscles were aching.

The class consisted mainly of learning how to hold the bar and your body in the easiest way to lift yourself off the ground. However, for women little back or arm muscle – getting any leverage was VERY difficult. My initial assumption would be that a lot of the lifts would be more like a jump so that the strength could come from your legs, but that was not the case at all.

We signed up for 5 classes and have only done two so far...so I’m very excited to see if it will progress and perhaps we will advance a little more in the tricks we are doing on the bars – and then maybe I’ll get the circus experience I was hoping for!

Since this post is the first about fitness I should warn anyone reading that I LOVE all things about working out, fitness, health and wellness and with that I am really into trying all the newest and trendiest workout techniques. I’ve done P90X, Insanity, and Chalean Extreme; I love Beachbody workouts and I avidly follow their new programs. They recently released a new workout program called The Asylum which I have just ordered and plan to start in the next couple of months...so watch out for that if you want to follow my results.

What Are You Reading Right Now?

So I’ve wanted to do a second top ten list since my inaugural post in November last year. I wanted to do a book list the first time around but I’ve been daunted by the task because I am such an avid reader (without the most discerning taste) that it was near to impossible for me to develop this list. I’m sure I have forgotten more books than I can count…so as you read please keep in mind that this was formulated from what came top of mind when I thought to myself “what books did I love reading?” Also, I am going strictly fiction on this one or it would get way to out of hand…hope you enjoy!

1)      Fugitive pieces – Anne Michaels

This book was given to me by my sister years and years ago…the first time I read it I was in high school and definitely not advanced enough for it. In fact I hated it the first time I read it. However something possessed me to reread it when I got to university and since then I can’t count how many times I’ve read this book. It is definitely my favourite book I’ve ever read and my favourite quote comes from it “make beauty necessary make necessity beautiful”.

It is about a young Jewish boy whose family is killed by Nazis and is taken in by a greek man who ultimately raises him. They eventually move to Toronto where he meets a woman and marries but has a hard time letting go of his past – it is a story of love, trauma and challenge and it is SO good, a definite must read!

   2)  Twilight series – Stephenie Meyer

I don’t really think anything needs to be said on this one – if you haven’t read it then you don’t understand. You can judge me openly or behind my back but I stand behind my decision. Potentially one of the best series I’ve ever read and certainly the best love story.

3)      Tara Road – Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy I would have to say is my favourite author as I’ve read, and enjoyed, every book of hers. She was introduced to me by my mother because she is an Irish author that my mom has always followed. Deciding which one of her books to put on my list was a challenge because I’ve loved so many of them; Tara Road was the first book of hers I ever read and started my love affair with her novels and so that is how I landed on this one.

Tara Road is about two women who exchange homes (something like the holiday – the Cameron Diaz movie) in an effort to escape personal crises and become lifelong friends. It is a story of how people are resilient and can build themselves back up from any devastation. It’s a great pick me up book if in need of a smile.

      4)      Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina was one of the hardest books I’ve ever read. It was exceptionally long, excruciatingly detailed and verbose and jam-packed with historical references. However, it is known as the greatest love story of all time and me being the sap that I am had to read it. I would explain it as being one of those books you would consider an investment. And it’s not until you close the back cover and finish it that you truly take something away from it. It’s not like a page turning can’t ever put it down kind of book – but it will make you think for weeks afterward and definitely challenge even the most advanced of readers.

5)      Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men is a book that was suggested to me by a friend that always reads very challenging and very thought provoking books. As can be told by my list of top ten, I usually read books for entertainment value and less often for their literary impact. However, I accepted the challenge of reading this one mainly because it was really short and I figured if it hated it at least it wouldn’t have been a huge time investment – but instead I absolutely loved it.

Like The Giver (below) it is a highly controversial and challenged novel and is read in many schools. It is about two men during the great depression who are forced to flee town based on rape charges and find themselves employment on a ranch where their situation doesn’t much improve. It is a devastating tale of friendship – and unlike most of the other books on this list, does not have a Hollywood ending.

     6)      LOTR trilogy (including the hobbit) – J.R.R. Tolkien

BEST TRILOGY EVER – nothing else needs to be said.

  7)      The Giver – Lois Lowry

The Giver was a book I read in elementary school that completely blew my mind.

Side note: It kind of reminds me of the movie with Carey Mulligan called Never Let Me Go which is amazing and everyone should watch it.

In the book children are assigned jobs based on personality tests and live out their lives based on everything being predetermined for them. It is supposed to show this way of life as utopian until the boy whose job it is to receive the memories of those from the past, before this was how the world worked, starts to wonder if there shouldn’t be more to life. This book is highly controversial and a lot of schools no longer permit it to be on the reading lists – however I have never forgotten it and have read it many times since Grade 7 and it still amazes me, so I would definitely encourage every kid to read it and every adult as well.

      8)      A Million Little Pieces – James Frey

So I know this book caught a lot of grief for being told as a memoir when he embellished a lot of the details for literary effect, but to that I say, who the hell cares? I LOVED this book. I think I read it in one day and stayed up all night because I couldn’t put it down. It was so tragic, so dark, so depressing and yet so uplifting and so hopeful at the same time. Real or fake I don’t care – I loved this book and James Frey is an amazing author that can write a serious page turner!

      9)      A Little Princess – Frances Hodgson Burnett

Again, this is a book from my childhood that I’ve read more times than I can count. It was given to me by my aunt and I think it was my first hard cover book. I remember building a little fort out of my covers, like the girl in the book does and reading beneath it.

It is a tragic story about loss – but shows the perseverance and will of what we will do to right our situations. Even as a little girl, she is able to find the best in the worst situation and eventually escape her challenges and live the life she deserves.

Side note: I think I have a theme here in the books I like – always people who suffer a tragedy and end up pulling through it.

10)   Lullabies for Little Criminals – Heather O’Neill

Lullabies for Little Criminals is one of those books that while you’re reading it you can’t help but to talk to everyone around you about the book you’re reading. Every time you turn the page you’re thinking, this can’t be happening, this can’t get any worse, oh my god how is this going on?!

I absolutely enjoyed every page of this story, it was so gut wrenching and depressing to see the challenges that such a young girl was going through and to realize that this is probably a lot of children’s realities around the world. The devastation of drugs and drug addiction is something that totally intrigues me, because I just can’t understand it – read this book, its amazing!!

P.S. To all those who suggested Inception be on my top ten movies…I’ve now watched it and yes I did really enjoy it but still it would not make the cut of fav movies.

3 pieces of bread, 2 patties and the special sauce

My challenge for March – the third of the year – was certainly the most pre-planned and definitely my most nerve wracking challenge so far. I was somehow convinced that it would not only be entertaining, but maybe even fun, to voluntarily put the world’s worst poison into my body; and so on March 29^th 2011 I ate a Big Mac.

Now this challenge posed such a great difficulty for me for a number of reasons:

1)      I haven’t eaten red meat (or really any meat except chicken) in almost a year – I came to terms with this one because I’m pretty sure whatever those patties are made of, they aren’t real meat anyways.

2)      I try to eat a pretty healthy menu on a regular basis – I convinced myself one Big Mac wouldn’t throw me off too much, plus it definitely can’t be any worse than the numerous poutines I eat on my way home from Parts and Labour every weekend – right?

3)      I NEVER finish an entire meal that is put in front of me, and part of this challenge was that I had to eat the entire burger, the fries and the drink. I did accomplish this, but let me just say that I moaned, groaned and b****ed for most of the evening about being full.

So what was the verdict of this incredibly demanding (mentally and physically) challenge – well…it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever eaten. Will I ever eat another? Absolutely not ever again. But that being said it really just tasted like pickles, which are one of my main food groups, so overall I was fairly pleasantly surprised.

April’s challenge, which I will obviously not be divulging just yet, is something that will shock most people that know me well. Of all so far, it will be the most expensive by far and has been months (if not years) in the planning…those of you who are joining me for this one, please don’t say anything until it’s been done! And again…I am TERRIBLY nervous for this one.

Punch Drunk Love

I recently sourced responses from many friends via facebook, twitter and email regarding their opinions on love at first sight. I wasn’t anticipating the level of replies that I got, so it seemed I struck a nerve with this topic and got really excited. What I got back were answers that I found both incredibly interesting, as well as surprising.


What spurned my desire to hear others’ beliefs on this topic was that I always steadfastly and almost even stubbornly refused to believe that love at first sight was possible – until I met someone that made me think otherwise. Albeit a fleeting affair in a very long life, this guy had me at hello. I walked around on cloud three hundred and thirty nine, thinking to myself could I actually be THIS lucky? Is this what all my heartbreak has been leading up to – cause if so then give me five more heartbreaks if I can feel this five times stronger! Where I was conflicted, was in my head I was thinking LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, but was it? Is that even possible? Or was it just excitement, infatuation, and the thrill of the new potential...here is what my friends had to say:

•  I don’t think I agree with love at first sight. I think people sometimes think they’re in love at first sight, but really it’s just lust or attraction. In my mind “love” is entirely to do with getting to know someone, feeling connected to them on a deeper level, sharing an emotional bond – how is that possible immediately? I certainly believe there are some people you have an instantaneous attraction to – and by that I mean chemistry, not just a physical attraction – but I still differentiate that from love. I don’t know, I guess it’s entirely dependent upon your conception of what love is...
• I think that point-blank asking whether or not someone believes in love at first sight makes the whole matter seem simpler and less nuanced than it actually is. Do I actually believe that I can lock eyes with someone from across a room and love them in that instant as deeply and meaningfully as I would after getting to know him (or her) for years? No. But I do believe that you can tell, in a glance, an impression, and/or initial conversation, whether or not that person is someone you could love...
• In all honesty, you can’t love at first sight. Love means so much more – like quitting your job and moving. You wouldn’t do that after just seeing someone. But that’s why it’s a good topic, because there are people out there who would I guess.
• Strong gut instinct only. I think real love comes after some element of chaos.

• Lust, but not love. Love means that you have learned to accept each other’s differences and embrace each other’s faults. That itself takes time and time to grow with each other and learn.
• Happened to me!
• Absolutely! Rare but it happens
• I was a victim
• Love at first sight, no – but instant chemistry that can last a life time, yes
• I suppose some might want to say it was "love at first sight" for non-romantic relationships, like their children at birth. That could possibly be the only true love at first sight.
• I am not a hopeless romantic and probably the biggest realist (or as some say - pessimist) out there... but yes, I do believe in it... I think it sounds so cheesy and so impossible. And it may have been chance/coincidence that I met him and instantly knew, but whatever optimism there is in me says it was love at first sight...

From all that I took a step back to reconsider my position on love at first sight. What I truly think it is – which is echoed in a lot of the responses above although people may not actively think they believe this – is that YES it is possible. Why do I say this? How can I say this? Isn’t there so much more evidence against than for it?  Well...I look at it this way:

I think that you can meet someone, immediately connect, get excited about, have an attraction to and feel completely overwhelmed and infatuated with. The in-love feelings bloom instantly, is it the deep eternal love that we all think of when we hear that word? No it’s not – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t love. Love is not an on/off switch but more like a dimmer. It evolves changes and grows over time spent with someone. And for any pair, love may not mean the same thing. I think from the puppy love, the young love, and the new love – which most people deem lust, the love we have come to recognize grows. And I sincerely believe, that despite length of time with a person a true connection is a true connection – and that is what is truly rare and special, and it is something we should all be thankful for when and if we get there.