Who me, run??

Okay, I've been reading so many lists lately, one I did like was in the The Ottawa Citizen. The reason I liked it was because I started running 2 weeks ago and although it's hard, I'm keepin on' keepin on' Why? I want to kick start my body. I've never been a runner. I have went to the gym over the years and worked the machines, weights, stair master, bike, but never was drawn to running. Lately I've been feeling the extra pounds and wonder is it my energy, my age, why in god's name am I gaining weight? Okay I do partly know why.  I am Canadian and enjoy a cold one or a glass of red(see blog on red red wine :D), on occasion but I got away with these indulgences my whole life (and fully appreciated this fact and loved this about my metabolism). Is it turning 50? Is that it? Well that's annoying, but I won't take it lying down. I'm going to fight it and I'm going to run. So back to the article, I believe it was called 99 reasons to start running and here are a few of my favourites. Five to be exact...


1.The red New Balance 890s have little Canadian flags just to the left of the heel
Okay, the girl and the patriotic side of me loves this one, if you love your shoes, you'll be a better runner, right? Because you'll be happier, right?? I've got to try a pair of these on ♥ May be love at first sight,. God I linked my first reason to shopping, kind of pathetic, but they get better, deeper. Read on.

2. Another of the reasons was that running increases your sex drive, enough said on that. I'm a huge proponent of this reason. I'm 50 but I ain't dead .

3. It's also a great way to stoke creativity. I thought of the Citizen list while running, and then thought I'd pick my favourites on their list and add some of my own...creative eh! And deeper than shopping....

4. The more you run, the easier it is. In my case the more you run, walk, run, walk, you get the picture, the easier it is. They claim this and I am starting to believe. Why you ask? My first week was extremely hard, I kept thinking two things, Is it supposed to feel like my heart is coming out of my chest, and If I collapse, could I have picked a more non-traffic area, and who will freakin' find me? Okay that's three things but who's counting,
After the second week, my heart rate is better, and those fears are not as strong. Starting to run in the hottest summer I can remember maybe isn't my brightest move, so I get out there before 9:00 am. After that, forget about it, you'll melt like the Wicked Witch and it won't be pretty.

5. And Flea from the Chili Peppers was mentioned in this list, and I say if he can run then so can I. I will never play guitar licks like Mr. Flea, but I can run.

And the look on Flea's face, nope, it's not pure delirium and near collapse, no sir, it's pure happiness at finishing the race. I'm inspired by a Flea! Who knew!


Con ♥

Summer is here and the livin' is easy....especially in Wakefield ♥

I love my job and I love being off for the summer. Working with kids is both a blessing and a challenge and one that benefits from having a two month recharge every year...this is a time for writing, which is my favourite pastime. I have a great tip for all you people out there who need to take a breather, a break from the rat race, a chance to get off the wheel for a moment....Here it is. Just get in your car and drive to Wakefield, Quebec. I went there for Canada Day Weekend and I love, love, love it there ♥  Why you ask? Well grab yourself a cup of hot cocoa and sit down in one of my easy chairs and..hey, wait a minute I'm ripping off The Friendly Giant....did you recognize that, no too young eh? Thought so, let's carry on....

My mom grew up past Wakefield so we drove past it countless times on our way to visit grandma. It wasn't until I was older that I discovered what a gem it was! The cafes, the restaurants, the B&B's.....the Black Sheep Inn where I saw The Skydiggers on Canada Day, the bungee jumping, zip lining and yes, even scuba diving. One cafe is owned by a couple of guys from the band Fiftymen, who served us our cold ones and is also the home of bacon jam (yum). Come on, admit it,  you want to try it! Hey, you only live once...

                          
We stayed at a B&B called Les Trois Erables and it was in a perfect spot, smack dab in the middle of the village. We could walk to the cafes, the Black Sheep, the shops. The only thing on the agenda was relaxation, and we have two teenagers so I know what you're thinking? You're thinking those two were ripe for the picking in needing a little mood-free environment for a day or two...you betcha your rooster Rusty we did !! Yup back to The Friendly Giant, don't even ask. It was nice to not have anything ridiculous come out of my mouth for two whole days (see blog When to talk to your teenage girls to understand :D ) , well my husband seemed to think I made sense for  the whole weekend, or so he let on. It could have been the beer and wine plus the excellent cuisine that was served at the fine Wakefield establishments we visited. Or it could have been the zen like zone we entered upon arriving. Whatever it was, just get in your car and go. You will thank me, or send flowers, whichever is easiest.
Con ♥

Nora Ephron, movies, music, love and heartache

I've got to mention Nora Ephron. I was saddened to hear about her passing. I have always looked up to her for blazing such a white hot trail in a male dominated world of screenwriting and directing. Here we are in the year 2012 and women are all over the entertainment world, look at Kathryn Bigelow who won best picture for The Hurt Locker in 2008, for God's sakes. I cannot believe it already been 4 years...Is that right? The truth of the matter is that the movie world is more populated with the ladies, thanks to Ms. Ephron. She didn't just turn out some huge movies like Sleepless in Seattle, and You've got Mail...she also wrote books that were heartbreaking and funny and based on her life like Heartburn. The movie based on this book had the biggest guns in Hollywood in it, Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson but I don't remember it doing very well even with those two stars in it. I believe it was because it didn't have a happy Hollywood ending. It was quite the depressing ending with Nicholson leaving Streep for another woman when she was pregnant with their child. Whoa, how low can you go eh. I guess it's human nature to want to be entertained and feel good when you leave a theatre. I don't really care, I just want to see a good movie. Sometimes though it's all about the timing. I watched The Curious Case Benjamin Button and cried for days after because my sister was sick at the time and I kept thinking about her legacy and what her time on earth meant. Deep stuff. I think it would have just been an entertaining quirky kind of movie for me had my life circumstances not been so sad at the time. It's like falling in love and relating every freakin lyric in every freakin' love song to my life. How did they capture my big goofy love so accurately! Then when the break-up occurs it seems like you hear and can relate to every dire 'you've done me wrong' song on the radio and it breaks your heart all over again. I remember hearing Somebody's Cryin by Chris Isaak (hello!!), and one that gets me every freakin' time was Tracy Chapman (remember her) and her song The Promise. OMG, it would literally make me bawl like a baby. I just did a trial run and played it on Youtube and there they were, tears in my eyes yet again, geez. Okay it's not making me hysterical as it did in my past, because my life is pretty darn good these days, but it still has some power. The power of music is amazing, just think about it...if the song has a strong connection to a particularly bad time (or good), all those emotions are balled up together and you go back to those feelings when you hear those first few bars. When your life is pretty happy albeit uneventful, all those killer songs about love and heartache go back to their rightful place, in the background of your life where they are just songs on the radio not causing your emotions to spike. Thank God.
Back to Ms. Ephron, you inspired me for two reasons, for your honesty and humour. The big two in my books.
Con ♥