Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Couch Potato No More!


Given the chance, I'll stay in my robey most of the day, with only short forays away from the couch or rocker to eat, run errands, tutor students, and empty the hound. Exercise, to say the least, has never been my passion.

There was one major exception.... Five summers ago I completed Seattle's Danskin Triathlon -- an amazing experience that happened purely because the thought of it (especially the .47 mile Lk. Washington swim) terrified me. I trained with an incredible group of beautiful, diverse women -- the Kitsap Tri Babes -- for 12 weeks, swimming, race-walking and biking, and I loved it (well, maybe not the swim so much, but...). Then, after the life-changing August event, I sat back down.

We all know that sitting is not the road to living a long, active life, so it's time to get off of my rapidly-softening rear again. Menopause seems to be in full swing, and my metabolism is beginning to crawl in time to that music. At almost 54, along with many people at this age, I'm beginning to think about the upcoming second half of my life. While I've always been a bit of a health nut, I'll admit to having known much more than I've practiced. It is time to step up my game.

(Ok, the truth is, I do love my weekly yoga class. And I did dust off my bike for a few great rides this year. So I'm not a complete slug.... Just a minor one.)

The movement I most enjoy is walking. From strolling to race-walking, I like it all. Walks with my pup are stop-and-go exercises with frequent visits with other dog-walkers for neighbourly catch-ups and fascinating sniffs. To supplement those non-aerobic, brief in the hot- and cold-season jaunts, kijiji provided a low-cost used treadmill last weekend, to which I've added a lovely first-phase hunk-o-plywood desk. So, at this very moment, I'm moseying at about 1.5 mph -- have been for the past hour -- and will amp it up this evening for another 1/2 hour with Pierre on his bike trainer beside me.

While I doubt there is another triathlon in my future, (unlike one of my fellow Tri Babes who went on to complete an Ironman last year!) Ottawa holds a number of 5k's, 10k's, half- and full-marathons. And I plan to greet next spring and summer with a stronger, healthier body, ready to cross some finish lines. :) Would you like to join me?

Monday, November 12, 2012

A Woman's Perogative

Well... as my immigration journey is ongoing, I've changed my mind as to what will be posted here over the next few weeks. Those stories will make their way here eventually....

Saturday, November 03, 2012

Time For Something New

What a fun project the Photo/blog post-a-Day project was!

If you'd be so kind.... I'd really appreciate your feedback on your favourite (or least favourite) entries. Please feel free to comment on any of the past couple of months' posts.... Your (gentle, constructive) criticism or hurrahs can help improve my writing, or highlight topics that you'd like to see more (or less) of in the future.

FYI: Since spam comments are rampant on blogspot, I moderate them, meaning your comments will be private until/unless I choose to open them to the public. So... no need to be shy. :)


And now... 

On to my next project....

Over the past (almost) four years, I have been moving through the process of immigrating to Canada in order to spend the rest of my life with the most fabulous man on the planet. For various reasons, it has been a long journey. Along the way, I have spent many hours researching government websites, speaking with lawyers, reading forums and blogs, and have made a few hard-knocks mistakes. It occurred to me that telling some of the stories might be helpful to other immigrants -- or would maybe just be an interesting read.

So, the immigration chronicles begin! I hope you'll enjoy the next few weeks' posts.

P.S. If you'd like to receive notification of new entries, you can add your address to the "Follow by Email" box below. Guaranteed spam-free!

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Oct 30 - Photo a Day - Clothes

Ottawa Little Theatre's Green Room
Pierre and I have discovered the theatre. If you know us, you'll probably think that's odd. Neither of us can win at poker, we're not big on Halloween costumes, and we are both completely transparent pretenders. In addition, memorization is definitely not one of my strong points.

What may not surprise you is that we spend our theatre time backstage. Helping with the stage set -- working on the crew or scooting props around -- allows us to spend time with some of our favourite friends, meet fabulously talented and creative people, and contribute with our organizational skills.

Watching the director, coaches and costume crew help the actors take on different characters' personalities has been truly impressive. The people involved -- especially the courageous and talented performers, but also the tech folks: design, sound, lights, etc. -- invest dozens of hours in making these productions succeed.

It has been an honour to be allowed to witness the evolution of the first two of (hopefully) many shows, from first stage rehearsals to standing ovations on closing nights. It's also surprisingly satisfying to know that our little bit of work in the wings has helped to create evenings of entertainment for audiences at Ottawa Little Theatre.