An Oldie but a Goodie. Warning: A Sappy Blogging Ode to my Dad



Oh and thanks for providing this awesome sleeping spot.

As I get older, I find that I have an increased tendency to look back on myself to better understand who I am and where I have come from. Today, was the birthday of one of the biggest influences of why I am who I am: my dad. Despite the usual ups and downs that can only be explained through teenage years, I have always felt very close to my dad. As the only girl in a flock of boys, I found myself more easily identifying with my own boyish side. Through my years of sports, both my parents were always a driving force and I can particularly remember my Scottish-soccer-loving father standing at the sidelines of my soccer matches either beaming with pride or yelling at me like I am letting an English soldier get to William Wallace. I was definitely one of those little girls who thought that her dad was the biggest, brightest, and "bestest" man in the world - I would size up other girls dads, always ultimately concluding that my dad could kick their asses (probably all at the same time). In light of my blogging premise of working out, I certainly think that my dad is one of the people that I need to thank. Competitiveness is something that I definitely developed as a bi-product of being the only girl, however I think that may be something that can sometimes work against a girl's confidence. Constantly comparing yourself to boys can be a challenge, lets face it, there are some fundamental differences between men and women in general that cannot be overcome with feminist theory. When it came to sports, my dad definitely made sure that I knew that I could be just as successful athletically as my brothers. As a premier league soccer player and someone who played on a women's rugby team when I was still in high school, I know that my dad was right about me. While my hiatus from athletics has been longer than I have ever thought it would have been, I know I will stay motivated so long as I have my dad there. He's a big reason why I quit smoking; that look of disappointment on his face was something that I couldn't just shrug off as some kind of difference between generations, I knew that he was disappointment because I was squandering my own physical potential in addition to compromising my own health. I have to thank him for not overwhelming me in negativity about this, but just being a constant presence that was subtly assuring me that I was better than that. I owe a lot to my dad, but I think one of the things that has always stood out the most in my mind was my dad's constant reassurance of my intelligence. Sure, my dad said it in a kind of joking manner, but he was always saying how I was the smartest. The smartest of what, or compared to who, who knows... the point wasn't that I was actually the smartest of anyone it was that I was smart and that was a good thing. I feel pity for that breed of girl that feels the need to act like she is stupid in order to not threaten guys, or whatever other reason people have come up with to explain why this incredibly ridiculous behaviour continues to occur. I am very thankful that I never had this problem, it was always emphasised to me that intelligence is important and never anything to be ashamed of.
Here's to dad's.
Especially mine, happy birthday Dad!

Day 2:
20:00
50-70rpm
7.4km

iPads and Giant Balls

Is this really any different than leaving against the wall?

The suspense is over!  I am pleased to tell you all that I mustered up the energy to head down to the gym today and recommence my workouts.  I must say, it was a bit of a challenge as I seemed to be quite short on breath - I am not sure if this is from my month long vacation from working out or if it's a lingering effect from having been sick...  I am hoping that it's just from being sick and that the shortness of breath will pass in a few days.  That being said, I was definitely not up to the standards that I left off at.  I still did the same amount of sit-ups that I last did, however I felt a bit more of a struggle towards the end of them than I recall having when I was working out in November.  Also, I only did a fraction of the time that I had been doing previously - just a little less than half to be more specific.  I didn't want to push my self too hard right off the bat but I am confident that by mid week I'll be back full strength!  I am also considering an outdoor run this week.  Frankly, I've been avoiding the outdoor running in general just because of the high impact but given how absurdly nice the weather has been in Calgary (wind aside) it seems like something that I should at least attempt.  The trouble is that living downtown I don't find that there are too many places where I would want to run to.  I have seen these people jogging around the downtown, running on the spot at traffic lights every 20 feet... it really just doesn't appeal to me that much.  Perhaps there is some awesome place to run in the downtown area that I am just not aware of because my workout routine has been hibernating in the comfort of the gym, so if you happen to know of a good running route, please fill me in and maybe I will give it a go in the next week.  I don't really have much else to tell you all today; my workout was fairly uneventful.  When I went down there was one woman using those large exercise balls... although she appeared to just be sitting on it and bouncing it slightly - is this a legitimate exercise or just an excuse for adults to utilise something that would otherwise be considered a children's toy?  She left shortly after I got there, but as she was leaving a notice her getting her iPad from the treadmill - what an awesome idea.  If I had an iPad, I could watch whatever I wanted when I worked out instead of being subject to the lackluster offerings of daytime television.  Unfortunately, iPads are wicked expensive so if anyone would like to buy me one that would be really awesome. 

Day 1 (I thought I would start fresh)
20 minutes
50rpm
6.5km
+
50 sit-ups

Blogging in the New Year

Oh Calvin... I agree, you are perfect.

Well, it is time for my holiday hiatus to come to an end!  I know it has been quite a while since I have regaled you all with my glorious stories and mildly uncomfortable glimpses into my psyche but now that December has come and gone it's time to rededicate myself to my blogging and my workouts.  Unfortunately, I don't have a workout to report to you today - I'm coming off the tail end of a sickness that saw me right through the new year and has continued to keep me nearly drink-free in 2012(I managed 2 beers during that heart-wrenching loss in the World Junior semi-final).  I did however, take the stairs twice today, that's right twice.  It doesn't seem to matter how much you exercise or how fit you are, there is something about opting out of the elevator and taking the stairs that consistently makes you feel exponentially healthier than usual.  Some of you may be wondering what the holidays have to do with keeping me so completely preoccupied that I had no time to write or exercise at all.  While I did have time to write, I didn't have the time/energy to get in my workouts due to the hectic nature the holiday season brings to the restaurant world.  So without the guise of my workouts to write under, I felt that my blogging would be exposed for the self-indulgent activity that it is.  Now that I have gone ahead and let that cat out of the bag, I guess from now on I will just blog regardless of whether or not I workout; rest assured I will be working out again soon though.  I'm hopeful that tomorrow I will no longer feel so congested that the idea of mounting my old friend the elliptical seems impossible (erase all gross and inappropriate thoughts from your mind that occurred at the word "mounting").  That's all I have for you tonight, I will leave you filled with suspense as you slip into sleep wondering whether or not I will find the energy and enough well-being to get back into my workout routine!

The Blogging Returns

This is the G rated version of why I wasn't blogging...

Welcome back everyone!  I have actually rather missed sending my ridiculous thoughts out into the world to be read, enjoyed, and probably judged by others.  I am sorry for taking a hiatus from my blogging, however a series of fortunate and unfortunate events prevented me from writing.  So I will rewind and tell you all about where I have been and why I have not been keeping you all (hopefully) entertained.  Last Thursday was the first day that I did not blog, I did actually workout that day, however I did so very close to the time that I had to go to work so I didn't get a chance to write it beforehand and I went to bed shortly after getting home because I had to work the next morning.  Friday I worked during the day, and then Dan picked me up from work and we immediately hit the road to head to the mountains.  We were going up to this lodge with some of our friends in order to celebrate one couples engagement which as happening on their way to the lodge. The whole thing was a big secret and it all came together perfectly!  Dan and I woke up early Saturday morning and headed to Lake Louise to get some snowboarding in - our first runs of the season.  It was the busiest that we had ever seen the hill, especially that early in the morning.  We had not realised that there was actually a World Cup race going on that day which meant that a large part of the mountain was unavailable and the remainder of the mountain was completely overcrowded.  So after two runs we decided it just wasn't worth the headache and hassle of waiting in long lines in the cold.  Instead, we met up with our friends whom we warned against the chaos of the ski hill and decided we would go skating.  We were both pretty excited for this, neither one of us have skated in a very long time.  For myself, I am pretty sure the last time that I skated was on the canal, which means at least 6 years ago, and I do recall that even then that was the first time in a long time.  I remember that I had done up my skates (which I had bought specifically to go skating this one time) and I stood up to head out onto the canal from the tents they have setup to get everything ready, I promptly fell flat on my ass and a small child whose mum was doing up his skates proceeded to laugh at me.  I am pretty sure that despite being the personal slapstick comedy routine for a small child, I was actually able to skate.  So Dan and I were both very curious to see if we actually could still skate, and if we could, how well...  Unfortunately the hilarious stories of Dan and I trying to skate after probably a combined 15 years of not skating will have to be postponed given that the lake was not fully frozen.  On the way back to the lodge Dan and I stopped in the adorable little town of Field, BC to get some lunch at this grocer/restaurant that we had been to many times before but had recently changed owners.  I had a chicken panini sandwich that was alright, not the best, not the worst... unlike the glass of wine that we had which was definitively the worst.  Anyone who knows Dan and I, know that its a rare occasion when we leave nearly full drinks sitting on our table, but we did it that day.  I would attribute it to the fact that the wine came out of a box, except that I have had bearable wine out of a box before, this was unbearable.  Later that evening we returned to Field to meet the other couple that was coming to join us all, and we had dinner at the Truffle Pigs, a restaurant Dan and I have a lot of fond memories at (like me forgetting that I had switched from beer to wine and picking up the wine bottle taking a pound directly from the bottle as other guests of the lodge that we had been talking to looked on).  Dinner was awesome, and then we went back to the lodge and continued to celebrate.  Finally we went to bed, and then I awoke at 3am in absolutely pain.  I felt like I had to throw-up, and not the kind of throwing up that some people do when they have had too much to drink, this was a whole other kind of throwing up.  However, I couldn't throw up.  I finally did about an hour and a half later, and I will spare you all the gruesome details but I had food poisoning.  It was the chicken panini

Day 24 (Last Thursday)
45 minutes
45-55rpm
14km
+
50 sit-ups

Day 25 (Today)
45 minutes
40-48rpm
12.2km
+
50 sit-ups

Silly men, treadmills go fast

This would be amazing...

Ugh, post-regular work hour work outs are the dumps.  While the television may be better (as previously mentioned) the company increasingly becomes undesirable. I worked during the day today, so I didn't have a chance to work out until about quarter to six this evening.  When I went down to the work out room there was already an older man (on the bike, obviously... dudes love that thing) watching the Flames hockey game.  Despite the fact that I am not a Flames fan, I do enjoy the hockey and I was down with watching the hockey.  Politely, he did offer me the remote when he was leaving - most likely because he mistakenly thought I would have no interest in watching hockey , much like the other day when I was leaving and I passed the remote because I mistakenly thought that the guy that had just come in would not like to watch Dawson's Creek... nope, he kept watching it...  Here's what I love about men: they can be downright stupid sometimes.  So when I was about ten minutes into my workout, this other guy comes into the gym, probably late thirties and he had an accent I couldn't quite distinguish but he was quite friendly when he came in, despite wearing headphones.  I was rocking it on my best friend the elliptical and this guy came in and went for the treadmill.  I have to say straight up, this was one of the most amazing spectacles of male ridiculousness I have ever seen.  Right away, this guy cranks the treadmill up to about 8mph without any warm up, except the thirty seconds he spent hi-kicking behind me... yup, it was awkward.  Anyway, he cranks the treadmill up while standing with his feet planted on either side and when he finally jumped on, I couldn't help but look - he almost flew right off the back.  You know when you see people do that in movies, and you think "Oh my god, this slapstick humour is so Jim Carey, and thus so over", that's exactly what this looked like, except somehow he managed to recover, at which point he looked over to me and tried to explain that the treadmill is unsafe and that it sporadically pauses...  Awesome, you are so manly you can run super fast without warming up and almost fall off the treadmill but no worries, it's a technical error not the fact that you have no idea how to use a treadmill.  I don't mean to suggest that I am some awesome person that all guys try to hit on (even though I am awesome) but I did get the impression that this was what this guy was up to.  He then decided, despite still wearing his headphones, to chat me up about the game.  It started out with the basic stuff like the score, and who actually scored the points thus far... and then he asked me which team was my favourite.  Given the options of Calgary and Detroit, I said neither.  When he asked me who I did like, I took the opportunity to tell him that I like Vancouver which invariably brings about the question of whether or not I am from there.  "No," I answered "but my husband is".  Sure, I lied and said that Dan was my husband - but I enjoy this lie, I feel that it puts men in their place a lot sooner.  It seems that the title of boyfriend means there is still room to maneuver and the title of fiance means that there is still a last chance.  While this may sound silly, as a long term member of the service industry I can assure you that the ring on my finger does not do much to deter attempts, rather it seems like an invitation to be as ridiculous as possible about it because odds are they're going to get turned down anyway.  I feel like the old husband brush off only pushed this guy to try to impress, or perhaps maintain his manhood.  I could tell he was determined to stay at his workout longer than I had, when I was about a half hour in I kept feeling him looking over me, as if he was looking to see how near I was to finishing... While my goodness did this guy ever suffer, he was huffing and puffing on this treadmill that was going far too fast for this guy.  He stopped twice to catch his breath, and when I finally finished my workout on the elliptical I could see the relief in his stature.  Although, he didn't realise that I was going to do my sit-ups.  Finally, I saw this guy's macho persona collapse and he had to rapidly drop his speed down.  I found the entire incident very amusing, I mean this guy just about killed himself hopping onto a treadmill going far too fast than he was prepared to run just to show his manliness.  This is why I love men, they try so very hard, it can be silly or it can be really amazing, but they're always trying.

Day 23:
40:16
55-65rpm
14km
+
50 sit-ups

Random Memories and Book Poops

Apparently it's a more common phenomenon than I ever thought

Do you ever remember something really obscure and completely unimportant and find yourself why in the world would my brain decide that that was something important to hold on to?  Sometimes (most of the time) I can't remember where my keys are, guys forget their anniversaries, parents forget their children's birthdays and yet people remember the strangest things that have absolutely no relevance to anything at all.  Today on my way home from some errands, I stopped at a bookstore that recently caught my eye.  They have a sign out front that says "Old and Rare Books", given the massive literary nerd that I am, this is right up my alley.  Normally, I forget about it and notice it too late to park so I just keep going, or other times I think of it when I am running short on time.  So, I was quite happy when I remembered that bookstore on my way home with plenty of time to spare.  This book store was like a porn shop for English and history nerds alike; wall to wall books, books with those thick pages that instantly tell you that the book is at least a hundred years old.  Textured pages, I don't know what it is, but I just love those old books with their thick, textured pages.  Clearly, I will never be one for the ereader...  I just love to hold a book, I like to look at them stacked on my shelves, and I especially love the smell of books - this bookstore was all kinds of book smell.  As I roamed around in my literary haven, I had the most random useless memory pop into my head.  It was from when I was in high school, and I was at my best friend Susan's house.  We were in the old computer room (not the music room turned computer room - this info is just for people who know Susan's house) and her older brother, my older brother, and there other friend Dave were on the computers and Susan and I were in there trying (and failing) to coerce them to let us on the computers...  Somehow, a discussion about the library started to happen, I of course said how I love the library, and Dave said how being in the library makes him have to poop.  Susan, then seconded this, she also has to poop when she goes into the library, or at least she did back then.  This is the kind of crap I remember??  Well, I guess it is because there I was in this awesome bookstore filled with amazing old books and I remember a conversation about how the smell of books makes people I know have to poop, and to top it all off, I finally experience this book effect myself and I had to leave the bookstore to poop.  Did you ever think you were going to read about me having to poop?  I apologize for that, but I just found it a very odd thing to remember...  Maybe you laughed, that would be good, I hope you all laughed instead of just finding this incredibly weird. 
I'm sorry.

Day 22:
41 minutes
45-62rpm
13.7km
+
50 sit-ups

The Upside of Mondays and Road Rage

We really are animals...

Happy Monday bloggies (yes, I have nicknamed the collective group of people who read my blog).  Yes, I know Mondays suck for everyone, but they are actually my version of Sunday usually, so I quite enjoy Mondays.  Working a job that is not 9-5 can seem inconvenient sometimes when it comes to making plans with all you normal people, however, for everything else - it's actually kind of great.  This is because while all you normal people are working, I have the ability to do things without having to deal with crowds of people.  For example, the grocery store - living downtown means that the stores that I go to are even busier than most since you have a lot of people living in a tight area with only a couple of grocery store options available.  Despite the immense amount of patience that I have acquired over the years, every once in a while even I can pull a Dan and dump my groceries while waiting in line and just get the hell out of there.  You have to admit, waiting in line to give people your money is a pretty outrageous concept.  Unless there is some massive sale that ends that day, I will walk away from any purchase that I am trying to make if I have to stay in line for too long.  Once, I actually bought a bottle of vodka for a guy in front of me in line at the liquor store because there was some issue with his card and he was going to run home and get his credit card and the clerk didn't know how to suspend the transaction.... yada, yada, yada.  I literally became so annoyed and impatient I just paid for it.  However, thanks to my unusual work schedule these are problems that I rarely have to face.  Traffic too is a big one, seriously, no one in this city knows how to drive.  Getting my errands done during the day on a Thursday means I can drive down roads without having to yell and scream at other people for being complete and utter idiots... I don't always have road rage, but when I do, it's not pretty.  I often pick Dan up from work downtown, despite the fact that it's about a 5 minute drive, this is often the most trying drive that I ever do.  There's this one turn in particular where I just about lose my mind everyday (for those of you familiar with Calgary it's where you turn onto 9 Ave from 3 St), here you have 4 lanes on a one way turning on to 5 lanes (one of which is for street parking).  I always go into the far outside lane, this lane turns into the 4th lane of 9 Ave - yet, without failure, every single time I do this some idiot from the 3rd lane thinks that he can turn into the 4th lane because apparently logic completely fails this individual. Ah, I actually just got mad trying to explain it.  Anyway, the point of all this was that I usually don't have to deal with these kinds of problems since I work weird hours which generally means that the only people I can ever hang out with are other people who also work hours or when things are planned far enough in advance that I can take time off.  Today, however, I literally got none of the things done that I wanted to get done with the exception of my workout and writing this blog.  Instead, I am going to deal with all the ridiculous lines at the grocery store like everyone else after I go and pick Dan up on the most infuriating 5 minute drive of my life - kind of makes me feel like an idiot for somehow wasting my entire day, especially since I have no idea what I actually did.

Day 21:
43 minutes
45-60 rpm
13.6km
+50 sit-ups