WWTKW: How connected am I?

Hey everyone!

Sorry I haven’t been around lately – busy time of year at work, busy week gearing up for our Canada Day Committee Annual Golf Tourney on Saturday, and with a long, relaxing long weekend thrown in there, I haven’t been spending much time in the blogosphere!

But I’m taking a quick break today to take part in Scriptor & Kenzie’s Wednesday Q&A!

This week’s questions:

1.) How connected are you to your phone? Do you always have it on you?
2.) Would you be able to be away from your computer for an entire week?
3.) If you had to get rid of one of the following, which would it be and why? Cell phone, computer, or TV?
4.) Do you think you could ever live "off the grid"?
5.) Tell us about a time you disconnected from technology/the world and how you dealt with it. Was it good or bad?

My answers:

1.) How connected are you to your phone? Do you always have it on you?  Oh, my Blackberry and I… we’re pretty connected.  Not that I usually have anything important going on with it, but it’s usually at my side.  On the odd day that I forget it at home (it’s happened, like…twice in the past five years) I kinda feel like I’m missing my right arm…

2.) Would you be able to be away from your computer for an entire week?  Hmm.  There’s a big part of me that says yes.  I mean, I’ve gone entire weekends (including this past long weekend) without even turning a computer on.  But then… I had my phone with me, with Facebook and Twitter access.  When I went to Cuba for a week in 2011, I didn’t bring my phone with me, but I did use their computer room at the resort a few times to send emails home.  So depending on the circumstance, I think I could go a whole week without a computer.  But maybe not without a phone.

3.) If you had to get rid of one of the following, which would it be and why? Cell phone, computer, or TV?  Ummm… well, technically, I’m already kinda half-assed living without a TV because it’s so temperamental and only works when it feels like it.  But I still use the DVD player, and I go to my mom’s to watch hockey games and The Voice. lol!  If I had to get rid of one, I’d say the computer.  If I had full wifi service on my phone (which I don’t), I could use it to do pretty much everything I can do on a computer.  And despite my current asshole TV problems, I don’t think I could live without one completely.  Of course, at work my computer is essential, but otherwise… the computer could go.

4.) Do you think you could ever live "off the grid"?  Nah.  I don’t really have any interest in going “off the grid”.  You know people who often talk about deactivating their Facebook, or taking a Twitter hiatus, or a blogging break?  People who relish life without a phone or email?  I don’t have those impulses.  These forms of social media and technology keep me feeling connected - keep me feeling in the loop, and I rarely find them a hindrance.  I don’t like the thoughts of being “unreachable”.  I need to stay “on the grid”.  Fo sho.  Otherwise, I’d get panicky.

5.) Tell us about a time you disconnected from technology/the world and how you dealt with it. Was it good or bad?  I attempted to do this as much as I could that week I spent in Cuba in January 2011.  One of the goals on my 101 List was to go a whole week without checking Facebook, and I was successful in doing so that week.  I didn’t even bring my Blackberry with me on that trip.  The only time I logged on to a computer was to send a few emails to family to let them know all was going well.  At the time, my grandmother was quite ill in hospital as well, so I was nervous about leaving at that time, and the emails from home reassured me that she was okay.  How did I deal with cutting way back on technology and disconnecting from the world that week?  Oh, it wasn’t so hard… the bottomless drinks, sandy beaches, and beautiful sunny days by the pool or ocean helped, I suppose… ;)

This week, I became a runner.

Okay, not really.

I kind of became a half-assed jogger.  Sorta.

But you guys.  This is big for me!!!! 

I’ve been threatening to start jogging for a good 2 months now.  Back on January 7th, when I embarked on my “30 Before 30 Project”, I made a list of hopes, dreams, and goals that I wanted to achieve along my journey.  One of the long-term fitness goals I had was to be able to run a 5K.  And for weeks now, I’ve been trying to psyche myself up.  Unfortunately, I’ve always been a pro at finding excuses, and I’ve been using my share – the weather, the fact that my shoes are too old, the worry that I would further damage my already-sore heels, the reality of not having time to do it when I’m still following a rigorous TurboFire schedule…

It should be noted, here and now, that I have NEVER – EVER – been a runner.  I’m one of those people who firmly believed that no one should ever have to run unless they were being chased.

The last time I remember running and enjoying it?  Probably when I was in Kindergarten.  I think I actually won the girls 100-metre race in my class that year at Track & Field Day.

And from there on, my desire to run dwindled and faded fast.  To the point that, by Grades 5 & 6, I think I faked sick to avoid Track & Field Day altogether.  (There are only so many purple participation ribbons a kid can bring home before they start to wonder what the hell the point is in even being there.) 

In high school Phys Ed, we used to have to “run to the 7th Line” – I have no idea how long that run actually was, but how would I, since I never actually did it?  I’d argue with my Grade 7 Phys Ed teacher, Mr. Holmes.  “Sir, I caaaan’t!!!”  I’d purposely forget my running shoes.  (He once made me “run” in my black loafers.)  I’d forget my gym clothes.  (He once made me “run” in a turtleneck and jeans.)  I think I even once went to school with no BRA on to try and get out of gym.  (Didn’t work.  That one backfired royally.)

I never ran anywhere.  Turtleneck and loafers and bra, or not.  I walked.  And I whined about it.  A lot.

There have been a precious few other times in my life that I attempted to start jogging.  When I was in college, I joined the gym there, and right in the last few weeks before I graduated, I was doing short spells of jogging on the treadmill.  But only because the boy I had a mad crush on worked in the gym, and he kind of made me do it.  And I thought he was hot, so I did it to try and impress him.

In the past few months, there have been no determined teachers or hot boys pressuring me to run.  As my “30 Before 30” became “50 Before 30”, I realized it was something I really wanted to do. 

It’s all me this time.  My wish.

I want to be a runner.

I remember hearing about so many of my friends who were running in the Army Run last year, and I thought it sounded like an experience I’d like to be a part of some day.

So when I started losing weight, I decided to change it from “some day” to “maybe this fall”.  As I began to notice myself gaining more energy, and getting better at my TurboFire work-outs, the dream of running suddenly didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore.  I downloaded the Couch to 5K app on my phone, and thought, Maybe when I get down to THIS many pounds, I’ll start running.

And that’s as far as I got.  I reached that weight loss goal, and another 10 pounds after that.  But still, I didn’t run.

Until Tuesday.

On Tuesday, I went for my usual 15 minute walk after lunch.  And as I was tramping along the gravel road towards the highway, I found myself thinking, This feels effortless.  Try running.  Right now.  Just do it.

And I did.

And I’ve been doing it ever since.

No, I’m not running the whole time.  Far from it.  I start out walking, and when I reach the first hydro pole, I jog.  Then at the next hydro pole, I walk.  The jogging parts are literally probably only about 20-30 seconds long.  Today, I got really ambitious and for the last jogging part, I went for two hydro poles instead of just one.  By the time I got to the end, I was huffing and puffing so hard that I was seriously questioning whether TurboFire has done anything to help me cardio-wise.  I thought I might be dying.

It’s not easy.  I thought, at the current weight and physical point I’m at now that it wouldn’t be this hard.  But it is.

And yet, I also find it exhilarating.  Five months ago, I don’t think I could’ve run for 20 seconds even if I WAS being chased.

Now?  Well… Now, if I was being chased, and my life was in the balance, I think I could give ‘er a good few minutes before collapsing and giving in.

What a relief.

The 5K?  It’s still far away.  And I’m still not entirely sure I’ll ever get there.

But at least I finally made a start.

This week… I became a runner.

WWTKW: School Day Treasures

Good morning, folks!  And Happy Wednesday to all of you!

Time to link up with Scriptor & Kenzie for their weekly Q&A…

This week’s questions, all about school:

1.) How were you as a student?
2.) What was your favorite subject and did you excel in it?
3.) What - if any - is your fondest school years memory?
4.) Did you attend college and if so, how was that experience?
5.) Would you go back to school - be it in person or online - if you could? (Or to earn another degree?)

My answers:

1.) How were you as a student?  I’d say I was a good student, but I was an expert at procrastinating, and I loathed homework.  I think I had the potential to be better.  I didn’t mind working hard in the classes I loved, but when it came to something like Math, I avoided it like the plague.  God, I hated Math.

2.) What was your favorite subject and did you excel in it?  I loved English and Art, those were easily my favourite classes, and I did fairly well in both of them.

3.) What - if any - is your fondest school years memory?  Aside from hanging out with friends, I’d have to say it was the fun I had teasing/tormenting one of my teachers, Mr. Deogun.  He was my Physics and Chemistry teacher in Grade 11, and I think I drove him bananas.  I recall once taking my pencil and twisting it all up in my hair on top of my head.  Then I sat there, staring, while he wrote notes on the blackboardfor us to copy.  At one point when he turned around to explain something, he glanced at me and asked why I wasn’t writing anything down.  “You are just sitting there, looking like a monkey!”  I gave him a very serious look, and said, “Sir, I cannot find my pencil.  I have looked every where.  It’s just not here, so I can’t copy down the notes.”  He stood there just looking at me in disbelief, shaking his head, and finally said, “Jill!  It is right here! In your hair!  You MONKEY!”   I haven’t seen him in years, but my mom runs into him from time to time, and she said he always asks about my older sister and younger brother, and then will say, “And what about the monkey?  How is she?”

4.) Did you attend college and if so, how was that experience?  Yes, after graduating high school, I spent the next two years at Heritage College, a Quebec CEGEP, where I completed the Liberal Arts program.  I loved my college experience – it was just a bit bigger than my high school, I made some really great friends, and I honestly enjoyed everything about it.  My intentions were then to get a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in English from the University of Ottawa, but I quickly decided that wasn’t the right path for me.  I ended up taking an Office Administrator course from a local business college – did I love it?  No.  But it was a means to an end.  I had dropped out of university and I needed a job.  I had decided office work was what I wanted to do with my day-job, with the intention of writing that “best-seller” on the side. ha.

5.) Would you go back to school - be it in person or online - if you could? (Or to earn another degree?)  I’ve toyed with this idea, especially with on-line correspondence courses.  I know my mom suggests it from time to time.  She’d really like me to get a degree.  But honestly, furthering my education doesn’t really interest me much.  If I were to take any kind of classes, I’d want them to be more in the field of creative writing.  But there’s a big part of me that knows I just need to do it.  Write something.  Anything.  I have to start somewhere.

Happy Days :)

It’s Tuesday, and I have so much happy to report on… Randomly, of course!

• I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend – I know I sure did!  I kicked it off on Friday evening, joining my mom, my sister, and my aunt for dinner at a local restaurant called Bateau Royale – we had a delicious meal, a great visit, and had fun celebrating so much, including my aunt’s birthday, Mother’s Day, AND the Sens ousting the Habs from the playoffs! :)
• Saturday morning I was up with the birds to meet up with my Relay For Life team, The Slipper Sisters, for our fundraiser yard sale.  We were joined by the Little But Strong team, who were also hosting a bake sale.  I think we can consider our day a huge success!  Despite dreary, cold weather, we had a great turn-out, lots of laughs (who knew a yard sale could produce so many funny moments!!!) - at the end of the day, we made $400 with our yard sale, and Little But Strong collected over $200 with their bake sale.  Thank you to all who came out to support us!  Your donations towards our efforts for the Canadian Cancer Society are so greatly appreciated.
• After the yard sale was over, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.  I have no idea why.  I mean, sure, I was on my feet all day at the yard sale, but I was just… standing there.  Perhaps it was the cold, damp air that had seeped into my bones that left me feeling like crud.  I’m really not sure.  All I know is that after weeks of feeling absolutely the BEST that I have in years, I was acutely aware of it when I wasn’t feeling top notch.  My first plan was to have a hot bath, eat supper, and then relax on the couch for the rest of the evening.  But by the time I got home and un-packed my stuff, I felt absolutely useless, and the thoughts of a taking a bath and cooking supper didn’t float my boat at all.  Instead, I changed into comfy warm clothes, piled on the blankies, and slept for two hours straight.  I woke up still feeling extremely out of sorts, but forced myself to eat, go rent a movie, and then came back and crashed on the couch again, sleeping through most of Argo.  It felt like a hang-over.  And I didn’t like it.
• Thankfully, I woke up Sunday morning feeling much better.  I did my work-out, had my shake, and got ready for church.  It was a wonderful morning as we celebrated not only Mother’s Day, but also our minister Nancy, who has finally dropped the “Student” part of her title!  She graduated from the Atlantic School of Theology over a week ago now, and it was our chance to congratulate her as her church family.  We have a celebration jar at our church to raise money for Mission & Service for the United Church of Canada, and so when anyone has anything to celebrate – birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, etc – they put money in the jar and we sing a blessing song.  Unbeknownst to her, they had arranged for everyone to jump up at the same time – everyone in the whole church – to put money in the jar to celebrate Nancy’s graduation.  It was so special to see everyone standing and filing up to put the money in the jar that she stood at the front holding.  I’m a crybaby at the best of times, so I was a blubbering mess of course! haha!!  Congratulations, Nancy – we are SO proud of you :)
• After church was over, my whole family headed out for brunch in Norway Bay, and then we went on to my sister’s house for a BBQ.  It was such a great day, I enjoy every opportunity to spend with my adorable nieces and nephew!  Of course, it was also a wonderful day honouring the beautiful mommas in my life – especially my sister Kara, my sister-in-law Amanda, and my very own Mom!

• Everyone knows one of my biggest wishes in the world is to be a mom myself someday, but I feel very blessed to have these wonderful kiddos in my life.  I’m a lucky auntie, I love them all so much!!

• As I’m sure you can tell, aside from not feeling too hot on Saturday afternoon/evening, it was an AWESOME weekend!  And then yesterday, it was back to the grind – and time to DETOX!  I’ve come to think of Mondays as “detox day” – weekends are hard to stay on track when it comes to food and drinking enough water, and this past weekend was definitely not one of my best!  I’ve come to look forward to “getting back at it” on Monday.  I never thought I’d look forward to guzzling water and filling up on fruits & veggies, but I honestly have…
• Some of you might be expecting me to weigh in on that epic little ol’ Toronto/Boston Game 7 that went down last night.  And trust me, there’s a very big part of me that wants to.  However, as I said on Facebook & Twitter last night, the Leaf fans that I know & love have actually been pretty nice to me these past few weeks, so I’m choosing not to dance on their grave…
• Tonight is the first game of our Round 2 series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  I have Yoga at 6:15, then I’ll head up to my mom’s to watch the game for 7:30.  I’m pretty sure it will be the most pointless Yoga class I’ve ever taken, as there is NO way I’ll be able to calm those pre-game nerves & butterflies! haha!
• GO SENS GO!!!

Linking up for Talk To Us Tuesday with Impulsive Addict and Shawn, as well as Random Tuesday with Stacy Uncorked!

I confess that I love my hockey team. SO MUCH. But you already knew that.

It’s that time of the week again!  God bless you, Friday!  And this one in particular!!!

Linking up with Aubrey @ High-Heeled Love.

I confess… that I’m absolutely walkin’ on sunshine today!  My Sens pulled out the big win last night in Game 5 over the Montreal Canadiens, and we’re HEADIN’ FOR ROUND 2, BABY!!!!

I confess… there’s nothing quite like the feeling of your team winning.  And making you so so so proud.  God, I love everything about my team!!!

I confess… that I said going into this series that I thought it was going to be fun, and boy, was it ever!  Maybe not so much for Habs fans, but for us?  You don’t get much better than that!  I’m glad it ended quickly in 5 games so that our guys have time to rest before the next round, but I was a little sad to see it come to an end so soon.

I confess… that I don’t know if I’ve ever loved my players or my coach as much as I love these players and this coach.  OK, maybe the 2007 squad that went to the Cup Finals would compete.  And it would be better if we still had Wade.  But other than that?  This is a group that I’m very – VERY – proud of!!

I confess… that I almost didn’t wear my Sens sweater to work today.  And I almost didn’t bring in the little soapstone sculpture of a walrus that my aunt gave to me.  But it was just too awesome to resist.

I confess… that I’m pretty sure it won’t be a cake-walk from here on out.  Chances are quite good that we’ll face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next round, and I don’t know if we’ve got the scoring talent to beat them.  But with Craig Anderson in nets and the pesky never-say-die attitude of these players here, I think we can at least give them a run for their money!

I confess… I giggled this morning when I thought of Team Walrus vs. Team Penguin!!!!

Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!  And Happy Mother’s Day to all of you beautiful mommas!! :)

Watch for me on a future episode of Hoarders. Seriously.

This is the tale of a pack-rat who couldn’t find anything to bring to a yard sale.

And that pack-rat would be me.

On Saturday, my Relay for Life team, The Slipper Sisters, is hosting a fundraising yard sale in conjunction with a bake sale that the Little But Strong team are holding.  When we first started talking about this fundraiser over a month ago, I was all on-board.  Go through the house, find stuff that I don’t use, put it in a box and try to sell it, with all the proceeds going to my Relay for Life team.  Easy-peasy fundraiser in support of the Canadian Cancer Society, getting to hang out all day with some great ladies, and maybe clearing out some of the junk that I have accumulating in every corner of the house?

It was a no-brainer.

Right up until this week, when I started casting my eye upon all the junk in my house, and realizing I have pretty much nothing that I’m willing to part with.

Except for four mugs.  FOUR MUGS. 

That’s IT.

Seriously.

My mom has been calling me a pack-rat since I was a kid.  I used to hate each summer when Mom would decide we were having a garage sale.  She’d force us to go through our belongings and pick out stuff to sell.  Give away MY stuff??  That I LOVE even though I never use it?  Hell to the NO, Mother!!

I’ve always a hard time letting things go.  I like holding on to souvenirs and other things that I’m going to use “someday”.  She claims that I STILL have stuff stored at her place, even though I moved out almost five years ago. (For the record… I think she’s lying.  She’s now trying to pawn her crap off on me.) 

She also doesn’t understand why I can’t box up all of my books, DVDs and CDs and just sell them.

Um. No. Just…no. Those things are precious to me.

I’ve always denied that pack-rat label that my mother likes to stick on me.  I like cleanliness and order as much as the next guy.  I watch “Hoarders” and I cringe.  Just because I have a penchant for buying books and DVDs and CDs and hanging on to every newspaper article where Wade Redden’s name appears doesn’t mean I’m a pack-rat.  Right?

Right.

But the fact remains that I have my “treasures” hidden in every little nook and cranny around the house.  Not to mention one whole spare room that is stocked with my useless crap.  And, after a quick perusal last night, none of which I’m prepared to part with, apparently.

*sigh*

When lamenting this dilemma to a friend recently, I was told to sweep through my closet, which is in desperate need of an upheaval, and bring all of my now-too-big clothes to sell.  Not a bad idea, except that there’s still that big ol’ fat girl inside me who thinks, “What if I need them again someday?”  And also, nobody ever seems to be looking for fat girl clothes, they probably wouldn’t sell anyways.

The only other thing I can think of that I have too many of are Glad and Ziploc and Rubbermaid lunch containers.  But I’m pretty sure used, slightly tomato-stained old containers aren’t going to be a hot seller.

Oh, and my old dining room table and chair set, which is residing partly in my garage, partly in my basement.  But it’s too big and heavy to move.

So I guess this brings us to the moral of this story.  Because every good tale needs a moral.  And that moral is:  Never invite a pack-rat to take part in a yard sale.  Because they won’t bring anything.

Except for maybe four old mugs. 

And on second thought, I’m not sure I’m ready to let them go either…

See you Saturday, ladies. ;)

WWTKW: A little bit o’ everything.

She’s a peach of a day out there today, kids!  A PEACH of a day!!

OK.  So maybe it’s not just the sunny, hot weather.  Maybe my good mood is directly related to the Sens’ big pesky comeback win in OT last night over the Habs.  That could be it.

Just try to wipe the grin of my face.  It’s not even possible. :) 

Not even my allergies can bring me down today!! (Although they are trying!!)

But the series isn’t over yet – we still have one more game to win – so I won’t start the celebration too soon.  Instead, how about some We Want to Know Wednesday Q&A?

Link up with Scriptor & Kenzie and join in the fun!

1. If you could be great at any sport, which would it be?  My first instinct is to say hockey, because it is by far my favourite sport to watch.  But honestly, I really wish I’d become a softball player.  A good one.  We have a local women’s team that plays competitively, and I’ve often wished I could play well enough to join them.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t even cut it in a 3-pitch league, and we all know that story of my dad cutting me from his Little League squad when I was like 10 years old… Sadly, I can’t run fast, I can’t throw far, my aim is terrible, I rarely connect bat to ball, and when a ball is sailing towards, my gut reaction is always to duck instead of catch it.  A ball player… I am not.

One of these things just doesn’t belong here…

2. How do you like your coffee, or what is your go to for ordering from a coffee stand?  I adore my Keurig.  My current fave is a Hazelnut light roast blend with a dash of fat-free French Vanilla Coffeemate in it.  No coffee stands close by, but I do enjoy it when someone brings me one from Timmy’s – used to like a large double-double, but now I go with sweetener and a little milk!

3. What is your favorite TV show, and why?  This is such a difficult question for me.  I’ve had many favourite shows over the years.  Of course, in recent months, I would 100% tell you it’s Prison Break.  (And no, I haven’t followed through on my threat to re-watch it again already… kinda been tied up in the NHL playoffs!!!!)

Other big all-time faves include Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, Friday Night Lights, Sex & The City, and the one I’m currently re-watching – The Big Bang Theory!

 

4. If you could get, or give, one thing for Mother’s Day what would it be? Considering I don’t have kids, I don’t get Mother’s Day gifts. lol  But if I WAS a mom, I think just spending the day with my children and family would be present enough!! (Right, MOM?!?!?! hahahaha!!)

Honestly, though, if I could give my mom anything for Mother’s Day, it would be tickets to a Sens playoff game – in GOOD seats.  I know she loves the atmosphere of being at Scotiabank Place, but I don’t think she’s ever been there for a playoff game, and I don’t think she’s ever been out of the third level.  Maybe some year, Ma! ;)

5. Do you have any special plans for Mother’s Day?  We’ll go to church and probably out for brunch, and then the whole gang is gathering at my sister’s place Sunday afternoon for a BBQ.  Very much looking forward to celebrating my wonderful momma, as well as my sister Kara and my sister-in-law Amanda (this will be her first Mother’s Day!) 

Very lucky to have such great mothers in my life.  Especially the ones who let me sometimes pretend that their babies are mine. ;)