What I wish I was

Super Charlie

Photo by Keesic. Comic effect by Nadya Kwandibens.

 

"I wish I was one of those people that woke up out of bed like a 5 year old on speed." ~Charlie via Twitter (January 28, 2009)

And it's true. Lately I just can't seem to get my groove back. I keep feeling like I am working at a snail's pace and I just can't seem to catch up. Last week I was feeling the effects of allergies slowing my whole body down. This week it may just be a case of the Mondaze, but I fear it might not be.

All my life I have been this way. I can work myself to the bone, work late every night totally dedicated to whatever the task is at hand. And then ... and then my body says "No! Enough is enough Lisa" and it prevents me from continuing at that pace. It reminds me that I am not the superwoman that I want to be. 

It is so common to have this 'Superwoman' mentality among women, especially those who manage both a career and a family. Wow, and I thought my work/school/friends/boyfriend balance was a lot to manage. I can only imagine how stressed out I might be when I reach that stage of my life.

Or will I? I have a dear artist friend, Tracey-Lynne who used to remind me that I have the temperament of an artist, and that I need to embrace it and not try to work against it. I keep the most irregular schedule and I am always trying to regulate it, like a "normal" person. Tracey used to tell me that when I am feeling inspired and want to stay up all night painting or working on a great project that I should just do it, and rest when it is done and my body says it is time to rest. 

 

That is the reminder I got from @JasBanwait today which was exactly of the same ilk that Tracey used to tell me. So no I will not resort to the great coffee buzz every morning and I will work at the pace my body will allow me too. I suppose it is just natural to slow down a little in the winter (this is why I want to head south for some sun every winter). 

So please forgive me while I work through this little slump. I can't post as much as I want to, I won't be going out like I really want to, and I might just be catching up on all those TV episodes I missed over the last year. But you know what? I might just be happy, and try to rid myself of the superwoman complex, if only just until spring ;).

From busy to blah

 

I felt great last Friday night

This past month has been a very busy one as I got back into the swing of things in the (hopefully) final semester of my scholastic career at York University. I also had a lot of freelance work coming in as well as a ton of new opportunities coming my way. 2010 was off to a great start. I did however start to cave to my caffeine cravings so I could keep up to it all, but still kept on track for the most part.

This past weekend however, is where things took a dark turn. I went out for a "Ladies Night Dinner" on Friday night where I managed to eat something with gluten or something that I am allergic to. The next day I woke up with two very blotchy red cheeks and very itchy skin. Over the weekend it progressively got worse as I began to feel super exhausted all day and all night long when I was barely doing anything.

Then when Monday morning came, I woke up after sleeping for hours only to feel dizzy and disoriented. I had a slight freak out because this happened to me last August when I first reacted to gluten, and I was out of commission for almost a week trying to get my body back to normal. With my busy schedule, I can't afford to be feeling like this for a week.

I am hanging in there and eating simply and healthy until I can get myself into a Naturopathic Doctor (N.D.) to get something started. But you know what? I just feel like crying because I have had so many health problems like this my whole life and just when I think I have it all figured out and I am back on my A-game I get a dose of reality like this past weekend where I am back to feeling all out of sorts again.

I am starting to feel better again, slowly but surely. I have been careful about what I am eating these past few days, sticking to mostly raw veggies and plain foods until I finally meet with an N.D. and get a new regime in place.

Ladies Night

 

Before it all began

Jam and juice en route to ze spot

So a few week back I had my first "Ladies Night Out" organized by my dear friend Miss Amerika. She had a fabulous idea to get all of her girls together for epic nights out (warning: I may overuse the word "epic" in this post). We are all practically married happily coupled up and sometimes need a night out and about with strictly the girls to remember how hot and how silly we all are. 

First stop: Pravda. Awesome sauce, I know the bouncer who let's us all cut the line and cut cover (that's how I like to roll). It was a really nice vibe there on a Friday night. But a few tasty beverages and we are out in search of a dance floor.

 

  

 

Next stop: Dulce. We were there like ten minutes. You can't tell from the photos here but it was one of those "Ole in outs." The place was empty but we went because Miss Amerika's (far left of above photo) lovely friend was there and we had free cover. It was a dud.

 

  

Next stop: Cobra. First off I love Cobra. It has really grown on me since I have met the owner(s) and now always have a place to call home should my evenings lean toward late night debauchery dancing. We were welcomed in this place and we met up with Miss Amerika's friend who helped us ease into the latter part of our evening. Total blast there (as always). 

Tonight is "Ladies Night Out: Part II." I am pretty excited because this last one was seriously the most fun I have had in a long, long time (and I do have a lot of fun). We are going for dinner at The Fifth Grill for Winterlicious and then doing some dancing (location TBD) after and I am so, so looking forward to another epic night out.  Ladies night is good for the spirit and good for the soul and helps me remember how fantastic all of my girlfriends are and how much fun we can have.

Found: Feather Fabric

Photo from Aunt June Etsy Shop

How adorable is this fabric for some old-fashioned sewing projects? Seriously feather illustrations or just about anything with a feather in it (or on it) I love. These are printed on quilting cotton and are sold in quarter yards for $8 USD but available in larger quantities and in different fabrics upon special request. I think they would make great spring/summer throw cushions for a couch. What would you use it for?

N.B. Aunt June's Etsy Shop

My Twitterversary

Photo from ProBlogger

Today marks the one year anniversary of my being on Twitter. It's a proud moment in history. I wish I could remember my first tweet though ... It was probably something like "It's my first tweet" or "Just checking out this Twitter thing" or something equally as amateur.

Not that I am a super savvy social media sweetheart or anything just yet (unlike miss @CarolZara and @casiestewart who are total Tweethearts) but I totally remember those awkward, clueless beginning moments. Who knew I would become completely and utterly addicted and be annoying all my RL (real life) friends with constant chatter about Twitter.

Actually I started to give that up as of late. I get annoyed when I am a party and someone is like *gum snap* "Well, like, I just don't get it ... like what is so great about Twitter?" Yawn, I actually don't care to explain it to them. It's probably better if they are not on Twitter and clogging up my Twitterverse. Okay now I am sounding like a Twitter snob. Maybe I am.

Photo from The Daily Blonde

A few weekends ago I went to my first Tweet and Greet called #ReGiftTo which proved to be an awesome time where I met some Toronto Tweeps IRL (in real life). It really proved to me (again) what a great tool Twitter is for fun, friends, and folly.

For my Online Cultures Anthropology class I have even chosen to do my final assignment on Twitter as an ethnographic study. Maybe then I will have a better answer for when someone asks me "What's this Twitter thing all about?"

Week 2: Snap Fitness

 

So in my efforts to get back into the gym and get into shape I went to check out Snap Fitness on Roncesvalles, which is the closest gym to my house. I went in with very little expectations because the gym is pretty small and not exactly a high-end gym like King West Fitness in Liberty Village which I am used to.

 Watching you.

 

Top floor
 

Bottom floor

When I first went into the gym there was no one there to answer any of my questions so I stood around wondering what was going on for like five plus minutes until someone finally came. The gym is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and has staff on during the days intermittently. That's why they have all of those cameras monitoring every nook and cranny of the gym. Kind of creepy but also safe if you do ever work out at 12 AM or some kind of crazy early morning workout.

 

Back of bottom floor. "The stretching area"

TV for stretching area.

Luxury baby.

The gym is two very narrow floors and has all of the basic equipment and free weights as well as a few treadmills and step machines. There are no classes here and no change rooms that you would expect at a gym. I decided to try it out for a week to see how I liked it. 

I found that I was able to get to the gym very easily and it just felt so accessible because it is five minutes from my place. It also is close to my produce market, health food store, and bank so I can really do one stop shopping right after the gym.

 

 These TV's are on top of the treadmill and as soon as you run they shake hardcore.

 Deadlifts are killing me.

Snap Fitness is seriously a no-frills kind of gym. They have all the basics that I need, but definitely no towel service, tanning beds, special dance studios you can stretch (and sometimes I do gymnastics in), or juice bars. But they are just down the street and for now, I quite like that.

I got over my commitment issues, and signed up for a three month trial. It is super cheap at about $45 a month which is cool but not so great for you girls who love your classes, because you will also have to pay for those elsewhere. I don't feel like a diva when I am there but it will suffice for me to get my body looking like a diva at least. I will deal for now.

See Related Posts:

-Week I: 99 Sudbury

-I've Got a Secret

-The Breakup Diet

Tono: Canada, China, and Mongolia oh my!

When I was fourteen years old I had the amazing opportunity to go to China. I was a gymnast and at the gym I went to we had a few coaches that used to Coach the Chinese Olympic team so they set up a trip and a team of us young gymnasts headed on over. It was an amazing three weeks which exposed me to a new culture and to new experiences. We even got to train with the Chinese Olympic team at their headquarters.

One experience that I will never forget is when I was on The Great Wall looking over to the land that is called Mongolia. I felt such a spiritual, calming and enchanting energy that seemed to flow from the lush foliage. I wanted to come back to Asia and be able to visit Mongolia, I had decided in that moment. I wanted to experience more of that amazing energy and find out why it seemed to emit from the land there. While I haven't made my way back there just yet, there is an event next week that might bring some of that magic back.

Mongolian singers from Tono performance.

Tono is an event put on by Red Sky Performance which is inspired by the Indigenous cultures of Canada, Mongolia and China. Sandra Laronde, Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance, created the performance that was inspired by her travels to Asia. This performance in Toronto is featuring the live music from this production, focusing on the connections between Canada and Mongolia. 

On January 20 and 21st it will be in Toronto at The Music Gallery at 8 PM, and admission is $20 in advance and $25 at the door (email info@redskyperformance.com for more info). It will be my first Red Sky Performance and I am greatly looking forward to this as I have heard lots of great buzz about their work. Maybe I will get to recapture that enchantment that I felt when I, a Canadian, stood staring over at at Mongolia.

Too Native or not Native enough?

 Hey everybody, I got a shot out from another blog, called China which is about "Ideas on the Production of Alternative and DIY Fashion." Shiloh Sukkau has some interesting finds on her posts about fashion, jewelery, and crafters and she does her own sewing and crafting which she documents.

I love getting shot outs, and this particular one really interested me and got me thinking. Shiloh says my blog is "a little too focused on pop culture for my personal taste" which is fair because it's her opinion, but my guess is she wants more Native influences in more of my posts.

I have gone through writing mostly about Indigenous topics, and or commentary on news/events to writing about myself to covering more pop culture items infused with personal tidbits about me (the current format).

What I am noticing is that some people thing my blog is "too Native" (read: niche market) and I am omitted from party/event invites that other bloggers attend (like most media do) as well as not given as much swag and/or promotional items or offerings. That is not why I write this blog, or I would have changed my blog title and focus a long time ago. Others think that my blog should be "more Native" and include more tidbits about Indigenous culture, Native artists, musicians and performers.

So I am constantly being swayed from "too Native" to "not Native enough" which is pretty much a big theme of my life. No I know Shiloh did not intend to spark a debate or even criticize, these are just my reflections on hearing that type of feedback about my blog, and more likely about myself as a person. It's a fine balance to being true to my heritage and culture and being true to who I am as a person.

I did grow up in the suburbs away from Native culture and essentially grew up as a "Valley Girl" if that helps make things more clear for you. I began to learn about my heritage and culture only in the last five years, and what a wonderful five years they have been. I am so grateful for those who have helped me gain my identity as an Indigenous person back.

I think this debate is common for many urban Aboriginal peoples, especially those of mixed heritage, and especially those who are performers/artists/musicians who seek to break beyond a stereotype but still show aspects of their cultural heritage on their sleeve. I will continue on my path to understanding more of my Indigenous roots, and in some ways, this blog is indicative of that journey. Hope you still want to read about it.

Kinnie Starr in Toro Magazine

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure how I missed this steamy, sexy editorial and interview of one of my favorite songstresses, Kinnie Starr, in Toro Magazine last January, but I did. Thank goodness I recently discovered it so I can share it with all of you. Aside from being beautiful, Kinnie is an amazingly talented singer who I have enjoyed for many years now. Check out her tunes as she is sure not to dissapoint.

NB: Kinnie Starr's MySpace Page
        Kinnie Starr's Facebook Fan Page

Week I: Sudbury 99

The second floor stretching room

 

Last week I confessed that I haven't been working out, so I decided to get into gear and try 99 Sudbury to see how I liked it. This is because my friend Micheline works out there and that way we could bitch and work our biceps all at the same time.

I decided to finally start The Body Sculpting Bible for Women regime since I do much better when I am working on a set plan then when I am left to my own devices. Plus the plan sounds relatively simple with only 8 exercises to do, 10 minutes of cardio per workout, and only three days a week. I need a plan that I will be able to incorporate into my life long-term, I simply don't have the time to hang out at the gym a few hours a day, like those days of yesteryear.

This app is worth the $9.99 price tag

So I had my new Lululemon bag all packed, my iPhone ready with a new app iStayFit (filled with my new Body Sculpting Bible workout plan), and I was ready to go. The first day was awesome, I ended up doing cardio for 20 minutes, and had such an amazing workout. I was pumped! Then by the third day, and the third workout I had really lost my steam since I didn't space out my workouts. Nevertheless I made it through my first week of working out and I feel so much better already (with the exception of having to cancel dance plans on Saturday night to very, very sore hamstrings- damn you deadlifts). No I haven't lost five pounds, or a few inches off my waist, but I feel leaner and stronger and have more energy, which is the important part right? The rest will come in time with dedication and determination.

So back to the gym, 99 Sudbury I decided to do a week trial, and just check out the gym before I commit to a contract, or even a month-to-month. I need my gym to be pretty amazing so that I will want to go there, be excited to go, and for it not to be too far away from me. Plus I have huge commitment issues. Luckily, Sudbury 99 is only an 11 minute drive away from me on a good day, and has free parking so I am already pretty excited.

Love watching TV while I walk jog

But the treadmills are on top of this grate "flooring." How freaky is that?

 

The gym has a decidedly warehouse feel. There are metal grates used for flooring underneath the treadmills which really freak me out. On the other hand they have cable connected to each cardio machine, which really helped me stay on them a lot longer each workout. In the free weights area, their were oil drums around complete with a Universal Drum vintage sign. I suppose this might have been a part of the building's original use, but do you really need to call attention to it?

The middle area which had all of the heavy machinery for the meatheads heavily muscled men came complete with it's own graffiti tagged wall. Charming, it kind of reminds me of what working out at a men's jail might be like. The gym did grow on me though, as I became more comfortable working out there. Right next to the second floor cardio area is a room that is almost always empty for stretching, which I quite enjoy. The change rooms were decent and the ladies room has a steam room, which is pretty awesome.

  

The ladies change rooms were decent

Overall I do like the gym and it's accessibility but not sure if I am entirely down for the warehouse feel. It is a decent price, I think their student price was $55 a month, and they do have full time-artist and industry prices, which is pretty decent. Their staff was always friendly, although I do wonder about the lady who looked to be 50+ and a heavy smoker who was doing personal training ... all part of that warehouse vibe, I suppose.

So for the next week I will try out a new gym in my quest for the perfect, or near-perfect gym to work out at. Next stop: Snap Fitness on Roncesvalles, close to my hood, should be good.


See Related Post:
-I've Got a Secret
-The Breakup Diet