Hey, I only had 5 hours sleep, maybe because last night I was dancing and had a later snack with my BodyJam buddies at the Keg: Gin Basil Lemonade coming right up…
That’s yummy tuna tartare.
Since I was already up, I decided to do a 6 minute morning meditation on Insight Timer. Not quite the pick me up as the following (I LOVE this scene…)
Then did a 30 minute strength training session courtesy of Les Mills On Demand. Strength training is so important for women my age (women all ages really), so if I can’t get to the gym, why not do something at home.
Then I did a quick DuoLingo session – I started to review my French for my trip last year, and am now on day 539 of my streak!
This is extreme morning person behaviour, me thinks.
Next up today, meet a friend for coffee, work on my hair, do my nails and head downtown for Streetdance.
We have a family wedding tomorrow, so need to get a bit cleaned up for the festivities.
It’s Thursday in October and it’s a beautiful day.
Lots to be grateful for, just in time for Thanksgiving weekend coming next week.
We took a mid morning walk, the weather has been fantastic – summer without the humidity, at a comfortable 20 deg C. Of course, only after we had our coffee and sat on the couch watching early morning Breakfast TV, while our joints and bodies settled. Forcing ourselves to get up for our walk. I hate that feeling of being sore when you wake up in the morning. The remedy, of course, is a walk. Since I plan on a dance workout tonight, couldn’t go too crazy. It is nice to hit 7000 steps before noon.
I installed this on our door – it’s fake but it works.
We have a community garden that was set up and curated by some young people in our neighbourhood. It is flourishing so beautifully! It’s always fun to check out what’s been planted, and what is thriving.
Look at all that luscious green!
Speaking of Luscious – anyone remember Luscious Jackson? I love this tune, so cool 90’s
I thought I would start out something new for the blog, new for the fall.
What’s another word for Random that starts with S? “Scattershot” Google says. And so it begins.
My weekly roundup of things that are random, broad and haphazard.
1/ Gymrat era
I’ve been killing it at the gym. Been going 5 days a week in September. What the heck, I need to remember to purposefully rest. I took a break, somewhat in the summer. Gotta admit I’ve been getting results though. Friends I haven’t seen in a while, notice. I guess I look leaner. It’s this…Bodypump, been doing it consistently for a year now, adding to my combat and dance workouts.
2/ Mums – it’s officially fall, and I got a couple of massive planters from Costco for our front entrance. I may use as my new iphone back cover.
3/ Comedy. -Just for Laughs
I love to laugh. We went to see Marc Maron earlier this year, gotta love his curmudgeonly humour, he was great. He’s retiring his WTF podcast later this year.
I’ve been following another comic, Zarna Garg, for the last little while. She’s the most hilarious presence on social media that I’ve seen in a long time. I also saw her on a few daytime shows this past summer, showcasing her newly released memoir. I can’t wait to read it – I think it’s wonderful that she made her way to America, got an education (finance and a JD!). Married, became a SAHM, and was then encouraged to try stand-up by her children.
She came to Toronto for two soldout shows..
My face hurt from laughing so hard. I’ve got her book on hold at the library.
4/ Shopping my own closet
My cousin is getting married next weekend, and I’ve been thinking about getting a new dress. I have so many, and my most recent purchases have been variations of the LBD (little black dress). I don’t think I should be entirely in black to a family wedding. Since I’ve been unsuccessful at decluttering, I still have many party dresses from back in the day that would be considered vintage — hence, I haven’t fit into any for the longest time. Guess what – I found one that actually fits now!
Saving myself almost $200, the average cost for dresses I was looking at. Helpful.
5/ Learning about AI
There is so much about AI out there, so much to learn, so many new terms. I am excited to keep learning about the possibilities, but simultaneously quite overwhelmed. It’s all about using it smartly, harnessing the benefits without losing the human touch. I can’t believe the pace of the uptake.
I’ve used it to propose travel itineraries, suggest decor ideas, complete with sources, provide prompts for creative writing, and inspiration for scenes.
It’s the 1970s. An itch is the first sign of a mysterious affliction affecting young women, drawing them to voyage to the West Coast of the US. It seems random. They’re in the prime of their lives. They become like walking zombies, wandering, blank. Some are never heard from again. Others are found dead.
We follow three young women amid this turbulent time—three of them in search of something. Aimee, a recent college graduate, decides to go looking for her missing best friend who appears to have been infected. Teenie, a young victim who is drawn into this westward voyage by a man, Pied Piper of sorts (they call him Piper). He lures young women onto his bus, creating a cult-ish community of young women, all kept under his insidious control masked by his unremarkable exterior. And finally, Eve, a journalist chasing this story, is seeking redemption after an embarrassing fall from grace.
I enjoyed this story and in particular, found it very interesting the way it was told from different points of view and voices. Aimee and Eve were both told in the third person; Teenie was written in the first person, as the one woman who was infected, and we saw everything through her eyes. There was an unwavering creepiness throughout the book. I just knew there would be a breaking point, a culmination of events. And it did not disappoint. The story was cleverly woven.
Four stars for me, this was a great debut novel from Alice Martin. Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for an advanced copy for review. Planned publication date is March 2026 – look for this one!
Why did I not go to Lilith Fair when the festival was the hottest ticket on the planet?
Why did we never go to TIFF, the Toronto International Film Festival, when we lived in DOWNTOWN TORONTO?
Lots of big whys.
We lived downtown from 1993 to 1999 – double income, no kids, a social life, a working life. We liked movies, we liked concerts. Perhaps even back then, we weren’t such fans of crowds.
It is only now, looking back, that I realize that those were pretty iconic events.
TIFF is celebrating its 50th anniversary. With just the two of us during the week and more flexible schedules, we decided at the last minute to catch a matinee showing at TIFF Lightbox. It’s a beautiful building, and no crowds during the day.
It was such fun, a beautiful day, enjoying the city, sunny King street, people out and about, on patios, movie fans galore, no overwhelming gaggles of people.
We watched the feature “I Swear” – a wonderful film, Ian didn’t even need subtitles to decipher the Scottish accents (we laugh, it’s ironic, with his Scottish roots he sometimes finds movies with British/Scottish/Irish accents difficult to understand, while I have no such problems.)
We were hooked from the opening music, also in the trailer:
We noted that TIFF also premiered “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,” a documentary about the first all-women’s music festival started by Canadian icon Sarah McLachlan (hmm, Scottish roots too, I just realized) back in the late 1990s. It took the world by storm. I didn’t realize the sheer number of women involved in the whole production, behind the scenes, in front of the scenes. All the fantastic female artists involved, including Sinead O’Connor, Sheryl Crow, Tracy Chapman, the Indigo Girls, Jewel, Dido, Paula Cole, Liz Phair, Suzanne Vega, Natalie Merchant, Chrissie Hynde – so many of my favourites! It was so controversial at the time, but never meant to be. It makes me sad that some things are still the way they are, perhaps even worse in some ways for women these days.
We caught the film at home on CBC GEM just a couple of nights ago.
I guess we were too busy building our own mystery, hyper-focused on work, and from 1997-1999, the years of Lilith, we were focused on building our family.
So here we are 25 years later, we’ve done TIFF, we’ve seen what Lilith was about, and we have our babies.
People tell stories so others don’t feel as lonely.
I heard this being discussed on an episode of Q on CBC. The author and actress Zosia Mamet was being interviewed about her new memoir “Essays: Does this make me funny.”
It made me think about the reason I write, the reason I have started writing a memoir, the reason I blog.
At various points in my life, I have been lonely, very lonely. I have felt very alone.
I am a storyteller. That must be it.
(Tangent …while we’re talking about writing, can I take a moment to ask what the heck is going on with the English language. People making up words. For words that already exist? Have you heard “on accident”? “Oh, I did that on accident.” What is that even? In my world, the phrase is “by accident”. Grammarly even says so. And yet I have heard that on the air and in conversation. The worst I heard the other day… “it was informationable” – I googled it and apparently it IS a real word. But it was used in the context of being “informative”. Call me a writing snob. I can’t help cringing.)
OK, I’m back on track. Loneliness, telling my story to share experiences. If there is one quiet girl out there who doesn’t know where she belongs, who strives to be good enough as she is continually pushed beyond her comfort zone. Who carries scars from bullying and the weight of self-perceived underachievement buried under an outward successful persona.
If she reads my writing and sees herself in my story, then my writing will be worth it.
I haven’t been writing as much as reading. In fact, one of my writer friends suggested I just put down the darn books and get writing if I have writer’s block – so funny. I suppose I read to be inspired to write. An excuse, I know.
Birdie Rhodes, a former model living a quiet life, is thrust back into her past when she receives an invitation to celebrate the 50-year career of famed modeling agent Harriet Golden. Harriet had discovered a young 13-year-old Birdie in a department store, where Birdie was reluctantly shopping with her mother. Birdie was a super tall introvert who slouched to hide as she grew. Ironically she was the most ignored by her parents in an unloving household. Becoming one of Harriet’s girls, she felt a sense of freedom from her sad life, with opportunities for something uniquely hers being provided by Harriet. Glamour, unique outfits, artists, travel – it all unfolds for Birdie. With her parents absent, Harriet is the only adult who watches out for Birdie in some fashion, although it is primarily a professional relationship.
During one of her assignments, a shoot for the album cover of an unnamed “rock star”, Birdie is noticed by this rockstar, who seems to see her, seems to care for her, shows her some real affection for the first time in her life.
The rock star meets with her parents, offers to take her with him on tour and protect her going forward. Her parents (her mother giddily) sign some papers. And Birdie’s life veers into the rock and roll world. Drinks, drugs, parties, money — rock and roll.
She is 15 years old. And now the very public girlfriend of a rock idol in his 30s. This is fully sanctioned by her parents and the world.
This is a heart-rending story of the life of a model who is just yearning for someone to see the real her, to love her. The choices she makes come from that longing, and she continues to be manipulated by most of those around her. She makes so many of these choices before she hits the age of 19. Imagine setting the stage for the rest of your life at that age. There are two timelines in this book, one of the young Birdie as she lived in the that crazy world which she eventually leaves behind. It alternates seamlessly to the present (2018) with a middle-aged Birdie, coming to terms with what she lived through.
I binged this book. Having grown up in that time, I was drawn to the story and wondered what the glamorous life of a model in the MTV era was like. Supermodel stories were based on that lore. I think so many of us young girls wanted that life. This felt like a memoir, a real-life behind-the-scenes written in the first person. Birdie’s innermost thoughts were brought to life so clearly from the page. From the young Birdie to the mature Birdie – I lived her experiences with her, cried for her, and felt redemption for her, which is what you get from a memoir. Amazing that it is fiction.
A solid 4 / 5 stars (about a 4.5) . Highly recommended! Thanks to the author, Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advance readers copy for review.
Just about halfway through September and I have not posted in forever.
So much for upping the game on writing, journalling, blogging – with more free time now, truly an empty nester – I lack the motivation.
I even started reading this wonderful book of writing prompts by Suleika Jaouad – more for journalling, for inspiration as a daily practice.
I dropped the ball after 12 days. I’ve been missing my memoir writing deadlines.
I met with my writers’ group this week, and asked about motivation for writing. Did my friends’ have a writing habit? Did they schedule their writing time? How did they make time for it in their lives, which from what I know are much busier (kids, family). Do they write only when they have inspiration?
I have writer’s block. But my colleague, who spent years in executive coaching and leadership, with a background in psychology, meditation
, all those good things… thinks I have a “life block.”
I think he hit the nail on the head. I’m at a cross roads, something is blocking me. My experience in writing is totally in sync with where I am in life.
Everything is fine, honestly. I am in a good place. But just sorta stuck.
So I found a bit of freedom – one technique suggested was dictation.
Why not dictate my thoughts, my stories, just as they come to me.
So I did just that for a day.
And was amazed, in all its messy, roller-coaster, multi-directional stream of consciousness glory — I ended up with three drafts. They need editing, lots of thoughts in my head.
Like life, it could use some fine tuning. But it’s a start.
What’s your motivation? What do you do when you’re stuck?
At a time 
Storytelling
People tell stories so others don’t feel as lonely.
I heard this being discussed on an episode of Q on CBC. The author and actress Zosia Mamet was being interviewed about her new memoir “Essays: Does this make me funny.”
It made me think about the reason I write, the reason I have started writing a memoir, the reason I blog.
At various points in my life, I have been lonely, very lonely. I have felt very alone.
I am a storyteller. That must be it.
(Tangent …while we’re talking about writing, can I take a moment to ask what the heck is going on with the English language. People making up words. For words that already exist? Have you heard “on accident”? “Oh, I did that on accident.” What is that even? In my world, the phrase is “by accident”. Grammarly even says so. And yet I have heard that on the air and in conversation. The worst I heard the other day… “it was informationable” – I googled it and apparently it IS a real word. But it was used in the context of being “informative”. Call me a writing snob. I can’t help cringing.)
OK, I’m back on track. Loneliness, telling my story to share experiences. If there is one quiet girl out there who doesn’t know where she belongs, who strives to be good enough as she is continually pushed beyond her comfort zone. Who carries scars from bullying and the weight of self-perceived underachievement buried under an outward successful persona.
If she reads my writing and sees herself in my story, then my writing will be worth it.
What drives you to write?