Saturday, May 30, 2015

Competitive nature

So this is how the story starts.
I have a boss who is pretty much almost addicted to all things Under Amour and working out whenever he can.
I have a boss who drinks all things supplements in pretty colors that go in his water bottle....the pre work out mix, the mid work out mix, and the post work out mix.
I have a boss who likes to brag about what he does and can do when it comes to exercise.
I have a boss who now has an extrovert trash talking worker who's thrown down a wee bit of a challenge.

He's been telling me for a year about this place: Lethbridge Adventure Boot Camp. I have heard him talk endlessly about this and that and what they did today, and how far he ran and how far he pushed himself.
I would talk about how excited I was when I didn't die on my 15 min run at lunch lol.
So I have been taking steps to better myself. He has been a really great source of inspiration for me, he's always encouraging and pushing in fitness lifestyle.
He also likes to trash talk, and be very competitive. So a week ago, he tells me on a Friday "Okay, on Monday you are coming to the gym with me for the afternoon session, it's only half hour, I'm paying for it, just see if you like it"
So all I could think in my head at that moment is "shit...how do I say no to my boss....he's gonna see me in my most vulnerable state...which is grunting, gasping for air, and all my fat jiggling around" .
So I told him all of this...to which he told me that those thoughts are ridiculous...just go and try something knew.
So Sunday night he texts me and say "get your gear ready, there's no jamming out"
Well shit again...what have I got myself into?
As it turns out....it was great....scary....very ouchy painful the next day...but good. Before we entered the gym though he took me to do the "OVERPASS".
I have been hearing about this damn thing for a year....it's a pedestrian overpass that goes over hwy 3 in the city. Whatever I was thinking was wrong. There is nothing nice about this bridge. I say this because it has now become the obsession of my life.
There are a bazillion stairs on each side (not really, but when you are gasping for air and trying not to die, it pretty much is a bazillion okay!)
And there is no straight part on the part that goes across the road...it to is at a slant...so there is no reprieve from some form of workout punishment on this damn thing.
So my boss says, everyday day before the work out this is what he does.
So we start this thing, and he is very kind...encouraging and helpful. He did not make fun of me or laugh.....until after we got back to work...and the trash talking began lol.
So I went the rest of the week myself...I did the overpass myself and the boot camp class myself.
My goal now is to kick my bosses ass and do this overpass in six months time so fast I pass him.
He said I would have brittle bone disease and be dead before that ever happened (you see...this is how he trash talks)
I however am older and wiser and have 10 years of trash talking experience on him, since he's just a baby.
I told him that when this happens I am gonna have someone record it and put it on youtube for me...and everyone will ask him how he lives with himself knowing and old Mom just kicked his girly ass on the overpass.
And so it has begun!
The competition to shut my boss up and put him in his place!
This will be done!
This is inside the boot camp gym where my body now cries for help
We never just stay in the gym...when it's nice out, the torture is taken outside...cause why not let the public see your body cry for help!

This is not my stairs for the pedestrian bridge...this is just another torturous place I have not been yet thank goodness...I have just heard about it from the others.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Permablitz

I was invited to my son's place yesterday to experience a permablitz. What is this you ask! It's what happens when the youth of today get excited about how a functioning system of mother earth works pretty much lol.
My son's house mate hired a buddy who is professional in all things permaculture to give a day lesson on how things work, grow, progress and thrive....I thought I knew it all...but was so educated and inspired by new knowledge and watching these young kids get excited about it too!
Here is a picture tutorial of how it all started yesterday.

It starts with a very important meeting of men with fierce beards, one being in a house coat for added inspiration.

You gather inspired youth for willing slave labor to help dig up grass and weeds in garden space.

You build a pallet compost system to throw all the brown and green compost in to.



What used to be an area full of grass and weeds turns into a beautiful trenched garden design system that would blow your mind with efficiency.





And there is the most important part of all....designing a rain water catch system to water all of your glory and hard work!

Being part of something like this is truly an amazing experience. Look into permaculture. It can at first seem overwhelming, but once you understand how it all works and how everything is connected in some way that makes something else work efficiently it is awesome. I knew and understood a lot of it already, but there is always something new to learn....the one thing that blew my mind yesterday was when Zoltan, our fearless permaculture leader described why and how dandelions are an important part of our system, why they are there, what they do and why they do it. I seriously will never look at them the same again. His kindness and graciousness in answering all my annoying questions as the day progressed was endless.
This is someone who is passionate about what he does and believes in! Great job to our fearless leader, great job to all the youth that showed up, and my son for inviting me to a wonderful experience!!

Saturday, May 16, 2015

A legend gone





I am pretty sure I would die with out music. It keeps me sane, it keeps me soul moving. Well the other day when I heard of this man's passing I was saddened.
14 years ago I had a friend take me away for a weekend to Kelowna, I was living in the Fraser Valley at the time, so we took a trek to this other city in B.C and my friend surprised me with tickets to see BB King.
The awesome thing about this concert was that it was in a nice small intimate venue.
At once point in the concert, BB King called all the women to come up as close to the stage as possible....which wasn't hard to do, my friend had gotten us seats already pretty much there...anyway...I'm standing there, in front of the stage with many other women...and BB King starts to sing "You are my sunshine".
There are no worldly words to describe the size and amounts of goosebumps on my arms, or words to describe how my soul felt while he sang and looked us all in the eyes and sang to us. At the end of the song we were all then given a flower. It pretty much was the most awesome moment ever.
So in his passing, I shall cherish even more, my special moment that has changed that childhood song for me forever.
See ya on the other side one day BB King!