Scratch the fireworks

Was all excited for fireworks (I'm usually the only one that is for some reason). Drove all the way down to the lake...saw the crazy number of cars and people trying to get there (with the strike it's the only show in town)...and had a flashback to last year: the show was great, but afterwards, it took THREE HOURS to drive what is normally a less than 10-min drive home. All the while with an 8-year old who felt sick and had to pee. Got home to a husband who thought we'd been kidnapped and was not in good spirits. Decided I'm not doing that again. Bummer.

Happy Canada Day!!

Celebrating Canada Day today...but also sad that Canada is losing five of it's most wonderful citizens, as one of my best friends Rose and her family moved to Australia today. I wish them a great adventure, and can't wait to visit!

Sticking to the plan...(so far)

Well, today we slept in a bit....got up, kids played video games and Facebooked... then we hopped on our bikes and headed down to the lake shore. Spent a few hours biking, came home and had a leisurely lunch...worked while the kids washed their bikes.

I'm thinking I could get the hang of this.

WTF?

I've been trying my hardest not to get sucked in to the Michael Jackson craziness...but I have to say I am shocked that his kids are being given to his parents? Are they not already responsible for raising around nine really messed-up adults? Has his father not already acknowledged having beaten and mentally abused his kids, and if I'm not mistaken - also sexually abused his daughters? And his mother knew all this and stayed silent, watching her kids suffer? How on earth can they be given custody of three more children???

Fight Club

“You’re kidding, right?” That’s the usual response when someone finds out I’m a passionate Mixed Martial Arts fan, particularly a UFC fan.

Next comes the question: “What on earth do you enjoy about watching two people beat the crap out of each other?”...followed closely by a smirk, and an “Ahhhhh...” as they imply it must be because of the half-naked, buff men that compete.

While I’ll admit it’s not the worst part of watching a fight, it’s certainly not why I watch.

I got hooked accidentally. While flicking channels on TV one night, Art stopped on an episode of The Ultimate Fighter (season three, Ortiz vs. Shamrock). I groaned and begged him to keep flicking, but he wanted to watch. By the end of the show I was secretly checking to see when the next episode would air. TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) definitely has the edge of any reality show, with explosive personality clashes and high drama, but that wasn’t what drew me in. It was the incredible dedication, discipline and heart of some of the fighters that captivated me. The realization of a fight as being the ultimate sport – raw and honest and primal. No balls, no bats, no props – just one human versus another - and the result of each man’s commitment to himself and his game...mental, physical and emotional conditioning and strategy. A human chess game. For every move, a counter move. For every mistake, an opponent capitalizing.

The more I watched, the more it drew me in. I loved watching jiu-jitsu legend Royce Gracie defeat men almost twice his size, by technical prowess and sheer heart. Then there was the infamous battle of Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin in the TUF1 finale, a mesmerizing example of the human spirit willing itself on, long after the physical body should have tossed in the towel.

Whereas once a fighter could be a master of one discipline and use that to win, nowadays it seems to be in the top tier, an athlete needs to be highly skilled in all areas: Muay Thai, jiu jitsu, wrestling, boxing – and incredibly well-conditioned and strong to boot. The level of athleticism just keeps getting more impressive.

The idea of fighters as meatheads is one that comes up often, but it couldn’t be further from the truth – these guys are smart, disciplined competitors - and the class and sportsmanship shown in most cases could teach a thing or two to most other sports.

It’s not for everyone, but for those that love and understand the sport, there’s nothing else like it.

The Summer of George

The day after tomorrow is Monday: the first day of my summer holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I still have to work (luckily this is done from home), but it’s the end of the school year rat race, and I’m exhausted.

I often start planning my summer holiday months in advance...booking lessons and classes for the kids, scheduling my workout routine and disciplined new eating regime that is supposed to have me unrecognizably lean and fit by fall, researching family swim time at the local pool, and coordinating weekend getaways to water parks in Niagara Falls. But this year something is different.

For some reason, this year I just couldn’t get my ass in gear for my usual pre-summer organizing. The last day of school was two days ago, and I have nothing on the books for the next two months. Nothing. And I have two kids, two dogs and me to entertain... But as I wind down from the craziness of the last school-hurrah parties, field trips and jiu jitsu belt ceremonies, a strange feeling has settled over me: calm. And I’ve decided, George Costanza-style, to spend the summer doing the opposite of what we would normally do. Which means: no plans, no schedules, no classes or lessons – and hopefully – NO STRESS!

I realize that a week from now I may be climbing the walls in boredom, with my kids at each other’s throats and me ready to jump out the nearest window...but until then, I think I am going to attempt to thrown caution to the wind and live on the edge. I’m thinking: spontaneous bike rides. Last-minute day trips to the beach on Georgian Bay. Strawberry picking. Reading books on the porch. Sprinklers. Oops...hold on, I’m starting to plan here. But you get the picture...lazy days and fun adventures that we don’t know we’re going to do until we decide to do them.

I think a good dose of nothing is just what the doctor ordered for all of us.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Hell on Wheels

For years after I first moved to Toronto at the age of 18, I was a die-hard, year-round cyclist. I had my handlebars shortened so I could more easily manouvre in downtown traffic, I knew every alleyway and shortcut south of Bloor, east of Yonge and West of Dufferin. I rode daily no matter the weather – be it a heat wave or a snow storm. I never rode in a car, and rarely used the TTC, as my beloved bike got me where I needed to go in almost every situation.

But since I began driving a car in the city - about 15 years ago – I have become increasingly irritated with the number of arrogant, law-breaking cyclists that seem to be taking over the roads, as bicycles rightly become thought of as a truly viable method of transportation in the downtown core.

Today, I had yet another close call with an idiot on two wheels: I had stopped at a four-way stop, and as I pulled away to turn the corner – after checking carefully (I am always aware of the possibility of a bike and take extra care to check) – out of nowhere, and speeding like a bat out of hell, comes a bike… nearly avoiding a serious crash into the side of my car. As he veered around me, he shot me a look like “What the hell?!”, and my blood started to boil. You see, as I mentioned – I was at a FOUR WAY STOP. This cyclist did not even slow down, much less stop. There seems to be a certain element of the cycling community who believe they are above the laws of the road – though God forbid a car ever tried to drive the way they do! They don’t stop at red lights or stop signs…they ride three feet out from the curb on the roads, or up on the sidewalks – often the wrong way down a one-way street (in the middle of the street, even when there are cars coming)…wanting to be considered vehicles, pedestrians or bike riders, depending on what suits them best at the time. But this rule breaking is not what really gets under my skin. It is the aforementioned arrogance they display when you have a near miss with them, even when it is their fault! The disdain they have for drivers is palpable, so much so that they seem to think they are innately innocent of any wrongdoing, simply because they are on two wheels instead of four.

I am not expecting to see bikes coming to a full stop at every stop sign…but if you zoom through an intersection and have a near miss (or worse) – don’t blame the driver! You should be the one flashing the car an “I’m sorry! My fault!” wave, not cursing them for being in your way…

There are definitely as many idiots on four wheels as there are on two (which is one of the main reasons I switched to a car as my main method of transportation once I had kids)… but that doesn’t excuse the irresponsible bikers.

So please…don’t assume everyone driving a car is an asshole who ‘doesn’t get it’ about biking as transportation…and either respect the rules of the road, or TAKE THE TTC!