A Whole New World...

I can't remember if I've ever expressed via this blog how much I fear/detest karaoke. Correction: fearED/detestED karaoke. Well, I did. I once found myself compiling a mental list of things I would rather do/have happen to me than sing karaoke, and one of them was walk on the side of Hwy 401 (which I forgot to note in this post -- yes I have written about it here, here and here). The thought of singing in front of people petrified me. God forbid I be heard. That's how I felt.

But, I guess over time and having become a mother and finding that singing soothes the soul, I've become more comfortable with myself, with my voice, and more careless of what people think of my singing. I wouldn't say I have a nice voice by any means, but at least I can carry a tune. (I think? Do tone-deaf people know they're tone-deaf? Part of me doesn't think so.)

Then, as part of an evening to celebrate Mr.S' birthday (more on that soon, promise), we ended up at a karaoke joint. I was beside myself with fear as I entered the room. Most people had already sung by the time I got there (I came a bit later as I had to drop of the little guy with The Brother, i.e. The Babysitter), Mr.S was intoxicated enough to be rapping, and I was walking into a nightmare.

But you know, it wasn't all that bad. I took My Favourite Vegetarian's advice and made sure to sing with the group, and if singing with someone else, to sing with someone who sings louder than me. Thank goodness, the first "duet" of the night I took part in was "A Whole New World" (yes, a la ALADDIN), dedicated to Mr.S and me, to be sung by a very loud Mr.S and me. It was painful at first but it turned out to be not so bad. Plus, at those places, the volume is so high, you can't really be heard anyway.

By the end of the night, I wasn't pushing the microphone away so much and I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I even got a few high fives from some friends (LOL!). It was fun.

Yes, I said it. Karaoke was fun.

I was genuinely proud of myself. What pushed me to do it too was that this whole thing fell into something  I decided for myself when I turned 29 -- to work towards becoming the person I want to be. And well, one of the things I want to be is fearless, especially when it comes to little things like this. Who cares if you sound bad, and who cares if you're scared? Just do it and have a good time. It's not harming anyone (right?). And I was there with the right people too, so that certainly helped.

But this doesn't mean that if you find yourself in a karaoke situation with me, that you should hand the mic to me!

I apologize...

...for the lack of good quality posts. They're coming, I promise.

"4 Things I Learned About Being a Mom from Clair Huxtable"

Amen to this.

Fashion New bits

So I've got two pieces of information for you for the fall season.

1. Gymboree now has adult clothing. But they're selling under the brand, Shade.

2. Turtlenecks and sweaters are apparently coming back TOGETHER. Really?! OMG. NO.

I went and joined the circus.

And now that I have, I actually wish I could! I'm not talking about some run-away-from-my-life scheme. So here's what I am talking about.

I previously brought up that I have To Do List For My Life. Some people call it a Bucket List, I call it a To Do List For My Life. Anyway, I crossed one of my items off yesterday, and that was to learn how to do aerial acrobatics on silks. I first found an interest in it when I had a front-row seat to the Toronto Buskerfest. I worked in a building right beside St. Lawrence Market, in the same area where the Buskerfest takes place, and it just so happened that the circus performers did their show on our street, right outside my window. The woman doing aerial silks was really, just meters away from me, as high as our floor was, twirling and whirling and all that stuff. It was fascinating and so beautiful. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?

Well, if you think about when you go to the circus, maybe not necessarily Cirque du Soleil, but a normal circus, there are these people who do all sorts of things, hanging, flying, climbing on these long pieces of fabric. That's what I learned to do yesterday. And I did pretty well, apparently.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take pictures, nor was Mr.S, but here are some the things I can do now:

And now that I've learned a bit about how it works, and I've got the basics, I want to go back and learn more! I was talking to my partner at the workshop yesterday (who was a pole dancing instructor and who had done this before in different schools around the world...talk about intimidating!) and she suggested trying out a few schools to see which one I like before I decide to go back to the one we were at yesterday. Luckily, there are several in the GTA. I'm definitely interested in pursuing this.

It's amazing what these people, these circus people, can do. Our teacher yesterday did everything so effortlessly, including the second half of the class, acrobatics (which I wasn't too keen on, nor did I do as well....who needs hand stands anyway?!). I was astounded at the amount of control she had over her body; how easy it was for her to flip herself upside down or to do a walking handstand or to do the SPLITS slowly!! It was amazing. And, she did these classes and other ones too, all day yesterday in a studio that didn't have A/C. She had a lot of energy and a very positive attitude as well.

I've decided that I'm adding that to my list. I want to be able to do that. To have physical control over my body, in that I can be VERY flexible, VERY strong and have HIGH endurance.

But I know I have to start small. And I have to be disciplined. But where does one start? How do I begin to get my body flexible enough to do the splits, or train my body (and my mind?) to be comfortable upside-down? And how do I learn to do this all safely? And at my age? Hmmmm....

Ideas? Suggestions? Talk to me.

P.S. I'm sore like nobody's business.

Movie!

There are so many amazing movies that we still haven't seen. The list is so long, we've forgotten what's on it. However, that doesn't stop us from wanting to add to the list. This one looks particularly fulfilling.

Cancer Game Plan

Okay (okay) Blue Jays (Blue Jays)...

So apparently, the Jays' logo is going to be changing...again. I saw a slideshow today with some of the submissions for a new logo/uniform and found some of them amusing. Enjoy!

Click here.

AMAZING!!!

New leukemia treatment exceeds 'wildest expectations'

The Throne

Anyone else find this weird, but also not weird?