first world problems

as everyone i know, myself included, endlessly evaluates their choices made thus far, and seeks answers about the present and more importantly the future, this particular hashtag really strikes a cord (...the title of this post was a recent twittosphere trending topic...)


products of a generation where self-esteem building and confidence were emphasized and strengthend during our primitive years, we (the "can do anything we put our minds to" generation) appear to be overwhelmed by the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead.

entitled to all things and capable of anything, the list of prospective career and life paths is daunting and terrifying.
this is indeed a #firstworldproblem.

do you think that the kids growing up in zimbabwe or in other struggling/developing parts of the world are asking themselves: should i stick it out in my cushy government pursue my passion for creating art out of old fans OR should i go to law school?

i'm so creative...
i'm not intellectually satisfied by my friends / partner...
i don't find my work challenging...

as a coping mechanism, we deem ourselves deserving of a reward for making it through our trying and stressful weekly existence, in the form of a THURS, FRI and/ or SATURDAY night escaping into the bottom of a bottle of moderately priced vodka or a magnum of local organic wine with a clever label.

the funny thing is, all that this "earned indulgence" does is add hangover to our never-ending list of problems.

it has happened again and i cannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnot

i found myself staring (for what seemed like an unnecessary and inappropriate amount of time given what had occurred) at my glistening white blackberry sitting in the bottom of the toilet.
i assure you it was seconds...SECONDS! before i was elbow deep in toilet water and retrieved it. but those mere seconds were long enough.
she's gone.

i cannnnnnnnnnnnn't!

i cannot go through this again:
- the frustration with the warranty i purchased that doesnt cover being addicted to your blackberry so much so that you must bring it into the washroom with you every single time you go and thus the inevitable porcelain swims it takes (being a water/ tea/coffee addict - these trips are ridiculously frequent)
- the thought of buying from craigslist without a warranty
- the temporary loss of contact and fear that some contacts may be lost forever
- the actual expense, like the multi-hundred dollar transaction that will inevitably happen in the next 6 hours.
- the nightmare of going to a rogers store and explaining to the 9 year old at the counter that i bought my phone on craigslist cause i'm cheap and that i need him to make everything work again because he is smarter than me
- re-requesting all my bbm friends (like 3)

and then, following the brilliant advice found on most shampoo botttles (rinse and repeat), doing this all again in 3 months when i take my new phone into the bathroom to see what @badbanana is tweeting about at 3am.

soooo longboarding...

in an effort to help michael understand skateboarding - and by understand i mean stop barking like a maniac and trying to take down every skateboarder he sees - i am taking up longboarding.
stay tuned for news of cuts, bruises, and eventual success, or more likely, failure.

boring isn't an excuse anymore, exercise is officially awesome.

for those with limited attention spans and incurable curiosity, the 'new exercise' revolution is here for you!

it seems that sometime in the 90s people began to bore of the 'bike ride' and a run around the block and since then the world of exercise has transformed.
from dodgeball (YES i am aware that this isn't breaking news. but remember when this game was reserved for 5th period PE?) to playing with swords, the new exercise is all about having fun.

plain old spinning on stationary bikes is a thing of the past. new revolutionary RealRyder bikes (seen at places like CYKL) offer THE most intense spin workouts possible in a stationary setting where participants maneuver their bikes back and forth simulating a real outdoor cycling experience.

hybrid spots like "SPYNGA" have also cropped up. not developing new fun forms of exercise, but combining individually popular programs (in this case spinning and yoga) for a split and full body workout.

for the slightly braver, and hydro-brave, there is kayakexercise. i shouldnt have to explain this but i will. basically you head down to the waterfront, pay some fit, tanned guy $25 and then do an intense 15 minutes of crunches and pushups before hopping into your speedy vessel. next steps: learn how to kayak while trying not to tip over into gooby lake ontario. the on water session lasts for about 1.5hrs which will get you over to the island and back with some tinkering about.

then there's stripping. oh sorry "pole dancing". one of the most difficult of the newer trends (both physically and rationally) taking to the pole to tone up the core and legs has become near cult-ish in popularity extending well beyond the occasional bachleorette party visit.

and most recently samurai in japan. this sounds awesome. its exactly what you think it is, and apparently (much to the surprise of the programs founder) it is almost entirely women signing up. WORD.
i CANNOT WAIT for this to make it to the big city and to get ninja-like-trained.

all this to say: you haven't an excuse in the world to be lazy.
exercise now = playtime.