Big Thinkin'

Yeah, okay... so I didn't accomplish my goals. What, me defensive?

2008-03-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

Yep, my Big Plan to Lose Weight before The Trip to Panama failed. MISERABLY. I ended up putting so much pressure on myself that I got over-focused on my body and engaged in some unhealthy habits - namely some nasty diet drugs - which only made me feel down and out, which led to some emotional eating, which led to me feeling crappy... Soon I was on a nasty negative spiral and just gave up.

On the plus side, it was wonderful to get away. I really enjoyed Panama, the hot weather and spending time with my honey. But we spent the whole time saying things like, "Baby, can you get me another pina colada?" quickly followed by, "Can you get me some liposuction, stat?!" "I feel fat," was the week's constant refrain. Which is pretty sad isn't it? We're both "normal" weight, whatever that is, but we just felt badly about ourselves. This isn't good either.

To sum up... I want to lose weight and I want to feel healthy. I want to feed my body in a way that contributes to me looking AND feeling good. Yet, part of me thinks I should only be focused on feeling good because as soon as I start thinking about my body and how it looks, the "healthy" behavior goes out the window. How to reconcile this??

A rough patch...

2008-02-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling quite disappointed with myself this week, given that I'm barely blogging and my eating has been less than healthy. Today I ate a chocolate croissant from Tims (wanted a tea biscuit, but they were out) and I'm dining out tonite and I dined out last night... basically, my social life is a bit out of control and totally revolves around food. How can I be successful with a schedule like this? And yet, I am totally in charge of my own time and life and have to look to myself to make good decisions about my health. I've fallen into this "but how can I make time?" trap and feel helpless about making any real change because of my "schedule." A big part of this is not being able to say no and being selfish about my time and how I want to spend it.

I realize now this isn't about a trip to Panama. It's about getting serious about how I feed my body and take care of myself. If others aren't happy with me because I say no, but I feel more in control of my life, will it be worth it?

Ummmm.... sorry 'bout that....

2008-02-07T14:56:00.000-08:00

Boy, have I been OFF the blog radar this past little while! So much for posting every few days. Last week I had a craaaaazy week; a 3 day long coaching course (Friday to Sunday) and then BOOM! woke up Monday morning with the worst stomach flu I've ever known. I missed 2 days at work. While it was only a 48 hour bug, it fueled my current exhaustion leading to NO workouts and very little healthy eating. On the plus side, I did stick to salads on the weekend of my course, but just "had" to check out the new fish n' chips joint in my 'hood on Saturday evening... and after the course ended, just "had" to enjoy some wine... folks, all my good intentions are heading to straight to hell, or wherever good intentions go.

I am teaching a Reiki class all day Saturday, and am DETERMINED to get back to the gym on Sunday for my last-ditch, all-out, 3 week fitness extravaganza! Cause 3 weeks from Monday, I am stripping off my turtlenecks and cords and donning a - GASP!! - bathing suit. And honeys, it ain't lookin' pretty on my end. While my muffin top is slightly less muffin-y, it is still a muffin. A big, chocolate chip muffin from Tim Hortons sprinkled with crystalized sugar!!

OH GOD... please help me, oh inspiring ones... those who manage their frenzied lives and still hit the gym and eat well and look in the mirror and say, "Hey... not bad." HELP!!!

Newly washed jeans, newly damaged attitude

2008-01-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Is there anything worse than putting on a pair of freshly washed jeans, HOPING to God you'll realize that you HAVE lost weight as soon as you look in the mirror and notice a complete (or at least partial) absence of muffin-top? I really thought I'd throw on my jeans today and see a huge difference in comfort level and appearance, given that I've noticed some changes in other clothes... but OH NO, I could barely squeeze into them! Well, I have them on and they look fine but they aren't hanging off my butt in a way that others notice and say, "WOW! You really look like you've lost weight!" (Notice how concerned I am with what others think. Clearly this is Something I Should Work On.)

Last night I went out with a friend to the George Brown College Chef School restaurant (that's not what it is called) and for a relatively paltry sum, I enjoyed three de-LUSH-ious courses plus two tasty glasses of wine. Fine except I had always planned my cheat days for Saturdays and now they're are leaking into other days of the week. Not good! So while I enjoyed the meal, I feel a tad bloated today and hence, my jeans experiment failed. Miserably.

Whew! I feel better now. Thanks for listening.

How long have I been doing this?

2008-01-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

Last week was HELL, simply put. Work has been tiring, in a normal early-January kind of way. I was out most nights and didn't fit in many workouts. Plus I taught Reiki on Saturday. So my best laid plans for working out and eating according to the GI diet were laid to rest for a few days!

Still, I do feel a difference in my pants and my muffin top feels less muffin-y. I feel encouraged that the diet has been helping. My workouts need some oomph however. My goal for this week is 2 weight workouts and 2 cardios. I would love to go out for a run but it's minus 50 or something and I just don't have that kind of determination/stupidity.

On the plus side... the trip to Panama has been booked for early March! So now my goal is to look bikini-ready for then. I have a feeling this will keep me going during these dark, dreary winter days. Although I noticed yesterday that it was still light out at 5pm... are we starting to see some (day)light at the end of this tunnel?

Oh, what a week...

2008-01-15T10:45:00.001-08:00

Blah, blah, blah... isn't January just the most awful month of all? The weather is dreary, the sunlight is scant and work is INSANELY busy for me. I didn't deal well with the stress of last week and ended up eating larger portions of the meals on the GI Diet. On the positive side, I probably ate better than I would have had I not been on some sort of plan. I only worked out 3 times. I'm hopeful for this week but today (Tuesday) is turning out to be a tad on the trying side. I would LOVE to go home and pour myself a massive glass of wine and put back a plate of comfort food but I must... stay... on... track....

Yesterday I did well with my eating, but then last night I went to a baptism and afterwards B's friends ordered a massive amount of Indian food from Lahore Tikka. I LOVE Lahore Tikka and the idea of saying no to their scrumptious butter chicken was too much to bear. I downed a plate of food and a glass of wine and life felt good... until I got home and felt guilty, if not a bit nauseated.

I think the hardest thing for me is planning, or lack thereof. "Failing to plan is planning to fail, " as the saying goes. It's so true. I didn't make a plan for after the baptism, I was hungry and I ate. So I have another outing later in the week. Rather than just go whole hog at the restaurant, I'm going to eat well all day, limit myself to one glass of wine, and stick with souvlaki and veggies and potatoes. Skip the rice AND potatoes. On Saturday I'm teaching Reiki, so I'll bring snacks and a lunch instead of wandering into the health food store for a $7 bag of organic root vegetable chips. Saturday night I'm going out for a few drinks, but it's my cheat day so that's fine by me.

A thought: do I deserve a cheat day if I cheat a little all week? Wait... don't answer that.

Hmmm... Is this working?

2008-01-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

So after a week on the diet, I don't feel I've lost any chub. I know it's better to be sticking to a healthy eating plan regardless, but it would be nice to walk into work to exclamations of, "Hey! Did you lose weight over the holidays??" (I'm not sure what I was expecting after a week.)

One problem I'm having is that I'm eating a little too much of the green-light carbs. I'm allowed to have 2/3 cup of basmati rice and I'm probably having closer to a cup. I'm allowed 10 almonds and I have 20. That sort of thing. I think my biggest problem is not knowing what a serving size is. I also don't like being hungry; I get panicky like my limbs are going to fall off if my tummy grumbles or something.

Off to the gym after work with my trainer. I get to see the newly renovated version of the disaster zone I was training in before the holidays. Hoepfully there are lots of fellow chubs around to make me feel better.

Ah, Saturday. Cheat Day.

2008-01-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

Similar to Tim Ferriss' decision to make Saturday his "cheat day," B and I are doing the same. I promise that if I stop dropping weight, I'll cut this little indulgence out. However, if I still lose weight I'll treat this day off from the GI Diet as a little piece of my old eating ways, if only to maintain some sanity. A life without beer, pizza, sushi, forever? I don't think so!

How did I spend my Saturday? B and I joined some friends for brunch at Sunset Grill on Yonge, where I enjoyed some scrambled eggs, potatoes, some thick toast and a few cups of coffee. Of course the best part of brunch is the ridiculous conversation, not the food, but I enjoyed eating what I wanted.

Then B and I jetted off to Vaughn Mills mall, the mega mall just north of Toronto. We were looking for The Deals, which we found. I got a great top at Holts Last Call (Elie Tahari top, almost 85% off... only way I could ever afford it); a puffy coat at Lacoste for CHEAP; a toque and gloves to go with the coat at Adidas; and a sweet pair of Nikes since B says my other running shoes are embarrassingly grandma-like. I was very happy with the excursion. B got a new pair of Nikes and some nice John Varvatos jeans.

But of course we got a bit hungry at the mall so we enjoyed a Teen Burger combo from A&W; a small gelato from La Paloma; and that night we munched on some soy sauce-soaked sushi and sparkling wine. After that day was over, woke up ready to get back on track!!

Sunday is the day B takes me through a butt kicking workout in his gym downstairs... today we'll be doing a Colorado experiment-style weight session. I bet I'll be feeling it for a few days. Hopefully the major soreness will be gone before my workout with my trainer on Tuesday.

Back to work after 2 weeks off tomorrow. I feel a bit anxious about getting back to my daily commute, early mornings and long days. Hopefully being on this "plan" will help me maintain some sanity.

Later...
B and I went to the gym. I can't honestly say my CE-type workout was a success (yet.) Despite a couple of months of working out, I've slacked and I'm probably not in the shape I should be in to do this type of intense workout. My form needs a bit of work. B tried his best to button his lip but I could tell he thinks this is going to lead to injury or worse... actually, I guess there's nothing worse than injury that could come from doing this aside from B and I getting into fights about my experiment. The 5 up/5 down cadence is HARD. My breathing needs some serious work. My hamstrings are so weak that I can't even do the exercises with good form with no weight. I can't lift my leg higher than 90 degrees!! How did this happen?

We both decided that 3 weeks is enough time to see if this can be done. After that I'll go back to my regular workouts.

B made me do these ridiculous jumping exercises. I look like a dork.

5 seconds up and 5 seconds down is so difficult. This isn't a posed pic.

2 days down...

2008-01-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

I just finished my first 2 days on the GI Diet. I know the author says I shouldn't be hungry, but I was... probably due to the incredibly large amounts of food I was consuming prior to the diet. Do stomachs shrink like they say they do? Well already I feel like I can get by on a bit less. Yes!

One down note - yesterday I had a KILLER headache. Not sure whether it was from less calories, or exerting myself during the 5 seconds up/5 seconds down weightlifting method required for the Colorado Experiment. I remember reading how important it is to breathe to avoid the headache so I guess that's something I have to work on.

For breakfasts I ate oatmeal with berries; lunch was open-faced sandwiches, and tonite I made a recipe out of the GI Diet cookbook - citrus poached fish. Very tasty. Plus some new potatoes, veggies and a caesar salad made with a tahini dressing. I was happy to find it since I usually forgo caesar salads due to the dairy.

For workouts I did weights yesterday and yoga today. I actually went to the gym but the damn place was still closed for renovations and I was SO ANGRY that I huffed and stamped out. I can be such a baby sometimes. But then I went for a massage this afternoon and life was good once again.

So thought I would post my "before" measurements, in inches:
Neck: 12.25 (I felt a neck measurement was more of a man thing, but B felt it was important since I "have fat there," at which point he grabbed my double chin... grrr...
Bust: 37 (hopefully this number stays the same. I really don't want tubes instead of boobs)
Right bicep relaxed: 10 flexed: 10.75
Left bicep relaxed: 10 flexed: 10 (we are both confused as to how this is possible)
Waist: 34 (Mercy!)
Hips: 39 (Jaysus!)
Right thigh: 22.5 Left thigh 22

So there you have it.

New Year, New Butt

2008-01-01T16:40:00.001-08:00

First of all, I apologize since it's been EONS since I've posted anything. Guess I got a tad overwhelmed/busy/stressed/forgot about my blog, etc. Then I went home for the holidays, where I did some serious relaxing, eating and drinking high calorie beverages. In the last few months I have put on serious poundage, which I have recently complained about in my column in the Cape Breton Post http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=91472&sc=150.

The ironic thing is I started working out in earnest in September and followed this diet the gym nutritionist gave me (the candida diet) and I lost some weight. I looked good, I had more energy and my clothes fit better. But for anyone who has been on the candida diet, it is brutally strict - no wheat, no sugar, very little fruit, absolutely no alcohol, no caffeine. Read: NO FUN. Sure I lost weight, but who can maintain that forever?? Not me. So I went off the candida diet and my weight ballooned, almost like my body said, "Screw that, if she's going to pull that shit again I'm gonna hold on to some fat!" And I am one porky gal now.

I've always had weight problems. I was a chunky kid and now am a chunky adult. I'm not huge by any stretch. I hide my gains well and still wear my old jeans, more or less. But my weight goes up and down depending upon my level of motivation, interest in some new diet, level of stress, etc. I have done Weight Watchers (and even attained "Lifetime Status," whereupon I left.) I did Dr. Bernstein and lost a ton of weight and even kept it off for a year, but found it a tad pricey. I followed lots of diet books but find that unless I have some sort of accountability, I lose interest. So I decided that this blog would be my accountability!

I'm going to post my progress several times a week... my weight loss, inches lost, what I'm eating, what is challenging me, etc. As well, I'm going to post some pics. I know this won't be as scientifically rigorous as some might like, I may not post my worst pics, but this is the best I can do. It's embarrassing to - literally - let it all hang out! And until Jenny Craig or WW pays me, I ain't strippin' down to my skivvies for before and after shots.

My boyfriend B is a photographer so he took some shots of me... looking AWFUL. My Week 1 photos are terrible. He wanted me to pose in my underwear... there was no way that was happening... so I put on his stretchy hockey pants and a t-shirt.

The diet (sorry, I know diet is a bad word) is the GI Diet. Here is some more information: http://www.gidiet.com. I got the idea for this plan from a very good blog by Tim Ferriss where he talked about following a "slow carb" diet (similar in many ways to the GI Diet). Anyway, he also did an exercise plan based on the Colorado Experiment http://www.bodybuildingfanatic.com/coloradoexperiment.htm where he put on a lot of muscle working out in a particular way for a relatively short period of time. I don't want to look like a 5'1 She-Hulk, but I'll take some bulk if it means increasing my strength and definition. So I am going to follow the GI Diet and do weight training according to this experiment. My goal is to get my body weight to 118-120 pounds but lose inches and gain muscle. Right now I weigh about 127 pounds and don't have a lot of muscle. So folks, I will keep you posted.

How RUDE!

2007-11-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

In my fifteen-plus years of living off Cape Breton, I’ve wondered many times whether I’ve grown hardened with age. I seem to have a shorter fuse when it comes to what I perceive as other’s inconsiderate behaviour. Someone sitting next to me on the subway is loudly testing all of his cell phone ring tones. So rude! The cashier at the supermarket doesn’t say “hello” or “thank you.” These are basic customer service skills, people! I get bumped and elbowed daily. Sometimes I walk through my front door feeling like I just weaved my way through a booby-trapped field. I used to take many of these random incidents in stride but after a few years of repeated events I’ve started to get my back up. And when a Cape Breton woman gets her back up - watch out!

Oh, I know… people are rude everywhere. Someone from Cape Breton once emailed me to comment that road rage and nasty behaviour is increasingly becoming a problem at home. This may sound naïve but I was quite surprised to hear it. I always see a marked difference in strangers’ friendliness and consideration when I go home, but I guess I’m there for limited periods of time and prefer to spend most of it lounging around in the house making big decisions like, “Should I watch Oprah or Dr. Phil?”

However, urban environments have been shown to bring out the nasty in people. According to a recent article in the journal “Urban Studies,” tight spaces and transport “nodes” are hotbeds for incivility because lots of people are rushing to get somewhere and if an elbow will help the process, so be it (my words, not theirs.) Most of these discourtesies involve someone getting in someone else’s space and face. One surprising finding showed that most incivilities were committed by “respectable” individuals such as the middle-aged and elderly. I saw this finding play itself out in a most disgusting way on a recent business trip to Baltimore.

My colleagues and I (mostly women) were dining at a nice restaurant. Across from us was a large table of older folks, affluent-looking and obviously enjoying themselves. Somehow two of the “gentlemen” thought it would be fun to come over and flirt with the young ladies (right in front of their wives, I might add.) We were stunned by their banter; within five minutes of approaching our table they shocked us with “jokes” about pedophiles, abortions and other inappropriate topics. Finally they left, at which point one of our male companions headed over to tell the two men to stay away from our table or else. I felt so badly for their mortified wives. I had received nothing but lovely treatment from everyone I encountered in Baltimore, so I figured these jerks were an anomaly. It was then that one of the men yelled over to tell us he was from Toronto.

Go figure.

A model for all the health conscious office workers out there...

2007-10-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to B for the pics of (certainly not mine or his) office.

The chocolate donut stands alone.

2007-10-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

Why wait till Happy Hour?

2007-10-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Soulfulliving.com

2007-10-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

I conducted my first interview! Check out my conversation with Mildred Lynn McDonald, Life Coach and founder of Applied Ability, on the "Soulfulliving" website...
http://www.soulfulliving.com/promise_personal_power.htm

My So-called (Reiki) Life

2007-09-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

A friend pointed out to me that it’s like I have a whole other work life outside of my job at the university and writing my column for the Post. For the past two years I’ve been teaching Reiki at a naturopathic college on weekends because, you know, I’m not busy enough.

Reiki is a treatment of Japanese origin whereby the practitioner acts as a channel for healing energy from the universe. The recipient receives this healing energy through the Reiki practitioners’ hands. The word “Reiki” derives from the individual Japanese words Rei, meaning universal, and Ki, meaning energy. After a typical one hour treatment session, the recipient may feel relaxed or energized, pain-free (or pain is lessened), balanced and content. These days I spend more time teaching than providing treatments. After a typical Reiki I training session, the student can treat themselves or others; Reiki II yields the ability to send energy at a distance. Advanced Reiki teaches additional specialized techniques to enhance healing; at the Master level, the student becomes a Reiki Master and can now teach and attune others to the Reiki energy. I’ve been a Reiki Master for about 7 years.

For anyone who has never heard of Reiki or similar modalities, I’m sure your first reaction is, “What a lot of New Age mumbo jumbo!” Hey, I’ve been there. After all, I graduated from St. FX with a Bachelor of Science. Of course I never looked into a microscope again after graduating, but I still considered myself a Woman of Science (WOS.) As a WOS, I thought anything outside the realms of massage and physiotherapy was a little wacko. However, I happened to go for a treatment from a newly minted Reiki practitioner while living in Maine. I was desperately stressed from school and open to anything. I found that the Reiki treatment was a profound experience; I even shed a few tears of relief while on the table. Afterwards my first thought was, “Well, that was weird. There must be something to this Reiki stuff.” When I moved to Windsor, I found a Reiki Master and completed training with her.

Alternative medicine and other complementary therapies are very popular in Toronto. You can’t go anywhere without seeing ads posted for yoga, meditation classes, Reiki, aura reading and past life regression sessions and so many more. It’s easy to dismiss all of these things as total bunk. But as a true WOS, I have seen the evidence in my own life that supports my beliefs about Reiki. And I also know interest in Reiki isn’t limited to the city; I personally know some talented Reiki Masters in Cape Breton who are spreading the word about this great practice. Many spas and salons now offer Reiki as part of their regular services. So when you book your appointment for your first Reiki treatment, tell ‘em a WOS sent you.

So Many Concerts, So Little Time

2007-09-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

I’m not sure what makes one feel worse: having fewer options for things to do, or having many options and not taking advantage of them. I fall into category #2. Living in Toronto provides so many opportunities for shows and concerts, yet since I moved here seven years ago I’ve been to 2 concerts. Only 2! I went to see the Barenaked Ladies at Air Canada Centre five years ago and Norah Jones at Ontario Place about two years ago. I only went to Norah Jones because I felt like I should since it had been so long since I had been to a concert, which resulted in me snoozing off on the grassy hill because 1. Her music is so mellow and 2. Everyone around us was smoking the funny stuff and I think it made me woozy.

Somehow the city’s artistic embarrassment of riches has resulted in my complete inability to choose anything I want to see. Plus I automatically assume that everyone will want to see Artist X or Band Y and I’ll simply never get tickets. Or I refuse to pay the astronomical amount of money for tickets; good seats for Madonna’s “Re-Invention Tour” a few years back cost about $300 and so-so seats sold for about half that.

But when I lived out east, I went to everything that came my way. I remember being in high school when Rod Stewart came to town. I mean, it was simply not an option to miss it! Everyone went and we all stood in line for what seemed like days for tickets. The concert was great and I danced on my rickety folding chair while Rod kicked monstrous beach balls into the crowd.

And what about the smaller bands that headlines at the local rinks? I remember swooning over PEI’s “Haywire” at Dominion Rink and screaming like they were the Beatles while I fought to rush the stage. (Why I thought rushing the stage was necessary when less than 200 kids were in attendance is beyond me, but I suppose it was all part of the excitement.) The Dominion Rink also played host to the band “The Odds” who opened for “Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts.” Their dressing room was a hockey changing room, and a few other gals (you know who you are!) and I popped in for autographs and general flirting/giddiness en route to the bathroom. Now how do you ever get those times back?

I bet if I still lived at home I would have made my way to Moncton for the Rolling Stones Concert. But when they played here in Toronto after the SARS crisis, I sat in my backyard and listened to them play in the distance because I didn’t want to be around 100,000 other people. Where has my east-coast-music-fan-gumption gone? I think it’s time I try to get some of it back.

Let's all hate Toronto or something

2007-09-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

There is a new documentary getting some attention lately. “Let’s all Hate Toronto” features a slick guy dubbed “Mr Toronto” (actually it’s the co-director, Rob Spence) travelling around the country trying to figure out why the rest of Canada hates Toronto so much. They organized bogus “Toronto Appreciation” days and then filmed public reaction. Reasons for Toronto-trashing varied from the unfriendly people to old-fashioned sports rivalries to the fact that many decisions affecting the rest of the country are made in Toronto. One Vancouverite interviewed for the documentary described Torontonians as “soul-less, one-eyed corporate zombies.” I hate to think someone would ever make that assumption about me because I’m none of those things. Although I wouldn’t mind working for a corporation and making a great corporate salary.

I escape some of the indignation other folks from Toronto feel about this documentary because I really don’t consider myself a Torontonian. If you ask me how I define myself, I still feel I am a Cape Bretoner living and working in Toronto. So when other people talk about how much they hate Toronto, I do feel a tad outside their sphere of disgust.

Growing up out east, I never really focused any intense feelings toward Toronto. When I lived in Dominion I resented Sydney a bit, because Sydney is, well, a city. Sydney had malls and Dominion didn’t. When I lived in Antigonish, I resented Halifax a bit, because Halifax was bigger than Antigonish and had several universities containing students who felt they were better than us at St. FX because they lived in Halifax and we lived in, well, Antigonish. When I lived in Windsor, Ontario, I resented Windsor because there was no point in resenting Detroit. Apparently people in Boston resent New York. I think we always resent places that are a little bigger and shinier than our own hometown, especially if folks from that other town also believe they are bigger and shinier.

One account I read about Toronto-hating refers to the concept of “shy/jerk confusion.” (Actually, the person who coined it, Larry David, used a different word for jerk.) This confusion occurs when people mistake someone for a jerk when really they’re just shy. Or in the case of many people living in Toronto, scared. There are a lot of crazy people in Toronto and after living here for a few years, you start to avert eye contact lest you meet the gaze of someone looking to follow you home. I count myself among the scared. However, like many folks living here I warm up once I realize this stranger isn’t a pick-axe wielding murderer.

But Toronto has to take some of the blame. After all, if Hogtown didn’t purport to be the “centre of the universe,” I don’t think anyone would resent us at all.

Summer Camp Memories... and Loverboy...

2007-09-12T11:56:00.001-07:00

Summer is over, at least in Toronto. Even though the weather here is still pretty nice, the arrival and subsequent departure of the Canadian National Exhibition is the formal announcement to all Torontonians that the party is over. The kids are back in school, the outdoor pools are shutting their doors, and the stores are pushing their fall and winter clothes. With the exception of the clothes part, I feel pretty demoralized.

Last weekend I got together with some friends for a summer’s last hurrah movie-Chinese-food-and-beer-night. To boost our flagging spirits, we watched a flick that totally sent me back to the early 80’s – “Wet Hot American Summer.” It’s a spoof of all of those teen exploitation camp films that seemed so popular back when I was a kid. Incidentally, they were all the films my parents refused to let me see. I remember my friends heading up to the old Savoy Theatre in Dominion to watch such classics as “Meatballs” and “Little Darlings,” while I sat home wondering why I too couldn’t be exposed to partial nudity and adult situations at the tender age of nine. Such injustice!

Summer camp is a huge thing in Ontario. Some kids are shipped off for weeks at a time, (mostly) to their utter delight. There are camps for every possible interest. So many options! As a kid, I spent a lot of time going camping with the Girl Guides. I was so obsessed with Guides that I managed to stay on beyond the mandatory age limit of 11. (Yes, I was a bit of a geek.) Camping was an opportunity for me to demonstrate my bravery by escorting the younger guides to the outhouse in the middle of the night.

But an even bigger deal was heading off to Knox Day Camp in Mira. I swear I stayed for a full week once. While the games and sports were fun, what I remember most of all were the camp counsellors, and particularly the male counsellors. To a nine or ten year old, a sixteen or seventeen year old camp counsellor was quite possibly the ultimate crush. They were older; they had moved beyond the awkward early teen years and therefore were better looking; they had longish hair and cool clothes. We girls chased this one counsellor around, a guy from Bridgeport, like he was a rock star or something. My fondest memory was finishing up dinner in the mess hall when the counsellors bounded in with a tape player to blast some hot new music – “Working for the weekend” by Loverboy. The campers went crazy! Later the counsellors went off to watch “An Officer and a Gentleman” while we recounted, in vivid detail, the moment we were exposed to the musical magic that was Loverboy.

It’s nice to know that a good summer camp movie can take you back to Knox Day Camp anytime you want.