Interpretive Spinning?

Right, so I posted this video with the comment "What did I just watch?  And why do I want to try it?"  I was reasonably amused that the first two comments were:

• Friend 1:  For your own safety, please don't!
• Friend 2: Please let me know when.  Will bring hi def camera to capture the magnificence as it happens.

lol the two types of friends, ladies and gentleman :).  I'm very pleased to have both.

And yes, I tried it.  Lol you can’t possibly be surprised by this.   

Lesson one - remove all tension from the bike.   Hmmmmm occurs to me I forgot to put it back on - next spin workout may start w more drama than required.

So taking the first advice in mind, and rejecting the idea of any video evidence, I started w just sitting on the bike making the pedal go w one leg.  Okay great.

Then tried the same thing standing.  This is significantly harder than you’d expect ;).  But I got it going, and was able to bring my right leg over to the left side both by going over the seat and across the bar in the front (*not* over the handles - just the bar).   I’m not super flexible or coordinated so I’m pleased this was injury free.

I also made the very conscious choice to work my onesidedness to my advantage.  Left leg is stronger and my balance is better -- it gets to peddle.  Right leg is more flexible and coordinated -- it gets to move around.

Okay so I can pedal (not long, admittedly, and there were a few times I’d get almost to the top and then it would fall back the other way which either resulted in 12 yo me giggling or adult me expressing adult language) -- but theoretically I can pedal and move leg around.  Okay, that’s a start.

But I was very aware I was holding to the handles as though I were hanging from a 10th story window...   So I forced myself to pry one hand off and see what happened.

And admittedly it wasn’t tragic.   Turns out years of riding has given me reasonably good balance ;).  And I could do this very ungraceful star shape thing...   But - I DID IT.   Lol not pretty or graceful, but it happened.

However - the vast majority of the movements this young lady is demonstrating requires no hands.  This, this is beyond my current capabilities.   Lol failed.  More than once.

So out of curiosity I broke it down.  Can pedal seated w no hands, one foot or two, no problem.   Can pedal standing with no hands, at least for a few rotations, all good.   But w only one foot pedalling?  No.  Just no.   I can go exactly half a rotation before I need to hold on.  Fail.

And obviously no grace or coordination or linking of actions.

More entertaining than you’d think though ;).  The standing start is easy and  may be how I get on my bike from now on.   Standing w no hands I found an entertaining personal challenge so may work that into some of my spin workouts.  Don’t know if I’ll fight the battle to learn the no hand, one leg, rotation or not, but the whole activity added a degree of entertainment to my Saturday.

If you choose to try it - lmk how it goes for you :)

Spanish Struggles

So as those of you who read this regularly (thanks!) will be aware I've been studying Spanish.   And this is proving to be a challenge in ways that have nothing to do with learning the language.  Lol.   You see, while I've always been pretty useless at other languages, somewhere along the way I became reasonably good at English.   Which means when I try to express myself in Spanish I feel frustratingly stupid due to the lack of vocabulary.   And to add to it, I am very thoroughly on a plateau, which overachiever me does not deal well with.  Who's surprised by this? ;-P

Accurate.
Except I'm not even hanging that far along -- I'm further left. *sigh*

So while teacher/coach Lauren knows and understands about plateaus and how to handle them.  Learner Lauren is less onside with this.  Which means trying all the techniques to improve the situation.  And, well, you can't cross a chasm with two small jumps.  Soooo...   Yup - I'm going to Spanish school in Costa Rica.

Oh common, you're not new here.  Dramatic solutions to simple problems ;).  More vocabulary practice was clearly not the way.  Although, tbh, I'm also doing that.  And writing daily.  And my workbook, and lessons, and apps...  Multi-method small-burst learning all the way.

And the latest method includes trying to watch TV in Spanish on Netflix (pro tip: if you're trying this, set up a new account for your language programs.  Makes life much easier).  With the aid of close captioning (also in Spanish), I'm mostly understanding enough to follow what's going on, which I'm deeming a win.   With no cc, not a chance *sigh* -- which admittedly is a challenge since irl most people don't conveniently have their words written out for them when they speak ;).  Lol but I'm hoping this is a step towards understanding the spoken words.   Also, the level I test at is not yet the level that's supposed to understand TV, so I don't feel too bad ;).   Oh - but as far as tests go, I took a placement test for said Spanish school and actually scored a tiny little bit higher than I expected, so disproportionately pleased at that.

But the worst?!?!   One of the TV characters started speaking Portuguese.  I'm sorry but that's just not fair.  And the CC continued in Spanish w/ just a note about the language, but the audio obviously didn't match.  And sadly the first time, I didn't even catch that they didn't match cause I was so reliant on the text.  Brutal.  At least I later realized it ;). But still.  Sheesh.

Anyways - the TV challenge has made being on the plateau more entertaining.  I'm not really sure how productive it is, but I figure it can't hurt.  Especially for something I'm learning for no reason other than I feel like, so not like it's tragic if it doesn't go quite right ;)

And I am super excited about my immersion week!!!  Wanted to go for two weeks but my bathtub ate most of my travel budget, so I'm down to one.   Not sure that's enough to push me off the plateau (pretty sure a month is the recommended stay), but figure it's worth a try.

Improving the world a tiny bit at a time

So found an interesting way of "giving" today that might intrigue some of you, so thought I'd share.   Jane, who I knew in another lifetime through riding, posted a link to Kiva - which I'd never heard of.

Kiva, it turns out, essentially crowd sources loans for people who otherwise wouldn't have access to them (eg women in developing countries).   Hence the quotes around giving, since technically you get it back.  Reading the literature and Jane's testimonial, repayment rates are apparently pretty high.  But I'm looking at it as a donation that can be repurposed.  So when (I'm trying to be positive here!) it's repaid, I'll re-loan it back out to whoever needs it next.   And if it doesn't, well then I gave $25 to somebody who needed it a whole lot more than I do.

The amount loaned, of course, is entirely flexible -- but the base asking price seems to be $25 so I went with that.  The people say what it will be used for, and there are in most cases institutions doing due diligence on them (you can see who's involved in the ask).

Requests are broken into categories:  education, agriculture, women, arts, etc etc and you can read through and pick what you want to contribute to (it also shows the total ask of the loan and how much has been sourced).

So I started with the "women" category, because I'm very sensitive to the fact that while we *still* have equality challenges here, they are significantly worse in other parts of the world.   And there were a couple I could see myself supporting, but so many were "for my son" or "for my husband" which, to me, is playing the system.

So then I tried the education category, because similarly, women's education is something I care about.  But again there was a ton of "for my son", "for my husband", etc etc.   Never "for my daughter".   Which I found not surprising, but disheartening.   But then I found a "for my sister" that was a man who it seems had to drop out of school to help his father support the family, but was trying to get enough money to keep his sister in school.  It is a verified one (although of course I only know so much about the verifier, but better than nothing).  So I contributed to that one, and we'll see how it goes.

Did roll my eyes though, when I was poking around the site and it shows what you've contributed in various charts (location, category, etc) -- under gender, it shows 100% male.  Because, of course, it was a man who was seeking the loan, even though the beneficiary is a woman (or I think actually a girl -- it listed primary/high school level).  Lol ah well - if my $25 can help a girl in Lebanon get an education, I'm all for it.  And since it is a loan (interest free), when it comes back, it can go help someone else after.

But yeah - I do like that it's a loan rather than straight charity and encouraging self-sufficiency and development.   There were some asks that I would definitely question but a lot were for money to buy a second cow, or a sewing machine to improve a seamstresses output, or farming equipment...   That kind of thing that you can see how it would legitimately pay itself back and improve the recipient's life at least a tiny bit...

Reading through the asks both put first world problems firmly in their place, while somehow simultaneously highlighting the similarities that cross distance, religion, race, and gender.  People wanting to grow their business and needing seed funding, people trying to afford a better life for their kids, people who need specialized equipment to help with a disability, all very relatable.  Even if we have only the vaguest understanding of what their lives are really like.

If you've used it before, or give it a try, let me know how it goes!

Happy anniversary to us :)

Feeling spoiled :)

So our anniversary was comparatively quiet this year.   Chris has just started a new job (woohoo!  No more nights!) which meant we couldn't go away...  And we did the tacky tourist thing last year.  Doing it again would be, well, tacky ;-P.

Candlelight dinner, with more flowers :)

We had a reasonably uneventful day followed by a super nice dinner at Cucci.   Not in our usual budget for sure, but was a good celebration to us :).   Chris also made me smile with flowers and a bear -- those who know me may be aware of how much I adore stuffed toys.   It's slightly unreasonable, but moderately harmless ;).  And flowers are always a win.  Little things in life.

AND a little anniversary bear.

 Not our most exotic anniversary (albeit the first to involve a BEAR!!!), but still really lovely.   Next year - Costa Rica round two!

And the award for best animal trainer goes to...

So last night I realized just how much my dogs rule the house.   Everybody went to bed - same routine as normal...  Dogs go out, come back in, go on their beds, and get their bedtime treat.  Then I shouldn't hear from them till I feel like getting up in the am.

Then I hear "click click click click" over and over again as Tucker w/ his crazy long nails runs back and forth on the hardwood in front of the bedroom door.   Bedtime is his favourite time of day, so not normal for him to be running around.  But I had a pretty good guess as to the Very Serious Problem stressing poor Tucker out...

You see - his favourite blanket was not with his favourite bed.   His favourite blanket was with A bed, but in the library not the living room.  And the living room bed also had A blanket, but not the *right* one.  Tucker the Toddler needs the right blanket in the right bed.

And since I did not want to listen to him click all night (whilst my husband snored away next to me), I solved this problem for him.  Toddler win.   And it did solve the problem - no more clicking.

Fast forward an hour or two and I hear loud music playing.  Figure the people across the street are home (they often have very loud music playing in their truck, but usually only for about 30 seconds). Music turns off and I go back to sleep.   But then it come back.  Frig.  And then I realize it is decidedly both A -- too loud even for them, and B -- the wrong style of music.

Right -- Sasha the teenager was on the couch, had turned on the TV, and was blaring Netflix previews *sigh*.   Lol - to be fair, she was probably just as pleased I was turning it off as she too was trying to sleep.  I sincerely doubt she realized that rolling over on the remote was connected to the unplanned light and noise.

But yes, twice last night I had to get up to address completely non-emergency issues for my dogs.

I am a well trained sucker.

Really?!?

Lol sometimes there are no words....   But I'm still going to try to describe -- with words ;)

So Chris and I had pizza-free January.  We were discussing continuing this trend into Feb (cause admittedly we were eating a *little* more pizza than perhaps would make Canada's new food guide ;) -- but agreed we needed a cheat day in-between.

Sweet.  Wonderful, greasy, deep-dish Dominos ordered.   And since I had some errands to run in that area, even ordered it for pickup instead of delivery.

Errands meant that it should definitely be ready by the time I got there.   There was a bit of a line, so by the time I got to the front I figured I'd be able to get my food and go.

But alas, was not to be...

So customer service person looks it up, goes to the back to check, and tells me "it's just coming out of the oven; will just be a couple minutes."

Okay no problem, I get being a couple mins late on a busy day.  I go to pay, "oh no - you just pay when the pizza comes out."

"But..."  But no, despite complete lack of logic, I'm directed to wait.   Okay, so be it.

A couple other people come in and pick up their orders.  Nobody around.  CSR is puttering around doing other things.   Person who ordered right before me (actually ordered, not a pick up) gets their order.  Ummm what?

So I flag the guy down -- could I at least pay for it, so when it's ready I can just go?

He asks the name again and goes back to look.  Not ready.  Brings it up on the computer and...

"... we don't have the order."

I'm sorry, what?  "You told me it was coming out of the oven?"

"It doesn't look like the order is here."

So, why didn't you tell me that the first time I stood here?

"Well it's busy."   Wtf?!?!  

So I can understand busy.  I completely understand tech failures.  Had he just told me, the first time, that they didn't have the order I could've re-placed the order and moved on with life.  But no, instead somehow in his little brain he felt that lying to me was the solution?   I still can't get my head around how he planned to solve this...   How long was he going to leave me standing there waiting for a pizza they knew nothing about?

I'm just so stunned by the whole thing.

Suffice to say it's still a pizza-free 2019...  

Life Lessons Learned at the Barn

So I found this in a drafts folder from when I had GRS.  I assume I originally planned to do something with this, but since I have no idea what it might've been, and it made me slightly nostalgic, I thought I'd go ahead and post.   Enjoy :)

----

Don't look back. When you hear the telltale thunk of your horse's hoof hitting a rail, don't look back. You can't do anything about it now, looking back distracts you from your ride to the next fence, and worrying about it can destroy an otherwise recoverable situation.

If you're not sure, fake it.  Convince your horse this is a good idea and you'll soon discover it's no problem.  Ride up to an obstacle saying "ummmm I don't know about this one...." odds are good your horse will agree.  This also works when trying to convince your boss of just about anything *g*

Speed kills.  Regardless of whether riding, driving, or doing drugs.  Teach all new skills slowly and never ride faster than you can steer.

Ride forward. Most of the problems on course come from checking when you should be riding forward.  Now substitute "life" for "course".

Ride every stride.  Also translates to live in the moment.  Focusing solely on the final goal without attention to the details that'll get you there will end in failure most of the time.  Ride this step, then the next one, then the one after that, and eventually you'll get there.  And if you can, enjoy the trip :)  Life's not about the end goal, it's about the journey.

Cowgirls don't cry. aka If it ain't fatal, it's funny.  You feel off - who cares?  You failed the exam - not the end of the world...  Ask yourself, in five years from now, will this matter?  If the answer's no, laugh, have a drink (age appropriate people!), and let it go.

Today I had recess and nap time. Who says you have to grow up?

Soooo much fun today that I am definitely going to feel tomorrow.

I dragged my husband out to Pursuit OCR where I've wanted to go for ages.  Picture kids at a playground -- climbing on things, swinging from monkey bars, etc.   Now remember being that kid.  Then realize, this one place, you can be that kid as an adult.

I'm not even kidding.

So this...  gym?  Obstacle course?  Playground?   Is adults only and alcohol free (as it's promoting fitness).   Their basic goal is just to get adults moving, and having fun while they're doing so.  Fitness level?  We saw a wide variety.   I'm at the least fit I've been in years *sigh* and had a blast.  While realizing it would've been even more fun if I'd been a *little* stronger.  Conversely, we saw some people who were seriously built, and some who may never have been in a traditional gym.  But mostly, we saw a ton of people having fun and cheering each other on.  Complete strangers helping others through the various obstacles and no impatience from those waiting a turn.   Was a very positive environment.  At least today ;)

Side note -- I left my phone in the car, so no pics from me :(.  Google however...

When you first go in there's one of those walls people run straight up.   Well, some people.

Ummmm maybe later.    (All pics shamelessly stolen from their website or Google)

But also at the entrance is the start of the course which involves going over or through a small block, climb up some blocks and away we go.

All obstacles were optional.  This was the start -- over, under, or through :)

So the first thing we are upon was a "the floor is lava" challenge (of which there were a few).   This one those with significant upper body strength could swing from the ceiling, for the rest of us, it was easy to navigate along the side -- giggling all the way.

The floor is lava!

This was immediately followed by another floor is lava game -- one of jumping from side to side across a tunnel, or using ropes to swing.  I used the ropes and had a blast!   Also not a ton of strength required.

After succeeding through that we were faced with a trampoline leading to a series of very far spaced monkey bars.   After a few tentative bounces on the trampoline that didn't get me anywhere near the first bar, I opted out of this one and made a mad dash across the bouncy mat.   Chris, however, not only got to the first bar, but on only the second attempt made the flying leap across all three bars.  Very cool!

A little hazy on details here -- lots of giggling and fun, but the items may be out of order or incomplete as it's now a nap and several hours later ;).  Also, that nap was very required.

So pretty sure the leap of faith between the bars was followed by a rock wall (which I've always loved) and then the laser course!   Lol this was done with black light and bungee cords -- just as well, as we would've failed lasers horribly!   The guys all seemed to belly crawl their way through, most of the girls seemed to be trying to pick their way through.  I did that till the very end when I got stuck and gave in to the belly crawl.  Faster for sure, but not nearly as much fun ;)

Don't touch the lasers!

We climbed up a level to be greeted to a rope mesh bridge to be navigated.   This bridge was over the bike course that wraps around under parts of the course.  Chris ran across this with only one tragic mishap that ended w/ him all kinds of tangled.   The first time I was not up to that and walked along the side -- a navigation challenge in itself, but a different one.   However later when I was waiting a turn for something else with no-one behind us, I went back and did it properly.  Lol I think this ended up actually being my favourite one.  I wanted to go back at the very end and do it once more, but by then the place was crowded and I didn't know a shortcut to get there so left it for another day.

Then we had a foam pit with two bars over top.   I didn't even look at the bars, just took a flying leap into the foam pit.  So much fun.  Chris navigated properly, getting hold of the bar and then kicking his feet up and over so he could move along it.   I did give that an effort, but not quite enough strong enough to get my feet up.   Next time ;).  I've deemed this round was the baseline one.  Now go away, improve my fitness, or at least strength, then try again...

After that was the rings, also over a foam pit.  I didn't expect to get past the first one, but I got three and fell on four.  Which of the other people we watched matched the best of the women.   A couple of the men made it through.  Chris made all but the very last, by taking a diagonal route instead of straight through, so there's definitely strategy involved as well as strength.   Seriously though, dropping into the foam pit is arguably as much or more fun than actually completing the challenge.

This was followed by some climbing through a tunnel and then down a slide.  Wheeee.   And the slide led... to a ball pit!!!   I'm not even kidding.   I took a flying leap and promptly sunk.   Lol. This is the adult version, once I got my feet under me and managed to stand, the balls were well over my elbows.  I had expected the balls to be harder and was a little concerned that jumping in might be a bad idea, but no, all good.   What I *didn't* expect was how challenging it would be to navigate the pit!  I now understand why kids sleep so well after being in those things.  It took more effort  for me to get through the pit than any other obstacle we did...  There was a rope attached at the far end that you could pull yourself out.  Or better yet -- other people could pull you out ;).  Chris and random stranger may have helped me and another woman with that.   I would've made it on my own no problem, just a longer wait for Chris.  But the other woman was definitely struggling and after she got a tow out, I decided to take advantage of the same offer :)  Fun. So much fun.  But wow.

We were coming toward where this photo was taken.

And that ended the course part of things, but underneath the course was a bike track.  Or rather, a trike track ;).  Yup, adult-sized tricycles and a "drift track" so as you went around if you hit the turns right you could spin your bike out.   Honestly, while I wanted to try it, I wasn't expecting much from this.  But it was So Much Fun.  WAY more than I'd ever anticipated.   The first round I did a little tentatively, but after that it was full on.  lol.  Line of the day went to Chris who described it as "It's like Mario Cart, but they're tricking you into exercising."

After that, I gave the wall a try.  Yeah - this is where you run flat out at a sloping ramp that quickly goes vertical.   Brilliant idea.   Lol failed horribly ;-P.  Not surprising that since I don't run well on the ground, it didn't work terribly well to run straight up, but hey ;).  I tell you, it's quite the mental challenge to convince yourself to run with any speed directly at a wall.  Self-preservation hold.

This was my first effort; I didn't know it was being filmed ;)

Lol I tried a couple more times, did something else for a while, then tried some more.   After the first one I managed to stay on my feet for the trip back down (although have to admit the slide was a lot of fun and less terrifying than running straight down).  My goal was to just tap the top, knowing fully well that even if I could reach it I didn't have the strength to pull myself up (esp at the *end* of the adventure!).  This is still a goal on the "for next time" list ;).  Although not sure how one practices for this without, in fact, having a wall to run up *g*.   So no, I didn't make it to the top.  Chris says I got within a foot, so we're going with that :).   

On the smaller wall (from the Over, Under or Through pic with the yellow cheverons) I could get up and wrap my hand around the bar, but still didn't have the strength left to pull myself up.   That one I actually found more intimidating as there was no slope up so you're literally jumping up the wall, not just running up a very steep slope.

So yeah, a super fun day that I will definitely be feeling tomorrow; actually, am feeling right now *sigh*.  I was hoping it might inspire a return to fitness -- we'll see ;).  But yeah, anybody who wants to go, just give me a shout. I'm definitely in.

FridayFlash #72: Daughter of Nightmares and Smoke

Kara came up with the title through one of those Facebook generators.  I decided I'd write it ;).   First flash in a very long time.  Yeah vacation day :) 

As always, comments very welcome.   Enjoy!

---

Once considered peaceful, the dragons came one night and scorched the villages.   For days nothing could be seen but smoke.  The people would try to rebuild, but every few months the dragons would return.  It was a time of terror.  Hunting parties were sent to get revenge; no one returned.  

And then one day, the skys were empty.  No longer did the occasional shadow drift over the village.  No more did children cower from the giant creatures from the sky.  Nobody knew why they attacked or where they went, but over time, that became unimportant. Things were quiet, and people rebuilt out of their grief.  And as the children who had seen their villages destroyed grew up and gave birth to children of their own, memories faded.  By the time their grandchildren had grandchildren, understanding of dragons had changed.  From peaceful and harmless, to horrifyingly vicious, to nothing more than a wisp of a myth. A story to scare young children into behaving.

But time is a tricky thing, and to the dragons, it moves differently.  Only one generation had passed since The Great Betrayal, and memory of it was clear.  After all, she did live with them.  Tall and graceful, Alesha laughed as she skipped between the caves, easily avoiding the dragon chasing her.  She whipped around a boulder, turning at the last second and ducking under the dragon who almost had her.  She poked his belly as he flew over top, “Gotcha Tren!” she laughed, his roar made the rock she was standing on shake, but didn’t phase her in the slightest.   They were siblings.  Friends.  And she had very definitely won.  Again.

It’s time to come home, the thought from their mother was as clear in her head as if it had been spoken.  Tren, having received the same message turned and headed toward her.  With a running leap, Alesha hopped on for the flight home.

She knew she was different, of course.  Small and fragile, but nimble and creative.  She couldn’t breathe fire, but she could build it.  She couldn’t fly, but she could access spaces the dragons would never be able to.  Her dragon family accepted things as they are, as they’ve always been, while Alesha questioned everything.  They complemented each other.  The smarter ones appreciated that and considered her family; the lesser ones treated her as little more than a pet.  A curiosity.  A spoil of war.

When they returned to the roost, Alesha and Tren were surprised to discover the elder dragons had gathered.  Tren aborted his landing and circled, hoping to avoid interrupting the council, but Tasque, the head of the council, noticed him and with a thought compelled him to join them.

Alesha slid off Tren as soon as he landed, preferring to face whatever was coming standing.  But while she stood calmly and confidently, her hand quivered gently where it rested against Tren’s shoulder.  

What’s going on? she asked.

The time has come for you to fulfil your destiny.  The voice in her mind was powerful, and not one who had ever deigned to speak to her before.   She met Tasque’s stare head on and held it for a moment.  She could feel a wave a pride wash over her – the dragon who had adopted her so long ago was pleased.

What do you need me to do?  Her heart beat faster and she had to consciously stop herself from fidgeting.  So long she had wondered why the dragons had adopted and raised her.  It was the one question nobody would ever answer.  

You remember, of course, The Great Betrayal?   How could she forget?   Her heart sank as she was reminded yet again of the time the dragons had attempted to aid humans, only to have five of their eggs stolen.   The dragons had found four – three of which had been destroyed; the fourth hatched and grew up to be Tren.  But the fifth egg, even after months of searching, remained hidden.  And with the humans getting closer to their nest, they had to call off the search and moved the entire flight to their current home.  But when they did that, they brought one thing that was not theirs.  They brought an infant girl.  Her.

We have located the last egg.   It will not hatch until it is returned to us, but we cannot retrieve it.  You and Tren will go together, get the egg, and bring it home.

Her eyes widened and she glanced at Tren.  She was going to go to the human’s world?   Before her thoughts could start spinning too quickly, her mother’s familiar voice interrupted.  

Alesha, you’ll need to remember all we’ve taught you about humans.  Tren will help you get there, but he must not be seen, so you will be on your own.  Several of their generations have passed since we adopted you – with us you’re still so young, but there you will age quickly.  We believe we’ve found which castle the egg is locked in, but that’s all we know.  You’ll need to find a way to get in, rescue the egg, and get out quickly.  You can navigate in the dark nearly as well as we can; most humans cannot – use that to your advantage.  You must speak of us to no one.  Dragons to them are creations of nightmares and smoke.  And you are our daughter.  Never forget it.

Do you understand? The leader’s voice interrupted.

I do.

Will you undertake this task asked of you by the dragon council?

I will.

Then it be done. We will watch for your return with each new moon.  May the stars guide your way.

Alesha bowed her head as she’d be taught, then gracefully vaulted on to Tren’s back so he could take them out of the council.  Tren tried to talk to her, but her thoughts were flowing too quickly for her to hear him.  She was going home.  A home she’d never known, true, but one where there were people like her.  And maybe, just maybe, once she’d rescued the egg, she could find a way to bridge the worlds.

The daughter of nightmares and smoke yes, but also of dreams and starlight.

A different work day

So today instead of going to work, I had the opportunity to volunteer with my team at the CP24 Chum Christmas Wish.   This is the same charity we used to collect toys for when I had GRS, and it was definitely a fun deviation from my usual day.

I was volunteering in the warehouse.  There were rows of boxes that were all labeled by age and gender (boys 3-5, girls 14-18, etc), with a few other misc areas (stuffed toys, board games, sport equipment, stocking stuffers, and summer).   While I definitely have some issues with the separating of toys by gender (does this STEM kit belong in boys or girls?  hmmmm) I do understand why they're doing it, as esp with the younger kids there is distinct branding targeting one or the other.

So the first job was to put philosophical moral objections aside and sort the presents.   So a truck had recently been unloaded and we got to take the toys and find them the appropriate bucket.  I found this far more entertaining than you might imagine because of the sheer variety of things.

Then we went "shopping" -- in that we (in pairs) would be given a group to collect toys for (eg,  8 boys, age 7) and go pick one thing for each of those 8 boys.  Since we know nothing about the recipients other than gender and age, it's impossible to make an informed decision.  At first it was really easy - find something that's Just. Plain. Cool. and pick that.   They had some things to keep in mind -- like most of the recipients won't have cell phones or computers, so if you come across something that requires one of those, it went in a different area.   And if you picked a board game, pick something else that can be enjoyed individually because not everybody has someone to play games with.  It definitely helps draw attention to all the things so many of us take for granted.

Michalina and I did one amazing bag for a group of I think about 14yo boys that had just all the good stuff (including a ball hockey stick and ball).   But as we got more into it, it became increasingly challenging because the boxes became sorely depleted :(.   I had one go for 14yo girls, and they have a rule for no makeup under the age of 16.  By then the 9-13 box was empty and the 14-18 box was all makeup.  It was a real challenge that Nicole and I put a whole lot of effort into solving.   Some of our team have done this multiple years, and there were a lot comments about how depleted the supply was comparatively :(.  So that was sad to see.  Conversely, some of the gifts were amazing.  There were some great things in there of really good quality and creativity.

So yeah, overall it was a great experience and I'd certainly do it again.