Livin' the Life
/So last night I went to Zumba. I haven't been there in a while but one of my old Zumba instructors popped up on good ole Facebook to announce a class and I thought, "Well heck, I'm gonna go."
To be honest, I wasn't sure how my knees would like it, but life is short. I needed some cardio after the insane winter we've had here in the maritimes (Snowmageddon, anyone? Snowpocalypse?)
So off I went.
I had a blast. Got to wear my Christmas present from Steve - new Lululemon, which is fine for Pilates but a test run at Zumba is, y'know, a whole different animal. All that bopping up and down - would the pants stay up? Would the tank top stay in place and keep the girls covered? After what seemed a VERY short time there was, ahem, enough sweat to make the darn things stick, so that was all good. Thank you Yvette for an awesome class, and the fact that you promised me a one thousand calorie burn (ok, well maybe I have to work UP to that) made me feel so much better about yesterday's iced mocha.
After class I had a few moments to chat with an old friend (much skinnier than me - geez, is that what you look like after a whole winter of Zumba? And I thought my Pilates belly was awesome. I was preening like a peacock til I got to class…). So, my friend and I had a candid chat about things like the snowpocalypse that us hardy islanders have been faced with, and the other popular topic in these here parts - a lack of work and how many of us must piecemeal our working lives in order to make ends meet. She recently had some good fortune - she secured a permanent job with Canada Revenue. So last week when she was feeling the snowmageddon's prickled wintry pincer fingers clutching at her neck and throat like some kinda otherworldly depressive wooly toothed mammoth, she did the only wise and sane thing.
She booked a trip to Jamaica. Three days later she was on the plane, on her way to sanity by means of sunshine.
Travelling south is almost an epidemic here now - or should I rephrase that, it's almost part of the gospel of living in a remote wintry locale. For years now couples and families have been saving their pennies and travelling south - Jamaica, Mexico, Florida, Cruises in the Caribbean - for a week in February, March and, because winter has hung on so long this year - April. I've NEVER done it. I wasn't kidding when I said work here is piecemeal, especially when you choose to spend your life trying to write books and make films in a place like P.E.I. But this year I just hooked a decent new contract and I got to thinking, "Wellllll, maybeeee….." It doesn't hurt that most people I know have travelled, are travelling, or are thinking of travelling. One friend even got married down in Jamaica! (Don't think Steve will go for that). My sister, despite spending two of four nights desperately seasick, came back from her Disney cruise saying, "Well now I get why people go south every year!"
So I booked two tickets to Cuba.
Despite the fact that my awesome Pilates teacher called me a "Travel Virgin!" (I swear, I know nothing about travelling south)
I don't think Steve is thrilled about this, although I am paying my own way down (pride!). I think he'll be a little easier to convince once he's on one of those Hobie Cat things laughing in the breeze! (Can someone tell me if Cuba has, um, sharks?! Us islanders may have crappy winters but one thing we don't have to concern ourselves with at the beach is sharks - jellyfish and riptides are another story - just ask Jessie Wheeler in Book Four of the Drifters series, aptly named - RIPTIDE!!! Hee hee!!! Spoiler alert much?)
Sooooo…shall I leave the laptop at home?
In other news, a nice young intern from the local paper did an awesome follow-up story on my Drifters books.
Finding Hope - Summerside Author's Fourth Book Set in P.E.I.
As a result, I've had lots of calls, Facebook notes and sales. This always fascinates me because the books are such a private story that it feels odd to actually know some of the people who are reading them. I usually preface inquiries with "Well, y'know they're kinda caught between genres, not bodice-ripping romance and not high Canadian literature, either." A Pilates friend reprimanded me. She's read the first two books, A Song For Josh and Promises, and she told me that the books are good and that I should have more faith in myself, basically. I guess it's just something us women do…or some of us…why can't we just put ourselves out there and let our work stand for itself?
That brings me to the film I've ALMOST finished! (Woot! Can you hear me cheering?!) The Healing Place is a nice, classic little documentary style film. I am not the best editor on the planet in terms of visual style (there I go again) and I've made this pretty much entirely alone, so it's not gonna compare to a $ 300 000 National Film Board Feature Doc. I've also seen a lot of snappy, cool short films that are creative and neat. My film is a simple piece that reflects my own style, which is kinda laid back and sentimental, hopefully without appearing saccharine. It's a heady topic and I think I've balanced it well, but you won't find any special effects in it. It's a straightforward story.
One last note - my son's band just released a new Single - I love their fresh, engaging style!
LOVE the name - Futures - guess I am just feeling optimistic today, with the trip coming up, my (ahem) birthday tomorrow, and my traditional cheeseburger, home fries and chocolate milkshake annual birthday dinner in an hour or two.
Hey, I went to Zumba last night…maybe I am still burning calories?
We only live once. Let's make the most of it :)
