Last week, I was fortunate enough to go back to one of my favourite places, Casino Rama Resort, for a few days of winter fun thanks to the wonderful ladies at SJ Consulting, Casino Rama Resort, and Ontario’s Lake Country. I go up to the Casino a few times a year – it’s my preferred venue for concerts since it takes about the same amount of time as it does to go into Toronto but without the traffic headaches, expensive parking, or nosebleed seats. I went up in August with some of the same people for a great few days of learning and connecting, but this trip was going to be a little different. Whereas last time we pretty much stayed in the Casino, this time we were going to explore the areas around the Casino – downtown Orillia, Horseshoe Resort, and Mount St. Louis Moonstone. There was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity despite my complete lack of skills and coordination when it comes to winter sports. Because we did SO much in such a short period of time, I’m breaking my posts up along completely arbitrary lines – indoor fun and outdoor fun. Today, I’m writing about the indoor fun to be had in and around Casino Rama. Next, I’ll post about all the outdoor fun I had – and there was a lot of outdoor fun!
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop
I swear if I have one more “friend” on Facebook or Twitter follower or casual acquaintance tell me to stop being so political I’m going to lose it. I was raised to speak up if I see wrong and to work towards fixing it. Silence is dangerous – today and always. As a historian, I’m haunted by the times humanity turned away instead of helped and I am going to do better. If it means I lose some followers and “friends”, so be it. If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem and I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.
A Message for the Mean Girls at the Gym
Full confession: I’m not a gym rat by any means – I prefer to get exercise by walking or swimming, though I have rediscovered the fun of the recumbent bike we have in the basement. I feel awkward in the gym, convinced everyone is looking at me and silently or not so silently judging me and not in the “awesome that you made it to the gym” kind of way. I am a walking disaster when it comes to workout videos – I’m spectacularly uncoordinated and inept at learning new routines. If they’re taught in a style I can follow, I might get 3 or 4 moves in a row correct the first time I do a class. With constant repetition, I might learn the whole routine, but more often than not, the video sits and gathers dust as I get frustrated and give up. I took a few zumba classes a couple of years back and almost took out a whole row of people by going left when I should have gone right and almost took out my neighbour with an ill-timed arm movement. That experience was enough to convince me that perhaps gyms and fitness classes weren’t really for me. Though I do like the idea of a regular time to workout and would love to experience the camaraderie that some of my friends have developed at their fitness classes.
Word Wednesday – I resolve…no wait, I don’t.
It’s not much of a secret that I think New Year’s resolutions are a bit of a fool’s game, and not only because I’m already sick of the weight loss and fitness infomercials / advertisements online and on the television. I have nothing against self improvement, but I really wish gyms would have sales year round instead of just in January when the weather is crappy and blowing snow can make it impossible for me to leave the house. I turned off the extension I usually use in my browser that prevents advertisements from sneaking through as an experiment – I was curious as to what kind of ads would show up. The answer? Unhealthy fad diets, workout programs making unrealistic and unattainable promises, and meal delivery programs that a) won’t deliver to rural areas and b) are seriously overpriced. I ended the experiment 2 days after I started because the ads were seriously getting on my nerves. I understand that a new year (by one calendar) is a convenient time to make changes, but I don’t like the pressure of New Year’s resolutions so I don’t participate. I’m far more likely to embark on a journey towards self improvement on a random Thursday in March than January 1st. As for all of my ‘friends’ on social media who are hard selling nutritional supplements, exercise programs, and other ‘miracle cures’, the offending posts have been muted and will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future (and in some cases the ‘friends’ have been unfollowed / unfriended if all they were doing was shilling). Don’t call me, I’ll call you (actually I won’t, but still – don’t call me.).
Word Wednesday – The Princess Who Wasn’t
I like to joke about never having seen Star Wars – as in I’ve never sat down and consciously watched more than a single Star Wars movie at a time. I have seen the entire original set though, just in pieces. I think Return of the Jedi was the only one I watched in one sitting. Nevertheless, as a self-proclaimed geek, most of my friends are very into Star Wars and it’s pretty much impossible not to have absorbed a lot of Star Wars information and trivia via osmosis. Princess Leia wasn’t the type of princess to sit around waiting to be rescued – in fact, she’s the one who leads the rescue mission for Han Solo in Return of the Jedi. All that being said, I adored Carrie Fisher – not just because she was amazing in Star Wars, but because she was one of the most well rounded Hollywood actresses I’ve ever heard of.
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