Role Models, Not Roll Models

Call me crazy, but I do like volunteering with my Scout group.

And most people think I’m crazy because they realize these are Scouts, not Girl Guides, and are mostly boys, aged 11-14. Yeah, the crazy age where hormones are raging and they want to knock your head off one minute and ask you on a date the next.

But honestly, this is the age where you get to teach them just about the COOLEST stuff and can be the most influential person in their life. I wouldn’t pass this opportunity up for the world.

Plus, it gives me the opportunity to spend some of the best quality time with one of the most influential people in my life, my daddy-o.

But the Boy Scouts of America (Uh…why do they still have the boy, by the way?) are looking to limit the type of people who can apply to be in those roles once again.

By the number of rolls they have.

Seems as though they’re recommending that all volunteers AND scouts have annual medical evaluations by a certified and licensed health-care provider prior to engaging to specific events such as day camps, day hikes, or an overnight camp.

That’s not what I take issue with, though. Scouts Canada asks something similar in that medical information be provided on all registration forms. That’s just good practice as many activities can give way to a potential medical situation and having the right kind of information on hand in an emergency is key. Knowing if there are underlying conditions such as asthma, heart disease or seizures can be critical in getting the right kind of care.

But providing a chart on your form with heights that shows recommended, allowable and maximum weights that you’ll allow in your organization - What gives there?

I mean, looking at MY height of 66 inches. I couldn’t be over 201lbs. Well, I couldn’t have been a leader a few years ago then. Hell, they would be reluctant to let me be a leader right now even. Well, they wouldn’t like me south of the boarder anyway because I’m a female, but whatever. But they certainly wouldn’t appreciate my father in this case. He would be on the cusp of their no-no list as he is just above their maximum allowable for his height. This is a man who has over 20 years of dedicated service to the scouting movement who would be asked to not participate in activities because of a few pounds. When did we start putting an emphasis on insurance over expertise?

Are we protecting the children or robbing them of valuable experiences?

I thought the whole point of Scouts was to get kids active and interested in something other than televisions,video games and sedentary lifestyles. Outdoor adventure, scout craft and fun is what it’s all about. I understand and appreciate the liability implications of it all, I do, but when you exclude a group who are already left out, belittled, and harassed based on weight, I don’t get what good can truly come from this.

Can you?

Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow…

(YouTube link if video embed doesn’t show up in yer feed-o)

Because there wasn’t enough evil in my fridge…

 

Mom decided to buy me more…

In the shape of mice…

In white chocolate…

Which is my favourite…

Behind mini eggs…

Of course…

Sigh…

Weight is still the same, though. :)

Fear & Losing it in Mouseville

The Road Less Traveled

I have running routes that I tend to favour in my neighbourhood. One of them is Rosedale Valley Road. 

There is something about it that I adore. Maybe it’s the way the sun peaks through the trees (more so in the fall when the leaves are yellow, red and orange), or maybe it’s the fact that there is almost 3km of uninterrupted running …well, at least when there’s no snow. That’s a lesson you have to learn on your own.

But I love that just a few blocks from my place, amidst the hustle and bustle of the glass towers and sirens of downtown is a valley that divides the core from the calm residential areas of uptown. A place where you feel like you’ve completely left the city, yet you can stumble back to it in just two blocks.

But I could do without the crazy traffic that can go with it so early in the morning.

All of he luxury cars that zoom by on the way to the office. The drivers that will not stop to let me cross when I have the right of way.

The road is like a flipping highway at 7a.m.

Apparently they didn’t know it was MY running route.

Perhaps this is the route too well traveled.

Time for me to branch out.

 

Oh, and to the brother who is more than a week late with his stale race report…in the words of our adorable father, “you suck.”

GBU - The view from my couch edition

Good - My daily commute transitioning from 30 minutes to 30 seconds.
Bad - My daily wardrobe doesn't always transition from night time to day time.
Ugly - When I try the new daily commute, half asleep, and make coffee, in my underwear in front of my sheer kitchen curtains. HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOO building across the street!!!

 

Good - Fewer wardrobe changes means saving money on laundry. Woot!
Bad - Although there are fewer wardrobe changes, we aren't moving from the couch much. Boo!
Ugly - The fine bum divot that you've created in the centre of your couch that fits only your backside. Kudos, kiddo.

 

Good - Also saving moolah by not buying Starbucks, lunch, and treats every day and instead making lunch & coffee at home
Bad - Half a cup, one cup, a cup and a half. Portion control? What? - hey! Who cares?
Ugly - Um...I thought I made a POT of coffee this morning...Where did it go?....whoops. Hey! Why is my leg shaking. Hold that thought - I have to pee.

 

Good -FIELD TRIP!!! Starbucks Wifi and an iPod touch. Human interaction and anti-social at the same time. I love it!
Bad - Wait a minute! I thought I was trying to save money! Crappity crap crap.
Ugly - There are crumbs in this couch. But there are pumpkin scones. Actually, that's an UGH.

 

Good - Jammer has been off part of this week and keeping me company.
Bad - Jammer's crazy dog comes with us on walks.
Ugly - When Jammer made me hold freak dog's (dog's name has been changed to protect his innocence/evilness) leash when she went in the store for what felt like half a freakin hour and I had to run around in circles to avoid it coming near me, terrorizing sidewalk patrons and making a bloody fool of myself. Please note the dog is the size of an overgrown rat and has the energy of a firecracker. Please note that I am a giant idiot.

 

And I have to pee again

Your Mini Egg Update

Race Day Prep

I'm kind of a superstitious girl when it comes to races.

Oh - I'm running a 10km race tomorrow, by the way (with Jainey, Sam and more than 12,000 other friends, so come out and say hi :) ).

I tend not to upset my routine too, too much the day before.

I go grocery shopping the Saturday morning, make the same meal for dinner and then firmly park my butt on the couch for an entire day.

And what meal is it that I make? Well, it's my take on my dad's tomato macaroni soup, a favourite meal from childhood. I always remember it being a treat because my mother is not really a fan of pasta and we had to pretty much BEG to have it. Then all four of us would attempt to help but would really get in the way or half-ass help and then totter off to watch tv, play nintendo, computer or something and leave my dad to do the work and only resurface to eat everything and not clean up.

Sigh - the good ol' days.

But it all boils down to a giant pot of elbow macaroni with a can of tomatoes, some mushrooms, 

maybe a green or red pepper and a can or two of tomato juice thrown in (because the pasta sucks up the liquid like no tomorrow). Really, it was nothing special but I remember it being a such a big deal to us...or maybe just me.

I think it didn't happen that often because of the work involved and the lack of help my dad got in the end.

But now I make it the day before every run in my slow cooker with no help and no one to help me clean up either.

And I can't remember if exactly if there was meat in it or not, but I put it in mine...and yes, I buy my meat in tubes because I'm a classy broad. 

But it's funny how the simplest of meals evokes the happiest of memories and is the one thing that I have to have before every run.

Hopefully Jainey will have your race report later this week. Keep your fingers crossed for comical pics.

And I'll be having soup for a week.

Feel free to drop by if you want some :)