Update...and no cable!

       Well, I've been to three zumba classes now and am still loving it. It is hard though. I can barely walk to my car after. Two girls as big as me were at the last class. Not sure if they will come back or not, they didn't look like they were into it.

     But the big news of the day is....we went ahead and finally cut off the cable today. That's right, no more TV. I am hoping this will free up the time I need to get other things done. Other things that, in the end, are more important than sitting in front of a TV. I look forward to reading....and writing. Training the dogs more. All sorts of things that I wish I was doing as I am sitting in front of the TV. I think all the camping this year spoke to us a bit, taught us we can live with out the stupid thing.

    We'll see how it goes. We might be stark raving mad in a month.....

Is my left earlobe sweating?

       I went to my first zumba class last night. Actually it was the inaugural zumba class for any of the five YMCA's in my city. Apparently there was a shortage of qualified instructors, but now a zumba instructor school has opened up in Calgary and there are classes popping up everywhere.

      So my niece and I went to see what all the fuss was about. I am not sure what I was expecting. The description says: An invigorating class that involves dance moves set to a Latin moves that last 45 minutes. This class will get you moving and sweating to the Latin rhythm in an environment full of fun, energy and easy to follow choreography, regardless of fitness level. Now doesn't that sound like fun? Doesn't that sound easy?

     I should sue them for false advertising! Eh, to be truthful, if I was one of the skinny 20 year olds in the class I probably would have loved it. My niece loved it! But hauling my big arse around the floor was quite the challenge. I think I lost 20 pounds in sweat.

      It was good to start with the very first class, because the instructor showed us the steps in detail. At the beginning of the class we learned the merengue, the salsa, and the chacha, all dances that are fairly easy. I had hope; the class seemed to be living up to its fun description. Then we had to embellish the steps with hip sways and fancy arm movements, and that's where I got lost. I looked over and my niece was laughing hysterically at me. While everyone else was flowing and swaying through the moves with delicate, fluid motions akin to flowers moved by a gentle breeze, I was hammering the moves out with military precision. I was jolting my hips around like I was a hockey player in the Stanley Cup. And she had the nerve to think it was funny.

     We finished the first dance and I refrained from collapsing on the floor. My ever-wise niece looks at me as I stood doubled over and huffing and asks, "You feeling it yet?". Not able to speak, I grimaced out a smile and checked the time. Four minutes had gone by. I gurgled a little, but the next dance had started and people were starting to stare. Military presicion or not, I soldiered on. Ten minutes into it I realized the class description was a pack of lies meant to lure you into the torture chamber. This wasn't a fun dance class! This was.....horror of horrors...an aerobics class! We were doing similiar moves as those in the water aerobics class, but there was no water! As least with water aerobics you knew what you were getting into. Water. And aerobics. Nowhere in the description of zumba does it say anything about aerobics. And I am surprised I am surprised by this. What the heck was I expecting? Some Ricky Martin type character swinging me around the dance floor while Enrique Iglesias crooned from the corner....wait, that was a dream I had. Disregard. Ehem.

     The problem with it being the inaugural class was that there was alot of people standing outside the glass watching us, including other YMCA employees. A few times I thought they were going to come through the class to rescue me. But no, they let me suffer. The instructor did have mercy on us fatties and showed us some 'alternate steps' to some songs that were particularly quick. She said, "if the beat is too fast for you, go ahead and just point and tap, point and tap". I was sure I heard a collective sigh of relief from  the victims audience. Ha, I wasn't the only one struggling. We were all in this together. I know I heard a collective giggle at one point, and it wasn't aimed at me! We were flailing along to a song that had a 90 degree hop-turn in it, after which we were required to slap our butts and swing an imaginary lasso, while doing some provocative hip thrusts. All in fun, right? One young lady stops and asks, "what's the alternate move for this? Because it's just not appropriate." I admit, I joined in the giggle. And resisted the urge to tell her to go back to her church, she's missing the Harry Potter book burning scheduled for tonight.

     Eventually I hit the wall. I got this weird body shiver and I had to stop, my muscles got all confused and I couldn't process what the instructor wanted me to do. I checked the time: 29 minutes. Aha! So here is where working out on the elliptical for exactly 30 minutes was biting me in the arse. My body was like, yay, that's it, pack it in, we're done for the day...another successful wor....wait, what? We're not done? WHAT?

     My niece had edged closer and was looking at me with what she probably though was an encouraging smile....I  gave her my best grimace and tried to join in. After three minutes or so, my body stopped fighting me and I began flailing around again. And...miracles of miracles, I finished the class! 45 minutes! YAY!

     I felt pretty good about it. My first honest to god aerobics class in many, many years. And today, I still feel pretty good about it. A few sore muscles, but no lasting damage. My foot doesn't hurt any more than usual. I could actually keep up with all those aerobics-going skinny minnys. Will I go back? Probably. If only to be the amusement for my niece. And even if the instructor promised more new dance moves next week. I'm kind of curious what other latin dances I can ruin with military precision.

     And I guess I won't even sue.

I have a human rights issue!

     I spent a bit of time this morning writing to most of the candidates for our upcoming Mayoral election to find out their stand on the one issue I have with the city...public transportation - mainly the taxi industry and lack of cabs in the city. In doing so I stumbled on an old sore spot with me - Donna Martyn.

     Donna Martyn is a citizen of my city who happens to be in a wheelchair....no big deal, I'm sorry for her bad luck, but it shouldn't really be of interest to me. But Donna Martyn entered my scope of knowledge when she successfully sued the city and three cab companies for better service for wheelchair bound people. The story goes like this.

     One day, Donna phones one of the cab companies. She is told that no wheelchair accessible cabs are available for her right now, and she would have to wait for up to three hours for one to come. She was also told about the wheelchair accessible cab's phone-ahead program, where handicapped people are encouraged to phone a couple of days ahead and book a cab for their trip ahead of time. Well, this was not good enough for Donna. She didn't understand why she shouldn't be able to just pick up the phone and order a cab, like any other citizen. So she went ahead and started a Human Rights lawsuit, saying that not being able to get a cab on demand was against her Human Rights as a handicapped person. She sued the city for not making sure cab companies had enough wheelchair accessible cabs, and she sued three cab companies that didn't have enough wheelchair accessible cabs for her liking. And she won. Because of her lawsuit, 40 wheelchair accessible cabs were added to the three major cab companies.

     Now, maybe Donna is right, and she should be able to just pick up the phone and have a cab to her door in 20 minutes. But my point is....I can't get a cab in 20 minutes in this city! I know someone who was trying to get a cab home from a grocery store on a random Thursday, 4pm, and couldn't get one. And anyone who has been to the major drinking spots knows that when the bars close for the night, you're on your own. Phoning a cab company, if you can even get through, will result in being told there is no cabs available in that area, and you should try to flag one as best you can. Wait, isn't that what our friend Donna was told? No cabs were available? So why can't I get anyone at city hall or any of the cab companies to listen to MY complaint? It's the same as Donna's. It's because I'm not in a wheelchair, I guess.

      So why isn't the Human Rights Commission for the everyday person? Why do you have to be wheelchair bound, blind, an ethnic minority, muslim, or all of the above for them to take your case? Maybe I should sue the Human Rights Commission because it's against my human rights that I get overlooked because I don't travel on wheels.

       I guess this kind of relates to my post from yesterday, where I was so shocked to learn that a single man may have changed the location of the ground zero mosque by threatening to burn the koran. I was so surprised by his success because in this city, unless you are already in a minority or small interest group of some kind, you are completely ignored. I know it's not only my city. I don't understand how we came to be this way as a society. Of course, I don't understand alot about society....

    For interest's sake, one of the candidates asked me exactly what my concern was. Here's my reply to him:

Hi Daryl,


The issue is, plain and simple, there are not enough cabs in this city.


The number of plates for cabs has been frozen for well over ten years. That means no new cabs. Two things are wrong with this. First, the formula used to calculate how many cabs are necessary is used by almost every city in the world – it’s an antiquated formula and alot of those cities are under different circumstances than Edmonton. They have better public transport, more condensed work areas, not so much urban sprawl. Every city is different, and it’s hard to understand how a blanket formula can be used. Second, the city has grown so much. With the oil boom, how much has the city’s population grown in the last ten years? According to Edmonton.ca, between 2001 and 2008, the population grew by almost 200,000. It seems odd that this doesn’t mean more cabs are allowed to run.


And so I ask, why aren’t more cabs allowed to run? A study paid for by the city was done about two years ago, and concluded that the city was in desperate need of more cabs. In answer to that study, only 40 wheelchair accessible cabs were added. No problem there, handicapped need cabs too. But are these cabs taking normal trips, doing the bar runs, etc., or are they spending all their time dealing with handicapped? If yes, then basically no cabs were added. That does nothing to appease everyone else who needs a cab. I am not talking about Friday and Saturday nights on Whyte Ave. I am talking about my mother picking up groceries on a Thursday at 4 pm and having to wait 50 minutes for a cab. On a random Thursday. But, while we are mentioning Whyte Ave, I will point out that it’s the lack of cabs that is leading to all the problems there. When the bars close at 2am and all the drinkers are poured into the streets, they couldn’t clear the area even if they wanted to, because there are no cabs. If there were cabs, all the drunks would happily go home to nurse their well-earned hangovers. A few months ago I read an article that said drunk driving had spiked in the city. Guess why? No cabs. I know people who drive after a few too many because they can not get a cab.


But I am getting off topic – the question was, why aren’t more cabs allowed to run? Why aren’t more licenses released? When our current Mayor was asked this question, he said, basically, that he defers to the wisdom of the Taxi Commission. It’s their job to know the issue, they have studied it, and that’s why they exist. It was the Taxi Commission who okay’d only 40 wheelchair licenses. You see, there is an urban myth that taxi drivers are all broke immigrants who make no money. StatsCan says the average income for a taxi driver is around $18,000 a year. The Taxi Commission bases its decisions on this myth and claims taxi drivers are broke, and so will not allow more cabs to be added. Well, I say this reported annual income is a myth because I have worked in the taxi industry and I have driven a taxi. I KNOW how much drivers really make, how they under report their income to Revenue Canada. I have attended driver meetings where new drivers are given instructions on how to report their income, and have seen them being told that they have to do it to maintain the status quo. That if even one driver does not do it, the system will be ruined for everyone. My best day as a driver, I earned $320. Now that was not every day, I admit to that. But the Taxi Commission claiming it can’t add more cars because the drivers don’t make enough is a farce that anyone who has worked in the taxi knows, plain and simple.


I say to you that the Taxi commission is corrupt and caters too much to the drivers. This commission was originally put in place as a citizen’s group that addressed the public’s interest in Edmonton’s taxi industry. If it was still this way, there would be more cabs on the streets, no doubt, because not a single person denies there is a need for more cabs. But it’s not this way anymore. It’s now populated by people put there by the city’s taxi companies and taxi drivers, and has lost the point of its existence. It no longer sees to the best interests of the public, but rather it sees to the best interests of the taxi driver.


I say to you that the Mayor is terrified of both the drivers and the Taxi Commission. If he dares say or do anything against their wishes, they lead the drivers into a strike or a one day demonstration that sees lines of cabs blocking roads and causing traffic to snarl. Instead of standing up to them and pulling or suspending the license of any driver who is involved in such instances, which is what he should do, he backs down and caters to them. If the necessity of more cabs is going to be met in this city, the Mayor has to stand up to the Taxi commission.


I want to know if you, as Mayor, are going to be able to do that, so that more cabs can be added, which will help with other issues in the city, such as Whyte Avenue hooliganism.


I hope I haven’t taken too much of your time, this got away from me a little bit, lol. You must be very busy, so I appreciate your response and hope you take this letter for how it’s meant; a concerned citizen who doesn’t want her mother to wait in a snowstorm for 50 minutes with a cart full of groceries.

     Ha, I'm afraid this makes me come across as a crazy person! What do you think? Do I come across as a raving lunatic? Or an informed, concerned citizen?

A thought on the 'burning the Koran' scandal

       As I have said before, there is no way I would have ever classified myself as a predujice person. I hung out with the 'different' kids no one else would in school. I never cared that it meant I was not part of the 'in' crowd. It just never bothered me.

       I will say, first, that I thought a muslim temple built on the ground of the world trade centre was a horrible idea. It was like rubbing salt in the wound. But it was mainly because I thought the US people would not accept it. I figured someone would just blow the place up as soon as it was done. And I wondered why it wasn't stopped.
    
        Anyway, back to my story. I was surprised when I became exposed to Muslims through working at my friend's company. When the company started out, everyone was one big happy family. It seemed most of the people were generally happy to have a job and had a lot of respect for the management team, my friend included. Now, four years later, everything has changed. They make impossible demands on management, and then say if they are not met, they will strike. They say THEY run the company. We have to do what THEY say. They don't understand democracy or the voting process. They use mob style tactics to get people fired and things done their way. They threaten others in their own community who don't follow. They distrust all authority figures, like police.

     But most of all, I am surprised by the level of hate they have for us. During Ramadan, one told the office girls that they should all be wearing burkas, and when they take over the company, that will be the required dress code. When told that was sexual harrassment, they threatened people until it was buried. That's just one example of how they think we are lesser to them.

       The management team is scared sometimes. There was a point where they had to hire dog-wielding security guards. By now, they are all wondering if this company is worth it. Probably next year, they will close the company. I don't think a single one of them will ever work with a muslim again, and, sadly, this includes me. My mind has put them in a different category. So now, if anyone asks me if I am a predujice person, I would have to answer yes. I don't like muslims.

     I could go on and on, but I want to address the point of this entry, the Christian pastor who is considering burning the koran. When I first heard about it, and about people from all over the US sending him a koran to burn, I didn't think much of it. I thought, turnabout is fair play. They burn our flags, bibles, and leaders in effigy all the time. But then the muslim world started to protest, and I got a little angry. I thought, here they go again, using mob mentality, screaming and hollering, to get what they want. And I thought, maybe it might be good to show them not everyone is tolerant of them anymore. Burn the stupid book.

     And then they said the pastor might not burn the koran if they relocate the temple planned for the world trade centre site. And....I was shocked. There is no other word for it. It took my breath away. This one man.....ONE MAN....had the power to change something the government was not willing to do. ONE MAN stood up. In a world where we placidly sit on our asses and shake our fists at the tv news, or grumble to each other over the water cooler when we hear the government has taken away some funding or some right that affects us, here was ONE MAN who made an impact. It didn't even really matter to me what it was about, only that one man had gotten results.

    Wow. Really...wow. Can we please take this as inspiration that the squeaky wheel still gets the grease, no matter how small it is? Can we please get off our apathetic butts and show the government that there are issues we need addressed?

     I am going to try to be better about getting involved in issues I mentally support but don't do anything about. Yip, starting right now, today. Tonight when I watch the news, I'm gonna shake TWO fists at the tv!

Up in the Air - Major Spoilers Below!

       Saw this movie on PPV last night. I remembered it had good reviews from most people who saw it, but had bad reviews from critics because it was too predictable. I thought I would give it a try and started watching it, but it was on late so I figured I would just record the last half and watch it tomorrow. That way, it wouldn't interfere with my precious sleep.

     I never budged an inch. Neither did SO. Watched the whole thing. Never even twitched toward the record button. We were captivated. Definitely one of the best movies of the year. Definitely my kind of movie...a rich, dark comedy, but not stupid like Something About Mary.

     George Clooney is just so damn watchable in it. Well, everyone was, actually. Such wonderful, rich characters that you instantly knew. Clooney plays Ryan, a man who travels 11 months of the year for his work. He considers the skies, airports and planes his home. At first, you think, ah, this is going to be a movie about some cynical old guy who regrets he never settled down, never got married, never had kids. You quickly realize that it's not the case, because Ryan is happy. When he says, this is my home, meaning his lifestyle, you believe him. He loves his life the way it is, so much so that he fights his boss to keep doing what he is doing. He doesn't consider himself lonely. He even has a guest lecture circuit that he does where he teaches people how not to have baggage in their lives. He tells them, don't hang on to things, to people, because then you have to deal with their baggage. Very interesting. A very exciting outlook on life, and one I could embrace.

     The whole plot setup is ripe for a 'aha' moment, when Ryan will see that he needs people and relationships in a stable way, not just people he meets once and will never see again. The plot is definitely predictable as heck. You can see it coming like a train, chugging along to its undeniable conclusion.

      And suddenly the train is there and you see that yes, you were right. There are about three plot points that are easy to guess. But the final bit, the bit where Ryan is supposed to grow as a character and come to the dawning realization....it's there too. But, it was there in a different way than we thought. Instead of falling in love, or helping his family deal with some crisis, or having a crisis himself, he comes to the conclusion by failing at love.

    And that was the amazing thing to me. He didn't end up happy with the girl, making up for lost time in his relationship karma. He ended up hurt and rejected. And THAT made him realize that he needed something more from relationships. Wow, that sounds odd. Hard to explain. It just seemed more believable to me, the way he came to the conclusion. I was left with an overwhelming sadness for him, even though it wasn't a sad movie. I found myself shedding a few tears even.

     Anway, see it if you haven't. It's a great movie. If you have seen it, let me know what you thought.