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We left Ottawa Friday evening for our weekend trip to Mont Tremblant. The trip was organized through the OSSC (Ottawa Sports & Social Club) which is the league that I'm playing dodgeball in. Roomie Nicole, Kitley, Jessie and I were all going together and staying together at La Lodge de la Montagne (translates to "Mountain Lodge" Dad). Our suite was really nice and we had 2 double beds in a separate bedroom, plus a kitchenette, and living room with a pullout couch - not too shabby! Plus, the view of the ski hills and we were right beside the gondola which took us up and down the village area.
The weather was really really cold on Friday night (-32'C before windchill) and unfortunately, continued at that temp Saturday morning so we did not tackle the ski hills. Luckily, there's lots to do at Tremblant besides ski so we had a nice breakfast out , took in the shops, went in the outdoor hot-tub, went snow tubing, and then out for dinner and drinks - a great relaxing day!
Sunday brought some warmer temps (only -15'C) so Kitley and Jessie attacked the ski hills, but novice skiers that Nicole and I are, and with the foggy conditions at the top of the mountain reducing visibility to nil, we passed on the downhill skiing and rented some snowshoes. We got completely off the beaten track on our trek, but saw some nice sites and a deer ran right in front of our path which was very cool! We went skating later in the afternoon and relaxed in the hotel's comfy lounge. Overall, a terrific weekend away from the city!
Mom and Dad came to visit at the start of the week for a couple of days. Dad and I had tickets to see the Senators play against his favorite team, the Chicago Blackhawks, on Tuesday night. It was a great game and the Senators ended up winning 4-1 to Dad's disappointment, but we had fun and the Senators goalie made some pretty incredible saves - it was a well-deserved win.
Carrie was there watching her fiance Mike (who looked good as usual) and we met up during the first intermission to catch up and have a quick drink. At the second intermission, Carrie and I did an impromtu concert for the fans down on the ice. She sang and I did vocal backups for her. Carrie and Mike invited Dad and I to the players' lounge after the game. While Dad and Mike talked hockey, Carrie and I chatted about clothes, guys, and music. By the end of the night, we had wedding invitations and I had plans to go shopping with Carrie the next time she's in town. She really is down to earth and friendly.
Well, maybe the second paragraph isn't totally accurate but a girl can dream, can't she?
As a going-away gift, my co-workers in London gave me 2 tickets to see Jann Arden in concert at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The concert was Sunday, Jan. 17th and I took Nicole with me to watch her perform.
As a side note, the NAC is a great venue! It's small enough that it feels intimate and all the seats are good. We had first level seats about 2/3 back from the front and we could see perfectly.
Jann Arden is hilarious! Her dialogue between songs was so good and she knew hwo to appeal to the audience without seeming like she was trying to be funny at all. She told stories about her life and family including a slideshow of pictures of her band and of her and her family over the years. They were some of the worst pictures I have ever seen of people in my life which just made her that much more real and honest. If you ever get the chance to see her, I think she would be able to entertain people of every age and walk of life.
A great night and show!
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You know, I never thought I would ever like yoga. I'm a high-energy, make-me-sweat, cardio-head athletic person and the thought of standing still listening to my own thought never really appealed to me. However, I decided to give Bikram yoga a try here in Ottawa where there's a yoga studio at every other block.
For those unfamiliar with the different types of yoga - the Coles Notes on Bikram is that it is a hot yoga (in a room heated to 105 degrees) that takes you through 26 poses or stretches in a 90-minute class.
So I went online, to find the nearest hot yoga studio and try it out. As luck would have it, the nearest studio was called Rama Lotus - it doesn't get much more yoga-ish than that! They offered classes everyday of the week and all different types of yoga. I decided to go to the Saturday afternoon Bikram class figuring it wouldn't be too crowded. I wore sweat-pant capris, a tank top and light sweatshirt. I rented my mat, hung up my coat and boots, and entered the yoga studio ("Sun" room).
The first thing that hit me was the heat! They are not joking when they say hot yoga. It is warm, but I like the heat so that was a plus in my book. The room was 2/3 filled with people in various positions, states of alertness, and clothing coverage (many men in speedo-like briefs). I settled my mat down and tried to decide what to do with myself for the 10-minute wait before class started. After another quick glance around the room, I ended up standing awkwardly on my mat stretching - it seemed appropriate...
The class started and as we went through the different breathing, stretching and posing exercises, I actually did feel a sense of calmness over myself. After 30 minutes I was pouring sweat (literally from every pore) . If you think of the show Friends when Ross can't get the leather pants back on and he rubs lotion on his legs then when he tries to pull them up his hand slips off his leg and smacks his own face - that's how slippery and sweaty you are. Some positions are actually hard to hold due to the sweat.
Some other observations/tips:
- Don't wear sweat-pant material anything! I was ready to strip down to my skivvies after about 20 minutes
- A girl who practises yoga is called a Yogini - well, this is what the girls' changeroom at the yoga place reads so I'm assuming that's what they are called?
- Buy your own yoga mat - much cleaner and if you're going to go regularly, it's much cheaper too
- Don't stand behind the man in the speedo-type ensemble who snaps his underwear out of his butt crack every 10 minutes or so - it's distracting from your practice
So despite some uncomfortable moments, I really enjoyed the class and signed up for more on the way out. I've been to 3 in total now and I am getting more flexible and better at the sequences each time. I've purchased a mat and wear the "right" clothes and spend the 10 minutes leading up to class relaxing on my mat and clearing my head.
Am I really a Yogini? That is still to be determined but for now, I'm just taking it all in...
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I made it through the first week unscathed... My car is scratch-free and I've even had a couple adventures on the ski trails and city streets. I hope I can keep up this pace!
Hahaha - well, maybe I can keep up with that pace... Dad would be so proud...
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