Wednesday, April 22, 2015

A Week of Sundays


 Some cool life updates! Life updates are cool!

1. I've started writing a lot more—like, a lot more. Like, six-articles-due-this-week more. I was asked to become the Civic Impact editor for Yonge Street Media, which means that I get to write about all kinds of neat and inspiring things. Mostly my beat seems to be the non-profit and community-building beat. I'm enjoying it so far; the stories are fun to write, and I'm getting exposed to all the sparkly, innovative nooks and crannies of the city.

I also started a new column at Torontoist, called Sex-ist (M came up with the name, which has been getting thumbs up across the board). I'm covering sexuality topics, which I've liked since I aced all my sex ed quizzes in the fifth grade. My first column was about the Feminist Porn Awards, which was a total hoot. Writing about sex is something that makes me really happy; it's part of my version of feminism, in which different types of bodies are celebrated, and different sexualities are safe options, and different gender identities are beautiful. (Obviously, in today's landscape, my version of feminism is a wee bit science fiction-y, but we're making progress, please, right?) In related news, I have found a pornographer that I like: her name is Erika Lust, she is Swedish, and her films look like HBO but you can actually see the penises. Much yes.

2. My bike got a tune-up and I have fallen back in love with riding it. Sometimes, a little air in the tires is all a girl needs, you know?

3. Should you need a quick dinner idea, may I recommend glass noodles with shredded veggies, soy sauce, and a poached egg? That has been my lifeblood for like, two weeks. I'm sure my sodium levels are just through the roof, but it is so delicious.

4. I've been trying to work out more—turns out that spending a winter lolling around on the couch eating Ritter Sports means that none of my pants fit—and with that, I've been both lifting weights and doing some HIIT work. I do twenty seconds of burpees (with the jump, natch), followed by 10 seconds of "rest" (read: panting like a dog), several times in a row. Right now, doing two minutes of that is disastrous, but I'm working my way up to four minutes in May. Oh, and my pants fit again, so chalk one up for the HIIT parade.

5. I am desperate for a trip somewhere, but I don't know where. We've heard of several upcoming trips to Japan, taken by friends and dinner-party strangers, which means M is pretty much beside himself. We've made a pact to get there before we turn 35, so that's a goal we're working on; in the meantime, I feel like I've been marooned in Toronto forever. I want at least a weekend trip! Maybe Montreal is calling my name? We could spend a few hours on the train, get some cute Air BnB crash pad, and eat brunch. Who doesn't want that?! I want that.

6. I've been trying to do a no-sugar April for a 101 over 1001 day challenge. I will have more to say on the topic when I write about it for the other blog, but for now: sugar is magical. Life without it is healthy, sure, but to this I reply: chocolate-covered cashews. Caramel corn. Carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

6. Things are feeling really different these days. Some of it is little things—like, I got a pair of green cargo capri pants and they were the missing piece of my wardrobe, and I've been wearing them pretty much nonstop, and I love them. Some of it is bigger. Letting go of my last job and settling into this new role has been stressful, but it's also felt good, like a big stretch after sitting for far too long. I've been sleeping better. I've seen my friends more. I feel like I'm settling back into my body, after a year of carrying around so much stress and frustration. I am busy, but I no longer feel like my brain is being hijacked by terrorists. ("Bring us four Ritter Sports or your new issue of The New Yorker gets it!") I've been more active, I've been more creative. I've been able to love more, both myself and others. It feels really, really nice.

Image via VeronicaLovesArchie