Weekly Update No23

I'm late with my weekly update this week, because I was at a consultation about a HE register all day yesterday.  As that is still filling my mind (as I write up my notes and summarise the outcome) this will only be a short update today.

I haven't lost any weight this week, but nor have I gained.
I need to get back into the Body Groove and catch up - I've missed a few days because of travelling yesterday, being busy on Saturday and being lazy on Sunday.  I did manage to do 4 days in a row before I missed a day (again, because I was out of the house for over 12 hours that day), and then I went back to it the day after.  So this is only a blip, and I haven't fallen off the wagon completely.

Adult Musical Theatre Dress Rehearsal

Yesterday, we spent nearly 4 hours running through the whole of the show that we'll be performing next Saturday. 

Laundry/Factory
Worker

I only joined the Adult Musical Theatre group last November, after watching my daughter sing as part of the same school, and thinking it looked like good fun.  I hadn't really sung since school, and I do enjoy singing.  I consider myself more of a choir-voice, than a soloist, and I thought it would be good to sing songs from Musicals as part of a group.

What didn't occur to me, however, is that part of Musical Theatre involves acting.  I know it's in the name, but  it didn't click in my head, until the very first night and we had to do Improvisation! Rather than running away, I thought it would be a good chance for me to challenge myself in a safe environment, so I stuck with it, and now we're doing our first show, in the on-site theatre, next weekend.

Ugly Step-
Sister

This show is a collection of different songs from differing musicals, and we have 2-3 songs per costume (I think there's 6 costumes, I can't remember now!); there are some scripted parts (I say a line), some solos (I sing 3 words by myself - which is brave for me! as I said, I'm not a natural soloist) and there will be some improv on the night, so it'll depend how I'm feeling whether I join in or not.

The run-through went really well on the whole.  I need to find some different shoes.  My character shoes have buckles that are a bit too tight for me to slip on and off easily.  I do have some suede-bottomed shoes from when I used to do Ceroc dancing which are elasticated, so hopefully I'll be able to find those and wear them instead. 

When I was dressed as a nun, when trying to get one of my girls to take my picture, I had two people come to my door.  One was a cold-caller, trying to persuade me I needed my windows and doors replaced, and the other was an Amazon delivery driver.  Neither of them batted an eyelid as to how I was dressed.  I can only imagine the sights they must see! 😄

I also had a few people tell me that being a nun suited me.  When I was a kid, I used to want to grow up and be a nun.  Even now, though I have no plans in the short-term, I have sometimes wondered whether it's an idea I'd go back to, should my husband die before me (and assuming my kids have families of their own by then).  Probably not, but now I have the costume should I change my mind... 😄

Women beaten up on London bus

It has been widely reported today about two lesbians who were beaten up because they refused to kiss in front of some men. 

Much of the media have reported this as a homophobic attack, and whilst I'm not saying that's wrong (it certainly has a part to play in the attack), the more I think about it, the more I agree with Laura Dodsworth that this is more than homophobia.  The sad truth, is that homophobic attacks are on the rise, and many men and women get harassed and abused because of their sexuality and it not get reported in the news.  In this case, however, these women were attacked because they were unwilling to be sexual play things for those men. 

Porn pervades our culture.  Sex sells. Girls should grow up to be pretty and compliant.  And if you men come across some lesbians, why wouldn't they become performing monkeys to cater for your sexual needs?  Women need to learn their place, and if they won't gratify men sexually, of course they need to be taught a lesson or two. 

One commentator on the radio said that homophobia is increasing all the time, and I'm not sure that's the whole story.  I was discussing this with my husband, and we remember the 80s and 90s when it was still not 'cool' to admit you're gay, being gay was still considered a joke and there were many homosexual slurs as part of 'normal' conversation.  Times have, thankfully, moved on and the insults are rightly seen as being offensive (one of the reasons why hate speech has increased, is because it is more easily identified compared to decades ago).  For some years, society had, on-the-whole, learned to think about what it was saying, giving more thought to others, and being more aware of insults and offensiveness.  What has changed more recently, imo, is that those who condemn or insult are becoming more vocal and more mainstream.  People who used to make comments under their breath or behind an alias, feel more comfortable stating their opinions in every day conversation or on social media.  Free speech is being used as an excuse to insult, belittle, bully and spread hatred.

It is not helped by those in power, and those who want to be, <cough> Trump <cough> Farage <cough> Johnson <cough> Misogynist pigs <ahem> showing the world similar opinions and actions, and being lauded for it.  Women are being attacked on all sides at the moment.  America's abortion ban is yet another way women no longer have control over their own bodies.  Abortion is a controversial and highly personal and emotive topic, that I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of in this discussion (I will discuss my views in a later date), but by restricting women's right to medical care, just means that those women who are likely to abort will be more at risk of injury, disease and death.  And we cannot be smug here in the UK, as abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland, and ever-so-slowly, more and more parental rights are being taken away by the state as parents (especially mothers) are deemed incompetent and that the "experts" know better...

So whilst I add my voice to those who condemn the physical attack on these lesbians, it is not just an attack on those who identify as homosexual, but an attack on all women, and we should call it out as it is. 

North Somerset Festival of Dance

North Somerset Festival of Dance was last week, and both girls had two solos, and DD1 had her duet too.  Normally they are in a lot of group dances too, but the school didn't enter the groups this year because All England Regional Finals were the same week, and many girls had qualified for there.  (My girls hadn't, sometimes being only 1 mark away! sob, sob. Lol)

I like going to this festival, not least because I can go back to the MosaiCraft shop - the craft that I discovered last year.  I have bought a new one to do, but won't share anything else about it until after September, because it is going to be another present. And, I'm being a bit braver this time, and I have decided to personalise it, not just following the pattern.

The festival also meant that I could meet my best mate for lunch, as she lives nearby. 

Though we were in the same friendship group at school, it wasn't until Sixth Form that we really became good friends.  Since then, I went to uni and have since started a family.  My friend, otoh, has had a much more exciting life, doing a year at one university before deciding to totally change direction, and location, and did a different undergrad degree in NZ.  Then she came back to the UK to do her Honours year, and her Masters at yet a different university.  She started a PhD at a different university, but didn't get on there, so after a year out, went back across the world to Aus to do her PhD.  She's nearly finished, and is back to do her write-up. <fingers crossed it goes well>

All-in-all, it means I don't see her as often as I'd like.  We keep in touch using FB and Skype, but it is nice when we can actually meet up for a chat.  After lunch we went back to her house, and I was doubly pleased that my girls were no longer afraid of her dog!  It's a black lab, and my girls are often afraid of dogs they don't know too well, especially if they are bigger than a Westie, or excitable.  Instead, they were playing with the dog, stroking him, and laughing lots - it was good to see.

At the Festival itself, the girls did well and got some high marks.  They didn't get placed, unfortunately, but with over 20 competitors in many of the categories, the fact they were still managing 80+ pts was really good.  DD1 had a new costume for her tap solo, and DD2 had a brand new dance - a character: Mary from The Secret Garden.

Weekly Update No22

My weight has gone up again. 

Not a total surprise, given the crap I shovelled away last week.  Not least because I was trying to control my lingering cough (which is now finally getting better!) at the girls' dance festival so drank a bottle of cough syrup last week, and when watching the dances I continually sucked on cough sweets to try and stop coughing.  It did work, but I was very aware about the huge quantities of sugar that I was consuming.  Oh, and of course, there were the sweets I had in the car to keep me awake when driving, and the sugar in the energy drinks (I'm not used to waking at 5:30am these days) and the sugar in the can of latte I was drinking.

So yes, my weight has increased.  But at least I have started exercising again! I have done 2 days so far! (I haven't done today's session yet, as I've been really busy, but hopefully will get to it soon.)  I do feel better for moving my body again, my mind seems clearer already, and I'm starting to think that I wish there was a class around here again (and should I start saving to do the training next time it comes to the UK?).  I'm not sure I have the confidence to do something like that, not least because

my body shape doesn't exactly scream "healthy" or let alone "trainer"!

Anyway, I've had a small smoothie for lunch today, and after I've made the girls' lunch, I hope I can squeeze in 30min of Body Groove before the person I'm tutoring arrives.

When the cat's away...

...the girls and I decided to have a sleepover in the living room.

We ordered a takeway and put on a couple of films, and planned to do "girlie stuff".
DD1 is becoming a right little teenager, so has a pot of face mask for us all to use.

After we washed the masks off, I put the flannels in the washing machine as we watched the second film.

Halfway through, I heard a funny noise, like water dripping.  I opened the kitchen door and was met by a tidal wave of dirty soapy water!

Bless the girls, they heard me shout and ran to get a load of towels, helped me mop up the water, and empty the cupboard that was drenched (fortunately it's mainly tins and snacks, so not too much food was wasted).  It took a while, but we were able to clear up the water.

I had a look in the cupboard, and the waste water pipe from the washing machine has become disconnected; unfortunately, the washing machine was too heavy for me to move, so it will have to wait until my husband comes back tomorrow, before the pipe can be retrieved from behind the washing machine and reconnected.

We're now watching the end of the film, before going to bed.  Hopefully, they'll be no more drama overnight!

Body Groove 30 Day Challenge

Today is the first day of the Body Groove 30 Day Challenge. If you go to the website, you can access the Challenge for free (though I think it requires a credit card; and you will be charged if you don't cancel at the end of the trial).  Misty Tripoli describes the challenge as:

This isn’t just a workout, it’s so much more! In addition to the Grooves, we’ll be doing segments from the Discover Your Groove workshop, meditations, journaling etc. We’ll be challenging and nurturing the WHOLE SELF... body, mind, heart and soul!

What I particularly like about the Body Groove videos, is that they really are for all people.  There are people of all shapes and sizes doing the workout in the video, and they are easily adapted to your own personal requirements, so can easily be as high or low tempo as you want, or if you cannot stand for long, or at all, they can be done when seated too.

I have just done the first day's workout, and am now sitting on the sofa, typing this in a sweaty mess, but am very glad that I have started as I mean to go on.  For those attempting the challenge, there is a Facebook group specifically set up so we can encourage one another.  I was a bit apprehensive that I would be the only person who started streaming the videos in January, and didn't get to February before life got in the way; but there is a friendly bunch there, and others are in the same situation as me.  So, I'm doubly glad that this challenge has forced me to get off my arse and actually do some exercise.  I had forgotten how fun it was.

Day 1 done! Day 2 tomorrow.