Change is good!

They say that change is good and sometimes I'm good with change and sometimes, I resist.  

But it's time to make some changes - well do things differently.  A normal Friday morning involves going to the gym near my house.  I work out, have a moment of reflection in the steam room and then on the road by 7:30 AM.  Then depending on the traffic, I could spend almost one hour driving to work. I really, really hate wasting that time. 

LifeTime Athletic - Mississauga

A while back, I mentioned that LifeTime was opening up a new location near my work. This was the best news.  The new facility opened last week and I decided to try it out this morning. 

It took me 30 minutes to get to the gym.  I could NOT have gotten there faster unless I really broke the speed limit.  Let's say, there was ZERO time waiting and the longest part was getting from my house to the highway! Well one third of the time.  That was EASY!!

LifeTime Vaughn

The facilities are VERY different on the inside.  The locker rooms are the same - more or less.  Some new locking system that uses your membership card which I had to ask someone else how to use.  Just didn't push hard enough!

The equipment is all brand new with HDTV on all the cardio pieces.  WOW.   Beautiful large bright spaces - tons of windows. BRAND new different cycles in the cycle studio. I took a tour of the entire facility (OK - so not the men's locker room), and I'm in love!   Yes - I know I'm spoiled to go to this kind of a gym, but it's worth it to me and I get my money's worth from it.  We all have our priorities in life and this is one of them for me. I wish I was richer so I could partake of the Spa, Cafe and other services. I only go for those that are included for "Free" in my membership. 

So I did my workout, had a good look around, had a reflective moment in the steam room, shower and was in the car by 7:30 AM.  Instead of a potential 50 - 60 commute, I had maybe 10 minutes and that included stopping at Tim's (with a significantly shorter line than usual) and then I was at work.  

Guess what?  I'll be changing my routine.  I can gain about 30 minutes every day by doing this. Is that worth it to me?  You bet.  Will I do it every day?  Not sure. 

What else did I do that was new yesterday?  Went out to dinner before our guild meeting. Don't usually do that. But it was WHAT we had for dinner that was new.  Forget about the salads, forget about the burgers.  Nope - the four of us had BROWNIES!   Isn't that a hoot? 

Brownie to share with one other person

There were four of us and I'm going to blame this all on Ronda.  It was her fault and she had Lynn and Tish under her spell and they all agreed to eat just the brownies. I had no choice. But it was worth it!!!  

The other thing that is new is our garbage pick-up system.  One of things that I'm missing because I'm in the office all day is what goes on in my neighbourhood.  I used to be aware of stuff that happened right away instead of days later. But that's just life.  I still have a LOT more years after I retire to check out the neighbourhood.  

So we moved to the new cart garbage system in January.  I know - here I am finally getting pictures - MONTHS later.  For some reason, the truck came by late - after I got home from work and I grabbed the camera to snap some pictures.  I did feel for the driver as I watched him pick up several bins. One house, he had to get out to wing the extra bags of recycling that had been left beside the bin into the truck.  At the next house, he knocked over the recycling bin and all the bottles, cans, etc. went spilling onto the driveway.  Poor guy - so he had to pick them up by hand and throw them in the truck.  

Grab

Dump

Release

It's rather a fascinating system. I still feel guilty as heck to put ALL the recycling into one bin.  I was still separating stuff even though it all went into the same truck!

So change is a really, really good thing.  I think we need to embrace change and I think it also helps to keep our brain active.  If you do the same thing everyday, your brain doesn't even need to work!  This way, my brain never knows what's going to happen that day so it better stay on its' toes!

On that note, I'm off to find out how else I can bring more changes into my day!

Have a super duper day!


Ciao!

Breaking up is hard to do!

Oh my - DH is away (until Tuesday!!!!!!   - I know I had to refrain from jumping up and down when he announced he was extending his business trip over the weekend to play golf) and M is already off to school so I took advantage of the empty house and got my quilt of the day quilted and it isn't even 9 AM!!!!!   But I have loads to do and someone is coming to use the machine - hence, get the quilt of the day DONE early!


Have you ever tolerated something because it was easier than changing? Well it has been that way with me with my RADIO STATION. I know - this is absolutely stupid. But when I moved to Toronto in 1991 or somewhere around there, I searched for a radio station to listen to. As I am too lazy to make play lists (and they did not exist in 1991), I just listen to the radio - I don't really pay attention most times, but it makes a nice ambiance to work by.

I used to listen to CHOM-FM in Montreal (where I lived before coming to Toronto), so I automatically went to their sister station in Toronto - CHUM-FM. Easy - right? Easy is good.

Well I have listened to that station for MANY MANY years. BUT in the last couple of years, I have become less and less excited about listening to certain people on the station. To the extent that I find myself yelling at the radio. OK - this is NOT good.

After chatting with some of my friends yesterday while we embroidered our hearts out (there were EIGHT of us), I have decided to bite the bullet and change the station that I listen to. ACK ACK ACK!!!!!   I DON'T like change!!!!

So I am in the car last night on my way to a class. I punch in a different radio station and listen to that for my trip. Hmmmmm   - they are advertising a local CHRISTMAS craft sale. Yikes - where is this station????   Ah - Guelph!  Well  I would like a station a BIT closer to home. I am now auditioning CHFI.  The music is quite different (well just older which is fine by me) and I'm liking the morning show!

BUT what ticked me off was that I have ONE CD left in this HUGE book (15 CDs) that I have been trying to finish. It is a great book, but I could have popped that CD in the car on my way to class. Oh dear - I am NOT thinking.

And M says that she and Berke will help me with a play list. The only problem with just listening to play lists is that I would shut off ALL contact with the world. I don't watch TV (so no news there), I do not read newspapers (other than our local paper) and if I don't get the news on the radio - well - the world could be tumbling around me and I would be clueless. I guess I could listen to the radio news first thing and then play lists the rest of the day????

Well wish me luck with the new radio station. I really liked some of the people on the other station and I feel like I am breaking up with them!!!!   But in my new philosophy of trying to eliminate things around me that I don't like or are negative  - the radio station had to go!!!!!

No time for pictures this morning, but I have tons. Maybe when I take a break later today I will put some up.

Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1