I have a new post up over at Life As A Human titled “Air travel and things that make you go hmmm.” Why not click on over and be my BFF by leaving a comment? Either that or watch this video. Or both. It’s a free world, I guess.
Archive for September, 2010
September 25th, 2010
Saguenay series, Part 5: How I learned to let go and love my hiking boots
In Part 2 of my Saguenay series, I lamented spending my hard earned money on hiking boots instead of super-cute shoes. I also wondered aloud:
“…what age the other women would be on the trip? And what level of fitness would they be? Or if maybe I am over-estimating how “rough” the trip will be and they will all be wearing cute yoga pants and flip flops while I stand there like a dork all outfitted up. And mostly, if I looked this ridiculous in the change room, how ridiculous would I look when I was actually outdoors?”
I put myself to the dork test before I even got on the plane. My hiking boots were so bulky that they were taking up too much room in my suitcase. I concluded with a sigh of resignation that I’d need to wear them on the plane so I wouldn’t have to pack them.
As I waited for a delayed plane, I was tweeting away in the airport with @thegrumpymama, who was quick to agree that yes, I must certainly look like a dork. (She’s helpful like that.) I added to her enjoyment that not only was I wearing shiny new hiking boots, but I was also carrying a hiking pack and making a swish-swish sound as I walked in my quick-dry pants. @thegrumpymama and @finola piped up that they wanted a picture. I succumbed to their wishes, but tried to do it as surreptitiously as possible … I mean, who sits in the airport taking pictures of their dorky outfit?? (The guy across from me totally noticed, btw.)
When I finally did arrive in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, I met my fellow travel writers in the airport. One was a young 20-something wearing skinny jeans tucked into leather boots with a blazer and her hair in an adorable up-do. A second was wearing cotton capris, a hoody and running shoes. Also a 20-something. And the third was more my age and was wearing black dress pants, leather shoes and a blouse. No, I didn’t stand out like a sore thumb whatsoever.
I figured that once we started doing our activities though, I would surely not be the only one wearing clothes from Mountain Equipment Co-op. I was wrong. Here is what my fellow travellers’ footwear looked like every day of the trip. (I also tried to take this photo surreptitiously. Not sure that worked either.)
Our host and all three writers had a great sense of humour, so I let go of any pretence of self-consciousness and told them about my boot dilemma. How I’d bought brand spanking new hiking boots specifically for the trip, while they were saundering around with light-weight runners and ankle socks.
From then on, the boots were included in every picture. Here, for instance, you can see me decked out in traditional fur and leather dress from when the Saguenay area was populated by the First Nations Montagnais tribe and fur traders, which was part of an interpretation session on the Okwari Adventures tour. Don’t my boots blend in nicely?
By this point, I was happy having fun making fun of myself, while secretly enjoying the comfort of my fancy-pantsy Salomon hiking boots. But little did I know the fun was just about to begin …
The next day was torrential rain (or what our host prefers to call “liquid sunshine”). But the trip needed to go onward, regardless of weather. That day, we had a big tour through the Zoo sauvage (all the details about this place, which I truly loved, can be read here). Not only did this tour include a 45-minute hike in the woods, but it meant campfire time and canoe time too.
Needless to say, the cute running shoes got soaked within 10 minutes in the rain. These poor women had no other shoes but dripping wet running shoes! Not comfy. I, on the other hand, was really testing out the water-proof guarantee on my boots. My tootsies were dry as a bone. I didn’t even rub it in (yet).
By the time we went canoeing, I was tired of the other women being so worried about getting even more wet. Come on! We’re intrepid adventure travellers, aren’t we?! So while they were tip-toeing their way into the canoes, I stood ankle deep in the water. It felt really, really strange to just walk into water with boots on. But hey, I had a guarantee to test out! And guess what? Dry as a bone. Still.
This was a whole new world to me. I mean, I don’t even have water-proof winter boots … I just kind of run from my house to the car and hope for the best. But here I am standing in a lake — in boots — and nothing it seeping in. I admit, I did get one comment, “Oh, look at you, standing in the water with your new hiking boots! Rubbing it in, are you?” And then I said, “Why, yes, of course.”
After I got out of the canoe, I looked down at my boots again. Instead of seeing an ugly yellow and grey colour combination, I thought they looked really cute.
And the next morning, while I was lacing up dry boots and the others were having to put their feet in still-wet shoes, they even looked cuter than the Fluvogs.
To catch up on my Saguenay trip, here are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
For details on where to stay and what to do in this area of Northern Quebec, you can visit Road Trips for Families where I’ve written my recommendations for a winter road trip as well as Kids in the Capital, where I’ve shared my new found love for glamping.
September 23rd, 2010
Pelvic exam without my consent? No longer!
Photo credit: The Globe & Mail
Back in January, I wrote a bit of a concerning post titled “A pelvic exam without my consent?”
The concerning part is summed up quite well with this description from a Globe & Mail article:
Imagine that you are undergoing a fairly routine surgery – say, removal of uterine fibroids or hysterectomy. During or right after the procedure, while you are still under anesthesia, a group of medical students parades into the operating room and they perform gynecological exams (unrelated to the surgery) without your knowledge.
Do you consider this okay, or an outrageous violation of your rights?
Regardless of your feelings, you should be aware that this is standard procedure in many Canadian teaching hospitals.
Shocking as this sounds, it has apparently been happening for years now, with the blessing of the the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC).
But I have very good news for you my friends! The SOGC and the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Canada has revised its policy on pelvic exams performed by medical students to explicitly say that consent is required.
I’m not sure if the SOGC really wanted to change the policy or even felt the change was necessary, based on my reading of this article in the Globe & Mail. But nonetheless, the public outcry forced a change in this policy.
And I don’t know about you, but I sure feel better knowing that “implicit” consent is not good enough for using my body (and pretty darn important parts of it!) as a practicing ground. I’ve given consent to plenty of medical students — in fact, one even broke my water for my first born — but I like to know what I’m consenting to, thanks very much.
Thanks to PhD in Parenting and The Unnecesarean for letting me know about this policy change.
September 21st, 2010
Glamping?
In the tradition of Bradgelina (the nickname given to the celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), jeggings (a pant that combines the fit of leggings with the look of a jeans) and tweeps (your “peeps” on twitter), we now have “glamping.”
Glamping, or glamorous camping, is where one pays the equivalent of a 5-star hotel rate to sleep in a tent.
Are these people mad? Maybe … but I’m one of the converted! Find out why I’m willing to pay (within reason!) for a good glamping session on today’s Kids in the Capital.
Um, hello? What are you still doing here … go and click on over to this awesome Ottawa blog!
September 19th, 2010
Winter: If you can’t beat’em, join’em!
Photo credit: Jean Tanguay
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but winter is just around the corner. My husband thinks this is fantastic news indeed and has already equipped the kids with snowsuits and good hats and mitts.
You might recall that I, on the other hand, am not quite as fond of winter. In fact, I spent most of last winter trying not to hate it. And although I still don’t love it, to say the least, I did find that joining in some winter activities really did help me learn to hate it a whole lot less.
So whether you love it or hate it, it’s on its way. And as they say, if you can’t beat’em, join’em!
In this spirit, I’ve got a post to share with you on winter in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. It outlines all the details you need to have an amazing winter experience — complete with staying overnight in a village that comes to life each winter right on the lake itself. Yes, a village built entirely on the lake! I tell ya, these people love their winter.
“After you’ve enjoyed a fresh buffet style brunch of croissants, Belgian waffles, fresh fruit and local jams at the Cap au Leste restaurant, waddle yourself on over to a dog-sledding adventure! Your children will shriek with exhilaration as they are pulled through the snow by beautiful sled dogs.”
To read the full post and catch all the deets, please visit me at Road Trips for Families e-zine!
