A quick post today just to say that, no, I haven't died. Or given up blogging. Or given up running. Or abandoned my goals for 2015. It's just that "real life" keeps getting in the way. I'm determined to put "first things first" and family and friends have needed more tending than usual lately.
The weather's been miserable since Christmas but I still managed two or three runs per week through most of January and February - not as much as I hoped but enough to maintain some capacity to run distances. This past Saturday, I completed 9.5k in tough conditions and it felt okay. Husband's decided to join me in training for a half marathon, which should make scheduling workouts easier in the coming months.
We're also making dietary changes bit by bit - eating more veggies and protein, less bread and pasta. We haven't eliminated as many simple carbs as I'd like but I can already feel some difference in the way my legs feels and my clothes fit. More on that when I've further details to report.
On the reading front - check out the book list I posted on the right! I haven't quite managed a book a week but close to it, and, with more bad weather in the forecast, there should be plenty of time for reading in the coming weeks.
The high points of last week included completing a major project at work, a wonderful "first date" anniversary supper with Hubbie at a favourite restaurants (Edna), a terrific Valentine's Day run under clear blue skies, snuggling by the fireplace as the latest storm raged, a snowshoe to the back of our country property, and a delightful afternoon with good friends, Janet and Ron, who treated us to delicious homemade wine and treats (including fabulous potato, feta and scallop cakes, and home-smoked salmon - yum!) All in all, a pretty great week, despite the blah February weather! Here's a few pics.
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| Walking home from our anniversary dinner |
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| Valentine's Day run |
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| After the latest storm |
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| Snowshoeing in our woods |
To be clear, I'm no prude. I like sex. A lot. And, I agree that many people could benefit from thinking more about what turns them on and doesn't. I also agree that people have a right to pursue their kinks - within reasonable limits, at least. But the book and movie aren't celebrations of healthy sexuality. Rather, they exploit and glamourize the dangerous myth that an abuser will miraculously heal himself if only his partner puts up with his abuse long enough. In real life, that rarely happens. In real life, far too many victims spend years of their lives being abused or, worse, end up dead.
To be clear, I'm not saying abusers can't be healed or that we shouldn't feel some empathy for them. Most people who genuinely want to change can do so, and we can and should support them when/if they decide to try. Unfortunately, narcissists like "Mr. Grey" rarely want to change because, in their dysfunctional version of reality, there's nothing wrong with them. When something bad happens, it's always someone else's fault. (e.g."She made me hit her.")
Sigh. I know. I said I wasn't going to rant but I find the 50 Shades phenomenon incredibly depressing. In Canada, police statistics suggest that something like 80,000 women are abused by their partners annually but, of course, that doesn't count the women who never make a call for help. I expect statistics in the US and Australia (where the books' author resides) aren't very different. So why on earth would anyone think it was a good idea to write such awful books and make a movie out of them?
Perhaps, it's not so difficult to understand. We live in a patriarchal society, where many men still think of women as little more than "housekeepers with benefits". Girls are being sexualized at younger and younger ages. Rape culture persists despite decades of struggle to end it. The books and movie are just one more (very lucrative) manifestation of everything that's wrong with the way our culture teaches men and women to think about sex and about one another.
Sigh.
Happy running and writing, friends. Hopefully, there'll be something good to rant about next week.
Good blog. I think you are 100% correct to be paying attention to your family and friends that need it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm just getting old, or growing up at long last. Maybe I'm just becoming more aware, and all of you will be saying 'duh!'. But holy doodle are old movies and songs sexist or paternalistic. I don't mean in the obvious ways. Let me explain. I like watching old movies because you can learn lots about the way it used to be. Menu prices, men's hats and suits, car styles, and on and on. I was watching Pat and Mike, a movie I remembered from a long time ago. Katharine Hepburn is as beautiful and talented as ever, but I couldn't watch it. I nearly lost it when the controlling fiance says "You aren't wearing pants?!" And I did lose it when the Spencer Tracey character breaks into her hotel room and tries to bully her into throwing the match, while she's wearing nothing more than a slip.