Don’t get SAD! Turn that frown… the other way…

Every winter I encounter the same dilemma. I want it to hurry up and be spring… just a tiny bit warmer so I can try going for a run without my asthma overtaking my lungs entirely, or a lot warmer so I can bust out the awesome bathing suit I got in the end of summer sale the previous year (and as such only got to wear once). All the grey weather in Toronto has got me feeling a bit like Sloth and my exercising is limited to the occasional Truffle Shuffle, which is a classic but unfortunately doesn’t  do much for the muffin top.

It's an artform.

[For the record, why does that pudgy part above your pants have to be called a 'muffin top'? That's everyone's favourite part of the muffin, to the extent that I know some certain people who will ONLY eat the muffin top and then leave the stump for whatever poor unfortunate soul wants a whole intact muffin. Not to name names, but Marta, Tamara... We've all seen you do it. Although I suppose eating only half of the muffin decreases your odds of getting a 'muffin top'.... RIGHT. There was a point back there. I don't think muffin tops should be tainted with such unfortunate imagery. OR people should develop an overwhelming mouthwatering attraction to the formerly named 'muffin tops'. I say formerly, because I now dub them... hip pillows. Tell your friends.]

Anyway, whenever me and myhip pillows have a hankering for some warmer weather, one of Toronto’s famous slush storms comes along and splashes cold all over everything. It’s incredibly unfortunate, especially given that drivers are all part of a citywide game of mass obnoxiousness to see who can splash more unsuspecting pedestrians just mindin’ their own beeswax on the sidewalk. This is a hypothesis I formulated this morning after dodging massive slush sprays from at least 4 different vehicles on my street alone. Not cool guys. I wasn’t even wearing my rain boots.

So, I am listening to Bob Marley and dreaming of sunshine and wild Ontario blueberries (you know… the really tiny ones? Ugh. They are so delicious I don’t even know how to put it into words.) The dream would be to take off and see Costa Rica or the Dominican or Bahamas or St. Lucia right now, so if anyone knows how I can manage to get paid to do that… hook a sister up. It wouldn’t be so bad if I lived somewhere that’s brilliant in the winter like Whistler, say, but I do in fact live in Toronto and there is slim to no chance of hitting the slopes anytime soon for some top-notch winter sun and fitness.

I don't actually snowboard, but who could say no to this?

I’ve read the articles and heard the stories about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and I always consider myself above it because, well… I’m a cocky little shithead sometimes. But then there’s day after day of cloudy skies and afternoons that look like it may as well be dusk. Normally I would load up the cupboard with vitamin D, make some extra spicy fajitas, drink my weight in Tropicana products, put on my brightest hoodie and call it even. This round will need something a bit more though, I think. I will keep you posted on how the quest progresses over the next few days, and in the meantime please feel free to comment with your favourite summer sounding songs for me to abuse when I exhaust my Bob Marley collection. It’ll take a couple of days, but I will reach the end at some point, so please… help me out! Winning suggestions will get automatic placement on the summer 2012 playlist (which I will listen to almost every day from about.. oohhhh… May to Mid September? And then I will abruptly switch to the fall tunes that consist largely of sad, beautiful folk songs).

Love to you all, and more in the coming days. xo’s, yo!

Tags: bob marley, muffin top, music, SAD, summer, truffle shuffle, yoga