3-1=thirty one

A year ago I was panicking about turning 30.........well where did that year go.....crikey 31 already, it came around so fast I didnt have time to worry! BUT fortunately for me the weeks leading up to it have been brilliant, they have made me feel youthful and fun loving, contented and very fortunate, so thankful for who I am, what I have accomplished, experiences I have had and friends I have made. Life is great so why worry right, why not just carry on this fabulous journey without a second thought. So I am and wow - W-O-W.
Indulging is such an amazing pleasure, i just do it in excess, poor me. I spent my 31st hopping from winery to winery in the Niagara region, certainly not as beautiful as other wine regions around the world, and they do charge per tasting, BUT the reason you do this in Canada is for their very delicious ice wines. Your taste buds come alive, they fall in love, they dance with joy as the beverage runs across your tongue and down your throat really slowly. By the time i made it to the hotel I was marinating in this fruity, exquisite syrup so much so my eyes were rolling......
Then I entered my hotel room at the Marriott, a Niagara Falls View room with hot tub....thought I deserved the best and ice wine makes you believe you are so very worth it, it was very impressive. The Falls are all lit up at night, 15 floors up, another bottle in hand.....why go down in the cold, get soaked by the mist when I can sit by a huge window, sip wine by a fire place and enjoy it from above. Even from my hot tub I could see the mist.....
Then just to top off it all I headed to the Day Spa, and this hot young masseuse worked away all the worries buried deep down inside me.......OMG I love a good massage......i hate it when they tell you its over and the hr feels like 5 mins but when you try to get up and walk you realise just how long and sensational it really must have been.
So I staggered like a zombie back up to my room with a king size bed, one of those special ones that have the heavenly mattresses.......had another glass of wine and passed out!
Too many pleasures are killer!!

Accident Prone

I am not much fun today, everytime I move I groan, I feel like I have been hit by a truck.
Yesterday I went to The Blue Mountains in Ontario to ski, up bright and early, beautiful clear day, warm in the sun. 2hrs drive from Toronto with my Tim Hortons Coffee and cream cheese bagel, new ski pants on, pumped to get up the slopes again. Hired boots and skis that actually fit and gee did it make a difference. Up and down, round and round I went, slope after slope, greens, blues, blacks.......it was great. Made it to 6pm without a fall. Had a nice warm hot chocolate before heading out for 4 more hrs of night skiing.......things had iced up a lot since the temperature had dropped and the sun had set, thats fine I was used to worse conditions in Whistler. The runs were no where near as difficult either as the terrain isnt as mountainous. So I was attempting to get down a black run called 'Willys', it was about a 45 degree angle and virtually all ice. I edged my way down sideways past the steepest bit and just let myself slide, no dramas, then skied accross to the opposite side of the slope where Teddy was filming my slow decent. I made it, the worst part over, we are standing off to the side for about 10 sec when I hear a boarder start coming down, I look up just as Teddy yells "HEADS' - the boarder was out of control sliding down the hill backwards picking up speed fast (Teddy reckons 30kms per hr) -within I split second I had been swept up off my skis and thrown down the hill 20 feet landing smack on my back all twisted up. It was a total blur, a whole bunch of white and I thought I was gone. Then the pain kicked in. I instantly wiggled my toes worried the worst was possible, they wiggled, thank god, fingers worked, nothing felt broken but I couldnt move. Fortunately ski patrol had witnessed the whole thing and were there in a flash, first aid was called and a sled arranged. I had a pain running up and down my right leg and I couldnt stop my leg from shaking. I couldnt speak, the guy was talking at me, 'whats your name?' how old are you?' shocked when I said 30, all the attention was getting to me, I lost it, the shaking turned to convulsing, the tears rolled, I was put into a sled face first, strapped in and dragged down the hill behind a snow boarder. I was so fearful of the sled, especially going down head first.....My skis were confiscated, I was interregated about what happened, given the once over and allowed to rest. I have to say the people working there were very professional and efficient, they cover themselves on all bases. The guy who ploughed into me was so sorry and stayed with me til I was given the all clear. I am just thankful I didnt hurt myself badly. I am black and blue. I am tender and aching. BUT I will live and soldier on. I will just be a very crippled old woman one day.

Dog Attack

Last night I went to a UFC Fight Party, there was dip and baby carrotts, chocolate cake, chips, 1.5L of sav blanc and buff men on the big screen. I am not usually a fight fan, but since arriving in Toronto and hanging out with mainly men I have had no choice in my tv viewing, sport sport or discovery channel. So admitedly I got caught up in the hype for the big fight between Georges St-Pierre and BJ Penn. For those that dont know UFC its professiona fighting of all forms in one ring, majority fight style is Jujitsu, Wrestling or Kickboxing. It is a strange sport as the guys get in some real akward positions and its almost sexual at points.......anyway.
I watched the lead up fights too. Pretty horrible to watch but you still find yourself supporting someone. I was supporting Georges, the Frenchie, cut like you wouldnt believe, he kicked BJs butt. So anyway I am enjoying myself being a good sport following Aussie. The Fight finishes and the ice hockey match is put back on. I have been talking to the dog, a boxer, who has been sitting near me all night and as I bend down to pat her she goes for my left eye...........its scared the bejesus out of me, left a small scratch under my eye and I have a very tender eye socket this morning. I feel like I have been in a fight between the 1.5L of wine and the damn dog.
So there I am been attacked by this horrible dog for no reason, and I freaked out. I tried so hard to hold it in, but i could feel my body starting to convulse, my lower lip trembled, the tears welled.........after that there was no going back. I had to get away from this dog, I had the worst anxiety and I guess I had a panic attack of sorts as I couldnt breathe. I went outside hoping the freezing cold would shock me back to normality but I was a lost cause. So the big fight night came to a close with Georges winning, the token aussie chick bawling and the people who put on the party feeling mildly embarrassed that their dog had caused such a drama.