January 29 08

so, i’m working out again. well, i’ve always been doing the pilates (i hate you Mari Winsor and your v-sit position), but i took a short three month long hiatus from the treadmill. you see, i gave up my fancy, expensive gym membership to use the free gym at work. but carpools and a certain groom-to-be were getting in the way of my workouts. so, i just. kinda. stopped.but now! eu-freakin-reka! i no longer hyperventilate when i get to the top of the third floor at work!

we begged our friend who brings things over from China to include a treadmill with his next shipment. he obliged and got us a sweet, sweet deal on a machine that would have cost over $1,000. (we paid less that $300)

she’s pretty, isn’t she? once we deciphered past the chinglish instructions and set her up…we still couldn’t use her. because, well, we live in Canada. and we use a different voltage system. something about 220s and 110s. it all means very little to me.

all it means to me is that in addition to having to re-arrange furniture to fit this puppy into our bedroom (facing our tv…SWEET) i also need to include this

it’s almost as big as the fucking treadmill.

i like experiments and trying new things. actually, that’s a big, fat lie. but i like me some Neil over at Citizens of the Month and when he says he wants to experiment, i’m all “hells, yeah!” also, he told me i’m special even though i wasn’t nominated for a Bloggie. He proposed The Great Interview Experiment whereupon i got to interview Sir Q and got to be interviewed by the lovely Helena of Sanctimony.  These were both new blogs for me…and i’m hearting them both…so i guess if nothing else, i have two new sites to stalk read.

Helena and i weren’t sure if it was the interview-er or the interview-ee who was supposed to post the interview, but since Q published my interview of him, i’m going to publish Helena’s of me. confused yet? 

so…here goes…

H: It’s been a wild ride going through your blog — each post is very much a journal of your day, which diverges from the traditional topic-based mode of operation to which most blogs adhere. Is there a particular reason that motivated you to frame your entries as such, or did you just fall upon the style? I’ll confess it feels a bit schizophrenic (in a good way)…Is there a strategy that you employ?

A: hmm…i guess i never thought there was a traditional way to post! I started writing in 2004 and the site sort of developed a life of its own. for a while there were no readers, save for my husband, so i tested the waters a bit to see what worked for me. i used to include a lot of celebrity snarkiness, but now i save that for my Entertainment site, Juice: Entertainment News with Extra Bite. Now i just snark about other things….like bitches at the mall…and psychos at work.

H: Do you find you have a lot of stalkers? I’ve collected my fair share in 5 years of blogging, and I’m much more private about many elements of my life, and with photos.

A: stalkers? erm, no. no stalkers. i kind of want some stalkers now, though…so thanks for that….

i have had a few trolls though…and one special little commenter named Emma, who takes great pleasure in mocking meat every opportunity. however, i’m of the opinion that he has way too much time on his hands. also, probably doesn’t get laid enough.

H: Related to that, are there any topics you just won’t touch?

A: i try not to talk about money. and religion. and my inlaws. that’s pretty much it. all three of these are out of respect to the husband, who prefers that some things don’t get talked about.

H: I enjoy that you blog about your family without being relegated to the world of ‘mommy blogging.’ Are you conscious or careful of what you post to avoid being categorized as such?

A: i guess i AM a mommy blogger, because i am both a mommy and a blogger…but i don’t seem to be labelled as one. i guess because my site is about other things as well. i am a person before i am a mommy. my life isn’t just about my three kidlets. they are certainly a huge part of it…but there’s so much more to ali. also, i use the work fuck a lot. i would guess most mommybloggers don’t.

H: Do you associate yourself most with Georgia, Ontario, or the Midwest? Or do you associate each location with a different phase in your life? Why?

A: i consider myself to be all three at once. I wouldn’t be “Ali” if i didn’t drop a “bless her heart”, while eating cheese and watching hockey. my childhood friends will tell me i sound “so canadian” while i secretly mock their accents…so i guess that says something about me 😉

H: What would you say is the best thing that has come about as a result of your blog? Worst thing?

best things? the people i’ve “met”. there have been so many and they have touched me in so many different ways. also…i now have written documentation of all the hilarious things that my kids do and say. and my Urbanmoms.ca gig. that has become a huge part of my life and i never would have become a part of such a great organization if i hadn’t been a blogger. worst thing? my father-in-law knows that i get my, um, girl bits, brazilian waxed. i’m pretty sure i could have lived without him knowing that.

thanks, Helena! this was great!

can we talk for just a minute how dangerous letting me into a bookstore is? i am currently halfway through Atonement (but i cheated and watched the movie last night.) so, yeah, i kinda know how it ends…but i’m still going to finish it…and i think  Water For Elephants is on deck, since that one was purchased months ago.

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  1. I LOVED Water for Elephants. Be warned – it’s dark. But, oh so good. Perhaps the best book I read last year.

    LD’s last blog post..And he vaccuums …

    Comment by LD on January 29, 2008
  2. Can I just say that you are totally my hero? I would love to go into a bookstore and just buy a whole stack at once. 🙂

    Shannon’s last blog post..peace in the waiting room

    Comment by Shannon on January 29, 2008
  3. Sorry but I burst out laughing when I saw that power converter thingy. Are you’re sure the machine isn’t going to explode when you’re on it (i’m being serious)? We have a treadmill and I look at it briefly everytie I go down to the basement and pull a frozen pizza out of the freezer sitting next to it.

    Comment by Steph on January 29, 2008
  4. Oh my lord, that transformer is huge! We had to use those when we lived in Germany but I don’t remember them being quite so large!

    Katie’s last blog post..If you like piña coladas…

    Comment by Katie on January 29, 2008
  5. Very interesting interview. Good luck with the new treadmill!

    Don Mills Diva’s last blog post..Into the wild

    Comment by Don Mills Diva on January 29, 2008
  6. hey Ali this was an interesting idea….

    Comment by LAVENDULA on January 29, 2008
  7. Oh man, me and bookstores are trouble. I haven’t successfully finished a book in over a year. But, I haven’t bought a book in about a month. It’s a vicious cycle.

    Oh, and my husband also likes to buy things from foreign countries at cheaper prices. We have a home theater projector that I can only turn on and off because everything else is in Japanese.

    Megan’s last blog post..I have angered the Technology Gods.

    Comment by Megan on January 29, 2008
  8. That stack of books makes me drool….I’ve had to cut back on buying and can now only look forward to stacks of library books wrapped in plastic. It’s just not the same. You have some good ones there – I’m a huge Jodi Picoult fan.

    Jen’s last blog post..Before and After, Master Bedroom.

    Comment by Jen on January 29, 2008
  9. I have NOTHING to read right now, which is pretty grim. I need a) a trip to the good out of town library and b) a trip to Small City to check out the bookstore. Sooooon!

    Comment by Rebecca on January 29, 2008
  10. Yay! Interview! Great responses.

    As for the transformer, I am compelled to say “More than meets the eye!” in response.

    helena’s last blog post..Shiny and new

    Comment by helena on January 29, 2008
  11. It was great to learn a little bit more about you now that I’m going to read your blog. But I’m now curious how much money your in-laws make and what is their religion.

    Neil’s last blog post..If I Was Married to Hellga from American Gladiators

    Comment by Neil on January 29, 2008
  12. I am officially mad at you because you dont recognize me as your stalker. I guess I better get that plane ticket now so I can ram my stalker image on home. Expect me in your closet in the next 2-5 days.

    Miss’s last blog post..Things that are pissing me off Vol. 1

    Comment by Miss on January 29, 2008
  13. So how do you feel about Atonement thus far? I found it so ridiculously vapid. Then compare it to the movie and I’m like ‘ahhh, this is how it should have been from the beginning.”

    Heather B.’s last blog post..Deleted

    Comment by Heather B. on January 29, 2008
  14. I have only had one troll so far, but, um, I blocked their IP. Whee!

    I loved the Q&A 🙂

    Angella’s last blog post..On Her Behalf

    Comment by Angella on January 29, 2008
  15. I LOVE shopping sprees at Indigo! In fact, I may go on one tonight as I’m going away this week and have nothing to read…YIKES! Also jealous of the treadmill…having a treadmill at home is my dream. First I need a house (not homeless…just an apartment dweller):)

    Comment by Joscelyn on January 29, 2008
  16. oh geez that reminded me I absolutely NEED to read plain truth!

    tell me how you like it when you get to it :]

    Comment by Haley on January 29, 2008
  17. […] Helena interviews Ali of Cheaper Than Therapy […]

    Pingback by Citizen of the Month » The Blogger Interviews (The Great Interview Experiment) on January 29, 2008
  18. I have so many bought-yet-still-not-read books languishing on my nightstand. And there might be another Amazon shipment coming soon. Maybe.

    Moose’s last blog post..CubeBot: Activated

    Comment by Moose on January 29, 2008
  19. Water for Elephants was one of my favorite books of 2007. You can see my review at http://dibookblogetc.typepad.com/my_weblog/2006/08/water_for_eleph.html

    Enjoy…you will savor every chapter.

    Di’s last blog post..Baby, it’s cold outside!!!

    Comment by Di on January 30, 2008
  20. Oh how I love talking about books…I just heard about ‘Water For Elephants’. I must read it.

    And I’m sorry to hear that your FIL knows about your lady parts. But that’s friggin hilarious!

    Kristie’s last blog post..The newest way to irritate the snot outta me.

    Comment by Kristie on January 30, 2008
  21. picketer quetenite unpooled unawaking cliche galactagoguic include sexangled
    Ashburton Caravan Park.
    http://cnn.com/2002/US/Central/11/07/lifeflight.obit.ap/

    Comment by Leanne Castro on April 19, 2008
  22. […] on me on the subway. and videos of anteaters who can’t get it up. and wet cat food. and the size of the transformer for my Chinese treadmill. so, of course, today will be no exception. i’m just trying to […]

    Pingback by Cheaper Than Therapy » Blog Archive » disturbed on October 23, 2008
  23. I would like to see the inscription “to be continied”:-D

    Comment by Juliet on November 6, 2008
  24. Hm that sounds good but I would like to know more details.

    Comment by romonoeroetoko on July 8, 2009
  25. Your news is a cool stuff man, keep it going.

    Comment by romonoeroetoko on July 15, 2009
  26. That’s good man, keep it going.

    Comment by amenodimeno on July 31, 2009
  27. Good story for me but please more details.

    Comment by amenodimeno on August 5, 2009
  28. Good information to me.

    Comment by queroeropoo on August 6, 2009
  29. Stunning blog and good article. High 5 for u man !

    Comment by adamoerikom on September 19, 2009
  30. This is a very good stuff man. But you can be more specific next time. See ya !

    Comment by adamusxyz on January 6, 2010
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