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.