Tried and true....

It's summer time, so many of us are trying to get in shape.

So, it's my guess that most are now aware of the dreaded word: (cue to dramatic music)--

---PLATEAU---

Yes, you start to loose weight, you are all proud of your progress, you eat right! You walk to work! You run everyday! You do everything you should. You haven't touched a potato chip in weeks. You are almost fitting into your skinny jeans again, and then....PLATEAU.

It can drive you to madness, and it's the time you can get completely discouraged, because you continue to make the efforts, and there are no more results. Steady weight. And I Googled around...it can last up to three weeks.

But why?
Well, our body is pretty clever. It will adjust to whatever we are doing. If we are on a strict diet of 1200 calories a day, and walk everyday the same amount of time (spending the same nbs of calories each day). The body will adjust to that. It says, OK, I'll burn less then, because I know I get that much fuel, and I need that much to function.

It can become a vicious circle, because of course, we could eat even less and spend even more...thus starting to loose weight again, but this will never end, and can eventually be dangerous.

What can we do? I read this pretty logical tip, and it does work.

We need to be smarter then the body.
Never let it fall into a pattern, keep it guessing.
So....say you have a daily diet of 1200-1500 calories. You go a day or two of eating around 1200, and then a day or two more around 1500. You can walk 20 minutes one day, do Yoga another day. Go swimming, run, whatever you like to do. But mix it up.

This also mean you won't feel all guilty to eat a meal at McD's on the weekend, because you know this will be a good start to Monday's reasonable food.
(Be careful though, the higher days could trick you into eating WAY more and badly then you should.)

It DOES work...or you can wait 3 weeks for the damn plateau to go away by itself.

In Defense of Disney

I know that a lot of people today are considering Disney to be a Big-Fat-Money-Making business. And while I agree that most recent movies that came out of there, animated or other were less then spectacular (and that's nicely put)....Disney did came up with little jewels in the past. Hmmm.....maybe I am biased, because it was back in the days when I would be excited to go see one of them at the theater, maybe today's kids will argue that recent ones are great too, anyway.

My point is, some of those movies can define who we grow up to be.

Take the Hunchback of Notre-Dame. I heard all sorts of critics about how it was poorly done. How different from the book it was and how it messed children's culture up.

I'm sorry, but this masterpiece of a movie happened when I was at the age of reading only teeny-boopy magazines, yet it made me hunt down Notre-Dame de Paris, and read that complicated french brick multiple times. It made me watch repertoire movies made years ago.

Hunchback single-handedly developed my passion for drawing, for observation, the details in the decor are phenomenal.

My fascination with medieval music and life, Gothic architecture, Gypsy culture all started there in 1996.

My sense of compassion and acceptance for those who are different...while making me discover the thrills of a true villain who's evilness has nothing to do with sorcery or scary monsters, but real human feelings of jealousy, forbidden desires and religious bigotry.

I mean this movie was really dark in places, for the teen that I was. Murders, dark cathedral walls, witches burnt at the stake, a hero being publicly humiliated, a priest that wants a woman so bad that he's ready to kill, all presented right there in front of me. Opening my mind to the adult world.

It made me who I am today, or it woke it up in me.....

Pocahontas made me research Native Americans, and Hercules had me fascinated with antique Greece for a while. All of those childish movies opened the doors to never ending discoveries.

And I have Disney to thank for that.

*Confession, I DO own the Hunchback of Notre-Dame DVD, it is still my favorite animation and I watch it disturbingly regularly. I'm just ignoring those gargoyles....*

Oh Lucky Day!

People always make a fuss about Friday the 13th....

Strangely, I was never very superstitious, as any self-respecting Kitchen Witch, I have a Black Cat. (Love you, Luna!)

I still remember getting a thrill in elementary school when one of the kids wrote the day's date on the green chalkboard in big scary, gooey letters. And everyone would spend the day being dramatic and saying stuff like "see you later....if I'm still alive!"
Ah, the good days!

But now, like most of the people who read the DaVinci Code, I know where the bad luck day stigma comes from. Jeez, it was one of the points from the novel that stuck the most with me. It was like finally, I saw the light . Big revelation. So that's what all the superstitions are about? Some Knight Templar genocide?

Well we should not be scared anymore!
Let's turn it into a positive day, after all, 13 is kind of a cool number, and god knows we all love Fridays!
So pet a black cat, open an umbrella inside the house, and heck, break a mirror!
Maybe you'll have your luckiest day in months!

Kicking the lazyness away

This time I won't be defeated by my legendary laziness and reluctance when it comes to going out. I mean, it's all good and fun to be a happy introvert who loves her apartment more then any other places, but there are times in life when you just need to kick your ass out of that door and go.

September 7th will be that time.

Yesterday morning, I received an email telling me that Loreena McKennitt will start to tour this Fall. And she is coming to Montreal!! I didn't think twice, because I knew that if I did, I would end up convincing myself that I was better off listening to her CDs at home...

And I still had that big part of me who yelled with excitement that seeing her in concert will be a one in a life time, magical experience and that I would hate myself on September the 8th if I didn't go. So I bought the tickets. There is no turning back, and I am beyond excited and totally on an adrenaline rush. After all, it will be my first show in the "Big city". I don't go to Montreal a lot.

I mean, if I have to assist to one show in my life, it should be Loreena's. She is my muse and inspiration, she wrote my favorite song ever....Oh.....if she sings The Mystic's Dream that night, I will melt, and possibly die too, completely happy and satisfied.

Lily's Facts of Life:

There is only ONE downside to working with children-----
Having to deal with the parents.

*GAAAAAAH!*

Update: I guess I should add with *some* parents. Because most are pretty agreeable to deal with.

Natural Beauty tip no4 (I think)...

Well this one is really simple and cheap, and I never would have believed until I was bored enough to actually try it:

Oatmeal.

Yes, plain and simple oatmeal flakes. The ones you buy when you vow to eat healthy and that are presently sitting unused in the back of your pantry.

Mix a small quantity (say a big Tablespoon) with warm to hot water in a small bowl. Cover the flakes with water completely, you can even put a bit more.
Mix a bit and using your fingers, scoop up the bits of mushy oatmeal and rub all over clean face.

The using your imagination, apply the remaining oatmeal-y liquid to your face, and just keep rubbing lightly, so the skin takes all the goodness in.

You can now proceed to rinse away with warm, then colder water to close the pores.

Be prepared to feel the softess skin ever!

I guess it could be used all over the body, come to think of it.....

Freakishly Amazing!

I love her!
Oh Helena! How I missed you!

And look! My favorite British girl never disappoints. Not only is she a genius actress, she dresses like that to premieres (and from what I've read, pretty much on an every day basis too.)


She totally rocks the Victorian-street-urchin-with-a-killer-sense-of-style look.

Don't know why I love it so much....maybe it's because it's so very refreshing, so different from what you normally see on those famous people.


I mean just look at the hair! That alone is a masterpiece of careful mess! The ribbons sticking out! The picture of unruliness!
The combat boots!!!

And that Oh-SO-COOL dress. I'd bet she did it herself too, because it reminds me a lot of her Pantaloonies collection, with all the bits of antique material and laces...

Oh, I so can't wait to see her as Bellatrix Lestrange.