Get Busy Living

I have been journaling for as long as I can remember, first as a child, then on vacations, sporadically for a while, before a few years ago when I started journaling consistently, every single day. There are periods where I can look up entire conversations that I’ve had with people, nearly word for word. Lately, something has happened which is really upsetting, but also super awesome. I have become too busy to journal. Or at least to keep up with it the way I did. Which is sad because I liked the idea of being able to go back and know exactly what was going on, but seriously, it is so exciting that I am too busy living my life to be able to write about it.

On the Thursday of my last post, I spent the morning doing self-tapes with friends and watching Buffy, before going to work at 4 points. I didn’t make it to NOGI that night, because Midtown Med Spa, where Ayisha now does Lashes & Blades, was celebrating its anniversary with a fancy event. The people who work there waited in their rooms while clients (and potential ones) roamed around, drinking wine, enjoying food and asking questions. I spent some time batting my newly amazing eyelashes, and even participated in a live demonstration of lash extensions. It was fun to get dolled up and meet some interesting people, such as Ayisha’s friend Sarah, who was in town from Montreal. When the event was over, we all went out for supper.

The following morning, I met Sarah at 4 points for a little photoshoot for her upcoming Extensa Method Training. She teaches stretching to Olympic divers, hockey players, Jiu-Jitsu teams…and that morning she taught some of it to me. It was a lot of fun, and so is she.

Not long after she headed out, Chie arrived for my boxing bootcamp. This was one of the rare occasions where I had someone else with me, but we still followed the same routine of circuit training and padwork. He very much enjoyed the fact that even as he put pressure on my wall sit, I still smiled.

We did some prep for the workshop that weekend, then I did the lunchtime jiu-jitsu class, where we worked on all the chokes. Especially the ones involving the GI. Not my favorite, but who knows what will come in handy during a roll.

That afternoon, Ayisha had a self-tape to do where she was an absolute badass, so we worked on it and did it a few times, then her boxing friend from Montreal gave us an hour long private session which was intense and soooo much fun. We did the scenes again with this new energy before calling it a day

Back at home, there was basically a party going on, with all my roommates, including the new and unofficial ones, and Christine, who was in town for the Hubert Boorder film fighting workshop. There was talking, food and then we watched Brad’s Status, to support all of the amazing Montreal talent they were lucky enough to have in it.

On Saturday Christine and I went to the workshop, which I will have a separate post on, then we had lunch and went to the Monkey Vault, where we practiced the short fight choreography we had been given. When my partner left, they were still working on their stuff, so I joined in on a new friend’s private parkour session. We worked on vaulting, which was one of my goals for this month, and I achieved some stuff I had been pretty sure I couldn’t do, which was really exciting. It’s really comforting to see that the more you do the things that scare you, the less scary they are and the more you can do.

That night, a bunch of us went out for supper at The Green Eggplant, then we went to see I Feel Pretty. I can understand why some people wouldn’t like the movie, but I did laugh a whole lot, and the company was amazing, so it was an awesome night.

On Sunday we finished the workshop, running a little more than 2 hours over, which was unexpected, and incredibly generous of our Stunt Coordinator instructor. I absolutely loved pretty much every minute of it. A few of us went for supper afterwards, which is becoming a tradition that I very much enjoy.

On Monday, Christine had to head back to Montreal, but Alyssa stayed, so we went jogging with my roommate and did some padwork before meeting up with some guys who had trained in stunts with her in Montreal. It was a really nice, fun afternoon. Nearly everyone I have met who works (or wants to work) in stunts has been super nice, helpful and awesome.

I finished off my day with Jiu-Jitsu, which must have been hilarious to watch, because I was sore in many places, and literally had to lift my head up with my hands before I could sit up, because my neck wasn’t quite up to the challenge.

On Tuesday, some people who are either trying to get into stunts, or just want to train and practice their basics, came to the gym and let me join in on their training. I absolutely love training and working on this kind of stuff every chance I get, so it was an amazing opportunity. I recently saw a stunt girl who posts a weekly tally of how many hours she spends training, and while I don’t think I need to broadcast it, I definitely want to make sure that I am putting in the time and working on my crafts. I was told that my job now is to train, and I intend to take this very seriously.

I spent the rest of the day with Ayisha, and this girl is amazing. Not only because I really enjoy hanging out with her, but because she gets things done. Once she sets her mind to something, she finds a way to make it happen, and it is really inspiring to watch. I finished off the day with NOGI, where there were more chokes and a lot of work to never have two butt cheeks or two shoulders on the mat. Definitely good advice, but I may have sometimes gone into a semi-bridge position for the butt cheeks, which was not what she meant when she gave that directive. After class, those who wanted could stay and be drilled on certain useful techniques, especially to prepare the guys who were participating in the Ontario Open. I was incredibly excited when one of the things we were doing was something that I had been taught and could do, while others hadn’t learnt it yet. Not because I felt like I was better than anyone, but because for once I got to help someone who had spent countless classes teaching me all the things. And honestly, I am just really excited when I get things.

On Wednesday I did the morning boxing class with Chie, where I did my first deadlifts, and was told to be more careful when training, because he can’t work on my kicks when my shins are all bruised. It was still a really fun class where I sort of got to try sparring, and I’m sure I smiled even through the hard stuff.

That afternoon I worked with Ayisha, then did some BJJ, but I had to leave early to get to a viewing party. Chris River, who is an awesome actor and a really great kid, was on that night’s episode of The Expanse, and he did a wonderful job. It was sweet and sad and cute and watching him and his mom watching the episode had to be the cutest thing ever. The kid is also hilarious, so we were thoroughly entertained.

We ended the night with steak night, which usually comes after jiu-jitsu, but who am I to say no to spending time with friends? (I used to do this a lot…with so many excuses…but I’m working on being much more ‘go with the flow’ and spontaneous and less shy and self-conscious) It was a great night. (or day actually, from start to finish)

I had SP training on Thursday, followed by working/hanging out with Ayisha. We have been working a lot on the film and tv side of things, which will soon include self-tapes, which are something I am very familiar with, from helping out friends, from class and from working as a reader. They’re an incredible opportunity to act and discover a character, and the perfect embodiment of “If you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”. We mostly worked on that and updates for the website until I had to head home to Montreal, luckily with company, because otherwise you get very tired around 2 am…

One of my friends was locked out of his house when we got there, so he ended up staying over at my place, and getting picked up from my grandparents’ place Friday morning while I made cupcakes. I spent most of the day with my mom and aunt at my cousin’s, preparing for her sister’s bridal shower and bachelorette party.

When they headed home, I drove over to Paragym (and totally got lost walking from my car to the entrance) so I could train with Christine and Alyssa. At first we just did a warm up and worked on our kicks, but then Christine came up with a combo whose sole purpose was to run us through the gamut of reactions. We ran it a bunch of times with the different ways of avoiding getting hit, then filmed ourselves taking the blows, so we could see what sells and adjust accordingly. They were awesome and mostly had to adjust the height of their kicks or the angles of their punches, but I had a lot of work to do. From being too stiff to looking down to a bunch of other things, it took me a lot longer to get to a point where we were satisfied. I still have so much to work on, but every time we meet up and do things like this, I improve exponentially. I am at the complete bottom of the skills level, but that is completely fine with me. I am going to keep training with people and working on it on my own and watching the videos and learning from my mistakes and from other people. Because even if it takes me a million baby steps to get there, eventually, I will get there. And I am completely enjoying the journey, so while the destination will be awesome, it doesn’t really matter at the moment.

After a few hours, we went to Christine’s for a healthy, protein-filled supper, fun conversations, a clothing giveaway and some UFC videos. I am slowly starting to watch fights as not just a series of blurs until one person wins, but to be able to recognize what people are doing. It started when I went to see Tomb Raider and recognized all kinds of different martial arts and moves, but at the John Stead workshop, it kind of bugged me that I could remember the sequence okay, but wasn’t familiar enough with the moves to tell my partner more than punch, punch, kick. It’s a lot easier to remember the choreography when you can tell yourself right hook, uppercut, roundhouse, than if you just register whether it is the arm or the leg that is moving, which in itself is an improvement on how I used to watch fights. Again, I am a huge fan of baby steps.

On Saturday, there was more prep before the actual bridal shower. Chelsea showed up in a white dress, so she obviously wasn’t surprised, but I would like to hope she was happy with everyone who came and what her mom put together. There were games, so much food and the cutest/funniest video series from her fiancé answering questions about their relationship. I used to love going to showers when I was a little girl, and this one was no exception, but so much more exciting and a big deal because my cousins are like my siblings and we are all growing up. Which was pretty obvious when we got to the bachelorette party. I believe there is a ‘what happens at the bachelorette party stays at the bachelorette party’ rule, but I can say that the food we had catered was delicious (so let me know if you need a take home chef in Montreal), I was overwhelmed and so touched by what people notice and think about me, and I did some more #allthethings. I also somehow agreed to participate in the next jiu-jitsu competition, because I missed all the guys from 4 Points participating in the Ontario Open. This means I have a little over a month to train and get ready for it. I would be terrified, but someone told me it helps to have no feelings when it comes to competitions, so I’m trying that for now.

Finally, Sunday was Mother’s Day, so I spent the day with the women who go way above and beyond what the title implies, and help make me the luckiest girl in the world.

“It’s not about what you tell your children, but how you show them how to live life.”

-Jada Pinkett Smith

“Your Job Is To Train”

When my friend was giving me the advice on stunts and pointed out that I was taking on a lot, I told him, “It’s fine, I don’t have a job.” To let him know I currently have a lot of free time. “No, your job is to train.” He pointed out. I do this for acting, finding ways to work on my craft even when I am not in class or on set, but this week definitely made me feel like I was making it my job to train in the physical sense as well.

On Tuesday, I decided to try out a Jiu-Jitsu class in Beloeil rather than just sticking to my elliptical and stuff I usually do when I go home, away from all the classes I take in Toronto. The teacher, Lee Villeneuve, gave a workshop a few weeks ago at 4 points, so when I found out he had a gym less than 10 minutes from my house, I knew I had to go.

It started out with the usual warmup of jogging around and side steps and high knees and what not, but all too quickly, we got into cartwheels (which was fine), handstands and a multitude of things I had never done before. I tried my best to follow along, and luckily there were some really nice people who took the time to show me how to do the stuff I wasn’t quite getting. It would definitely be beneficial for me to keep working on all of these.

There was another girl there, so I worked on the techniques with her, and we rolled together for the first two rounds, before guys chose me as their partners for the last 2 rolls. Very much like the guys from 4 points when I first came in, it was a combination of rolling and coaching, but I really learnt a lot. And will be back for sure, not just for the training, but for the people. The girl I rolled with has currently become my inspiration (not that she knows) because she had no background in gymnastics or martial arts or whatever, but a year and a half ago she decided she wanted to get into stunts, so she trained and she worked hard and she made it happen. And that is badass.

On Wednesday I had a dry run at McGill before driving back to Toronto so I could work as an SP on Thursday.

Once work was done, I met up with Christine, an actress who trains in stunts, that I met in class a few years ago. We were both signed up for an amazing workshop last weekend, so we went for a late lunch where she told me about her journey into stunts and gave me advice on what I should do and what I need in my stunt kit. Who knew that if you needed answers, all you had to do is ask the questions and everyone would be willing to help?

When we were done we went to 4 Points so I could help out and she could catch up with Ayisha, eventually staying way longer than she intended, and working with me for the NOGI class. Since Christine had only ever taken one class before, she went all out, even when we were just working on techniques, which was super frustrating when I couldn’t get it, but also really useful, because when you’re rolling, no one is going to help you (or even let you) sweep them. When we actually got to the rolling, I was with the guys, and one of them wanted to work on his balance when we start the roll standing, so I made many futile attempts to knock him off his feet. I think I managed it once? But learning what doesn’t work brings me closer to figuring out what does…right? We went back to my place and watched a bunch of stunt reels and fight scenes before going to bed.

On Friday, we started the day off with Boxing at 4 points, with Chie. It was the first time I wasn’t alone for one of his classes, which was fun, but I do also love my private sessions 🙂 The biggest difference is that after the conditioning and the pad work was done, Chie stuck around to help us kill time before the jiu-jitsu class. Just for fun, Christine choreographed a fight, we ran it and then we filmed it, all within the span of a half an hour. When Chie left, Christine helped me work on my reactions to different punches and stuff. It all felt like play.

We learnt some new techniques in Jiu-Jitsu, and got in a roll before I rushed over to Ayisha so she could give me eyelash extensions. I am so clueless in this department that I originally thought she meant those fake lashes you glue on and take off at the end of the day with eye makeup remover. I clearly had no idea what to expect.

I was her first ever attempt, and a complete success, if I do say so myself. It took a lot longer than the glue-on fake lashes I thought I was getting, but I was basically on a bed, comfy and bundled up in a blanket, listening to music and having conversations…the only drawback I can see at the moment is that every time I talk to my roommate, she stops me and says, “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what you were saying, I was too busy admiring your lashes” So not so fun for me, but clearly a good sign for Ayisha.

We were supposed to go to a gymnastics class that night, but my roommate’s boyfriend was in town, so he invited us to a big home cooked meal instead. Christine made a delicious salad with mangoes and avocadoes and tomatoes and cucumbers, then the boyfriend made us a mushroom and steak appetizer, followed by a very rich, delectable coconut curry shrimp pasta. When I did Tough Mudder a few years ago, I was told to carboload the night before, so it was justified, I’m sure 😉

I am going to do a post on the workshop by itself, because there were so many awesome parts to it (and I don’t have the pictures yet), but needless I was blown away by John Stead and his team. We worked on a choreography until 1, when Day 1 of the workshop concluded to make way for the boxing class, which a few of us participated in. Ryan’s class is a killer, but you can’t help but feel proud, strong and like a badass when it’s over.

We ate, then worked on the choreography. It was unfortunate that Christine and I had the same part in the fight, but also really cool, because it meant that we had to learn the other part as well in order to be able to practice with each other. In acting, your scene partner’s lines are more important to listen to than your own, so I think it was probably really beneficial for us to know the other side of the fight as well.

As a reward for a day spent training, she invited me over for a swim, some Jacuzzi and sauna action (not to forget a poolside rendition of the fight choreography) before we went out for supper and talked about the industry, the workshop, and how she has to move to Toronto now.

On Sunday we went to 4 points early to work on the choreography, and I’ll go more into details later, but it was an amazing day. Not easy, but so much fun, and definitely something that I would love to do. I have a long way to go, obviously, but I am ready and willing to put in the work to get there, which was not always the case.

At the very end, those of us who were left went out for supper (we were starving!) and stayed there until 11 o’clock talking about the workshop, the differences between acting and stunts, training options, and I’m pretty sure some acquaintances became friends.

On Monday I drove back to Montreal and am working at McGill for the next few days. Which is work, obviously, but it kind of also feels like I am being paid to hang out with my friends 🙂

“The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.”

-Walt Disney

 

I started off my week with a pole dancing class, where we learnt a fun routine that looked way out of my reach before we started, but was looking pretty good by the end of class.

That evening, I went to the Monday night ‘Amazon’ BJJ class. A huge part of me wants to get completely discouraged when I keep ending up on the bottom, or tapping out, but then I remind myself that I am a beginner, who is still learning, and the reason why I feel like I am doing worse than when I started is because people are no longer treating me like I have no idea what I am doing. Which I think is a good thing?

On Tuesday I worked as a standardized patient, then went to NOGI Jiu-Jitsu in the evening. Being the only girl with a bunch of guys no longer means that I am going to have an easier time and get coached through every move, but I am still learning a lot. And I find it a lot easier to remember why I don’t want to be in a certain position after I have had someone do something to me in that position. For instance, I used to squirm out of someone’s control by turning my back to them, which worked when they were taking it easy on me and letting me. David and Ayisha kept telling me not to show my back, but I didn’t really see it as an issue. Until people started taking advantage of my turning my back. Using it to get me into chokeholds and such. Now, when my back even starts to get exposed, I immediately work on changing my position, because I know it’s somewhere I don’t want to be.

On Wednesday I got a private boxing bootcamp lesson. They’re cool because you get a lot of attention and get worked hard, but you also have to be ‘on’ the whole time. If you slow down or modify a move in a class with a bunch of people, there’s a good chance the teacher won’t notice. If you’re the only student, chances are that he will. Which ultimately gets me a better workout, and sometimes hurts my pride. But I still love it. Especially the padwork at the end, where we learn combos and I feel both incompetent and like a badass at the same time. I know what I have to do, but my body often doesn’t listen. Like with my hands, for keeping my guard up. I think I might need to get knocked out when my hands are down so I’ll always remember to keep them up in the future?

That afternoon, I headed to the ACTRA offices for the TAWC meeting. I’m not sure if I have mentioned this, but I really love how ACTRA Toronto not only considers me a member, they let me be a part of things, like this committee. At the end, we got a crash course on social media, so the meeting ran a little late and I had to rush to get to my jiu-jitsu course.

I believe it was my first Wednesday class, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, and ended up in a class where everyone was at least 15 years younger than me. They still usually manage to get the upper hand on me, which is fine, but sometimes I get to be the one who knows a little more and teaches them something. The moves I remember most are the ones I have helped someone else to do.

I was back to being on the younger end for the 8 o’clock class, which was busier. Afterwards, we all went out for steak nite at a local pub. It was really nice to get to know everyone as people rather than just as jiu-jitsu classmates and teachers. Great food, amazing company…an awesome Wednesday night.

On Thursday I had a friend come over, partially to keep introducing them to Buffy, but mostly to ensure that I wouldn’t find an excuse to not go to the monkey vault that evening. I had thoroughly enjoyed my last visit there, but the combination of class, staying after class and then doing a boxing bootcamp right after had left me with arms that felt dead for nearly a week afterwards.

In the end, not only did I make it, but I brought my roommate and the friend with me. This class concentrated a lot more on jumps, rather than climbing, so my arms were fine, and I started getting more comfortable with a few things. Which is surprising, because my roommate pulled a muscle before we were halfway through the class and had to sit the rest out. In her defense, she was doing awesome up to that point, and came back for the hanging competition, whereas I would have wanted to use my leg as an excuse to not have to do that.

We stayed after class, having fun with the equipment, and I showed them what I had learnt last time I came. I am still hesitant with a lot of things, and know it is my fear that is holding me back, but whenever I trusted myself and tried things, it always worked out for the best.

We rewarded ourselves with some Burger Priest and a whole lot of Buffy

The next morning I went to another boxing bootcamp where it was just me and the teacher, where I got quite a workout in. He also tends to film snippets of me doing the moves, so while I feel like I am doing them right, I get to watch the videos and make the necessary adjustments. After the circuit training we learnt a new combo where we focused on speed, which was really fun. At the end, he stayed longer to show me how to kick.

Eventually, he headed out and I stayed for a jiu-jitsu class, which has always been me and 2 other people so far, but this time we were a bunch of us. We worked on some techniques, with Ayisha giving us all kinds of pointers, then there was rolling, which we don’t usually do on Fridays.

I went home and worked on things, such as releasing the trailer for The Anniversary and getting it on imdb, which I am super proud of. We are in the final steps of post production and I can’t wait to see the finished product of my first filmmaker adventure.

I had full intentions of going to gymnastics that night, but just as I was finishing supper, my roommate invited me out to some parties with other actors, so I spent the night networking instead. Or, you know, making friends and cultivating relationships, which is super important career-wise, and good for the soul.

On Saturday, I was one of the volunteer actors for a Director’s Workshop at Ryerson, where I met an amazing director and a lovely group of actors, then got to be directed by one of the students. It was really interesting to see the different approaches different directors take to the same material.

I had some time to kill, so instead of going back home for a few hours, I caught up on some movies. Annihilation, Pacific Rim: Uprising and Tomb Raider were the ones I saw, 2 of them with my roommate, and I was thrilled to see that all 3 featured some amazing, badass, strong female characters for young girls to look up to, that I would absolutely love to play.

After the movies, my roommate and I headed to the closing party of the Canadian Film Fest, where we got to support local filmmakers, mingle and dance the night away. It was an awesome, inspiring night and a peak into a world I can’t wait to really be a part of.

On Sunday I went to a pole dancing class and had a lot of trouble pushing through the pain of squeezing my bruised shins against the pole. But we also learnt a really cool and (I found) easy spin that was not painful. So silver lining!

Afterwards, I had some friends come over for an afternoon of brainstorming and coming up with an idea for a short that we could shoot together. We started out by figuring out everyone’s goals for the project, and by the end we had a story that met all of them. I can’t wait for our next session, and all the amazing projects we hope to do together.

Monday I packed up and headed to 4 points, because although I had to drive to Montreal, I didn’t want to miss more classes than I had to, and especially not the Amazons class on Monday nights. I left before the rolling, but at least I got in my techniques 😉

 

“If you have a good idea, get it out there. For every idea I’ve realized, I have ten I sat on for a decade till someone else did it first. Write it. Shoot it. Publish it. Crochet it, sauté it, whatever. MAKE.”

-Joss Whedon

What doesn’t kill you

I am not a model. I went to a model search thing when I was about 12 years old with my cousin, and they told me I would never make it because I was too short, and my parents weren’t tall enough to imply that I would grow much taller. However, I have had some really awesome experiences lately with photographer friends, so when I saw a request for models for a bridal shoot, I figured, why not? I was a little surprised to find out I would be bringing my own wardrobe and it was the hair and makeup that were wedding themed (not the dress), but I still had a really fun time. I had my first ever experience with fake lashes, and got some beautiful pictures out of it.

As soon as we were done with the photoshoot, I drove to Montreal with Johnny, for a couple of days of family and income taxes. One was a lot more fun than the other.

We drove back to Toronto on Tuesday, so I could work at Michener, then try out a Krav Maga class. A friend started taking it and said it was a really fun workout, and you learn self-defense, so it seemed like a win-win situation. I arrived as class was starting, so I jumped right into the elbow moves. We learnt them, then were told to get into groups, grab some pads and practice. I was lucky enough to end up with a guy who is also a krav maga instructor, so I got a lot more practice than everyone else, and learned quite a few things that the others didn’t. And it was really framed as a self-defense class rather than a workout, which was a bit scary in what it makes you think about, but also a really interesting approach.

After krav maga, I went to 4 Points for the NOGI class. It’s an hour and a half class, where the first hour is spent learning new techniques, and then we roll for the last half hour. The one who knows the technique better is always the one who does it first, so that wasn’t me. However, I was really proud when my partner was having trouble with a certain technique, and I was able to help him figure it out. When it came time to roll, I tried more things, actually using armbars and kimoras rather than just trying to not have them used against me. When someone asked if he should take it easy on me and let me do all the attacking, I told him to just go for it and I would tap out if he was hurting me. Rolling has become a lot harder now that people aren’t going as easy on me, but I am also learning a lot more. In one of my rolls, the guy not only didn’t hesitate to put me into submission, he went straight to choking me or armbars, anything to make me tap out. The one time I thought I might have a bit of an upper hand, he just stood up, so I was hanging off his neck and shoulders, upside down, and then he turned around in circles before bringing me down to the floor. We restarted every 10 seconds because I kept having to tap out, but I was still incredibly proud of myself. Because even though I knew he was going to have me on the ground and tapping out within seconds, I literally just sat back up every time and went for another round. There are a lot of things in life that are scary because they are unknown, and now I don’t have to be afraid of being twirled in the air, choked or whatever, because I know it really isn’t bad.

On Wednesday I did a boxing bootcamp, then spent some time with the roommates before going to dungeons and dragons. I am really enjoying these games and wondering why I didn’t start playing years ago. Also, I think LARPing would be awesome.

On Thursday I went to ACTRA for the Respect on Set workshop, where I had the chance to meet some fellow members, and actually learnt a few things that could definitely be helpful in the future, and would have saved me a lot of trouble if I had known it years ago.

After the workshop, I went to my third pole dancing class, where I learnt a new back spin, as well as sits. Apparently, sitting on the pole for extended periods of time isn’t exactly a question of building up strength, but of building up a tolerance for pain (or discomfort?). ACTRA’s website suggested asking yourself if you have a high threshold for pain before becoming a stunt performer, so I guess there are benefits to building it up? We also tried elbow hangs, which I managed with help for a few seconds, but my pain threshold is not there yet.

Friday was one of those days where I was THAT GIRL. I went to the boxing class, where I was alone again, so I got a thorough workout, and learnt a new combo for the boxing. At the end, he asked if I wanted more pad work or conditioning next week. Pad work is obviously more fun and feels like much less of a workout, but I am aware that I need to build up my endurance and my core and my hips and all those fun things, so I did not take the easy way out. I’ll hate myself next Friday, but in a good way.

After, I had a Jiu-Jitsu class, where we learnt some new techniques (or at least new for me). One of them I had absolutely no confidence that I could do, and wasn’t sure I really wanted anyone to try it on me, but I kept my fears to myself and trusted the guys I was learning with. Turns out it really wasn’t bad being the one who is thrown, and I actually managed to throw the guy who twirled me around on Tuesday over my head. It wasn’t like he was putting up a fight, because we were learning the technique, but I am still pretty impressed that I managed it.

That evening, I drove to MWF Madness, which was recommended to me probably because they work on stunt stuff on Wednesdays (according to the website), but Fridays are for gymnastics. Which I love so much in theory and would really like to get better at. We learnt a bunch of cool jumps on the trampolines for a warmup, then did stretching and stuff before tumbling. There is a list of skills to go through and I was starting below the newbie line, but I am very looking forward to moving my way up. At the end, it is open gym for everyone to work on whatever they want to work on, so I got some advice and worked on my back rolls, handstands and trampoline work. Both he and my boxing coach gave me things to work on before I see them again, so looks like I will be shadowboxing and spending some time upside down this week.

On Saturday an hour long open mat rolling session turned into an hour of technique and a half an hour of rolling with a Jiu-Jitsu champion and stunt guy from Montreal, Lee Villeneuve. I am now used to being the only girl in a lot of these classes, but I hope the guys aren’t too disappointed when they are paired with me. Today, Lee was teaching all the techniques, so it was even new for the people who had been training with David for a long time. This meant that although I always assume that the other person knows so much more than I do about whatever we’re learning, this time we could actually help each other figure it out. And while I usually ask which hand goes where and which way do I turn, this time it was more of a mental game, because we could either wait to ask the teacher what was wrong, or we could realize that grabbing here creates a space there, and putting the leg here makes it easier to go there…it was really exciting for me.

When we got to the rolling, I obviously wasn’t one of the few who got to roll with Lee, but I do think I got better with each time. I used the technique we did on Friday to throw someone over my head and instead of just “Once more unto the breach” with the guy who twirled me over his head, I tried to hold my ground a bit, or stay up, to at least delay the moment where he would get me to tap out. Because learning how to lose and go back for more is great, but you also need to learn how to hold on and fight rather than to just resign yourself to a defeat. All in all, it was an awesome class. And a really cool week of new classes and pushing boundaries that is totally worth the bruises and the pain.

 

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

This week was busy, which is just how I like it. It started off with work at Michener, with a bit of suspension of disbelief when my ‘scene partner’ went from playing my 23 year old husband to playing my father. Either way, it is always so much fun to be able to play off of someone in those scenarios.

New demo reel 🙂

When work was done, I headed over to 4 points to be one of the Amazons at the 7 pm class. Women are welcome in all of the classes, but if one feels like she would rather try a class when she knows there are other women who will be there, she can sign up for this one. There are guys too, but we outnumbered them this week. With 10 girls and slightly less guys, I ended up being paired with a girl who was there for her first ever jiu-jitsu class. The teacher came over to make sure I had the technique right, so I did it on her a few times, then guided her through doing it on me. There was a lot of uncertainty and trying to figure out which side to do certain things on, but we made it through. I also told her that it would be a good idea to stay for the second class, because while I struggled through figuring it out, most of the guys who showed up for the later class know what they are doing and have been incredibly helpful in teaching me the techniques.

For the rolling, I completely made the mistake of acting like all the guys did with me, where they won’t attack or take the upper hand, they just wait for me to figure things out. At the same time, I really appreciated that my first ever time rolling, when I knew nothing. There was someone I had rolled with last week and they had simply used their strength against me, grabbing my wrists tight enough to bruise, so I was slightly reluctant when paired with them this week. A few moments in, I asked them how long they had been doing Jiu-Jitsu and found out it was their second week. I actually knew more than they did! So, instead of trying to win or get the upper hand, I talked them through the techniques they could use to get out of my guard, or to get control over me, without just using all their strength. I tapped out 3 times that roll, but it was because I showed them how to overpower me. Which still feels like a win in my book.

On Tuesday I worked all day as an SP, starting with an incredibly topical role that brought up a lot of conversations, most of them really inspiring, while some comments reminded me why a #metoo movement and #believeher is so important.

In the evening, I had a scenario that hit so close to home during the dry run, having spent the week at the hospital in a much less severe, but still similar situation. This week I was thankfully out of that situation personally, but it was incredibly easy to put myself into that emotional state. The tears poured freely, even with the frequent time-outs to discuss how things were going.

Wine and cheesing at the ACTRA Member’s Conference.

On Wednesday I had a fitting for some background, then came home to sleep because I was under the impression that I had an overnight shoot, followed by a 5 am call time with potentially no time to sleep in between. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, but it took a while for me to find that out.

I had brought my car to set before, but this was the first time that I was actually asked to drive it in the scene while being background. The part that worried me of this was after they call cut, when you have to back your car back up to the original position, while the crew and the other extras who had crosses are all wandering around because they know the street has been blocked off for them. After the first take, a guy told me to honk twice to let everyone know I was backing up, then said he would guide me, so he went behind my car and walked backwards, gesturing with his hands for me to go straight or to turn, telling me I was doing great. At one point, we had to stop for another car to turn around, so he waited by the side of my car and said, “This is what happens when you get BG for ND drivers.” into his radio. He kept telling me I was doing great, and I have no idea if he meant me, the car we were waiting for, or just the lot of us in general, but I felt slightly offended, and like he was underestimating me. True, I was nervous about this part, but I had only ever done exactly what I had been told to do. After future takes, he left me on my own, so I did the 2 honks and drove progressively faster to get back to my starting position.

We wrapped around 1 am, and my call time wasn’t until about 11, so I went home and slept before driving to Hamilton. It was nice to spend international women’s day on set, with a bunch of other women. There was also a stunt happening, with a very energetic and demonstrative female stunt coordinator, which I find super awesome. Especially given the date, but also just in general. Some people couldn’t wait to go home, as with every day on set, but I loved pretty much every minute of it. I met some cool people, saw some brilliant performances, and my reaction game was on point.

On Friday, to celebrate my day off, I went to a boxing class, where I was the only student, so I basically got a private lesson. It was a totally off day for me, where I found myself assuring him that I can normally do a much better, real pushup. He thought it was really cool when I told him I wanted to get into stunts, but he didn’t let me off easy. I still had to punch as hard, and he insisted my technique would need to be even better, because when he sees me on tv one day, he wants to believe that I am someone who actually boxes.

I stayed afterward for the Jiu-Jitsu class, where we were three, but there was some time between the 2 where I got to roll a bit with my boxing coach, then I worked on my handstands, because having a padded wall is almost just as good as a person who promises to catch you.

The techniques we learnt in jiu-jitsu were pretty straightforward, but I was really lucky (and a little frustrated) to have someone who was not going easy on me. When learning new techniques, you go until the other person taps out, which I usually do once they get to the end of the moves, because we’re just learning things and I assume you’ve got the gist of it. My partner, however, did not tap out until he actually had to, and purposely tried to hold his position and make me work for it. In the moment, part of me was obviously exasperated that he was making everything harder, but I also appreciated it sooooo much, because he wasn’t underestimating me, he was showing that he believed that I could do it, and was making me prove it. Which I did. It was more of a struggle than I would have preferred, but it was so much better that way.

From the Action for Film and TV Workshop

 

“Being strong doesn’t mean you’ll never get hurt. It means even when you get hurt, you’ll never let it defeat you.”

Becoming ‘That Girl’

This week, I got to spend 3 days on set doing background, which was really cool because I love being on set, and because there were stunts, so I got to watch and learn a bit and get reacquainted with some cool people.

My first day not on set, I headed downtown for a Toronto Ninjas meetup, which is the name given to the people who use Bonnie Gillespie’s wealth of information. It was awesome to catch up with some fellow actors, make new friends, find out about interesting events or classes that are going on, and just talk about acting and the industry. I had to leave early for a dry run at Michener, but even that was a lot of fun.

I went home and worked on my new demo reel, which is looking amazing. And by worked on it, I mean I watched what my super talented friend had put together for me and told him what I thought, so I can have an incredible demo reel that I am really proud of.

That night, my roommate and I went to audit Lewis Baumander’s acting class. I saw some familiar faces, and some great performances. It was really interesting to see him work with the actors and have some great discussions with us. Last, but definitely not least, he seemed like a hardworking, genuine, supportive person, which is nice to have in a teacher, or anyone you work with.

On Friday, I tried the lunchtime Jiu-Jitsu class, and received my first GI. I did karate as a kid, so I’ve had kimonos, but this is me as an adult, not just dabbling in something sport-related, but actually committing to it and investing in it. In myself. It’s just another ‘costume’, but to me it’s huge and exciting and I’m really happy about it. Like I’m a part of something

I rushed home after class to shower so I could make it to Anthony Meindl’s workshop. His studio was one of the places I trained when I was in Los Angeles, and more than just attending classes, I absolutely loved auditing his masterclasses, so I was really glad to get to watch him work again here in Toronto. His enthusiasm and love for actors and storytelling is incredible to be around, and it is inspiring to see how simple things can elevate and bring truth to a performance. A fellow Toronto Ninja performed a monologue and she was heartbreakingly beautiful.

Now the title of this post refers to ‘that girl’ in an awesome way. I mean, I definitely would have rolled my eyes and thought ‘that girl’ was crazy, back in the day, but now that I am becoming her, I have to say she is so much more than that. (but yeah, obviously crazy) You see, after more than 12 hours on set and getting up long before the sun, I headed to Jiu-Jitsu classes on both Monday and Tuesday. Hour long workouts used to be my max, and I especially enjoyed the warm up and cool down parts of them. These days, when the hour class ends and they ask if I’ll stay for the next hour and a half, I’m like “Of course.” I am bruised all over and finding out what it’s like to roll with people who don’t take it easy on me because I’m a girl and I’m new, but I am loving it. I am loving the way it makes me feel when I’m done. In general, and about myself.

On Saturday, I went to my first ever parkour class at the Monkey Vault. It was with a teacher and 2 other women, who had each been coming off and on for the past 3 years. We started with easy things, like vaults, then the obstacles got higher and higher until we were scaling walls. There was a rod to hang on to, but I haven’t always had that much faith in my own strength, and if my arms had decided to give out at certain points, I may have tumbled to my death. Or a brain injury. Or at least a lot of pain and some broken things.

This summer, I told a new friend who is really awesome in the stunt community that I wanted to be a badass and do my own stunts and stuff. He was really supportive and on board, until he asked, “Are you afraid of heights?” and my answer was, “Yes, but I do it anyway.” That wasn’t good enough for him.

Over the past few months, I have been discovering that a lot of the things that scared me were because I didn’t think I could do them. I have already shared how having trouble lifting myself up while tree trekking made me train to do pull ups so I could go back and not be afraid anymore, and it’s like this for a lot of things. It’s scary if you think you can’t do it, but if you know (or trust) that you have the strength to catch yourself, it’s incredible what you can accomplish. I mean that metaphorically, but also literally.

I was ‘that girl’ because after staying after parkour class to ‘play’ until my arms couldn’t hold me up anymore, I drove to 4 points for the boxing bootcamp. On Sunday, everything hurt, but rarely have I ever felt that fierce and accomplished. Part of me is terrified that this is some phase, or burst of motivation that will fizz out and disappear soon, but I am so excited to be becoming THAT GIRL, who goes to the gym instead of home to sleep after a long day, who does more than one workout in a day, who does the things that scare her and pushes her limits until she is doing things she only ever dreamed she could.

“This is a door. Kick it open and come in.”

“I think the greatest thing our industry does is erase the lines in the sand, we should keep doing that as the world tries to make them deeper.”

-Both from Guillermo Del Toro

Action for Film & TV with Tazito Garcia

On February 25^th my roommate and I headed to 4 Points for a workshop with Tazito Garcia, called Action for Film and TV. While we waited for everyone to show up, he told us that this industry (acting, stunts, entertainment) is heavily based on relationships, so we should all introduce ourselves to the people beside us. Knowing this to be entirely true, I figured we were off to a good start.

We got a handout and went through some ground rules and learnt the difference between Hong Kong and Hollywood style fighting, which was really interesting. His goal is to eventually have us all doing Hong Kong style, so we don’t need editing or camera angles or cheating to look awesome.

It wasn’t long before we were all up on our feet, learning the footwork, which kind of felt a lot like a dance. We learnt a few different attacks, (jab, cross, hook, upper cut, hammer, back hand) as well as the reactions (it was fun for people to try and figure out which way their head should go based on where the punch was coming from). When we moved on to doing the punches with a partner, I was paired with someone I am pretty sure was there to help out the teacher, not to take the class, but he had told me, “A little” when I asked if he had done any of this stuff before, which is exactly what I would have answered. But so not the truth for him.

My favorite part of the workshop was the flips. We started by falling back onto the mat, then throwing ourselves backwards onto it, then we did front rolls and flips (one with no hands guided by Taz).  It wasn’t that I didn’t think I could do them, because I have been doing front and back rolls in jiu-jitsu, but flips had always seemed like a bigger deal, and something scary. I’m not implying that we really did actual flips, at all, but what we did, I wasn’t afraid of, and flips seem like something I could work up to in the near future.

We learnt a sequence of punches and reactions, that ended right before a flip, but we never got to that part, because we were already way over our time. We ended with a Q & A, but there weren’t a lot of questions, so it was mostly Taz telling us about the industry and how stunts work. It was about 30 minutes after the time we were supposed to end at, but he invited us to stay after and ask more questions or practice.

My roommate and I decided to stay, and got some help with rolls and flips, before Taz showed us the end of the sequence we had been working on earlier. We tried the flip a few times on the mat, and then we did it without the mat. It may have knocked the wind out of me a bit the first time, but I think I did it more than 20 times before we left the gym, 2 hours after the workshop was supposed to have ended.

This whole stunt thing of mine may seem like a crazy pipe dream to a lot of people, especially the ones who know me, because I definitely don’t come off as athletic or physical or someone who would do stunts. It may also seem like it is coming out of left field, but I have been working towards this for years, I just didn’t believe I could do it. I self-talked myself out of it. I needed to find the confidence to actually seriously give it a real effort. Thanks to that and some amazing people who have been giving me advice and training me and supporting me, I am actually believing that I can be a badass. I am trying things that terrified me and realizing that they aren’t really so scary. I am discovering that a lot of things seemed impossible because I wasn’t putting in the effort or I decided that I couldn’t before I even tried. Turns out that if you try, and work at something, you have a way better chance at making it than if you just say you want to.

This isn’t me looking back on my journey once I have succeeded, this is me at the very beginning of what will be a very long and hard journey, saying BRING IT ON 🙂

“I can’t do _____ YET.”

-Tazito’s mindset advice. It’s not that I can’t do a backflip. It’s that I can’t do it YET.

 

SPs, Karaokes and Reads

I have been in Montreal recently because my grandmother was undergoing surgery, and there was nowhere else I could think of being. The surgery was a success and she is now at home, getting better and closer to her old self every day, but Monday was pretty nerve-wracking. After spending the day at the hospital pre and post surgery, it was a nice relief to get to go and try out some jiu-jitsu moves and stuff with a friend.

On Tuesday I got to see my McGill friends and do some dry runs before indulging in some apple pancakes with the family. I make it a point to celebrate Mardi Gras, or Pancake Day, every year, because who doesn’t love an excuse to have pancakes for supper?

On Wednesday I did a program where I was a bit of a wild card. I was encouraged to swear and be disruptive, so my notes after the first try were actually to drop more F bombs and be louder. It was a bit of a stretch from every day me, but I am getting used to doing things that feel counter-intuitive or scary, and so far I have been loving it. I am not going to start cursing like a sailor, but hopefully people won’t giggle anymore when I do.

On Thursday I proved to anyone that had any doubts that I truly am crazy. I left my parents’ house in the morning and drove to Toronto so I could do training for a program. It is a really emotional one, where I not only had to cry, a lot, but the facilitators can pause the scenario, discuss things, and then continue. Which means I have to suspend the tears, then start them up again. Luckily the scenario was hitting close to home and bringing the tears with no problem.

For supper, we went to the Korean Grill House for my roommate’s birthday, then to karaoke. I was with a group of amazing singers, but was not really one of them. I was convinced it was just the karaoke setting, but once we got to the car, my friend informed me that I just can’t really sing. At least that song, I hope. It was 11 at that point, and we were just beginning our drive home.

Friday was exciting and a lot of fun, but it was also super stressful, as I was kind of double booked. And running on no sleep. Still, I got to be a reader for a couple of hours, do a scenario at McGill on my lunch break, coerced a friend to cover for me for 15 minutes, then hours of more auditions before calling it a day. At least as far as working was concerned. My brother met me at work and took me to see Black Panther with Sam. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I think the true testament to its being awesome lies in the fact that I did not fall asleep during it. Which was asking a lot at that point, and my eyes didn’t even close a bit.

On Saturday I was spending the day with my family, thrilled with my grandmother’s progress and getting spoiled with baked goods, when I saw a friend’s post about needing help for his play. Since I am trying to get out there more and be of use, and because I really enjoy it and wanted to see the play, I volunteered. In exchange for an hour of catching up with old friends while hanging up coats, I got to see the final performance of Antigone. I loved it, with stellar performances all around.

Once the coats were all gone, I headed across town for some more karaoke. This time wasn’t a bar with song choices and individual performances, it was a room with a bunch of friends, 2 microphones and a screen that takes requests, but also gives random suggestions. It was way more my speed, because my voice could get lost in the crowd as I sang my heart out. Definitely something I would love to do again.

On Sunday, I caught up with JF over breakfast and a chai latte, before he blows up and becomes too famous for the rest of us mere mortals. If you haven’t read A God in the Shed yet, now is the time. Especially since he is getting a tattoo once he reaches 10 000 copies. (I probably wasn’t supposed to tell you that)

Afterwards, I said yes to the dress. A bridesmaid’s dress, but it was still really exciting. And any chance to spend the day with my cousin is awesome.

Yesterday I spent the entire day being a reader for a really interesting and topical project, which had me bouncing between an 8 year old, a 14 year old and their mother. There were so many familiar faces and amazing performances. I don’t think a day spent reading there will ever not be incredible.

Today, I am participating in the Olympics of the McGill Simulation programs, then driving back to Toronto for a week I cannot wait to experience 🙂

“And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears.”

-Mark Anthony

Classes and Hidden Gems

This week was a combination of being really busy, and then hanging out with family. On Monday, I had an audition for a student film, where they handed me new sides at the door and had me do the scene twice, with absolutely no notes between the two takes, so I wasn’t sure if I should do it the same or make adjustments. I mostly reacted off what the reader was giving me, but also took my time rather than rushing through my lines as I often do.

As soon as I was done with the audition, I drove over to 4 points BJJ for my first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class with GI. I felt like the pressure was on, because I couldn’t exactly stick to my being new at this, I would be expected to remember some of the techniques I learnt two weeks ago, if not by them, then at least by me. Luckily, even the things I had learnt had small variations, now that there was something to grip on to, so I got a refresher course. One class turned into 2, with rolling, so I ended up being there for 2 and a half hours rather than the hour I had expected. And at no point did I feel like I was done and wanted to go home. I learnt all kinds of techniques and rolled with many different guys. Other than the first guy in my NOGI class, pretty much everyone I have been paired with has waited for me to make the first move, then sort of coached me into positions and moves and getting the upper hand. This is awesome and I so appreciate them taking the time to teach me new things instead of just sending me straight to the floor, but at the same time, it’s not the same rolling everyone else is doing. Thankfully, Ayisha got this, so for my last pairing, she told the guy to challenge me more, to get the upper hand so I can realize what doesn’t work, what happens when I let someone get the advantage over me, and so I can think on my feet and get out of tough situations. It was definitely more of a struggle, but it was also so much fun.

After class, Ayisha and I had a long talk about my training plans, the classes I want to take, and how the studio can use more girls trying something new. I left with a lot of advice, and the knowledge that there are a lot of cool things on the horizon!

On Tuesday, I woke up so early to get to Niagara for a Mounted Combat and Stunts Workshop. I’ll make a post just about that day, but in the meantime, here are some pictures of me putting my yoga and ballet dabbling to good use…

On Wednesday I was back at 4 Points BJJ for their 6 am boxing class, which was more bootcamp than boxing, but exactly what I needed. It was hard and I had to keep going even when I wanted to give up, but I felt incredibly accomplished afterwards. There was also a point during the workout where I became convinced I have no core, only to realize in the following days that I did, because so many things became a lot harder after this class, when my core no longer worked. I exaggerate, but only slightly. The last 15 minutes or so were actually spent boxing. Maybe it was because we were only 2 of us at this point, but Ryan, the teacher, took the time to teach us the proper stance, the footwork and armwork for jabs, crosses and hooks. These aren’t really foreign concepts for me, but this was still the first of my boxing workouts to concentrate on proper form and making sure we got it right every time. I was initially planning on just going to 4 points BJJ for the Jiu-Jitsu, but now I think I might head there at the crack of dawn to get my ass whooped (in the best way possible) a few times a week.

That evening, we had a dress rehearsal for Hidden Gems, the variety show I am participating in at an elementary school. I met some really interesting people and was blown away by the talent and charisma in all of these tiny performers.

When it finished, we headed to my first ever Dungeons and Dragons session. I left my character to chance, and ended up with a Fighter, which I thought was super cool, but as a friend pointed out, the elf wizard has way more fighting skills. And magical powers. So lesson learned, but I still had an awesome time, and liked playing the kind of kickass character I am working to be in real life.

On Thursday we did 2 performances of Hidden Gems, which went awesome, and while we couldn’t really watch the other acts again, I did get to participate in an impromptu green room rendition of Riptide, and made suggestions (that never made it to paper) on a song they wrote.

On Friday I drove home to Montreal, where I have been taking care of family things ❤

 

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”

-Babe Ruth

Classes, Auditions and a Visit

I was signed up for another suspended yoga class on Monday, so I was going to leave pole class to another week. Which would have been fine, but as soon as I decided not to go and made plans with my roommate, I regretted it. Because I wanted to go. A completely new concept for me as far as working out is concerned, but I have managed to find really fun classes that don’t feel like working out. I quickly signed up and had my roommate drive me so I wouldn’t be late (She’s clearly awesome). We did inversion prep this week, though I wasn’t quite there yet. Inversions are when you go upside down on the pole, and when we were doing the floor work to prepare, I wasn’t really able to lift myself up off the ground so much. Which left me feeling a bit like a weakling.

Once the floor work was done, we started learning a combo on the pole, which the teacher checks every few moves, making each of us do it for her before we can move on. When I was showing her the spin, I did the wrong thing, but realized it and told her I knew I wasn’t doing it right, even as I spun around the pole.

“That’s okay, you also aren’t holding on properly, but you’re really strong so it works anyway.” She told me.

She showed me how I should be holding on (which would make it a lot easier for me) and I redid it without the mistake, but with a pretty big smile. There was a small part of my brain that was mortified at how badly I had messed up that move in front of the teacher, but I was way too busy concentrating on how I am not a weakling; I am so strong I make it work.

After an afternoon of working at home and running errands, I headed out to my second suspended yoga class, this one Ashtanga Suspension Flow. Instead of a progression like the first time I was suspended, this one was a sequence, so we didn’t try one thing and then get out of the sling to try something a little harder. We got up in the sling and just kept doing things. It was the first time since I started all these classes that I worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up, or do the exercise another time. In my defense, I was suspended in midair and the exercise was to kind of go into the splits, then come back into a standing position, so if you do one too many and your legs get tired, you fall flat on your face. Still, I never thought yoga would be the one to get me.

On Tuesday I worked as a standardized patient, then went to the Toronto School of Burlesque to try out some classes. The first one was Burlesque Teaser, and it was so much fun. The teacher, Red Herring, was hilarious and very entertaining. If ever I somehow end up on a stage where I am expected to do Burlesque, she taught me enough that I can go at least 2 minutes before anyone realizes I don’t belong there. And, depending on the costume, that couple of minutes could be a lot of fun. For me.

I stayed for the Drag Queen Ballet that came after, which was kind of just like a regular ballet class, with very different music, and a lot more attitude. I am planning for more action-themed classes in the next few months, but this is definitely a studio and classes that I want to come back to.

On Wednesday I went to my first Kickboxing Class, where I am pretty sure I nailed the combo. All the boxing/kickboxing/muay-thai class I have taken so far involved a combination of punches and kicks and stuff that you do with a partner, one with gloves and the other with pads. Let’s just say I am not consistently awesome at getting the right moves for these. This class however, I knew exactly what I was supposed to do. Even when we switched sides, I still had it. And when I was on pads, instead of holding them both up and hoping my partner would know what to do, I was actually able to guide her by holding up the proper pad and putting it sideways if it was a hook and so on. Progress!

That afternoon, I got pictures taken for a background agency, and had an audition for this really inspiring biopic on an astronaut. The girl auditioning me was convinced she had met me before, and we had a nice little chat about Montreal before I did the scene twice, hopefully taking their note and giving them what they wanted.

On Thursday I tried some Pilates at La Femme Strong. This was the second time I worried I wouldn’t be able to do another rep. It was also the first class where we worked on one limb for a really long time rather than combinations or things that work out everything and switching it up. Still, it shows you that you can’t make assumptions, because yoga and pilates were the two classes I would have called the easiest. And in the scheme of things, they probably were, and they were obviously the least scary, but that isn’t to say they don’t hold their own. While Pilates wasn’t my favorite class, I loved the studio. The wall when you walk in is covered with inspiring words, and there is a board in the classroom with students’ reasons why they come here, and while you find some about the price or location or the workout, most of them are about the support and the inspiration they get from the other people in class. So not now, but this is also a studio I would like to come back to when the time is right.

That night we did a bit of a roommate movie night, including some mystical intention setting. I have never lived with roommates before, and so far, there has rarely been a dull moment, but hugs and support are never hard to find.

On Friday I went to the last class of my week trial at Primal Movement + MMA, kickboxing again, and it was the first time since NOGI jiu-jitsu weeks ago where I was paired with a guy. I can vouch that there is a weight difference between the black and the red pads, and I am pretty sure that he was hitting less hard for certain things because he didn’t want to hurt me. Like with acting, where it is up to the actress to give the actor permission to touch her, I discovered it is the same with boxing, because he struggled through a round of knees until I told him it was okay if he needed to hold on to me. Other than that, no big difference. And every time I finish one of these classes, I feel exhausted, but more awake, stronger, but like I’m going to be sore…I feel awesome.

J.F., a friend from Montreal drove over that night, so we got to catch up, then spent Saturday at the Toronto Tea Festival with Amber. I had expected to just sample the teas and spend time with friends, but couldn’t resist the pumpkin spice shortbread or the amazing Chaiwala Masala Chai.

We walked around the city afterwards, stopping by bookstores where I made sure his book, A God in the Shed, was front and center of the Horror Section, then had some food at The Assembly, which is kind of like a Hispter food court. And delicious. We spent the evening knitting and watching movies.

On Sunday, JF made us crepes before heading back to Montreal, while I headed into town for an audition. It was really interesting, because they are considering using the same actress to play the lead in her twenties, as well as twenty years later. I am not sure what it says about me that I related more to the middle aged version of the character, but I would love to be the one to play her. I did stumble once and call line, but other than that I am pretty happy with my performance.

Let the classes, the auditions and the visits continue 🙂

 

“Be stronger than your excuses.”

-The wall at La Femme Strong (which is very important, because I am so good at making excuses)