Brookfield Wannabe

I did a very brave thing last night.  I went to a Zumba exercise class. 

It was a brave act on many fronts.  First, I probably haven't done any real cardio exercise since Ms. Kemp's aerobics class at Burleigh Junior High.  Second, I attended the class with my sister-in-law who is a decade younger than I am.  Third, the class was open to anyone 16 or older, so there was the nagging fear that I would be Zumba-ing amidst people more than two decades younger.  Fourth, have I ever mentioned that I have an artificial hip joint? 

What is Zumba?  Zumba is best described as latin dancing aerobics.   Here's a clip from The Today Show, featuring the man who created Zumba.  The first few minutes of the clip showcase testimonials.  If you want to just watch the demonstration, you can skip ahead to about 3:45 in the video.

Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about the class.  I had only two goals:

1. To Not Hurt Myself; and

2. To Not Throw Up

I am proud to say that both goals were achieved. 

Both my sister-in-law and I really enjoyed the class.  We both like to dance, and it was a lot more fun than regular aerobics.  What I really found beneficial was that I could "tone down" the intensity of the moves to a level that was comfortable for me and still work up a pretty good sweat.   Apart from a few twinges on either side of my waist, due to all the hip-swiveling action,  I emerged relatively ache-free, although I do admit to downing some Tylenol as a preventative measure before I went to bed.

Interested in giving it a try?  I know that a few health clubs do offer Zumba classes, but the instructor who taught my class will soon be opening a studio in Brookfield on Bluemound Road.  It will offer yoga, pilates, and dance fitness classes, in addition to Zumba.  The studio is still undergoing construction, and the website is not up and running yet.  I'll post the information when I confirm that the studio is open.

As with any other type of exercise, check with your physician before beginning an exercise program, especially if you have any health problems or concerns.

I did, and my ortho doc gave me the greenlight, so long as I didn't do any hardcore jumping.  I of course was happy to comply. :-) 

Hello, I'm back!  And now that I'm back, unfortunately, I've got nothin'... and it is all The Spouse's fault. 

I've been writing this blog for two years, and in all that time, The Spouse has never asked that I refrain from writing about a particular topic.  Until two days ago.

So, a "situation" has presented itself that for me falls under the  "I don't want to do this but I'll suck it up and do it anyway" category of marital duties.  Then, I was struck by inspiration and thought, hey, this would make a darn funny blog.  I mentioned it to The Spouse.  This is how the conversation went.

Me: You know, this topic would make a really funny blog.  I could write about...

The Spouse:  I'd rather you didn't.

(So, then my hackles are up because (a) I'm basically going to be forced to do something that I don't want to do and (b) now I can't even write about it on my own gosh darn blog.)

Me:  (incredulous) Are you actually forbidding me to write about it?

The Spouse:  I'm not forbidding you to do anything.  I'm just saying that I'd rather you didn't.

 
Now the thing about writing out this conversation is that I cannot convey to you the way in which The Spouse made the above statement.  He used THE TONE.  So, although he technically did not forbid me to blog about it, the use of THE TONE was meant to indicate that a whole lot of bad would rain down on my head if I so much as typed two words about it. 

And of course my first inclination was to do it anyway with thoughts of "well, you're not the boss of me" running through my head.  But I didn't.

It did, however, get me thinking about how far I would be willing to go in writing a blog.

When I first started blogging two years ago, I only had vague notions of what a blog was.  What was supposed to be a blog about Brookfield has become less about the city itself and more about my life in the city and its surrounds.  And that is where the problem lies because my life is not just about me -- it's about my husband, my children, and my friends.

When I first started, I didn't fully grasp the reach and permanency of putting something into cyberspace.  Nor did I realize the phenomenon of "anonymous intimacy" that takes place between bloggers and their readers -- a relationship that can generate sympathetic comments as well as venomous ones.  

It comes down to a question of exposure.  How much information is too much? 

I've engaged in a little self-censorship.  I purposely don't identify my spouse, kids, and friends by their full name, and I still hesitate to post pictures of my family on the blog, although I kind of go back and forth about that.  

Wondering if there was such a thing as a "code of ethics" for bloggers, I googled just that, and sure enough, here's a sample of what I found.

I've also read material from other bloggers who've struggled with the same issues. Take for example this local blogger: Fish Out of Water.

So, I've come up with my own code: 

Thou shalt thinketh before thou blogeth.  And then thou shalt thinketh again.

I think that should cover about anything.