Suzanne Carillo

I recently met up with Ally from Shy Biker and Patti from Not Dead Yet Style.

I’m spilling the beans in this tell-all post with ten juicy secrets from our meet-up.

Are you ready? Patti and Ally you may need to sit down for this.

Ha ha!

Joking!

Kind of…

Surprising Facts You Don’t Know About My Recent Blogger Meet-Up

#1  Boutique hotels think peeing in full view of friends is totally okay.

What is it with the glass walls in boutique hotels? If you’re going to make a bathroom with glass walls why even bother with walls? Why not just build the toilet into the side of the bed? No more getting up in the night to pee when you can just slide over to the toilet and relieve yourself without even sitting upright.

When Patti came to visit recently she stayed at The Beverly Hotel in a room the size of a large broom closet with a “bathroom” (I use that term lightly) with glass walls. When I needed to borrow her toilet both Patti and Ally had to casually hang out in the minuscule hallway while I did my business. Who came up with that brilliant idea? An exhibitionist?

#2  Patti is the therapist whisperer.

Having been a psychotherapist for 20 years (now retired) Patti is an ace at reading facial nuances, verbal inflections and picking up any slip-of-the-tongue or other clues that would have left Sherlock scratching his head. If you are a spy trying to conceal some top secret information do not hang out with Patti. Before the evening is over she will know every secret about your country, your life, your families lives and every person you’ve ever met.

#3  It is possible to just eat a bite of dessert or none at all.

As a foodie and dessert obsessed freak I was amazed to see that Ally didn’t eat dessert and Patti only had one bite of whatever I ordered. I’ve never witnessed this kind of self control! I was most certainly the weak link.

#4  Just because you love something doesn’t mean you need to buy it.

I love to put together Polyvore sets of clothing pieces I adore online, inevitably though I wind up selling myself those pieces.

I almost always buy any vintage pieces that I love because I figure I’ll never come across them again.

Patti patiently explained that we can admire and adore certain items but we don’t always need to own them to enjoy them.  This is like not having your cake and not eating it too! Rather you just admire it from across the room and hope someone else enjoys scarfing it down.  I may will have to meditate on this one for a while.

#5  Trying something new is a good idea.

I’d never taken the new Toronto streetcars before. With some help from a kind and slightly off kilter stranger explaining how to purchase tickets I was able to show Ally and Patti that taking public transport can be just as weird, haphazard and freaky in Toronto as it is in NYC.

#6  Rediscover where you live.

I visited some neighbourhoods that were new to me and I discovered vintage stores I never knew existed, like this one called Flash Back where I tried on the pieces above. It was great being a tourist in my own city, even if that did make me a rather lame tour guide.  Now I have a whole bunch of new vintage stores to tempt me. I feel like this may be in direct conflict with #4.

#7  Toronto traffic is unpredictable and horrendous.

I was late by 90 minutes for dinner the first night. Ally rode some 12 hours via motorcycle and Patti flew in but I couldn’t make the commute from Mississauga to downtown Toronto on time. What would normally take me 25 minutes took 2.5 hours. Not cool.

#8  I edit most of the swear words out of my blog.

Yes, I have been known to pepper my language with colourful swear words. I am not as gifted as Selina Meyer on Veep but I can hold my own in a seedy truck stop if needed. I think Patti and Ally were a tad shocked by this. I credit my husband for teaching me the finer nuances of colloquial swearing.

#9  Patti made a pact with the Devil.

Either that or she has a portrait hidden away in some attic that looks 61 because she doesn’t look a day over 45, and since I got a sneak peek while we were thrift shopping I can tell you that her body doesn’t look a day over 35. In fact, I don’t think my body looked that hot when I was 25. All I can say is, I want what she is having.

 #10 We need to continue to challenge ourselves as we age.

Patti mentioned that travelling on her own to another country challenged her to step up and outside of her regular comfort zone.  Ally mentioned that making the very long motorcycle trip solo was a physical and mental challenge for someone in their very late 40’s (okay, late 50’s).  I was stressed about making the trip into Toronto daily during the rush hour and hoping not to be horrendously late, have an accident or never find parking. Turns out we all managed just fine on our own.  Sometimes our brains become too comfortable and relaxed in the same old routine. Creating new challenges and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone keeps us mentally vibrant and energized.

Did any of these facts surprise you? If so, which one?

Do you continue to create new challenges for yourself as you age?