Monthly Archives: November 2010

More about Rheumatoid Arthritis and my commitment to community.

Last night we had a fabulous dinner to celebrate Jane’s Birthday. The four of us stumbled into the house, giddy as we were stuffed with delicious Japanese Food and desserts, and we saw this.

I could have run upstairs to grab a towel for her. I could have started to clean the floor, but I’m a blogger and I love you guys. So I grabbed my phone and started snapping pictures. Sparky has been eyeballing the vacuum in the pool for a few days now. I’m guessing last night she finally felt like she was in a position to nab it.

Here’s where she missed.

When we were done giggling, and the kids were tucked in Mr. G. and I just sort looked at each other and started in with the OhMyGawdWhatWouldWeDoIfTheCatDrownedOnHerBirthday talk. And then we were trying to imagine what she looked like in the pool. Then I sat around feeling sad that I didn’t have a video camera running while the cat was flailing in the pool. Because even if I’m a horrible person I’m a very good blogger, and y’all would loved that.

Even though Sparky has stolen my heart. I must say that I love Junior best.

Which takes my breath away. Twelve years ago I became her mother, and part of me simply cannot recall life before her.

She went from infancy to adolescence in a blink, but the smile in her eyes has never changed.

She’s a good girl. She’s smart, she’s strong, and above all she’s kind. There’s a bit of altruism in her basic makeup, and it will serve her well. It will serve all of us well. Jane will leave the earth a little better than she found it.

We’re raising a good girl, Mr. G. and I. Our home is a happy home, and she’s blossoming, but mostly it’s because she came to us this way. Kind, gentle, happy and smart.

Today is a very happy day.

Can I just say that Prednisone has made it possible for me to play tennis twice this week, do a moderate intesity workout at the gym (sadly while being filmed) and do this too?

As much as I hate the extra ten pounds, the dehydration and the general twitchiness of it, I must say that I absolutely love being able to move again.

And Arthritis can kiss my fat ass.

If you read my post yesterday, you’d know that I was in a fitness class where I was videotaped without giving consent.

I can’t really stop thinking about it, for a number of reasons.

Yes, it’s creepy. The gym in a private place where every wall has signs proclaiming it a camera free place. This is a setting where I’ve paid for my privacy, and I feel strange about losing it. But there’s a larger issue.

The big issue (today) is the fact that I’m in the business of partnering with brands. I do so thoughtfully and rarely in order to preserve the value of those relationships. I price myself quite high, and brands frequently say “no thank you” just as I often decline partnerships. This is all strategic. I have worked my ass off creating a business where my endorsement has value.

By appearing in an exercise video for a branded class at a national gym it would (mistakenly) appear to be an endorsement. That would suck.

Naturally, I’ve heard nothing from the gym today. I really didn’t expect to hear anything except oops, because I clearly wasn’t taken seriously yesterday by anyone in any position. We talk about privacy quite a bit, but what are your rules for other people? Do you get signed consent forms? Do you just take a snippet of video where they say “I agree to be filmed”?

And, yes, for those of you in the comments who were guessing who the celeb trainer is, and which huge fitness chain was involved, you were right. I’m not naming any names, because part of me still wants to see this trainer and his wife succeed. Yes, even though they have gone about things in the wrong manner.

Updated to add: They were on the Today show this week, and a class was filmed at my exact gym, with a film crew, and paperwork and things like that. So no one can say that they didn’t know better. They know better.

I tried something new at the gym today. As you may or may not know, I’ve been recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and going to the gym has consisted mainly of very long, very low impact workouts. As these medicines are kicking in, I’m finding that I can move well again, but I’m cautious to not overdo it.

Today I thought I’d try a new class at my gym. It’s very popular, and it’s taught by the family of a very famous exercise instructor. I was intimidated, but I decided to go ahead and try it anyhow. I wasn’t the only person who looked nervous.

The class was fun, but tough to follow. They zigged while I zagged, women around me went right while I went left, but it was warm and inviting. They (it ended up being a husband and wife team) started the class by asking who was there for the first time, and then they did this whole special welcome because that’s how you deserve to be treated…. blah, blah I should’a known it was acting.

So the class went on, and it became clear that there were about a dozen professional dancers in it. It makes sense, this is Los Angeles after all, and every prom queen who can shake her money maker lands here at some point. The class was fun, it was great even, and the instructors were so cheerful and earnest that I found myself wishing that they’d make a fortune.

Then came the part of the class where everyone made a big square and folks danced in the middle of it.

Then came the kid with the video camera. He was walking through the class and taping the instructors as well as some of the dancers. They were mugging for the camera, and generally enjoying themselves.

And then I asked him, “Why are you taking video?”

“We use it for the dance move of the week, and on facebook and stuff.” he told me.

“You don’t have permission to film me.” I said, still sort of moving my feet and clapping along with the rest of the class.

“I blur everyone’s faces out.” He said.

“That’s not good enough.” I smiled through clenched teeth. “You make sure that no part of me is on your video. You do NOT have permission to video tape me.”

And he shrugged, and sort of slouched by the windows while fiddling with his iPhone and Flip cameras.

As I left the gym all of my good feelings had gone away, because I was getting more and more concerned that my gym class was actually part of a marketing video. I felt duped, embarrassed and annoyed. I belong to a gym that is nationwide (I assure you, you know their name) and (like almost every one I’ve ever seen) has signs on every wall prohibiting photography. I spoke as nicely as I knew how to the young lady at the front desk. Some of the phrases I uttered were:

Tell your manager this is the most important phone call they can make today

Understand that this is the sort of thing that makes people sue.

Please know that 100 women were videotaped, and I’m being courteous by alerting you to the issue.

Apparently nice doesn’t work. Because this all happened at 11am, and at 5pm when I called the gym they were apologetic, but hadn’t gotten to the phone calls yet. Six hours later I was only six hours angrier.

And apparently someone else had complained about a man outside the class video taping, but they were unable to locate him. This unauthorized taping had upset the instructors, the manager assured me. I explained to her that of course it would upset them since they had their own cameras inside the class. The manager gasped audibly and assured me that they would take this very seriously.

I am told I will have a phone call tomorrow.

Which should be interesting, because I’m pretty sure they’ll get a letter from me in the next few days.