May 2010

Need a Bootsy Call?

If you Spin at The Firm then you know who Tammy Boots is. If you have ever had a Dr. Hauschka facial then you know who Tammy Boots is. She is the super bubbly bouncy red haired girl with the bigger than life smile…and she has been coming to The Firm forever…like since she was 19 years old…and now she is really coming to The Firm. Tammy has 15 years experience with Dr. Hauschka skin care and 9 years experience with massage. Aside from regular massage she is trained in prenatal and hot stone massage, reflexology, manicures and pedicures, ear candling, waxing services, facials, lymphatic body treatments(flushing fluids), cellulite massage, lash and brow tinting,… basically if you want it rubbed, tinted, waxed or polished she can do it…and it’s all right here at The Firm.

Call Tammy directly to set up and appt. 612-418-7869.

Aaaah freak out….Monique is chic….

There’s a new girl in town and she is going to be kicking your butts very soon. Monique Kelbrants has been a fan of The Firm for many years and has always dreamed of being on the “A” team. She has been teaching since 1989 and started at Lifetime in 2005 where she has developed quite a following. By day she is a graphic designer and 24/7/365 she is a mother of three little hellions that keep her busy, active, and young. If she can keep up with all of them just wait till she gets a hold of your pampered bottoms.

She will start teaching CT this Tuesday the 25th at 6:15pm and Thursday the 27th at 5:15pm.

You will Freak Out.

Oh where oh where has our little Kelly gone?

Not all that long ago, Kelly was basically teaching classes and working and walking around like normal, but normal to you and me is not normal for a super hero like Kelly. After years and years of teaching bad ass Hi-Impact, Kick Boxing, Funk, Spinning and, did you know she taught the very first step class in Minneapolis? Eventually she had to look the cold, hard truth in the big, bad face and admit that it was time to do what a lot of women of her age and dignity are doing: go under the knife. Yes, she got a double knee-job. Please note I said KNEE….She did not have them reduced or enlarged but let’s just say the have been “enhanced”

So just because she hasn’t been on the Spin schedule doesn’t mean she hasn’t been on the clock. She is still working her ass off and spinning 100 miles an hour, she just isn’t doing it on a spin bike for right now. Kelly would, if she could, teach spin, and boxing for you 28 hours a day, 8 days a week. Because Kelly, who is possibly the biggest, baddest badass around, loves to teach and loves to be at the Firm, even if it’s painful. She may look pretty on the outside but she eats nails for breakfast for Christ’s sake.

Mostly what you should know is that Kelly is a tremendous resource. There are a few members at the Firm who have had injuries or rehab of their own, and Kelly is happy to steer them toward her favorite exercises, or even recommend a great orthopedic surgeon, lip gloss, or which French Santerre goes best with grilled tuna….Think of her as “Ask Jeeves” but for really important stuff.
Kelly’s “Knees” are recovering very well and she is getting ready for another comeback. ( and not in a Whitney Houston kind of way), So when this whole “knee” ordeal is over, should be sometime in June, Kelly will be right back on that spin bike teaching her heart out and swinging that hair.
We also hope that this is her last surgery, and she’s ready to come back to boxing someday soon. The glory days of boxing may be right around the corner kids…Start Praying.

The Summer Hours deal

Ah, summer hours. They make the workout-aholics crazy, because they can’t drink as much workout-ahol as they can in the wintertime. But we say, get outside, Workout-aholic! Go for a run! Spend time at a park with your kids! Have a kayak around a lake! Play tennis with the hot neighbor lady! There’s plenty of workout-ahol outside elsewhere.
We will be going to our summer hours Starting Sunday May 30th. (That’s Memorial Day weekend*.)
So, for the summer the gym hours will be…

Monday-Thursday: 5:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Friday 5:30 AM to 8 PM
Saturday 7 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday 8 AM to 3:00 PM

On Monday, May 31, which is Memorial Day, we’ll be open 8 AM to 1 PM, and have morning classes only.

4th of July is on a Sunday this year (doesn’t that suck!) so we will be open 8 AM to 1 PM and have morning classes only.

The Deal on Meals and Firm F.I.T.

It’s usually so easy to write about most Firm FIT sessions: There are holidays to prepare for, or burn off, or there’s swimsuit season to think about, or whatever. For the Firm FIT section beginning on June 5th, however, it was difficult for me to find a ‘hook’. But I’ve got it!

Behold…
If you join the FIT section beginning on June 5th you’ll be going when we have the most daylight. That is HUGE. It’s not easy to get out of bed when it’s dark out. If you didn’t sign up last winter because you fretted about the cold, early mornings, here you go. Also, think about all the delicious summer produce you can get at the Farmer’s Market! June is the perfect time to do Firm FIT.

Now, maybe you don’t know what Firm FIT is. Here’s the lowdown: you work out with our trainers for an hour a day, six days a week for eight weeks. We teach you how to work out and how to eat to maximize your metabolism and turn fat into muscle (turn blah into bitchen, turn ho-hum into hot, turn so-so into so sexy, you get the idea). But the best part is that what you learn in Firm FIT goes well beyond the eight weeks of the session. You’ll make changes that stay with you forever. It’s pretty GD rad.
Next Firm FIT starts June 5th. It's limited to 16 people and it always sells out, every time. So if you want in, you better hustle.

Call Neil Miyamoto for details: 612-810-4052.

New Front Deskies

The East wind has blown in a few new front desk staff!

Hennessy Waddell has been a cleaner here for a year or two. We could see she had real promise, so we gave her a promotion. She’ll now be kicking it at the desk on Monday, Thursday and Friday nights, and Saturdays during the daytime. Could she be cuter? No. Could she be nicer? No. Could she be more talented at selling you waters and towels? It remains to be seen…

You already know Amanda Blair because she’s been teaching you Yoga at the Firm for about a hundred years. I love her class because no matter how clumsy and awkward my classmates and I are (I’d prefer to say that I’m ‘coltish’, but really I look like a big jerky drunk elephant), she showers us with praise. She’ll breathily exclaim, “Gorgeous!” as she looks upon a battalion of teetering warrior poses, no matter what. Anyway, she’s on the desk staff too, and she works on Mondays during the day and on Wednesday nights.
She’s awesome.

YO! Heads up.

Here’s some other schedule stuff to note, yo.

Monday 12:15 PM Spin is now taught by Terry Kuehn
Monday and Wednesday 9:30 Core is now Yoga, taught by Laura Robertson 

The boxing classes on Tuesday, May 25th and Thursday, May 27th will be the last weekday boxing classes for the summer. You’ve got time to get one more in before summer comes!

Something in the water at The Firm….

Here’s the deal with being pregnant: it takes forever, and sometimes you barf, and you feel really heavy, and your tummy bumps into stuff if you’re not careful, and you get really warm all the time, and sometimes it’s hard to sleep, and sometimes your skin gets funny, and you aren’t supposed to dye your hair or eat sushi or drink vodka.

BUT. When it’s over they hand you a really cute baby and you get to keep it!

This is, in a nutshell, what happened to our Kristin Gourde on Sunday, March 7th, when Josephine Marie came into the world, a kicking, screaming hellcat of 7 lbs, 2 oz.

And our very own Rebecca "Kitten" Abroe gave birth to her very own kitten Elloise Lillian Abroe on May 19th at 4:52pm. She was a delicate 8.12 lbs and 21.5 inches. The whole "litter" of Abroes are insanely happy and doing well.

Online Spin Rez

Here’s the deal: We are so, so, so close to having online, self-serve spin reservations. We’ve still got a few kinks to iron out, but we should be up and running with it soon. We’ll let you know as soon it’s ready, and we’ll send along the how-tos.

Love your hair….Hope you win.

BRAD BRAD BRAD. It's all about Brad these days. Brad’s One Man Minneapolis beauty pageant (they’re calling it an “event” on the One Man Minneapolis website, but at the Firm it is referred to as a ‘beauty pageant’ and it will be forevermore) is this Saturday May 22nd at the Pantages Theater. Each contestant chooses a local charity with which to affiliate himself, and Brad has chosen PFLAG. Yes, Brad Is one fine specimen of modern Minneapolis gay man. Say it loud.

Wait: can I say that?
YES, Because that’s totally true, too.
Remember a vote for Brad could mean a lot of money for PFLAG and that’s the real reason Brad is in this “pageant” in the first place. Just watch this video to see why Brad is so passionate about PFLAG
Click Here

Go to "One Man Minneapolis" online to buy a ticket and attend the event. The winner is decided by audience applause level, so go out and cheer Brad on to victory... Good luck ladies.

Many of you may remember last spring when The Firm hosted a book launch for Brads parents book “Ready or Not, They’re Gay” The book has been a huge success and now the local GLBT PRIDE Committee is awarding them the “Everyday Hero” award for all the support they have shown the gay community( how cool is that?). and as if that isn’t enough Target Corporation is also being honored for their corporate achievement in creating a safe work environment for members of the GLBT  community. In Brad’s “real job” he is a Diversity Consultant for Target so you know he has had a lot to do with creating that environment. Congratulations Brad, Mom, Dad, Target. Your Firm Family is super PROUD of all that you do.

Gay Stuff

Speaking of PRIDE….It’s coming up…June 26th-27th….If you want to be in the parade with The Firm float and have a GAY old time, get in touch with Doug. Breeders welcome.  dmelroe@thefirmmpls.com

Speaking of Doug and gay did you see him on KARE 11 training Perk at Play and David Watkins to help them set a new Guiness World Record for the longest consecutive tennis match. 36 hours of Non-Stop tennis. ( I was gonna say 36 hours of “straight tennis” but Doug was involved) Check it out.

Best day of the year!

Many of you may know that The Firm has been a part of The MN AIDS Walk since the very first one 23 years ago. Doug remembers wearing a red white and blue lycra one piece number with those big white scrunchy socks that look like leg warmers and there were about 300 people there. Well not much has changed with Doug’s outfits, but the walk sure has. Now thousands of people show up, and this year helped raise over half a million dollars. Thanks to all who helped back up Doug and special thanks to David Knapp from MN AIDS Project for keeping The Firm involved. It is truly one of the best days of the year.