Massago - The Uber of Massages - comes to Canada

Uber of Massages - Massago - Comes to My Hometown, and My House or Office

Let me be very honest. Full disclosure: I've never been a massage kind of guy. For a guy who has been in as many car accidents as I have (my favorite is when the Mack truck hit me), yes, you may find it odd that I've done my very best to avoid something that so many have claimed provides them with much needed relief from neck, and back, and muscle pain. When I have nagging pain, I'd sooner reach for a bottle of Advil or some Rub A535 to numb the pain than reach for the phone to call masseuse. But its funny how quickly things can change.

So I was approached to try a new app that brings a masseuse right to your door (see description below), its called Massago, and right now its only available in Canada...well, Toronto. I thought long and hard about it and said no. Then I was told a ffriend could try it and I could just report on what they though. I was like "okay." Then I convinced them to come to my office and give both of my bosses a massage at the same time which pretty much got me brownie point throughout my entire company.

"Massago - the Uber of registered massages -is a useful tool for parents who have zero time to get out of the house to pamper themselves, and professionals who can't find the time to get out of their offices in this age of longer and longer work hours. With Massago, you get a deep tissue, Swedish (sweet!), prenatal, or sport massage as easy as hailing a ride. You sign up for the app, you answer some questions (personal, medical), you choose the type of massage you want, when you want it, and in no time you can feel like a brand new you." 

The long and the short of it is both my bosses, both female, loved it - even when I came in to the room by mistake to ask a question and they yelled at me to get out. They got to pick between male or female registered RMT's who came at the specified time, with all their equippment and lotions and oils, and soothing music, and barriers (thank god), and it was the perfect thing to relax them.

They told me how it went. I took a photo of two very strong and friendly RMTs, and I thought that was going to be my post. Nope. It turns out, a massage was just what the doctor ordered for me as well. It turns out I'm not as stoic as I like to think, and the next day when the knots in my back were so bad that I had numbness and pain going up both sides of my neck in to my face and head, I wasn't so picky about getting a massage. I had the app. So damn it, I tried it (technically, it was a Father's Day gift from my wife).

MASSAGO APP - LINK

Signing up was okay. A bit long. Think of it as your first time seeing a medical specialist and all the paperwork you have to fill out. Once you get past that, its as easy as entering your credit card, choosing the time you'd like a massage and the sex of your RMT. 

So I got my very first deep tissue massage, and well, I loved it. Hurt like a b**th, especially since all my muscles were already in pain, but it gave me relief, a lot of relief, and I'm glad I had access to an app that was able to get a registered massage therapist to my house in a hurry, on a weekend.

How much was it? Don't be so nosy. It was the going rate for a good massage ($100+ for an hour) and it was well worth it. My massuese was knowledgeable, professional, gentle when needed and forceful when needed. She gave me good advice for how to stretch out my muscles and gave me plenty of warning when something was about to hurt.

Should you get a massage? I would. Should you try the Massago app? Well, if you live in Toronto, yes. It just launched here and will be making its way around the country very soon from what I can see. RMTs everywhere are signing up to serve you.

I can even save you $30 (Canadian) right now to try it. Simply use the promo code: FODDER through the month of July.

It's worth it.

#MyWeekend as a Ford Family Car Driver

#MyWeekend of Test Driving The 2014 Ford Escape with My Family

When Ford Canada asked if I wanted to test out one of their cars over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, I could hardly say no. I had always heard Ford had a lot of fun gadgets in their cars so I thought it would be fun to test drive one for a few days. And, well, the fact they were willing to throw in A FREE tank of gas and some money for expenses made it an offer I couldn't refuse.

Click to read more ...

Getting With the Program - Supporting Special School Programs with Schoola

My son the "rock star'" supporting Schoola's Support a School/Adopt-a-School Campa

Support Schoola's Support a School/Adopt-a-School Campaign

You don't have to be Oprah or Ellen to support a school. Yes it's cool that celebrities get behind some big projects and help out schools and families and communities in need, but they can't do it alone. It takes a lot of people to change the world, and one small gesture-on my part, on your part, on anyone's part-can make a big difference in someone's life. So when Schoola approached me to be a part of their "20 Days of School" Adopt-a-School Campaign, I couldn't say no.

I know how important school progams are to a kid, especially when your parents can't afford to pay to put you in a music class or a sports program or an arts program. These programs teach kids cooperation and challenge them and give them a sense of self worth and allow them to grow by leaps and bounds while keeping them out of trouble. Or, they feed them, or help clothe them, or help pay for books or playgrounds or to clean up their communities. School programs are important. And its nice when people can come together to support them to show our youth that we care about their education and their futures.

Click to read more ...

Why Dads Care About How We are Portrayed in the Media

Isn't it time the media dropped the dumb dad act? The media portrays caring dads as second-class parents. Is this still acceptable?

Twice this week, I've had the opportunity to speak out on behalf of the modern day-dad, on both TV and Radio. And it’s funny, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And although it’s nice to be invited to have my say on the plight of modern fatherhood, as part of a panel or on my own, I still think the prevailing view in society is that dads are second class citizens in the parenting world.

Take today, for instance. I was invited to be on a radio show in Toronto where the topic was how dads are portrayed in the media. The host, Jim Richards ("The Showgram," Newtalks1010), jumping on the popularity of Cheerios new #How to Dad commercial, took the position that it shouldn't matter how men/dads are portrayed in commercials. He thinks it doesn't affect them. But we know that it does. A blog devoted to these types of commercials (Stupid Man Commercials) says that it does. And hundreds of pages written on the topic of "smart" moms and "stupid" dads say that it does.

Click to read more ...

Modern Day-Dads Speak on the Topic of Involved Fatherhood

Adam from Fodder 4 Fathers talks Modern Day Fatherhood with Some Great DadsThe Role of the Modern Day-Dad (Global News Toronto -Morning Show - July 28. 2014)

Today I had the pleasure of being a member of a panel put together by Parents Canada to discuss modern fatherhood on one of Canada's most watched morning shows. This answers the punchline of how many dads does it take to change a lightbulb. We certainly made quite a few go off, I'm sure. Dads are more involved in their kid's lives than ever, and I think society is starting to get it.

Thanks to Global News and Parents Canada for recognizing this trend, and giving dads a chance to talk about parethood.