Do or Die

I've been meaning to write this for a while now. It's my Bucket List. I was finally inspired enough today to stop and think about all the things I want to do or see or try or learn in my lifetime, and this is what I've come up with so far... and I get the feeling that this is just the beginning.

See Live:

Flogging Molly on St. Patrick’s Day

Handel’s Messiah at Christmas

Kenny Chesney

Alison Krauss

Penn & Teller

A Seahawks game

An NHL game (no team preference at this point)

A bluegrass festival

An honest-to-god Highland Games

Travel to:

The Outer Banks, NC

Walt Disney World/Orlando (again)

Greece (Art History Tour)

Italy (Art History Tour)

Paris (Art History Tour)

British Isles (Art History Tour)

New Zealand

Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, American SW

Yosemite National Park

All the lakes/places Dad liked to go (Fly Fishing Tour)

Christmas Island (Fly Fishing Tour)

Boston – Sam Adams Brewery Tour

San Francisco – New Belgium Brewery Tour

Try:

Snowboarding

Sea kayaking

Hike-In Camping

Cooking a turkey

A new food or recipe once a month at least.

Learn to:

Ride a horse again

Quilt

Crochet/knit

Make cheese

Sew clothing, not just handbags

Live in (possibly):

Bend, OR

Any little coast town in WA or OR

Virginia or Maryland (Chesapeake Bay)

Chicago

Sandpoint, ID

Montana

Do:

Throw an honest-to-god dinner party that doesn’t involve chips & salsa

Design & build our own energy-efficient & eco-friendly house

Use my camera more, and try selling photos & other crafty things on Etsy

Be in shape enough to run for an hour at a steady pace

Contribute to a CSA or Farmer’s Market

Run an animal sanctuary for pets that wouldn’t be adopted otherwise

Own & operate a gift shop in a touristy town, selling my handmade items

Stop drinking pop, and start drinking more wine

Work for a college/university in the art department, event coordinator, sustainability, whatever

Have a house-rabbit, and chickens, and maybe a pygmy goat

Have a big, sunny, airy studio in the upper story of a barn

Take a pottery class

Take a stained glass class

Get at least one meaningful tattoo

What's a month, give or take?

I have been completely overwhelmed lately. Life is like... I can't think of a good analogy right now that really fits, but I guess kind of an invisible Rock-'Em-Sock-'Em Robot, I just feel beat up but I can't really pinpoint the source. I am glad to say that I've found a great psychologist though, and have my second appointment with her tomorrow. So hopefully this will help me learn to fight back against an unknown opponent.

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Speaking of, in my first appointment my new doctor pointed out that for a person's mind to never be at rest - to be constantly thinking and planning and worrying and daydreaming, mind spinning and churning at high velocity 24/7 - apparently this is NOT NORMAL. Oh. Crap. Now what? It's kind of overwhelming to think about. Wait... shit.

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Just like the hits, the tomatoes just keep on comin'. I have made salsa and marinara and even a vodka tomato cream sauce, all of which are stockpiled in my freezer. I haven't worked up the nerve to try canning yet - but Mom is coming to visit in October so I might take some lessons from her while she's here. Then I can blame any botulism outbreaks on her. (Kidding Mom!)

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Our neighbor has a new puppy. A Great Dane puppy. A blue merle Great Dane puppy. I met him over the fence yesterday and officially have a case of puppy envy. How can you not, with this face? If he had blue eyes, I would steal him and name him something goofy like Gonzo.

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Last week was spent in Vegas. Not fun-Vegas, but work-Vegas. Sure, we stayed on the Strip (New York New York has some great friggin deals right now!) but I was essentially there on my own since my co-worker isn't exactly a party-animal (oh ok, neither am I. Who am I kidding?). So I spent the majority of the time in my room watching season 1 of The Wire on DVD. Holy crap is that show GOOD. I'm now waiting on season 2 from the library.

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I beat Plants Vs Zombies last night. I just started playing it this weekend. Does that tell you what kind of holiday I had? But I did take time out to bake cupcakes. Unfortunately even though these cupcakes have zucchini and carrots in them, they also have real butter and several cups of sugar, so any potential healthy-factor is voided out.

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I need to write more often. Not just WANT to, but NEED to. I need to journal more. I think that might help the whole gyroscope-for-brains situation, if I have a way to funnel it into some sort of containment system. AKA, the interwebs.

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Random somewhat-related factoid: my cat is named Gyro, short for Gyroscope, not the Greek flatbread-sweaty-meat-and-yogurt sandwich. As a kitten he was in perpetual motion - chasing his tail, chasing the dog, chasing flies, chasing laserbeams... his favorite toy is still his own tail, but he's much more of a cuddlebug now.