tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57225009568675906512024-02-20T16:21:48.157-08:00Tiny and Delightful!MWillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16304673697346031771noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722500956867590651.post-19125580924254773342010-03-01T13:14:00.001-08:002010-03-01T13:29:09.251-08:00Maybe I can start a movement!<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I hate smokers. Not because they smoke, they can dig their own grave, I don't really care about that. But why can they not properly dispose of their cigarettes? The world is not your ashtray, Tin Lung.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I have now chastised two different smokers for throwing their butts on the ground. The first one apologized, said I was right, and picked up his garbage. The second one said, "What? Oh, sorry." but left his butt in the street. In his mild defense he had thrown it into traffic, and I like to think that he would have gotten it if he could have (this probably isn't true). Either way I hopefully shamed him enough to think twice about doing it again. As such I consider both of these encounters a success. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">This has emboldened me to become something of a litter vigilante. I realize I have no problem calling people on this. DO NOT LITTER. It's a terrible thing to do. Don't you live here? Why are you throwing garbage around your home? What the hell is wrong with you, you lazy ingnorant ass? If I had my druthers, people would be forced to eat whatever it was that they did not dispose of properly. And by properly I mean you recycle your recyclables. It's so easy! The labeled cans are on every corner and yet you throw your bottles in the street! You're just lazy, and selfish and you should hang your head in shame! SHAME. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">I think the world needs a little more of this. Of people stepping in and calling other humans on their horrible, detrimental habits. If people started to realized that others are watching and that they are accountable to their fellow citizens, I think maybe things would improve around here. No more turning a blind eye, from now on anyone who litters in front of me is getting shamed.</span>MWillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16304673697346031771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722500956867590651.post-52257042997586088292010-03-01T13:03:00.000-08:002010-03-01T13:08:11.272-08:00Ice, Ice Baby, too cold!<span style="font-size:85%;">Well, I finally caved and went ice climbing. The truth is that it’s not as difficult, or deadly, or terrifying as you would think, but I kind of don’t want to tell you that because it was freezing and exhausting and I want some credit goddamnit! It was really cold out there. Anyway, I survived and I guess I could recommend it if you’re the kind of person who has a deep desire to be freezing and exhausted and wants to climb ice in the first place. If you’re not, then I think maybe both of us will have more fun if we just sit here and eat cadbury eggs.</span>MWillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16304673697346031771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722500956867590651.post-23579722668930019892010-02-09T21:16:00.000-08:002010-03-01T12:34:24.802-08:00Cool Runnings!<span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">So, another "not on the list but totally awesome" thing was accomplished recently. ARE YOU READY FOR THE AWESOMENESS? Maybe you should sit down. It's a lot of awesome. I went bobsledding at 55 mph on the Olympic track in Lake Placid. Can you count all the kinds of awesome in that sentence? Let's count them. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">1) Bobsledding! How crazy is that? How many people have done that? (Probably tons, but don't burst my bubble). Bobsled is now my favorite olympic sport.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">2) Which brings me to OLYMPICS. Do you know how much I love the Olympics? A lot. I love them a lot. And now, in some friend of a second cousin once removed kind of way, I have participated in them. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">3) 55 mph. I think we can all agree that I would have won bronze.</span>MWillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16304673697346031771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722500956867590651.post-45670323343951436042010-02-07T22:08:00.001-08:002010-02-07T22:22:26.101-08:00Really, they should call it "Stretching in a Kiln"<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">So this is another thing that was not on my go, life, go! list but that I consider to be both an Experience and an Accomplishment. On Saturday, in the midst of a 28.5" snow storm, I went to Bikram yoga with Laura. That's right, while it was piling up outside I spent 100 minutes in a 105 degree room trying not to die. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">Bikram is HOT. I have never been so hot. At one point I reached up to move my hair out of my face and I realized my ears were sweating. MY EARS. I had not previously thought this was possible. Bikram is also INTENSE. I had never been yelled at to "push it! push it! push it!" in yoga before, either. During the course of the class my face turned purple, and at one point I had to put my head between my knees to keep from fainting, but I did all of the poses (with varying degrees of success) and I didn't throw up or pass out, so I'm really quite proud of myself.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">Afterwards I had a wicked headache, I think from the dehydration, and today I am sore as all get out, but I did it. In your face Choudhury!</span>MWillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16304673697346031771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722500956867590651.post-85781092193657950512010-01-26T21:47:00.000-08:002010-02-07T22:05:14.527-08:00Winter Camping and Hiking up Mt. Marcy<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Another thing I did that I did not think that I would do and that I didn't put on the list but which I suppose qualifies for the list: </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">I camped outside in January and hiked to the top of Mt Marcy - the highest peak in New York. This required snowshoes and down bags and GEAR. Serious capital G, capital EAR gear. As a result I now own waterproof pants, waterproof mittens, and for a short time I had my own goggles. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">This trip was eventful, and I haven't entirely figured it out yet, but some of the facts are these: </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">We hiked about 20 miles all together to an elevation of 5,344 feet</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">It got down to -5 degrees, the views were incredible, </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">There was a ridiculous rain storm with winds of about 50 mph that took down trees ( and which prevented us from totally seeing the summit)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">My boots did not fit and caused bruises all around my shins and blisters on the balls of my feet</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">And, at one point a fisher (the ferret's overgrown cousin) stole our breakfast of cheese, cookie dough, and grits. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Quite frankly I did not think that I would be able to deal with all that and a lot of the trip surprised me. For one thing, I was only cold for about 30 minutes the entire 3 days and when we were hiking I stripped down to just my base layer. Everything accomplished hikers tell you is true, you really do get hot. Also, I made it both up and back down that stupid mountain. For a woman of my physical prowess and outdoor caliber, that's no small thing.</span> </span>MWillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16304673697346031771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722500956867590651.post-9647528092174243732009-12-02T08:16:00.001-08:002010-03-01T12:47:19.939-08:00Well, and there are some things I've done...<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">So, while creating my Go, life, go! list I remembered some fairly awesome things I had already done, so here is a list of those things so that when I am feeling utterly lame, I can look at it and feel less lame and hopefully inspired, instead.<br /><br />1) Acted on the stage of the Globe Theatre in London - Hamlet<br />2) Been hit in the face by a bald eagle in Germany on July 4th<br />3) Ridden the Shinkansen in Japan<br />4) Own my own bedroom suite<br />5) Pet a monkey in Thailand<br />6) Took a cooking class - Baking 101<br />7) Made cinnamon rolls from scratch<br />8) Climbed a 1,500' tower in Utah<br />9) Had a Russian massage<br />10) Own a cat<br />11) Went snorkelling at Maya Beach<br />12) Have never missed a Christmas at home<br />13) Hosted a wine and cheese party<br />14) Moved to a new city by myself<br />15) Bought a house<br />16) Turned 21 in Greece<br />17) Had a song written for me<br />18) Worked at a bakery, cement factory, university, two accounting firms, and a church<br />19) Crochetted a potholder<br />20) Glazed my own dishware<br />21) Marched in Zion<br />22) Threw my own birthday party<br />23) Picked up a guy<br />24) Attended a Gala<br />25) Camped at a music festival<br />26) Led in trad climbing<br />27) Canned applesauce<br />28) Talked with a real-life hobo<br />29) Made a person pick up their litter by chastising them<br />30) Biked in city traffic<br />31) Found a hairstylist I like<br />32) Rode in the Chunnel<br />33) Stood at the top of a castle (Germany, Scotland)<br />34) Saw Phantom of the Opera in person<br />35) Took a gondola ride in Venice (and Scottsdale)<br />36) Won $9 in a casino<br />37) Have some thriving houseplants<br />38) Volunteered with a presidential campaign<br />39) Mastered public transportation in 3 cities<br />40) Ate gelato in Florence while staring at the David<br />41) Dated 3 guys named David<br />42) Been to 15 countries<br />43) Got lost in Amsterdam<br />44) Fed a giraffe<br />45) Got a tattoo<br />46) Streaked<br />47) Picked my own strawberries, cherries, peaches and raspberries and made jam<br />48) Dyed my hair blonde, black and everything in between<br />49) Wrote my initials in wet cement<br />50) Went to the top of the Eiffel tower and watched the sun set over Paris<br />51) Spent a night on a train<br />52) Took Thai cooking lessons in Thailand<br />53) Slept out<br />54) Kissed a cowboy<br />55) Aufgussed in Belgium<br />56) Done a flip on a trampoline</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">57) Ice climbing</span>MWillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16304673697346031771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5722500956867590651.post-43366794036251829852009-09-11T14:14:00.000-07:002010-03-02T10:57:17.941-08:00Go, life! Go!<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">Inspired by a number of different things - new season, blogs, Stacey, turning 30 - I have taken some casual stock of my life and quite frankly I'm pretty pleased. I have awesome friends in Philly and elsewhere, a job that I like 80% of the time, a house I love, a pretty hot boyfriend, my health, and a sweet cat named Cecil. All of these things make my life pretty good. But occasionally I'll hear about someone living in a cat house in Puerto Rico or travelling across Asia on a bike and I'll think "my god, my life is dull." Which is not really true, because I do neat things sometimes (maybe not whorehouse neat, but still) but these neat things could be more intentional.<br /><br />Enter the Mighty Life List. I read an awesome blog by a woman named Maggie (</span><a class="snap_shots" href="http://www.mightygirl.net/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;">www.mightygirl.net</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;">) who recently came up with a list of 100 things she wants to do in her life. I like this idea, so I'm going to do it too. So far I have the following things on my list. I'll keep thinking and adding to it and then come my 30th birthday (10/20/09), it's go time.<br /><br />1) <em>Take dance lessons - Salsa</em></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><em><br /></em>2) Ride a camel in the desert<br />3) Pet a dolphin<br />4) Hike in a rainforest in Belize, sleep in the canopy<br />5) Go scuba diving somewhere tropical<br />6) Skydive or ride in a hot air balloon<br />7) Make a pot roast all by myself<br />8) Safari in Kenya<br />9) Own a dog<br />10) Make a skirt for myself<br />11) Go to Australia and New Zealand<br />12) Swim with bioluminescent plankton in Puerto Rico<br />13) Host Christmas at my house for my whole family<br />14) Throw a surprise party<br />15) Foster kittens<br />16) Try mushrooms<br />17) Touch a glacier<br />18) Visit Iceland<br />19) Find a red wine I like<br />20) Go to Burning Man<br />21) Live abroad for a year<br /></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><em>22) Buy a house - Fort Myers, FL<br /></em>23) Take a trip every year with friends<br />24) Have pudding in Turkey<br />25) Watch the sunrise twice a year<br />26) Have a garden<br />27) Learn the names of the plants and trees in my region<br />28) Fly a kite<br />29) Take a photography class<br />30) Swim in a hot spring<br />31) Get my parents to recycle<br />32) Skinny dip as a grown up<br />33) Go climbing in Yosemite<br /><em>34) Go bobsledding - Lake Placid, NY</em><br />35) Buy my own living room furniture<br />36) See Denali in person<br />37) Look through a really huge telescope<br />38) <em>Write to my Congressman - Libraries of Philadelphia: reopened!</em><br />39) Have a picnic at the base of the Dolomites<br />40) Volunteer at an animal shelter<br />41) Travel all the way around the world<br />42) Ride a horse<br />43) Make cinnamon rolls often enough that I can do it without a recipe<br />44) Tour an art museum while listening to really great music<br />45) Go to the movies by myself<br />46) Picnic at Macchu Picchu<br />47) Sleep out<br />48) Step foot in the Amazon</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">50) Make hikaru dorodango</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;"><em>51) Survive a Bikram Yoga class - with Laura during a blizzard 2/6/10</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">52) Go out dancing in a rainstorm</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">53) Find a dentist and doctor that I like</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">54) Learn to tie a tie</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;">55) Find my signature fragrance</span>MWillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16304673697346031771noreply@blogger.com1