Maybe I can start a movement!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ice, Ice Baby, too cold!

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.

Cool Runnings!

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.

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.
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.
3) 55 mph. I think we can all agree that I would have won bronze.

Really, they should call it "Stretching in a Kiln"

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.

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.

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!

Winter Camping and Hiking up Mt. Marcy

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:

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.

This trip was eventful, and I haven't entirely figured it out yet, but some of the facts are these:
We hiked about 20 miles all together to an elevation of 5,344 feet
It got down to -5 degrees, the views were incredible,
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)
My boots did not fit and caused bruises all around my shins and blisters on the balls of my feet
And, at one point a fisher (the ferret's overgrown cousin) stole our breakfast of cheese, cookie dough, and grits.

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.

Well, and there are some things I've done...

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.

1) Acted on the stage of the Globe Theatre in London - Hamlet
2) Been hit in the face by a bald eagle in Germany on July 4th
3) Ridden the Shinkansen in Japan
4) Own my own bedroom suite
5) Pet a monkey in Thailand
6) Took a cooking class - Baking 101
7) Made cinnamon rolls from scratch
8) Climbed a 1,500' tower in Utah
9) Had a Russian massage
10) Own a cat
11) Went snorkelling at Maya Beach
12) Have never missed a Christmas at home
13) Hosted a wine and cheese party
14) Moved to a new city by myself
15) Bought a house
16) Turned 21 in Greece
17) Had a song written for me
18) Worked at a bakery, cement factory, university, two accounting firms, and a church
19) Crochetted a potholder
20) Glazed my own dishware
21) Marched in Zion
22) Threw my own birthday party
23) Picked up a guy
24) Attended a Gala
25) Camped at a music festival
26) Led in trad climbing
27) Canned applesauce
28) Talked with a real-life hobo
29) Made a person pick up their litter by chastising them
30) Biked in city traffic
31) Found a hairstylist I like
32) Rode in the Chunnel
33) Stood at the top of a castle (Germany, Scotland)
34) Saw Phantom of the Opera in person
35) Took a gondola ride in Venice (and Scottsdale)
36) Won $9 in a casino
37) Have some thriving houseplants
38) Volunteered with a presidential campaign
39) Mastered public transportation in 3 cities
40) Ate gelato in Florence while staring at the David
41) Dated 3 guys named David
42) Been to 15 countries
43) Got lost in Amsterdam
44) Fed a giraffe
45) Got a tattoo
46) Streaked
47) Picked my own strawberries, cherries, peaches and raspberries and made jam
48) Dyed my hair blonde, black and everything in between
49) Wrote my initials in wet cement
50) Went to the top of the Eiffel tower and watched the sun set over Paris
51) Spent a night on a train
52) Took Thai cooking lessons in Thailand
53) Slept out
54) Kissed a cowboy
55) Aufgussed in Belgium
56) Done a flip on a trampoline
57) Ice climbing

Go, life! Go!

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.

Enter the Mighty Life List. I read an awesome blog by a woman named Maggie (www.mightygirl.net) 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.

1) Take dance lessons - Salsa
2) Ride a camel in the desert
3) Pet a dolphin
4) Hike in a rainforest in Belize, sleep in the canopy
5) Go scuba diving somewhere tropical
6) Skydive or ride in a hot air balloon
7) Make a pot roast all by myself
8) Safari in Kenya
9) Own a dog
10) Make a skirt for myself
11) Go to Australia and New Zealand
12) Swim with bioluminescent plankton in Puerto Rico
13) Host Christmas at my house for my whole family
14) Throw a surprise party
15) Foster kittens
16) Try mushrooms
17) Touch a glacier
18) Visit Iceland
19) Find a red wine I like
20) Go to Burning Man
21) Live abroad for a year
22) Buy a house - Fort Myers, FL
23) Take a trip every year with friends
24) Have pudding in Turkey
25) Watch the sunrise twice a year
26) Have a garden
27) Learn the names of the plants and trees in my region
28) Fly a kite
29) Take a photography class
30) Swim in a hot spring
31) Get my parents to recycle
32) Skinny dip as a grown up
33) Go climbing in Yosemite
34) Go bobsledding - Lake Placid, NY
35) Buy my own living room furniture
36) See Denali in person
37) Look through a really huge telescope
38) Write to my Congressman - Libraries of Philadelphia: reopened!
39) Have a picnic at the base of the Dolomites
40) Volunteer at an animal shelter
41) Travel all the way around the world
42) Ride a horse
43) Make cinnamon rolls often enough that I can do it without a recipe
44) Tour an art museum while listening to really great music
45) Go to the movies by myself
46) Picnic at Macchu Picchu
47) Sleep out
48) Step foot in the Amazon
50) Make hikaru dorodango
51) Survive a Bikram Yoga class - with Laura during a blizzard 2/6/10
52) Go out dancing in a rainstorm
53) Find a dentist and doctor that I like
54) Learn to tie a tie
55) Find my signature fragrance