39 things

Today I turn 39. Seems like I should be preparing somewhat for the momentous 40 that happens next year. Other than threats from my children about putting dorky signs up around town, I haven't really thought a lot about it. This list is an effort to think of myself and do things for myself over the course of the next year. I will update the list as these things get done. You will notice that this list is all about me (as it should be).

1. Go somewhere by myself for two days and spend the time thinking and drawing or really doing whatever I want.
2. Read War and Peace (thanks Tracy).
3. Go on a holiday with my girlfriends.
4. Go on a holiday with my children.
5. Go on a holiday with my family. DONE August 2008
6. Go on a holiday with my husband to be. (These are great ones because if you count you will notice that I get to go on 5 separate trips this way). DONE Honeymoon August 2008
7. Create a body of work and have a gallery show.
8. Get raised beds built and plant a massive vegetable garden.
9. Buy a new and fabulous hat.
10. Re-organize the house so that it feels fresh and new (I really like this kind of thing). Done July 2008.
11. Learn to knit (Dana? Mom? Ria?).
12. Start playing my guitar again.
13. Start playing my violin again.
14. Take an art course (painting? drawing? printing-making?).
15. Take a picture everyday for 1 year (I totally stole this inspired idea from Andrea at hula seventy).
16. Change my status from living in sin to married. DONE August 12 2008
17. Try a new recipe from each section of each of my cookbooks (I have many, use few and love them all).
18. Do something that is now a secret but I will tell you about when it happens.
19. Win a game of scrabulous against Kirsten and Allison (I am a bit addicted). Problem as Scrabulous has been removed from facebook.
20. Re-finish the cabinets in the bathroom (involves removing old oil paint and refinishing the mahogany underneath - who does that to mahogany?).
21. Re-tile the bathroom floor thus making it the ONLY completely finished room in my home.
22. Teach my dog to do playground tricks because I am a dog geek and have a geeky dog.
23. Spend an entire day reading (perhaps War and Peace?).
24. Try a new art form.
25. Get another tattoo (must save $ for this).
26. Learn how to slip-cast porcelain (could us this to cross off number 24 as well...).
27. Get rid of all of the stuff I have that I don't find either beautiful or useful (I hate dusting). DONE May 31, 2008
28. Trick out my townie with the lovely vintage basket Matt found. DONE May 11, 2008.
29. Clean my computer's brain as it is getting foggy and very, very slow.
30. Finally get to Rossland to visit my friend Sue before she cuts me off completely. DONE June 7, 2008.
31. Go to see some music in another town. DONE July 24-27, 2008.
32. Stay overnight at the Hotel Arts with my girlfriends.
33. Drink a fair amount of fancy martinis at Ming with above mentioned girlfriends.
34. Make yoga a regular part of my life (I always have the best intentions...).
35. Finally finish painting the trim on my house. DONE (by Matt) July, 2008.
36. Trick out my front garden with beautiful perennials that I cannot kill. DONE May 24, 2008.
37. Sit by my friends swimming pool and drink beer and laugh. DONE August 23, 2008
38. Ride in one of the Golden Townie Bicycle Fraternity's road races.
39. Eat a big slice of angelfood cake with whipped cream and strawberries that I didn't make (hint, hint, hint). DONE - May 9th, 2008

I will cross things off as I accomplish them, because damn-it, I LOVE lists that I can cross things off of. Happy birthday to me! Except that I can't figure out how to cross things off, so they will become red instead.