A Thousand Days Plus One

Revamped and relocated

2008-09-27T10:36:00.000-03:00

Hi!

I've revamped and relocated my list. It's now part of My Created Life, a website dedicated to me transforming my life into the one I want it to be.

The new and improved list is here: 101 Things.

Poem No. 6

2008-01-21T18:04:00.001-04:00

fellow travellers

like a transcontinental train
on a minute-by-minute schedule
year after year
the earth makes her way
around the sun

at different points along the way
new passengers board
others detrain

every so often
we get new seatmates
make new friends
make new enemies
fall in love
have our hearts broken

all the while never really knowing
when the Conductor
will tap our shoulder
to tell us
it's our stop.

Poem No. 5

2008-01-14T12:28:00.000-04:00

Nor'easter

Red weather forecast
Winds pick up and snowflakes fall
We're hunkering down

Just tested it out ...

2008-01-14T11:24:00.001-04:00

... and I do a pretty good job at touch-typing. Not perfect, mind you, but good enough for my own purposes, and good enough to cross off #91.

Poem No. 4

2008-01-07T10:36:00.000-04:00

If Money Were No Object

if money were no object
you would have come home with me
all seven bouquets of
brightly-coloured tulips
defiant against the winter cold
proud of your differences
celebrating your hues

but the groceries had been bought
the wallet was empty
and your much-needed hit of vitality
would not register on the
scale of practicality

so I paused
for just
a moment
and drank
you
in

before the snowstorm swallowed me up again.

Poem No. 3

2008-01-03T21:29:00.000-04:00

Snow

Silently it falls
blanketing the land below
cleansing from the sky

Poem No. 2

2007-12-29T00:06:00.000-04:00

Writing Poetry

Sometimes the words
flow like water
sliding down a windshield
pooling
streaming
the path of least resistance

But other times
it's like a tooth extraction
gripping
wrenching
hauling
until
it is pulled out
leaving a
new kind of pain..

Poem No. 1

2007-12-23T20:20:00.000-04:00

O Christmas Tree

With musical crash
A seven-foot conifer
Swan-dives to the floor.

#63 is now part of my life.

2007-10-14T17:14:00.000-03:00

It was so simple that I'm not sure why I didn't do it before.

I used to love listening to CBC on the weekends. During the week, I need the local Top-40 station to get me moving; talk just won't do it. But on the weekends, I like having my brain engaged when I actually have time to think.

All I did was change the dial on the radio in the kitchen. Whenever I'm in the kitchen, I always have the radio on. Why this never occurred to me before is completely beyond me.

But it works.

Looking at The List

2007-10-02T21:05:00.000-03:00

The hard part about making up such a list is that things change over time. Some of these items have morphed into other things, and others just aren't practical any longer.

With that in mind, I'm going to cross off #31, which was "Adopt another hedgehog as pet" and has now been changed to "Adopt another dog and cat as pets". With Zaphod adopting me last November, and the addition of Piper the Puppy about a month ago, I think we probably have enough animals at this point! *grin*

I'll revise the list as my Top Secret Project progresses.

And #88 bites the dust.

2007-07-02T15:37:00.000-03:00

It took Hubby and I two hours and countless garbage bags, but we successfully excavated the front closet. It's a fairly deep closet (goes back as deep as the adjacent stairway) and the pile of junk in it was well over my head when we started.

Best of all, I threw most of the stuff out! I think I'm starting to make some progress in wrestling my hoarding tendencies to the ground.

Getting Item #87 ("Get rid of baby stuff in house") won't be too far behind, because most of it was in the front closet.

That felt good!

Awesome Trip!

2007-06-18T09:28:00.000-03:00

Today is the first day I've really had a chance to just sit and breathe after getting home from visiting Neil and Mary Ellen in Ontario. It's also the first chance I've had to cross Item #71 (Visit Neil and Mary Ellen) off my list!

While away, I also bought a copy of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. This book was recommended to me by my late, great "81-year-old boyfriend", Helmer. I promised him that I would read it, and this was important enough to me that I made it #61 on The List. So when I was at Chapters in Kanata, I decided to go pick it up.

I did something unusual in preparation for this summer. For the past few years, I've drawn employment insurance because there's obviously no supply-teaching in the summer. Well, I found that because I seemed to have unlimited time, I pretty much wasted it all. So this year I decided to get a part-time job. I'm actually making less money than I would on employment insurance, but it's really changed my mind-set about how much time I have and how I use it. This means I'm actually starting to think along the lines of implementing a time schedule (#79) in order to make the best use of the time I have. I'm not quite ready to cross that item off The List yet (I'll wait until it's an automatic habit), but I'm working on it.

The other nice thing about the job is that it's at an arts and crafts store. Not only do I love being able to use my creative energies, but when I start to work on the "artsy" items on The List, my discount will come in handy. *grin*

The other interesting thing that's happening is that my inner "home-creator" is awakening. After years of being maniacally-opposed to doing housework, and being so overwhelmed by the amount of junk that I can't even think about starting to do something about it, I'm starting to look at my home with new eyes. I can finally see the potential here that I saw eleven years ago when we first bought it, and so I'm actually eager to start decluttering and "nesting". Before long, I'll have things under control enough to start following the FLYLady's routines and cross #16 off The List.

And, finally, before I sign off for today, I'd like to announce that I'm back to working on #1 ("Reach a healthy weight"). If you'd like to read more about it, check out Workin' with Frank and Jim.

One step closer ...

2007-05-26T10:17:00.001-03:00

We purchased the tickets to Ottawa last night, and I am very excited! Soon I'll be off to see my Uncle Neil and his wife Mary Ellen!

Still here!

2007-05-21T08:15:00.000-03:00

Hi!

I know it's been many moons since an update, but finally I have something to report! *grin*

First of all, my cousin Sheila and I are heading up to Ontario in a few weeks to visit my Uncle Neil and his wife, Mary Ellen. I'm very excited about this trip because a) I haven't seen them since the day I got married eleven years ago, b) Sheila and I were very close growing up but sort of lost touch after high school, and c) we're taking the train up and spending an afternoon in Montreal on the way back. It's going to be great! (And when I return, I can cross Number 71 off the list.)

Next, it's pretty much guaranteed that I'll be taking care of Number 6 ("Go horseback riding at least once") before too long. In what is one of my favourite gifts to date, Hubby got me four gift certificates to go trail riding for our anniversary on Friday. I am very, very excited about this!

I have decided to modify the list a little bit, not because I'm chickening out of items, but because they simply aren't do-able or apply to my life anymore. So Number 15, which used to be "complete Oprah's [now defunct] online workshop" has become "Get another car", because frankly the one I have is in the twilight of her years. And Number 41, which was about the home business I'm no longer running, has been changed to "Sell something on Etsy".

I'll try to post here a little more often, not just so that there will be something new for you to read, but because it helps me keep the list in mind!

Working on #1

2007-01-02T19:39:00.000-04:00

Today is Day Two of being "on-program" in my weight loss efforts. The first week is always the worst. I struggle to get in my three litres of water. I am conscious of each and every single fast food ad on TV. And I go to bed feeling like I really need to eat something.

And then this morning I weighed in and discovered I actually *gained* a half-pound since starting again.

Oh well. The battle's not over unless I wave a white flag.

Busy, busy ...

2006-12-19T13:18:00.000-04:00

I've managed to cross a few more off the list:

#52 - Buy PatternMaker for Cross Stitch software. I plan on creating some miniature cross stitch patterns for dollhouses, and this software will make it much, much easier to do so. And then, hopefully, I can take care of #53 (selling them!).

#86 - Donate stuffed animals to Hestia House. This has been done in a slightly modified form. At the last Saint John Sea Dogs hockey game, they held a "teddy bear toss", with the stuffed animals going to needy children. Since that was my intention with this item, I liberated a large portion of my collection.

And #98 - Join a camera club. I am now a member in good standing of the Fundy Camera Club. I've gone to one meeting and enjoyed it. Once I spend some quality time figuring out what my new camera will do, I'm sure I'll get even more out of it.

In other news ...

Plans are in the works for #71, visiting my uncle and aunt in Ontario. Hopefully it will work out.

Now I really ought to get back to my Christmas wrapping. :)

Three more down ...

2006-11-27T10:57:00.000-04:00

Well, I've printed two scrapbooks as examples to show to people who might be interested in my digital scrapbooking skills, and I've started up a Yahoo group for local writers. So that takes care of #39, 55 and 56.

I'm starting to run out of easy ones. :)

So long, #90!

2006-11-17T22:45:00.000-04:00

My grandmother's brother has led a very well-travelled life, and one of the places he lived was the Congo. While there, he bought a set of two paintings.

Eventually, he moved to Montreal, and then to New Brunswick, and then to Ontario, and then back to New Brunswick, and the paintings went with him. Eventually, he gave them to my dad, who, in turn, gave them to me.

Since I no longer had room for them, I thought it only right that I should give them back to my dad.

So I did.

I have two more items to cross off in the next couple of days, but I'll wait 'til I have the evidence in my hot little hands first.

Three-Day Weekend

2006-11-10T18:41:00.000-04:00

I'm going to take a peek at the list and see what I can get crossed-off in the next few days. I'm sure there will be one or two taken care of by Monday night.

Goodbye, Number 12!

2006-11-01T21:55:00.000-04:00

Just a quick, ecstatic note: Thanks to my good friend Dave (who is upgrading to a digital SLR), I have a fabulous "new-to-me" Panasonic FZ5 camera! And the price was something I could afford!

I can't wait to play with this baby!

Two more down ...

2006-10-22T09:13:00.000-03:00

What a whirlwind trip that was!

On Wednesday, I headed up to Whitby, Ontario, to a book launch for my favourite author, Susanna Kearsley/Emma Cole (mentioned in #82). Since Words in Whitby is on hiatus, and since this launch followed the same format as Words in Whitby (and was in the same location, had the same people), I'm counting it towards crossing off #43.

On the way home, I had about six hours in Montreal. It poured rain the entire time I was there, so I didn't get to do everything I wanted to, but got enough sightseeing in to cross off #97.

Might work on a few more in the next few days. I'm not sure what to do with #15, as Oprah's workshop is no longer available, but I'll leave it "as is" until I find a suitable replacement.

I have it on good authority ...

2006-08-11T13:55:00.000-03:00

... that my local writers' group is now dead. So that takes care of #38. And it's too bad.

I was there for the inaugural meeting of that group, in September of 1992. I was an active member for about four years, and then I just stopped going. The cast of characters changed and it just wasn't the same. And I'd changed too, and wasn't really writing much anymore. But it's still sad for me to see that after fourteen years, it's now gone. I met a number of great friends through that group, and I've lost touch with most of them. Somehow, with the group being gone, it's like a final goodbye.

As for Item #39, I'm not ready, just yet, to start another group. For one thing, I think I'd be pretty particular about who I'd want to hang out with. Perhaps something private is the way to go.

Three more down ...

2006-08-09T19:33:00.000-03:00

While I was visiting my sister in Nova Scotia, we took a trip up to Wolfville and I managed to take many pictures. So that takes care of #72.

I finished rereading Nora Roberts' Three Sisters Island trilogy, so #83 is done. I didn't enjoy it as much the second time through. Not sure why.

Number 44 is now gone, as well. I didn't resign. Instead, I had a long talk with the president of the association and I will no longer be useless. So that one's taken care of, as well.

It's been a productive ten days or so, I guess. Wonder what I ought to tackle next.

Working away a bit at a time.

2006-07-15T17:43:00.000-03:00

I haven't forgotten about The List -- I just haven't been able to focus on it of late.

Working my way through #83 now, and enjoying it immensely. I'd forgotten how much I loved that trilogy. I've re-read one book, and I'm now immersed in the second. It's great fun!

Made my list, now checking it twice.

2006-05-28T11:08:00.000-03:00

Well, since I'm somewhat stationary for a while, thanks to completing #5 (having my gallbladder removed), I'm just perusing the list to see what else I can work on while I'm sitting here.

My LifeDrive, sadly, did not want to remain living, so Hubby is sending it back and getting a new one. (He thinks it was a hard drive failure). So all of that great writing I was going to do this week, lying in bed, has now been put on hold. That's okay -- the painkillers are making my thinking a little fuzzy anyway. Hopefully I won't need them much longer.

Maybe I'll take a look at the CafePress site and come up with a plan to bring about #22.

And #78 is done.

2006-05-22T18:33:00.000-03:00

It has been a Da Vinci weekend.

I spent much of the weekend reading The Da Vinci Code, and it being Victoria Day, Hubby and I just got home from a matinee of the movie of the same name.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I'm very glad that I got the illustrated version so I could look at the pictures as I went along without having to Google everything. I'm also quite proud to say that I figured out two of the puzzles in the book on my own. (They were the more obvious ones, but that's okay.)

The movie wasn't bad. I know that there was too much in the book to try to cram into a movie, so I give them a little leeway in my judgement. Having said that, however, I was disappointed in a few things. I won't spoil it, but I think what bugged me the most was some sloppy editing. I'm not one of those people who notice a character holding something in one shot and not holding it in the next -- I'm just not paying that kind of attention. But this movie had one such thing that slapped even me across the face and I felt a little let down by it.

I was going to go check out a photography club tonight, but we haven't had supper yet, and I'm feeling kind of tired. I can't go next month anyway, because of graduation, so I think I'll hold off until July (if they run in the summer) or September.

The good thing about hospital waiting rooms ...

2006-05-19T16:53:00.000-03:00

... is that you get a lot of reading done. Item #101 is now history, and I'm working on The Da Vinci Code now. I want to get it read before seeing the movie.

WOOHOO!

2006-05-19T09:55:00.000-03:00

For our 10th wedding anniversary yesterday, hubby gave me a Palm Lifedrive! Now that it's up and running, I am in LOVE!!!

Not only does this take care of #11 from The List, but #70 as well, since the Lifedrive can play MP3s!

WOOHOO!

Well, this one's coming up ...

2006-05-15T20:11:00.000-03:00

Looks like #5 will take place next Thursday, when I go under the knife. Kind of funny that it's the same hospital where I came into the world, and the same place I left my tonsils thirty years ago.

Working away ...

2006-05-13T09:28:00.000-03:00

I finished up one of the books on Item #101, and I hope to be able to cross the whole thing off by the end of the weekend. I really want to have Item #78 ("Read The DaVinci Code") done by the time the movie comes out.

I'm working on a few other things, too -- just not closing in on crossing them off yet.

Moving forward ...

2006-05-05T14:32:00.000-03:00

So, the first thing on my list is completed. I dug out an old back-up CD of computer files and found the short story collection. I had abandoned it in 1993, after having been shortlisted, and then ultimately rejected, for a Canada Council creations grant. Truthfully, I'm glad that I didn't give in to the urge to turf it altogether all those years ago. The DEL key is just too tempting sometimes.

The germ of the collection is good, but you can really see how much I've changed since then. It's kind of interesting, yet sad.

I've also been working on a game plan for submitting stories to contests, et cetera. This took quite a bit of time initially, but will be easy to update as I go along.

Thinking about writing makes me nostalgic for the good ol' days of my former writing group. It does, however, make me miss some people a lot. It's inevitable that people change, and for whatever reasons, they decide to move on, to exchange old friends for new, as if the two are mutually exclusive. So I miss those people, some more than others.

I've been doing some investigating of some of the things on my list and written up what steps are needed to achieve them. Some of them simply require money. Others require careful planning. But I'm feeling somewhat energizied by this whole process. I like it.

In the beginning ...

2006-05-02T23:43:00.000-03:00

Years ago, I belonged to an all-female support group, most of whom were artists, but all of whom had specific goals they wanted to achieve. Unfortunately, that support group blew up in the spectacular fashion only one that personal can, and it has been gone for two years. A few of us tried to recapture the magic, but it just never happened. I think we were too war-weary to conquer the time zone challenges.

When I read about the "101 Things in 1001 Days" challenge on someone's blog today, I thought it would be a fantastic way to resurrect the sense of achievement I had gotten from that group. I still miss the brainstorming, but at least now I have a list of things to get done. Some of them I'm on my way to accomplishing; others are a lot more involved. But recent (minor-ish) health problems have brought home the idea of my own mortality, and I simply don't want to drift anymore.

So let's see how this list goes.