My 50 Things....

As most of you know, I decided to come up with a list of 50 new things I would like to do this calendar year, the year I will turn 50. It would be better if I had started it last year on April 8th, to conclude on my 50th birthday, but I didn't think of it in time.

I suppose I'm ready to publish my list. Like any piece of writing, I can find flaws in it and wish I could make it "perfect," but I'm not going to drag it out any longer.

This isn't really what I think of as a "bucket list," because that is a list of things to be accomplished before one dies. If this were my bucket list, it would have some additional things on it, like seeing the Grand Canyon and visiting Alaska and Australia. I fully intend to do those things too, but probably not this year. Unless I win the lottery, in which case I may have an entirely new list:

1. Hire a gardener.
2. Hire a butler.
3. Hire a maid.
4. Hire a chauffeur.

Back to reality. Where was I? Oh yeah.....

Some of the things on my list feel kind of lame to me. Some of them were things I already knew would (probably) happen this year, but they are still things I've never done before, so I kept them on the list.

As I said to my friend Maggie in an email, it's my blog. And I'm grown. I can do whatever I want to. At least on my blog.

Some of the things on my list are outside my comfort zone, but I'm leaving them there. I NEED to step outside my comfort zone. Maybe. Perhaps.

Tomorrow I will put the 50 Things list in my sidebar, and I will strike through them as I complete them. I figure I need to do one a week, which makes me a little anxious, particularly for the less comfortable ones. I'll write about each one as I mark it off the list, which means I only have six blog topics to come up with each week.

I may edit the list as I go, or I may add to it. It's possible that I won't achieve all 50 of them this year, and I'm going to make myself be okay with that.

Thank you to those who submitted suggestions for my 50 Things list. If I didn't include something you suggested, please don't be insulted. Either I've already done it, it was too time-consuming, or it was simply something I wasn't interested in doing. My blog, I'm grown.

The 50 Things are in no particular order, and I don't plan to complete them in any particular order. Hey, I'm not THAT obsessive-compulsive.


1.       Take a pottery lesson
2.       Take a photography class
3.       Take a hot air balloon ride
4.       Visit a national park
5.       Study a new foreign language
6.       Eat a new type of food
7.       Meet a blogger in person
8.       Get a massage
9.       Learn more about how to play the hammered dulcimer
10.   Take a formal art class
11.   Take a yoga class
12.   Take a spinning class
13.   Take a water aerobics class
14.   Knit something
15.   Attend play at local theater
16.   Take a kayak trip
17.   Write some poetry
18.   Run/walk in a 5K/10K/half marathon
19.   Run/walk the Peachtree Road Race
20.   Become debt-free
21.   Take golf lessons/play a round of golf
22.   Read 5 novels from the all-time list (I think it was published by Time magazine)
23.   Perform random acts of kindness
24.   Volunteer at a hospital/hospice/nursing home/homeless shelter
25.   Try vegetarianism for 7 days
26.   Take ballroom dancing lessons
27.   Visit the High Museum in Atlanta
28.   Have a yard sale
29.   Ride a unicycle
30.   Take a trapeze class at Canopy Studio
31.   Have $______ in savings
32.   Take pictures of places I’ve lived
33.   Go to a UGA basketball game
34.   Go to a UGA women’s basketball game
35.   Go to a UGA baseball game
36.   Go to a hockey game (Gwinnett Gladiators)
37.   Go to the Tipsy Canvas
38.   Ride my bike 2500 miles
39.   Hike part of the Appalachian Trail
40.   Attend gymnastics Regional Championships
41.   Make something in filet crochet
42.   Join Friends of Yargo
43.   Be “overweight” on the Wii instead of “obese”
44.   Ride bike in at least one of the counties in Georgia where I've not yet ridden
45.   Write a book
46.   Buy and experiment with Photoshop
47.   Ride local roads I’ve not ridden before
48.   Ride the double-century to Anniston and back
49.   Write a will
50.   Go to the chiropractor

Some of these are things I would LOVE for someone to do with me, so if you see something that catches your interest (and you are either local or willing to come here), please come join me. Insanity, just like misery, loves company.

It should be a fun challenge. I'll let you know how it goes.

Whether you want me to or not.

I Still Dream about You by Fannie Flagg......

In Fannie Flagg's latest novel, Maggie Fortenberry is a realtor in Birmingham, Alabama who is also a former Miss Alabama. While others see her and her life as perfect, Maggie is harshly critical of both her past and her present.The real estate industry is in the toilet in Alabama (isn't it everywhere?), and even though she is surrounded by people who admire her, Maggie obsesses about her mistakes. From the very opening of the book, it is apparent that Maggie has decided to end her own life, and she uses meticulous detail to plan it so that it causes the least inconvenience for everyone. Even in that act, however, she is repeatedly thwarted, and that provides the basis of the book's humor.

Fannie Flagg, also the author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, is a delightful writer. I remember her from my youth as a panelist on a game show that I watched regularly, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was called. I thought she was funny even then, and when I realized she was writing novels, I became a fan of her books. I didn't realize until I was looking for information about her for this post that she is openly lesbian, which explains the subtle but controversial references in Fried Green Tomatoes (the book more so than the movie).

I like this book because it is so very Southern, without the usual cray-cray that Southern authors typically feel compelled to include. I won't pretend that the writing is deep or life-changing, but it was certainly entertaining. I laughed out loud a few times, and I was pleased with the ending. It was easy reading, and I became even more grateful for that when I started the book I am currently reading. It may be a week or more before I post a review of THAT one, depending on just how many snow days we end up having.

I recommend I Still Dream About You for anyone who wants some light reading without a ton of emotional investment.

Must Be All that Global Warming......

We are bracing for a fierce winter storm here in the Deep South. "Fierce" as in the kind of weather that some parts of the country endure on a pretty much constant basis for six months out of the year. The weather people are predicting anywhere from 1" to 6" of snow for our area Sunday night, Monday, and possibly into Tuesday.

That means there won't be a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk in any store in Northeast Georgia. (As I heard someone say once, and surprisingly it wasn't Hubby, "Why bread and milk? Why not the really necessary things, like beer and toilet paper?") People will run around madly tomorrow and Sunday, buying generators and kerosene heaters and acting like the world as we know it is coming to an end.

If we do end up with any accumulation, it means that any reasonable people will hunker down inside and try to stay warm. The ones without any reason, without any sense, without any brains, without any regard for personal or public safety, will get in their cars and traipse up and down the road. Several of those will tow OTHERS without any of the above behind their cars on skis (they will probably be WATER skis, since we are in the Deep South), trash can lids, kiddie swimming pools, and anything else they can create makeshift sleds out of.

If we get the kind of accumulation the weather folks are talking about (and Hubby points out they are only being shown from the waist up again), school will be closed on Monday. And possibly Tuesday. Because we all know it doesn't take much snow to close schools in Georgia.

The weather folks tonight were warning folks about the possibility of losing their electricity, and this is where things could get ugly. We have a wood stove, so we won't get cold. We can cook on it if we have to, so we won't go hungry. But we could find ourselves UNABLE TO WATCH FOOTBALL ON TV. Even worse, we could find ourselves WITHOUT INTERNET SERVICE.

I think I will spend Sunday making sure all of my battery-operated devices are fully charged: my iPad, my Kindle, my Nintendo DS, my laptop, both cameras. Hubby is supposed to go do some temp work with the Pepsi folks Monday, but he says he will just call them and tell them he isn't coming if it gets too bad. He didn't have that option when he worked for them full-time; folks HAD to have their Pepsi, bad weather and dangerous roads be damned.

Have a good weekend. Throw another log on the fire and stay warm.

What is WRONG With Me?.....................

The title of this post has nothing to do with last night's post...... although it probably should. I'm not sure where all that came from.

I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of my morning routine, just a summary. The alarm goes off at 5:00, and I get up immediately because Hubby is fundamentally against the use of the snooze. He mentioned it once 14 years ago, and I've never used it again. (Wonder why MY **hints** don't have that effect on HIM?)

I fetch the paper, fix my coffee, turn on the morning news, check emails and blogs, and generally relax until 6:00. Or 6:15. Or 6:30. Or 6:45. (This is all because my elliptical is STILL broken, and if it EVER gets repaired, all this will change. Again.) My absolute drop-dead latest time to get in the shower is 7:00, and I can still be ready to leave the house at 7:30. Most of the time. Unless I remember at the very last moment that I have neglected to pack a lunch, eat breakfast, take my pills, or all of the above.

I'm supposed to be at school at 7:45, and I usually make it within a couple of minutes. We're not strict about arrival/departure times around here (thank goodness), so it's not like I'm risking losing my job. It's just a darn good thing I don't work for my mother anymore; she considers it late if you arrive at work five minutes early.

I used to race with the school zone lights just down the road from our school. They were set to go off at 7:45, and if they weren't flashing as I approached, then I considered myself on time. A couple of times they have started flashing just as I got even with them, and I was highly insulted. Then apparently someone changed the flashing time to 7:30, and I gave up that game immediately.

This morning I got up at my usual time and went through all my usual activities. My lunch was already packed from last night, I ate breakfast, and I have even gone back to drying my hair instead of coming to school with it wet and letting it dry naturally.

I promise there is a purpose to all this. When I was completely ready for school I went downstairs, and it was only then I looked at the clock.

It was 7:00.

I asked Hubby, "What is WRONG with me?"

It could have something to do with going to bed at 7:50 last night (I was aiming for 7:30 but didn't make it). It could have something to do with FINALLY getting rid of the headache I had all Tuesday night and most of yesterday (great way to start the new semester - a headache so bad that I DREAMED about having a headache). It could have something to do with not having the added stress and activities of my former online teaching job.

At any rate, I'll take it. I actually had a few moments of peace and quiet at the beginning of the school day, before the craziness that is the REST of my daily routine kicked in. And I beat the flashing lights to boot.

But I don't want anyone to get used to it..... It's not likely to happen too many times that I actually get to school EARLY.

Not Sure What Kind of Fan I'm Becoming......

***Warning (or apology?) - This is the first of what I fear will be many gymnastics-related blogs between now and April 17th.***

***And I'm not sure it will even be coherent. Gymnastics doesn't lend itself well to a stream-of-consciousness approach***

***Full disclosure here***

***Not at all sure what's up with all the asterisks***

Since I began this topic, I had to go finish cooking dinner, and I think I have recognized what the problem is. It's not really what kind of fan I'm becoming, it's where I'm getting my information.

I am down in the dumps about our upcoming season in collegiate gymnastics. AND THE SEASON HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET. What's up with THAT?

I'm the one in our family who, while watching a football game, fervently believes that our team can win, even if we are down 49-0 with two minutes to go in the game. I don't get down in the dumps easily.

I have become concerned that I'm turning into a fair-weather fan. Our gymnastics team has won 10 national championships, 5 of them in a row (unprecedented in women's college gymnastics), from 2005-2009. Then last year we didn't even qualify for the national championships for the first time in 27 years. Couldn't defend our title because we couldn't even go.

We've graduated four super-superstar gymnasts in the past two years, and we've graduated some pretty good ones in addition to those. Recruiting hasn't been what it used to be, and even the top recruits we DID land haven't lived up to expectations.

This year's freshman class can't touch those at other schools, and then last week we lost the best of our freshmen, a powerhouse who was supposed to contribute on all four events. She ruptured her Achilles during practice, and she's out for the season. If there is a positive, it's that it happened before competition has begun, and she can redshirt this season, maintaining four years of eligibility. She had surgery yesterday, so she couldn't even be at the Meet the Team event.

We only have two seniors. And they're both in great shape, with awesome gymnastics. That's a relief.

Our top two juniors are both injured, both of them vital to the bars and vault line-ups. One of them got a near-perfect 9.975 on both bars AND vault last year (bars twice). The third junior has really come along this year, after only performing two vaults last year. On one of those she landed on her rear-end. She wasn't put back in the line-up again after that. Apparently she has made great strides (or we're running out of healthy folks), because last night we saw her practice on both floor and vault. We didn't get to see bars or beam practice, so I don't know where we stand on those apparatuses. Apparati. Whatever.

What we did get to see last night looked pretty good. I don't have that good an eye, especially on vaults, and I don't think I can judge objectively. I have a pretty hard time not taking a deduction when one of our gymnasts falls flat on her face. Maybe it's a good thing I gave up on becoming a gymnastics judge.

I have pinpointed the source of my negativity, though. I have been following a message board devoted to college gymnastics, along with one blog (that I'm NOT going to link to here because I don't want him to get any more hits), that are scathing in their criticism. Some of it is unbiased judgment, as far as I can tell, and some of it I can tell is of the "nah-nah-na-boo-boo" variety, the writers taking great pleasure in how far the mighty have fallen. A lot of it is based on the snippets of video that our coach has posted, and I have to admit that the snippets are a lot of "fluff" and not a whole lot of gymnastics. Other schools post entire intrasquad videos with complete routines for every gymnast.

Part of me is hoping that our coach hasn't posted videos because he doesn't want the other schools to see what their competition is. He's holding his cards close to the vest (is that a mixed metaphor, or is it correct?) and he's going to use the negativism to inspire his girls. There is a little voice in my head, though, that wonders, along with some of the most vocal nay-sayers online, if he isn't showing any good gymnastics because ....... there AREN'T any good gymnastics to show. I don't like that little voice. It's making me angry at myself for harboring those negative thoughts.

Is it reading the negative posts and comments that's making me down in the dumps about my team? Does that mean I only like my team when they're doing well? I don't think so, but I'm wondering if I just need to stop reading those things altogether. Easier said than done.... they're like CRACK (or what I guess crack must be like, since I have no personal knowledge).

I realize dynasties fall, records are broken, streaks eventually die. Perhaps this is just the second year in what will become an extended period of rebuilding. Perhaps it's just someone else's turn to be at the top. Rest assured, though, that I'm going to continue to pull for my team even if we lose every single meet this season. But damn I hope that doesn't happen.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled, non-gymnastics obsessed life.

Back in the Saddle Again.......

Not that I really WANT to be back in the saddle again.

Today was my first day back at school; students return tomorrow. My courses aren't ready, I don't have syllabi copied, I don't have my advisement list posted outside my door, I'm not sure we have student packets for the newbies, I don't have my lunch packed, and I'm not sure what I'm going to wear tomorrow.

But if 24.... 25..... 26..... however many years I've been doing this have taught me anything, it's that the day will go on, we will get through it, no blood will be shed (I'm hoping), and it won't be the end of the world. It's just about heavenly to me that I don't have to come home and do my online job in addition to teaching all day. I may miss the extra money, but the extra free time I have will MORE than make up for it.

And because I don't have the extra obligations, Hubby and I were able to go to the Meet the Team event for the Gym Dogs tonight. We watched practice, had dinner with the team and coaches, met some new people. I'm excited for the season to get underway.

But it's past my bedtime. More tomorrow!

Gusman's Report Card.......

Ever since our beloved groomer up and got married and moved the heck to Texas, we have been struggling to find a groomer.

Actually, we have ignored the need for a groomer until Gus is embarrassed about how shaggy and unmanageable his coat is, and then we go into panic mode.

We tried a new little place in a strip mall in town. They did good work, only it was a crap shoot getting Gus in there. They didn't take appointments, you just dropped in. And you just hoped they might be there. Regular hours were not their thing. Perhaps they should have set up shop in Mexico, where that is the norm. Is it any wonder the business went under? (I mean it obviously has nothing to do with the crappy economy.)

Then we took him to an animal hospital, not his usual one because they don't do grooming, and they did a nice enough job. But Hubby had to call, make an appointment, take Gus, pick him up, and then remember to do it all over again in about six to eight weeks.

Yeah, that ain't happening.

So today, on Weesa's recommendation, we took him to the chain pet supply store that starts with Pet and ends with Smart (or, as Larry the Cable Guy asks, does it start with "Pets" and end with "Mart"?). No appointment was needed, and they said they would call when he was ready. Since they are only about 2.5 miles from our house, it was very convenient.

I don't know why, but like any parent I'm a little nervous when I take Gus anywhere for the first time. I dread negative comments like, "He barked continuously," "He bit one of the groomers," or the embarrassing, "Gus has fleas."

Here, though, is what his report card looked like:

"Gus was an absolute joy to groom! He was perfect for everything. I think he is part fox; his face is so cute. Thank you for the pleasure!"

I mean if nothing else, you just have to be giddy about a dog groomer who knows how to use a semi-colon correctly. 

When I told Stephanie that his last groomer said he loved the dryer so much he almost went to sleep standing up, she said, "He DID love it! He loved it almost as much as I loved grooming him."

Yeah, it might be a sales pitch. It worked.

He didn't understand I was only trying to take a picture of him. He thought I was trying to take his treat, which is why he looks so suspicious in these shots.

I think we have found a new best friend. And if it costs twice as much as his old groomer, I can take comfort in the fact that it's still a heck of a lot cheaper than driving to Texas.