3 posts tagged “lists”
THE 99 THINGS MEME
Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font
1. Started your own blog. Some would say too many blogs.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland/world. I was just in Disneyworld last weekend, but have never been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child. I'm not sure if this one counts, but close enough, I think.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. I spent all my time at d'Orsay and the Picasso Museums, never got to the Louvre.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon. A 5k is a reasonable goal and one I'm working toward. I hope people would have an intervention before I even got to the point of considering a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. I've been to Germany and Ireland, but not Poland, and in none of these instances did I specifically seek out places that had to do with my heritage.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language. Does HTML or CSS count?
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
Originally published at file under "Miscellanea". You can comment here or there.
(Note: This post is part of a series I am doing on my progress through Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way with a cadre of creative ladies. More info about this venture can be found in an earlier post and all of my related posts are under one category.)
Week two considers other barriers to our creative recovery, both from others (folks Julia Cameron calls crazymakers and poisonous playmates) and from within (the skeptical voice in my head that says, "You're not an artist!").
I've done a couple of this week's tasks, which I'll share here:
Life Pie
This is a great visual exercise--not just for those using The Artist's Way, but anyone--to make you consider and own up where the imbalance in your life can be found. To play along at home, simply draw a circle, divide it into the six pieces below, and make a dot in each "pie"--closer to the outer rim signifies greater fulfillment, closer to the center reveals displeasure in that area.
No matter what your final pie looks like, there will be some areas where you have achieved greater satisfaction than others. Give yourself a pat on the back--but also pay attention to the areas where you could be happier. In my Artist's Way journal, I'm keeping a running list of the things I can do to improve my happiness in the areas of friendship, exercise, and romance/adventure.
Di and Cassidy have already completed their "20 things I like" lists, so I ought to also join in. The following is an alphabetized list of activities I enjoy doing, followed by the last time I had the pleasure of said activity:
- being pampered (Aug 07)
- brewing beer (2 years)
- camping/hiking (March 08)
- chatting w/ girlfriends late into the night (Nov 07)
- cooking for friends (March 08)
- embroidery (Nov 07)
- enjoying thunderstorms (currently)
- going to the movies w/ husband (couple of months)
- making my own clothes (Sept 07)
- meeting new people (this week)
- reading (today)
- seeing live music/theater (2 years)
- sex (today)
- shopping thrift stores/estate sales (Feb 08)
- spending time w/ brother & husband outside of house (this month)
- staying in bed with husband (this week)
- traveling somewhere new (5 years)
- visiting galleries/museums (Nov 07)
- volunteering w/ Habitat for Humanity (2 years)
- walking the dog (yesterday)
What surprised me in doing this was the disparity--so many things I had done in the last month or so (approx 40%)...and then things I haven't done in two years or longer (45%, italicized). Any of the things in italics which can be done for little cost are now officially on my to-do list. Others--travel and homebrew, for example--need to wait on other things, but this has certainly put them on my radar screen. (Note: I specifically didn't mention my artmaking activities, one, because they are many and I could have used slots 1-10 just on that; and two, because they are obviously a priority for me else I wouldn't be reading this book, maintaining this blog, etc!)
On that note, I'll close with some advice from Ira Glass of This American Life about being creative and enduring that has definitely helped me squelch my Inner Censor and Skeptic as of late:
The thing I would just say to you with all my heart is that most everybody I know who does interesting, creative work--they went through a phase of years where they had really good taste, and they could tell what they were making wasn't as good as what they wanted it to be. They knew it fell short. [...] The thing I would say to you is everybody goes through that. The most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work.
That tidbit comes from the video below, which is part of a series of four clips; I recommend you watch them all and soak up the inspiration and compassion for what it means to be driven to create:
Flip-flops are everyday wear.
True story: Two to three weeks ago, there was a bit of a cold spell here on the Gulf coast of Florida, and I decided to swap out my summer and winter wardrobes. Away went the sundresses and flip flops, out came the long-sleeved shirts and blouses.
Two days later, I was digging under the loft for the bin I had stashed the flip-flops in. I guess winter only lasts two days in these parts.
Orange juice from concentrate makes you vomit.
Why do grocery stores in Florida import oranges or grapefruit from anywhere else? I swear, I'm going to start positioning myself by that area of produce and start heckling my fellow shoppers.
Tap water makes you vomit.
PUR water filter: $25.00
Not drinking tap water: Priceless.
An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.
Also true: My neighborhood has a six-footer in the small man-made lake that marks the entrance to the subdivision. A trapper's been out to get him twice, but no luck.
You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat than have a boat yourself.
So true!
The full list can be read on angelanoel's Vox.
