So, I just want to start off by saying that usually my blog entries have a title before I actually start writing them, since I usually have a theme for my posts. Unfortunately I don't this time. I guess that's because I just plan on babbling about what's been going on the past few days. It's a status update of sorts. Oh. Well then. I suppose that could be a decent title... and there it is. Whatever the title shows up as is exactly what I just thought of. It's amazing how a train of thought can just run into an idea.
Speaking of ideas, I've added a few more things to my bucket list, but unfortunately I did not hit 50 more. When I do, I'll post them up here, but until then I'll just keep them to myself. If I kept updating my list every time I got an idea or two, this blog would be so out of whack that it wouldn't be worth keeping it up any more (okay, so that's false). Also in regards to ideas, I've started writing a book. To be considered a novel, a story needs to be 50,000+ words, though most book series' go far beyond that. I think the Hunger Games is up at 95,000 and Breaking Dawn is 125,000 or so. That's a whole lot of writing! The story I've got written so far is only 5,000 words. That's at least 45,000 more words! I'd like to get this novel done by this time next year, but with school starting up in September, I don't know how that's going to work out... not to mention NaNoWriMo is in November and I'd have to put this book on hold to try to write another one, an ENTIRE one, in only one month.
Perhaps I'll sit this NaNoWriMo out.
Speaking of-- apparently NaNoWriMo opened in August. I wish I had known because I could've used this story idea for it! Not to mention that I've got nothing else going on this month other than a couple of birthdays and work...
Alas. C'est la vie. Such is life.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Ride the Rollercoaster
Yesterday was a fun day, and I'm sorry that I didn't get to write a bit before going to bed last night, but I didn't get home until 2am anyway. Anything I would've written at that time would've been a bust. I prefer to write during the day, when I'm at my prime in terms of awakeness (Google Chrome is telling me that 'awakeness' isn't a work, but I definitely think it is!).
So yesterday I went with a couple of friends to Hurricane Harbor, which is the water park for Six Flags Great Adventure, home of Kingda Ka. I've been to Six Flags numerous times this summer already, and have yet to go on Kingda Ka. I've been there too many times to count since the roller coaster first went up, and still have yet to go on it. At first I didn't go because my mom threatened both my brother and myself. It was all out of love, since originally there was no guarantee that the car even made it over the top of the coaster and it was broken and shut down more times than it was running. Right, that was years ago. What's my excuse now? To be honest, I don't really have one other than my own fear and stubbornness. I've been telling people for so long that I'll never go on Kingda Ka, that it's definitely a tear at my pride to submit and just go on it. A friend and I were talking about bucket lists not too long ago, and she told me that she didn't have one written down, but if she did she could cross off sky diving. I laughed and told her that was impressive, since I was far too terrified to do anything like that. It was then that she made a good point- part of the thrill and the excitement of doing something like that is the chance to face and conquer your fears. Smart friends I have, huh?
I decided that yesterday would be a good day to conquer my own fears. The people I was with happened to be the people who I promised I'd go on Kingda Ka with first. Granted, they're also the people who had threatened to chloroform me and then drag me on while unconscious, but still... I know they just have my best interests at heart! (Yeah, right.) Unfortunately, due to one reason or another, Kingda Ka wasn't running. Oh well, I guess no bucket list cross off for me just yet!
Nothing new today, but I did decide to write a children's book series. I'd let everyone in on my thoughts and ideas, but then someone might steal them ;) However, I'd like to know what people's thoughts are- if you write and publish a children's book, is it still considered getting a book published?
PS - I would like to clarify any confusion anyone might be having. Yes, there are things that have already been crossed off my bucket list. While my blog might be new, my bucket list certainly isn't! I've had my bucket list for quite some time now, and have slowly been crossing things off. I didn't want to jip anyone of my full list, so I posted everything on my list up to that point, done or still waiting to be done.
So yesterday I went with a couple of friends to Hurricane Harbor, which is the water park for Six Flags Great Adventure, home of Kingda Ka. I've been to Six Flags numerous times this summer already, and have yet to go on Kingda Ka. I've been there too many times to count since the roller coaster first went up, and still have yet to go on it. At first I didn't go because my mom threatened both my brother and myself. It was all out of love, since originally there was no guarantee that the car even made it over the top of the coaster and it was broken and shut down more times than it was running. Right, that was years ago. What's my excuse now? To be honest, I don't really have one other than my own fear and stubbornness. I've been telling people for so long that I'll never go on Kingda Ka, that it's definitely a tear at my pride to submit and just go on it. A friend and I were talking about bucket lists not too long ago, and she told me that she didn't have one written down, but if she did she could cross off sky diving. I laughed and told her that was impressive, since I was far too terrified to do anything like that. It was then that she made a good point- part of the thrill and the excitement of doing something like that is the chance to face and conquer your fears. Smart friends I have, huh?
I decided that yesterday would be a good day to conquer my own fears. The people I was with happened to be the people who I promised I'd go on Kingda Ka with first. Granted, they're also the people who had threatened to chloroform me and then drag me on while unconscious, but still... I know they just have my best interests at heart! (Yeah, right.) Unfortunately, due to one reason or another, Kingda Ka wasn't running. Oh well, I guess no bucket list cross off for me just yet!
Nothing new today, but I did decide to write a children's book series. I'd let everyone in on my thoughts and ideas, but then someone might steal them ;) However, I'd like to know what people's thoughts are- if you write and publish a children's book, is it still considered getting a book published?
PS - I would like to clarify any confusion anyone might be having. Yes, there are things that have already been crossed off my bucket list. While my blog might be new, my bucket list certainly isn't! I've had my bucket list for quite some time now, and have slowly been crossing things off. I didn't want to jip anyone of my full list, so I posted everything on my list up to that point, done or still waiting to be done.
Friday, August 5, 2011
The List
Okay, I know I'm posting again, twice in two days, something that's generally not seen in the blogging world. Here you may be thinking "Yippee! Someone who can actually keep up with her posts!" I hate to disappoint you, but I'm definitely just another one of those bloggers. You know, the ones who start out strong and then slowly dwindle in their posting... not only the amount they post in terms of time, but how much they actually post in each of their posts. But, I digress. I promise I'll post as much as I can all the time, but I've never been a good diary keeper. If you think about it, a blog is essentially a diary and a diary (or journal for those of you out there who are too manly or too embarrassed to use the term diary) is merely a chronological, written account of things that go on in life. I like to think I'm a good writer, half decent even, but that doesn't mean that I'm consistent.
Alas. Life goes on.
This post is aptly titled "The List" because I will be posting what I have so far of a bucket list. It's not excessive, extensive or even really impressive so far, but that's the greatest thing about bucket lists- they change! You can add things and cross things off. As we get older, our wants change and some things which we once wanted to do and never got around to doing may no longer look as desirable. The funny thing is that I add things every day when I can think of them. My current list stands at 50 things that I want to do, but guarantee that by tomorrow, or at the latest by the end of the weekend, I'll have another 50 things to add to it. I'll continue to add more and more in different posts as I think of them.
Here's the list!
Alas. Life goes on.
This post is aptly titled "The List" because I will be posting what I have so far of a bucket list. It's not excessive, extensive or even really impressive so far, but that's the greatest thing about bucket lists- they change! You can add things and cross things off. As we get older, our wants change and some things which we once wanted to do and never got around to doing may no longer look as desirable. The funny thing is that I add things every day when I can think of them. My current list stands at 50 things that I want to do, but guarantee that by tomorrow, or at the latest by the end of the weekend, I'll have another 50 things to add to it. I'll continue to add more and more in different posts as I think of them.
Here's the list!
- Go cage diving
- Swim with sharks
- Swim with dolphins (April 2006)
- Learn how to drive a clutch
- Illegally street race
- Have my own cooking show on Food Network
- Ride Kingda Ka
- Read every Stephen King book
- Read every Dean Koontz book
- Make a book list and read every book on it
- Travel the world in 80 days (like done in the book)
- Climb a mountain
- Drive on the autobahn
- Backpack through
- Get married
- Have kids
- Debone a duck
- Visit some place in every state in the
- Four corners
- Go to Katz’s deli in
- Write a full novel (50,000+ words)
- Participate in NaNoWriMo
- Get a book published
- Help build a house
- Find a beer I actually like
- Visit King’s Cross Station in
- Go to
- Ride a camel (June 2010)
- Ride an elephant
- Learn another language and be able to hold conversations
- Write a screenplay
- Acquire a $2 bill
- Go to a Renaissance Faire
- Scuba diving
- Visit
- Meet and become friendly with someone excessively famous
- Really learn how to play guitar
- Eat in every restaurant that has been on Guy Fieri’s Diner’s, Drive In’s and Dives
- Apply to be on the Amazing Race
- Participate in Amazing Race
- Win Amazing Race
- Snorkel
- Hold a koala
- Own a penguin
- Take a cooking class at Le Courdon Bleu in
- Ride in a hot air balloon
- Go to the site of the
- Drive down the Pacific coast
- Participate in a Tough Mudder competition
- Go white water rafting
- Learn how to surf
- Learn how to water ski
I'm well aware of the fact that #19 has a lot of things under it (every state in the US), but I need to keep track of which states I visit and which are still to be visited! I'm also aware that half the states don't actually have specific places to visit. I haven't done all the research yet on each state, but I know I want to visit somewhere in every state (even if the only thing I want to do in that state is visit somewhere Guy has been on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives). I'll eventually get up another post with all of the states modified to have somewhere I want to visit in each state. =) I'm also aware that "Four Corners" is not a state, but it's four states at once and I couldn't figure out where to put it, so I made it it's own destination. I am also aware that #39 has a part A and a part B attached. These two aren't necessary, since after applying to be on the Amazing Race, things are out of my control. If I get onto the Amazing Race, I'll participate. If I participate, I'm going to try my hardest to win, but that's also not necessary. It's just an additional plus.
So now that the list is posted and you've seen the things that I want to do, all I can do is hope that there are a few things on there you might think are crazy, impossible, dramatic.... but that you might want to do, too.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Who Am I and Why Should You Care
Who am I? Well, that's easy enough. I'm a 20-something who graduated from college with honors and a dual degree yet still couldn't find a job. I like cooking, reading, writing, amusement parks, cartoons, dancing, hanging out with friends, Harry Potter and Shark Week. Of course my list of things I like isn't that short (if it was, I think I'd be a rather boring person to be around and I pride myself on being anything other than boring), but that's about the gist of it. I still live at home, and while it's trying at times, I'm living rent-free, don't have to pay for food and best yet- I can still vacation with my family.
We are big into cruising (as it's my mother's proclaimed favorite method of travel) and there are very few Caribbean islands that I haven't been to at least once (if you want a list, feel free to ask. We actually have one with a tally of how many times we've been to each island). I can't push the 'cruise' thing all on my mother; I definitely prefer it as opposed to flying and since we're only 40 minutes away from the nearest port, I've become quite spoiled when it comes to vacationing.
Although I graduated with honors and with a dual degree (marketing and management), I still couldn't find a job. I went into grad school, hoping that I could gain knowledge in a specific field and therefore become one of the few people who is desired by many companies because of my knowledge. Of course, not even two months into my graduate program (Labor and Employment Relations) did I realize that I wanted to tear my hair out and that I would never be happy in a business field. What did I do? Changed my entire life course, of course! I switched graduate degree programs from L&ER to Social Work. I've always been a giving person, a "do-gooder" if you will, someone who likes to help out others. What other course could my life take if not but social work (or perhaps teaching, but for some reason I've just never wanted to be a teacher). Not everyone was as happy with my decision as I was, but through lots of persuasion and research on the field, I managed to get everyone at least half on board with the idea (six months later...).
I know that everything seems scattered and nothing really follows a single train of thought, but it all loops back into the second question- why should you care?
I'll tell you why you should care! I'm just like you! I'm another average (despite my mother's persistent protests against this claim) college graduate who couldn't find a job in this crappy economy and has a list of things she wants to do that is twice the size of her (I'm only 5'2", so having a list of things I want to do that's twice as long as me really isn't that difficult). This has become my bucket list. While some people don't like the idea of a bucket list for one reason or another, I think it's a great way to organize things you want to do in your lifetime. Some things may be extremely outlandish (have my own cooking show on Food Network), and others may be more easily done (get over my fear and ride Kingda Ka at Six Flags), but in the end it's about having the drive to do things that you want, taking control of your life and ultimately doing just what this blog is titled- Carpe Diem. Sieze the day.
So should you care about me? I'd hope you'd want to. If not me, at least jump on with the idea of seizing the day and taking control of your life in order to do things you want to do. This blog is about me and my travels through my own bucket list. If nothing else, I hope I've inspired you to rethink your own concept of a bucket list and if you haven't made one yet to think about making one and taking your own trip(s)!
We are big into cruising (as it's my mother's proclaimed favorite method of travel) and there are very few Caribbean islands that I haven't been to at least once (if you want a list, feel free to ask. We actually have one with a tally of how many times we've been to each island). I can't push the 'cruise' thing all on my mother; I definitely prefer it as opposed to flying and since we're only 40 minutes away from the nearest port, I've become quite spoiled when it comes to vacationing.
Although I graduated with honors and with a dual degree (marketing and management), I still couldn't find a job. I went into grad school, hoping that I could gain knowledge in a specific field and therefore become one of the few people who is desired by many companies because of my knowledge. Of course, not even two months into my graduate program (Labor and Employment Relations) did I realize that I wanted to tear my hair out and that I would never be happy in a business field. What did I do? Changed my entire life course, of course! I switched graduate degree programs from L&ER to Social Work. I've always been a giving person, a "do-gooder" if you will, someone who likes to help out others. What other course could my life take if not but social work (or perhaps teaching, but for some reason I've just never wanted to be a teacher). Not everyone was as happy with my decision as I was, but through lots of persuasion and research on the field, I managed to get everyone at least half on board with the idea (six months later...).
I know that everything seems scattered and nothing really follows a single train of thought, but it all loops back into the second question- why should you care?
I'll tell you why you should care! I'm just like you! I'm another average (despite my mother's persistent protests against this claim) college graduate who couldn't find a job in this crappy economy and has a list of things she wants to do that is twice the size of her (I'm only 5'2", so having a list of things I want to do that's twice as long as me really isn't that difficult). This has become my bucket list. While some people don't like the idea of a bucket list for one reason or another, I think it's a great way to organize things you want to do in your lifetime. Some things may be extremely outlandish (have my own cooking show on Food Network), and others may be more easily done (get over my fear and ride Kingda Ka at Six Flags), but in the end it's about having the drive to do things that you want, taking control of your life and ultimately doing just what this blog is titled- Carpe Diem. Sieze the day.
So should you care about me? I'd hope you'd want to. If not me, at least jump on with the idea of seizing the day and taking control of your life in order to do things you want to do. This blog is about me and my travels through my own bucket list. If nothing else, I hope I've inspired you to rethink your own concept of a bucket list and if you haven't made one yet to think about making one and taking your own trip(s)!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)