Saturday, September 4, 2010

"Learn the art of patience.  Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal.  Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure.  Patience creates confidence, decisiveness. and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success." - Brian Adams

I have had so much in my head the last couple of days.   That sort of "full-brain" feeling you get when you have too much inside and not place to really let it out?   So, I apologize if today's blog is a lot like diarrhea - never ending and not very pleasant.

I did interval running the other day - this comes on the heels of telling Jo that I need to work harder to lose weight. As I've mentioned, I trust Jo completely and have given my body and what mind I still have left, to Jo for the purposes of turning my body into the machine that it was made for.  So, when Jo says "Shelley needs to do intervals," that's what Shelley does - and the only thing I learned about intervals is that I hate them, and I need to do more of them.

It was during these runs that Amanda asked me about what was in my bucket list.  I had no idea what a bucket list was.  Apparently, a bucket list is a list of things you do before you "kick the bucket".  (nice).  Interestingly enough, I had actually made a list of 50 things to do before I died, I just didn't know that there was an official urban name for such a compilation.  

I wrote this list when I was 17 years old.  For you mathletes, that was 20 years ago.  Why don't we see how I have made out with my "bucket list"

1. Finish university -  I never completed university.  After drinking my way through the first  month of post-secondary education I came to the realization that I wasn't ready to be in university (mental note: remember to tell others that if you aren't ready to go to university, don't go.)  For ther record, I did go back and get my diploma in Business Admin, which has served me well.
2. Get Married Before I'm 25 - I was married 9 months before my 25th birthday.
3. Have 2 Children Before I'm 30 - I had my first and only child at age 30.
4. Live on an Island - I lived on Grand Cayman Island for 6 months when I was 20.
5. Learn to Scuba Dive - I am a PADI certified diver (oops, expired now)
6. Become a Fighter Pilot - God bless Tom Cruise in Top Gun, but I am not a figther pilot.
7. Drive a Formula 1 Race Car - There's still time while I still have my driver's licence.
8. Date Someone Famous - I dated Eric Flaim, world champion speedskater from the US Olympic Team, Gizmo Williams - Edmonton Eskimo's Fame (hey, he used to be hot), and JR Phillips and very yummy first baseman for the SanFransciso Giants.
9. Don't Die a Virgin - see #3 to know that I had sex at least once.
10. Play an Organized Sport - I have played soccer, slo-pitch, and became a competitive kick-boxer.
11. Travel to Africa - trip still pending.
12. Back Pack Across Europe - really?  do I still want to do this?
13. Work in Australia for a year - missed the mark there, not sure that I can actually work in Australia now.
14. Act in a Movie - While I didn't get to act in a movie, my dog broke his leash and together we ran into the set of "Viper" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viper_(TV_series)) which was being filmed in downtown Calgary. 
15. Write a Novel - subject matter still pending.  I'm not sure the memoirs of Shelley classify as a book, but I've met a lot of people in my life who have said "Hey, you should write a book"
16. Leave this Small Town - I basically left this small town, traded it for city life and then realized that I liked small town life without "living" in it.
17. Be a Contestant on a Game Show - I'll take "Game shows that Suck Ass" for $200 Alex.  (maybe next time I'll get out of the qualifying rounds).
18. Watch an MLB Baseball Game in Every Stadium - I watched the Blue Jays play the Texas Rangers on August 27, 1997.  In Toronto.
19. Watch an NHL Hockey Game in Every Arena - I have seen hockey games in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Phoenix.
20. Go to a Live Car Racing Event - I watched the Vancouver Indy in 1998.  Richie Hearn may have been the cutest, kindest, worst driver ever.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Hearn)
21. Be the Lead Singer in a Band - Sadly, I don't think fronting as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in a Karaoke version of "I Love Rock and Roll" counts.
22. Get a Tattoo -  I have a butterfly on my wrist - more to come.
23. Dye my Hair - I haven't seen my natural hair color since 1997.
24. Make out with a Woman - since I was unable to define what this meant 20 years ago, I am unable to actually comment on whether or not I was successful.
25. Ride an Elephant - Shrine Circus, circa 1994.
26. Swim with Dolphins - June 26,. 2010.
27. Have Sex in a Public Place - while this was accomplished sometime around 1992, I would like to point out that this behavior actually disgusts me a great deal now.
28. Have Sex Somewhere Illegal - remembering that I wrote this at 17, I had no idea that number 27 and number 28 were actually the same.  That said, I can say with some authority that while not a public place, sex in a Huey on a military base south of the border is somewhere illegal.
29. Own a Car -  I didn't own my first car until I was 24 years old.
30. Meet a Political Figure - Ralph Klein was really more of a pear-shape.
31. Meet a Sports Figure - Rich Franklin, Jason McDonald, Richie Hearn, Greg Moore, Stuart Hendley, Mark Tewksbury, Darren Warden, Curt Harnett, Keyvan Jenkins, Eric Lindros, Joe Juneau, Melissa Hollingsworth, Linda Blair, Dan Henderson, Will "The Thrill" Johnson (not such a thrill) Pee-Wee Smith, George Gurgel, Eric Flaim, Lynk Gates, Kevin Lowe, Wayne Gretzky, Kurt Browning, Dave Snuggerud, Doug Flutie, Jeff Garcia, Herm Harrison, and of course, JR Phillps.
32. Meet a Movie/Film Star - Jason Priestly, Chad Michael Murray, Brian Austin Green, Kevin Costner, Criss Angel.
33. Meet a Famous Singer/Songwriter - The Band "Helix", the Band "Platinum Blonde", Bon Jovi, Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20). Bryan Adams, Justin Timberlake (jury is still out on that one, can I trust a drunk stranger in Vegas?), Mark Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, the boys from Calle.
34. Adopt a Foster Child - it's never too late, right?
35. Take Up the Drums -  It is much too late for that.
36. Climb Mt. Everest - yeah, right.
37. Start a Charity - maybe someday.
38. See an Aztec Temple - not yet.
39. Invent Something - anything
40. Become a Teacher - nope.
41. Throw out the First Pitch at a MLB Game - sang O Canada at a Triple A Game
42. Make My Parents Proud - I don't know if that's ever attainable (that's a different day, different blog)
43. Be Very Rich - while I'm sure that at 17 I meant money, I have come to appreciate that richness comes in many different forms. (I suppose that's what everyone who isn't filthy rich says).
44. Become cool -  do we ever get to be cool?
45. Become a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader - What was I thinking?
46. Marry Someone Famous -  I may have had enough brushes with famous to know I wouldn't have chosen any differently than I did for myself.
47. Grow Breasts - Success!
48. Become Pretty - I really hated how I looked at 17.
49. Forgive Nicky D For Being Such a Bitch - Now that Nicky D is Nicky T, I can affirm that once a bitch, always a bitch and there's not much there to forgive.  Apparently 19 years out of high school doesn't change much.
50. Be Someone People Want to Be With....

Yeah, 17 isn't at all complicated.