The Countdown

Well, it's coming down to the wire, folks. Two days until my birthday. Two days until the last year of a 2 as the first digit. I gave up long ago on pretending that I was still carefree, but still...thirty's in sight, just lurking down the bend, waiting to jump on me and smother me with its finality.

And so now it's time for the list. I've attempted this once before but didn't get very far. At the time, I thought I had all the time in the world to think of more things. Go look at that list. I'll wait. Do dee doo de doo.

Wow, I've accomplished, partially accomplished, or will accomplish the first four items! But for realsies, it's my turn to make my own list. No fair listing things I've already done.

1. Put up as many of my CSA fruit and vegetables as possible for the winter.


2. Succeed in making borscht this time.


3. Make as many of my own work clothes as I can.


4. Stay gracious and try not to snap at my mom when she forces her wedding ideas on me.


5. Take a photography class, or work on my photography skills.


6. Find another dance class I like, and attend regularly.


7. Go to a country I haven't been to and where I don't speak the language.


8. Talk to strangers.


9. Put 6k into my retirement fund. Hey, I never said the things had to be interesting!


10. Attend a European soccer game.


11. Really blow a student's mind with my insightful and probing questions on intercultural awareness, leading them to requestion all they ever thought they knew about the world (aka, do my job).


12. Figure out what to do about the "I want a registry!" "But we don't have any space for stuff." "But I WANT one!" dilemma.


13. Spend a weekend with Frenchy and a borrowed under-one, just to see if we can hack it.


14. Think up a really watertight excuse for when we can't hack it.


15. Read Jude the Obscure.


16. Have more than one professional massage.


17. Take advantage of the free gallery talks at the Met.


18. Learn to stop on rollerblades.


19. Visit some New York wineries.


20. Invite the couple that lives below us up for dinner or coffee.