So a colleague of mine recently showed me his 'Top 100 Things To Do Before I Die' list. I was inspired to create my own. So far, I only have 74 things, but I will continue to add as they occur to me. Enjoy and create your own list!

1. Travel to Australia/New Zealand
2. Travel to Japan
3. Attend a wedding in India
4. Find a religion
5. Join a bible study group
6. Read 20 classics
7. Skinny dip in the ocean
8. See an active volcano
9. Experience a small earthquake
10. Get in the best shape of my life
11. Take a photography class
12. Honeymoon in Italy
13. Tour the White House
14. Meet the President
15. See the Pyramids
16. Cruise to Alaska/Go Whale Watching
17. See a space shuttle launch in person
18. Go to Wimbledon
19. Take a pottery class
20. Go Bungee Jumping
21. Go Skydiving
22. Participate in 10 races for charity
23. Go spelunking
24. Get Lasik
25. Lose 35 lbs
26. Give a speech in front of 500 people
27. Scuba Dive with Sharks
28. Go to Graceland
29. Eat a Philly cheese steak in Philly
30. Patent something
31. Collect something
32. Go to Fashion Week in NY
33. Be in a play
34. Do yoga 5 days a week for 6 months
35. Learn to meditate
36. Save enough to buy a condo
37. Learn about wine
38. Learn self defense
39. See Madonna in concert
40. Go to the Grande Canyon
41. Volunteer once a week for 1 year
42. Plan my funeral
43. Attend the Olympics
44. Have a professional photographer photograph me nude
45. Be an extra in a film
46. Ride a camel
47. Perform karaoke by myself
48. Go to Carnival
49. Learn to juggle
50. Scuba dive off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
51. Ride in a hot air balloon
52. Visit the Holy Land
53. Learn to bartend
54. See the Great Wall of China
55. Go to the Galapagos Islands
56. Go streaking in a public place
57. Attend a human birth
58. Crash a wedding
59. Learn about Jazz
60. Volunteer for 1 week in a foreign country
61. Go on a safari
62. Attend a soccer (futbol) game between 2 Latin teams
63. Jell-O Wrestle
64. Attend a professional football game
65. Host a make out party
66. Spend time with a monkey
67. Ride in an ambulance
68. Date a biker
69. Get a lap dance
70. Go to a nude beach
71. Date a real cowboy
72. Get acupuncture
73. Learn massage
74. Take a painting class

Springtime in the Nation's Capital

Well, it's Springtime in DC. I know this because my allergies let me know. Spring brings lots of change. My roomies are moving into the city so I need to begin the process of Craig's List Rush. I also need to plan any summer trips. So far, I'm thinking Dallas, a cruise in June and maybe Detroit. I'll let you know.

I'm an Asshole-o-e-oh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKw9RHd9YAo

Okay, I'm not an asshole, but I'm currently obsessed with Dennis Leary and he is definately an asshole!

ck

Where are my Grandbabies? (oh yeah, and Happy Thanksgiving)

So, Thanksgiving has come and gone. I can't believe that 2007 is almost over. For Thanksgiving, I flew to Dallas. Mom picked me up on Tuesday nite. We chatted for a bit back at the house mostly about my job and her non profit work.

Wednesday Jill and her beautiful baby boy, Ashton, came over. He has big blue eyes and lots of brown hair. He is very happy and good natured. He and I became good buddies during Thanksgiving. He seems to like and trust me. We went to lunch and had Mexican Food. I'm on vacation, so I'm getting Fajitas! It was good to see Jill as a mom. She seemed very natural and calm about it all. I'm really proud of her. She is finally truely in her element. Then I realized that I had forgotten to pack underwear, so we went shopping so that I could buy some panties. I went home for several hours, then back to Jill's house later that evening. We played with Ashton and looked up stuff to buy on eBay. Shop Victoriously!

Thursday was turkey day. However, we usually have Thanksgiving lunch, but for some reason we had Thanksgiving dinner. I hung around the house and then went to the Achten's for a bit.

I came back home and Chaz's girlfriend, Joey came over for Thanksgiving. Mimi is overly anxious for her grandkids to get married and produce great grand children. I think she feels that she is nearing the end of her life and wants to at least have a glimpse of where our lives will lead. However, none of the 4 grandchildren are ready for all of that. 2 out of 4 have significant others, but no one is close to marriage. Mimi and Dad reminded me MANY times that they don't have any grandbabies. I got to the point where I was really sick of hearing it. I felt that I had dissapointed them by not following the path that society sets out for us. Mimi even asked me 'Do you think you will ever marry?' and 'If you do find someone, do you think you will be able to change your ways enough to get along with him?' Based upon these questions, I can't imagine what she thinks of me. Does she see me as a lonely spinster with 8 cats later in life? Dad simply seems dissapointed. His peers have grandchildren to play with during holidays and his kids have produced none. What about my happiness? What about making the biggest decision of my life carefully? I'm not even sure if they care if I'm married at this point. They just want grandkids.

Sigh, well, I'm getting worked up and stressed out, so I will leave it at that.

Southeast DC - Cop Ride Along

My friend, Kristen, is volunteering for an organization that helps the victims of domestic violence in SE and NE DC. Part of her training included riding along in a cop car for a couple of hours to see how the cops deal with domestic violence (DV) calls. Brandy and I came along for the experience and emotional support.

First off, we got there at 6pm, but waited 1.5 hours before actually getting into a cop car. I guess you could say that the city is not running the most efficient operation possible. Our cop was white, 28ish and lived in Arlington. Basically, he was just like us. He cussed alot, had a dry sense of humor and found us entertaining in spite of himself.

Our first radio call was a couple of teenagers on mopeds crusing through the neighborhood causing a ruckus. We found them, followed them for a bit and left. The officer explained that he can't chase them, because if he did, and they got into an accident, he would be held liable. So we cruised around for a bit and circled back to see if we could find them again. They were gone; hopefully we scared them and they went home.

Our second call was a DV call. We pulled up to the address, and waited for another cop to arrive as backup. Kristen asked, "Should we just stay in the car?" to which he replied "Oh no! You girls are coming into to see what this is really like." We were terrified. We had no idea what to expect. The two cops walked up to the door and the three of us followed. The cops knocked on the door and Kristen smartly moved behind the cops instead of in plain view. Brandy and I quickly followed. A man answered the door, pretending that he had no idea that the cops would be coming to his house. He said, "Are you sure you have the right address? I'm just sitting here watching the game. My wife went to the grocery store a while ago. I don't even have a home phone to call you guys. You can double check." The cops checked out the apartment, found that the woman was not there and we left. Once we got into the car, the cop told us that he had been to that apartment before for a DV call. Unfortunately, if the victim is not there, or chooses not to press charges or does not have any visable marks, it is difficult for the cops to make a case against the attacker.

So, after this, we cruised around the various neighborhoods. It felt as though we were in a fishbowl. People looked at the cop car with disgust and anger in their eyes. A 10 year old boy even 'fronted' with me by lifting his chin as if to say, 'You want some of this'. It's unfortunate that the kids in this part of the city have hatred instead of respect for the cops.

We decided to check out one of the hospitals that has an intake center for DV victims. This was the most depressing hospital I have ever seen. It looked like it belonged in the third world, not the United States of America. It was pretty desolate except for a few staff members. The ER was a large room with beds along the walls, curtains in between and stacks of paper work on a desk in the middle. This area is so dangerous that this hospital has a hard time keeping doctors. It makes me so sad to think that if you are poor or don't have health insurance then this is the only healthcare you have available to you. I'm not sure what the solution is, but it is definately an issue.

Anyways, while we were at the hospital, we got a call on the radio. Someone had been hit by a car. We hurried back to the cop car, put on our seatbelts and the sirens and speed through DC to get to the scene. We arrived and there was an off duty cop on the scene already as well as several witnesses. A women with a baby stroller and two small babies had been walking across the street when a man in a parked car pulled out. He did not see her and the car hit the stroller. A fire truck, ambulance, and several more cops all arrived on the scene. The babies were checked by the paramedics and they were fine. Our cop was giving the man in the car a ticket for not looking before moving his vehicle. The mother of the babies started screaming 'I can't believe you are letting this man get away with this! He could have hurt my babies! He needs to pay attention! I'm calling my sister who is a lawyer! This is NOT right! He needs to be punished more than simply getting a ticket!' Once the cop got back in the car he told us that one of the witnesses heard the mother tell the man 'You give me $300 and this will all go away.' So, I think his car DID hit the stroller, but she was going to capitalize on this opportunity.

After these 3 calls, the cop needed to go back to the station to fill out some paperwork, so our ride along was over. It was definately an eye opening experience about human nature and the way cops are treated. I'm so happy that people in this world are willing to be cops, because I don't think I am one of them.

Well, that's all for now.

Cheers,

Things are looking up, Bridget Jones.

Well, the Bridget Jones saga continues. This morning I hit a ginormous pothole on Kirkwood on my way to work and blew out both my driver's side tires. I drove the car to Pham's Auto Shop and they are ordering new tires and new rims as we speak. Unfortunately, this is costing me $500. Ho Hum. Maybe I'm not meant to own a car.

So, I turned 30 last week. 30, can you believe it? It sounds so old to me and I don't feel that old. Therefore it makes me laugh and I love to tell everyone that I am 30. I had a party with 'Over the Hill' balloons just cuz I think it is hilarious.

So, I'm been having a really hard time staying motivated at work lately. I have plenty of stuff to do, and I come every day for several hours, but as far as what I'm accomplishing, it is hard to say.

I've decided that I want to go on one date per month in 2007. So far, I'm right on schedule. Jan = Craig. Feb = Henry. I'm working on my March. It's kinda like that move with Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves - Sweet November. She has a man live with her each month, it's her goal. I would love for Keanu to be my March, but for some reason, I don't think that's gonna happen.

March is going to be a busy month for me. On Thursday I am going to Houston to visit Amy, Daniel, Sadie and the newest member of their family, Sarah. Sarah is about 3 weeks old. I'm really excited to meet Sarah and spend time with Amy and Daniel. I always feel more grounded after a visit with them. They are all about uncondictional love. Then, for St. Paddy's day, myself and Brandy are heading to Boston to celebrate with Kristen and Katty. It should be fun as they have lots of great festivals in Btown for St. Paddy's Day.

Anyhoo, that's my update for now. I'll try to be better with updates.

Cheers,
ck

My Ex is An Asshole..Why Was I the Last to Know?

So, I hung out with my ex for the 2nd time last nite. I realized very clearly for the first time that he is an asshole. He represents the WT White Senior that hits on the Freshman cuz they are fresh meat and impressionable. He reminds me of my very first boyfriend, Kelly . Kelly had me wrapped around his little finger and cheated on me multiple times. Again, I was the last to know. I thought he was great and I was head over heels. When I later realized that he was in fact an asshole, I was pissed. So, I feel duped but relieved that I'm not with him anymore.