Sweet gesture? Villain in sheep's clothing?

Lately, I have been hearing lots of man-to-man tips and tricks on how to get a girl to like you - mostly radio advice. They are comprised of ways to a) impress a girl or b) emulate an alpha male.

Tips like:

• Insult her

• Wait five minutes after meeting her before paying any attention to her

• Touch her (arm taps etc) somewhere in the area of 10 times within an evening

• My favorite: at lunch, some guy went to a restaurant, left his credit card number and instructions that when he asked for the bill after his date that night, they were to say, "Oh no, ___. You eat here free!"

They might be sweet if a guy wants to impress someone he cares about (although it seems a bit manipulative to me). I guess if you get a girl's emotions up, even if its anger, she will be thinking about you. As for the 'insult her' advice, I have never wanted to date someone because they insulted me - although I may have wanted to bat them up-side the head with one of those cardboard tubes wrapping paper comes rolled around.

I thought these tips might be something to keep in mind if I ever had a guy (imaginary) trying to get a girl (also imaginary) to like him. Then, today I was getting my hair cut and a supplier was in, trying to get one of the hairdressers to buy a electric trimmer. She didn't like it. He started shaving the hair on his arm.

Here's how it went (I couldn't help but listen. My toner was setting):

Her: It isn't even working.

Him (with an insulting tone of voice): What? Have you been drinking today?

Her: Pardon me?

Him: Have you been drinking today?

Her: No

Then he showed her a different electric trimmer. They chatted about it (warranties, etc) and she ordered it and a bunch of other stuff. The guy wandered around the store, making sure to say by to all the hairdressers ("Bye, ladies.") and left.

Aside from his one jerk-face moment, he seemed like a nice enough guy. So why had he been so rude to her? They didn't seem to have a chummy enough relationship to talk to one another like that. Why had she ordered anything from him after his bad behavior? Had he applied one of the dating tips to make a sale? Had she let him because he was the official shop supplier?

Where does the sweet guy trying to impress a girl become a villain? For me, I think it is the comment, "Have you been drinking today?" It may have worked for the two of them, but as an outsider, the situation felt absolutely contrived.

I suppose there is room in a story for this type of character, but the hero-type I had in mind isn't it. The old adage Be Yourself should slide over to Let Your Character Be Himself as well. If he uses some out-of-character trick, perhaps she should be attuned enough to know (maybe too polite to let on, but she should know - perhaps this was the hairdresser. After all, she didn't buy the sub-standard trimmer), or maybe there should be some catastrophic disaster (no electric trimmer sale).

Anyway, got to go. I have all sorts of villain ideas swirling around in my mind.

It Builds Character

Have you ever had to do something you don't want to only to have another person suggest you do it anyway, saying if anything, it will "help build character"?

Well, I built character. I had to go to a murder mystery to do it.

I was expecting human checkers, only the Clue version with costumes. It was a Hollywood theme murder mystery and I was to be the social-climbing younger sister of a movie star who was murdered later that evening. More importantly, it was a fund-raising event to help find a cure for cancer.

Anyway, my character was somewhat disliked by the others. Three times I was asked to leave while people were talking. The other movie stars looked at me and whispered. I was accused of being a murderer. It felt like high school all over (except the last bit).

ps - If you are currently in high school, hang in there. Things get better. Sooo much better.

The worst part is, I left my purse in the car. I didn't have a book with me, not even a pen. I was officially stuck in the here and now.

With all due respect to everyone who had been there (friends who are much better actors than myself) and the good intentions of the evening, I just didn't like it. I think it was the gossip, but I got ridiculously upset. To my credit, I pretended I was having fun. aka You can control the number of times you smile in a day - Perhaps I resembled a territorial primate ;) (if this paragraph sounds crazy, see last post).

You know what? It was good for me. By the second half of the evening, I convinced myself to have a bit more fun (although I ran for the car when it was time to go). I even figured out the murderer - The Guy with the Fake Mullet.

Here is The Best Part: In my imaginary world, there is this close-knit group of selkies that have refused to talk to me. Perhaps they saw me looking pathetic and decided to throw me a bone, because they have started chattering like crazy. One even let me know why they stayed quiet for so long.

Finally! I get to the point:

Even though a character my not be the most important person in your story, they should be the most important person in their own.

Why couldn't I get the selkies to talk to me?

I wasn't taking them seriously. I wanted to make them that character you could pass in the street and say something like, "Well, hello there. I see you're a selkie."

"Why yes, you're right."

Life's not like that. Consider the selkie rules: In stories, the selkie is most predominant as the selkie bride. In the water, the selkie is a seal. However, they can come on land, remove their skins and walk around as a human.

If a human male finds her skin and hides it, she is immediately his (generally, his wife). So long as the skin is hidden, she will be a good wife and mother. If she ever finds it though, she's gone. No matter what connections she has formed, she will return to the sea. Sometimes she will approach the shore to visit her children, but she doesn't stay.

So what does it mean to be a selkie?

• Never trusting anyone. Even a woman can't be trusted. What if she is only your friend so she can find your skin for a male friend or family member?

• If you become a selkie wife, it is probably difficult to make friends with the other women in town (I only had to put up with it for an evening. Imagine a lifetime).

• Once you have children or even if you just care about your human husband, there would be fear of angering him or of him falling in love with another woman. If he wants you out of the house, all he has to do is leave your seal skin out in plain sight.

• Are there even any rules about the number of selkies one might collect? Could a person steal a bunch of skins and have more than one selkie wife? Keep them as servants? Sell them on the black market?

• If I were a selkie longing for the sea, I know I would be afraid of a house fire. I also wouldn't want any company in the house in case someone terrible would steal my seal skin.

• What of the selkie lover left behind (if there is one) or children? Does anyone ever come to help you escape? Not even friends and family? Do they wait for you to return? Do they go on with their lives? Does the human husband kill them to prevent any unwanted rescues or to make the search for your skin futile since there would be no one to return to?

These are only a few ponderings that struck me in the moment. I'm sure many more pass through the minds of selkie brides than those above. Even though they are only briefly visited in my story, I think I had a chance to get to know a few selkie women better and for who they are, rather than for what they could do for me.

I don't care if it sound silly. Wishing I had a book or something (Anything!) to take me to a different situation gave me a small taste of what it would be like to be a selkie, longing for her skin.

Oh, and are there more murder mysteries in my future? Probably. I might even surprise myself and have some fun.

Character built?

Check and Check.

Epiphanies

This week's epiphanies:

• Life is too short for bad sushi.

• Tiny Buddha says we can control the number of times we can smile in a day. This may mean people should smile more, however I believe it means you don't have to smile if you don't feel like smiling. You run the risk of impersonating a territorial primate (True Story).

• When you go into a situation where another person is trying to make you feel uncomfortable, remember this: You are good at something. Excellent, in fact, even if you're the only one who knows what that something is.

• When the belt loops rip off your favorite pants, it means two things 1) They have been well-loved 2) They will/should be missed (not worn) - this is a warning sign. If you continue wearing them, they will only break your heart.

• Even if it only blooms a short while, a hibiscus flower is worth the anticipation.

• This lady is: (initial thought) awesome! (second thought) someone who must have been very lonely beforehand.

• The way I use the word 'epiphany' is the definition listed third in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Nothing ground-shaking, but it still gets my wheels turning. How about you? Any epiphanies this week?

Brunchy food and Easter people

Everyone has a favorite holiday.

Call me Scrooge if you like, but Christmas is definitely not mine. People are cold and tired and overworked (so they are caught up when they return from "holidays") and in search of the elusive "perfect gift" for everyone they hold near and dear while smiling what they hope is an unfrazzled version of what they are feeling. Yes I know, I'm a Scrooge.

I think Easter might be my favorite because it is the exact opposite. Three days of friends and family (punctuated by the occasional road trip) mellowed by warm sun and fresh fruit where forks and fingers are perfectly acceptable to be used interchangeably. Getting started on "spring cleaning" but not feeling the same crunch of a deadline for cleanliness imposed by Christmas. Add liquid carbs made crunchy on the griddle and delicious candies hidden in your gym shoes and you have the perfect weekend. (Thanksgiving is a close second but the traffic is a little crazier and all candy is kept in plain sight).

For me, this weekend was a combination of the sweet and the bittersweet (yes, chocolate is included).

• A trip to "back home" where some people are recognizable, others are vaguely familiar and people will chat but will not use names for fear of saying the wrong one. Babies are kissed, compared and held awkwardly.

• Bike rides. Dog walks. Dog rides. (Two of these happened. You decide which.)

• Lunch in town only to find my favorite Japanese restaurant has gone out of business. (Small towns in Saskatchewan are hard on Japanese restaurants - or any specialty restaurants, for that matter, excluding restaurants where the specialty involves ground beef)

• Lunch at a hamburger-specialized restaurant.

• Fruit cut in finger-sized pieces.

• Time to read. (I can sense a few book reviews on the horizon)

• Time to write.

• Time for homework. (What's a nerd without a little homework)

• A tour of my niece's Bieber wall.

• Being read Dr. Seuss books.

• My sister's homemade olive relish.

• Homemade wine and silly chatter.

With weekends likes this, you can hardly blame me if you catch me saying, "Bah, humbug," next December.

Are there any weekend highlights you would like to share?

Its all about the he said she said

There are two things you should know about me.

Thing 1: I have an addiction to office supplies.

Thing 2: I have a limited short-term memory and go crazy if I think of something I might need to remember for later.

Thus, the avalanche of little notebooks I keep in my house, my purse, my car... To write down random stuff.

One of the things I did in one of them is write down a collection of words. Words I like, words I find most descriptive under a specific circumstance, words that describe other words.

In this post are the list of words I collected to be used in place of said. It is a list I both hate and worship (check out tomorrow's post to see why). I've found these words in books, online, by listening to people talk (TV, radio, humans).

My suggestion is not to take this list with a grain of salt, but to use it the way one would use salt.

There are a number of different salts to be used in cooking: sea salt, kosher salt, rock salt, celtic salt etc. They may all add a special something to a dish that plain old table can't quite achieve, but they all serve the same purpose - to make the food taste salty. The amount of salt added to a dish are not exponentially related to its deliciousness, regardless of the quality or variety.

Consider yourself warned ;)

contested cited discussed asked appeased

continued claimed disclosed replied approved

contradicted coaxed disrupted blinked argued

chimed contributed comforted divulged began

articulated cooed commanded echoed sputtered

assented counseled commented elaborated assumed

countered communicated emphasized assured coughed

crabbed cackled cajoled calculated called

caroled cautioned challenged craved cracked

cried criticized croaked cautioned crooned

cross-examined chanted cursed charged chattered

chided chipped in chimed in chirped choked

chortled complained conceded concluded concurred

confessed confided confirmed consented consoled

crowed drawled droned debated decided

declared decreed delivered defended demanded

demurred denied denounced described determined

dictated directed disclaimed enjoined enumerated

equivocated estimated enunciated exhorted exaggerated

exclaimed expiated explained exploded exposed

faltered foretold fumed gagged inquired

insinuated volunteered ventured prompted supplied

thundered hesitated added agreed corrected

whispered hesitated abjured accused acknowledged

added addressed admitted admonished advised

advocated affirmed agreed alleged allowed

alluded announced answered apologized appealed

asserted assured attested averted avouched

avowed blubbered blurted blustered boasted

boomed bragged breathed broke in brought forth

babbled baited bantered bargained barked

bawled began begged believed belittled

bellowed condescended

• I don't know how to put a table in blogger. If anyone knows how, I'd appreciate a heads up - I'll give this list a bit of a tidy (the OCD in me goes crazy that the list isn't alphabetical and perfectly lined up).

Hit me

I'm out of town so here is a little something I've jacked from my facebook page ;)

Original post date: Sep 22, 2008.

I had a list of things I wanted to do on our trip to Vegas (if you say Las Vegas, people will ask you if its your first time visiting. Saying Vegas is cooler). Some of the things were from my then-bucket list. Some are strictly Vegas-specific:

• See a Vegas wedding. (Didn't happen)

• Convince the happy couple to let my husband and I be witnesses. (Self-explanatory)

• See the Freemont Street Experience. (Pretty cool)

• Say, "Hit me," while gambling. (Still have no idea where this applies)

• Say, "Let it ride while gambling. (This phrase also escapes me)

• Wander through a CSI set. (No dice)

• Meet someone famous. (Actually happened - Alexis Bledel - Gilmore Girls, Hello, MY FAVORITE SHOW!)

• Go up the Eiffel Tower, see the Bellagio water show. (Did both at the same time)

• Have a daiquiri in one of those Eiffel tower drink bottles. (Stood in line for half an hour. Didn't have ID on me. Got my husband to buy it. Because I didn't have ID, the guy wouldn't sell to my husband. Had to go into the Paris casino and skulk around while he waited at the bar (on advice from the street vendor). Never did finish it. Had the world's worst headache the next day. Avoid at all costs!)

• Go to White Castle (have an adventure to do so if necessary). (Didn't go. Another trip to the States will be required for this purpose alone)

• Buy air. (The more I think about it, the shadier it seems - didn't do it, no regrets)

• Pull a crank on a slot machine. (Some of the older machines have cranks, but they don't pull. I suppose they're not fast enough to meet most people's gambling needs)

• Ride on a roller coaster (Did this. My first one. Pretty much forced my husband to go on it with me. As the man behind us yelled, "There's no time to be scared!" - As we crashed around and spun upside-down for no good reason, "Who's idea was this? That's right, it was yours; you big, dumb idiot," which I later shared with my husband. A passerby though I was verbally abusing him. My bad. I clung on so tight, I had bruises on my shoulders and shins. Still can't sleep on my side or cross my ankles)

• See someone being arrested. (While waiting in line to take the bus back to the hotel from Freemont Street, a man jaywalked in front of a cop car. The cop got out, started patting him down, wandered around writing things down, then handcuffed the guy. Thats when the state trooper showed up. There was a minor dispute between the two law-enforcers. Then another cop showed up. We got on the bus. A man asked the bus driver, "So, is it really an $1100 fine for jaywalking?" - The bus driver replied, "Oh yeah, Las Vegas drivers are crazy. We'll kill you," (WE'LL??!!!???), "Its a $200 fine. I hit a guy once. I paid it. He was here, then he was over there. Its your fault if you get run over. $200 is nothing. I paid it.")

• See Elvis. (I walked by him on the street. He was in street clothes, but it was obviously The King)

• See a pimp. (This wasn't on my list but I did see one wandering around a casino. It was either a pimp or Kid Rock. Hard to tell the difference.)

Thats all I can think of for now. Its such a funny city.

Eviction notice

Without a doubt, the current economic situation has lead to some terrible outcomes, the worst being lost jobs for people in Canada and the US.

There are a few (selfish) things I did not expect would come of it. For example:

• The bubble-bath section of the drug store has undergone a major downsize. I don't even know if my favorite bubble-bath is made anymore.

• Book publishing is down. If I am being realistic, my chances of ever having a book published are 0, or at least very poor (the last thing anyone should ever accuse me of is being realistic). ;)

• Skyrocketing hay prices. Prices are so high, the stable where I kept my equine pals (from now on referred to as The Lions - a pet name I gave them when we were young and wild) will no longer be operating. That's right folks, my boys are being evicted.

Thus begins my search for a new home for The Lions.

This new home should include some or all of the following:

• Minimal mud over extended periods of time.

• Room to run.

• Sturdy barricades to ensure The Lions will remain in their allocated "room to run."

• Shelter from wind, rain, sun.

• Delicious, dust-free hay.

• Experts on-site who will give friendly, helpful advice / drive me to the hospital if I fall off while riding and forget who I am.

• Absence of experts who give snotty quips that make me feel bad about my horses / myself (ex. "Well, you can tell your horses are used to getting their own way..." - Of course they are used to getting their way. I'm a student who has no time to ride and am not that great of a rider when I do. Some things are best left quietly ignored - like me lying in the dirt.)

• Sunshine and lollipops as accepted forms of payment.

Updates to follow :)

Using the internet as a research tool - Unjinxed version

I have decided the last blog post was jinxed. Ergo, I have deserted it and am writing what I wanted to say there, only here.

We are to be wary about doing research for our writing online. However, I have been doing a surprising amount of it and have compiled a list (Surprise!). Here are some ways I think using the internet as a research tool can be effective in helping a person write what they know.

• Amazon (and other online book stores). Sometimes, there is that strange, obscure book you can't find in your local library or used book store. It is worth a shot trying to get the library to order one in. If that fails, try the internet.

• Finding that strange, obscure book. There are a number of book review sites or sites that list books related to a number of topics

• Youtube. Online videos provide a way of showing an event that cannot be experienced in real life. This could be a moment in history, a particular activity (to get the feeling of the moment - ex. watch the parents at a kids sports game vs fans at a professional sports game. The feeling is different).

• Podcasts and other voice recordings can help give a feel for accents and regional dialect, sounds of things (ex. church bells in a specific town, horse hooves on concrete (there is more than one type of clop), the sound of a tree falling).

• Online images. See how a place looks when it is raining, when it is snowing. How a person's hair looks when they are falling. A nervous smile. A friendly smile. A goofy looking donkey. The possibilities are endless.

• Online recipes. Learn how strange foods taste. Learn a fancy recipe. Learn a foreign recipe. Purposely burn something you normally like. Purposely add / remove an ingredient.

• Online catalogues. Order that unobtainable item. That thing that must be physically experienced, not imagined.

I know there is so much more. Does anyone have more examples?

Researching dialogue

When I was a girl, my mom used to put my hair in a ponytail to keep me from hiding behind my hair. Every morning, the first thing I'd do when I got to school was rip out that scrunchie.

There is something comforting in the ability to hide behind one's hair, when necessary. The feeling of hiding in plain sight. It works too. People feel more comfortable talking amongst themselves when you aren't staring them down.

The best part is, you end up coming across little gems like this:

I was at the book store, picking up Jeaniene Frost's new book (whoop! whoop!). As the lady behind the counter was ringing my order through, the boy at the till beside her suddenly got all flustered. A girl was walking out of the store.

Boy (to Lady): What's she doing here? Why is she leaving?

Lady: I don't know. Why?

Boy: I don't like her leaving when I didn't even see her come in.

Boy (to Girl): What are you doing here?

Girl (mumbling): Just checking to see when I work next.

Boy: I'd more likely believe you were checking the contents of my locker. If my Dora the Explorer alphagettis are missing -

Girl: I was hungry!

It was beautiful.

Dialogue Research Tips

• Don't be creepy. If you are listening to someone, don't look at them. That's creepy.

• If someone says something funny, don't laugh. You are technically reading the sign taped to the lamp-post.

• Don't jump in half-way and offer advice.

• Don't spread the gossip. Seriously. If someone knows you are an eavesdropper, they will avoid you. You never heard what was said.

• In line at the movie theatre works. Just shuffle around in your wallet / purse / look for your car keys.

• You don't have to do this with strangers only. You can listen at family dinners etc. Participating in the conversation has a bit of a nulling effect though.

• Walk on the safe side: listen to the radio.

More tips? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Texas-Sized Adventure

How are y'all doing? I've been in College Station, Texas this last week and I felt the need to bust in on the blog posts I had scheduled to share some of the things I have learned about the city:

• People who wear burnt orange are referred to as, "Tree huggin' hippies." Guess what color my jacket is? Guess who couldn't resist hanging off a tree branch to have her photo taken?

• Don't walk on the grass. Ever. We've been walking around a lot here. Some places don't have any sidewalk so we have to either walk on the road or the grass. People drive on the road. We've been honked at least four times, once when we were walking in a parking lot.

• The university here is Texas A&M. Their school colors are burgundy and white. Almost everyone wears some little bit of Texas A&M clothing. I am pretty sure the ones who appear not to are wearing Texas A&M socks or underwear. Or have it tattooed somewhere on their body.

• The university used to be an all-male military school. They have still retained a cadet corps.

• A dog, Reveille, is the Commander-in-Chief of said corps.

• Everyone is friendly here (and not in a fake way, they are actually friendly). It was raining and we were walking. A stranger offered us a ride (a non-creepy ride). We, of course are shifty out-of-towners and declined.

• For fun, they refer to the University of Texas (UT) as t.u. Guess what their school colors are? If you guessed burnt orange, you would be right.

• BTHO means Beat the Hell Outta', as in BTHO t.u.

• The population of College station is around 50 000 people. Their football stadium can hold over 82 000.

• Geckoes live here, or at least one does. I saw it.

• BBQ is unbelievable here!

• Visiting the George Bush museum is like visiting another planet. One with security guards and metal detectors. Go see it if you get the chance.

• It is a two hour walk from our hotel to the George Bush museum.

• The university owns the airport.

• People say, "Howdy," here. Say it back. You'll feel like a big jerk if you don't. At least I do every time I hesitate on the reply.

• Its raining.

Okay, back to real life. I'll talk with y'all again soon.

Connecting with the audience

Connecting with one's audience. A daunting task.

I have a list of random public speaking tips I try to remember every time I give a presentation. I recently shared this list with a group of friends and thought I would post it here as well.

Pretty much all of the presentations I give involve PowerPoint, hence its presence.

• Know your subject. Know your presentation. If the power goes out or you suddenly lose your eyesight, you should still be able to deliver it.

• Don't chew gum, jingle your keys, move your hands around in your pockets...

• How well you know your topic is visible in your powerpoint slides. Lists of long sentences that must be read drive people crazy, especially if you flip through quickly. Instead, there should be one or two words that give a hint at the point you are trying to make and YOU deliver the long, drawn out sentence so it feels like a conversation.

• Powerpoint: there should rarely be more than 20 words per slide. Each slide should take one minute of your presentation. Thus, if you have a ten minute presentation, there should be close to 10 (or maybe 8 so you have time for questions) slides and a 200 word word count.

• Laser pointers are a priveledge, not a right. A laser pointer should not run out of batteries halfway through the presentation. If you must use it, use it sometimes. Push the button, point at what is interesting, stop pointing the button, set the pointer down. I can not trust myself with a laser pointer. I accept that my speaking style does not allow me to stop pushing the button and pointing the laser into the crowd from time to time, making people cross-eyed. I accept when offerred a laser pointer, I must sadly decline

• Practice, practice, practice. Practice out loud (we speak slower / faster in our minds than out loud). Practice in front of your mirror, your dog, your hampster, your mop.

• Give your presentation to your friend / group of friends / family.

• Powerpoint: you may have noticed not all of these points end in a period (but some do...). Decide whether you will or will not end each point with some form of punctuation and stick with it.

• Headings should line up from slide to slide and should be the same size.

• Busy backgrounds make people crazy.

• Time your presentation

• If you have a problem with saying things like uumm, ahh etc... Practice pausing silently. It is something we do to give our minds time to think about the next thing we want to say. For whatever reason, we figure if we are making noise, we still look like we know what we're doing. Doing this, however, makes us look nervous. If you pause, you'll have everyone hanging off your every word.

• Too many animations make people crazy. This is an art, not a science.

• Watch the news. Ever notice when there is a reporter AND a little square with a picture on it, the reporter is on the left and the square is above their shoulder on the right? People read left to right (at least reading english), people listen left to right. If you stand on the right of your presentation, people will focus less on what you are saying and doze off staring at your powerpoint.

• Using the same word / phrase over and over makes people crazy... It might also drive home a point (like continuously giving a newly defined word). Just be sure if you are doing it, realize you are doing it (repeating crazy a hundred times does not count as accepted use).

• Join a public speaking group (like Toastmasters).

• Consider your audience. Think of the times you have been in an audience. No one is there to judge you. They are there to learn from you. You are obviously an expert in the subject (work with me here, this is a pep talk) and you want to share what you know because it is important to you.

But what do I know about connecting with the audience? The last conference I presented at, I put the microphone backwards on my head, dropped the power pack on the floor mid-presentation and almost hung myself with the cord getting the stupid thing back on the waist-band of my pants.

Do you have any tips to add to this list?

Bucket List

I think everyone has a list of things they would like to do in their life. This is a conversation I like to have with friends. It is interesting to hear what people's passions are. Their secret life goals.

This is the sort of list that morphs with time. Preferences and priorities change. One experience may influence the desire to have a similar experience. Others may do the opposite. Anyway, here is mine:

Bring it on!

Play darts and get a bulls eye

Ride in a zorb

Knock over a can with a slingshot

Get a mud wrap

Climb a tree (a really tall one, not one of the easy ones)

Make a quilt

Zip-line (not the kind at a playground, I'm thinking across treetops. Redwoods, preferably.)

Scuba dive (I've done it in a swimming pool but this doesn't count in my eyes)

See a wild herd of zebras

The thing that is implied in this blog but I think will jinx things if added to this list

See a volcano

Loom a rug

See a wild whale

Mission Accomplished

Ride a roller-coaster (big mistake)

Meet someone famous (the list is growing)

Travel to Europe

Touch a sturgeon

Go to Norway

Ride a donkey

I don't know if it is part of feeling there is a purpose to this journey or just the anticipation, but I love these things.

What is something you have on your bucket list?