Almost 10 years in review?

Well, not quite... but while I was looking for something on my blog today, I found a post I made about a month before my 50th birthday. Considering that I'll be saying hello to 60 in less than 4 months, I thought this portion of it might be worth a review.

My initial observation is that I'm not much into buckletlists, as stopped 1/2-way through my list of 50 things. But I did do some of these:

50 THINGS I STILL WANT TO DO... (from age 50)

My arrival in Rome

1.See Rome - DONE!

Little did I know when I created my list that I would spend 3 weeks in Rome in 2009. Mostly all I remember now is the good, but I did have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Rome when I was there. It probably had more to do with the heat and fatigue, and coming face-to-face with my life after a few months on the road, but it's something I mulled over in my mind for a long time. Oh, yes, I was sick too. I actually started to write a book about that... I wonder where that draft is?

My reflections from my first day:
Arrival in Rome


2.See Led Zepplin live

My first beepdoodles booth

3.Sell a piece of my art - DONE!

I sold my first in 2011. This is a pic of a little booth I had at weekly flea market affair, which I did for a few months. I actually went on to have a booth at the Moss Street Market. It was a great accomplishment, but more work than fun... and finally realized I loved doodling more than selling.

4.Visit Ottawa and our national museums

5.Visit the Artic

6.Take the train across Canada

7.Learn another language

8.Take a transatlantic crossing

I saw this and much more Gaudi
architecture in Barcelona!

9.See Gaudi architecture in Barcelona - DONE!

I saw a lot of Gaudi architecture in Barcelona, but for some reason I don't have many pictures on my blog. But it was FABULOUS!!

Here's one of my blog posts (and I really should go back and post more of my Gaudi pictures):
Barcelona is a sea of...

10.Go to the Rock of Gibralter

11.See Moscow's awesome subway stations

Me at an exclusive-access U2 concert
at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

12.See a rock concert at Madison Square Gardens or the o2 in London (or both ;-) - DONE!

Actually, not done, but close enough. I consider my experience at the U2 concert at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to be comparable.

I posted quite a bit about this on my blog, including how I changed my flights to be there, even though I couldn't get a ticket... then I did!:
Irony near the old Iron Curtain
U2 in Berlin: Experience my experience

13.Make a difference in this world - hmmm...

14.See the Bay of Fundy

I probably planned to write about my time in
Florence when I got to Venice, but who
would want to stay inside?
This pic is from my post on Venice bars.

15.See Michael Angelo's David - to witness what the amazing efforts in WWII to save it gave us - DONE!

I definitely did this, and it (he) was glorious. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have any pictures on my blog from Florence to even prove I was there. I guess I was out having too much fun. I did a lot there, including papermaking from one of the oldest papermakers in the city.

16.Visit Amsterdam

17.Go to the Sydney Opera House

18.Visit Normandy and the Canadian memorial

This silly train picture is from my arrival in
Paris. I suspect I was a little more travel worn
and relaxed when I boarded my overnight
train from Paris to Rome

19.Take an overnight train in Europe - lie in bed being rocked by the train... - DONE!

There was a nun in the upper berth of my cabin eating potato chips! Really. I could have written a comedy show about it, but I held the ladder for the ancient gal when she came down to use the loo!

Our pedicab driver in Central Park

20.A carriage ride around Central Park - DONE!

Actually, not done, but my friend Kelly and I took a pedicab around Central Park instead, and a much better idea anyways. I'd definitely recommend it.

A few highlights from that day in NYC and just scroll for more (I think I was there about 10 days):
In the Big Apple: Sunday in NYC

21.Have nude portraits taken - DONE!

Well, not done, but I did do several life (nude) modelling sessions for artists, so I actually consider that to be braver! Don't worry, there shall be no photos!

22.Get a tattoo of my own art

My booth at the Empress show

23.Show my art at a show or in a cafe or something - DONE!

I participated in an art show at the Empress Hotel in 2011. While I was out for coffee, a fellow from New York apparently bought one of my doodle clocks (pictured at the back), for a nice tidy price! Never met him though.

24.Go through the Chunnel

That's me in the mirror, at the
"real" Checkpoint Charlie

25.Visit Checkpoint Charlie - DONE!

And I saw the real one!

When I spent a month in Berlin, I went to the Allied Museum, where the original hut is housed - the rest of the site was fantastic, and it's a much overlooked attraction.

Read more in my blog post:
Would the real Checkpoint Charlie please stand up?

26. and here my list stopped...




Creeping up on 50...

Letter to the Hat

This has gotta be the coolest thing: Letter to the Hat.

Read it and you'll know. I cannot possibly find the words to say how cool it is.

Oh, and so cool that on my 50th bday I stood on the stage at Radio City Music Hall where I saw (and heard!) Aretha sang R-E-S-P-E-C-T last year.

Who would think to write a letter to the hat? ha hah hah ha ha I luurvvvvvvvv it!

Sparklers!

I forgot how hot a sparker gets, and I have a burned finger... but it's all good, it was fun to get a sparkler on my cheesecake tonight at Aqua Riva.

It was a double celebration day, as the gang at work took me out for a 50th birthday lunch - and they ordered me up some amazing chocolate concoction.

50 is cool.

50 and fabulous

Today I took a backstage tour at Radio City Music Hall. It's such an awesome space, and I adored it when I saw Aretha Franklin here last year. Now, here I am, having my picture taken on the stage of Radio City Music hall on my 50th birthday. Cool stuff.





It was a pretty lazy day, considering I went back to bed after breakfast and didn't get out the door until 1:30. Visited the Papyrus store and bought myself a cute little yellow journal. Then the tour. Then to lunch - fab carrot soup, a grilled cheese off the kid's menu (really!), a couple glasses of wine, then melted over the little slabs of home made dark chocolate they gave me with my bill. OK, I asked for seconds. I then browsed at the Met's downtown store, and fell for a fab silver necklace fashioned after a Viking artifact. Not sure I would have sprung the $90 if I hadn't had that wine...
http://www.metmuseum.org/store/st_family_viewer.asp/familyID/%7BEC06F49F-A821-441B-A1E6-52CD42C1CF4F%7D/FromPage/catjewelry/familyNo/15/catID/%7B74FE9981-EE5B-48BE-902B-09F6A8CC9834%7D



Then, home for a nap, then my Rangers game. Now 'home' at my hotel, thinking about going for a night cap in the club lounge here. And reflecting on the nice calls from my family today. Oh, and I feel fab in my new duds. The girl is 50. Isn't that something? Feels good. I am definitely comfortable in my own skin.

Reflections on turning 50 tomorrow

50 pink roses, for 50 years. Tomorrow. Wow.

Interesting that that's all I can think to say right now.

But I'll greet my day wearing sexy new jeans and one of my new tops.

I think champagne will be called for.

How to snag a room upgrade on your birthday

I think I could write the book on how to get a free hotel upgrade. Well, only when travelling on one's birthday, but I've done it more than once. Have done it twice in Hawaii and got bumped from parking lot view to ocean front view. I think the secret is to make it clear you don't expect it.... If they have room, I'm giving them an opportunity to play hero ;-)

My upcoming reservation in NYC next week was a truly rock bottom price through Priceline, but I still emailed them, told them I was celebrating my 50th birthday, and asked very nicely if they could upgrade me. The magic worked again. I got a nice email and an upgrade from the cheapest room in the hotel to a "club floor" room, which includes a lounge on the 44th floor with tvs, free coffee, breakfast, free appys, and more. And my room itself will be on the top floors (44-50) with all sorts of other stuff thrown in.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/rooms/room_class_detail.html?propertyID=421&roomClassId=1000000722

Creeping up on 50....

Ah, so time ticks away... and I find it is less than a month until I turn 50. I am ok with that, but I am still amazed and I don't know how life has flown by so fast. My brain still thinks of me as about 30.

It's leaving me reflecting on "50's" of things.... Like 50 things I still want to do, 50 great memories from the first 50, stuff like that.

Some intial thoughts (and I may return to add to this list....)

50 THINGS I STILL WANT TO DO...

1. See Rome
2. See Led Zepplin live
3. Sell a piece of my art
4. Visit Ottawa and our national museums
5. Visit the Artic
6. Take the train across Canada
7. Learn another language
8. Take a transatlantic crossing
9. See Gaudi architecture in Barcelona
10. Go to the Rock of Gibralter
11. See Moscow's awesome subway stations
12. See a rock concert at Madison Square Gardens or the o2 in London (or both ;-)
13. Make a difference in this world
14. See the Bay of Fundy
15. See Michael Angelo's David - to witness what the amazing efforts in WWII to save it gave us
16. Visit Amsterdam
17. Go to the Sydney Opera House
18. Visit Normandy and the Canadian memorial
19. Take an overnight train in Europe - lie in bed being rocked by the train...
20. A carriage ride around Central Park
21. Have nude portraits taken
22. Get a tattoo of my own art
23. Show my art at a show or in a cafe or something
24. Go through the Chunnel
25. Visit Checkpoint Charlie

50 GREAT MEMORIES.(or some just interesting...)...

1. Paris - sitting outside on the 1st level, journalling and reflecting on all that got me to that point - and just enjoying BEING IN PARIS!!
2. Celebrating my 30th and Carol's 40th in San Francisco...
3. One especially sexy man
4. Breaking a board with my bare hand
5. Seeing Aretha Franklin at Radio City Music Hall
6. The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh
7. Discovering that I have an amazing talent for doodling (who knew?!?!)
8. Waiting for the Dalai Lama to speak in a stadium when the audience broke out in spontaneous singing of "Oh Canada!"
9. Going back to Kamloops for my 20 year high school reunion
10. My very first record album: George Harrision - All Things Must Pass
11. Listening to Who's Next as a teenager, the volume blasting, and me sitting outside on the curb trying to look cool
12. The jade ring my mom gave me as a teenager -- I had received the stone as a young tyke when I wrote a letter to the man who came to town to show off his jade saddle
13. The experience of producing Tommy in Grade 11
14. Having my picture taken with an elephant when I was about 6 (ok, I don't remember, but I remember the pic!)
15. Going to my very first film festival in my 40's - I think I saw 20 films in 2 weeks!
16. Hurling over the handlebars of my sister's bike when I was about 8, knocking out my front teeth
17. The first time I felt flattered to be asked for ID
18. Having lunch with Sophia Loren
19. Going to the Live Earth concert in New York
20. Visiting Chamonix - and getting light headed at the top of the Gondola
21. Summers in Whistler with Kelly
22. Speaking at a conference in Geneva - not so much the "accomplishment", but it was such a great experience - being flown there for free, and such a small and interesting group of delegates -- out for dinner with two dozen people from a dozen countries
23. My very first apartment
24. My first car
25. The day I sold my last car and decided to never own one again
26. Housesitting the cat from hell
27. The 3 months I spent in Halifax
28. Being in Queen Elizabeth Park when a man began singing (practicing?) opera at the top of his lungs
29. The 1888 house I lived in: converted attic with skylights, sunken floor, tin roof and totally private balcony
30. My first university class - a mix of 18-88 - discussing ethics - I loooved it
31. Expo 86
32. The time I wore 2 different coloured shoes to work
33. Seeing the Who - wow... and ZZ Top, and The Rolling Stones ... and Stevie Wonder... and Eric Clapton...
34. Getting picked up on a street corner - and going for it!
35. When I proved to myself that I could flirt
36. Getting my first tattoo
37. Street lights around my rice crispies

50 THINGS I APPRECIATE

1. Patti's art
2. Patti
3. My mom's huggles
4. My mom
5. My brother's generosity
6. My brother
7. Sweet memories of Carol Leigh
8. Grey Goose
9. Avacados
10. Art
11. Being a Canadian
12. Kakuro
13. Purple
14. Kindness
15. Really good coffee
16. All the people who have touched my life
17. My sense of humour
18. Learning to like hockey
19. Swimming
20. Books
21. The awesome Vancouver Public Library - it lifts my spirits
22. Bucky Beaver!
23. That I actually did write a book
24. That Vancouver is my home
25. My creativity
26. New York City!!
27. That I like my own company
28. The CBC
29. 2nd hand book stores
30. Being comfortable in my own skin
31. Documentaries
32. That life is a learning process that never ends
33. Having my assumptions shaken up
34. Learning something new
35. Smart people
36. History - and I appreciate that I appreciate history!
37. The breakwater in Victoria
38. Coincidences
39. The Starbuck's team in my building - who make my drink without me saying a word
40. The Sunday New York Times
41. Doodling

To be honest, thinking about these things also has me thinking about the saddest moments in my life, and difficult times that I somehow got through. I'll save those for a private journal, but this is a GOOD process to go through.
;-)