YES. May 30, 2011
Posted by brandy in a possible regret, adventure, because "guilt" is a dirty word, fingers crossed this works, games we play, i like scotch & table dancing, i'm the sum of my failures and my achivements, it seemed like a good idea at the time..., italics make it appear more thoughtful/interesting, just say yes, lists, pretty hair makes me happier, self improvement, tequila consequences, the less i worry the happier i am.25 comments
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So one of my friends emailed me this and it pretty much consumed me with reckless, uninhibited glee. Sort of like how you would feel if you were perched in Hawaii, taking a bath in chocolate sauce, listening to your favourite song after finding the Hope diamond in your sock drawer, when Ryan Reynolds comes in and offers to paint your nails. Shirtless.
As much as I adore lists- I’ve never been a “Life List” girl. My wants- my over the top suddenly I can’t die happy unless this happens, ultimate guide to unparalleled joy wants, change pretty regularly. If life is a buffet, I am a constant nibbler- not someone who picks four things and then sits down. I want to try a thousand different things and spit out what I don’t like. So the idea of writing a list and sticking to it, just never seemed appealing. Until I saw this list.
A list of irresponsible, liberating and slightly crazy things to do? That’s something I can support.
Maybe it’s because this last month has taught me that more things happen when I say YES than when I say NO but I decided to make my own list of radical (to me!) plans and complete each one in a single month. 10 irresponsible, liberating and slightly crazy things to do, that must be done by the end of June. Because the only ones for me are the mad ones.
1. Instead of skipping out on the bill (which was suggested in the original list- which? Is too dodgy for me since I had so many friends working in the service industry when I was in university), pay for someone else’s meal. Not their Starbucks order- their meal.
2. Spend a weekend eating only what looks absolutely delicious. Disregard proper meal times and caloric intake. Instead of fretting over fat grams and workout plans, really enjoy eating and give luscious foods a home in my body.
3. Email 3 of my co-workers (that I’m not particularly close to) and give them each a compliment.
4. Get patio drunk before noon. On a weekday.
5. Get rid of 50% of my clothes. AT LEAST 50% of my clothes. Donate them to the neighbor’s kids who are currently wearing flood pants and paisley snap shirts.
6. Spend an hour outside reading poetry with my class. Do not worry about where this fits into the curriculum, or what we could be doing instead. Soak in that hour and let the words of Elizabeth Bishop and Shel Silverstein hang heavy in the air.
7. Do not give a single further ‘hello’ in the hallway to the co-worker who made May miserable.
8. Hold another contest and give away something I love.
9. Buy a plane ticket.
10. Get up an hour earlier, whip out the hot rollers, liter of hairspray and invest a morning in creating the hair I caress on magazine covers but am always too lazy to attempt to replicate.
So that’s my list. Far from shaving my head and getting my favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe tattooed on my forearm, but each item on my list requires some sort of sacrifice or fearlessness or just getting out of my comfort zone (sadly, if I had created this list during my time in university- #4 would not be out of my comfort zone. Ahh, noon beers, how I miss thee…). June 1st is going to be my start date.
Anyone else want to join me for a month of living selfishly and with reckless abandon?
It’s impossible for this post to get any more awesome May 29, 2011
Posted by brandy in I need this on a t-shirt, i wrote this just for the picture, it makes sense to me, quote of the day, self improvement, tip of the day.8 comments
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Protected: Don’t hate me for this #BiSC May 23, 2011
Posted by brandy in adventure, because US health care makes me sad, friends, hello universe? I love you, i like scotch & table dancing, i think my sweetness gave you a cavity, i went to vegas and drank a lot, i went to vegas and saw many tigers, i'm the sum of my failures and my achivements, it happened this week, it was a dance dance revolution, life lesson, overwhelmed doesn't even begin..., quote of the day, sometimes you just have to leap, the less i worry the happier i am.Enter your password to view comments.
31 May 10, 2011
Posted by brandy in because I can't do report cards 24/7, here is my heart, i think my sweetness gave you a cavity, is it weird this makes me cry?, teaching, things I don't say outloud, this one might be my favourite.48 comments
To my grade 3 class,
I have exactly 31 teaching days with you left. You don’t realize this yet- you are eight years old and the concept of counting down to something other than Christmas is beyond your reality. You are living for soccer at recess and spelling games and Art class on Friday. You live for computer class free time and the moment you realize how to multiply 6 by 7. That’s one of my favourite things about you- you aren’t thinking about tomorrow because you are too busy filling up today.
And you’ve filled up my year beyond my expectations. We acted out the solar system, we wrote pirate stories and created math games. We had dance offs and chuckwagon races in gym and we built secret forts to read in. When we all were hit with the flu, we curled up in balls with stuffed animals all afternoon and watched Bill Nye as he built an odometer. We pretended we were explorers as we navigated maps and we decided to be architects as we built bridges out of popsicle sticks and play dough. We laughed reading Robert Munsch, sang along with Julie Andrews, talked about love and bit our pencils when we wrote our own masterpieces. And when we read The Giving Tree? No one laughed when others cried.
We had a burping contest after learning why the body burps.
There have been endless show and tells and knock knock jokes and band-aids gingerly applied. Hugs and high fives have been countless. When Elizabeth told us she made the soccer team we all cheered, when Jacob broke his arm we all signed his cast with hearts and smiley faces and when Cam puked on Pizza Day, so many of you rushed to get paper towel to help clean up, even Cam cracked a smile. And when we found lice entered the school? We all scratched our head.
Maybe it’s just what happens when you get older, you see past today and look a little further down the road. I can see the last day already- flip-flops and sagging backpacks, popsicle stained lips and sweaty high-fives. Each of you will exclaim as you uncover lost treasures as you pack up your desk- cans of playdough, a lost marker, a postcard from Drew when he went to Legoland in October. I can already see your smiles as you run back to give me one last hug before happily skipping to your bus without looking back. And then I’ll let you go- to summer and tradition and a new teacher in the fall.
So tomorrow there will be 30 days with you left. And I will think of that number as we talk about Shel Silverstein and division and why we use quotation marks. I will smile as you hand me a picture you drew for me- a girl and her teacher both with happy faces and red lips. I will be thankful and laugh as the lunch bell rings and we put on a song I downloaded just because I knew you would love it. I just never realized how much I would end up loving each of you.
Some people grow up and have jobs they never like. Thank you for making me love mine every day. Stay young for as long as possible, play with Lego all summer and listen to your favourite Julie Andrews song on repeat until your brother hides your ipod. Stay just as you are for as long for as you can and when it’s time? I can’t wait for you to grow up. I know you are going to be something spectacular.
Love,
Your teacher
