Sunday, August 19

On Not Feeling Old

It's a rainy day.  And DSF is out for the afternoon with his family.  This is what happens when my mind is left alone for a few hours....

I've never felt old.  I've always felt considerably young.  I am considerably young.  I'm quite possibly (quite probably) still only in the first quarter of my life.  Nevertheless, I've got shit to do.  I've got shit to do before I start to feel old.

Since my birthday is approaching, and it's a rainy day, and I'm all alone in the house, the stars have aligned and I've actually for the first time ever finished my 1-year bucket list before my big day.  This is a list of 26 things to do before I turn 27.  Things I am (mostly) very well capable of doing.  Things that, on the day that I start to feel old, will keep me from feeling that I've wasted my youth on Netflix and Cornhole.  I considered adding to the list "Blog about the 26 Before 27 List", but then decided that blogging isn't necessarily something I want to "achieve" in my youth.  I do, however hope that in crossing off the items on my list, I will document them in some way.

So here goes.  In no particular order:

26 Before 27

1. Travel to 3 new states.  When I say this, I mean I want to travel to these states, not through them.  When I was 16, I went on a cross-country tour of the U.S. and traveled through 21 states.  While it was way cool at the time (saw a lot, did a lot), I look back and fear that I gained/learned nothing from this trip.  I consider myself to have visited each of those states as much as I have visited Texas... in which I've only ever seen through the windows of the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport.  With the exception of North Carolina, I will consider any of those 21 states "new" states.


2. Travel to 2 new countries.  Come on, it's 2012, traveling somewhere a passport is required is about as easy as brushing your teeth.  There shouldn't be any reason I can't drive into Canada or fly to Europe.

3.  Travel to 1 new continent.  I know.  It's a lot of traveling packed into one year.  But hey, I will try my absolute best to get my butt to South America or Australia or Africa....

4.  Travel alone.  Ok, I don't have to go to Antarctica alone, but I feel there is a lot to gain from going somewhere on your own... fending for yourself in an unknown place.  A few years ago I traveled to and around the Big Island of Hawaii by myself.  I think being alone for this adventure gave me the opportunity to really take it in.  Some of the most vivid memories I have of traveling anywhere are of places and people I saw in Hawaii.  And perhaps, in recounting the places I'd been or people I'd seen to those I missed back at home, I kept a better memory of everything.  Either way, whether it's taking a road trip across the country to see my sister, or taking a flight to somewhere new and exciting, I think it's well worth the uncertainty.

5.  Run a half-marathon.  Gotta keep myself in shape...

6.  Run a half-marathon in better time than before.  Just a few seconds quicker... that's all I want!

7.  Sew a new swimsuit.  When I made the last one (and only one I've ever made), I got my size completely wrong and ended up having to "take it in."  Now, I'm no seamstress,  so taking it in was quite an experience.  Don't get me wrong, it's a sweet little bathing suit, but I rarely wear it out in public.  I hope to try, try again until I am satisfied.

8.  Crochet a full scarf.  I say it every year, and yet I still have the same unfinished scarf I started 5 years ago laying around with the crochet needles still poking through it.  Rather than adding an inch to the length before deciding I'd like to try new techniques, which then distracts me long enough for the rest of the winter that I never actually finish anything, I'll be satisfied with a simple, basic, beginners scarf... as long as it is long enough to wear.  Only then, shall I move on to new techniques or venture into that book of sweaters and blankets I bought several years ago...


9.  Visit friends.  Now that we've all grown up, we're everywhere.  Why shouldn't I take time to
go spend some time with them?!

10.  Cut my hair... super short.  Go bold or go home, right?  I might as well just shave my head Britney Spears style...

11.  Couch Surf.  First a coworker told me about it.  Then I read about it in The New Yorker.  I'm intrigued.  Plus, if I travel as much as this list says I'm going to, I'm going to need a LOT of free places to sleep in the next year.

12.  Learn a new language.  What better way to become more worldly than to learn a totally new language... like Arabic.  Alright, I probably won't go so obscure, but perhaps something closer to the Spanish that I already somewhat know, like Italian.  Maybe in 10 years I can stumble my way through a handful of languages...

13.  Eat more vegetables.  I'm talking backyard, pick it, slice it, and cook it right then, Michael Pollan kind of stuff.  Not just eat it, but grow it - winter, spring, summer, fall.

14.  Drink less alcohol.  My brain cells will thank me for it.

15.  Paint something.  I'll settle for a paint-by-numbers kit, just put the damn paintbrush in my hand!

16.  Take more pictures.  My cameras have become a little too dusty over the last couple years. It's time to shake off those cobwebs and get snapping again!  While I'm at it, maybe I can actually put together those photo books I've been meaning to make.


17.  Go rock-climbing.  Since my sister already does this on a regular basis, I feel that this is a must.  She's already got the gear, she already knows where to go, and besides, she's been begging me to visit for years now.  My sister can do it, my brother can do it, I think I can do it too.


18.  Lose the flab.  Hopefully numbers 5, 6, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, and 25 will help me with this one!  I'm not interested in weights or dress sizes.  I just want to look like an Olympic athlete one day.

19.  Lift weights regularly.  I'm a weakling.  Always have been.  Besides having nicely toned arms one day, I would really like to be able to win an arm wrestling challenge one day.

20.  Read.  Moby Dick.  Huckleberry Finn.  Great Gatsby.  The Iliad.  Pride and Prejudice.  The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.  Macbeth.  Ivanhoe.  Dante's Inferno.  The list goes on.  By the time I'm 27, I hope to be a genuine bookworm.

21.  Learn to surf.  Better to do it now, while I live by the beach.

22.  Attend a music festival.  Floydfest?  Lollapalooza?  As long as I know at least 3 of the performers and I can spend at least one night in a tent.

23.  Dress like a "grown-up".  Really, how much longer can I shop at Forever 21?  It's time to start dressing my age!  Maybe this is the year I'll buy the clothes that I keep so long that I tell my children, "I wore this before you were even born!".

24.  Keep a dream journal.  I've got crazy dreams.  Really crazy dreams.  If I start writing them down, It's possible that one day I could publish them and get rich off my own sub-conscious.

25.  Learn to dance the tango really well.  I want to break into the tango at any given restaurant if the music starts to play.  Like they do in the movies.

26.  Do something crazy unexpected.  What better way to feel full of life than to do something totally out of the ordinary?!  Keep things fresh, keep things new, keep things exciting.  Who knows what it'll be, but I'm bound to do it.





And there it is.  If that doesn't keep me busy for the next year, I don't know what will.  But I sure as hell am excited to get started!

Monday, March 12

two grand too grand.

the results are in.

after several weeks of seeing dresses i could kill for pop up on the modcloth blogroll, i finally decided to sit down and make my wishlist.

if i bought everything on my list, i'd be out $2175.

(does this mean i can justify buying $200 worth of dresses because "I only bought 10% of what i wanted!!"??)

although, i really didn't show much discretion in my choices, as i usually would.

for example:

Local Muse Dress
Maritime Moxie Dress


the two of these dresses, combined, are just shy of $450.  awesome.


but, that's what wishlists are for, right?  to keep a list of things you wish you could afford?

on the bright side, these are the only items on the wishlist that top $100.  so there is hope that i may, one day soon, be able to buy myself a couple dresses (much more affordable than these!).

oh, and by the way, everything on my list was chosen with my new haircut in mind.  doesn't matter if it would be a good shape on my body.  the hair and the dress will move mountains together. i just know it.

if you want to contribute to the "Buy Kelyn Thirty New Dresses From the Same Website Fund", leave a comment below.  i'll be sure to get back to you.  instantly.  and make you cookies in hopes that you'll contribute more.

Saturday, March 3

blame it on the rain

Minna Sisko
woke up to a drizzly, but warm, morning.  one of the days i wish i had a covered porch so i could sit out and listen to the sounds of a rainy day.
but with no covered porch, i just open the back door and press my face up against the screen window once in a while.  it'll do til i get the real deal.


generally after laying on the couch a while, watching old movies, i get the urge to do something creative.  i want to bake bread.  i want to paint a pretty picture.  i want to knit a scarf.  make something out of fancy paper.
maybe it's my way of creating something sunny out of such a dreary day.  or maybe it's just boredom.

either way.  i usually don't do it.  the rain makes me too lazy...

but maybe today will be different?

Sunday, February 26

seaside cottage

when i'm older, say 50 something, i hope to have one of those secluded seaside cottages you see in the movies.  i want to wrap a blanket around my shoulders and sit and watch the water on the sand.  i want my cottage to have no tv, but one small radio, and a wall full of books.  i want to sit on the covered porch and watch the storm roll in.  i want to hang my hat outside by the door....

...amazing what one picture can invoke.  i thank {frolic!} for this.

Thursday, February 16

just breathe

is there nothing more incredible than the sky?

more at fan the fire.  it's hypnotizing.
also... DSF has captured a few moments here and here
i love that nature is that cool

bundling up in bed

thank you Cup of Jo for posting this most awesome cartoon by Lizzy Stewart.  i am exactly the same way when i go to bed at night, right down to the pants tucked into super-thick socks ...

Tuesday, February 14

so right

You Grow Girl posted a list of Valentine's gifts for gardeners.  I want all of it.  Even the old school Brooklyn Botanic Garden t-shirt...


Vintage BBG Tee
Wearable Planter Jewelry

Gardening Linocut

skipping pinterest


 It's only coincidence that I post this on Valentine's Day.  I just came across these photos from a wedding outside Chicago on one of my more guilty pleasures, Project Wedding Blog.  
I'm not such a fan of the umbrella, and I don't particularly love the big blue ribbon, but there are two elements in these photos that I really think are cool.

1.  The moss-covered letters.  Okay, so I think the letters are a little corny, but I have to say I would want to moss-cover something on my own big day!  Maybe the little pillow that the rings are presented on...

2.  I absolutely love the dark seed heads in her bouquet.  Hadn't seen that before in a wedding arrangement, and I'm totally into it.  Mark my words, you will see it in mine.

Wednesday, January 25

Motivation.

Beach Day

Beach Day by kelynjoy

Go ahead and laugh.  I know it's still January.  When I walked into the stores today and saw all the bikinis on the racks, my initial reaction was the usual comment to myself, "I can't believe they put these out so early."  But, as usual, I was compelled to try a few on.
In the fitting room, with my underwear tucked up under the bikini bottoms, I checked out my bod.  It'd been a while since I took a good look at myself in a bikini (and by a while I mean since the summer).  Back in August, I'd just begun training for the Wicked 10k after having taken the summer off from running.  I hadn't quite been able to work off the mini beer belly I'd acquired during my lazy summer, so the last memory of me in a swimsuit is a bit of a flabby one.
Last month I signed up for the Shamrock Half Marathon.  I was doing great training, and made it all the way through an 8-mile run.  Then I got lazy.  It's been about a week and a half since I've gone out for a run.  The point of all this, is that while in the fitting room, I was able to notice the changes in my body from the training I'd been doing.  It made me happy to see my belly look less pudgy and see that my butt could actually fill in the bottoms I'd put on.  It also made me realize I definitely can't stop training now.  Sure, I've been lazy and obviously I'm not going to STOP training, but my 5 minutes in the fitting room was all I needed to make me WANT to run again, and KEEP running.
I bought the bikini.  By the time my little revelation had passed, the bikini deserved it.  It did it's job.  I understand now why stores put swimwear out so early (Okay, okay, the motivation and well-being of the general public is probably NOT the reason, but we can pretend.).  I will no longer skoff at the racks of bikinis in January, or at the people looking at them.



I bought a few things to wear with my new bikini when the weather warms up.  I  had  have Edie Sedgwick on the brain.  While I didn't buy those pieces above, I did buy a navy striped bikini, a pair of sunglasses, and a set of bangles.  I plan to rock them Edie style once summer rolls around.

Edie Sedgwick


I was going to wait til next summer to cut all my hair off again, but now I think it's impossible.










Edie Sedgwick has put me in a trance.  I need her haircut.  I need her makeup.  I need bikinis with large earrings and necklaces.  I need armbands.
Hold the anorexia, drug/alcohol abuse, and psycho-ness.

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