Bucket Lists

For a few years now I have had a handy little book called 2,001 things to do before you die, by Dane Sherwood.  In the spirit of bucket lists, mine mostly consisted of places to go around the world.  But when I sat down to start thinking about what things I really want to do, the world suddenly opened up.  And this book has been quite the inspiration.  Out of the 2,001 things, I have already done quite a few.  There are a lot more listings that I have no intention of ever doing or wanting to do, like 'Waking up next to Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie', or 'Climb the highest summits on all seven continents'.  The fun has been in crossing off those things and coming up with my own.  Last year I accomplished two: take a hot air balloon ride and learn to blow glass.  In the middle of my own personal recession, some of the more spendy things are a little out of reach at the moment, so I'm going to work hard at knocking off a few of the more sedentary goals, like: Learn something new every day for a month, Read a romance novel, or, Do an open mic night at the Mercury Cafe.  Look for my progress here, and let me know of your own bucket list ideas if you wish.



I've been a little lax on the 'writing' part of the blog, so here's a recent poem.


Happier

Happier is that obnoxious guy
I avoid at parties
He's always looking
for someone better to talk to
with better connections and
a leg up.
Or, he's got better stories
than my little trip,
a bigger house,
a better car,
a more lucrative position.
But I have found
the loophole, because I know.
I used to be happier.
Then I lost weight, a few letters,
and now I'm perfectly happy.

KEH

The View from Frog Level

I relearned an important lesson from my almost-3-year old niece last weekend.  I say relearned because I've already been here before, but it's always very helpful to have a reminder. 
I had taken my niece and nephew, Corinne and Connor, to the Wildlife Experience which is pretty much a children's museum with a focus on...wildlife.  They have some great live frog exhibits that Corinne was really into.  At one particular terrarium, I saw the frog right away, hunkered down in some moss.  There was a little pool too, but I didn't see any frogs there.  I started guiding Corinne, "can you find the frog? He's hiding, in some moss."  She looked around, and then stared at the water.  "He's not in the water, babe, he's hiding on the land, can you see him?"  Though Corinne is often quite verbal, she didn't say anything, just looked around and then continued to stare in the water. I knelt down to her level to see if she could even see the frog I was looking at, and there, in the water, were two frogs staring right at us.  They were hiding under a little ledge that had looked like just a solid rock from my giant's angle in the clouds.  But Corinne had found them right away, reminding me that there are many angles to everyone's terrarium and my angle isn't the only right one. 

And, kudos to my super tactful niece for not up and saying "What the heck are you talking about Aunt Kelly? They're right THERE you idiot!"

Hooray for Paella!

The teachers and I had a fabulous treat for lunch yesterday.  One of our students from Spain is starting a business with his friend, making paella.  We teachers were more than happy to be used as test subjects.  They brought in an enormous pan of paella, complete with mussels, little clams, calamari, baby shrimp and chicken; two different kinds of a tortilla espanola (like an omelet with potatoes), and croquetas (like creamy hush puppies).  The dishes were delicious, and it was so fun to share in the enthusiasm of Jose and Adrian over their new business adventure.  They want to bring the meals to customers, complete with Sangria (yum!) and a dessert, and either make the food at someone's house, or deliver the already cooked goods. 

Being an entrepreneur myself, it was so much fun taking part in someone elses' adventure.  And I'm already plotting the next paella meeting among my own friends and family, particularly my mom who needs to give Spanish food a second chance after her bad experiences in Spain however many decades ago.

If you're interested, shoot them an email at spanishfoodincolorado@gmail.com.  They're called The Finest of Spanish Cuisine.

A Little Perspective

Driving home earlier this week I noticed that gas prices had jumped to $3.15.  I immediately looked at gas gauge and grumbled as I imagined the gas column having to wiggle out more money from my already very tight budget.  And though budgets and being able to afford needs like gas are real concerns, my grumbling was humbled when later in the week we got a visit from a student I hadn't seen since maybe September.  Mohammed is from Libya and he recently returned, having escaped through Tunisia.  He was happy to see us, but shaking as he told us that two of his friends were killed, and his family is still there.  All he's been doing for the last two weeks he's been here is watching the news about his country.  Of course his mother is begging him to stay here, out of harm's way, but he wants to go back to be with them. 
Thinking of all the implications of a man's country in complete murderous, political turmoil, and whether or not he should return, puts a little more light on the plight of my gas money.  Something to think about.