One Down, One Hundred to Go

So, my hawks and doves, I have completed one of the many items on my List.

Attending a burlesque class was number 80 on my list, and it was achieved, finally, today!

MotH is the source behind my wanting to try it. Until he brought me along to a show at La Cheetah, I had never seen it before. People can debate back and forth about burlesque vs stripping, and does it matter, really? No. I think there's a different mood with burlesque. It's cheeky, teasing, makes me want to giggle. There's a light-heartedness about it, even though it is an exacting dance form :)

Ash McTease runs Show Girl Sessions in Glasgow, and I was fortunate enough to find a voucher from one of the many voucher/discount sites available for 8 classes here. I tried my first one today, Burlesque Combo.

I had misgivings to start with. Primarily because I've developed a nasty chesty cough which is causing me to wheeze rather un-gracefully and un-sexily every so often. Is it really sensible to be doing a dance class when one is unwell? But I got there eventually and donned my heels and gloves and off we went! Exercising in heels is murder on the thighs, by the way, just sayin'! :P

There was a warm up (chairs were involved) and we worked through a dance routine. I felt awesome. Tired and sweaty, but awesome! I wanted to use my voucher on different classes as well, so I'm trying a Bollywood class next week, along with Burlesque Bombshell and Glamourcise. I think by this time next week I may be very, very sore :P But I will have had a lot of fun! Honestly, it's one of the best things I've done for myself in a long time. I didn't even really feel self-conscious. There were women of various ages and bodyshapes there, I didn't feel threatened or insecure, and it was nice, and it was FUN!

As I left the venue I overheard a couple of the other girls say they were going to cancel their gym memberships. On the subway back I saw a poster for a gym here in Glasgow, with a typical January promotion blaring across it. “Why tread-the-mill when you can dance?” My inner voice (one of a few, I admit) said to me. I'm inclined to agree with this particular voice. It usually errs on the side of delightfulness. This may explain my addiction to choux pastry as well, hehe.

I will end this blog with a note of thanks to MotH. I am never really that awake in the mornings, but this morning I had forgotten that my keys may had slid OUT of their usual spot in my bag and ended up on the floor when I came home from work yesterday. Meaning that when I came home this evening, I was utterly without keys. Unfortunately for me MotH was ALSO out today, to a sort of “battle of the bands” event in the city centre. This he very obligingly left (temporarily) to come and let me in to my house (so I could eat my pastry, mmmm). He didn't have to, I left my keys so really I should have gone back in to town to meet him, but he came to my aid without batting an eyelid. Chivalry is not dead, not by a long shot!

New Year - New Epic To-Do List

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope whoever reads this had an excellent New Years Eve in to 2013. 

My only true New Years Resolution is to be just as vocal about lovely and positive things as I can be about negative and not-so-awesome things. I have some other fun things in store as well, however we will get to that later. 

Two thousand and twelve was actually a huge year, and I don’t think I’ve given it, or myself, enough credit for being so awesome for me. 

I moved to a new city to be with the man I love (Man of the House, or MotH as I like to call him here). Glasgow is turning out to be a very lovely place indeed. I will always love Edinburgh, but there’s room in my heart for more than one city! :)
I got a new job and lo and behold it’s a permanent one at that!
I have been out to dinners and parties much more often in 2012 than 2011. 
I visited my first music festival since 2007, and found it was just as fun as I remembered it, even though I’m a wee bit older now. 
MotH and I went to Norway and he met my family for the first time. 

Needless to say I got sunburnt on this day :P 

I visited Amsterdam for the first time, and finally got to see one of my dearest friends again after ages apart!
My dad came to visit from Norway. 
I learned to like steak! 
Moth and I hosted a Halloween Party!

Boo!

And many other things! There have been some downs too, and some illness and not-so-wellness in the family, but we’re all still going strong and that is a blessing in itself. 

I think I will add one more Resolution: I want to take better care of my friends. I know I can be a bit negligent with saying hi, writing cards and coming to visit. I hope that those who I do consider my friends know that I do love them and think about them often! So I think I will try to be a bit more pro-active and do my bit in maintaining the garden that is friendship! ^.^

Speaking of gardens, some flowers I photographed in June 2012

You know the other fun things I mentioned earlier? Well. There’s been a small internet fad crusing around for a good few years. It’s called 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days. I’ve made a list countless times, but I think this one is actually.. doable. Maybe. Hopefully! The task is pretty much the title, 101 activities to complete during 1001 days, which is about 2 years and 7-8 months. I think to complete it I should try to keep a pace of 3 items a month, so they can’t all be life-changing, jaw-dropping things. Some are silly and fun, others require some planning (and money :P). The tasks should also be as specific as possible, so not things like “get out in the fresh air more”, because what constitutes as “more”? Anyway, the list is below. It is censured somewhat, because some things are a bit personal, but I’m sure you’ll live, hehe. 

1. -Personal-
2. -Personal-
3. -Personal-
4. Have my posture assessed by a chiropractor. 
5. Have a reflexology session.
6. Get a full manicure/pedicure.
7. Meditate at least once a month (0/33).
8. Go 30 days without carbonated soft drinks (must not coincide with tasks 9 and 10).
9. Go 30 days without chocolate (must not coincide with tasks 8 and 10).
10. Go 30 days without candy & crisps (must not coincide with tasks 8 and 9).
11. Visit a counsellor about anger issues and periodic malaise. 
12. Complete at least 5 session of horseback riding (0/5).
13. Invest in a good pair of exercise shoes.
14. Create a papier mache mask.
15. Make a patchwork quilt.
16. Be photographed naked.
17. Finish my novel.
18. Make a passion poster.
19. Make a dress for myself.
20. Take 5 singing lessons. 
21. Take 5 piano lessons.
22. Take 5 cello lessons.
23. Create my own reference book for various historical periods (specifics on my own list).
24. Create a reference book about religions.
25. Read 101 books, 25 of which must be non-fiction (0/76) + (0/25).
26. Go to a museum/gallery/art exhibit at least once a month (0/33).
27. Get a driver’s license.
28. Complete an ECDL course.
29. Complete a Japenese Level 1 course.
30. Take a First Aid course. 
31. Learn how to swim.
32. Try Kendo for 3 months.
33. Find a cause to volunteer for and do so.
34. Take a dressmaking course (because that would help completing number 19! :P).
35. Have a proper toolbox and a basic set of tools & home fix-it solutions (current system is to chuck various items in to a bag). 
36. Apply for the Access Course at The University of Glasgow.
37. Put the pictures I want framed in to frames and hang them up. 
38. Buy a House. 
39. Get the winged heart tattoo.
40. Get the Kitsune tattoo.
41. Save an emergency fund of £1000.
42. Arrange an Anne Clan gathering.
43. Visit 5 cities I have never been to before. 
44. See at least 1 UN Heritage site. 
45. Climb the Eiffel Tower. 
46. Have a photo shoot once I reach my goal weight.
47. Invest in a proper corset.
48. Buy a replacement iPod.
49. Buy a banker’s lamp. 
50. Buy a Chesterton office chair or armchair. 
51. Have cognac glasses shipped/brought over from Norway.
52. Stop buying poor-quality underwear.
53. Buy 25 items from an Antique store for home decoration (0/25).
54. Get a new sofa.
55. Go on a road trip holiday.
56. -Personal- 
57. Visit Stonehenge & one other stone circle in the UK. 
58. Have my horoscope done by a professional astrologer. 
59. -Personal-
60. -Personal-
61. -Personal-
62. -Personal-
63. -Personal-
64. -Personal-
65. -Personal-
66.  Host a dinner party.
67.  Grow at least 1 proper carrot.
68. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years. 
69. Attend a spa day - should include a mani/pedi + a massage + facial.
70. Commit to a face cleansing routine for one month.
71. Host a masked party (calling it a masquerade makes me feel pretentious).
72. Watch a meteor shower.
73. See the Aurora Borealis.
74. Cook a Danish Christmas Dinner.
75. Go on a distillery tour.
76. Re-camp the trunk in to a coffee table. 
77. Personalise the wardrobe.
78. Organise all my paperwork in to a filing system. 
79. Plant the roses my grandma has (Bering Renaissance, or “Eleanor”). 
80. Take a burlesque class. 
81. Go on the Glasgow Bus Tour. 
82. Visit the Transport Museum. 
83. Join a choir. 
84. Have dinner at an expensive restaurant in fine attire. 
85. Read all the books I own but haven’t read yet (this could take a while).
86. Take out a subscription to Cross Stitcher Magazine. 
87. Get my eyes tested (again) and actually buy glasses this time!
88. Research herbology and compile a catalogue of useful recipes and remedies. 
89. Keep an inventory of all the books in my flat. 
90. Make cider at least once.
91. Register with a GP and get back on blood pressure medication. 
92. Write a fan letter to Neil Gaiman. 
93. Grow my hair to waist length. 
94. Colour every picture in a colouring book. 
95. Write the Cuddle Fish story. 
96. Try a new food (either specific dish or type of cuisine) once a month for 6 months (0/6). 
97. Go to a Rugby match.
98. Visit my gran and ask her to tell her life story so I can write it down. 
99. Reach highest level of WoW with Tenshei. 
100. Read Les Miserables. 
101. Read The Path of the Eldar trilogy. 

So that's the list. I'll try to remember to write and let people know if and when they have been completed, at least if there's a story to tell! :) If anyone feels like making their own list, or a similar challenge, please feel free to let me know and we can compare notes on the joys of enormous to-do lists, hehe! 

I will leave you with two more photos. The first is from Glasgow, taken in the late evening some time in November, next to the GoMA (Gallery of Modern Art). I love the winter night backdrop against the pretty lights, it always feels magical. The next picture is the view of the river, quite easily visible from my parents house in Norway. Summer or Winter, it is a beautiful sight that never ceases to amaze me.