Does a major birthday mean it's time for a facelift (of the bucket list)?

Big birthday this week. Time for a revised bucket list.  There are two sections:  

the completes N=47, 

and the new list (6 new additions and removed 15)

New List:

1.   Meet Brene Brown
2.   Foster dog(s)
3.   Create one 3-day weekend each month
4.   Visit San Miguel with JoAnn and Adele and JB
5.  Take dad's ashes to the East coast
6.  See Elton John perform (April 2022)
7.  Go back to Greece with JB to visit Delphi and Agora and maybe the Odyssey cruise.
8. 15. Read my old journals and then destroy (In progress)
9. 22. Learn some Hebrew
10. 23. Publish an article in a journal
11. 33. Spend a week on the Vineyard.
12. 35. Visit the wailing wall.
13. 38. Spend a weekend at a retreat in silence (The Cenacle?)
14. 39. Read all the books on my shelf.
15. 40. Volunteer in a literacy program or the pet shelter.
16. 43. Learn more about Buddhism.
17. 51. Read the story of David.
18. 52. Read every page of the Bible.
19. 54. Attend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at temple.
20. 55. Go to a supreme court session with Sarah.
21. 56. Walk the El Camino (1 week then all of it)
22. 58. Spend a month at Big Sand Lake.
23. 61. Find myself. (always in progress)
24. 68. Finish my bucket list 100. (writing it and doing it!)
25. 74. Retire by 63 and drive an RV rental cross country.
26. 77. Swing on a swing set with Sarie like little kids do, just like I saw the two older women in September 2011 at Joe's Pond.
27. 79. Attend a gospel church service on the west side of Chicago.
28. 81. Build my own labyrinth in the yard.
29. 82. Spend more of my days reading, walking, working on class stuff. Eat when hungry, sleep when tired. (Just like at Joe's Pond in September 2011.)
30. 85. Spend January in AZ or NM or FL.
31. 86. Civil war tour with Martha and Andy
32. 87. Practice yoga daily
33. 88. Visit Aunt Karen and Uncle Roger in AZ
34. 89. Master breathing while swimming (in progress).
35. 91. Visit Prague.
36. 92. Cruise with Captain Kate again in the Western Caribbean and go snorkeling
37. 93. Visit HEEFS to volunteer with Esther the Wonder Pig.
38. 94. Downsize to a ranch or duplex
39. 95. Meet my grand-godchildren
40. 97. Become fully debt free including car and house
41. 101. Shave my head 
42. 102. Spend at least a week in Santorini

Complete:

1. Teach at a major university (done)
 2. Go to Rome (done)
 3. Ride in a helicopter (done)
 6. Volunteer at a food kitchen.(done)
 7. Volunteer at a pet shelter. (done 2011)
 8. Go back to Greece and the islands with JJ and D. (done Sept. 2010)
 9. Own a beach property (done)
10. Visit Alaska (done 2011)
11. Visit North Dakota (done 2011)
12. Visit all fifty states (done 2011)
13. Be a professional photographer (Tyra handles this one for me)
16. Get my slides digitized (done)
17. Graduate from college (done--twice)
18. Clean my office
19. Organize my office closet
22. Translate some ancient text (done Jan. 2011)
24. Make a difference in the life of others (in progress)
25. Love and trust someone fully (done)
26. Love and trust someone fully again (done)
27. Giggle (always)!
29. Have a dog who I love like a child (done x2)
30. Pay someone to clean my house and mow my lawn (done)
31. Buy really nice sheets from Marshall Fields without looking at the price tag.(I tried to in 2009 but there were none I liked. Besides, Fields is now Macy's.))
34. Attend an authentic Passover Seder. (done x2)
36. Walk out my door to the lake with a book and a cup of coffee.
37. Be important to kids. (done)
42. Go to Esalen with Dorian. http://www.esalen.org/ (Went to Mago retreat in Sedona AZ instead)
45. Visit living history farms (done)
46. Learn to play the cello (in progress 2010, started in May)
47. Rescue a dog. (done)
49. Forgive and forget. (done)
57. Go to the opera and understand it. (done)
62. Have a fire pit. (done, July 2011)
63. Visit Asheville/NC (done 2018).
65. Be first. (done with JB)
66. Own a VW convertible bug. (done)
67. Have more Chicago based friends. (done)
69. Read Walden. (done 2019)
70. Study Homer's Iliad. (fall 2011)
71. Rent Joe's Pond house from Gary and Chris for 3 weeks to reflect on life. (done Sept.2011)
72. Visit D.C. during the Cherry Blossom Festival (done April 2011)
73. Teach Homer's Odyssey (planned spring 2012)
76. Go to Vienna with Janene. (done 2015)
78. Have a monthly massage appointment for at least one year. (done and still doing)
83. Have comfy wooden Adirondack chairs.
89. Master breathing while swimming.
96. See Billy Joel perform (done May 2016)

My visiting office mate: Bingo!

Rest in Peace, Herman

“In Florence, in the bell
tower of the cathedral,
there are seven wonderful
images made in the Middle
Ages by Luca della Robbia.
One of them shows an old,
bearded Plato face-toface
in argument with a
beardless young Aristotle. I
mean, they are really going
at it, they are so close that
their feet are touching.
Aristotle is pointing at a
book, as if to say, ‘What
the hell are all these errors
and contradictions in your
writings, old man?’ And
Plato is pointing to the
sky, and yelling right back
at him, ‘Forget the damn
text, man, think about the
big picture, think about the
big questions!’ I love that
image, it’s all about passionate
argument. And it
sums up for me what I love
about teaching at Chicago
— passionate argument.”
Herman Sinaiko

How does Molly like Mom's new puppy Bingo?

Not so much....

Headed to Wimbledon

For Beth

The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer (One of my personal favorites that was shared with me again this week)

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain!I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithlessand therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.


I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

by
Oriah Mountain Dreamer

From Tyra's FB page

Comes the Dawn
-Veronica Shorffstall, 1971

After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,

And you begin to understand that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head held high and your eyes open,

With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
You learn to build your roads

On today because tomorrow's ground
Is too uncertain for plans, and futures have

A way of falling down in midflight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine

Burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate

Your own soul, instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you can really endure,
That you really are strong

And you really do have worth
And you learn and learn ... and you learn
With every goodbye you learn.

Nothing portrays my little dog like this short clip

Oprah to Serena Williams 12/15/10

When Serena said, "love sucks", Oprah replied, "You cannot pretend to be any less than what you are. You cannot go around dimming your light just to be walking with someone else. You want to be completely full so your cup runneth over and you can give it to other people. Own your own power."

Something I want to not lose...so I add it to my blog

"Love is everything it's cracked up to be.....It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for." - E. Jong, author

Interesting

"If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go into business, because we'd be cynical. . . You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down."
Ray Bradbury

I adore this woman

It was the best 20 minute lunch I have had in a while!

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Elizabeth-Gilbert-Talk-from-O-Magazines-10th-Anniversary-Video

My dog thinks she is a cat

Also, no matter how much I make a nice nest of blankets for her, she HAS to get on the couch pillows and make her own nest.

T. Shutt on Aristotle

Professor Shutt shared a one sentence paper her graded as an A on Aristotle and his ideas on the golden mean.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was titled:

"A Logical Critique of Aristotle's Doctrine of the Golden Mean".

I think this is a good idea, but Aristotle takes it to an extreme.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is one of those post it notes I wanted to be sure I never lost, ergo the blog post.

new life; new look

I do whatever Hazel tells me to do, ever since 1996.
She wanted to see a new look so here it is.

Hey, Hazel--let's see a post from you soon!

PS Thanks for the chat tonight. Come visit Chicago soon!

Bucket list, or at least a list...

P
Inspired by Beth's blog
http://queensfeast.blogspot.com



 1. Teach at a major university (done)
 2. Go to Rome (done)
2.5 Go to Rome again to see the rest of what I missed.
 3. Ride in a helicopter (done)
 4. Fly a helicopter (unlikely due to poor eyes)
 5. Get an honorary doctorate (earning a real one is really hard!)
 6. Volunteer at a food kitchen.(done)
 7. Volunteer at a pet shelter. (done 2011)
 8. Go back to Greece and the islands with JJ and D. (done Sept. 2010)
8.5 Go back to Greece to visit Delphi and Agora and maybe the Odyssey cruise.
 9. Own a beach property (done)
10. Visit Alaska (done 2011)
11. Visit North Dakota (done 2011)
12. Visit all fifty states (done 2011)
13. Be a professional photographer (Tyra handles this one for me)
14. Write a book
15. Read my old journals (In progress)
16. Get my slides digitized (done)
17. Graduate from college (done--twice)
18. Clean my office
19. Organize my office closet
20. Learn Latin
21. Learn ancient Greek (tried and bailed in Feb. 2011)
22. Learn Hebrew
22. Translate some ancient text (done Jan. 2011)
23. Publish an article in a journal
24. Make a difference in the life of others (in progress)
25. Love and trust someone fully (done)
26. Love and trust someone fully again (done)
27. Giggle (always)!
28. Drive cross country with no time frame
29. Have a dog who I love like a child (done x2)
30. Pay someone to clean my house and mow my lawn (done)
31. Buy really nice sheets from Marshall Fields without looking at the price tag.(I tried to in 2009 but there were none I liked. Besides, Fields is now Macy's.))
32. Play like a 5 year old in the water.
33. Spend a week on the Vineyard.
34. Attend an authentic Passover seder. (done x2)
35. Visit the wailing wall.
36. Walk out my door to the lake with a book and a cup of coffee.
37. Be important to kids. (done)
38. Spend a weekend at a retreat in silence (The Cenacle?)
39. Read all the books on my shelf.
40. Volunteer in a literacy program or the pet shelter.
41. Have a scholarship fund in my name. (in progress)
42. Go to Esalen with Dorian. http://www.esalen.org/ (Went to Mago retreat in Sedona AZ instead)
43. Learn about Buddhism.
44. Swim with the dolphins.
45. Visit living history farms (done)
46. Learn to play the cello (in progress 2010, started in May)
47. Rescue a dog. (done)
48. Take crew lessons in Boston on the Charles River.
49. Forgive and forget. (done)
50. Rent a villa on the Amalfi Coast for several weeks and invite my friends to visit.
51. Read the story of David.
52. Read every page of the Bible.
53. Be about something bigger than myself; pull others forward. (in progress)
54. Attend Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at temple.
55. Go to a supreme court session with Sarah.
56. Walk the El Camino (1 week then all of it)
57. Go to the opera and understand it. (done)
58. Spend a month at Big Sand Lake.
59. Play a duet (piano and cello) with Sarah and have me sound 1/2 (ok--1/4) as good as she does.
60. Help JJ house hunt for his retirement home, like I did in Villa Park as Mrs. Nieman.
61. Find myself. (always in progress)
62. Have a fire pit. (done, July 2011)
63. Visit Asheville/NC (done 2018).
64. Find a new place to be a home away from home.
65. Be first. (done with JB)
66. Own a VW convertible bug. (done)
67. Have more Chicago based friends. (done)
68. Finish my bucket list 100. (writing it and doing it!)
69. Read Walden. (done 2019)
70. Study Homer's Iliad. (fall 2011)
71. Rent Joe's Pond house from Gary and Chris for 3 weeks to reflect on life. (done Sept.2011)
72. Visit D.C. during the Cherry Blossom Festival (done April 2011)
73. Teach Homer's Odyssey (planned spring 2012)
74. Retire by 60 and drive an RV with JJ cross country.
75. Redo the first floor bathroom.
76. Go to Vienna with Janene. (done 2015)
76.5 Return to Austria and Hungary
77. Swing on a swing set with Sarie like little kids do, just like I saw the two older women in September 2011 at Joe's Pond.
78. Have a monthly massage appointment for at least one year. (done and still doing)
79. Attend a gospel church service on the west side of Chicsgo.
80. Research the canon. According to CB, there is a great literature on oral-to-written knowledge, including the processes of canon-formation. I also need to find Max Weber's paper, "The Routinization of Charisma."
81. Build my own labyrinth in the yard.
82. Spend more of my days reading, walking, working on class stuff. Eat when hungry, sleep when tired. (Just like at Joe's Pond in September 2011.)
83. Have comfy wooden Adirondack chairs.
84. Zip line down a mountain.
85. Spend January in AZ.
86. Civil war tour with Martha and Andy
87. Practice yoga daily
88. Visit Aunt Karen and Uncle Roger in AZ

89. Master breathing while swimming.
90. Viking River cruise in Europe
91. Visit Prague.
92. Cruise with Captain Kate again in the Western Caribbean and go snorkling
93. Visit HEEFS to volunteer with Esther the Wonder Pig.
94. Downsize to a ranch or duplex
95. Meet my grand-godchildren
96. See Billy Joel perform (done May 2016)
97. Become fully debt free including car and house

  = 100 (including 2.5 and 8.5 and 76.5)...
 plus
101. Shave my head for St. Baldricks
102. Spend at least a week in Santorini

ok, ok...

My friend Hazel keeps bugging me to write on my blog more. God only knows why because it is all random thinking. So here I am--writing a blog entry for the first time in months.

Not sure what to write, as most of my writing is done on scrap paper lately. Then the scraps get lost. Or they stack up in a drawer. Or shoved in a notebook someplace. Maybe I can try to gather them up and put them here. Or not.

I must say that my friends are my foundation these days, so when my friend Hazel says "Post", I guess I will post. This might be short but at least it is something. I promise to make it sooner than 4 1/2 months next time.

(Happy Hazel?)

xo

Something I wanted to be able to find again

"Happiness is a function of accepting what is.
Love is a function of communication.
Health is a function of participation.
Self Expression is a function of responsibility."

-Werner Erhard

My hobble along baby

Sorry this is sideways.