My life list-that is, my life as a 30 something list

The date: 8.29.2006...The time: oh heck, like I remember...The scenario: It was the eve of my 30th bday. I was relieved to be leaving my 20s and entering the vast and curious world of my 30s. But a little disappointed that I hadn't accomplished all I wanted to do in my 20s. (Yeah, I really don't remember making a list of 'stuff I wanted to do in my 20s, but hey, work with me on this one)...So I thought, it's a new decade in my life, my age starts with a different number. Why not make a list with 'oh so clever' title '30 Things I want to accomplilsh in my 30s'. Original title, huh?

Now I'm about a third of the way thru this decade. Have I accomplished ANY of the 30 items? Yes, a few..Hey, Val, where the heck is your list? Can we see it? Can we? Can we? Can we? Patience, my little blog minions. Lay off the pixie stick sugar, why don't you? I have it for you...I'll post the list then I'll mention the things I have done. Followed by a few things I hope to accomplish in the remaining two thirds I have before I turn 40.

30 THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH IN MY 30S (8.30.2006-8.29.2016)

1. GET A DOG
2. LEARN TO ROCK CLIMB
3. LEARN TO SKATEBOARD
4. MOVE BACK INTO THE ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
5. GET MARRIED
6. FIND MY FRIEND LILY ORIHARA (note: many people don't know I went to boarding school in Pennsylvania my soph yr of h.s.--'91/'92. Lily was my roommate--she didn't speak a word of English when I first met her but by the end of the school year she was speaking it very well. I told her I would learn Japanese (she was from Yokohama, Japan) when I next met her. Haven't heard from her since 1993. I do have a picture of her on my bedside table)
7. GO TO EITHER MY 10 YEAR OR 15 YEAR COLLEGE REUNION (10th in 2008; 15th in 2013)
8. LEARN JAPANESE, RUSSIAN, CZECH, OR SERBO-CROATIAN
9. VISIT JAPAN
10. HAVE CHILDREN
11. RE-LEARN ITALIAN
12. CONTINUE TO HONE MY COOKING SKILLS
13. READ ABOUT ONE CLASSIC BOOK EVERY 2 MONTHS OR SO
14. LEARN TO SEW
15. GET BACK ON STAGE AGAIN
16. BECOME AN ENTERTAINMENT GOSSIP REPORTER
17. ATTEND/GO TO A PLAY EVERY 2 MONTHS OR SO
18. FIND MY SMITH FRIENDS-Karin Lum, Petra Hlistova
19. VISIT ALASKA
20. GO SNOW SKIING
21. FIND MY JYA @VASSAR FRIENDS-Jacinda Dariotis and Gisele Edwards
22. ATTEND MY 15TH (IN 2009) OR 20TH (IN 2014) HS REUNION
23. GO TO DISNEYWORLD
24. VISIT BOSTON
25. WRITE A CHILDREN'S BOOK
26. GO WALKING ON THE KATY TRAIL MORE OFTEN
27. VISIT HAWAII
28. RECONNECT WITH LIBBY & ELLIOT (note: these were two kids I babysat many a Sat. night in th '90s; they're now in their late teens and I would like to see how they are doing)
29. BE PART OF A SPORTS LEAGUE
30. GO KARAOKE

OK, that's my list of 30 things I want to do in my 30s. I know, it's quite a list. But a girl can dream right? Right. Have I accomplished any of these things? I said before yes I have. What have I accomplished? Geez, why so hyper? J/K. Here's what I have done so far

7. GO TO EITHER MY 10 YEAR OR 15 YEAR COLELGE REUNION: Went to my 10th year in May 2008. Met a few people I didn't know during my college years at Smith. Got chosen, designated,etc one of my classes two co-secreatries (basically, myself and the other secretary get to write our class news column in our colleges alumnae news bulletin). Was a good time. And will I go to my 15th in spring 2013? Yes, I intend to.

12. CONTINUE TO HONE MY COOKING SKILLS: This one I really found to be the easiest. . I've had some triumphs and tragedies in this area. My triumphs: my creamy artichoke dip. It is, I must say, YUMMY! My tragedy: the beefy tater tot onion dish I made Super Bowl Sunday '09. Gave myself food poisoning with this one. Realized the onions I used were expired and had gone bad. Despite this, I try every week (for the most part) to cook someting that I think might taste delicious. I have a huge collection of cookbooks (last time I checked about 80), a basket full of cooking magazines (mostly those little ones you find as impulse buys at the supermarket checkout counter), and a binder/album of recipes I clip out of the paper, coupon circulars,etc, so yes, I have quite a collection to choose from. Feel free to test my concoctions. I promise I'll try not to kill you.

21. FIND MY JYA @ VASSAR FRIENDS JACINDA DARIOTIS AND GISELE EDWARDS-Good news: thanks to Facebook, I have found Jacinda. True, we haven't caught up per se but finding her online is close enough. As for Gisele, haven't found her yet. Would love to. Last I heard, she had moved to her hometown of Quincy, MA shortly after 9/11. If you are reading this and were at Vassar and know who she is, feel free to contact me.

22. ATTEND MY 15TH (IN 2009) OR 20TH (IN 2014) HS REUNION: Done...part of it for obvious reasons. Went to my 15th in summer '09. Most of the people there I really hadn't seen since we graduated in May 1994. I may not have been buddy-buddy with them back in the day (and we may have had our spats since then-but I won't get into that) but it was nice to see them. As with the Jacinda situation, I have found many of them on Facebook. And I hope to remain in contact with them for years to come.

24. VISIT BOSTON-While I was in Massachusetts for my 10th college reunion in spring '08, I made a point to spend a few days in Beantown (after my reunion). Did a LOT of walking!! Went to Boston Common, the New England Aquarium, the Science Museum, walked around Cambridge and Harvard University, and my favorite (an obvious duh since I am a RedSox fan), visit Fenway Park, took a tour (on the day of what would be Jon Lester's no-hitter-which was a game I hoped to attend but stupid me didn't stay on the phone or online long enough to get tickets) of this mecca of the baseball world...someday I hope to return there and go to an actual game. A match up between the BoSox and Yankees would be IDEAL but since there's no chance in that happening, I don't care who the BoSox are playing, I would love to see them play in their home park.

OK, that's 5 out of 30..not to bad, huh? So as I mentioned before, I wanted to mention a few things I hope to accomplish before I turn the big 4-0 in summer '16. Five things to be exact.

1. GET A DOG...I Really want to get one. I do have a cat, Cheese, and no I'm not getting tired of her. But having a pooch would be nice. Most people in my neighborhood have one. What would I get? Either a pug, french bulldog, Bassett Hound, or english bulldog (like Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has). Pets always make your day brighter...whenever you're down , they are there to help you feel better and to 'talk to' about your problems. Oh yes, and what the heck, why not use the canine friend as 'MAN BAIT' (that is, if I'm not attached by the time I get a dog)? I don't mean to soudn shallow but can't I do this? Guys love dogs, and I love guys with dogs (a man with a pooch, that just makes me swoon). Works out well.

8. LEARN JAPANESE...As I mention in #6 of my list, I had a Japanese friend named Lily. She was from Japan. And when I last saw her nearly 17 years ago, I told her I wold learn her native language as she did mine. Am I fluent? NOPE! I know ichi, ni san (1-2-3) and konichi wa (hello). That's it. Next time I see her (and I hope that happens soon), I want to talk to her a little bit in her first language. This will probably be the easiest. All I have to do is buy one of those language book/CD sets...But I've heard Japanese is extremely difficult so this might not be as easy I think. Darn it.

11. RE-LEARN ITALIAN...that's right RE-LEARN it. My junior and senior years of college, I studied this language. And it's probably my favorite. It's so easy (at least I think it is/was). Kind of like above, all I have to do is buy one of those language book/CD sets. Done that, have on. Just gotta dust it off.

4. MOVE BACK INTO THE ARTS/ENTERTAIMENT INDUSTRY: I was a music major and this and the whole performing arts field are something I am starting to get back a passion for. I am hoping to start writing music again soon; and what the heck, I might as well combine this with #15 and 16. #15 (GET BACK ON STAGE AGAIN) I used to do a lot of acting stuff in my teens years. I would liek to do it again, but I am a little chicken and rusty. But one of my college classmates (Monique) has told me about some improv classes (she does a lot of this in Austin, haven't seen her perform live yet but I will--eventually)at a place here in Dallas so I might sign up for those. And #16 , I salivate over entertainment gossip like Homer Simpson when he sees a pork chop. And I like to write about it (warning: I will probably be proclaiming my thoughts on this site, so watch out!).

10. HAVE CHILDREN...Most ladies (and dudes, too) would probably have this on their list. Would be nice. But I'm not super desparate. I'm not on a deadset mission to find a 'baby daddy' or anything. It's one of those things I have to be really sure and ready for. It's also the one I'm most scared about. When it happens, will I know what to do? Most importantly (and I can't believe I'm about to type this) will I be able to have them? I'm 33 now and as I get older, it will be more difficult to have a child. I have an appointment in March to see a OB/GYN to make sure everything's OK. I will talk to her about how my age , lifestyle factors (I don't smoke, which is a huge plus; but not is stress, which I have been going thru a lot lately) and how it might affect my future parenting plans. I hope to have a tyke of my own by the time I turn 40 but am willing to stick it out til the end of the '10s (when I will be 43). If for whatever reason I do not have one the 'usual way', then I intend on adopting. There are a lot of children in this world who need a loving home and, if the circumstances warrant it, then this an option I am willing to consider



So there you have it...my list. I know it's a fat chance I will do EVERYTHING. But as I've said before, here's to hoping.

Til next time amigos

Val :)

Hello BlogSpot, it's me ValSox...

Hi...and welcome to my blog on blogspot.com. One of my Facebook friends, Allison H (who I used to work with at Barnes & Noble in the mid '00s-hey we can say the '00s now!-and found me on Facebook after I posted a comment on a mutual friend's (Scott B.) wall), had it on her profile. Seemed cool. I really needed a new place to blog. Give my thoughts, opinions, stuff that you think may not matter, but I think does...I used to do my Pointless-Points-of-ValSox blogs on MySpace but, let's face it, who's on MySpace anymore, anyways? Haven't blogged there since last February. Anyhoo, so here comes Blogspot.com...And I welcome it with open arms.

The subject of this blog is, well, read the damn subject line...I'm just saying 'Hi, It's Me ValSox'. So Hi, I'm ValSox....Well, my legal name is Valerie. But I hate that. So call me Val. Or better yet, call me ValSox. That's right, ValSox. Where did this name come from you ask? Well, I'll tell you.

Let's go back to April 2008. One lovely evening (well, not for me, it was nice outside)-oh wait, I should mention I am a Boston RedSox fan, that way you won't think I jumped in the middle of something with no explanation-oh wait, one lovely evening--ANYWAYS, this said lovely April '08 evening, I was on MySpace and mentioned my status as something along the lines of 'disappointed about the clobberfest between the RedSox and Yankees the prior evening'. One of my MySp friends, Joe C, a New York Yankees fan ( and also a Facebook friend) commented back with 'HAHAHAHA' and the rest I forgot. This started a cyber war of words. Which has yet to end. In the midst of the nearly 2 years that Joe and I have been cyber taunting, he has designated this name on me. And I like this moniker. Have I grown tired of it? Nope...and probably never will. Nice try, buddy. I look forward to the '10 version of 'Your team sucks!' (altho I do have to add that Nick Swisher is actually kinda hot-did you see him on 'How I Met Your Mother' on Feb. 1st)....

Before I leave you, I will say or answer the question 'what will my blogs be about?'. Just mundane stuff probably. I'll try to live up to my 'promise' I made to my fellow Smith '98ers in my SAQ column (that was in the Anniversary issue that came out in late '09), and continue with some entertainment themed blogs. And, what the heck, give my thoughts about what has gone on in my life.

So if you're reading this and continue to do so, then thank you..I love you. Hugsies? Nope? OK....I'm sick as of this writing so that's a wise choice.

Til next time amigos!

ValSox :)