Changing the World One Day At a Time (Seriously)

Apparently, not writing regularly on a blog is a habit hard to kick. Like chronic shoe shopping…or in my case, chronic Star Wars shopping. Or books. I have a serious weak spot for books. Don’t even trying to tell me otherwise if it’s a new Star Wars book.

Anyways, I acknowledge I’ve been terrible at keeping up with this and I wish I could report that I’ve been off doing incredibly adventurous things, like horse racing or fire fighting or hiking the North Shore. But I’ve been really tired lately. Really, really tired. Sure, I’ve been cooking a new recipe here and there (lots of Meatless Monday, healthy concoctions) and I’ve finally been able to have a few beach days (hello, toasty tan). But more often than not, I’m laying on the couch or sitting on the back deck reading a book.

It’s going against everything I’m writing about…living life to the fullest. While reading and walking certain shore lines is probably on this list of 500 things to do, there are certainly bigger, better and more world-saving things I could be doing with my time. Like getting myself into tip-top fighting form. I need to be able to take down any Imperial scum I cross in back alleyways *wink*

—–

11.) Read the complete works of Shakespeare.

I once tried reading Romeo and Juliet when I was eight years old. Why? Mostly because our household didn’t have enough books for me to get my hands on. An avid reader, I tore through every page like it was nothing. Until Romeo and Juliet. Sure, I could read the words…but I didn’t understand a thing they were saying. Flash forward to college. I read Othello, and I instantly love each and every word on the page. The struggle. The brute emotion. The language sings in my ears. (A class purely dedicated to Shakespeare’s words and how to properly speak the cadences helped. A LOT.) Now I’m dreaming of a gender-swapped version of the show. ‘Twould be epic. While I can’t say I love every single piece of Shakespeare’s works, I do appreciate it fully. As my one professor proclaimed once, “There should be a Willy cult. There really, really should be.”

—–

12.) Make a pumpkin jack-o-lantern for Halloween.

I don’t just make a pumpkin jack-o-lantern. I carve into that pumpkin with as much nerdom as I can muster. Last year, it was all about the Clone Troopers and Master Yoda himself. Last year, I ran out of time, but I made an impressive looking RIP gravestone and Grim Reaper. Holidays are meant to be fun, and what’s not to love about sticking your hand inside a pumpkin’s gooey push and pulling it out? Fresh baked pumpkin seeds are an added bonus.

—–

13.) Be an extra in a film.

I know the magic of theater. I’ve experienced the magic of small student films and a few PR promotional videos. That’s all I can call it: magic. However, I have yet to experience big-Hollywood movie magic and according to all my favorite fellow Hollywood thespians, there is only magic on movie productions. Sure, there’s sweat, tears, a few injuries and the occasional awkward sex scene…but it all boils down to movie magic. Read any interview with the cast of Lord of the Rings. How can you not call that magical?

—–

14.) Give blood.

Almost 2 years ago now, I made myself a promise. Reach the 1-gallon donation milestone, and then I could take a year off to finally get the tattoo I’ve been talking about my entire Academy career. Why the big deal? Because a person can’t donate blood for at least a year after getting inked, and I really, really, REALLY believe in donating blood. A single donation can save up to 3 people, and someone could need your blood within an hour of your donation. Plus, donated blood is only viable for a certain amount of time, hence why blood banks are in constant need of donations. I could go on and on about why everyone should donate blood…but I’ll stop right here. You’ll never meet them, but you’re saving lives with each donation. So if you’re healthy, able and have good veins for sticking, suck it up and just do it!

—–

15.) Join a flash mob.

My dancing skills are reserved for the privacy of my bedroom or kitchen. But to join a very large group of people who suddenly jump out of nowhere in every day places, dance a bit (or pull out a violin), then pop back into the crowd as if nothing happened? Totally a Jedi move. Thank goodness the choreography hasn’t been overally complicated as far as I can tell. But then again, I’m always better with choreographed works than making it up on the spot. Plus, there’s a few Star Wars flash mobs I’ve seen and they are incredibly epic.