Ladies and Gentlemen, Madamme, Monsieur....
I am enjoying a nice luke-warm cup of coffee...most likely brewed sometime this morning (it is now after 9 pm) and eating wine gums whilst waiting for a connecting flight at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport here in Houston TX...what a life. There is a 'code orange' security alert...apparently there are terrorists all year round in these parts as it was the same when I visited this airport in January. Nothing like a little mass hysteria to add a little spice to the journey. A little cynical today? Possibly...but isn't that why you read this?
For whatever reason, I always stray far away from the point of my posts on here...ADD maybe? My reason for blessing you with my heart felt words was to share my newly revised bucket list. I had so much fun with 'the 25' I decided to share my "things-to-do-before-i-croak" list coined "the bucket list" by Jack Nicholson in a box office hit. As if you didn't already know that. But, I had to clarify just in case some of my readers live or have recently lived under a rock...a rock with wifi but no tv...you really never know. On with it...
The Bucket List (Revised 06-2009) In No Particular Order....
1. Visit The Great Rift Valley
2. Dive The Great Barrier Reef (adding Palau Island onto this one too...apparently it is the best dive site in the world)
3. Snow Kite at one of the many ski-hills here in Canada (and gloat when going past the people waiting for the chair lift)
4. Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro (or at least part of it)
5. Learn to walk properly in high heels and wear them for an entire day without dying or taking them off and going barefoot like usual
6. Visit Tanzania (Sarengeti and Zanzibar)
7. Visit the Inca Ruins in Peru
8. Drive a race car (bonus points for not freaking out whilst doing so)
9. Make my own wine (Including stamping the grapes barefoot..I want the whole experience not just the wine kit stuff)
10. Visit the Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles...hopefully in more than one trip
11. Bungee Jump the famous Bloukrans bridge in South Africa
12. Snowboard in Argentina
13. Visit China
14. Drink Molson Canadian out of the Stanley Cup (I realize that this dream might be totally unattainable since the Stanley Cup is more valuable than God in Canada...but its on the list anyways)
15. Learn to speak another language (Top 3: Canadienne French, Spanish and Portuguese)
16. Surfing (not the internet, the real deal)
17. Write a memoir about my experiences in the oilfield (and life in general) one that people will actually read...
18. Watch every episode of Seinfeld (preferrably in order)
19. Learn how to make my own pie crust and successfully carry out my lessons turning them into a lemon merangue masterpiece
20. See The Cure Live
21. With regards to the former, convince Peter to like The Cure
22. Successfully kiteboard....jumps included
23. Learn the caramilk secret (ok that one was a goal of mine when i was a teenager...thought i would include it to prolong my life)
24. Watch a live wrestling match (Yes WWE...preferrably Wrestlemania and preferrably when Batista is fighting)
25. Complete a full 42K Marathon (26 miles for you yankee folk)
26. Beat Jeff at Xbox Karaoke (this one is from Sylvan Lake...still standing)
27. Travel the entire country of Canada...Coast to Coast on the Trans-Canada Highway
28. Go ice skating at Rockefeller Center during the Christmas season
29. Learn to sew
30. Make a difference in the world (this one can be interpreted in a number of ways...i guess i will know when i have completed it as i will have some profound vision or feeling..well something crazy like that)
Voila the revised 'Bucket List'. That was fun, wasn't it? I had to revise it as I have completed some of the things on the list and have added different ones as a result of my recent travels. It's a big list, I had better not die anytime soon!
Completely un-related...I am very much in love with the new Spinnerette CD i recieved in the mail yesterday. Who the hell is Spinnerette Julie? It is Brode Dalle (former front lady of The Distillers and my secret celebrity lady crush)'s new music venture. The album has the same unique Distilleresque sound as her previous albums but a little less punk rock angst and a little more mature woman sound. Motherhood has done good things for Brody's music. Although nothing will be able to replace Coral Fang on my list of 20 albums to heal you, her new songs are a refreshing follow up to her 'angry-at-tim-armstrong' divorce anthems. I highly recommend the new album, Spinnerette is in this summer! (All Babes are Wolves is a wicked track!).
Time to board my plane for the dark side...Julie has left the internet.
Bisous xxx
June 22, 2009
June 8, 2009
'The 25'....
Boa Noite!
So...around 5 months ago I got a rather amusing email from a very good friend of mine. Apparently after I boycotted the social networking monopoly of Facebook in November I missed some interesting social networking type events...and 'the 25' was one of them. What is 'the 25'? Well I am to type 25 very random facts about myself (most likely for your amusement), then you read them, and then you know 25 very random things about me. Its just that simple. Before I get any further with my hitch here in Malongo, I think it is vitally important that I deliver 'the 25'. Here we go......
1. Most of you already know this...but I am afraid of nearly everything. Bugs, Flying, Driving, Germs, Disease,...I freak out (sometimes in my head but mostly out loud) when involved in or exposed to any of the above activities/items. Talk about being a freak!
2. I am VERY competetive. As a child I was always competing against my brother (sorry Jeff)...anything he could do by god I could (and would try) to do it too. I am pretty sure that this had something to do with my tomboyishness and my career choice later in life
3. I LOVE music. I enjoy listening to all types of music as well as playing a few instruments on my own. I am pretty sure this flows in my blood since my father was a music teacher for more than 40 years and my cousin David (now Dr. Dick btw) has a PHD in performance music....pretty sure it was a given when the talent cards were handed out in 1982.
4. With relation to the above item, I have also won about 100 grammy awards in the shower during my lifetime.
5. I have a very difficult time letting people 'all the way in'. I hide behind a happy face and only let certain people past my guard. I am working on this but its not easy.
6. I am a full blown caffine addict. I function at less than 50% efficiency in the morning sans caffine.
7. I am also addicted to sugar. I can not enter a candy store without buying something. Also, I can not be within 10 feet of dark chocolate witout eating it. It is possible that I might actually kill for dark chocolate, please don't test me.
8. I have really bad luck. Really random things often happen to me with no explanation. At work, at play, it really doesn't matter..I have been labelled Hurricane Yulia as a result.
9. When I was a child, I wanted to be a fire-fighter...not because they are heroes or because they fight fires...I just wanted to have acess to the giant water hose. This dream died shortly after the super-soaker was invented.
10. I hate dirty things....(especially when related to hygene!!)
11. With regards to the above, when I first arrived in Malongo I had to pretend I was camping to get through the Angolan dirty factor of the living accomodations. Pretend camping continued until I purchased my own cleaning products and cleaned the room myself so that I knew I had rid the room of "dirty". I still 'camp' while offshore and attempt to clean the shared bathrooms etc. with antibacterial wipes before use.
12. I HATE the colour purple...but am actually starting to (secretly) like the colour pink.
13. I am a crazy cat lady. Maybe not to the extent of some other people I know (Lyndsay and Sherice) but I am close...
14. As much as I love Mr. Kitty, I hate his shedding and his poo feet and try not to think about it too much to avoid freaking out.
15. As a teenager, a special friend of mine we will call her jane (all names have been changed to protect the innocent) and I dabbled in witchcraft and tried to cast a spell on a fellow co-worker who was mean to us.
16. When I was a kid I used to believe that there really was a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and even tried to ride my bike to the end of a few...never could quite make it.
17. No matter how early I go to bed I struggle to get out of bed in the morning.
18. I sleep like the dead..or so I have been told. I make no sound and can not be awakened without extreme force or very loud noises.
19. I love to read.
20. I hate winter and am honestly convinced that I am actually allergic to cold weather.
21. Food is one of my greatest weaknesses. I love trying new foods and quite honestly I really enjoy eating! Although I am quite conscious about the foods I buy and cook for myself, I can't say no when offered something tasty. I am truely amazed that I am not over 300 lbs.
22. I am a sucker for tattoos. I have a secret celebrity crush on Travis Barker because of this.
23. I am deathly afraid of public washrooms and will only use if ABSOLUTELY necessary.
24. I am a nerd. I may appear 'cool' on the outside, but underneath these clothes is 100% nerdy. I coined the self description 'Charismatic Nerd' after taking the Halliburton personality test...very suiting I might add...
25. I could not function witout hand sanitizer in Africa. I carry it with me everywhere...in my purse, in my coveralls pocket, on the plane..everywhere. I use said sanitizer more than 5 times per day. I even use it after washing my hands to kill any germs that I might have picked up from the tap or from door knobs etc.
There it is, 'the 25'. Hope you enjoyed. Off to QUP Sanha tomorrow, wish me luck as I will need as much of it as I can get!
Beijos xxx,
Julie
So...around 5 months ago I got a rather amusing email from a very good friend of mine. Apparently after I boycotted the social networking monopoly of Facebook in November I missed some interesting social networking type events...and 'the 25' was one of them. What is 'the 25'? Well I am to type 25 very random facts about myself (most likely for your amusement), then you read them, and then you know 25 very random things about me. Its just that simple. Before I get any further with my hitch here in Malongo, I think it is vitally important that I deliver 'the 25'. Here we go......
1. Most of you already know this...but I am afraid of nearly everything. Bugs, Flying, Driving, Germs, Disease,...I freak out (sometimes in my head but mostly out loud) when involved in or exposed to any of the above activities/items. Talk about being a freak!
2. I am VERY competetive. As a child I was always competing against my brother (sorry Jeff)...anything he could do by god I could (and would try) to do it too. I am pretty sure that this had something to do with my tomboyishness and my career choice later in life
3. I LOVE music. I enjoy listening to all types of music as well as playing a few instruments on my own. I am pretty sure this flows in my blood since my father was a music teacher for more than 40 years and my cousin David (now Dr. Dick btw) has a PHD in performance music....pretty sure it was a given when the talent cards were handed out in 1982.
4. With relation to the above item, I have also won about 100 grammy awards in the shower during my lifetime.
5. I have a very difficult time letting people 'all the way in'. I hide behind a happy face and only let certain people past my guard. I am working on this but its not easy.
6. I am a full blown caffine addict. I function at less than 50% efficiency in the morning sans caffine.
7. I am also addicted to sugar. I can not enter a candy store without buying something. Also, I can not be within 10 feet of dark chocolate witout eating it. It is possible that I might actually kill for dark chocolate, please don't test me.
8. I have really bad luck. Really random things often happen to me with no explanation. At work, at play, it really doesn't matter..I have been labelled Hurricane Yulia as a result.
9. When I was a child, I wanted to be a fire-fighter...not because they are heroes or because they fight fires...I just wanted to have acess to the giant water hose. This dream died shortly after the super-soaker was invented.
10. I hate dirty things....(especially when related to hygene!!)
11. With regards to the above, when I first arrived in Malongo I had to pretend I was camping to get through the Angolan dirty factor of the living accomodations. Pretend camping continued until I purchased my own cleaning products and cleaned the room myself so that I knew I had rid the room of "dirty". I still 'camp' while offshore and attempt to clean the shared bathrooms etc. with antibacterial wipes before use.
12. I HATE the colour purple...but am actually starting to (secretly) like the colour pink.
13. I am a crazy cat lady. Maybe not to the extent of some other people I know (Lyndsay and Sherice) but I am close...
14. As much as I love Mr. Kitty, I hate his shedding and his poo feet and try not to think about it too much to avoid freaking out.
15. As a teenager, a special friend of mine we will call her jane (all names have been changed to protect the innocent) and I dabbled in witchcraft and tried to cast a spell on a fellow co-worker who was mean to us.
16. When I was a kid I used to believe that there really was a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and even tried to ride my bike to the end of a few...never could quite make it.
17. No matter how early I go to bed I struggle to get out of bed in the morning.
18. I sleep like the dead..or so I have been told. I make no sound and can not be awakened without extreme force or very loud noises.
19. I love to read.
20. I hate winter and am honestly convinced that I am actually allergic to cold weather.
21. Food is one of my greatest weaknesses. I love trying new foods and quite honestly I really enjoy eating! Although I am quite conscious about the foods I buy and cook for myself, I can't say no when offered something tasty. I am truely amazed that I am not over 300 lbs.
22. I am a sucker for tattoos. I have a secret celebrity crush on Travis Barker because of this.
23. I am deathly afraid of public washrooms and will only use if ABSOLUTELY necessary.
24. I am a nerd. I may appear 'cool' on the outside, but underneath these clothes is 100% nerdy. I coined the self description 'Charismatic Nerd' after taking the Halliburton personality test...very suiting I might add...
25. I could not function witout hand sanitizer in Africa. I carry it with me everywhere...in my purse, in my coveralls pocket, on the plane..everywhere. I use said sanitizer more than 5 times per day. I even use it after washing my hands to kill any germs that I might have picked up from the tap or from door knobs etc.
There it is, 'the 25'. Hope you enjoyed. Off to QUP Sanha tomorrow, wish me luck as I will need as much of it as I can get!
Beijos xxx,
Julie
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