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This is the first piece of bathroom graffiti I've written in several years now. i used to do it quite a bit in high school. This was actually one of my favorite poems to use back then--I liked it, or course, but mostly it was short and easy to remember (plus I love Margaret Atwood).
This piece was put up in the Ladies' Room of a Macy's in a mall in Onalaska Wisconsin. I think some woman noticed. I went into a stall that clearly wasn't working (toilet hadn't and wouldn't flush) and the other two filled up while I was in there writing. As I was coming out, another woman came in. I went and sat outside to wait for D and the lady came out shortly thereafter and gave me a dirty look. I don't know if it was the unflushed toilet or the graffiti. Oh well.A couple of things I'm debating as I continue this task. I definitely want to take a picture of each piece, but since this is largely a crime of opportunity, it might be difficult to ensure that I always have a camera on me. I'm also considering compiling a book of appropriate poems to put up there. It's hard to find something short enough and keep a store of them all in my head. So maybe it would be worth it to put some together in a marble notebook that I can keep on me. Also, I think pieces of poems are acceptable, like a stanza or so, so long as it has meaning in and of itself and doesn't lose much without the context of the poem.
So, D and I are headed off on our week-long roadtrip to Wisconsin in exactly one week. In the next week (before the trip) and over the course of the trip itself, I'm looking forward to starting a bunch of goals, and completing a few as well.
Next Wednesday, I take the GRE for the first time, hopefully completing goal 18. I'd really like do well the first go 'round, because a) the GRE is flippin' expensive and b) I'd really rather not study any more than I already have. Also, I really don't have much time to retake the test before I submit the scores to the grad program. Wish me luck! I'm probably going to be a hermit between now and Wednesday, with the exception of a therapy appointment, and a possible going away dinner with some friends, otherwise it's all library all the time.
On our road trip, I'll definitely be visiting at least 3 new states (with the possibility of one or two more, depending on our route): Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota for sure. Possibily Michigan, too. So I'll get to start on goal 33 and fill in my map some more. There would be more states, but thanks to some relatives in Louisville, I've been to Indiana (yay Holiday World!) and Ohio (yay layover!). I should also be able to take some pictures of the signs and of the other goals on the list. Some will be posted (the ones that are least likely to prevent me from getting a job), others will be kept only for posterity, so goal 97 will be on it's way.
On the way there, I'm hoping to plaster some poetry in public restroom stall walls across the country (goal 46). I've put a sharpie and my marble poetry notebooks on my list of shit I need to bring, and I'll try and sneak a camera in with me a few times so I can document my vandalism. Also, I'm hoping to procure a copy of the Sunday Times so D and I can attempt the crossword during the drive. He tells me we should be able to find the Times when we get out there (maybe at a book store if nothing else). I figure it'll be a good way to pass the time (goal 29).
There has been much debauchery planned for when we get down there. I'm not really looking forward to a bunch of keggers (especially with a bunch of people I don't know), but I figure I'll muddle through. Lord knows I've dragged D into more than enough clothing/book/girly stores that he's more than paid his due. So far, definitely on the roster: purchase of a keg, a toga party (yes, really), a trip to the strip club for one of the guys' birthdays (I'm hoping to get a lap dance out of it, and I can cross goal 11 off my list), and his friend is growing weed for us. Provided I can actually get high the first time (I've been told whether or not this happens depends on how much I smoke and the quality of the 'product'), I'll be able to check off goal 35.
I'm sure I'll make one more post before I leave, probably after the GRE on Wednesday. I won't be able to update everything else until I get back the next Saturday (and probably not until the next day anyhow), but I'll bring a notebook along with me so I can keep track of everything.
Until then--adios!
What is it: Another one of those weird, semi-inconsequential ways things I just want to do for no reason in particular. I enjoy connecting with strangers in novel (or, in this case retro) ways. I have no idea what I'd write, or if I'd even write anything myself. This tasks presents a couple of logistical problems--what kind of bottle should I use? How do I seal it without it leaking? How can I put it in the ocean? I can't just toss it into the surf because it's likely to just wash back up in a matter of moments. Maybe I can do it on my cruise.
Status: Haven't started
What is it: I made a Life To-Do List when I was about 13 and this was on it. It was an homage to Friends (which I was really into at the time) where Phoebe goes for a mile on a hippity-hop because she's turning 30. I thought it would be cute and fun and something silly I can tell people about. This goal requires the purchase of a hippity-hop. D thinks it's adorable. He'd probably come down with me to a school track to help do it.
Status: Haven't started
What is it: Always wanted to be able to "cut a rug". I'm not rhythm-less, but I do have trouble letting the guy lead. I'm hoping I can learn to dance a specific kind of dance--something sexy and latin, maybe. Maybe just something I can bust out on my wedding day somewhere off in the distant future. My school offers free tango, salsa, and swing classes, so I think I'll satisfy this goal that way Spring semester.
Status: Haven't started
What is it: I like video games but I generally prefer the "classics"--Mario, Pacman, etc, etc. I don't think I've beaten a video game since Mario Bros 3. I love Disney movies, so by default I love Kingdom Hearts, but I've never beaten it. Armed with my outdated PS2, I'm going to tackle one or the other in my free time.
Status: Haven't started
What is it: I think scavenger hunts, when executed well, are awesome. I have always always wanted to plan an elaborate one or complete an elaborate one. I have a bunch of ideas for this one but I'm waffling between several ideas--should I do it for a specific event (Birthday scavenger hunt, Halloween scavenger hunt, etc) or have it as it's own event. Should I state specific things (find a lamp) or should I do riddle clues and on and on and on. This will probably require a good deal of effort on my part but I'm hoping to make it a fun time for everyone who participates. ooh. Maybe I'll make it a writer's workshop event.
Status: Haven't started.
What is it: I love crafting the perfect mix CD for friends and for specific occasions for myself. So, as a random act of kindness I plan to make 10 CDs with track lists and leave them in public so that other people can find and enjoy them. I'm worried that someone will see me leaving them and try to give them back to me or that they'll just wind up in a lost and found somewhere. I suppose that's a risk I'll have to take. When I finish each one, I'll post the track listings here.
Status: (0/10)
What is it: Since D and I have gotten more in to age play, I've started coloring again and found that I find it incredibly relaxing. I've got a number of coloring books now, mostly from cartoon shows that I liked when I was little (even Rainbow Brite!) but they're all half-finished. Basically I'd just like to have a cute, nicely done little girl thing.
Status: In progress
What is it: I'm really interested in the supernatural and the occult. I don't know that I have much in the way of natural psychic ability, but I'd still like to give it a shot. I've made a couple of attempts at learning how to read tarot cards, but I've never considered myself competent at it. I'll consider this goal complete when I can do a complete reading without consulting a guide of any sort. According to lore, you're supposed to receive cards as a gift, or else its bad luck and they won't work. So I guess I'll have to do some heavy hinting.
Status: Haven't started.
What is it: In high school, I used to graffiti the bathroom stalls with poetry--not my own, which I feel would have been kind of self-aggrandizing (and slightly emo)--mostly short stuff by 'official' Poets that lent itself well to being scrawled on a bathroom wall. I've done it once or twice since going to college, but I've basically stopped at this point. I want to get back into injecting something beautiful into life.
Status: 1/101
What is it: Like the penguin one, this is another hold over from my list 8 years ago. Again, jun thing I'd like to do and reconnection with my inner child.
Unlike the penguin one, there are no plans to make this one happen, but we went to a petting zoo last years where I think you can do this kind of things, so we'll see. Pictures should be pending.
Status: Haven't started.
What is it: This is another hold over from a list I made when I was 13. I still want to pet a penguin. There's no deep meaning behind this one--just a fun thing I want to do and a hearkening back to my adolescence.
D has started planning for this one. He found some 'Penguin Meet and Greet' that a local zoo hosts. You can pay money for a group to go and everyone gets to meet the penguins. He wants to set it up for a weekend in the Fall.
Status: Haven't started.
What is it: My weird obsession with Elvis is long celebrated. This obsession is weird because it is not your typical Elvis obsession--I like his music, and am interested in his biography, but what I find truly fascinating is how he's been raised to God Status after his death. I am so obsessed that I'm working my Elvis obsession into a novel and I'm considering doing anthropological research on Elvis as a cultural icon. My Dad has told me about a yearly charity event known as the Night of 1000 Elvises at which Elvis impersonators gather. I'm hoping to complete this goal there. Yes, there will be pictures.
Status: Haven't started
What is it: I love American kitsch and weird stuff in general. I've always wanted to spontaneously stop at one of those campy road side tourist traps, but I've never had the chance. On one memorable road trip with my friend N we passed by a wax museum, a drive-thru safari, and the Stonewall Jackson Hall of American Presidents (protip: Stonewall wasn't president, that would be Andrew). D and I are making a planned trip to the House on the Rock (as seen in Neil Gaiman's American Gods) but since, we're planning it, it's not spontaneous, so it doesn't count. I'll need another. Which means another road trip. Awesome!
Status: Haven't started.
What is it: It's true--you can actually swim in the Charles River in Boston and not die of sepsis. I have friends who have done it, and as far as I know they haven't died or given birth to any flipper babies. I've lived in Boston far too long (3 years!) without trying this. Seize the day! Swim in the Charles! Hopefully, I'll be able to take pictures of this one.
Status: Completed! 9/4/09
What it is: I don't put a ton of faith into things like this-psychic advisories, Chakra realignment, etc--but I do think there's something to them. For my 18th birthday, my family threw me a surprise party and my mother hired a tarot card reader. I think her reading of me was off--she told me I was in love. But I haven't given up on the enterprise yet. I've tried to learn a couple of times how to read palms myself, but I can only remember a few facts about a few lines.
Basically, this is just a fun little thing I'd like to have done to see what it reveals, if anything.
Status: Haven't started
