KICK (START) THE BUCKET

The stock market may be down this week (way down) but we, my friends, have taken flight! 1526 comments as of post time!!! I mean that is quite an improvement since last week. Thanks to all of you who spread the word. If anything it proved that you guys are loyal. And because of that, and a massive creative breakthrough, I have decided to make that adult series I was talking about for you instead. I can't spill the details yet. My agent is working out the details. I promise I will fill you in as soon as I can.

Rethinking my idea got me thinking. It's funny how new things come to us when we take the time to look at things differently. Our world opens up. We feel inspired and excited again. At least I do. Nothing sparks my creativity more than change. And since I am taking this month off to fuel my imagination I came up with a mini bucket list to help jump-start the process.

A bucket list, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, is a list of things you want to do before you "kick the bucket" (read: die). My list, howevs, was a little different. It only had five things on it, and I gave myself one week to do it. Last Blah-G Day to this Blah-g Day. Here's what was on it and here's what I did:

1.  Do something cultural. Do it alone so you actually focus.

2.  Challenge your body.

3.  Make extended eye contact with a cute boy. Even if it starts to feel creepy hold the stare.

4.  Contact someone you really like but haven't spoken to in forevs.

5.  Do something selfless and kind of annoying.

So that was my list. I had so much fun doing it I am going to do one every week. I had a bunch of new experiences as a result. And any writer knows experiences equal sharp details. You don't have to be a writer to benefit from this. Just a human looking to get the most out of your life. Here is what I did.

1.  Do something cultural. Do it alone so you actually focus.

I had a meeting in LA on Friday. I drove up three hours early and went to the Museum of Contemporary Art and saw the most killer exhibit on street art and graffiti.

2.  Challenge your body.

I swam laps. I never do that. I made it to 40. I've had indents in my eyes from the goggles for the last three hours. As long as I don't look in the mirror I feel fabulous.

3.  Make extended eye contact with a cute boy. Even if it starts to feel creepy hold the stare.

There was a really cute plumber at my house yesterday putting in a new toilet. Doesn't sound hot but trust me he was ah-dorable. He was telling me about some calking (pronounced: cocking. Yes, I know, hard not to laugh) and I glared deep into his blue eyes. Normally I would have stared at my wedges because he's cute and that makes me all awkward. But I held it the whole time he calk-talked. It felt like not being able to breathe but I managed. Man, how do those seductresses do it?

4.  Contact someone you really like but haven't spoken to in forevs.

I called my cousin Michy when I was driving to LA. She was my closest friend when we were growing up. She still lives in Toronto and sadly, we kind of lost touch. We had the best chat while I was stuck in traffic on the 405 North. We cracked each other up and hung up with smiles on our faces. Totally worth the roaming charges.

5.  Do something selfless and kind of annoying.

I picked up a stranger's trash on the beach last Sunday. Tons of ketchup stained burger wrappers and crushed soda cans. It was annoying because I got a stranger's ketchup on my wrist. Then, as if that wasn't enough, I removed a floating Band Aid from the pool I swam in. I almost barfed doing it. I hate floating stranger Band-Aids almost as much as I hate wet mounds of toilet paper in public bathrooms. But I said it had to be annoying so I have myself to blame.

I'd love to see your lists so post them, will ya? If I pick something off your list and add it to mine I'll give you a big old shout out.

In the mean time SHOUT OUT to all 1526 of you. Thanks for investing in me.

TTYW

XXXX Lisi