The Mighty Life List

in ,

Miss Rhiannon suggested that I read a blog called Mighty Girl.  If you haven't checked it out you might want to - I keep her in my RSS feed so that I always know when there is fresh material.  I've been thinking quite a bit about her mighty life list - I kept thinking: I want one!  I took her idea but modified it a bit....I'm calling it 30 x 30.  I'm pushing 30!!!  I've got 2 years to go!  In the spirit of turning 30 I've compiled a list of 30 things that I'd like to have accomplished or experienced by my 30th birthday.  The list is in no particular order.  I'm going to elaborate on each item here in this post and then I plan on creating a tab on the main page to keep track of the list as things get completed.  Here goes: 1.  Have a garage sale - a BIG one!  I have amassed an amazing amount of crap in a very short amount of time.

2.  Host a tea party in my garden - this means several things:  a) I need a garden  b) I need pretty floral tea cups.

3.  Have a family reunion on Lasqueti Island - there will be a house and EVERYONE gets invited.

4.  Make my tattoo prettier or make it disappear - yes I have a tattoo and no it's not what I imagined it to be.

5.  Learn how to make a perfect sushi roll and musubi - as in so perfect that the little old japanese ladies in my church are impressed.

6.  Meet my goal weight - no I'm not telling what it is.

7.  Learn to love exercise - this is very different than losing weight....and I REALLY hate to exercise.

8.  Get my Master's license - Captain Megan has a nice ring to it.

9.  Have a grad school picked out - and know what I want to study (that's the kicker).

10.  Be debt free - the house doesn't count.

11.  Go camping by myself - somewhere I've never been in a tent with no cell phone (car camping is disqualified).

12.  Visit Bali, the Philippines, and Thailand - I'd like to stay in Bali for a month.

13.  Take a ship to Antarctica - no explanation necessary.

14.  Travel through Ireland, Scotland and Wales - along the way I need to research my Great Grandmother Bessie McAndrews.

15.  Go on a helicopter ride - even if it is a lame 'touristy island sightseeing' kind of thing.

16.  Be conversational in Japanese - screw french (sorry Mom).

17.  Be fashion forward - last years New Years Resolution was to 'have a care with my appearance'.  I'd like to revamp my wardrobe with a purpose!

18.  Blog with a goal - figure out where I want the blog to go...and what people like best.

19.  Start a small business - even if it is online.

20.  Take a grammar class - punctuate properly!

21.  Spend a month shooting only in manual - I'd like to get to know Big Bertha a little better.

22.  Learn computer code - at least so that I can build my own theme, add buttons, etc.

23.  Publish a book - even if it is self published...it can be words, photos or both!

24.  Go to a ball - or just have somewhere to go where a ball gown must be worn.

25.  Go downhill skiing - I did in fact go to school in Maine and never actually go down a hill on ski's!

26.  Have an article published in a magazine - preferably a magazine that people actually read.

27.  Have my blog featured on someone else's blog - as in check out Nautie MerMate!  Isn't she cool?!

28.  Take a jewelry making class - I have a broken teacup and saucer (that I broke but don't know how I broke) that belonged to my Great Aunt Gene...I'd love to turn it into pieces of jewelry for all the ladies in my family....the teacup and saucer had a magenta tallship on an ivory colored backdrop....so Megan!

29.  Have my photography exhibited - I'd love to have an 'art show' where my maritime-y photos are displayed for the public.

30.  Produce Creatively; Create Productively - this was my theme for 2011...no I just need to figure out how to implement it in my daily life!

*I have to get back to class so I'm 'publishing' without proof reading - let's be honest...I never proof read...please see number 20 :)

In Honor of the People of Bahrain

in

In honor of what is going on in Bahrain I decided to post  some snapshots.  I thought of posting some photos of Egypt but decided that we were getting inundated with enough from the media. I have a lot of love for Bahrain.  I've made some amazing friends in the city of Manama.  Bahrain is hands down my favorite place to go ashore in the Middle East - it's always the people that make a place special.  I have found the Bahraini people to be smiley and very gracious.  When I first started coming in and out of the tanker terminal the terminal workers were all a little wary of me and gave me a pretty wide berth.  It didn't take them long to warm right up!  When I go down to the dock to deliver samples the loadmasters are always trying to coax me into the hut to sit down have tea and sample the different types of foods their wives have packed for them.  They are very curious about why my family has sent me to work (I'm very curious about this too) - they are also very concerned that I'm not married yet (I'm not going to lie, sometimes I find this concerning too).  Our agents name is Hameed - he found out that I was going to have to spend my birthday aboard - the next day he showed up to the ship with a pair of gold earrings that he and his wife had gone shopping for.  Hameed is always calling me on the VHF to make arrangements to attend the vessel when we pull into port.  It goes something like this:  'Miss Megan, Miss Megan, How are you, How are you?'  'I'm fine thank you Hameed...'  'Miss Megan how is your family?  Your Father?  Your Mother?'  'My family is doing great Hameed, thanks for asking!'  'Okay good Miss Megan.  So, I see the berth is available...'  and so goes the conversation.  See!  Lovely lovely people!

My favorite things about Bahrain in no particular order are:  eating and buying shwarma from  my favorite shwarma boys; staying at the Gulf Hotel and gazing up at the glorious chandeliers; rug shopping - oh my, I so love rug shopping (if anyone ever wants a rug let me know and I'll get one for you); feeding the pidgeons; smoking sheesha at my favorite hookah bar; going to the gold souq and looking at jewels - and I have to tell you the pearls are amazing....my list could go on forever!

[gallery columns="2"]

Links For My Lovelies

in

I know Friday is Link Love day...I didn't forget...I just got lazy :) This cracked me up - mostly because I remember watching Dawson's Creek with my best friend. Wanna see Dawson all grown up?!

I found a site called Ruche. Think affordable Anthropologie.

While we're on the subject of Anthropologie - at fashion week (which was last week) they announced a new bridal line called BHLDN (pronounced beholden) - I'm not getting married anytime soon but, who doesn't like looking at wedding dresses?!

@Baisey - you'll love this one! Design Sponge it's kind of a fashion blog, diy, ready-made-esque kind of thing.

What's your signature? Smaggle got me thinking! Then a few days later Davinia got me thinking all over again! I'm compiling my signatures as we speak.

I saved the best for last. Every so often I check out NPRs Tiny Desk Concerts - thank goodness I checked in on Thursday because they featured my girl Adele. If I had to name a favorite singer it would for sure be her.

I love finding new blogs and shiny things to look at! Do any of you out there have sites you think I'd like?!

stormy night

in

Last night was really stormy!  I went for a walk at the beach around dusk and there were definitely storm clouds brewing on the horizon.  Just as I was getting ready to tuck in for the night it started to rain...which very quickly turned into a torrential downpour.  I stood in the doorway of my studio watching the rain hit the pool and thrash the palm trees around.  It made me a little homesick, too.  In Hilo the rain hits your tin roof and sometimes it can be deafening.  Last night I could barely here the rain!  I grew up in an old plantation house - it would start to rain and we'd have to run around the house placing bowls under some of the drips - in the kitchen we could actually see the tin...there was no intermediate ceiling!  I think my body is programmed to hear the rain and then go put on snugglie clothes and grab a book!  I laid in bed last night with the curtains open and watched it pour...I feel great this morning and I know it's because of the rain!