Catching Up with Kickin' - Bag, Wish, Free Association, Songs. Days 19, 18, 17, 16

Day Nineteen – 10 Things in My Bag

I am trying my best to get caught up with the posts from the few days away at the secret location for my birthday. Ah yes, the City of Lights, the one with the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. Travel takes lots of energy, and the last day there was so chock full that I could not post, nor did I in the next two days. I will now attempt to cram in a bunch of posts into one!
 

Day Nineteen's prompt: ..."inspired by one of Jamie's most popular videos in which she shared what's in her purse, we thought we'd ask... What are 10 Things Currently In Your Bag?"

1. Cell phone. Essential, of course. Mine is not a smartphone, but I can flip it open for text messaging.
2. Keys. To our home, the cozy nest I share with my cherished man.
3. Wallet. A simple black, leather wristlet that works great for me. Most importantly it has a little pocket on the outside, perfect for the all-important Metrocard for the subway and buses. When I don't want to carry a bag, I can tuck my cell phone and keys right into the little wristlet. Voilà, ready to go.
4. iPad. A shared item, but I took it for the long wait at the post office. I spent a total of 3 hours standing in line to pick up a package today. During that time I did a lot of catching up on my Kickin' It blog-a-thon writing.
5. iPod. I usually carry this for music and some other apps. The ear buds help with noisy subway rides, but I never use them out on the street. I want to stay aware of my environment.
6. Moist towelettes. Hm, I didn't even know they were in my bag, but it could come in handy...
7. Music business cards. But of course.
8. Marketing strategy business cards. You never know...
9. Tissues. It is the season to be prepared.
10. Travel mug. Today's is filled with tea with milk, and helped me get through my thirst in the stiflingly hot purgatory of the post office.

And my the catch-up "teensy bit of writing each day in December":

And when they say "stick to your knitting" what if I have more than one project on the needles? Am I really sticking to it? When I'm cheating on one project to work on another, a state of constant anxiety if I let it be. Do I work on the sweater for me, or the scarf for him?

 

Day Eighteen – Make a Wish

Today's prompt "in honour of the first meme that Jamie ever created: Wishcasting. There is magic in wishing together. Today, make a wish. Support those who make a wish with the words, 'As you wish for yourself so I wish for you also.'"

 

My wish is for each precious person, in Jamie's circles and participating in this blog-a-thon, to have their dreams come true. It is with that simple thought and much gratitude for the support, joy and connection I receive from being in this tribe that I lit the candle in Sacre Coeur a few days ago.

My teensy bit of writing is a note to self:

It is easy to get lost in our small shut-off worlds but only a little effort is needed to enter the circle. In that circle we can sing together, dance together, wish together, laugh together, cry together, and rise up together.

 

Day Seventeen – Free Association

Today's prompt was "We're drawing on that old chestnut, free association.
Only we're planning to get to know you - not analyze you!
We share some Inspiration Words. You share what they inspire in you."

1. River
2. Fresh
3. Escape
4. Moment
5. Night

My "teensy bit of writing" will use these words as inspiration:

A river runs here. Jump in.
Make a fresh start to
Escape from a muddy-banked trail they made, unknowing.
Take a moment now to breathe in the
Cool night air of possibility.

Day Sixteen – Favorite Albums (not songs)

Today's prompt was "It was so much fun sharing our movies last week. In fact, we're sure many of us have filled our wish lists and our Netflix queue's with all sorts of fresh options! Let's do the same with our playlists. Share with us some of your favourite songs!"

Lists of favorites are in general really hard for me, as I'm positive I will forget something that I love and I abhor culling lists. It is especially impossible to name favorite songs, so instead I am going to name some of my favorite albums. Of course, I am sure I am forgetting some but here goes...

• Peter Gabriel - So
• Loreena McKennitt - The Mask and the Mirror
• Henri Salvador - Chambre Avec Vue
• Astor Piazzolla - Zero Hour
• Los Zafiros - Bossa Cubana
• Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
• Morelbaum2 & Sakamoto - Casa
• Bobby McFerrin - Circlesongs
• Jane Siberry - When I Was A Boy
• Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom

Now for my "teensy bit of writing":

Mundanity. Insanity. The line and the waiting seemed to stretch beyond my patience but I am apparently more well endowed than I knew. And today, joyfully, a moment I had hoped for finally came. I was at the pickup window at the US Post Office in my neighborhood, ready with pinkish slip and photo ID, to find out what that package from an illegibly scrawled sender was. The above is a dream. I am still standing in line, have been here for 45 minutes and will be here at least that long. I look at the time again, even if I hate to. Only 15 people have gotten their packages in 45 minutes of wait?

(We've come full circle. By the way, the total time waited turned out to be three hours. Is it possible to take action to improve a local post office's service? What can one do?)

Phew. I don't know if anyone will read even a part of this, but I feel a bit like a champ for getting this posted. How could I reward myself? Hm...