Tuesday 30 October 2012

One small step... And a giant leap in the right direction.

I've identified myself as a writer since... Oh... About the time I wrote my first story. (In 3rd grade.) It's just part of who I am and what makes Wondra Wondra.

But I want to be more than a writer...

I want to be an AUTHOR.

I want to see my name on the cover of a novel. I want to know that my stories are coming to life in other people's minds. I want to inspire at least one person to be a writer the way authors like LJ Smith did for me.

Kind of a big ask, huh?

But you have to dream.

The first step is the hardest: Write the damn novels. Well, check. I've written four novels to date. they're sitting on a shelf, gathering dust.

I guess that's the next step: Make them publishable. (aka: edit, edit, edit) I have the biggest problem with this bit - which means I never get to the next stage: SUBMIT.

If I want to be an author I have to get my work out there. So I have to spend some quality time polishing those novels up, and submitting them. Quality time is not something I have in abundance. I work full-time, go to school-part time, and spend the rest of my time running a house.

No rest for the wicked, eh?

Since time is the biggest problem getting in the way of making my dream of being an author a reality, I have to do something about finding some. (Time, that is.)

So, this month, I took a rather big step: I applied for something called a Buying Time Writer's Bursary from Literature Wales.

If I'm successful, it will result in me having six months (paid) off work to do nothing but focus on my writing. It would be, I think, life changing.

I submitted my application (along with the first 10k of a novel in progress) over two weeks ago and now I'm just waiting. (And waiting.) They won't make a decision until February so I'm trying not to spend too much time dwelling on it - especially since I don't know how many people I'll be up against, or how good those people are.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Pumpkin carving - Halloweenie style

Jay asked what I wanted to carve on my pumpkins this year for Halloween. I thought about it and said "A doxie!" He just gave me this long suffering look and said, "That's not very Halloweeny, is it?" To which I said, "Yes it is! It's HalloWEENIE!"

<insert eye roll here>

But I got what I wanted (of course!) and Jay helped me carve these:


Cute, right? And here's what they look like all lit up:


Eeep! :)

And, of course, I just had to roast the seeds!





I just tossed the seeds in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, spread them out on a baking tray, sprinkled them with salt, pepper and a dash of cinnamon, and put them in the oven for oh, about an hour. Yum!



Thursday 25 October 2012

Super Sweep

Sweep  
(14/02/2000-25/10/2012)

Today is a pretty tough one. We had to put Sweep down. He started acting really unwell just over a week ago and his health just went downhill from there.



(Photos from Sweep's last day out, last month.)

We had some great times with Sweep (like the time he ate Jay's mom's teeth, lipstick, and Vaseline - woof!) and it'll be really hard without him. 

I don't know how I'm suppose to stay home alone without being able to say, "Come on, Sweepydoodle... Come keep me safe." :( 

Safe journey, Old Man. Whatever comes next, I hope it's worthy of you and I look forward to seeing you again one day.

Saturday 13 October 2012

Music

There is no doubt that music is my release. When I'm happy, sad, frustrated, scared, or pissed off, I need music. Some people hear a good song, smile, and carry on with their day. Not me... It gets in my blood and fuels my soul.

I think there's something very witchy about music.

I sing and dance along to music - even music no one else can hear - any time, any where. It doesn't matter if I'm waiting at a bus stop, doing dishes, or stuck in a lift at work... If there's a song in my heart, it's trying to find a way to get out and I'm not ashamed of it.

Even if I have a voice meant for silent film and the coordination of a dying rhino. ;)

Anywho...

My obssession with music means I'm often trawling YouTube for something new to listen to - and I'll give anything a go: rap, country, metal, r&b, pop... anything. Music is music.

But that doesn't mean I don't occasionally find myself shaking my head and thinking, 'Wow. Am I really singing along to this band?' Like... Oh... For example 3OH!3.

Yup, that's this week's new obssession. These two songs in particular:






Why am I sharing this with you? Well... Because I felt the need to share it with someone and any conversation about music between me and my husband usually ends in tears or flying objects. (For real.) He's an old school goth and thinks that the only good music ever made came out of the 80's. (I know... Right?) He usually has a scowl on his face before I even hit "play" to share something with him.

But, if I share with you, and you don't like it, you can just wander away... No harm, no foul. :)

Friday 12 October 2012

Pumpkin Hat

You know I ♥ everything about Autumn and Samhain - especially pumpkins. I picked up some orange and green yarn the other day without really thinking about what I would use it for, only that I wanted to make something pumpkin-y.

So I did what I always do when I need inspiration: I started trawling pinterest. It didn't take long to find this pattern by Sarah over at nothing's creative anymore. Perfect!


It took less than a day from start to finish and the pattern is super easy to follow. The only thing that I needed to change was just to add a few rows because I have such a big head. (Also, I couldn't find a H hook so I settled for the closest I had, a J.)

Conversation with my husband during the making of the hat:

Me: Ask me what I'm making!
Husband: (wary) What are you making? 
Me: A hat! 
Husband: Mm.
Me: Ask me what KIND of hat.
Husband: Ok. What kind of hat are you making? 
Me: A PUMPKIN hat.
Husband: (eye roll) Why do I ask?
Me: :)

 
I used cheap Bonus D yarn in orange and green. I only bought one skein of each but I have so much left over that I'm making a matching scarf with it. If it works out, I'll definitely share!

Thursday 11 October 2012

Wondra Commercials

I've known about this product for awhile but the commercials still make me laugh. Have a look:


"Wondra rubs right in!"


"Wondra turns hiding hands into holding hands."



"Wondra: Makes you look young all over." 
 
No, as far as I know, this product isn't around any more. Wouldn't it be amazing if it was, though?

Monday 8 October 2012

Weekend?

Have I had a productive weekend?

If by "weekend" you mean one day and "productive" you mean sat around all day playing on Pinterest then, yes, I have.

Okay, to be fair... I have not just sat around playing on Pinterest - BUT I can't show you what I've been working on yet. So this post is just a distraction. ;)

But since I did pin *a little* I may as well share. Here's a board dedicated to one of my favourite DOS games, Day of the Tentacle:


And here's one for the second best looking brothers on telly, Sam and Dean:

Enjoy!

Ooh... I know what else I did today that I can talk about... I updated my ravelry pages. The links to my patterns weren't working because I deleted the livejournal account they were linked to but I fixed that. Head on over and check me out.

Sunday 7 October 2012

I'm Batty About You!

Here's another baby shirt recon job for Dylan...

Started with a cute little (size 6-9 month) baby shirt:


(How freaking cute is that?!)

I put it on Dylan to see how it would fit. Pinned the sides because it was just a little too loose. Also noticed that the back (what would be the front for him) was too long. Not nearly enough wang room! So I took it off, make a few cuts and pinned up the rest:


The arms had to be cut off about halfway because Dylan's only got wee ickle legs. You'll also notice the extra "wang room" I made.

I got this particular shirt because of the neckline. I saw a post on craftster that said this type was best for dogs. The neck is extra wide. (Actually, I think maybe it's a tinsy bit too wide. I'm going to add clasps that can be done up after the shirt is on.)

On to the crafting bit... Midnight crafting while doing shots of Sailor Jerry and listening to rock music is the best. (Possibly not the safest, though.)


I have to sew everything by hand - no sewing machine for Wondra! (Boo!) But this came together really quickly. It took about three hours, from start to finish.

From the back:


And from the front:


It fit perfectly! Time for action shots:


(Look at me, Daddy, arne't I so cute?)


(This is my best angle, no?)

Friday 5 October 2012

Hocus Pocus

One of my favourite Birthdayoween (that's what we call it, yup) movies of all time is Hocus Pocus. There's just so much to love. It's only October 5th and I've already watched it twice this month. (And probably will watch it again before the week is out!)

I was looking for a meme with one of my favourite lines from the movie on it but couldn't find one so I just made it myself:


(That's pretty much how I feel everytime I hear a screaming child in a store.)

And while I was at it, I decided Hocus Pocus needed some Pinterest ♥:


As I was happily pinning away... I realised that there are just not enough Hocus Pocus crafts out there to drool over. I may need to get on that...

Thursday 4 October 2012

I read banned books!

I can't let Banned Book Week come and go without some mention here.

It still amazes me that in the year 2012 people are still trying to control what we can and can't read. It raises a lot of questions about freedom and morality and a whole bunch of other stuff I'm not sure I want to face at this time of the morning. (It's early for me!)

In honour of Banned Book Week, I thought I'd have a look at the ALA's list of Banned and Challenged Classics and see how many I've actually read. Let's see...

1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

6. Ulysses, by James Joyce
7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
9. 1984, by George Orwell

11. Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
15. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
23. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son, by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain, by James Baldwin
38. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren
40. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
45. The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
48. Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
53. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
55. The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie
57. Sophie's Choice, by William Styron
64. Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence
66. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
73. Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence
80. The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer
84. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller
88. An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
97. Rabbit, Run, by John Updike

Huh. 13? That's not many at all. I guess that means there are 84 books that need to go on my To-Read list. (Actually, a few already are.)

Even though I've only read a dozen of these classics, I can say that not one of them didn't change my life in some way. Most of them made me cry, some of them left me stunned, and others... Well, I won't go into all the ways 1984 made me look at the world diffrently.

Another thing I can say is this: I would have been a lesser person for not reading them.

How dare someone - who no doubt believes in their "right to bear arms" - tell me that I don't have the right to expand my mind, my self, by reading these books?!

Good Customer Service?

(aka: I'll Show You Mine When You Show Me Yours)

National Customer Service Week has come again. (Apparently.) Do I have any thoughts on this? You bet I do.

I never intended to end up working in a call center. As a kid I HATED talking to strangers on the phone. (No lie – just ask my mom.) But then I moved to Wales.

When I got my “indefinite leave to remain” I started looking for work. The first place I applied was HobbyCraft, our local craft store. I even got an interview. But they didn't want me.

So I tried the next most logical place: Cineworld, the local cinema. And do you know what they said? Not enough experience. Sorry... What? Two years of working at the best cinema in Michigan (Celebration! Cinema), doing everything from serving popcorn to cleaning toilets – and I didn't have enough experience?

Bollocks.

(The woman interviewing me spent the whole time staring out the window so I'm pretty sure I was never getting the job, regardless of what I said.)

Then my mother-in-law tried to help me get a job working as a secretary at the law firm where she worked. Again, I got as far as the interview but didn't get the job.

I was getting pretty worried. Then one of my husband's friends came to the rescue and said he could get me a temp job at the technical support center where he worked. When he told me what the job entailed I panicked.

What? Me? Talk to people over the phone? No way!

But money is money and a few weeks later, I was being shown how to wire a freeview box and given a headset.

That was the start of my career as an operator. I've spent the last eight years of my life on the phones, for one company or another.

Knowing me, you might be surprised by this career choice. (Considering my general hatred for the human race and all...) I was a little surprised myself. I was even more surprised by the fact that I'm pretty good at it. When I want to be.

It's true that there are days when sarcasm is the best my customers can hope for. On a normal day, I have the patience of a saint. On others... Well, if you're going to argue with me for twenty minutes over the difference between a “fee” and a “charge” then, yes, I might suggest you invest in a good dictionary.

I am only human.

But just between you and me? A little part of me thinks, FUCK 'EM.

I mean... Do my customers ever give me the courtesy I deserve? Rarely! Half the time I'm being shouted at to hurry up when I have to repeat myself for the fifth time because the customer can't be bothered to fucking listen.

You want good customer service?

Here's an idea...

BE A GOOD CUSTOMER.

Yeah, I said it.

You get what you give, people, and it's about damn time we own up to it.

If you even have to think 'Am I a good customer?' chances are the answer is NO. Chances are you're one of the reasons I keep making voodoo dolls called “Bad Customer” and have blood pressure that's through the roof.

Well, Bad Customer, to make our time together a little more enjoyable, I've made a little guide for you. Here it is:

Wondra's Guide To Being A Better Customer 
 
Have your details ready.
I don't care if you're calling your bank, your council, your gas company, or your dog walker. If you have a customer account number or reference number, do not pick up the phone until you have it in your other hand. It's just plain rude to spend five minutes going, “Oh, I just KNOW I have it here somewhere...”

Remember that the person you're talking to is A PERSON.
We're not robots, we're people. We have feelings, insecurities, and fears. For some reason, customers who would be lovely people in a face-to-face environment become absolute assholes over the phone – because we can't see their faces and they can't see ours. In their minds, we have no face and therefore are not people.

Not. The. Case.

Do not treat me disrespectfully just because you can't see me.

I am not the company I work for.
If you cut me, I do not bleed green and blue. Although it is true that I am a representative of the company that I work for, I am not (say it with me: NOT) that company.

Shouting “YOU did this, you stupid bitch!” at me is a personal insult. It is not true and is more likely to piss me off - which means I am less likely to bend over backwards to make you happy. And, by the way... Saying “I know you didn't do it personally but I'm just so angry!” isn't an acceptable apology after effing and blinding at me for an hour!

After all... You wouldn't appreciate it if I came to where you work and shouted “YOU made these french fries fatty and unwholesome, you bitch!” now would you?

Silence your children, pets, televisions, and radios.
I can't believe this even needs to be said. You are picking up the telephone with the express intent of carrying out a conversation. YOU called ME so surely you must have know you were going to be doing it, right? It didn't sneak up on you, did it? It didn't catch you by surprise, did it? No. And yet, with all that warning, you still can't manage to find a quiet room to call from?

This one is a major pet peeve of mine. When I say this one, I mean specifically screaming children. I'm not just saying this because I hate other people's children (which I do) or because I don't have any children of my own (which I don't). I'm saying this because if you haven't taught your children that it is RUDE to scream and holler when you're on the phone, you obviously need tips on disciplining them. The really annoying thing about that is if you don't start teaching them manners now, they're just going to grow up and raise another generation of people just like you to annoy people just like me.

It's not only rude, it's not practical! If your child is screaming bloody murder I'm not going to be able to hear you, am I? And chances are, if your child is annoying me, hundreds of miles away, they must be making you, stuck in the same room with them, absolutely bat shit crazy. Do us both a favor: Give them a smack on the ass and tell them to shut the fuck up.

Slow. Down.
It's simple: if I'm going to help you, I need to be able to understand what the problem is. I know you're paying for the call. I know you're in a hurry. I know you don't want to hear my annoying voice any longer than I want to hear yours. But you know what makes the phone call last longer? Me having to ask you to repeat yourself ten times because you couldn't take the time to enunciate.

Listen.
It's not hard. You called me, you asked me for advice – so take the time to listen to my answer. If you ignore me and try to brush me off with “Yeah, yeah, yeah...” I'll know you weren't listening. And I'll also know that you'll be calling us back in five minutes – wasting our time as well yours – to have the same conversation all over again.

Don't ask the question if you don't want to hear the answer.
*sigh*

There is no point in arguing with me over the answer I give you. None. You called me because you assumed that I know more about my job than you do – and you know what? I do. When I give you an answer, it is not going to change, just because you don't like it. My answer is correct and it is final. No amount of shouting and screaming (or demanding to speak to my boss) is going to change that.


Looking back over this list, I find myself thinking that I've wasted a lot of time saying things that shouldn't have to be said. Every single one of these points should be both self-explanatory and common sense.

Actually... I realize now that I could have summed up this whole post in just one sentence:

SHOW SOME GODDAMN RESPECT, PEOPLE.

Disclaimer: I do not have a voodoo doll named “Bad Customer” - though I did once. Also, the views expressed here are only the views of one disgruntled operator, not the views of the company I work for (which will not be named, for obvious reasons.)

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Recipe(ish): Homemade Applesauce

This is one of my favourite recipes for fall. My mother-in-law taught me how to make it a few years ago.

Everything is an estimate because I don't really measure anything, I just toss it in a pot. It should serve about 3-4. (Or two people who really like food, like me and my husband.)

Ingredients:
7 apples (I used Gala apples here because I already had them in the house)
1 cup of water
2 heaped tablespoons of white sugar
2 heaped tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon


What to do:

Start by putting the water into a pan and putting it on the stove on a medium heat.

Then cut, core, peel, and dice some apples.


Then pop them in with the water and let it boil.


Add the sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon and stir.

When the apples get soft, just mash it all up.


There you go: The easiest applesauce ever!


I stick it in a plastic dish and then into the fridge to cool. (This is not a canning recipe!) How long would it keep for? Don't know... It never has a chance to get old in our house! (My guess is about 2-3 days.)

Baby Clothes Recon!

Jay and I were having a discussion about clothes for doxies - which are expensive - and we started wondering if baby clothes would work. (With a few small alterations, of course.) So when we found a sale on baby clothes at ASDA, I decided it was time to try it.


We got this fleecey hoodie (first size) but it was too snug on Dylan's shoulders. 


 Also, he hates having anything on his head so the hood had to go.


I also needed to make a little room for Dylan's massive wang. (Of course!)


I cut everything out and pinned it up...


Then it was time to make some shoulder room. I cut a line down the back and inserted a panel of fabric from the hood.


All finished! :) The front:


The back:


And then it was time to try it on. I was worried that it wouldn't button in the front because of his massive chestage. (But it was all good.)


It fit perfectly! Dylan got so excited he ran straight to the door to go out and show off his new jacket!


A whole night's work but I'm happy with the results! :) Now Dylan can stay warm this winter!

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Kissing my 20's Goodbye #18 and #19

I've spent a lot of time over the last year trying to decide exactly who I am. I'm not sure I've come up with a definite answer yet... But I have an idea of all of the people that I am:


I'm sure that there are a lot of other things that should make it on that list. Eventually they will.

Maybe one day I'll even come up with that definite answer? (I doubt it, though.)

Am I someone who my parents could be proud of? No. But I gave up on that one a long time ago. Am I someone that my partner could love unconditionally? No. But that's not entirely my fault, either. Am I someone who is happy? No. But I'm trying to be. Am I someone important? No.

I think that's the one that hurts the most.

Maybe that's who I want to be?

Someone important.

Not to the whole world or even everyone I know - just to the people who are important to me. That's what brings me down the most, not being important.

It's been nearly ten years since I left everything behind - including my best friends. And I've had an empty spot inside me ever since. It's as though my soul has been fractured into six peices and I'm missing five of them. But my friends? They've all moved on, made new best friends, have husbands, fiances, boyfriends, children, their dream jobs... They're making their Happily Ever Afters - and I don't even get to be part of it.

I'm not saying that I haven't had some wild experiences here, that I haven't ever had moments of happiness - but there's been a lot missing too. When I'm old and gray and I get to see pictures of my friends' grandchildren online and get to read my friends' published novels and hear about their wild adventures I'll still shed a couple of tears: a happy one for them, at the knowledge that they had all they ever dreamed of - and a sad one for me, knowing that my dreams were always just out of reach.

That's who I am. Not who I want to be - but who I think I will be.

Monday 1 October 2012

Kissing My 20's Goodbye #10

With a  slight alteration. Instead of awesome stuff I decided it should be epic stuff - which can include both good and bad stuff. Basically this is the last ten years of my life in one concise blog post.

It was meant to be a list of 20 things but it kept growing and growing and growing...

So here it is:

Epic Stuff I Did In My Twenties:

1.  Lived in a dorm at college.
Definitely, definitely something every person should do. A professor once told me that even if you flunk every class, you should live in a dorm just for the experience. (And Mixed Drink Thursdays.)

2. Became a volunteer.
Spent hours volunteering in college. (Ignoring the horrible experience recently.)

3. Had a one night stand.
Not the best experience of my life but something that should be on everyone's bucket list.

4. Dyed my hair.
And never stopped. I even dyed it blue recently which was a life-long ambition.

5. Peirced my belly button.
The best "Ow!" of my life. I can see why that shit gets addictive.

6. Became homeless.
When I decided that I was travelling to Britain over summer break during my Junior year of college to meet the man who would become my husband, my parents decided that the best way to cure me of the notion was to kick me out and disown me. I officially became a sofa hopper.

7. Dated someone I met online.
Wow. How scary is that? Needless to say... Jay did not turn out to be a crazy axe murder. (He has ocassionally driven me to consider it, though!)

8. Dropped out of college - and went back!
Being a student is way harder the second time around!

9. Moved to another country.
You have no idea how sheltered and small minded you really are until you've become an immigrant in someone else's country.

10. Got married.
Spent £200 in total on our wedding and had the time of our lives. I was so lucky to have a friend who could travel half way across the world to be there for me! :)

11. Joined the IT crowd.
Knew nothing about anything when I got my first tech support job. Turns out it's one of those learn-as-you-go things.

12. Visited a real life, honest to goodness castle.
And many, many more since. It's like Eddie Izzard says, "We're up to HERE in fucking castles."

13. Visited Stonehenge.
I thought it would feel really commercial and dead but it was AMAZING. The hair on the back of my neck totally stood up!

14. Got a tattoo.
A very mature and grown up tattoo... Of a neopet!

15. Did a nude photo shoot.
From both ends of the camera.

16. Became a proper FanGirl.
Hello, conventions! I can't believe I've been to so many - and met so many stars - but I know I'll never stop!

17. Discovered fanfiction.
And became obsessed! I never would have gotten any school work done if I knew this existed as a kid.

18. Took part in a World Record breaking attempt.
An embarrassingly bad attempt back in 2008 at London Film and Comic Con. We were trying to get the largest gathering of people dressed in Star Wars costumes together under the same roof. Didn't come anywhere near breaking the record but had a blast.

19. Met the main cast & crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
*squeal* Seriously. I'm only missing Will Wheaton.

20. Met The Shat.
Legend! (Also met Spock and Sulu.)

21. Met The Coreys.
Eeep! What child of the 80's didn't want to do that?

22. Watched The Monkees live.
For the second time. And I've met Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork.

23. Worked for two of the biggest companies in Britain.
Which taught me that big corporations are heartless, soulless monsters that will squash you like a bug as soon as congratulate you on a job well done.

24. Learned to knit, crochet, cross stitch, tat, and spin wool.
Yup... I'm a regular crafty girl now! It's strange to think that, ten years ago, I couldn't do any of these things!

25. Ran my own business.
Eventually I decided I just didn't have the time or ambition to keep my etsy shop going but it was great while it lasted.

26. Wrote a novel.
Four, actually. Still working on the whole editing/pitching/selling/publishing thing.

27. Kept (and bred) exotic animals.
Jay bought me my first bearded dragon back in 2003 and we have kept and bred them since. We've also had chinchillas and geckos - which are pretty exotic for someone who came from a dog household.

28. "Rescued" an animal.
Willow (our cat) was from a local animal shelter. Also, one of our geckos was rehomed because her owner couldn't keep her and we took on a very ill dragon who was mistreated by his former owner.

29. Gained 100 lbs.
Nothing in the world will teach you more about human nature than getting fat.

30. Broke the law.
I won't mention which ones, of course, but I have not always walked the straight and narrow.

31. Did drugs.
I say drugs but I've only tried pot. So far.

32. Went to an NFL game.
Lions v. Redskins. It was awesome!

33. Saw Wales play an international.
Wales v. Argentina. Amazing atmosphere!

34. Buried my father. And brother.
The bad comes with the good. Dad died of heart failure, Rocky died of cancer.

35. Went to my 10 year high school reunion.
It was... Um... Well... Not exactly what the movies make it out to be. (But I'm glad I went.)

36. Kept the same best friends I had in school.
Not many people can say that!

37. Became a carer for a terminally ill person.
My mother-in-law was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer around Christmas time in 2010. We brought her home and cared for her until her death in July 2011. It was a tough ride.

38. "Came out."
Not that I ever intended to! I always took for granted that people knew I was bisexual - until I made a smart ass comment about it on facebook.

39. Walked two of my best friends down the aisle.
I got to be a bridesmaid for two of my best friends in the last couple of years.  It was both amazing and terrifying both times!

40. Won the lottery.
Not a lot - but it was enough to pay for me to get home for a couple of weeks.

41. Faced Depression and came out alive.
Well, still facing... But it gets better every day. 

I guess a lot of these might not seem very epic to some people - but they all helped shaped me into the person I am today. I hope when I'm doing a similar post in ten years time, I have a list at least twice as long!