It's Friday! It's Friday! And I Finally Wrote a Blog Today!

OK, so my infamous habit of neglecting things that I've started has kicked in with my blog, as you can see from the length of time between blog posts. How am I ever going to be scouted by a publisher to write a book of witty memoirs if I can't even keep up with my blog? I could write a book about procrastination. I am a leading expert in this field. I'll get started working on it.... tomorrow. HAHA, cheesy procrastination joke.

So today I was thinking about my 40 by 40 list and I was really starting to feel overwhelmed. Everything on that list is totally stuff that I want to do, but I'm beginning to worry that I might not have the time nor the money to complete all of that stuff by the time I'm 40. I know that's at least 12 years (OK, 11 1/2, I'll give you that) away, but still, I'm hoping that I don't set myself up for failure with this list. I really want to see something through, for once in my life. I am such a wishy washy Gemini.

Last week I was supposed to be in Miami visiting my BFF, and it would have been a great opportunity to check off the list item of riding on an air boat ride in the Everglades, but noooooo, I had to get sick and cancel my trip. UGH! UGH! UGH! This is the second time in the past 6 months where fate has ruined my travel plans around a fun holiday. I was supposed to go to Savannah for Halloween with the boyfriend, but then we both ended up with the flu. This time I was supposed to be drinking green beer in Miami, but my stomach had other plans instead. Thanks, fate. I like to think that maybe I was spared from some near death experience by not going on these trips, although really, that doesn't make me feel any better, it just makes me feel paranoid. No more Final Destination movies for me, please!

There is another side list that I have been playing around with in my head. I know, I know, I haven't checked one thing off of the first list yet, but this list I feel really confident about. This new list would be more of a short term project, while the 40 by 40 list is more long term. Besides, starting things is what I do best. Finishing, well, that's another story.

So what is this second list, you might ask? This list will consist of the things that I want to do around the Great State of Georgia. There are so many places in Georgia that I want to see and activities that I want to do, so I thought I'd make a side list. You'll see what I mean when I post the list in my blog. Stay tuned....

40 Things To Do By 40!

Recently I read a chick-lit fiction book called "The Next Thing On My List" by Jill Smolinski. Great chick lit book, I highly recommend it, if you're into that sort of thing. The gist of the story is that the main character gets into a car accident and her passenger dies. The main character ends up finding a list in the girl's purse of 25 things she wanted to do before she turned 25. The main character feels horrible about this girl's death from a car accident where she was the driver (even though the accident wasn't her fault), so she decides to complete the activities on the list for the girl before it would have been her 25th birthday. Great story, so good, in fact, that I am inspired to write my own list.

So clearly 25 things by 25 isn't going to work, since I'd be almost 4 years late on that, and 30 by 30 wouldn't work cause I don't know that I could get 30 major life goals down in a year and a half, so my goal is 40 things by the time I turn 40. 40 is such a major milestone, why not set it as my deadline. Then maybe I can start a new list when I am 40.

OK so I couldn't come up with 40 things right now. All I got up to was 30, but never fear, I will come back with 10 more things later, but let me throw these 30 things out there for now, in no particular order:

1.) Get married
2.) Still be married to the same person
3.) Have at least 1 kid
4.) Buy a house
5.) Finish my master's degree

OK so that is all the boring milestone stuff out of the way that everybody does. Here are the things more specific to Michelle Duquette:

6.) Ride in a hot air ballon
7.) Go to Vegas (no, I've never been)
8.) Go on an air boat ride in the Everglades
9.) Take fiddle lessons (I'm so serious, bluegrass rocks)
10.) FINISH a knitting project that is more complicated than a scarf, i.e. hat, sweater, something with a little challenge to it, and finish be the key word

11.) Walk a half marathon. (Yes walk, not run. I don't believe in running unless I am in fear of my life. I have bad knees)
12.) Be a weekly regular at a yoga class
13.) Go anywhere in Europe. (I've been to the U.K., but there is still so much to see!)
14.) Go to Seattle
15.) See the Grand Canyon

Now I could easily turn this into a list of 40 places to see before 40, but I'm trying not to make this too much of a travel list, so I am trying not to fill it all up with destinations. I also don't know how much money I'll be making, so I might have to save most of the international destinations for after 40.

16.) Hike part of the Appalachian Trail. ( I used to want to do the whole thing but I think that's a bit to ambitious for me now. Let's start with baby steps)
17.) Hike to Len Foote Inn (This is an inn in Georgia where the only way to get to it is by hiking to it, no driving)
18.) Participate in Relay for Life (anyone want to join me next year?)
19.) Own an English bulldog (this has nothing to do with a UGA obsession)
20.) Go to wine tastings in Napa Valley

21.) Learn to swing dance
22.) Try tap dancing
23.) See Niagara Falls
24.) See the St. Louis Arch
25.) Drive down the infamous Route 66 that you see in movies around the desert part

26.) Go skiing
27.) Go snow tubing
28.) Throw an '80's costume party
29.) See a concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheater
30.) See a Sublime cover band concert

OK so I thought of 6 more while I was typing

31.) Go to Costa Rica
32.) Take a surfing lesson
33.) Go to the Chateau Ste. Michelle winery in Washington State ( cause it's named after me)
34.) Go camping at a beach
35.) See a Redwood tree (you know, those huge ass trees)
36.) Ride in a helicopter (I'm pretty sure I've never done this)

I really want to finish this list now at 40, so screw it, I might have to add some more traveling items

37.) Go to Philadelphia
38.) Take a random, unplanned road trip to nowhere and back
39.) Visit every Georgia State Park once (crap, there's a lot of them, but I've already started)
40.) Be living a life that I would be proud of and doing my best (hard, and maybe a little cheesy, but probably the most important)

OK so that's that. I have 12 years (AGH, only 12?!) to complete these items. I'll try my best to get them done by 40, but I'll forgive myself if I can't get to everything by then.

I know one goal I'm going to set for after 40, buy an RV! I so want one of those, but my husband will have to do most of the driving till I stop being too chicken to drive it!

So let me know what ya'll think, and count this as your invitation to join me on any of these adventures!

Chips Please

OK, so I have stuff to say, but it's all pretty random. Just bare with me.

First off, even though I am a wishy washy Catholic these days, old habits die hard, and I can't resist the "fun" of giving up something for lent. Giving up something for lent is a tricky thing. I am of the opinion that whatever you give up should not be a bad habit, because you should be trying to give that up anyways regardless of lent. I think it should be something that you really like and that will be a hard thing to sacrifice, but not necessarily something that's bad for you, like cigarettes or crack.

Well, I am a salt food junkie. You can keep your cakes and cookies, but I will tear into a bag of salty potato chip goodness like it was the last edible thing on earth. Hence, that is what I will be giving up for lent. Good bye sun chips, cheese puffs, baked lays, smart food (white cheddar popcorn), etc.

Let me just say that this is going to be a lot tougher than I thought. The first day I decided to give up chips, I went to the cafe for lunch and got the meal deal. Of course that comes with chips, and nooooo, I can't substitute with a stupid fruit cup because fruit is more money. Way to promote healthy eating by charging extra! I had to force myself to pay an extra $2 to eat a bunch of crappy melons while staring at the bag of sun chips that I couldn't eat, but hell if I wasn't still taking them since I paid for them. They ended up being donated to a hungry co-worker.

I am determined to see this through. Hell, maybe it will help me get a teeny bit tinier around the waistline. I hope that the Easter bunny will leave me chips in my basket on Easter morning.

OK, so I don't want to make my blogs too long, but I just want to give a big middle finger to Chilli's and The Body Shop at Perimeter Mall.

I am mad at Chili's cause ever since I was in high school I've been ordering the same thing off of their menu, the classic nachos. Chili's had the best nacho situation in town because they laid out all of the chips and made sure that each one had an even amount of cheese and beans. It wasn't just some mountain of chips thrown on a plate, it was the perfect set-up.

Well, I went in there not that long ago to find that they changed the cheese to some crazy cheese and added something else that I was not interested in, but the server said I could still get it the classic way. Thank God! (I am a creature of habit at certain restaurants, and Chili's is one of them.)

So a couple of Fridays ago I went in there and they changed it again, and this time with no beans, and no more requesting it the classic way. I hate you, Chili's! Why did you have to go and mess with a good thing? I also thought it was rather ironic that the manager, who went around to everyone else's table, didn't come by ours to ask how it was. Oh man, he better thank his lucky stars cause he would have heard it from me. I've had a relationship with those classic nachos since I was 16 years old! They've been there for me longer than all of my boyfriends! See how much a love salty foods? Why must I be deprived! Out of protest, I ordered a fajita and have refused to go back to Chili's, at least till I decide I'm in the mood for Chili's, but it won't be the same!

OK so I will save The Body Shop Rant for another time. That is a whole other bitch fest!

Despite my lack of salty, cheesy snacks, life is good!

Lemon Girl Scout cookies may by stinky | ajc.com

Lemon Girl Scout cookies may by stinky  | ajc.com

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A Week Late and a Zebra Short

OK peoples, I'm really sorry I've been slacking with my blog already, but really, slacking is the story of my life, so don't be so surprised. I am mad at myself though cause I actually had something really interesting to write about last week too! Oh well, here it goes now.......

So a week ago I was driving to my Thursday night workshop trying to get on I-75, but I noticed that the ramp to get on was more backed up than usual. Then about 2 police cars zoomed past me to get on the interstate, so I started thinking that there must be an accident. While this thought popped into my head, I also started to notice the helicopter noise. I look up, and there must have been at least 3 helicopters flying overhead. OK, I thought, they must be chasing a suspect (not to uncommon in the part of town I was in). Boy, were they ever chasing a suspect!

Turns out, the suspect was a runaway zebra from the circus who happened to run by my car as I was sitting there on the interstate. Now, there are a lot of wild things running the streets of Atlanta, but a zebra on the interstate? I definitely had to do a double take. This is not something you see every day.

After the zebra ran by, I saw a few officers on motorcycles and men on foot chasing this poor animal. He finally got caught around the MLK exit near Grady Hospital, after the police managed to box him in with their cars. It was such a crazy site! This is not something that happens in real life. This is something that happens in the movies, or in New York.

The funny part was how fast twitter is on it. I called my co-worker to tell her the craziness I just saw, and before I could even say anything, she answered the phone, "Did you see a zebra?". I was like, WTF? Me: "Yes, how did you know that?" Her:"It's on twitter".

So after I told everyone my crazy story of seeing a zebra running loose, I did some research and confirmed that he did indeed escape from the circus, which I assumed since I had just been to the circus that past weekend. It's funny though because apparently that zebra has quite the downtown Atlanta escapade before he made it to the part where I saw him.

I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time, cause that was definitely the highlight of my day. I am also the type of person who pays no attention to the news and what is going on in the world, so I probably wouldn't have got the memo about the escaped zebra till a few days later. It was nice to actually be on the frontlines of a breaking news story.

I searched again for an article about the zebra to link to this blog, so please check it out. It's the follow-up article about what happened with him. Apparently his name is Lima and he is recovering at the University of Georgia's vet school. Poor Lima. He had his taste of freedom, but only for a little while. I could't help cheering for that zebra as he ran by. After all, don't we all want a little taste of freedom too?

Afterthought:

Before you ask, no, I wasn't able to get a picture of Lima. By the time I drove by him again, I had to drive and take the picture at the same time, and my camera phone is too crappy for that kind of live action photography. Sorry peeps, you're just going to have to believe me!

Zebra resting at UGA's vet school | ajc.com

Zebra resting at UGA's vet school  | ajc.com

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Welcome to My Blog and Happy Valentine's Day!

OK, so I've decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon and try my hand at blogging. Why the hell not? I'm always looking for useful time wasting activities, plus I want to see if anybody actually cares about what I have to say.

I'm not really sure what the "theme" of my blog will be yet, but those of you who are nearest and dearest to me will know that I am a person who is never fully satisfied. I am always still searching for the perfect (insert word here), whether it be the perfect sushi restaurant, the perfect career, the perfect face wash, whatever, so maybe this blog can be a little bit about my quest for satisfaction. If had to pick a soundtrack for my life, you better believe that The Rolling Stones' "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" and U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" would be on there.

But despite dwelling on my quest for something better, I could also use this blog as a way to be happy with what I already have, and to try to focus on all the positive in my life, and all of that cheesey goodness. Let's just see what direction this blog takes. Hopefully a fun one!

Happy Valentine's Day, Readers! I know many people hate this day, especially if you celebrate it as "Singles Awareness Day", but really, think of it as a day to celebrate ALL love, whether it be romantic love, family love, friendship love, puppy love, or love for chocolate. I think the world needs to have a day where we can focus on love and stimulate the economy at the same time. So if you don't have a special "boo", then celebrate with your family, friends, and pets. They love you too.

OK so let's keep this first post short and sweet, especially since a certain boyfriend is nagging me to get ready to go so we can visit his parents. I'm bringing over some Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt brownies that I just discovered today. Not bad for no fat.

Later Potators!

Names Have Been Changed to Protect the Not So Innocent

OK, so I know I already posted something today, but I'm so excited about this blogging situation that I wanted to say a few more things. Let's see how long it takes before the excitement wears off.

So let me just say that I am a little bit of a blogging moron cause I don't know how to add all the fun stuff, like pictures and junk. It might be a while before you see some pictures, but hopefully my witty insights will be enough to entertain you until I can post something shiny and fun to look at.

Also, I have decided that since this is a public blog, that I will not give out too many identifying details. This means that I will try very, very hard to never talk about my job, and I will also not use names of family and friends, hence the name of this post. Speaking of names, I hope ya'll like how I go by Shelly D. It just sounds so Jersey Shore, I love it!

If you are reading this blog, subscribe to it and be my follower please. I like the idea of having followers, it sounds like I am the leader of a cult :)

If you have a blog, let me know, I would love to join your cult. I've already joined 3. I'm still trying to figure out if there is a way to browse blogs to find other interesting people to follow, but like I said, this blogging moron hasn't figured out all the fancy stuff yet.

I am trying to get a certain friend to start her own blog. She wants to, but she is hesitating. You know who you are, friend. As Nike would say, JUST DO IT!

BTW, here is a disclaimer from my earlier post. My boyfriend is not nagging. He is the greatest boyfriend ever, and he doesn't nag, he just has the unfortunate job of being the one who has to light the fire under my ass when I need to get going :)