a peek inside the fishbowl

life list

I have mixed feelings about life lists and their place on a blog like this one. To post? Not to post? Is it relevant? Does writing it down make me accountable to someone other than to myself? Gah. I’m not sure. But while I think about it I think I’ll keep it here.

This is a living document which will change over time. The difference is that I’ve added in a few life-listy types of things that I’ve already done. (To keep me motivated!)

Many of these things are incredibly out of reach right now (notice how many are travel-related?), but someday I’d really like to:

  • snorkel in Australia
  • spend a month living on a boat
  • learn basic Italian (preferably in Italy)
  • stay in an ice hotel overnight
  • go ice fishing
  • learn to kayak (or canoe?) and go on a multiday trip
  • take a multiday bike trip somewhere in Europe
  • hike (at least part of!) the Bruce Trail
  • take a weeklong vow of silence while living at a monestary
  • ski down an Olympic run and not kill myself
  • savour a pastry and hot cup of coffee in a Parisian cafe
  • live in France (for a month? maybe more…)
  • fly in a hot air balloon
  • fly in a two-seater plane
  • try parasailing
  • go on a cruise
  • go dogsledding
  • give a speech in front of 500 people
  • write a children’s book ….
  • … and see it on a bookstore shelf
  • have my photos published in print for others to see
  • see my photos on someone’s wall
  • have something of mine hanging in a gallery
  • take singing lessons. And sing. Somewhere. Eep.
  • be able to run for 30 minutes without stopping
  • ride a horse up the side of a mountain
  • go ziplining
  • cross Canada by train (look at this!)
  • spend Christmas at Jasper Park Lodge
  • sleep under the stars
  • helicopter over the Grand Canyon (as a passenger, not a pilot)
  • steer a small plane, even for a minute
  • climb a (BIG) tree (there’s a place in Wakefield that’s all about tree climbing!)
  • ride an elephant
  • own a dog
  • walk along a volcano in Hawaii
  • drink Jamaican Blue coffee in Montego Bay
  • eat sushi in Tokyo
  • snowmobile across the tundra in Iqaluit
  • visit the Charles Bridge in Prague
  • help save a building from being torn down
  • get married
  • buy a house
  • live off the grid
  • have children and
  • … live long enough to get to know my grandchildren
  • buy a sweet little house in a neighborhood I love

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  • Gretchen Humphrey: I had a beautiful bee& birdbath filled with a solar fountain and dozens of antique marbles that were suddenly disappearing. At first I thought my
  • Jinjer: I am sobbing reading this post. And you're right, companion is not enough. Little furry treasured gifts that they are. Thanks for sharing cutie-pi
  • Karen: Dear Andrea, Mark and your daughters I am so very sad for your family xxx Piper was/is my favourite Instagram post. You shared with us so intimately
  • Christina Banuelos: Thank you for sharing Pipers life with us. Your posts of Piper brought me joy. Every time I see your post and see what kind of mischief Piper was gett
  • Carla Slocum: I am sitting here yet again crying at your loss. We have known that loss with Asta the WFT our first pup but now have the enormous gift of Stryker the
  • Janelle Brown: Dear Andrea Thank you for sharing Piper’s story with her followers. I empathise with your grief and emptiness as I lost my 14 year old Westie last
  • Natasha McReynolds-Nicholl: My god reading this is heartbreaking. December 1st was the as you describe longest day of my life, we lost out beautiful WFT hazel. Pipers final momen

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


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