In Seclusion

I love how in earlier times when people needed to get away they just went into seclusion. Why is this not still an acceptable thing to do? Is it because there are too many people now and true seclusion is sort of impossible? Because I could totally use a little "hiding from the world" time right about now.

Tiffany is in seclusion until the birthday has passed.

And I know that I am annoying every single one of my friends who already passed the 3-0 milestone but... all I can say is... I HAD NO IDEA! I'm just not ready to be 30, you know? And I'm not ready for lots of reasons other than the fact that I just don't FEEL 30 like, remember this?

Yeah. So let's first see which ones I actually accomplished.

1) Get another tattoo (much to my mother's chagrin and my delight, already planning #3)

6) Buy a house (done and done, for better or worse, I am now a home owner)

12) Volunteer for an organization I believe in (that would be this one)

23) Take more culinary classes (naturally)

27) Go to the driving range (I can't recall why this was such a burning desire back then...)

30) Work on a political campaign (yay for my guy winning!)

Hmmm... I guess 5 out of 30 isn't terrible. It certainly isn't GOOD mind you. But better than 0, right? Let's see the ones that are "in progress" so to speak.

7) Pay off soul-sucking debt (oh debt, how you haunt me)

8) Decide what I want to be when I grow up - something that inspires me (am learning that there is a difference between WHO I want to be and WHAT I want to do, also learning that those things are not necessarily compatible)

13) Get a dog (we had a dog for like 3 days... am working on it still, some day)

21) Travel to Italy (woo hoo, Italy AND Spain!)

Okay and now for the ones that I can be honest with myself about and know I will probably never do. It must be part of that whole growing older thing... I no longer feel the need to delude myself into thinking I am something I am not.

4) Learn to ride a bike (it just isn't in the cards kiddos)

5) Train for and complete a triathlon (see #4, above, its sort of a main part of the "tri")

9) Move out of the Bay Area (so long as our parents are here I have this sinking feeling TheBoy and I will be staying put, though we are about as far out from the Bay Area as I could get us)

11) Finish college (just no)

14) Learn to play tennis (see #4, above)

15) Finally learn to line dance (I think my skills are as good as they're going to get)

16) Take salsa dancing lessons (see #4, above)

29) Swim with dolphins (OMG y'all! SO! FREAKING! EXPENSIVE!!)

So that leaves these things, which I still want to do and think I COULD do but haven't gotten around to doing yet. Maybe I'll put them on the 40 list. Maybe. Or maybe I won't make a 40 list. Who knows!

2) Hike Half Dome in Yosemite

3) Run another half marathon

10) See a Broadway show - on Broadway

17) Travel alone

18) Take my mom on a trip somewhere - just the two of us

19) See the Grand Canyon

20) Go white water rafting

22) Go to Oktoberfest in Germany

24) Drive up the West Coast

25) Plan a trip away with my girls

26) See Burney Falls

28) Go back to visit Texas