Making the Internet My Accountability Partner

When I started this blog, I created a list of ideas I could write about. Many of them made it onto the blog, some however, have languished for a year. While I’d love to say that I will get to these ideas someday, I think the reality is that I won’t in any way that warrants an independent blog post. Before I delete these ideas, I wanted to give them at least a little space here.

One of the first items I identified as a potential topic was discussing my Bucket List. I had just started making it as I was creating this blog. At this time in my life, I had a really hard time planning/thinking beyond that day. This was part of the reason I had a seasonal vision board instead of a yearly one. A bucket list was invaluable to reinvigorate my interest in the future. My bucket list has changed a bit since I first made it. It’s not just the typical adding to, it’s also swapping out short-term goals for long-term goals. For example, I had very Boston-specific goals, like visiting a particular clothing store (Frugal Fannie’s) or seeing a particular show (Shear Madness) that could be accomplished within a month of making the goal. So I swapped them out for goals that were more of a project to accomplish. My favorite items currently on my Bucket List are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Becoming Debt Free, a Yankees vs Red Sox game, and a cross-country road trip.

In addition to my own ideas of what to write about I also did an internet search on what blog ideas others recommended. One recommendation was the idea of a time capsule for my future self. Essentially the idea was that I’d write about the items I’d include in a time capsule to remind myself about my life at this point in time when I hypothetically revisited the capsule in 10 years. Part of the reason I never made this post is I never felt my life was interesting enough, which is ridiculous because I’ve now got a year of blogging my thoughts on my life. I would include in this time capsule The Dead Girl in 2A by Carter Wilson, a rubber duck that my partner won for me at an arcade, I’d include a picture of my fish tank, and I think that’s it. I think including something like a journal would be kinda cheating, but that’s the only other thing that I think is emblematic of my current life.

Another recommended topic that I was excited about when I first started my blog was a photography challenge. I really thought when I started that my photography would blossom from necessity because I’d be taking all the photos for my posts. As you may notice I use a lot of free use photos from Pexels and Unsplash. The real reason I never made this post is that I never set myself a goal for the photography challenge. I’m someone who needs very clear guidelines when I work on something.

The next few are prompts I found in recommendations for blog topics that I just never got around to. The first one as you may notice I never did because I couldn’t think of things that fit the prompt.

What are 5 things no one knows about you? 1) I can be really judgemental of others outside of work and have to talk myself out of those judgments. 2) ???

Write a list of your three most prized possessions (inanimate objects, not people or animals). Imagine you are forced to discard one. Which one would it be and explain the reasons for your choice? My three most prized possessions are my baby blanket, a Build-a-Bear pink otter in a Hufflepuff uniform my partner got/made for me, and ??? But I’m not getting rid of either the blanket or the otter.

Select a book from your bookshelf and open it to any page. Write out the last sentence of the last complete paragraph on that page and continue writing.
1) I looked at three different books and at least four different sentences in each, tossing them aside as impractical before I realized this entire project was impractical, especially for someone whose only creative writing experience was one four-page project in high school.
The book is Lavender Blue Murder by Laura Childs.

“Let’s go take a look.” Amber encouraged her friend Reilly. Amber opened the email Reilly received from the director of the town’s annual spring musical. Skipping past the usual gratitude for everyone who auditioned and some spiel about how everyone was so talented, both women jumped to the list of roles and who was cast for them.

“I’m the understudy for Maureen.”

“True, but you did get cast as Joanne. You’ve still got a major role.”

“You know that’s not the point.” Reilly was skulking just a little. She figured in the privacy of her home, it’s not unprofessional to show her frustration. At her friend’s prompting, she continued. “I always get cast as these super serious characters. I want to show that I can do more.”

Amber opened her mouth to reassure Reilly, but she was cut off.

“I’m starting to think I need to branch out beyond these local theaters. It’s the same people working at them, and they all see me as one type of character. I need to go to a theater further away where no one knows me.”