50 50 50

so i am taking an online class called 'the craft of magazine writing'. my assignment for today is to make a list of 50 topics i would be interested in writing about. that was fun. but i'm not sure how much people would be interested in READING these little gems. so i'm going to post my list here. if you want to give me some feedback about your favorites, maybe i'll write you an article or two. some have semi-intriguing titles, some titles are hopelessly boring. FYI.

1. corporate drones: why don't they break free?
2. how to find the perfect running partner or group
3. dinner parties 101
4. veronica mars, arrested development, and other great shows cancelled in their prime. why???
5. penpalling it: seeing the world without leaving the U.S. of A.
6. top 10 classic books every adult should read and why
7. what to do when you and your dog are approached by a scary stray
8. when to plant bulbs for year-round blossoms
9. corporate fitness - what innovative companies are doing (hint: yours should be too)
10. how to get $ back for "green" home updates
11. how to plan a trip to europe that won't leave you destitute
12. don't call me: creative ways friends keep in touch
13. how to start a small business
14. "stay at home moms" who bring home the bacon
15. 10 most outrageous Harry Potter release parties
16. what you need to know: essentials for your first half-marathon
17. MVPs of spokane home improvements
18. teaching english in a foreign country: what's it really like?
19. who are the downtownies? inside spokane's street culture
20. a day in the life: hanging out with a restaurant/bakery owner
21. spokane's best running routes
22. why do people hate math?
23. food staples of the meat-free cook
24. high school bands that made it big
25. my tv-free month: confessions of a pop culture junkie
26. clicker training your dog to do whatever you want
27. philosophy majors: where are they now?
28. spokane entrepreneurs, just starting out
29. the best road trip ever: 'n sync '99
30. the best road trip ever, part II: justin timberlake '07
31. the five best marathons for first-timers
32. the five best pop culture podcasts
33. how to succeed with your mini vegetable garden
34. how to raise generous kids in a material world
35. cool charities that give you something, too
36. how have we all changed since high school?
37. who's who of the farmers market
38. cities that are going green and greener
39. what's behind those glasses? getting to know your local librarian
40. who's going back to school and why you should too
41. how to teach your dog to love running
42. how to teach your husband to love running
43. mission trips: what's the point?
44. how does church in childhood impact faith in adults?
45. is it really so hard to build muscle?
46. who does what: how to divide the chores
47. board games for thinkers and mathletes
48. who are the ironmen?
49. my first marathon
50. behind the scenes at local ice creameries

i barely even got to some things i love, like movies, lots more tv than i mentioned, and unlimited other interests i have...anyway, if any of these strike your fancy let me know.

bigtime stuff

i think i am going to do the bellingham bay marathon in october. the first ever. the one and only. and also my first ever. i'm excited but nervous because i haven't found a training partner or training group and the next 16 weeks are going to involve A LOT of running and it is going to be very hot out. i am about to run 12 miles with my friend bekka who, unfortunately for me, will be moving away in about a month and might not be able to accompany me on runs ever again. so i am eating a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter (it is very, very, very delicious for some reason - maybe because it's toasted? or because i'd rather be sitting and eating than getting ready to go?) and thinking about how i should go put on my super athletic pink running tank top (it makes me kind of self conscious...it just seems so official like i think i'm bigtime stuff) and probably sunscreen and brush my teeth. boring! i'm glad i have a partner for today.

is anybody interested in doing the inaguaral bellingham bay marathon, half marathon, or 10k on october 7??? you can
"be a part of history", as the website told me i could. and you can train with me!

question: what is your favorite team sport and why OR what is your favorite solo sport/activity and why?

time to go....

must read

i just did something that was really fun but also made me feel like a little kid: i rode my bike, helmet and everything, even though it is supposed to be 95 today, to the library. the library is not very far away but it was still a little harrowing because a) i barely ever ride a bike, although i want to a lot more, b) the side street i took back home had no turnoffs and forced me to travel on the very busy, very scary grand boulevard, and c) because we don't have a bike lock so i spent the whole time in the library hoping the bike would still be there when i left. but all of that was ok.

i went to the library to find some classic books to read. there are quite a few "must reads" that i have never read, so those are the types of things i was looking for. huckleberry finn, madame bovary, vanity fair, etc. but the selection at the library was kind of disappointing. the only copy of huck finn i could find was GINORMOUS and hardback and not very portable either for the bike or the bus every day to work. and lots of things just weren't there at all. i hate hate hate jane austen books, but i know people love her so i was going to give her another try, but the only two books they had were pride and prejudice and sense and sensibility, both of which i have read already. the only book they had by any of the bronte sisters was wuthering heights, which i own. the only fitzgerald book they had was the great gatsby, which i also own. etc. i should have come prepared with a list of books to look for. next time i will. today i got oliver twist, which i hope i will like. i almost got the pickwick papers only because they talk about them in book 3 of the anne of green gables series, anne of the island. but oliver twist seemed like more of a must read. who knows though...but i want to read A LOT this summer. in my backyard with a DP soda by my side.

question: what are your favorite "classic" books? i accept both classics in the traditional sense and also modern day classics. the classics of the future. the classics of the space age.