Let's Bring Back Half-Birthdays!

A little glance at my calendar the other day triggered a long-forgotten memory. I remembered being a young lad who in an effort to grow up as quickly as possible (so I could become an adult and do whatever I liked - if only that were true), I would latch onto any sign that I was getting older.

And so, like many boys and girls my age, I would happily declare to anyone even mildly interested that I was 7 and a quarter, or 11 and a half, and so on.

These days, I am most certainly not in a rush to get older! I happily embrace it but I'm not in a rush, if you get my meaning. However, when I flicked my calendar over and I realized that I was 35 and a quarter, I decided to regress a little and do two things.

One was celebrate! After all, I'll use any excuse, however flimsy, to eat cake or chocolate, watch a favorite film, sing my gratitude for the good stuff in my life...

And two, was look at my goals. What had I accomplished so far? What would I like to achieve between now and my half-birthday three months away? After all, a lot can be accomplished in that time. Add a little extrinsic motivation, say...like a week away with friends at the end of it (which I've booked), and my waning motivation got the shot in the arm that it definitely needed.

So today I went to work, then I finished editing a particularly tricky chapter, before going to the gym. Woo hoo! Although I am cognizant that motivation spurs you on yet commitment gets you to your destination, I am happy for something to have re-calibrated my engine, as it were. Add a cake in there, and I say it's reason to celebrate!

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My Favorite Things!

Who read the title and immediately had a picture of Julie Andrews singing to children who were afraid of a storm? I promise not to do so here. Although an alp or two does make a cameo below.

Along with "Fan Mail," this is another themed entry series I am undertaking that will hopefully add a little variety and a little commentary to this blog.

I thought I would start with a very basic generic list of my faves - at the time of this writing. (Best I add that, since you see, if you ask me in a little while what my favorite of anything is, it might change. In fact it will. My prerogative! ;-)

Favorite Color - Mundane answer: Green - Artistic answer: Glacial Blue, as in the actual color of a glacier. Ethereal and otherworldly - see below
Favorite Animated Movie - How to Train Your Dragon
Favourite Film - Impossible to select - I'm a film addict. Most watched genre? Horror - I like getting scared in the relative comfort and safety of my living room!
Favorite TV Comedy - The Vicar of Dibley
Favorite TV Drama - Currently, it's True Blood
Favorite TV Documentary - The Universe (The History Channel)
Favorite Food - Chocolate (good quality Swiss chocolate is my best friend)
Favorite Book - See above re: Favorite Film
Favorite Hobby - Can eating count as a hobby? No...okay, then dancing
Favorite Gym Class - Zumba: see directly above
Favorite Sport - Tennis
Favourite Season - Winter
Favorite Destination (that I have been to) - Tied between Florence, Italy; Santorini, Greece and Salzburg, Austria
Favorite Destination (that I have yet to visit) - Switzerland. Would love a helicopter ride around the Matterhorn

I'll stop there. I don't want to exhaust all of my favorites in one go. Stay tuned for more (themed) Favorite Things in upcoming entries. And please feel free to share with me some of your absolute faves.

I'm about to raid the pantry for some Lindt chocolate. After all its been an entire hour since my last scoff - gasp! My willpower is truly the stuff of legend...

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