ME, MYSELF & ARLENE

So there I was at Lit Crawl 2, alone and afraid, on a Saturday-night-date with myself, Number 6 on my Bucket List.

Lit Crawl 2 is a read-off put on by PEN Center USA, a literary organization dedicated to stimulating interest in the written word. So they came up with the Lit Crawl, the antithetical sister to the Pub Crawl, where one mixes books with one's beer, and crawls from pub to pub. Not literally, of course.

I had picked myself up earlier in the evening, not the least bit surprised that I was a punctual date. I'd eaten a snack before I left so I wouldn't have to buy me dinner. I'm all about the cheap date, especially if I'm paying.

Arriving at The Echo, I discovered that admission was free. This night was going to be alright, I thought. And then I remembered that I was alone, and didn't know a soul there. I berated myself: whose idea was it to go on a private date in the most public of places? Poised in the middle of the standing room only crowd (because there were no tables or chairs) I was reminded of the first poem I ever loved:

I had a little tea party this afternoon at three
Twas very small, three guests in all, just I, myself, and me
Myself ate up the sandwiches, while I drank up the tea
Twas also I who ate the pie, and passed the cake to me
Author unknown.* Probably for a reason.

So there I was at my own little tea party sipping scotch. I quickly made friends with a lovely couple from South Africa by way of San Diego: she, a writer; he, a reader; me, a drinker. A match made in heaven. When she found out that I was a published author, she asked if she could kiss my feet, but before I could answer, the readings began and the night turned magical.

Eleven(!) authors read from their works, and it was nothing short of amazing. I was in my element. Sarge (the regimented spousal unit) would call it a geekfest, but so be it. I was in heaven. I discovered a new author to watch, Katie Arnoldi. She was the best.

Sated by the end of the night, I didn't feel the need to crawl to the next pub, and then the next one after that. Besides, Sarge had grilled salmon and chilled champagne waiting for me. When I arrived home, I asked myself in for a nightcap, then struck another item off of my Bucket List. I think my date enjoyed herself, and that makes me happy.


*Jessica Nelson North

FREE FALL FRIDAY

This video proves you're never too old to strike up the band and scratch off the old Bucket List. Even if you're in a rest home.

WARPED WEDNESDAY

.........where you supply the caption.

EXTRA. . . EXTRA

.............READ ALL ABOUT IT! I am tickled tangerine to announce that Adventure Salon has received the Circle of Friends Award! The most prolific fellow writer I know, Madeline Mora Summonte, has passed the baton to me, and now I get to pass it on to five other fantastic blogs; they, in turn, can pass it on to their Fab Five.

And the award goes to:

TheNaughtyCorner

KayElamWrites

Readin N writin with Patricia

Reads4Pleasure

Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them

FREE FALL FRIDAY

I never thought about this, but some people have a SPORTS FAN Bucket List.

I wholeheartedly agree with their Number One, but if you're feeling nostalgic check out my sports fantasy-come-true.

WARPED WEDNESDAY

...WHERE YOU WRITE THE CAPTION.

10 Ways to Build a Better Bucket List

1. Be a swashbuckler. Do something outside your comfort zone. If buckling swashes is not for you, please see Number 2.

2. Forrest Gump-ify. Simple is as simple does. Take joy in life's simple pleasures. Sometimes, it's the little things that count; add them to your list.

3. Be a fearless flyer. Don't fear the unknown just because you don't know about it. You just might discover you aren't who you thought you were.

4. Be curious. Like when you were nine months old and could pass the time fascinated crumpling a sheet of paper. Remember how powerful that felt. Recapture that feeling. You were making yourself happy.

5. Talk to people. The quiet guy in your office that occupies the corner cubicle, you now, the one with the pocket protector and thick glasses -- he may have forgone Lasix just so he could afford hang gliding on the weekends. Get ideas from other people and add them to your list.

6. Get a bucket list buddy. There's nothing like being a wingman, a collaborator, a partner in crime on someone else's adventures.

7. Be altruistic. Being of service to others gladdens the heart and mends fences.

8. Be interesting. And not just to win friends and influence people, either! Interesting people do interesting things.

9. Be present and engaged. Live in the now, as Oprah would say. Close your eyes and think: what could I do right this very minute that I've never done, but always wanted to? Go on, then. Dance naked around your living room; just close the blinds first.

10. Surprise yourself. Allow your actions to speak volumes.

Once you've made your list (or added to it), tell others about it. Give voice to it. Shout out to the world and tell them these are the things I'm going to do before I kick the bucket. Then, SWOOSH, Just Do It.

What's on your Bucket List now?

FREE FALL FRIDAY

Discover a fun fact about Melissa Etheridge's Bucket List.
Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter Melissa Etheridge has a different approach to hers. But she DOES have one, despite her protestations.
See how she does it!

WARPED WEDNESDAY

. . . where YOU supply the caption. Good luck with this one.


(Photo courtesy of Brass X Photos)

LIVING THE DREAM

I don't know why I haven't written about this before now. It's so obvious that I forgot:

Create your own website, Number 51 on my Bucket List. Blogs count, too, don't they?

It all started one dark and windblown night a couple of years ago when I wondered, how do I create my own website at home? That's when I surfed the net and learned that blogspot.com was FREE, and I could have an internet platform from which to . . . well, do anything I wanted. Thus Adventure Salon was born, a place where I could write about the thing that is very close to my heart: living your best life.

It's taken me a while to really get the site going at maximum capacity, but with a little help from my friend and blog wizard Margo Dill, I set up blogkeeping in my own little corner of the Emerald Forest, and followed her yellow brick road to gadgets, and widgets and bears, OH MY!

I even dabbled in HTML, which I thought I knew NOTHING about, and it's all paid off. In the last month, I've gotten 30 new followers -- who for some reason don't register on my widget (my fault, I'm sure; HTML can be a wicked witch!) -- and had 53% increase in traffic, and Alexa ranks me number 6,034, 795 out of all the websites in the U.S. (Don't laugh; I take it where I can get it.) Of course, a lot of that is due to my ramping up my tweet time on Twitter where I pick up followers in my limousine and drive them over to my blog, no tip necessary.

And now I can blog about what's on my Bucket List any time I want, and hopefully encourage others to pursue their dreams, no matter how big or how small. Sometimes, it's the little things that count.

Unlike Citibank, I don't care what's in your wallet. What's on your Bucket List?

FREE FALL FRIDAY

There may be a multitude of sins, but there's also a multitude of . . . you guessed it: BUCKET LISTS!

Of course there's your usual travel Bucket List, but there's also a sports Bucket List, a beauty Bucket List, and even a sexual Bucket List. (But you get no link for that one :-))

Did you know there was a Christian Ministry Bucket List? How about a Family, golf or wish Bucket List?

If you're interested in hearing about all the foods you should try before you die, tune in to the upcoming TV show called The Bucket List.

And what about the Bucket List for old men? (Don't know much about that one, but I can ask my husband, Sarge.)

And last, but definitely not least, there's even a Bucket List for your dog.

What's your Bucket List idea?

WARPED WEDNESDAY

You know the drill
You create the caption using the words "BUCKET" or "LIST"
Bonus if you use both
(photo courtesy of dameetch)

DESTINATION PARTY

Number 108 on my life's to-do list is "Throw a Destination Party." Destination weddings I've heard of, but a destination party?

My biggest worry was: would any of our friends travel out of town just for a party? And then I thought to myself, even if no one shows up but me and Sarge, we'll still have fun! Still, it would be nice if our funnest friends joined us. (Is that even a word? It is now.)

So we rolled the dice.
We reserved 10 hotel rooms -- hoping to fill them with friends -- at the Doral Resort, which is near our home in Palm Springs, the ultimate destination for our party. I fashioned some flyers on my computer, tweaked the party playlist on the iPod, packed up the car and headed for the desert.

Fingers were crossed.

Sarge barbecued, as he is wont to do, while I handled all the trimmings. Our favorite couple to double-date -- the Diva and the Doctor-- decorated for this 4th of July pool party. Everything was prepared; now all we had to do was wait and see if anyone would show up.

As the clock struck 2 p.m., the start time for this summer soiree, I shimmied into my swimsuit, then waited. We fixed some margaritas, toasted to us, then waited some more. It was so quiet I could hear crickets, and I thought I saw a tumbleweed blow by. The weather was nice, not even 100 degrees which is downright pleasant for Palm Springs.

But before we could say, "Another round, bartender," people started rolling in by one's, two's and three's.

The party was in full force and effect. All in all about 25 to 30 friends loved us enough to come to our Destination Party. But the best part was it turned into an all weekend party. The next day, those who stayed overnight at the Doral met us for brunch at the Spa Casino and Resort the next day. Then we went back to our home for more swimming. That night we ate more barbecue, then played the Celebrity Guessing Game til midnight.

Scratch another item off my Bucket List.
See sidebar for slideshow.