Tagged, Part 1

OK - I have finally had the chance to stop and begin my holidays now. Even though we broke up on Wednesday, I have been in at school every day and today - I am just shattered. Like I said the other day, this has been possibly the worst of my whole teaching career (starting with a miscarriage didn't exactly help!!).

I started Provera on Thursday and I start my injections with Lucrin on Monday. Can't wait for those hot flushes ... but I feel kind of good that we're starting again. I feel like I'm wasting time when we're not. But even then, I just want it to work so I don't have to be thinking about it anymore.

I'm watching Grease on tv at the moment - I keep singing (badly) along with every cheesy song. I can't believe how 'Aussie' Olivia Newton-John sounds. A bit tragic really. And a preview for the Rocky Horror Picture Show just came on - one of my absolute favourites. My sister and I lived together for a couple of years while we were at uni. For a while, we were totally obsessed with this movie and used to get dressed up and play it really loudly in the apartment we lived in and dance and sing all over the living room. A true test of a boyfriend who was to be a 'stayer' was if he could either: a) see the fun in it; or b) (even better) join in. Only a few passed the test and we were pretty happy with our test. My mistake husband was one of those who passed. He actually thought we were a little bit mad - but we were fine with that. She's still mad now. I'm not objective enough to know if I am anymore. But she can certainly bring it out in me, if anyone can. I'll have to write more about her later.

But now, Part 1 of my tag post (by the way, 'Look at me I'm Sandra Dee' is on now - I can't believe I used to think she was SO OLD when I heard she was 29 when she made this!). Bea has inspired me to write it in shifts. My posts would be way too long if I tried to do them all together.

Seven things I'd like to do before I die:

1. Standard answer - have a family and live long enough to see them have their own too.
2. Learn to play piano - this is something I used to beg my mother to let me learn. For many years I asked my parents to buy a piano and every home which had one would find me carefully trying to pick out the notes to my favourite songs. They used to tell me they couldn't afford one and I used to get so cranky at them - thinking they could have if they wanted to, they just didn't care about me enough. Typical selfish kid attitude. All about me. I bought myself one a couple of years ago but trying to start up a new middle school, complete a PhD and get pregnant have all significantly impacted on my time to devote to this. One day.
3. Finish that PhD.
4. Learn to speak Italian fluently. I know bits and pieces and understand quite a lot due to the years living with my mistake-husband's family in my 20s. He was the youngest son and second-youngest cousin in a large Italian family and I was adopted into their heart from the minute I met them all. My parents and youngest sister were living in New Zealand with a work transfer for Dad (he was/is a corporate banker) and my second sister and I lived alone in the Rocky Horror apartment I just told you about. Nonna and ZiaElisa couldn't speak a word of English and as a very absorbant 19-year-old I learnt as much as I could. Of course, and hence it's place on this list, I wish I knew more.
5. Finish writing my novel (maybe after the PhD) and then keep writing more. I don't know if I necessarily want anything to be published, I just love the act of writing. Perhaps I'll include some of it on this blog (but then again, it would be very long to post - maybe another blog?). And children's books. Not little kids, but early to middle adolescents. I have started a few but have only ever finished one of them. I don't even know if they're good but, again, I love the feeling of writing and trying to understand the interests of this age group.
6. Have my 90th Birthday with my children, grandchildren, sisters, nephews and AdventureBoy. I would need to stay healthy and fit to live this long, so I guess that's a part of this one as well. I'd have to have an active mind, to entertain and challenge the grandkids, so that they would come to me for advice or just enjoy my company and I could teach them all sorts of stuff about life, the universe and everything (by the way, 42 might not be the answer). That would mean that AB would be 94 and I'm sure he'd still be my rock. I look foward to the opportunity to spend that much time with him (especially as we married so late).
   
7. Live / study in another part of the world. About 12 months would probably be enough, because I think I actually live in a pretty ideal location right now. I just want experience somewhere else. Somewhere where I am completely out of my 'comfort zone' (sorry about the cliche) and I have to challenge myself just to get through each day. I used to always want to go and live in Florence to study art history and that still sounds like a great option. Vancouver also appeals, or somewhere else in France or Italy. Malta is another which holds sentimetal value although I think it would be a little small for a long term.

Whew, that was more thought and memory inducing than I thought it would be.

The 'Time Warp' is on now - I'm getting itchy toes! I wonder if my sister is still awake ...