#photoadaynov

1. something beginning with a c                                                  2. color                     

3. breakfast                                                           4. tv  

5. 5 o'clock                                   6. a favorite thing

                 7. reflection                                              8. something you do everyday

          8. small                                               9. can't live without

10. night                                               11. drink

12. where you slept                                      13. man-made

                 14. in your bag                                       15. the view from your window

16. the last thing you bought                            17. happened this weekend

19. something awesome                                      20. work/play

21. what you wore                                                   22. grateful

               23. black                                                    24. a sound you heard

              25. sky                                                          26. in the cupboard

27. tree                                                               28. vehicle

 

29. big                                                     30. on the wall 

2012 -- week 47 -- things i'm thankful for.

go kart go

groupon has seriously been our friend

since we moved to tucson. 

it has opened our eyes to 

all of the cool things

there are to do here. 

our latest groupon was for go kart races.

awesome.

black cherry raw burlesque

we've all been to a strip club before,

but have you checked out a burlesque show?

neither have i. 

but it intrigues me.

what makes it different from a strip club?

i mean, the girls take off their clothes to music, right?

they wear thongs and tassels, sure,

but is it really all that different

at the end of the day?

as a result of my curiosity,

going to a burlesque show

has been on my to do list for a while.

i've walked by the 

surly wench pub many times,

and always thought that i got a burlesque vibe

but was never sure if they actually had a show.

and was always a little nervous to ask.

but they do.

so we went.

here are some of my observations:

yes, the girls do take off their clothes to music,

but they do it to live music.

they don't have costumes

(ie. slutty teacher, nurse, librarian, etc.)

but they wear a lot of corsets.

and shockingly sparkly red lipstick.

they come onto the stage wearing a lot of layers,

but the layers are still revealing.

(butts and boobs are there for the ogling)

but when they take the layers off

they could be small little things:

a chain of tassel around the waist,

the feathery halter part of a top,

elbow length gloves.

 there is no nudity,

because there are tassels and thongs.

and these ladies can work both.

there is no pole,

and you get the idea that

the girls are doing this

because they love burlesque

and they love performing.

these women are awesome at 

the boob wiggle

and the butt shake.

their stage names are pin-up girl worthy.

and they ooze confidence.

definitely a friday night well spent.

 

 

2012 -- week 46 -- a busy week, a bluegrass concert, and skydiving!

jump #3734

when i was younger

my best friend and i always 

talked about how we wanted to

go skydiving on our 18th birthday.

it was supposed to be a symbol 

of our freedom,

of our adulthood.

but, like so many things

when we are young,

these conversations were

forgotten as we aged.

my friend moved away

and went to a different high school.

i was a nerdy kid

who spent all her time

running or studying.

so my dream fell by the wayside.

it's not something i ever forgot,

but there was never a good time

or enough money

and so it remained on my to do list.

but a couple of months ago

my brother went skydiving

and this spurred me to tell rcg

of my long time desire.

i told him i wanted to 

go for my 28th birthday.

it was one of those idle things you say:

"let's hang out soon"

"we should do (something awesome) sometime"

"oh man, wouldn't be cool if we did ______?"

but he came through. 

and so we went skydiving.

unfortunately,

we didn't get pictures taken of us

during the actual jump

(for an extra $100 each,

it didn't seem worth it)

but it was an

amazing 

experience.

thanks rcg.

you make my dreams come true.

keep tucson kind.

everywhere you go in tucson
you will see cars with
this sticker on the back:

love it.



so i did some research.


ben's bells is a community organization
that was started by a local family
who suddenly lost their child, ben.
apparently the mother, while mourning,
was touched by the simple kindness of strangers.
so she started ben's bells.






she created ceramic bells
to hang around tucson
to remind people to be kind
and the power kindness can have.

then i found out

that anyone can go to their studio

and help make ben's bells.

and since i have been dying

to paint ceramics,

i figured it was worth a trip.

and i was so right.

 when we got to the studio

they had us painting flowers

that would ultimately become

kindness coins.

the way kindness coins work:

if you witness someone being kind,

you would give them a kindness coin.

then they would pass that coin along

to someone else who has been kind. 

and so on.

i like the idea of having 

a physical reminder

to be kind.

because sometimes we forget.

and kindness really does 

have the ability to make 

so many things so much better. 

but it is the bells that are the most intriguing.

they are hung around tucson,

and if you find them 

you are supposed to take them home

and be reminded to always be kind.

nl, thanks for coming with me
and for this picture.