I'm having a list-y sort of week. My brain is craving organization and control these days apparently.

I'm not much of a "bucket list" (too negative) or "life list" (too positive) sort of person but there's definitely a bunch of things I'm interested in doing, at some point, preferably while I'm alive. I also think that life is too short to be contented with dreaming not doing so I really want to make these things happen:

• Go to art school. This is a somewhat weird one given that I spent 8 years in post-secondary and in hindsight hated much of it. Plus I'm just a tad bitter about the student loans I'll be paying into my 40s. But really, I love learning and I wish I'd done a better job of balancing my education and exercising another part of my brain other than the "memorizing things for short periods of time and then promptly forgetting everything" part. That part got real buff, especially in Biochemistry 300. Hell, I have whole classes that I've forgotten I ever took. Reading my transcripts is always entertaining for this reason.


• Spend a year travelling around North America. I've lived in several places in Canada (Victoria, Calgary, Halifax and Ottawa) but there's so much I haven't seen. I want to get a vintagey RV, fix it up to look like a Canadiana-style log cabin (moose antlers, hook rugs, plaid bedding, an taxidermied beaver or two, the smell of a Canada Goose roasting in the oven, etc.) and go see everything. Preferably spending the winter somewhere warm. Like Mexico or a desert. This is a plan we're actually considering for my next year of parental leave. Because I'm crazy enough to think that living in an RV with a newborn and a likely-toddler would be kinda awesome.


• Learn to speak another language at least quasi-competently. Preferably Spanish. Or maybe Scots Gaelic.


• Spend some time working on a farm. Not only do I want to experience work that's guaranteed to be rewarding and physically-demanding, I want to spend some time learning about taking care of a farm before I get my own because ultimately I want a chunk of land and a bunch of animals someday soon. Ducks, pigs, goats, sheep, barn cats, farm dogs, a Shetland pony, bees, etc. Also, I need some practical learning on gardening because I am utterly clueless in that regard.


• Build my own strawbale home. And maybe a barn for the menagerie. Years ago I fell in love with this beautiful and practical style of building. I also love the idea that I could actually design and build a house myself. By hand. Maybe while living in the Canadiana-RV. On my chunk of land.


• Learn to make really good homemade booze. Last year I met a wonderfully interesting couple through a friend and had the life-changing pleasure of sampling their carrot wine. Seriously: wine from carrots. Who knew? It was incredible. I must learn how to turn carrots into wine. I may actually attempt to make this couple my life-mentors. Starting with the carrot wine.


• Become self-employed. This may actually be the least practical/feasible idea on this list since I've spent most of my adult life ensuring I possess only the skills to work for someone else. And I have no idea how or where or what to do. Start a business? Go freelance? Do I have a passion or interest that could actually pay bills? Am I too lazy/unmotivated/apathetic/etc. to make self-employment feasible?

I'm sure there are/will be others to add to this list eventually but I think these are all the main ones I've had kicking around in my head for a while now.