I was so inspired by Gala Darling’s To-Do list for the summer that i had to pull together my own! Time to get out and enjoy the beautiful sunshine, the leisurely longer days, the glorious glowing sunsets! I do love the stark beauty and coziness of winter, but I’m ready for something new. Here are my hopes and dreams for the season…what are some of yours?
LEARN THE NAMES OF ALL THE TREES AROUND ME
I had a beau once who could identify the types of trees in his leafy Brooklyn neighborhood. I always admired this trait, this connection to nature in the middle of the city. Now that I’m not in the city, though, I’m surrounded by all kinds of wise, old, beautiful trees that I only know the vague provenance of. That seems so amiss to me, so I’ll take this summer to ramble about and learn more about the world that surrounds me.
LEARN WESTERN STYLE RIDING
I know English riding already. But in my increasing taste for wide-open landscapes, I want to ride long, wandering trails in a big saddle with one hand, so I will learn Western this summer and get used to a big ol’ saddle.
READ ZOLA
I usually pick an author to concentrate on for the year, but the past year has admittedly been full of transition. (I do believe I’ve crossed the country about ten times, moved four, and spent a jag seeing JFK/ORD/LGA at least twice a month.) But it’s never too late for love or resolution, so I will read as much of Emile as possible. What kind of person reads Zola for the summer? An insane one. I actually just finished The Ladies’ Paradise, and it was utterly brilliant — amazingly prescient about consumer culture, the rise of the department store, the centrality of women to all of it. I zipped through it, amazed at how filmic Zola is — he would be a filmmaker now, I think, with his love and gift with spectacle, his ability to balance multiple strands of story and his great way with situating characters inside milieu and settings. In short, a great old-fashioned storyteller with a wide lens. I couldn’t put the book down! Now: onto Germinal, I think.
RIDE ROLLERCOASTERS
I love a good, rollicking, crazy, guts-in-your-mouth rollercoaster, but I realized recently that it’s been ages since I’ve been on one. This is so wrong! So I promise to get out to at least one amusement park and ride at least one monster of a rollercoaster this summer. What could be more vacationlike?
VISIT THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER IN MINNESOTA
Doing all this research for my werewolf novel (it’s actually a shapeshifter novel, but they turn into wolves, so there you go) has really brought the species close to my heart, and as states campaign to take them off the endangered list so that they can hunt them, it’s just more and more important that people really understand ecology, the role of predators in an ecosystem and really how interesting wolves are as a species. I’ve done a fair bit of research into wolves for the book, even though I only touch upon it slightly in my book. But I always loved checking into the wolf cams up at the International Wolf Center in Minnesota. I’d really like to go visit the place in person, actually, so maybe I’ll make a summer trip out there on my own. I actually would love to do the Wolf Ethology course and learn how they care for wolves and such!
DO THE “30 DAYS OF CREATIVITY” CHALLENGE
Geez, don’t I do enough already? Still, I like the idea of doing the challenge and producing something everyday. I’m debating whether or not to do something ridiculously ambitious or a series of smaller, piece-y things — after all, I really only just completed the last major revision of my novel. Stay tuned — I’ll document whatever I do here for posterity!
COOK MORE!
I kind of come and go when it comes to making food. I like eating it, that’s for sure, but I’ve never really been able to indulge in making it much, mostly because in NYC my kitchen was tiny and my time limited. And also, socializing revolved so much around meals that it was a rarity to even be at home for mealtimes! But now that I’ve landed in my stomping grounds for the next few months for some peace and quiet before my next string of multi-location adventures, maybe I can get to the fine business of making a delish mango salsa.
LOOK NICE!
Ha ha, this is a funny one, considering I write what is supposedly a fashionlike blog! I work at home now, and I start EARLY, so nothing is more uncomfortable to me than sitting and working in real clothes. The dark side is that you can spend all day in your pajamas. This sounds so great to most people (“You get to work from home!”) but honestly, lately I just feel like a sloth! Summer is also my least favorite season to dress for — being sweaty and hot just makes me feel uncute, and the season deprives me of my style weapons, boots and jackets. But I am taking inspiration from this great little picture of Charlotte Gainsbourg, and will hopefully find a way not to feel so mehlike in the season.
Tags: #30daysofcreativity, Charlotte Gainsbourg, creativity, Emile Zola, fashion, food, horses, rollercoasters, trees, wolves
I write! I got my MFA in film, but after five years of screenplays, I'm now working on a
What a great list! The last one is a must
thank you, kimberlee! yes, that last one is surely not least!
xo k.
I am also learning trees! And plants. All plants!!
Both my parents are botanists, which makes it easier but also means there is a LOT to take in, all the time! But like you say, I think it is a life-improver of a task.
Hrmm. 30 Days challenge. I make a note.
do it! 30 days! creativity! we can all do it!
how cool to have botanist parents! that must make it handy! i truly feel like i’m starting from scratch when it comes to learning about trees, but i did my first one (silver maple) today!
xo k.
Oh, congrats!!
As well as making me feel more of a naturegirl, knowing a plant or a tree makes me feel automatically at least a little at home in the immediate surrounding area. Even in housing estates or strange towns, if I can know “oh, there’s a quince in an anonymous garden” or “oh, I am standing under a beech in mysteryville”.. it’s like having part of the map.
i think that’s a perfect way of putting it. it’s a nice way to pay attention in the world; to know the names of the trees around me feels very respectful of the good earth around me!
xo k.
[...] made up for it through my patronage of various water slides, and generally accomplished most of my Summer To-Do. That list was actually super-helpful and fun, so here’s my list for [...]