17 down ... thirty-five to go...

What: #95 Go to candlelight yoga 

When: March 15th
Where: Detroit Flyhouse

Toe pose...ouch...

Why: Many of my recent list activities have been on the more strenuous or larger scale side of the spectrum. Candlelight yoga seemed like the antidote to all the recent running around and chaos. I met with two of my great friends who live in Detroit and we went to the Flyhouse. It was a smaller space than I expected, with less candles than I expected (I've seen too many movies). Also, I hadn't read up on it to realize it was Yin yoga, which is where you hold each pose for 3-5 minutes. As I learned in last year's list at the Buddhist service, I am not very good at being still for minutes on end. So, this practice wasn't as relaxing as I thought it might be. Luckily, the instructor was also like some kind of therapist and said the most encouraging, uplifting, and positive things while we posed. It really helped me to clear my mind, put some things aside that normally plague my thoughts, and just try to be nice to myself for a night.

16 down ... thirty-six to go...

What: #32 See an Academy Award winning movie I’ve never seen

When: March 15th
Where: AMC theater

Why: Movies are for entertainment, so I tend to choose movies that are light and fluffy and will cheer me up after a long day. And those movies don't typically win Academy Awards. I'm thinking of "Baby Mama" and "Legally Blonde" to help me escape after a long day, not "The Silence of the Lambs" or "Schindler's List." I do see movies that make me think from time to time, and have seen over 30 of the winning pictures. And this year's winner, "Argo," had a known happy ending, so I was excited to see it and just ran out of time prior to the awards. Luckily, it is still in theaters, so I got to see it and liked it so much, I'll definitely rent it when it comes out on DVD. My friend and I were both saying that we learned more about that segment of American history in that movie than we did in school. School history was all about memorizing dates and wars and those do not stick well in my head. Honestly, ask me when WW1 was and who was fighting and I'll feel really dumb. But, ask me about John Adams and I can tell you a lot because I learned about it in a way that was about people and relationships and those conflicts.

Also, I really like Ben Affleck. Not in a hollywood-crush sort of way, just in a way that I really respect how he has had his hands in all facets of the industry. So, if you haven't seen "Argo," I highly recommend it!

15 down ... thirty-seven to go...

What: # 75 Take a boxing class

When: March 6th

Where: Title Boxing Club 

We tried to look intimidating!

Why: In my continuous quest to find a variety of ways to stay active - and have fun doing it! - my friend had mentioned boxing as a great workout idea. By great, she meant intense and very sweaty. It was actually a wonderful way to beat the mid-week stress on a Wednesday, and not too hard to imagine who I was punching after a hard work week. There were a lot of punch combinations (hooks, upper cuts, jabs, cross punches), and a lot of repetitions, so it worked to get out aggression, and in between each round (8 total), there was a "rest period" which involved squats, push-ups, jumping jacks, and general tasks that did not seem restful. At the end of it, I definitely felt like I got a solid hour of cardio, and my shoulders have been screaming for days, so I know it worked on my arms, too! Now, I have a two-week pass to keep going to try it out a few more times, maybe kickboxing, too, and hopefully I eventually learn how to wrap my hands under my gloves because the first time I needed about three people to help me do it! 

14 down ... thirty-eight to go...

What: # 86 Kiss a complete stranger

When: March 3rd

Where: Vegas

Why: When I first started this list idea last year, lots of friends suggested putting on items like "one-night stand" or "join the mile high club"...all things I would certainly not write about in a blog, so this seemed like a more feasible option. Other than that, all details will stay sealed because..."What happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas!"

13 down ... thirty-nine to go...

What: # 48 Gamble in a Vegas casino

When: March 3rd

Where: Paris casino, Las Vegas

Why: My previous trip to Vegas was in the summer of '99 when I drove across the country with my friend Jen to move to California. We were there for one really hot day after hundreds and hundreds of miles of driving with everything we owned in our cars, so the idea of gambling away any funds at that point just wasn't reasonable. Even during my years residing on the West Coast, I still never made it back to Vegas. That all changed when my college roommate wanted to go see Celine Dion (and I saw it as a chance to finally see Cirque du Soleil). We planned for a long weekend getaway, and while I played a few slots (in my opinion, losing a few quarters isn't real gambling), I finally got up my courage to play Blackjack. I had scoped out the whole casino floor and found a table one morning (thanks to advice I received to find lower minimums earlier in the day) that seemed to have a friendly dealer and only one other player who looked like he knew what he was doing, and I had a lot to learn. Not about how to count to 21...I can do that in my sleep. I just didn't quite understand all the hand gestures and vernacular required. It was a rocky start: I had no idea what "double down" meant, nor did I have the funds to do it, but luckily the guy at the table took pity on me to loan me his chips and it paid off! From there, I picked it up pretty fast and started amassing the chips. It drew a small crowd (I'm assuming they were there to watch the spectacle), and eventually the table was full. I was in the zone, and finally decided to be the smarter gambler and quit while I was ahead. I cashed in my chips and basked in the glory of my winnings!