30 Before 30: Take a Pottery Class

Clockwise from top: The studio is full of shelves of student work in every stage of production; getting my hands dirty attempting to make a mug; my perfect final bowl; posing on the wheel

There are several items on my 30-Before-30 list that are art-related, due mostly to my late grandmother, who was an artist.  Even into her 80s she was enthusiastically trying her hand at new media, and years after her passing, she still inspires me to push myself artistically. Though she was waaay more gifted than I will ever be, I've always loved having such a great artistic role model. So when my friend Emily and I signed up for a 6-week wheel pottery class at Higher Fire in downtown San Jose, I was enthusiastic to challenge myself.  Little did I know how much of a challenge it actually would be. 

Watching experienced potters create these amazing pieces just out of a lump of clay is really amazing, and also really misleading.  There is a finesse involved that is not apparant, and the learning curve is deceptively steep.  The first two classes, where we learned how to "throw" the clay on the wheels, were two of the most frustrating classes I have ever taken in my life.  I was definitely near tears at one point.  As someone who has been generally able to pick up art basics in the past, I could not understand why the basics of pottery were so difficult for me.   Luckily, our instructor, Jonathan, was incredibly understanding and encouraging.  He placated us by confirming that yes, the learning curve is steep, and that we shouldn't be so hard on ourselves. 

After six 3-hour classes, I successfully made a bowl.  Yes, a bowl.  I mean, I made several bowls and cups, but they never made it off my wheel before I somehow destroyed them.  So much for giving away Susan Originals to all my friends for Christmas this year, hah!  Regardless, I am beyond proud of myself that I was able to successfully throw, bake, glaze, and fire this bowl. I feel more accomplished in this than many other things in my life, because during the first class, I was convinced I would never get it. Emily and I both are looking forward to taking another series of classes in the future, and hopefully by that time I will be able to make a vase, or even a mug!

30 Before 30: Buy a Mini Cooper

The other day, I fulfilled a huge goal in my life thus far, and bought a car.  And not just any car - my dream car, a Mini Cooper hardtop.

I have been lusting after Minis for years.  Every time I saw one on the street, my inner voice would squeal "miniiiiii!!!" and I even test drove them several times over the years.  I was smitten.  As every male close to me in life kept reminding me, it certainly would have been more "practical" to get an economy car like a Honda or a Toyota, or really any Japanese car with 4 doors and a large trunk, etc.  

But whatever.  I'm not going to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a car that someone else wants me to buy.  I know that in just a few short years I will have to buy that practical car (especially if the twin prediction comes true) and I didn't want to spend the rest of my life regretting the fact that I didn't take advantage of the one time I could buy what I really wanted.

So I saved for three years, I worked really hard to get my credit score up, and I wrote the biggest check of my life.  And boooyyyy does it feel good to have bought myself exactly what I have wanted for years!  :)

30 Before 30: Donate 100 Things to Goodwill

Clockwise from top: garage mid-clean, perfected closet, SUV full to the roof with donations

As anyone who knows me can attest, I discard clothing almost as quickly as I acquire it.  Of course I hold on to classic (read: expensive) pieces, but I am certainly not one of those sentimental types that holds on to my 8th grade Fun Run shirt for the memory of it being "fun."  So I really don't understand why I thought donating 100 things to Goodwill would take me years to accomplish.  This was by far the easiest item on my list, aided by a recent move and a hunger for spring cleaning.

When I was preparing for my big move up north, I moved out of my apartment in LA months before I actually moved.  I spent the interim at my parents house, with my things in storage.  But while packing up, I filled my dad's 4Runner with things to donate.  Those don't even count in this tally.  When I got around to unpacking said items 6 months later in my new home, I thought I had done a really good purge.  Boy, was I wrong.

While unpacking, I piled up almost 50 pieces of clothing I no longer wanted.  I put them in a box, and put that box in the garage.  When Ronny and I decided we didn't want something that we had duplicates of, we threw it in the garage.  So it comes to no surprise that by the sixth month of this habit, we could barely step foot in our garage.  We decided it was high time for a clean-out.

Of course the weekend we picked to do it was the hottest weekend of the year thus far, so we postponed and I instead did another closet re-org and purge.  I collected up 27 more pieces of clothing to get rid of, and am beyond happy with my newly organized, perfectly clean and functional closet.

When the Garage Takedown Weekend rolled around, we got to work.  At this point, we had both been so lazy with our move-ins that the donations were mixed in with "things we want to keep but don't have a place for," so we spent the whole morning sorting.  We built up a big Ikea shelf unit to store some of the smaller things and sports equipment, and filled plastic bins from my move with all of our seasonal decor, hobby supplies and bulk household items.  Our "donate" pile took up half our carport!

A lot of the donations came from the fact that when 2 people move in together, they both have stuff, and duplicates aren't necessary.  We compared who had the better pots and pans, etc, and the 2nd set got donated.  Here is an almost-total tally of what we donated:

77 items from my closet
12 items from Ronny's closet
4 throw pillows
2 floor lamps
1 DJ mixer
2 metal queen bed frames
1 mattress pad
1 large mirror
2 metal wastebaskets
7 misc Christmas decorations - mini tinsel Christmas tree, strings of lights, window decor
20+ misc kitchen item duplicates - pots, pans, entire silverware set, stove-top cooking utensils, can opener, etc

And I know there was more, Ronny started loading the car before I could finish counting.  So by my record, the overall total came to at least 129 items.  Not to mention the dozen or so items we are donating to Sweet Home Rescue, the shelter from which we adopted our pup.

I am encouraged by how easily I reached my goal.  I hope that the items we donated will help out a family in need somewhere within the Goodwill network.  And from now on, I am definitely going to try to spend my money in a more constructive manner and not buy stuff I will so quickly and happily discard mere months later.

30 Before 30: A Color Run

If something is advertised as the "most fun anything on Earth," I will probably try it.  So it was no surprise that when I heard of The Color Run - advertised as "the most fun 5K on Earth" - I was determined to do one.  Even though I had only moved up to the Bay Area weeks prior, I traveled back down to Los Angeles in early February to do the 2013 run with Barbara and Marsha.

One of the main reasons why I wanted to do the LA run was because it was held at my beloved Dodgers Stadium.  The course consisted of twists and turns around the huge stadium parking lot, with four different "color stations" along the way.  We would go under an arch of colored balloons (first blue, then orange, yellow and finally pink) where volunteers would then cover us from head to toe in coordinating colored powder.  It was a bit unfortunate that they started with blue and orange, as those colors ended up looking brown for the majority of the race.

Marsha was smart and brought us all red hats which not only protected our hair, but helped us spot each other in the huge crowd.  They said 10,000 runners registered for the morning race, not to mention 10,000 more for the afternoon shift.  It was a bit crazy, but lots of people got really into it with full outfits, tutus, rainbow socks, wigs, and everything in between.

For $40, it was definitely worth the experience (and the cute free shirt), but it's probably not something I will do again.  The girls and I had a blast (not to mention a little exercise!), but the process of getting clean after the fact wasn't so fun!  Barb had green-tinged hands and I had blue between my toes for days!

30 Before 30: Get my Tarot Cards Read

It's fun to be a skeptic of psychics and clairvoyants, but it's even more fun to be a believer and to be totally blown away.  I've always wanted to get my tarot cards read, just to see how close they could come to the eventual truth.

My friend Barbara and I went and got our tarot cards read the other day.  It was a last-minute decision and I didn't even prepare questions, but had a great time sitting back and hearing what the psychic had to tell me.

She gave me 5 separate readings, each of which I picked 12 random cards out of a deck of about 50.  Each time, she was excited and happy to tell me that everything in my life was super, super positive.  Lots of good things coming my way (yay!!).  She had asked me if I had moved or relocated lately (yes!) and she told me that it was the absolute best decision for me and this new location was where I belonged.  She asked if I was looking for a new job (yes!) and said she saw big success coming to me in my job search, specifically that I would find a job I LOVE at a big, industry-leader company.

She also knew I had an older brother who was a Taurus who traveled a lot and loves to fly.  Like seriously, how could she know that?!  She said that my brother looks over me and I'm lucky to have such a great relationship in my life.  Awww, thanks Broski!

I loved all the positive messages, and she even gave me pretty specific times as to when I would get a job, get engaged, and have kids.  Not that I will hold her to the dates, but I am excited to see if she's right!

With all this positive news, it was a completely wonderful experience.  The psychic said that she really enjoyed my reading because she rarely gets to deliver such positive, good news!  I'm sure I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much if my future was filled with negativity or uncertainty. 

However... She also told me that if and when I decide to have kids, I will have twin boys.  Lord help me.

UPDATE:  She told me I would find a job by the end of Pisces, which ends March 20.  I was giving a job offer on March 14 and signed the papers on March 18!  She said the pay would be great (it is) and that it would be an industry-leading company (also true)!

30 Before 30: A Broadway Show

After living in Los Angeles for five years, you would assume I had seen lots and lots and lots of plays.  The sad truth is, however, I barely saw any.  I worked in Hollywood and went to lots of movie screenings, and saw some live improv theater, but never saw a Broadway-caliber production.  After seeing basically all of my friends at one time or another check-in on Facebook at this play or that theater, I became absolutely determined to see a big musical play production before I became a 30-year-old grown up. 

Being a life-long fan of South Park (it debuted when I was 11, which means it has been airing for more than half my life), when Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced they were developing a musical play called The Book of Mormon, I was intrigued.  When it won 9 Tony awards including Best Musical, I was set on seeing it. 

As part of my Christmas present, my boyfriend bought us tickets to see The Book of Mormon at the Curran Theater in San Francisco on December 29, 2012.  A day after he bought them, our $80 tickets were selling for $400 each, but since he knew how much I wanted to see it, he didn't sell them.

The theater was old and majestic, with a very intimate feel.  We sat up in the balcony but still got as good of an experience as if we were in the orchestra section.  The play was hysterical, the music was catchy, and it was overall a fancy and fun experience.  I hope we will be able to see many more Broadway-style plays in the future, and one someday actually on Broadway!

30 Before 30: A Pro NFL Football Game

The very first thing I did after finishing my Los Angeles list was promptly move from Los Angeles to the Bay Area.  It was a decision long in the making, and I'm sure that the majority of the items on my 30 Before 30 list will now have a Bay Area slant.  I've never been one to be afraid of new experiences, and look forward to all the amazing discoveries I am sure to make in the Bay Area! 

Of all the items on my new 30 Before 30 list, I'm sure seeing a pro NFL football game is the one my boyfriend was most excited to help me with.  Before I had even finalized my list, he had bought tickets to the San Francisco 49ers game vs. the Arizona Cardinals at Candlestick Park on December 30, 2012.

We tailgated beforehand with a large group of his - and now my - friends.  Fun was had by all, and since this was the last regular season game for the Niners, a win was crucial for a favorable playoffs position.  The air was buzzing with anticipation.

After a slow first quarter (not a single first down) and a few missed field goals, the Niners were able to pull it together, and beat the Cardinals 27-13.  I very much enjoyed seeing the "behind the scenes" goings-on of a football game that would have otherwise been filled with commercial breaks.  As we all know, Los Angeles hasn't had a pro team since 1995, and I am excited to be a part of a football fanbase for the first time in my life.  But don't worry, my heart still belongs (and will always belong) to the Los Angeles Dodgers!

A New List: 30 Things to Do Before I Turn 30

As my LA List has finally wrapped up, I am itching to start a new goal for myself.  My boyfriend had a great idea of making a 30 Things to Do Before he turns 30 List this year for his birthday, and he inspired me to do the same.  I tried to make the list ambitious, but also do-able, knowing that in the next 4 years before my 30th birthday I will be working a lot, trying to save money, and being a mother to this guy.

Without Further Ado:

1. Visit 4 new US cities
2. Visit 3 new states
3. Visit 2 new countries
4. See 1 Wonder of the World
5. Do a Color Run
6. Visit Yellowstone National Park
7. Donate 1 gallon of blood (that's 8 pints)
8. See a Vegas show
9. Buy a Mini Cooper
10. Go hot air ballooning
11. Go to Redwoods National Park
12. Take a Pottery class
13. Read 10 classic literature books
14. Go to Mt. Rushmore
15. Go to a pro NFL football game
16. Make a pysanka
17. Visit Yosemite
18. Go to a Broadway show
19. Get my tarot cards read
20. Ride an exotic animal
21. Donate 100 things to Goodwill
22. Visit the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve
23. Visit 5 more MLB baseball parks
24. See the Northern Lights
25. Take a glass-blowing class
26. Go on a 1,000+ mile road trip
27. See Paul McCartney in concert
28. Buy a pair of Louboutins
29. Take a watercolor painting class
30.  See a volcano, glacier or geyser in person.

It's going to be a fun four years!!