Pride Comes in Many Forms

A bit late on my entry, but yes another 'first' bit the dust last week!

From last Monday to Sunday, I was in San Fransisco visiting the lovely Lindsay. Joined by "The Boy", Peter G. (aka. Pitter, BGP, CEO of His Own Life) the 3 of us make up the FCU. It's a secret club. Nuf said. Annnnyway.....my Fifty2Firsts plan was to knock off # 7 and go topless at Pride. This seemed very doable considering I wouldn't know anyone apart from Linds & Pete. It turns out though - I'm not nearly as daring (in certain ways) as I had expected!! Coupled by the fact that the SF Pride Parade is NOT at all about being naked, sweaty & drunk, I found myself shy among the very clothed crowd. I only spotted 2 pairs and no boy bits at all - and trust me - I was searching for inspiration! Needless to say, the vibe was quite different from what I'm used to in T.O and so I've made a wee adjustment to this entry to be a celebration of the "first" time I attended the San Fransisco Pride Parade.

It truly was an incredible event. Very tasteful, respectful and more about celebrating and enjoying the city, great music and millions of colourful people as opposed to showing off how raunchy you can be. "Whips and chains excite me!" (Umm, that's nice?) It was a lesson for me. I realized that I wouldn't gain any real thrill, liberty or freedom from the experience so why do it? I'm proud that I've kept my girls for better use ;)

A note on Pride in the US; while roaming Height St. one day, I met an LGBT activist who shared some interesting information with me. Did you know that same sex marriage is recognized in only 7 states in the USA! CA, ME, NV, OR, WA, WI and most recently NY who just passed the act last Friday! For those who don't know; Bill C-38 passed Senate on July 19, 2005 allowing same sex Canadians across the nation to marry. There have since been a variety of mixed entitlements and restrictions put in place depending on the province, but still. Something to be proud of. OH Canada!

I Love Leather

At the naive age of something less than 10, I recall hiding in shame behind the racks and random unloved furniture at dozens of thrift stores around Brantford while my mom filled carts full of "used??..ewww!" clothes, accessories & shoes. Whether it were the Goodwill, Salvation Army, Value Village, or some church run independent, I would DREAD the possibility of being spotted and my secret thrift store life revealed.

Thankfully, I gave up on that ridiculous outlook soon after getting my first job at age 12 (yes, a paper route qualifies) and being given the choice to buy my own "new" clothes, or continue to work within my mom's thrift store budget. It was then that I decided on more-for-less and have maintained that philosophy ever since (with clothes, accessories & shoes anyway).
Until this week...

This week, I bought my first new, real leather handbag. A true lady purse. A genuine, soft black leather cow hide delight. It is wonderful! It will not peal or rip like microfiber, it will not melt like Pleather or contain polyvinyl CHLORIDE and stink like rubber. I didn't compromise for less and got exactly what I wanted. It will last me years to come, mold specifically to my ways and I enjoyed every moment of paying a 1/3 of my rent for it!

Like my shift in thinking years earlier, I've discovered another new way to evaluate and treasure my "stuff".

Margarita Cheese Cake! Ya cha cha cha!

Perhaps a bit new-project-eager of me, but I've completed my second 'first' this week as well!

For well over a year now, I've kept a friends cake pan hostage... collecting dust and guilt at the back of my hall closet. I credit this 'first' to Mark for his pan (and understanding and forgiveness) and to Thiago for be being Brazilian (and therefor hosting the Brazilian BBQ this past weekend that served as the perfect venue for my cheese cake debut).

Margarita Cheese Cake with lime and Tequila seemed the best fit for this sunny backyard BBQ - and it was. Not counting the melted, sloppy whip cream mess that formed like soup on the surface, the cake was pretty tasty. I confess, I had no idea that the acid from the limes would break down the whip cream. Lesson learned. Mission accomplished.

The List

Surprisingly it was not as easy as I'd expected to come up with 52 things that I've never  done. Now don't be disappointed, this is not an exotic list, but that wasn't the intent. This adventure is meant to be an exploration and appreciation of the simple, often everyday things that I just haven't gotten around to. I confess I'm a procrastinator. Not the point. I'm here now.

A note on the process. The list is here and I am determined to do each, but the order is insignificant. I'm going to let these things roll in as they will for the next 52 weeks - one year.

1. start a blog - DONE June 1, 2011
2. buy a leather purse - DONE June 13, 2011
3. make a cheese cake - DONE June 4, 2011
4. indoor wall climbing - DONE January 2012
5. attend the opera - DONE February 7, 2012
6. sky dive, bungee jump or something extreme DONE May 18, 2012
7. go topless at pride changed to: attend SF Pride Parade- DONE June 27, 2011
8. salsa dance with a partner DONE May 2012
9. tell someone how I really feel - DONE December 12, 2012
10. crash a wedding DONE April 14, 2012
11. visit a new city for the first time - DONE July 28 - August 6, 2011
12. golf (at least 9 holes) - DONE September 10, 2011
13. be hired by an Ontario school board (please lord!) DONE May 2, 2010
14. shoot a gun DONE March 25, 2012
15. quit smoking - DONE November 4, 2011 - FAILED - sometime soon after :(
16. get fitted for a bra - DONE September 8, 2011
17. workout 7 days in a row - DONE July 18-24, 2011
18. camp in Algonquin changed to: camp the East Coast- DONE July/ August 2012
19. go sailing changed to: pickle something - DONE November 2012
20. take a burlesque, pole or belly dance class changed to: Improvise DONE October 2012
21. get my M2 changed to: pay 6 tickets at once - DONE Dec 24, 2012
22. go to confession
23. track my family tree changed to: Meet Mayor Rob Ford -DONE February 2013 
24. do something political - DONE October 6, 2011
25. visit a nudist colony changed to: start a fire DONE August 3, 2012
26. be hypnotized DONE March 24, 2010
27. go snow shoeing changed to: ride a mechanical bull DONE April 21, 2012
28. have my fortune told DONE April, 2012
29. get a Brazilian wax - DONE July 2, 2011

30. be part of or attend a Roller Derby - DONE October 1, 2011

31. have dinner at O.Noir - DONE March 20, 2013 32. knit a scarf - DONE March 2012

33. take 100 photos of strangers (ALMOST) DONE March/April 2012
34. go for acupuncture - DONE July 19, 2011
35. go to a male strip club - DONE February 25, 2012
36. Polar Dip DONE January 1, 2012
37. hot yoga - DONE September 7, 2011
38. volunteer at a soup kitchen changed to: Volunteer for the MS Walk DONE April 2012
39. eat rabbit - DONE July 5, 2011
40. sneak into a movie DONE June 2012
41. no alcohol for 30 days - FAILED January 2012
42. speed dating DONE December 9, 2011
43. cook a turkey DONE April 8, 2012
44. ice skate at Nathan Phillips Square DONE December 28, 2011
45. flash mob DONE April 29, 2013 (International Dance Day)
46. milk a cow DONE May 26 2012
47. catch, gut, clean, cook and eat a fish I caught - DONE August 2012
48. run the Toronto Marathon changed to: 75km Ride for Heart DONE June 3 2012
49. be an audience member for a T.V show DONE October something, 2011
50. build something from scratch - DONE September 11, 2011
51. Ride on a vintage fire truck - DONE July, 2012
52. CN Tower Climb - DONE April 27, 2013
 tb
TBD. Suggestions welcome
Away I go!