Check! #13 from my 50 list is now completed.

I'm sure many of you are chomping at the bit, wondering how I'm making out with my 50 list. Well, I just wanted to showcase #13 which is now crossed off the list.

So, with my new guitar in hand, Springsteen t-shirt and favourite chapeau, I braved the "Spring" elements this past Saturday and let my friend Kristin photograph me. Despite the less-than-normal chilly April temperatures, rain – and even snow for a little while – we had a fun few hours shooting photos in a variety of locations around Barrie.

Here are a few of my favourites:

and my personal fave:

Thanks Kristin! My donation to your "Young At Heart" photo fundraiser will be arriving shortly.

If you want to check out more of Kristin's stuff, visit: www.writephotographer.ca.

What are sidewalks for?

I know winter is almost over, so this rant is probably past its relevance due date, but I just have to ask:

"Why don't people walk on the sidewalk?"

That's what it's there for after all. 

I know they might be a bit slippery this time of year, but chancing a fall can't possibly be more dangerous than walking on the road in the winter where you, your child and/or your dog, could get hit by a car.

It's winter, people. As hardy, Canadian drivers, we do our best to safely manoeuvre our city streets. But snow and ice can make things a bit unpredictable, so it makes our jobs even harder when we have to negotiate additional objects on the road. 

We don't want to hit you but it might be out of our control. We're dealing with weather conditions and other drivers — those who drive with reckless abandon regardless of the season and those pesky elements.

Please stay safe.

And if a slippery path is your reason for stepping out onto the road during the winter, what's your excuse during the other three seasons? 

To exit my neighbourhood there is a rather sharp turn, and I've lost track of how many times I've had to negotiate an even wider turn around it during the spring, fall or summer, due to someone walking on the road.

Why? The sidewalks are perfectly safe. There's no snow. No ice. No treacherous quicksand or slithering snakes. At least none I've come across when I'm out walking . . . on the sidewalk.

The only reason I can conceive is we're a population inundated with those afraid to step on a crack in case they break their mother's backs . . . 

While I'm sure your mother thanks you and is grateful for your diligence, you leave me quite perplexed and frustrated.

So, again, please stay safe this winter and we'll see you on the road . . . literally.

My 50 List

A friend of mine turned 30 last year and in honour of the auspicious occasion, she put together a list of 30 things she wanted to accomplish before she hit the milestone birthday. She had two months to accomplish all the tasks on her list and she successfully put a line through every single item before blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.

Way to go Kristin!

I'm constantly inspired by Kristin. In fact, she was the one who encouraged me to start my own blog.

So, although I hit the big 5-0 last April, I thought it wasn't too late to start my own list. I put together 35 items and sent them to a wide assortment of friends, asking them to submit ideas to complete my list. I figured this would challenge me into trying some completely off-the-wall things . . . things I would never have considered, such as define my personal brand.

I'm giving myself a year to complete the list which is comprised of work, personal, fun and just-plain-crazy items.

I've left #50 blank as I'm still open to suggestions for one last challenge. Please e-mail barriecrazyjaney@gmail.com or comment below with your suggestion.

My 50 List

1.       Upgrade first floor doors
2.       See a Bruce Springsteen concert outside North America
3.       Reach my goal weight
4.       Write a minimum of 24 blog posts this year
5.       Read every book written by Will Ferguson
6.       Start (and finish) Keith Richards, Paul McCartney and Janis Joplin biographies
7.       Run three-to-four miles comfortably three times a week
8.       Learn “I’ll Work For Your Love” and four other new songs on the piano
9.       Write five new songs (one currently in the works)
10.   Fix window well leakage problem
11.   Increase CSB contribution
12.   Go to a jazz concert
13.   Let Kristin photograph me
14.   Meet Bruce Springsteen
15.   Purge house of unnecessary items (on-going)
16.   Go on a road trip with no itinerary
17.   Take a course
18.   Upgrade my golf set
19.   Record video for Bruce and I documentary (Feb. deadline!)
20.   Take a golf lesson
21.   Break 90 at golf
22.   Say yes to something scary (out of my comfort zone)
23.   Wear a dress once this year
24.   Have a scrapbook weekend with the Soul Sistahs!
25.   Update my will
26.   Finally sync my phone to my car!
27.   Figure out how to utilize my Ford visor garage door opener
28.   Plan something nice for Andrea’s 50^th
29.   Visit family more often
30.   Kayak Paugh Lake
31.   Use my mountain bike this summer or sell it
32.   Watch full series of Homeland, The Walking Dead and The Wire
33.   Go on a date
34.   Go on an overnight back country camping in Algonquin with Pat
35.   Do something crazy
36.   Record one of my songs
37.   Plant a garden to grow beets and other veggies
38.   Get lost (so many possibilities with this one)
39.   Send three letters in the mail
40.   Spend an entire weekend in my PJs
41.   Collaborate on something creative 
42.   Random acts of kindness for strangers
43.   Treat myself to something I normally wouldn't get 
44.   Get Lori to teach me a recipe
45.   Leave an entire week open in my calendar (this one may not be attainable)
46.   Define my personal brand
47.   Meditate
48.   Visit the Scenic Caves
49.   Sky dive
50.