BUCKET LIST!

Before I presented you all with my bucket list, I thought I would show you a clip from my favorite movie that ALWAYS comes to mind when anyone mentions a bucket list. But of course, I couldn't find it online at all.

So here is a link from Easy A, my favorite movie, that is completely unrelated to our assignment but that I want to share with you all. WOODCHUCKS!! and, of course, "WHO TOLD YOU?!"

For those of you who don't know, I'm an obsessive planner. So one day, before I asked J. Clay to meet with me to plan out my life (or my classes), I showed her my bucket list. And, thus, this assignment was born. So here is my bucket list!

THE BUCKET LIST THE BUCKET LIST!

(That was for those of you who have seen Easy A, and know what I'm talking about.) 

• Own a pet sheep (or at least see one in real life)
• Go sky diving or cliff diving
•   Study abroad- preferably in Cambridge
•   Meet Taylor Swift and ask her to be my best friend
• See a shooting star
• Spend a full night on the beach in Hawaii, then watch the sun rise
• Watch the sunrise from the top of a mountain
•  Have something I wrote published 
• Go back to NYC
• Construct a closet like Carrie from Sex And The City
• VEGAS VEGAS VEGAS
• Win a rap battle
• Write a book
•  Mission trip to Africa 
• Build a house with Habitat for Humanity
• Take a spontaneous trip with no plan 
• Order 50 McNuggets and eat them all

My bucket list video will follow shortly. :)

Acrophobia: Fear of heights

This week I was planning to focus on conquering one of my own fears—heights. There’s a little park near my house, Roger’s Bridge Park, with an old oil pipe that crosses the Chattahoochee river. It’s wide,  has rails on each side, most parts are rusted, and has clearly been there for years. To me, this bridge screams death trap. To everyone else I know, it screams BA.For some reason, when there’s nothing to do in the afternoon, we always end up here. I make it a few feet out and then sit down on the pipe, clinging for dear life.

Enter Noah Hoback—Mr. Adventurous. We’ve been going to this park for over a year, most afternoons, just to sit and talk. He runs- yes, RUNS-  back and forth across the pipe while I sit and complain relentlessly about how dangerous it is.

Well, this past Saturday, February 12, 2011, I, Katharine Jane Barth, decided to cross the bridge. Noah and I pull into the park, my camera in hand. I was determined to have him videotape me crossing the bridge and facing my fear of heights. Also, my shrieking and possible cussing would fulfill my sound clip requirement.

Unfortunately, my grand plan was squashed. Roger’s Bridge Park has been transformed into “Chattapoochie” (Get it? It’s punny. A dog park on the Chattahoochee!), and the bridge has been blocked off.  But I will say, the fact that I went to the park even intending to make it more than 12 steps out is a HUGE deal. So until I find another  bridge, or some other death trap that’s high up and I deem relatively safe enough to test out my newfound courage, this post will remain unfinished.

I will, however, post a sound clip. This is a video of someone else conquering my fear. And that someone is a dog. Named Mindy. Mindy the skydiving dog is awesome.

Last week, Whitney inspired me to add something new to my posts to make them more interesting. This would be me attempting to skydive: I cry a lot and hate heights.

Also, the lovely Laura Bolling from my first post about fear (the fear of public speaking), gave me a little gift this week to remind me to face my fear. It’s a candy wrapper! Yes, a candy wrapper. From Dove chocolate. Which happens to be my favorite. For those of you who don’t know, Dove always puts inspiring sayings inside the candy wrapper. This one said “Be fearless”. It couldn’t be more perfect! So now I carry it in my wallet, as a little reminder to be fearless.

See you guys next week. Stay awesome. 

Fear: What are you afraid of?

According to dictionary.com, fear is...

fear

-noun

1.

a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain,etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling orcondition of being afraid.

2.

a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: anabnormal fear of heights.

3.

concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.

4.

reverential awe, especially toward god.

5.

that which causes a feeling of being afraid; that of which aperson is afraid: Cancer is a common fear.


 I'm so excited about the positive reaction to my new topic! I thought I'd continue to focus on my biggest fear- athazagoraphobia. As I was doing research for my post, I had The Princess Diaries on in the background. I was having trouble finding a place to start, so I took a "mental break" (aka procrastinated) and watched. The movie was at the part where Mia and Lilly are fighting because Mia forget to come to Lilly's radio show Saturday night, and Mia confesses that she decided not to accept the job as princess. Lilly begins to explain why Mia should reconsider, and their conversation stuck with me:

Lilly: "Wanting to rock the world, but having zero power, that sucks. But you? Wow."
Mia: "What is wow?"
Lilly: "Wow is having the power to affect change, to make people listen. How many teenagers have that opportunity? It's a miracle."

That is my thought process in a nutshell. I want to make an impact. Brenau has helped me grow so much already-- mostly because I'm learning to step out of my shell even when I'm scared-- and I want to give back as much as I can. Even years after I've graduated, I want students and faculty alike to remember all of the positive things I've done for the school. I'm not exactly a fearless leader. I'm awkward and get so nervous that my hands shake when I talk in front of people. But regardless of this, I want the power to affect change and to make people listen. I don't want to be forgotten.


What are you afraid of? Heights? Open spaces? Chickens? Men? The first step I took when researching fear was to look for a phobia list. You'd be surprised at all of the different phobias that people suffer from! Some are bizarre and entertaining, some are extremely common, and some might just apply to you. But I'm curious- what scares you? Take a look at the list below and let me know what you find. This blog has become a small step that I'm taking to affect change and have people listen. Yes I know... you're required to read, it's your grade. But I'm hoping that it'll help you as much as I hope it will help me. :)

So tell me... What are you afraid of?


Next week? "I'll see you then, or I'll see you another time." - I Love You, Man.