2014: my year of living scarily

So 2014 is my official year of doing scary shit. And, by “scary shit,” I mean stuff that’s anxiety-inducing to me personally – so you may not find these activities scary at all.
I’ve managed to accomplish one of my nerve-wracking goals: posting the photo shoot I did recently in the Alumnae Theatre studio space – where I dressed in period drag – working with photographer Lisa MacIntosh and makeup artist Rebecca Kupferstein, who are both awesome. My nerves were not so much about the shoot itself – though I felt like I had the right amount of nervous excitement – but more about posting it on the blog and making the pictures public, as I tend to shy away from putting myself out there on the blog. After all, the main purpose of the blog is to shout out local indie and emerging artists and arts/culture events. But, since I’d already decided to post more short fiction and creative non-fiction anyway, I thought it would be fun to show another side of myself.
The current scary thing is Comedy Girl, a beginner’s stand-up comedy class for women with Dawn Whitwell at Comedy Bar, which started on April 17. Next to improv, stand-up always seemed like one of the scariest performing gigs out there – and it’s something I’ve been thinking about trying for a while. So, I thought, what the hell? Two classes in, I’m having a blast. It’s still a bit scary – but I’m working with a group of amazing, funny women and it’s a very supportive atmosphere. We’ve still got our training wheels on, and Dawn is jogging along beside us as we bring in our ideas and work them into bits. All working towards coming up with a short set and performing at a class show.
Next up: I’ll be doing the EdgeWalk at the CN Tower. This is also something I’ve wanted to do for a while – so much so, I put it out there to my family as a birthday gift possibility. My sibs got me a gift certificate for a walk at my 50th (yes, I’m 50) last year. I originally planned to do the walk last fall, but got sidelined by my cranky knees and a physiotherapy schedule. I’m aiming to schedule this in May/June – will keep all y’all posted.

Are you doing anything scary on purpose this year?