Storytelling. Fact and fiction. One word at a time.
On my way to Edmonton for the Oilers–Bruins hockey game, my friend Ashlee sent me a message wishing me a safe trip. She included a screenshot of a conversation she’d had with a colleague on their work chat platform. Colleague: Good morning, Ashlee. Are you the Ashlee Ballan that Angie Counios acknowledged in her book... Continue Reading →
*Stories that did not make it into My List, My Rules: The Year a Checklist Changed My Life *Goal #67 may be inaccurate as far as numbers of my list go. If so I'll fix that later. Goal #67Make a Drawing While Blindfolded In all my years of teaching, I’ve had a lot of unique... Continue Reading →
Fan mail that is... Paranoid about spam, I clicked on an email I didn’t recognize. The name was Ali. I do not know an Ali. Turns out it was not spam at all. It was a forward from my WordPress contact page. And it was fan mail! I got FAN MAIL. Here’s what she said:... Continue Reading →
My List My Rules is about the year I did 101 things and the funny and challenging lessons I learned from it. It's full of hope and the f-word.Angie Counios Dave is really good at knowing what needs to get done. When My List My Rules: the year a checklist changed my life was complete,... Continue Reading →
I’ve been avoiding a movie on Netflix called The Life List. It stars Sofia Carson and Connie Britton, and it’s based on the novel of the same name by Lori Nelson Spielman. The story follows Alex, the main character, who has to complete a list of goals she wrote as a teenager—found by her late... Continue Reading →
Moments that make me realize I should make a bigger deal of the books I've published. Incident Number One In the staff room at school, two colleagues—part of our school’s mental health initiative for youth and staff—were chatting about which books to choose for a staff book club. I was filling my water bottle at... Continue Reading →
Did you know that?Well, now you do. I came across a post from Mikro Karavaki Bookstore (Little Ship Bookstore) today on Facebook. I follow them—they’re based in Greece and always manage to stop me in my scroll with their thoughtful posts and beautifully curated images. There's something intentional and eye-catching about their aesthetic. I’m drawn... Continue Reading →
What Prompted This Post? The prompt: I was at a party Saturday night when one of my new friends mentioned that she had added My List, My Rules to her 2026 reading list. She explained that she just had too many books to get through first. That’s fair, and I genuinely appreciate that she’s interested... Continue Reading →
How I feel about NYE I am a superstitious person---especially about New Year's Eve. I have blogged about the idea of collective consciousness and believe that this day's energy sets a tone for the rest of the year. Also, I believe in rituals and I do a few meaningful rituals at this time to say... Continue Reading →
The Christmas season is upon us. I attended Light Up the Village an event which is a festive way for local businesses to kick off the gift-giving vibes of this time of year. The evening was a perfect winter night of cool yet comfortable air, snow piled up everywhere, and a quietness that accompanied me.... Continue Reading →
Angie Counios 