So here's the plan. I'm making a list of 40 things to do by the time I am 40. They aren't in any order other than how I thought them up.
- learn to fly a plane (real one, not a lame RC one).
- learn to swim - alas, I never took lessons after I was in kindergarten. I only dogpaddle. And that not very well. Took lessons fall 2011
- Have a driveway with gravel and everything driveways usually have. Dad finished this one in time for my birthday party on Nov 5, 2011
- Spend new year's in Hawaii with entire family. (EXCELLENT progress on this one, have gotten the fatherly smirk which means YES but he won't say so because he wants us to think he will say NO, except we figured out the smirk thing YEARS ago and now it is just fun to tease him about it. So yay, Hawaiian New Year! I will try to fit you in my suitcase. I inherited his smirk which makes me v. happy) AM REBOOTING THIS ONE AND I SWEAR IT WILL HAPPEN FOR 2013!!!
- Having completed #2, scuba diving? This one scares the crap out of me. Hence why it is on the list. I like to be scared. Is fun. Really. Totally the reason I went parasailing. Which turned out to be a mistake, but I learned a valuable life lesson, which is this: don't try saving money when you're doing daredevil stunts. Except, what's a story about parasailing without the crashing into the ocean bit? It's just a take off and land again and EVERYONE seems to do that. See? Being scared of things can lead to good stories. Did part 1 of this in Dec 2011, going to try part 2 in Jan 2012 in Mexico DONE! And only the 3 fish scared the crap out of me. Hardest thing I've ever done, absolutely.
- take a trip somewhere without any idea where I'm going, with no idea what I might do when I get there, where I might sleep, eat or whatever. Flip a coin the day before I leave and then just go? Have someone else plan it? Pick directions? The possibilities are endless. This one should be good. You know what? I think the Earl of Essex kind of made this one happen for me. I'm writing this in Brazil after 2 GRANDE caiprinhias, have made no frigging plans for the past 2 weeks and the earl has done all the planning, so this one is I think done. Way to go, Earl. You'll always be my favorite merman. August 29, 2012. Rio de Janeiro. Shit. People, look up the recipe for caipirnihia, make 2, drink them, and then try to type. I bet you can't be as awesome as me right now.
- Finish hanging pictures in my house. There are so many walls this could take much longer than the time til I am 40.
- Skydive. This scares me more and less than the scuba diving. I intend to do this one with my friend Angie and her husband JP. He's jumped out of planes for a living. And only broke his back once, so that's pretty good, no?
- Run a half marathon. That's far. I'm scared.
- Decide whether I shall do a PhD. Then do whatever I decide.Decided Jan 20, 2012
- Finish getting around all the CFL stadia. Just got Regina left to visit. Then the new Hamilton and Winnipeg stadia. Once I finish I'll just go back to the beginning.
- Attend my 20 year high school reunion. Why not? Went even though I felt like warmed over dog poo. It was nice. I drank girly pink wine.
- Go parasailing without the crash landing part.
- Build my deck.
- Finish my basement.
- Go hot air ballooning
- Walk around Stanley Park in Vancouver Done Oct 1, 2011.
- Get my ears re-pierced.Done Oct 3, 2011.
- Learn to play the violin
- Go to Brazil
- Visit every Canadian province and territory
- Beat thyroid cancer
- Cover the windows in my basement
- Adopt a puppy
- Start the PhD
- Buy a shiny new car for my 40th birthday. Pay cash.
- Categorize/tag all the pictures on all my computers. Get all the pictures into a shared folder on my server. Or similar.
- Take Elijah to Carsland at Disneyland. Yes, just him. Don't feel bad for his sisters, my parents and I took them a year and a half ago and they mostly hated it (the sisters, not my parents. The parents LOVED disney. They did take their kids there 7 times...). I think Elijah will LOVE it. As long as Mater is there, anyway. Actually, Sarah didn't hate Disneyland. The little smile on her face when she met Rapunzel? WORTH THE SPRING BREAK INSANITY.
- Jump off a cliff. Fight for the right to go first. Damn 24 year old kids thinking they can go first. They should respect their elders. Especially the ones that had effing cancer. Just saying, earl of Essex. Ha! Done August 31, 2012. And I got to go first. Although, I must be clear that one does not jump off the cliff, exactly. One runs off the edge of it.