Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The Bucket List

The first post is dedicated to this blog's theme:  the bucket list.  Yes, it sounds cliché.  Yes, it's totally been done before.  This blog is purely for the documentation of the experiences and challenges I've set forth for myself.  Take it with a grain of salt.  Now, without further ado, the list:

1.     Make every recipe in a given cookbook.
2.     Go to Brooklyn Boulders.
3.     Go to a concert at St. John the Divine.
4.     Go Vegan for a week, decide that you actually hate it, and then eat a huge cheeseburger.
5.     Go gluten-free for a week, decide that you actually hate it, and then make and eat a huge loaf of bread.
6.     Go kayaking in the bay or on the Hudson, etc.
7.     Spend an afternoon reading at the NYPL Bryant Park.
8.     Drink an entire cup of coffee.
9.     Go to the movies alone.
10. Finally learn Rhapsody and Blue.
11. Write a piece of music and have it performed by professional musicians.
12. Write a piece of music that I’m proud of.
13. Approach a celebrity that I admire. 
14. Hike Hadrian’s Wall.
15. Visit all 50 states (starting now!).
16. Visit Liechtenstein.
17. Learn conversational German, go to Germany, and order a hot dog.
18. Visit a piano building factory or historic piano repair shop.
19. Make a perfect batch of macarons.
20. Ride 100 miles on a bike (maybe Babylon to Montauk?).
21. Run a half-marathon.
22. Climb one of the seven summits (not including Australia).  Also, don’t die climbing one of the seven summits.
23. Learn how to ice skate backwards.
24. Somehow get on stage at the Met.
25. Buy something that can be passed down to my children.
26. Research the McMillan/Hill ancestry and give the findings to family.
27. Watch the sun rise at Floyd Bennett Field.
28. Read all of the books that I have purchased over the years.
29. Climb Half Dome.
30. Read the major Tolstoy novels.
31. Read Lord of the Rings.
32. See a Rachmaninov concerto performed (preferably No. 2).
33. Get a stand up Kitchenaide – and actually use it.
34. See Antarctica.
35. Own a dog.
36. Own a cat
37. Buy a house/apartment/condo.
38. Learn how to fix up said house/apartment/condo.
39. Drive across the country.
40. Tour the Hudson Valley.
41. Try fishing one last time before you decide that you’d rather just eat donuts on a pier without fishing poles. 
42. Read an entire Sunday Times while eating poached eggs on English muffins in some lazy fashion.
43. Make a lobster roll from a live lobster, decide that it was a horrific experience, and never do it again.  (But obviously continue eating lobster rolls…)
44. Make a Thanksgiving Day turkey.
45. Open a retirement account.
46. Drink a bottle of wine with someone in Tuscany.
47. Eat In-N-Out animal style burger and animal style fries in one sitting.
48. Get 8+ hours of sleep a night for an entire month.
49. Camp overnight at Governor’s Island.
50. Teach a significant other or kids to play bridge.
51. Give at least $100/year (outside of church related fundraising) to charity (in December?).
52. Have the piano tuned.
53. Go on one volunteer/mission trip out of the country.
54. Spend a week in the middle of nowhere.
55. Go a month without eating out.
56. Learn how to drink wine.  And know what I’m talking about.  Essentially, become a wine snob.  And use these skills in Napa.
57. Build a list of all the movies to which people have said, “you’ve never seen _______?!”.  Watch the good ones.
58. Disconnect from social media, email, and phone for an entire week.  Not connected to No. 53!
59. Throw a surprise party for someone.
60. Finally start sending Christmas cards.
61. Record all family birthdays, anniversaries, and special events.
62. Cook with every single vegetable offered in my grocery store.
63. Make a dish from every world culture.  (www.foodbycountry.com is a good start)
64. Skinny dip.
65. Take a yoga challenge.
66. Learn how to play and score tennis.  Use this as an excuse to buy a tennis uniform.
67. Be able to do 25 real push-ups.
68. Refuse to lose contact with close friends.
69. Grow a vegetable/herb garden.
70. Keep a plant alive for more than 5 years.
71. Give up processed sugar for 3 months.
72. Stargaze in an open field with no one else around.
73. See a solar eclipse.
74. Create a signature drink.
75. See either the winter or summer Olympics.
76. Donate blood.
77. Learn to dance (socially) and go to Midsummer Night Swing with someone.
78. Go hiking in New Zealand.
79. Fly my parents somewhere they’ve always wanted to go to.
80. Visit Nepal.
81. Delve into the history of _______________.
82. Have real Dim Sum.
83. Stay up all night with someone for no particular reason (in a non-drunken way).
84. Document all of my grandmother’s recipes.
85. Knit a baby blanket for someone.
86. Make homemade jam with homegrown fruit.
87. Buy something at Bergdorf.
88. New Year’s kiss at midnight.
89. Learn how to make a brilliant croissant.
90. Have an occasion to wear a formal evening gown.
91. Stay in a small European village (with considerable charm!) for more than one night.
92. Go buy produce at a farmer’s market every week for a year.
93. Try snowshoeing.
94. Have an excuse to save a quality bottle of wine for 5+ years.
95. Visit some of New York Harbor’s lighthouses.
96. Meet a special someone that doesn’t think this list is dumb.  Marry said person.
97. Raise a family.
98. Find peace with God and my faith. 
99. Learn to stop caring about what others think.

100.                Learn to stop worrying.  Living is pretty damn good.

No comments:

Post a Comment