February 2009 saw the first draft of my bucket list; a list of things to accomplish before shuffling off this mortal coil. A handful of them were fairly simple to accomplish, but I haven’t crossed anything off of it yet.

• Write and record an album, ten songs or more: I have about seven songs written that I’m somewhat happy with. I’d like to have about 25 and choose the best ten and not lose my shirt self-publishing the results.
• Travel by motorcycle: Ever wonder why there are so many white haired middle aged guys riding? Because they are the only ones who can afford the luxury. I could go out tomorrow and finance just about any bike I wanted if it was the most important thing to me, but I have other priorities and this will probably have to wait a little longer.
• Travel by train: Just once, just to say I did it.
• Visit NYC, coastal California, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Portland, and Seattle: I have a few specific locations in mind for each city/state. Maybe I’ll travel by train to one of them. I nearly took a combination trip to D.C and NYC last year after a dream I had one day. Then I woke up and priced hotels in NYC. Ouch.
• Travel out of the US: I don’t have any specific destinations other than Australia. It might be cool to see the Eiffel Tower or Sistine Chapel, but I’m not dying to see any one thing or place. I should probably procure a passport if I’m going to pull this off.
• Ski: I’ve skiied before. However, the last time I went out west for a serious ski trip, I only made one trip down the mountain. I want another crack at it. Maybe a couple. Maybe once every five years or so. I’m about due.
• Edit Charlie Edison: November 2008 I wrote the first draft of a novel. I haven’t let anyone read it yet and I cringe at the though of looking at it again. I feel like I’m missing some vital knowledge or life experiences to draw upon to make the story more believable. Hopefully I’ll gain some of that knowledge and experience throughout the course of completing my bucket list.
• Write more: I have at least two more ideas for stories (another novel, the other something shorter), but just not ready to start a new one now.
• Play Table Tennis and Billiards: This is a stupid goal, but someday I’d like to live somewhere in which I have regular access to ping pong and pool, even if it just means dropping in on a neighbor regularly who has a ping pong table in the garage.
• Jump on a trampoline: Another stupid one, but somehow I’ve managed to never jump on a trampoline. I’m sure it’s much more fun as a kid, but I’d like to try it nonetheless.
• Skydive: Maybe. This scares the hell out of me, but I think I would enjoy it. I’d just have to find the nerve to fall out of a plane.

That’s it. What do you think? Do I still need to dream bigger? Onto 2010 goals, etc.

• Get in shape: I’ve made quite a bit of progress on this in the last year, so I’m hoping to continue the trend. I don’t want to be Mr. Universe or anything, but would like to be a little bit above average in terms of fitness.
• Too many secrets: I’m constantly surprised how people I’ve known for years seem to not know certain things about me. Maybe it’s because they don’t read my blog regularly, or maybe it’s because I keep a lot of things to myself.
• Draw more, screen printing: I’m having difficulty getting back into the swing of drawing. I wonder if I really want to draw or if I only feel like I should because I did once upon a time. The screen printing should be a separate issue, but I’d prefer to print something I’ve drawn than assembled in Photoshop.
• Get out: A lot of my goals (drawing, writing, making music) require a lot of practice and time to myself. Still, I feel like I spend too much time in during the weekends. I made a little progress with this in 2009, but have quickly fallen into old habits.

That’s my list for now. What’s on your list? I could use some collaborators.

Filed under: General by John