Bucket Lists
Apr. 20th, 2023 06:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebThe Rebel Adult Merit Badge Club has a quarterly challenge called A Life Less Ordinary that I'm working on. One of the requirements is to list 25 things you want to do in your life and do one of them during the quarter. There's no kill like overkill, so I decided to compose four lists.
Fun Things
This is the list I'm using for the purpose of this challenge.
Travel:
1. Visit the Smithsonian. (I don't even know what I want to see there; I just know it's huge and amazing.)
2. Take Amtrak to Chicago and vacation there.
3. Take Amtrak up the west coast because that's actually a pretty route.
4. Visit Portland. Will I love it?
5. Visit some of my friends who have moved out of state.
6. Accompany friends on more travel adventures.
7. Read books from every country.
Intellectual:
8. Complete my library's Keep Austin Reading 2023 challenge, but I will read a book in all 12 categories.
Creative:
9. Make yeast bread. In my own kitchen. By myself.
10. Learn to make an easy, fast-food version of a cheese Danish--maybe make real cheese filling and put it on a premade croissant or even just a piece of bread and toast it.
11. Learn to make restaurant fried rice (the flavoring is not just soy sauce).
12. Knit socks.
13. Learn to make lace.
14. Write a song.
15. Make a board game.
16. Write a book.
17. Earn some Rebel adult merit badges.
18. Design my own badges, earn them, and sew them.
19. Learn Scribus (an open-source desktop publisher) so I can start making photo/travel albums again (like I haven't since I stopped printing my photos).
20. Recover my dining room chair.
21. Try propagating basil.
Physical:
22. Get and try out bifocals.
23. Ride a nonmotorized scooter thingy.
24. Get a flattering, fabulous ball gown.
Domestic
25. Get solar roof shingles.
Not so fun list
Domestic:
1. Re-do the plumbing and maybe the wiring of my house.
2. Get rid of bamboo and other invasives and keep it gone.
3. Renovate my house (I want a dishwasher and covered parking).
4. Declutter and organize my stuff.
5. Build an ADU (aka "granny flat" aka "garage apartment") to increase housing in Austin and also collect rent and meet people.
Physical:
6. Lose weight.
7. Get in shape.
Intellectual:
8: Learn Spanish (this is taking forever)
9. Learn American Sign Language
10. Learn Python and make stuff
Social:
11. Have parties again. I have to clean and declutter and fix things. I've had recitals, art shows, pumpkin carvings. I need a will party (we talk about wills and watch the movie "A Gun, A Car, A Blonde") and a sing-along party (where you bring some favorite songs and lyric sheets) and a vegetable party (where you bring some vegetable you like and your recipe).
12. Change my Gmail address (so many stupid Debbies think they got my address).
13. Become a modern smartphone person.
14. Make an escape plan in case my country turns too horrible. Not that you can ever really escape the US.
Okay, that's a lot shorter than it feels.
Already Finished list
I've sure gotten to do a lot of things I've wanted to do already!
Intellectual:
1. Learned to read.
2. Taught someone to read (my little brother--when I was six and he was four!).
3. Earned the First Class award in Girl Scouts (thanks mostly to my Mom for encouraging me and helping despite very boring troop leaders).
4. Went to a good college. (Also got to go to a good grad school where I met people I'm still friends with today!)
Physical:
5. Learned to ride a bike. Finally!
6. Finished a 10K race in less than 100 minutes (thanks Kristen!) and then in less than an hour (thanks for the inspiration, fellow camp counselor whose name I no longer remember).
7. Learned to ski (thanks grad school friends).
8. Learned ballroom dancing (thanks to Bill and Mary for talking me into trying, Travis and Geoff for keeping me motivated, Mike and Robin for also being my partner, and especially Richard for teaching perfectly for intelligent but clumsy people).
9. Became adequate at volleyball (I sucked at PE, but thanks to Bill, Dave, and especially Geoff and his friends, I am now adequate--company picnics with volleyball games no longer strike terror into my soul).
Creative:
10. Played the piano (thanks to Mom for supplies and encouragement).
11. Played the guitar (enough to sing some songs to).
12. Got my own stereo (thanks Mom for the graduation present).
13. Learned to make cheesecake I like. And pancakes I like better than Bisquick pancakes.
14. Made a quilt (it's a small one and I did not design it myself, but I did use the same fabric as I was using for a while for a tablecloth and dining room seat covers, which was hilariously matchy-matchy).
15. Learned to knit. Knit several pretty things including hand towels and lace scarves.
16. Made jewelry - beaded necklaces (thanks, Di and Robin), gum wrapper and beaded bracelets (thanks, school chums).
Media:
17. Watched every version I come across of "I Confess," "A Christmas Carol," and "Much Ado About Nothing."
Travel:
18. Visited the Grand Canyon and hiked down into it (thanks Cindy for planning it plus all the other friends who came!)
19. Visited a foreign country. (Thanks to good peer pressure: Bob and Carl took me across the border into Mexico, Sunny invited me to Belgium/Germany/France, Lyn invited me to Switzerland/France, Todd and Sherry invited me to Norway, Robin invited me to England and The Netherlands, Mom took me on a road trip to New England and Canada, and ACC had a study-abroad class in Spain with our favorite teacher.)
20. Learned outdoor cooking: Cooked spaghetti from scratch and also had salad and cheesecake at camp (with my patrol, by which I mean with Kristen). I have also baked a cake outside in a homemade box oven fueled by charcoal.
Financial:
21. Got a real (full-time, non-temp, non-seasonal) job. Finally!
22. Worked in the education sector (thanks University of Texas at Austin for hiring me).
23. Worked up to donating 10% of my income to charitable causes.
24. Bought a house (thanks weird realtor who claimed we could buy for the same cost as renting, but who was wrong, but it has become true).
25. Retired early. On purpose. (Woo! Age 52!) (Thanks especially to all my roommates!)
Bucket List Items I Lucked Into
These are things I hadn't previously guessed I'd want to do, but did manage to take advantage of the opportunity.
Physical:
1. Grew my hair long (Dad loved long hair, now I do too).
2. Learned to swim (thanks Mom) and dive (thanks Dad).
3. Learned to canoe (paddling and poling; thanks Camp Arnold).
4. Donated blood (thanks Lisa, and that volunteer who would have been donating, but she weighed only 80 pounds, and Robin).
5. Climbed cliff faces (rock climbing and bouldering) (thanks Bill and Dave)
6. Rode in a helicopter (thanks, Robin's Uncle Don!)
Intellectual
7. Learned basic human anatomy and physiology (thanks, weird 7th grade "science" elective class that some counselor picked for me).
8. Found a food growing in the wild (adventure with Carl).
9. Cooked enough food for everyone (with my patrol) in the pouring down rain (started beanhole barbecued chicken before the rain started).
10. Played with virtual reality (thanks to Dad, Disney World, Dave, and Robin!)
Creative:
11. Learned embroidery (thanks, Mom, for teaching me and for untangling so many of my knots).
12. Acted in a play (Girl Scouts; I was a jack-in-the-box with a very small role)
13. Learned to play the recorder (7th-grade counselor picked "music" elective for me; unfortunately she also picked "study skills").
14. Got published (thanks school literary magazines and informal memoir-writing class).
15. Performed music live to an audience (thanks Dave, Bill, and Lyn for hosting and support).
Travel:
16. Saw mountains.
17. Saw the ocean.
18. Saw a volcano (that was not erupting at the time).
19. Saw things growing out of rock (thanks Enchanted Rock and Inks Lake State Park (pink granite) and NW New Mexico (black lava).
20. Visited Big Bend National Park (thanks Carl and Bob).
21. Traveled on ships (thanks cruise-loving friends) and trains.
22. Saw the Northern lights in real life (thanks Todd and Sherry!).
23. Did homework in a tree (thanks Kristen!).
Financial:
24. Sold 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies door-to-door in a single year.
25. Maxed out a Roth IRA while working full-time (as soon as it was invented, I knew it was for me!)
Fun Things
This is the list I'm using for the purpose of this challenge.
Travel:
1. Visit the Smithsonian. (I don't even know what I want to see there; I just know it's huge and amazing.)
2. Take Amtrak to Chicago and vacation there.
3. Take Amtrak up the west coast because that's actually a pretty route.
4. Visit Portland. Will I love it?
5. Visit some of my friends who have moved out of state.
6. Accompany friends on more travel adventures.
7. Read books from every country.
Intellectual:
8. Complete my library's Keep Austin Reading 2023 challenge, but I will read a book in all 12 categories.
Creative:
9. Make yeast bread. In my own kitchen. By myself.
10. Learn to make an easy, fast-food version of a cheese Danish--maybe make real cheese filling and put it on a premade croissant or even just a piece of bread and toast it.
11. Learn to make restaurant fried rice (the flavoring is not just soy sauce).
12. Knit socks.
13. Learn to make lace.
14. Write a song.
15. Make a board game.
16. Write a book.
17. Earn some Rebel adult merit badges.
18. Design my own badges, earn them, and sew them.
19. Learn Scribus (an open-source desktop publisher) so I can start making photo/travel albums again (like I haven't since I stopped printing my photos).
20. Recover my dining room chair.
21. Try propagating basil.
Physical:
22. Get and try out bifocals.
23. Ride a nonmotorized scooter thingy.
24. Get a flattering, fabulous ball gown.
Domestic
25. Get solar roof shingles.
Not so fun list
Domestic:
1. Re-do the plumbing and maybe the wiring of my house.
2. Get rid of bamboo and other invasives and keep it gone.
3. Renovate my house (I want a dishwasher and covered parking).
4. Declutter and organize my stuff.
5. Build an ADU (aka "granny flat" aka "garage apartment") to increase housing in Austin and also collect rent and meet people.
Physical:
6. Lose weight.
7. Get in shape.
Intellectual:
8: Learn Spanish (this is taking forever)
9. Learn American Sign Language
10. Learn Python and make stuff
Social:
11. Have parties again. I have to clean and declutter and fix things. I've had recitals, art shows, pumpkin carvings. I need a will party (we talk about wills and watch the movie "A Gun, A Car, A Blonde") and a sing-along party (where you bring some favorite songs and lyric sheets) and a vegetable party (where you bring some vegetable you like and your recipe).
12. Change my Gmail address (so many stupid Debbies think they got my address).
13. Become a modern smartphone person.
14. Make an escape plan in case my country turns too horrible. Not that you can ever really escape the US.
Okay, that's a lot shorter than it feels.
Already Finished list
I've sure gotten to do a lot of things I've wanted to do already!
Intellectual:
1. Learned to read.
2. Taught someone to read (my little brother--when I was six and he was four!).
3. Earned the First Class award in Girl Scouts (thanks mostly to my Mom for encouraging me and helping despite very boring troop leaders).
4. Went to a good college. (Also got to go to a good grad school where I met people I'm still friends with today!)
Physical:
5. Learned to ride a bike. Finally!
6. Finished a 10K race in less than 100 minutes (thanks Kristen!) and then in less than an hour (thanks for the inspiration, fellow camp counselor whose name I no longer remember).
7. Learned to ski (thanks grad school friends).
8. Learned ballroom dancing (thanks to Bill and Mary for talking me into trying, Travis and Geoff for keeping me motivated, Mike and Robin for also being my partner, and especially Richard for teaching perfectly for intelligent but clumsy people).
9. Became adequate at volleyball (I sucked at PE, but thanks to Bill, Dave, and especially Geoff and his friends, I am now adequate--company picnics with volleyball games no longer strike terror into my soul).
Creative:
10. Played the piano (thanks to Mom for supplies and encouragement).
11. Played the guitar (enough to sing some songs to).
12. Got my own stereo (thanks Mom for the graduation present).
13. Learned to make cheesecake I like. And pancakes I like better than Bisquick pancakes.
14. Made a quilt (it's a small one and I did not design it myself, but I did use the same fabric as I was using for a while for a tablecloth and dining room seat covers, which was hilariously matchy-matchy).
15. Learned to knit. Knit several pretty things including hand towels and lace scarves.
16. Made jewelry - beaded necklaces (thanks, Di and Robin), gum wrapper and beaded bracelets (thanks, school chums).
Media:
17. Watched every version I come across of "I Confess," "A Christmas Carol," and "Much Ado About Nothing."
Travel:
18. Visited the Grand Canyon and hiked down into it (thanks Cindy for planning it plus all the other friends who came!)
19. Visited a foreign country. (Thanks to good peer pressure: Bob and Carl took me across the border into Mexico, Sunny invited me to Belgium/Germany/France, Lyn invited me to Switzerland/France, Todd and Sherry invited me to Norway, Robin invited me to England and The Netherlands, Mom took me on a road trip to New England and Canada, and ACC had a study-abroad class in Spain with our favorite teacher.)
20. Learned outdoor cooking: Cooked spaghetti from scratch and also had salad and cheesecake at camp (with my patrol, by which I mean with Kristen). I have also baked a cake outside in a homemade box oven fueled by charcoal.
Financial:
21. Got a real (full-time, non-temp, non-seasonal) job. Finally!
22. Worked in the education sector (thanks University of Texas at Austin for hiring me).
23. Worked up to donating 10% of my income to charitable causes.
24. Bought a house (thanks weird realtor who claimed we could buy for the same cost as renting, but who was wrong, but it has become true).
25. Retired early. On purpose. (Woo! Age 52!) (Thanks especially to all my roommates!)
Bucket List Items I Lucked Into
These are things I hadn't previously guessed I'd want to do, but did manage to take advantage of the opportunity.
Physical:
1. Grew my hair long (Dad loved long hair, now I do too).
2. Learned to swim (thanks Mom) and dive (thanks Dad).
3. Learned to canoe (paddling and poling; thanks Camp Arnold).
4. Donated blood (thanks Lisa, and that volunteer who would have been donating, but she weighed only 80 pounds, and Robin).
5. Climbed cliff faces (rock climbing and bouldering) (thanks Bill and Dave)
6. Rode in a helicopter (thanks, Robin's Uncle Don!)
Intellectual
7. Learned basic human anatomy and physiology (thanks, weird 7th grade "science" elective class that some counselor picked for me).
8. Found a food growing in the wild (adventure with Carl).
9. Cooked enough food for everyone (with my patrol) in the pouring down rain (started beanhole barbecued chicken before the rain started).
10. Played with virtual reality (thanks to Dad, Disney World, Dave, and Robin!)
Creative:
11. Learned embroidery (thanks, Mom, for teaching me and for untangling so many of my knots).
12. Acted in a play (Girl Scouts; I was a jack-in-the-box with a very small role)
13. Learned to play the recorder (7th-grade counselor picked "music" elective for me; unfortunately she also picked "study skills").
14. Got published (thanks school literary magazines and informal memoir-writing class).
15. Performed music live to an audience (thanks Dave, Bill, and Lyn for hosting and support).
Travel:
16. Saw mountains.
17. Saw the ocean.
18. Saw a volcano (that was not erupting at the time).
19. Saw things growing out of rock (thanks Enchanted Rock and Inks Lake State Park (pink granite) and NW New Mexico (black lava).
20. Visited Big Bend National Park (thanks Carl and Bob).
21. Traveled on ships (thanks cruise-loving friends) and trains.
22. Saw the Northern lights in real life (thanks Todd and Sherry!).
23. Did homework in a tree (thanks Kristen!).
Financial:
24. Sold 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies door-to-door in a single year.
25. Maxed out a Roth IRA while working full-time (as soon as it was invented, I knew it was for me!)