The Bucket List

No, this post is not going to be a riveting play by play of the acclaimed 2007 film with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. That being said, it WAS a good movie and you should go watch it... after you're done reading this post, of course.

No, today, I'll be listing MY bucket list. Or at least what it used to be and what's on it now.

For those of you not familiar with the concept of a "bucket list" - first of all, have you been living under a freaking rock!? And secondly, the general premise...

General premise... Ha! That never gets old...

... is that a bucket list = all the things you want to accomplish before you kick the bucket. Sentimental, I know. But that's really the gist of it. 

That brings us to a few weeks ago. I was looking through my old high school junk. I actually have a couple of boxes in the storage closet full of stuff I'll someday go through... or, you know, haul with me everywhere I move for the next 60+ years until one day I die and my children will have to sort through it FOR me - take THAT future children whose diapers I will change and thereby need reasons to get back at you or at least use as my stereotypical scapegoats!

My house they'll have to go through when I die... NO, I'm not a hoarder, I promise!
This is my modern art piece... uh, I call it... "Barnes and Noble ate my baby"

 ... Where was I? Oh yes...
While looking through my Senior Project binder, I found the "Goals I Want to Accomplish in the Next 15 Years" list.

It was pretty entertaining to see what I've accomplished in the 7 years since I graduated high school (yes, I'm a baby... yes, I'm old! Take your pick, readers). It was also entertaining to see the few items I would now consider pretty stupid.
I know what you're going to say - "but it says 15 years - it's only been 7" - yeah I know. So I've decided to take what I had and revamp it to share with you:

• The 8 Things I've Accomplished
• The 3 Things I'll Probably Never Do
• The 10 Things I Still/Now Want to Do

 

8 Things I've Accomplished (in the past 7.5 years)

1. Get accepted to a college/university of my choice
    Now let me just say, as an honor roll student in high school - this was a REALLY creative choice for my list. Let's just call it senioritis dumbassery. It's a medical condition, I swear...
Lucky for me, I DID get accepted to a private liberal arts school close to my hometown AND it WAS, in fact, my choice to go there.

Gotta love private school - I'm sure my mom was THRILLED that I became the ever-lucrative "English Major"

 2. Get a part-time job
     Whoa there, high school me, you're so darned ambitious! Again, rather difficult but since that time, I've had not one but FIVE part-time jobs (one I still do) and now a full-time job. Go me!

3. Take theatre classes and workshops
    As a Theatre minor, this was kind of a given. But at the time, I was starting school to be a teacher... which slowly evolved into being an English major doing my MIT (masters in teaching) laaater... which became the English major, Theatre minor now glorified secretary who writes snarky blog posts and acts in/directs community theatre shows whenever possible. Guess I always knew I loved theatre...

"What do you do with a B.A. in English?..."

ps - If you got that reference, we can be friends. If you didn't... I hope you have other redeeming qualities. Like a winsome personality or a karaoke machine.

4. Buy a new car
    Ok, this one is completed more on a technicality. While not a "new" car, I just this year bought my very own used car to replace the 21 year old beater I was driving around since I got my drivers license at 16. SO, it's new to me. That counts right?

5. Graduate college with honors
    Did I mention I was an honor student in high school? Yeah, I may have been a little grade-focused when I made this list... But good news! I graduated magna cum laude from my alma mater. I'm guessing for those of you who only picked out a few key words in that sentence (namely cum and mater), you probably didn't... Come on guys! What did I tell you about those minds in the gutter?

6. Learn to drive a motorcyle
    This wonderful bucket list item was shortly followed by a NEW bucket list item - "learn to CRASH a motorcyle" - good times... To be fair, I just laid it on its side... twice... and broke the side mirror... and road burned by ankle so now there's a nasty keloid scar... Ok, moving on!

Let's just say I'm not too keen to be driving a "donor-cycle" again any time soon

7. Parachute from an Airplane

    Just gonna throw out that I'm not sure why the "from an airplane" indicator was needed. But hey, I've completed this one twice! Want the proof (and why it's awesome) - see this blog post! Now don't backtalk me young man! You go read it now! ...Ok, good.

8. Get married

    Woo! Done! Check it off the list! ... No, I didn't get married JUST because the list said so... for reals... I kind of love him and stuff...

 

3 Things That WERE on My List that I don't really care about now

1. Learn how to surf

    While the idea of surfing does sound cool, I've decided with my particular distaste of the ocean (and things living IN the ocean), I don't mind taking this one off the list...

Ha...ha... no, really, that's ok. You go on without me.

2. Scuba dive in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as the Gulf of Mexico

    Ok, so for this one, I will say that I DO actually have my scuba diving license. The down side, though, is that I learned "how to SCUBA" in landlocked Eastern Washington which meant doing the written course and then the practical learning in a pool followed by my final test dive in a large lake. 

I did really enjoy it though. I would like to do it again someday - but the equipment is on the expensive side since I don't own it AND at this point I'd probably have to do a refresher course. 

But overall, if I don't scuba dive in all the water surrounding the United States, I think I'll be ok.

3. Attend a high school reunion

    High school on the brain much? Let's blame it on the "beer" goggles known as graduating in a month and already missing my friends. Though I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to going to a high school reunion, I don't know that I'd care much if I missed them either... Just being honest.

So, I was going to do a picture like THIS:

But decided against it.

So we're going to go with this one instead since at least everyone will understand it...

Bitchy? Perhaps... True? Hell yes.

And FINALLY we come to a small compilation of my current Goals in Life - or Bucket List, as it were.

                    

10 Things Currently on My Bucket List

Though I'm sure there are many more - both practical and boring as well as exciting, daring things I just can't think of off the top of my head. But here's what I have at the moment:

                

Travel Related:

                 

1. Go on a Cruise!

    We considered this for our Honeymoon but decided to save our money for a bit. I'm hoping, though, once our loans are paid off (or close) - don't worry, only 2-3 years away, we're focused! - we can celebrate with a cruise. I'd actually really like to do a summer Alaskan cruise sometime - I hear it's beautiful.
 

Um... but maybe not THAT cruise-line...

 

2. Visit New York and Washington D.C.

    Though I'm sure there are many wonderful U.S. locations to visit (I've been to a few - Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, New Orleans, podunk Washington) - I'd especially like to see these two both for their historical and entertainment qualities.

                             

3. See a Broadway show (or more than one!)

    Going hand-in-hand with the New York trip, you HAVE to see a Broadway show. Or, at least, I do. As a theatre person this is one of the 10 Holy Commandments of Theatritude. So unless I want Babs herself to come down from Heaven and strike me down for my heathen ways, it must be done at some point in my life... Wait... Barbara Streisand is still alive... Well, still!

Wrong Babs... Though that one would come down from Heaven and strike me down too...

 

4. Tour Europe

    Especially England, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy! I've already been to London and would LOVE to go back. Or live there. Definitely go back AND live there. But of all the places in the world I'd like to visit, Europe is top of the list. Cliche? Perhaps. But in the words of the immortal Rhett Butler, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." 

               

Creativity Related:

 

 5. Taking Lessons - Singing, Dancing and Creative Writing
     In the attempt at personal improvement, I'd like to get better in the creative areas I enjoy - singing, dancing (acting), writing and so on. So at some point, I'd like to take lessons for these things. Pretty much as simple as that.
                          
6. Finish a novel (and try to get it published)
    So... I've been working on various stories since I was in the 6th grade. I often have novel ideas and have even gotten pretty far on a couple. Then, of course, I get self-conscious and wrapped up in editing my work and end up scrapping the whole thing... but you know. Whatever.
SO one of these days I would like to ACTUALLY complete one of my stories and perhaps get it published.

 

7. Write a play (and try to get it publish)

    This one I actually HAVE done - I wrote a play for my high school senior project and directed it for a weekend of performances. And I LOVED it. I'd love to write another play or two. I have some particularly fun ideas with modernizing Shakespeare comedies... just saying.

8. Direct at least 10 shows in 15 years

    They say goals are supposed to measurable and attainable and all that other crap right? Well there you go - a specific number of shows I'd like to play a hand in directing. Luckily, I've done a few directing and assistant directing gigs so far and looking forward to a couple/few this season as well. It's gonna be Totally Awesome! And for everyone who knows me, know that I'm an awesome director mostly because I'm really good at being bossy. Comes with the firstborn territory.

 

 

Also, I'm dead sexy...

           

Home Related:

          

9. Be Debt Free!

    Remember that earlier point about attending a private liberal arts college? And the fact that I came out with an English Major, Theatre Minor? And the fact that I met my husband at college so we BOTH have fairly ginormous college loan debt? Good times.

In better news though, staying on a zero-budget (Dave Ramsey program, baby!) we're working on becoming debt free! Making our money work for us instead of being in debt until we have our own kids' college to think about... As it is, we have less than half our original debt amount, NO credit cards (and refuse to) and no car payments! So in another 2-3 years of throwing money at the beast, otherwise known as Alma Mater (be good, guys), we will be debt free! So definitely looking forward to that.

 

10. Have midgets (aka children)

... though there's nothing wrong with midgets. Midgets are fine too... actually it may be better if we have midgets given my dad's seeming affinity for people of little stature. Ok, I'm going to stop saying midgets now before the Political Correct Police (PCP... wait a minute...) come after me.

Not everyone wants kids and that's ok, but I always have wanted at least 2 kids to torment in the appropriate parental way - aka excellent mom jeans and dad jokes. We're gonna rock it.

 



 

And that's it! That I can think of. At the moment...
So, let me know what you think in the comments - like my bucket list? Think I'm missing something super important? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks all! Until next time... stay awesome (I'm just going to assume you are. So, you know, try and live up to your potential ok?)

This isn't Flying, it's Falling With Style!

Think of the #1 thing on your bucket list. Ok, let's be real for a moment - the #1 thing on pretty much EVERYONE'S bucket lists...

Yeah, you know the one...

SKYDIVING!

aka, Roller Coaster on Steroids   
aka, Falling With Style (thank you Buzz & Woody... guys, I said don't make it weird!)



You ask most people what's one thing they'd like to do before they die (kick the bucket) and unless they have an incapacitating fear of heights, they'll say Skydiving.

And I can tell you from experience - it's freaking awesome!
So awesome, in fact, I went twice! (no, not in the same day - though if you're willing to pay for it, most places will let you).

I mean, let's face it, where else can you get GORGEOUS pictures like this?

So today I'm going to tell you, in great story-telling fashion, why skydiving is totally awesome and you should do it (if you want to).

Sorry (not sorry) - Couldn't help it...

RISING ACTION

Before you fall, you must fly.
Deep, right? I know - I'm all poetic and shit. But really you literally, and I do mean LITERALLY, have to fly up before you jump out at 12,000 feet. At least when doing it the normal way - there are other crazy ways to parachute, base jumping and such but since I haven't done those (yet), we'll stick to the basic parachuting experience.
Also, before you can learn to jump solo (many lessons and jumps later), you must take that first initial Tandem Jump.
That's right - strap on that tall, muscly man like a teddy bear backpack and jump for it, beetches!

Preparing for Parachuting

Let's just assume you've already made the decision and set the appointment at your local dive-school.

Step #1 - You're gonna pay!
No, really. Skydiving is a bit spendy (if you're poor or a college student... so same thing). My jump cost around $250 on it's own. That doesn't include the pictures OR video OR BOTH you can purchase separately for another $80-150... Plane fuel costs money guys, get over it.
In any case, be prepared to shell out the dough for that adrenaline-pumping bucket list fulfillment.

Step #2 - Sign your life away
Watch a video about the many potential dangers of parachuting and sign your life away. No, for reals. You have to sign a liability waiver saying you understand the dangers and want to do the dangerous thing anyway. That you take FULL responsibility and promise not to sue them if you die. That sort of thing...

Step #3 - How to: Fall in Style
Not scared away yet? Good. Now just a few more HOURS of the boring junk before your 2 minutes of awesome. Haha, you think I'm joking? That's cute...

The training portion itself probably only takes about an hour, if that - learning how swing back and forth (while attached at the hips and shoulders to some random dude you just met) before swinging OUT OF THE PLANE, how to position your body (yep, the dude is still there...), how to arch properly (just ignore him), and all those other important things, like where the backup 'chute is in case the main one malfunctions (aka Farts in your General Direction [insert Ted and Robin salute here], ok, I'll stop, I promise), and how to land without breaking your legs... All the good stuff.

It's the waiting that's the biggest pain in the ass. Again, I mean that literally... Or I guess, more accurately, biggest pain in the crotch:

He's smiling now... but 2 hours of that harness pinching his junk will tell a different story...

Pay the fees, wait your turn then watch your video and sign your life away, wait, meet your instructor. Wait. Watch the 2, 3, 4, groups before you go up in the plane (20 minutes up) and jump (2 minutes down - each), wait some more. In the harness. All the goodness.
Wait, what's that!? You've got the excited/nervous pees? Hahaha... Boys, you've got it slightly easier there... Girls, better take off that harness and put it back on when you're done. Oh yeah, then wait some more.

Step #4 - the MOST anxious plane ride
FINALLY, your turn and you get on the little plane. Cram in there like sardines and, oh yeah, scoot that booty right close to your instructor's business (aka random guy you just met, up close and inside the personal bubble... hey! I said, stop making it weird!)
Don't worry, in a few minutes you get to strap your hips to his and your shoulder straps to his too.

Nice and snug? Oh and there's another few people in your lap? Yep, sounds about right.
Hope you're comfy. Remember that 20 minute plane ride I told you about?
Yeah... It takes around 20 minutes to get up to altitude before you get to jump - that's about 12,000 feet. WOO!

So might as well take a selfie:

... while sitting in your Random Dude's lap...

   

CLIMAX

Like any good story - it's got to have an epic climax! (Oy! Don't make me tell you again... I will turn this car around!)
What goes up must come down. And that means out the door, unless you chicken out or have health issues and thereby turn the trip into the most disappointing plane ride you've ever had...

Side note! Did you know if you talk too much while riding the plane up, you can have a lack of oxygen issue due to the high altitudes called hypoxia where you start to feel faint and like you're going to pass out... yeah. Me either. Until it happened on Round 2 (don't worry - I went back up with the next group after my disappointing plane ride and got to jump again).
You've been warned - keep the chit-chat to a minimum. Don't worry, you have other things to think about - like how you're about to WILLINGLY jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

The Jump

This is it! The climactic moment you've trained for (a couple hours still counts!). The moment when for a solid 10 seconds (in my professional estimate), you get that feeling of weightlessness and flood of adrenaline. So basically, the 10 seconds you just paid $350 for (plus pics). The RUSH.

HOLY SHITBALLS WHAT THE F-HELL WAS I THINKING - GAAAAHHHH!

Yeah, also pretty much guaranteed you're going to make a sexy face like this the first time out. Just saying...

I will say this, though. Those first 10 seconds of falling... Totally worth it! The feeling is similar to the first time you're on a roller coaster and go over that first big hill. That drop in your stomach. Except times twenty!
Pretty sure this is the moment I acknowledged I could easily be an adrenaline junkie.
It's scary, and crazy and so incredibly fun.

    

FALLING ACTION

After that first 10 seconds of awesome comes the fall. The less-awesome-but-still-pretty-cool moments of air rushing by your head as you plummet from 12,000 feet (sometimes higher).

This is the Free-fall.

Imagine driving on the freeway... ok, fine, make it legal - the Autobahn - at 115 mph with your head out the window. Except instead of traveling forward, you're falling DOWN. That's probably fairly similar to how it feels.
 

It's pretty common for your mouth to dry out - as the wind is blowing by you so fast - yeah, your lips might be fluttering and smacking around a bit. That happens.

Similarly, as you work hard to remember those arm and feet positions (your body becomes a C - where your back is the curved part) and that arch, the air is SUPER loud as it blows by your ears.

You might find yourself smiling a lot at the exhilaration, and the funny way it tickles when the air rushes up your nose...

In other words - making for REALLY GORGEOUS pictures.


So this part of the free-fall, not including the awesome first 10 seconds, is overall just ok. Loud, and whooshing (yes it's a verb - I just decided!), and a rush - all in all, lasts about a minute or so.
In and of itself, kind of boring.

So when people tell you to go indoor skydiving instead - "it's not as dangerous and just as fun!"
That's what you'll be getting. The boring part of the free-fall without the awesome view...

Hey Tiffany! I can see right down your shirt!!! WOOO...

... Well I guess it depends on your expectation of "view"...

So now that you've dropped from 12,000 or so feet to around 2,500 feet (give or take) in a matter of a couple minutes, it's time to pop that parachute.

Parachuting

The instructor (Random Dude you've come quite close to now...) pulls the ripcord. The parachute opens. You descend in a slower, more scenic ride down.

 

Give or take.
Just know when the parachute opens, without getting too technical, it yanks your whole freaking body upwards.

Have you ever, as a child, been picked up by your overall straps? No? Just me?
Ok, well it's somewhat like that. The entirety of your body weight grabbed up by the shoulders.

See, wasn't just me...

Yeah, and remember that beautiful harness? Guess where the pressure is... You've got it! Pinching on the inner leg/crotch area again.
Luckily, it's not too long - another 5 minutes or so as you float your way down.

Also, you're likely going to do some turns and maybe even a steep spiral or two (yay pinching the crotch and making your leg go dead for a second)
It really is a lot of fun though.

Also, for those more nervous - know your instructor handles the "driving" as you're in the air. You might get a chance to hold some secondary handles, but keep in mind it's the Random Dude that makes sure you come in for a safe landing.

Then, as you come to the end of the "fall" - you either walk it in with the dude stradle-walking behind you OR you slide in on your butt, feet in front of you. Don't worry, the instructor dude will tell you either way.

Safely on the ground again. See, that wasn't so bad!

So, unless you really WANT to play it the safe way...

... I'd say suck it up and strap on that tall, muscly man-backpack.
Honestly, it was one of the best experiences! (actually skydiving - not the floor-hugging crap that lady is doing)

Would I do it again?
Hells yes! If I had the money (and time), I would love to take the course (longer and more training) to learn to jump solo. That would be so awesome!

Would I recommend others do it?
Yes, but...
And what I mean by that is this. If you WANT to skydive, and so long as you KNOW the risks, I think you should do it. It's really amazing and seriously one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life that I'm sure others would also (and do) enjoy.

That being said - know the dangers, know what it costs, and know if you really want to go.
Also, for the sake of your crotch, don't wear jeans... 

Good luck and happy flying... achem... FALLING! (with style, of course, always with style)

You know you want to look THIS sexy with a Random Dude on your back too!

My first Tandem Jump... but not my last!

Thanks for reading! Have any other suggestions to add to my bucket list? I'd love to hear them in the comments below!

I'll be making my Official Bucket List post at some point soon - going over my list I made in high school, which ones I've done so far (like skydiving) and what my list has evolved to now! So keep an eye out for that one as it comes up!