So on the way to Italian class awhile back, I realized that I was going to be turning twenty five soon and wondered just what I wanted to do with my life. This year, I've done a lot of growing and changing - I've got my own place, I landed my dream job, I made friends and really, just all in all, I had a very good year. But there are so many things I still want to do, so what better way to celebrate a milestone birthday than by finally taking the plunge to do them?
Wow, I realize now that I have gained a lot of crazy passions in my quarter of a century. Here's my list:
#1 Travel. Go somewhere across the Atlantic. I went to Australia as a kid, but I've always wanted to go to Europe. I'm thinking Italy or Ireland.(DONE!)- #2 Road-trip. Junk food and classic rock music are a must. (Planning for New Year's!)
#3 Read. I joined a book club, but aside from those books, I'd like to read at least 10 books on my own.(DONE!)- #4 Be Happy in My Work. I love my job and I want to try to get even better at it - to be the best darn Editorial Assistant ever.
#5 Apples. I want to go apple picking. I've never been. Maybe I'll go while I'm reading some Robert Frost poems.DONE!#6 Cook. I want to learn how to make a full meal that's out of my ordinary realm of recipes.(DONE!)#7 Friends. Spend more time with friends. That seems like a cop-out answer, but these days, having a social life is much harder than it was in college. I have some incredible friends, but don't get to spend enough time talking to or seeing them.(DONE AND STILL DOING!)#8 Concert. Go to a concert regardless of what anyone thinks of the band/singer/performer. I have kind of off-beat taste in music and don't often go to concerts. So I want to go see one I love no matter what.(Glen Campbell, 6/4/2011)#9 Write. I was originally going to say "write something I'm proud of" but that is so vague and silly (and probably won't happen). I love writing, but often I leave my projects abandoned. So this would be write something and actually finish it or maybe start a writing project every month. Maybe even submit something to a publisher!(Won NaNoWriMo this November!)#10 Bed and Breakfast. One thing I've always wanted to do - spend a weekend at a serene bed and breakfast with no phone, no internet, just me and some books to read and maybe some writing. And lots of coffee and maybe a hammock.(DONE in Edinburgh!)- #11 Ice Skating. This might sound a bit silly, but I've never been ice skating. I want to at least try at some point in my life.
- #12 Italian. I'm taking an Italian class now, which I'd like to continue and keep practicing.
#13 Train. Every day I ride the train to work and I'd like to make friends with one or two of my fellow commuters. If for no other reason than just to say hello. I'm horribly shy and don't talk to people I don't know, but who knows what could happen?(DONE!!! - update to come)- #14 Dance.
I am horribly uncoordinated. Somehow Catherine convinced me we should take a salsa class. Not so sure how I feel about this.(Done!) #15 Wine. I was never a big fan of wine (I'm more of a beer drinker), but lately I've been trying a few that I've really liked and I went to some wineries in California. I'd like to go to some more wineries and learn a bit more, at least enough to know what to order without the waiter giving me a funny look.(Done!)#16 Passion. Okay, my biggest passion is for classic movies. I love them. I kind of want to do some sort of movie challenge, like 100 films in 100 days and write about all of them. I'm thinking that will be my summer challenge. We'll see how that goes!(DONE - update to come)#17 Passion Part II. TCM hosts a film festival in Los Angeles and I'd love, love, love to go. With the trip to Ireland though, I'm not sure if I can swing it in 2011, but we'll see. Maybe instead I'll host an East Coast version for my friends and watch a bunch of old movies. That could be even better!(Purchased my Pass for the TCM Film Festival 2012!!)-
#18 Volunteer. I used to volunteer more before I had a 9-5 job, but really, that's no excuse to stop. I want to find a place where I can spend some time maybe once a month helping out and giving back.(Participated in Light the Night and am signing up with the humane society after the new year) #19 Family. Spend more time with my family. Again, a sort of cop-out, but as I'm living away from them now, I want to spend more time with them.(Family Reunion - DONE)#20 Education. I feel uneducated about important things like history and politics and headlines. I want to take time to read a newspaper every week and maybe even take another class.(DONE - and still going)- #21 Horses. I went on a few horseback riding trials when I was a kid - you know those ones where you have a guide and a bunch of tourists just go around a bit. According to Catherine, that doesn't count as real riding, so I'd like to get back in the saddle.
- #22 Put Myself Out There.
Self-explanatory? Okay, so I have trouble meeting new people and I can be really shy (although my friends would probably disagree). So I'm going to make a commitment to go out there, meet people, maybe even join an online dating site. We'll see what happens!(DONE! & Still Going!) - #23 Karaoke.
One exception here - my friend's getting married in April and having karaoke at the reception, so this particular challenge needs to happen before that so I won't be as nervous come the reception.(DONE!) - #24 The City, Hon. I'd love to do a tour of Baltimore and see all the places I've wanted to visit and find out where my grandfather used to live.
#25 Number 25 is TBD just to keep things interesting, so stay tuned!(I decided to make this "do something out of your comfort zone." I think flying an airplane counts!)
Can Catherine and I both make it to 25 in 2011? We're starting on 1/1/11 and ending 12/31/11 - wish us luck!
