I never really have had a bucket list, but there’s a lot of things I’d like to do in my life that I’ve just never put on paper. Most of the bucket list things I have to do are travel related, there isn’t a whole lot of the typical “skydiving” or “go to Paris” that people tend to usually have on their lists, I prefer doing slightly offbeat things, or going places that are off the beaten track from typical tourist routes. I have been to Paris, it was cool, but it was never really a bucket list thing for me in the first place.
I want to go back to Africa again. I visited Morocco with my mother briefly, as a day trip when we were staying in Spain. However, they put us on the tourist route and pretty much chaperoned us around the city and had us heckled by like 3,000 street vendors on purpose. Morocco was cool, but it is again one of the most heavily tourist tracked cities in North Africa. I really want to visit Kenya, Ghana, Namibia and South Africa, and kind of go on a slightly more open visitation that isn’t just items that are meant for tourist eyes only.
Another travel related thing, but I want to go to Siberia as well. I find it extremely interesting how much culture, and atypical factors that this region holds. Whether it be the presence of Tibetan Buddhists, Chinese influence, and just the scenery itself.
I’d also like to live in a different part of the world for at least six months. While I’ve visited places, I always think it’s a crucial part of development to be exposed to different cultures for longer periods of time.
I really want to see Dire Straits live. One of my favorite bands, and both of my parents like them as well. I only have a couple of friends who like this kind of music as much as I do, which is really a shame. I’m not even sure if they still tour.
Another bucket list item I have is that I’d like to go sailing somewhere. I just think boats are cool…..
This assignment asks if we ever made a mental bucket list of things we ever seriously or jokingly wanted to do. Heck, I live by lists. Lists for the grocery store, lists for what to do tomorrow, tonight, this month, next month, for you, for me, for the dog. Wait–I don’t have a dog! Darn lists…. If I don’t keep a list, then it all gets stuck in my brain. So out it comes, out of the brain and into my phone, on the back of a receipt or on the printout of my weekly Outlook calendar.
Today, I’ll do another run of My Bucket List. Let’s call it 65.1, since it’s the first one this year of my birth. The Assignment, Number 1738, calls for at least five things to put down on this list. Easy peasy. But this list is getting more time- and health-sensitive and has changed since I’ve accomplished many items from previous lists. My bucket isn’t bottomless anymore.
The cool part of all this is that even though my bucket list isn’t bottomless, I’ve filled it over and over again for decades. What fun it has been! What Joy! Now, even though Age is plugging it up, that’s okay. It’s just a different phase. Now, I’m looking for the penultimate experiences, the second to last of all my grandest experiences. There will still be the Ultimate experiences yet to come! But I do need to plan a little bit and be realistic. I have dozens of years left but health could rear its ugly head so its time to pack everything in and get serious! As one friend suggested, if I have 20 items on my travel list but I can only go to one great place every year, that means I have to stay healthy and financially capable for the next 20 years! Is that realistic? No one knows, so I will plan as if I will be fine for 20 more years. Will I travel by myself, or can I count on someone to go with me each and every time? This is all very real now, compared to when I was 17 and heading to Alaska on an adventure by myself for a month with no agenda, no plan. God willing, I’ll get this bucket emptied and with a lot of fun and the Joy of Travel and Experiences and “Gettin’ ‘Er Done”:
When thinking about this list, it needed to be a variety of activities that is away from my future work which will be more sedentary and close to home. My daily life will encompass writing and gardening, so I need to expand in every other direction. I hope a few ideas on this list will entice my family and friends to join me so the anticipation before the events and the memories can all be shared with someone else.
A section of my gardens that keep me busy all year
It was not hard to develop the list because most of these ideas have been in my head, talked around and about with my people, and some have even been written down in various forms. What is different at this time of my life is how I approach a bucket list. There may be constraints and restraints ahead so I need to get in the more arduous, physically demanding ones now, before I end up making accommodations.
FYI, I did look at the examples in the Assignment Bank, but I’m simply in a different place in my life and needed to step back and think about what a bucket list really means to me. I’m not thinking about settling down and raising a family, creating a career, buying a home, starting a business–been there, done all of that. I’m in the fulfillment phase of doing whatever I feel like doing, so as long as I get out of bed every day, take my vitamins and continue to make some contribution to this world, it is a good day.
So eventually we are all going to die. That sucks, right? Well, I guess if nothing else can be done to stop our inevitable demise we can at least figure out some of the things we want to do before we die. One way one can accomplish this is by writing a bucket list.
Here is a bucket list of 5 items I have created.
1) Go to Australia.
I used to want to move to Australia when I was little and now I kind of feel obligated to my past self to at least go and visit it once.
2) Get a book published.
My dream job would be to be an author. I would like to get over my dislike of sharing my work and try and publish a book one day. However, I still won’t let anyone around me know I have accomplished this, so they don’t seek my book out and judge it. Though I will still have to come up with a fun pseudonym to write under.
3) Own a unique pet.
Most people have cats and dogs. At some point in my life, I would like to own an unusual pet, be it a snake or chameleon or something equally out of the ordinary.
4) Learn how to ride a motorcycle.
It just seems like it would be something cool to know how to do. Besides, I do look awesome in motorcycle jackets.
5) Eventually be able to live without COVID restrictions.
This one isn’t really on me, but it’s been going on for years now and every time I think we might finally be heading back to the way things used to be there also suddenly seems to be a new variant. I would like for life to eventually go back to normal, so the universe better grant my wish before I die!
In the words of Bob Ross from The Joy of Painting, “You need the dark in order to show the light”. In this case, we need the looming darkness of death in order to help show us all of the incredible things we can do with our lives.
This was from the assignment bank as the That Bucket List Though assignment.
Pop Art – Roy Lichtenstein WHAAM! (diptych), 1984 (1963) | Lithograph | Sold for $21,250
Graphing A Story
Every great story has a rise, a fall, and a conclusion. But not every story has them in that order. Some stories have characters starting off poor and end up wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. Some stories follow the demise of powerful individuals or regimes by incredible ordinary people. Stories are designed to sell you on an interaction or experience someone has encountered and make you feel as though you were with them every step of the way. Feeling every emotion they felt, breathing every breath they took. good storytelling is more than starting from nothing and gaining everything. Good storytelling should invoke feelings of great empathy, true fear, and never-ending wonderment.
Kurt Vonnegut’s “Story Shapes” help facilitate a visual understanding of how stories are told. This conceptual idea of graphing the ups and downs of important story moments is not new, but nevertheless fascinating. when taking a look at the graphs of Cinderella, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones, they are similar, yet different. Each movie begins with a nobody, that nobody finds a purpose, discovers something about either themselves or the world around them, and makes out victorious in the end, triumphing over evil.
For my chosen additional article to read, I chose The History and Evolution of Pop art by Heritage Editorial. The art of the 80s has always been so captivating. From the bright, bold colors to the subtle glances into the dark, capitalistic mindsets of Americans nationwide. Founded through an obsession with consumerism and POPular culture, Pop Art paved the way for new artists to expose the American people’s true habits and beliefs. As far as the article structure goes, the Kurt Vonnegut Shape Graph would look like a high frequency waveform. Bouncing up and down quickly between history lessons on certain artists and locations of new art styles.
When asked to analyze similar 1980s concepts, Pop Art influenced the entire decade. Glorifying popular movie stars and painting soup cans displayed America’s ever-growing interest in mass-produced goods and the entertainment lifestyle we consume. Storytelling through pictures and collages (Rauschenberg, Johns, Rosenquist) helps sear the idea of combined realities into the everyday American citizen. The 1980s were a time of freedom and bold thinking. For every citizen living their day no differently, there were 4 others trying to live life on their own terms. It is my opinion that I believe in the 1980s, we were more likely to take care of one another. neighborhoods could be walked alone at night with no fear, parents and kids lived happy and ignorant to the world around them. In today’s age, every single aspect of how America is run is being shoved in your face, no matter your age. The 1980s had James Rosenquist, we have Banksy. Both artists represent a side of the country we do not want to see or hear about.
The article did an excellent job providing historical storytelling with real examples of the artists’ work; Not being bogged down by artistic lingo or droning anecdotes about irrelevant information.
Writing Done Right
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
– Marcus Aurelius
Another Day
When faced with another day, we grow with anticipation or anxiety. Excitement or dread. What could happen today? Anything. A dog being walked by their owner could walk right up and demand love from a complete stranger. The love of your life could be having breakfast on the same street you decided to take your car to for an oil change. I see a world of endless possibilities. I see a cloudy day filled with endless sunlight just waiting around the corner. Trees, flowers, old brick buildings; they all remain stagnant, waiting for an outside force to change them. Maybe change comes from within. Maybe growth lies in the realization that with every new day, you will experience excitement instead of dread.
– C.M.
Facing Your Fears
How many people can you name with a fear of heights? A lot, right? What about spiders? Way too many. Hell, even snakes or crawl spaces. We all know someone that can stand any of these (rightfully so) terrifying things. But I believe I have a fear that is quite unique. Would you like to know what that fear might be?
Moths.
Yep. Moths. The tiny, little, rejected butterflies that live off that delectable lamp light. Here is what I think goes through a moth’s head when they have the audacity to be in my presence…
Ah, what a beautiful summers night it is. All my friends are flying around, having the time of their lives, smacking their heads against the Johnson’s newest porch light. It really is the nicest on the block, let me tell you. Oh, what is that? That person opened their door to let their dog out. It has some weird perm haircut. I don’t understand this whole “1980s aesthetic” these people are doing these days. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to see what the ~inside~ lifestyle is like. Fantastic, flew right in with no problems at all. It’s so strange how my flight pattern is so sporadic and uncomfortably fast compared to the other bugs that I’m friends with. Oh well, its what makes me unique I suppose.
Wow! He has ANOTHER light on upstairs in his tiny mirror room, I want to go check it out! OH MY GOD, HE LOCKED ME IN HERE WITH HIM, WHY WOULD HE DO THAT??? I HAVE TO ESCAPE! The only way I know how to escape is to continuously fly into him until he agrees to open the door! Why is he swinging at me??? I’m just trying to leave this terrifying predicament I have gotten myself into!
Oh hey, he’s grabbing a 1985 GQ magazine to hit the door open w-
Poem Parody
An 80s rendition of The Door in the Dark by Robert Frost:
In going from street to street at night, I rode hastily on my Schwinn, But little did I know what I would win, Getting to a friends for an overnight. An Atari game system lay untouched, And hit me with a feeling as though I got punched, My body posture quite crunched. Time and space doesn't matter
when the level I need to beat requires a ladder.
- C.M.
That Bucket List Though
No better time then now to create a list of things I’ve always wanted to do…
Visit a new country with my wife
Exploring new places is fun regardless but when you have someone special with you to enjoy it with, that makes the entire trip more memorable.
Get a tattoo
I have always wanted a tattoo in honor of a special person to me and hopefully one day I will pull the trigger and make an appointment.
Start my own company
Whether it be a clothing company, inventing a new product, or building new homes out of crazy materials, it is a dream of mine.
Design my own custom dream garage
I love cars and having a dream garage completely outfitted with workbenches, cabinets, and car lifts would be amazing.
Go to a drive-in movie in my Jeep
I’ve never been to a drive-in movie and my vehicle would be perfect for it.
Weekly Summary
This week has not been easy. Many personal things have come up, hindering my ability to work on any of my school work. But once I started it, I really got the ball rolling and finished it all within a days work load.
First, I started the readings and watched the assigned videos. I really enjoyed the Shapes of Stories video by Kurt Vonnegut. It was an excellent visual tool to better understand iconic story structure. These readings and videos better helped me understand what makes a story important.
Second, I applied what I learned from the readings and videos to the Pop Art article I read. Breaking down articles by story structure was new to me but it was fascinating learning about the history of Pop Art and how the artists shaped art as we know it today.
Third, I started on my four written assignments for the week. My first assignment was “Another Day” where we had to talk about going outside and observing what is around us and what it could mean. I took that opportunity to look into what a day can provide for you mentally, rather than physically. My second written assignment had me write a story from the perspective of what I fear most. That fear being moths. Moths terrify me because they have no expected flight path and that terrifies me. I need to know what bugs and animals are doing or else it sketches me out. They also love to only touch me when they fly into a crowded room. Nobody else.
My third assignment was to parody a famous poem. I perused the internet for a little bit to find a great poem that wasn’t too short and wasn’t too long. I finally decided on Robert Frost’s “The Door in the Dark” poem. I put my own 1980s spin on it with my favorite old video game system, Atari.
This week had its ups and downs but it ended on a good note and I am thankful for that. looking forward to what next week brings.
For this assignment, we are to make a bucket list of things we want to do and why they are on your list. I’ve made bucket list before, and for the most part have accomplished all of them. For example, I wanted to jump out of airplanes and now I do with the Army. When … Continue reading “That bucket list though”
I want to begin this post by saying I tend to weep pretty easily but SHEESH. Reflecting on the struggles I have had getting to my final semester of college and the sacrifices I have made to make other people happy was tough but I am glad I took some time out to set some goals for myself as vague as they may be.
Graduate with my Bachelor degree– while this seems pretty simple and self-explanatory for someone who is literally enrolled at college this has not been a simple goal for me. I’m a first-generation college student who didn’t start taking classes until I was 24 years old. I’ve work at my degree taking just a few classes each semester and in the nearly 8 years it has taken me to reach this point I have: gotten married and divorced, started a committed relationship and had to end that relationship, and moved countless times. In other words, its been damn hard to get here
Move – this seems silly because like I just said I have moved a lot in the last 8 years but not once have I moved for myself, if that makes sense. I relocated to live with my husband and then boyfriends and then because those relationships ended so when I say “move” I mean “MOVE FOR ME”. I’d like to move to DC as it has been a dream of mine for a long time that has never happened.
Travel – As I mentioned in my introduction video I am not a traditional aged student (I’ll be 32 in June) and I have spent a great deal of time trying to find my place in life but now that I am nearly finished with my degree and about to embark on the next leg of my life I want to travel.
Hike more of the Appalachian Trail – This item is more a long-term item. For several years now I have been hiking small sections of the AT when I get the chance but with my time in school coming to a close and no relationship to slow me down presently I aim to hike a LOT more and try to actually cross some states off the list.
Love myself- Silly as this may sound this is a bucket list item for me. Making peace with myself has been a slow progress that I intend to keep working on for the foreseeable future.
I have some many things that I have want to do in the future that when I saw that creating a bucket list could be one of my assignments, I was so excited to be able to write them all down! I am so excited to travel and experience so many different things in my life so I am going to list my top 10 that I have not done yet and still want to experience. This is not in any type of order!
Skydiving (planning on going with my roommate this spring)
Travel around Europe (kind of like backpacking)
Go on a mission trip
Go to all 50 states
Visit Australia (Literally my dream vacation)
Go to a Late Night TV Taping (Preferably James Cordon)
Go on a wild life safari
Go up in a hot air ballon
See all 8 wonders of the world (I have already seen The Colosseum)
Touch 6 out of 7 Continents and swim in 4 out of 5 Ocean (Probably my number 1)
I had a lot of fun being able to finally write out some of the things that are on my mental bucket list!
I remember when I was younger, my best friend, Kay, and I would constantly be coming up with bucket lists for us to complete. I actually still have a few of the ones we made tucked away somewhere at my parents house. Kay and I would spend all of our free time checking items off our list until we completed the list and had to start a new one.
I chose this assignment because I thought it would be fun to reminisce on my childhood and also to come up with a new list for me to try and accomplish as an adult. So here is my new and improved Bucket List:
Go skydiving–I have wanted to go skydiving for as long as I can remember. My dad was in the navy so he had to go through training and one of the things he had to do was jump out of a plane. He would always tell me and my sister stories about it when we were younger which is what started my want to go myself. The ultimate goal would be going skydiving with my dad but I’m not sure I could convince him to go now.
Go to Greece–Traveling the world is one of my biggest dreams. My grandfather always took my mom and her sisters all over Europe when they were younger so I grew up hearing stories about all the places they got to go and my mom’s favorite was always Greece. I would love to be able to backpack around Greece and Rome at some point in my life.
Run a marathon–I have never been the best runner. Both my parents are triathletes so you would think I would be a good runner but unfortunately, the running gene did not get passed down to me. That does not prevent me from trying to run though! A long-term goal for me is to be able to run at least one marathon before I die.
Visit every National Park in the United States—I am a huge outdoors person. I love hiking, mountain biking, and just being outside in general. So far I have been to 2 national parks in the US, Shenandoah and Acadia. I want to hike a mountain in every national park and take a picture at every summit. I am hoping to add another park to my list after this summer is over!
Try at least 5 exotic foods–I’m going to be honest, I am the worst at trying new foods. I am a very picky eater to say the least. I am also dairy-free and don’t eat red meat so it’s hard for me to find food I can eat. But I am determined to broaden my food horizons and try new foods! I would also not complain if trying exotic foods meant I got to travel to exotic places
I hope you enjoyed my bucket list!
PS: This post is worth 2 points…10 points to go for the week!
One clever assignment I found was to create a bucket list of at least five things you want to do in your life. I felt like this assignment was calling me out because (recently) I have been saying all of the things I want to do, but have never taken the time to write them down. (“well, now is the time to stop messing around and actually make a bucket list.”)
There are a lot of things that I have said I wanted to do over the years, and all of them I think are reasonable, but some definitely require a lot more money than I have right now.
Hold a koala
Go to Disney World in Florida
Meet Stephen King/Do the Stephen King tour in Maine
Go skydiving
Run a half-marathon
Make a family tree
Koalas: I have dreamt of meeting a koala ever since I was a kid. I even got this cool computer game when I was little that came with a stuffed koala, a certificate of adoption for a real koala, and a game that allowed me to learn all about them. I have always loved them, and seeing the injured koalas in the Australian wildfires has just broken my heart.
Disney World: I have been to Disney twice – once when I was in fourth grade while my dad was deployed to Iraq, and once more not much later after my dad returned. I loved it when I was younger and I have always dreamed of going back. I currently have a budget on my fridge of how much money I need to save to go.
Stephen King: I am a huge SK fan. I love his books, movies, and him himself. It would be totally awesome to meet the man, but I would settle to go to Maine and do a Stephen King tour where I can see his house and the different parts of Bangor that inspired his books.
I went to the local apiary to buy a dozen bees. They gave me thirteen and said the last one was a free bee.
Skydiving: I’m terrified of heights, but have always felt the need to go skydiving. I would love to be up in the clouds and I’m sure that nothing beats the rush of free falling. My father skydived (skydove?) regularly when he was young and in the military and he always told me that he would take me when I turned 18. But what actually happened when I turned 18? He said no. Boo.
Half-marathon: I never enjoyed running, but I want to be able to easily run a few miles. In high school, field hockey allowed me to run up to 3, but never more. I think it would be super cool to be able to train and run 13 miles.
Me running a 5k in 2015. I was miserable.
Family tree: My family originates from Ireland, Poland, and Romanian gypsies. To see exactly where my family came from and who came over when would be really interesting. A family member of mine made a family tree a few years ago, but upon analysis, it was shown that there were some errors.
This assignment was pretty fun (and was 2 stars). I’m excited to have part of my list written down now because I am more inspired to get them done!
Sky diving is something I have always wanted to do. I remember being really young and my grandmother decided to go and she showed me the video her go-pro took of her fall. I vividly remember watching that and thinking to myself ‘I have GOT to do that’. My dad on the other hand doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He seems very scared about the whole idea, but he will have to find out after the fact. Some people think doing something so dangerous would have to be a spontaneous decision, but I know it is something I want to do, so the choice would be quite easy.
See the Northern Lights:
The northern lights is a natural wonder of the world that I have always dreamed of seeing. The way it naturally appears and never looking the same makes it such a unique and amazing sight that I have got to see. Although it is a basic bucket list item, it is something that I will always wish to see.
Buy something from Tiffany’s:
Inspired by the iconic movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the high-end designer jewelry store has been a long lost dream of mine. My sophomore year of high school I went on a school led trip to Paris for a week. When we were there we took a trip to Champs Elyse where the most famous Tiffany’s store is in Europe. All I wanted from the store was their iconic teal box, but unfortunately they were closed. Since then, I have raised my wish to actually purchase or receive something from Tiffany’s. When this happens I will feel like a real like Audrey Hepburn.
Swim in the Great Barrier Reef:
This item is even more important on my bucket list ever since the devastating damage that has happened to Australia this past decade. Diving into the beauty that is the Great Barrier reef would be something you could only paint in a dream.
See every Picasso Painting:
When I was seven my mom took me to an antique shop, when we were there I found some Picasso prints and fell in love with them. Sure it was weird for a seven year old to be obsessed with Pablo Picasso, but I hung those prints up in my room with pride and would always tell friends about them when they came over. Still to this day whenever I visit an art museum I get starstruck when I walk into the room full of Picasso’s. With that being said, seeing all of the Picasso’s possible would be my equivalent to seeing my favorite athlete perform, life changing.
Recreate Mamma Mia in Greece:
Mamma Mia! Here I go again!! Mamma Mia was such an iconic movie and it took place in the beautiful islands of Greece. The scenery, music, dances, outfits, food, all of it seems like such a dreamlike setting that I would absolutly love to be in. Greece is such a beautiful and historical place and that movie is such an amazing movie.
Have a Photo of mine in a Major Art Gallery:
I have been doing photography since I was about 13. I was eventually inspired by my photography teacher in high school who was such a talented artist. By the time senior year came around I was entered in multiple photography scholarships and actually ended up winning a scholarship for my photos. To have them displayed in a major art gallery would just be a huge validation for my passion. That is my goal for my photography and I will not stop until that dream has come true.
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#MagicKingdom #WaltDisneyWorld (
: @somewareatdisney)