YOWZA!! <- is all I really want to say about the last 10 days. There has been some good, some bad, and some ugly. Highlights from both ends of the spectrum include accepting a new job and filing a police report.

The end.

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22 x 23 Birthday Bucket

Likely you’ve seen someone or other make a “101 in 1001″ list… I think called the “Day Zero Project” but I don’t really know why. Well not too long ago, my Hawaiian amiga Mags made a 40 by 41 list – 40 things she wants to do before her 41st birthday. Which left me sitting on my couch thinking… I’m not getting any younger. Time is not going to slow down. And I will not end up as a crazy cat lady. (I’m allergic anyways… if worse comes to worse I’ll have a really big fish tank.) Time to do what I do best and get my Martha Stewart on make a list.

We won’t call this a “bucket list,” since I’m genuinely hoping I don’t die at 23, nomsayin? So we can call it a “birthday bucket.” There were quite a few things I eliminated from the list because they seemed “not important enough” to be included in my alloted 22. So I decided to make a bigger list. Eventually I’ll end up with my “101 in 1001″ … but for now, this is what I’m gonna do in the next 313 days.

The List*

• Be able to change the front/rear tire & tube in <5 min.
• Catch fish with Grandpa Ansie
• Get a new job
• Go camping
• Go out with someone I want to get to the 3rd date
• Go to a shooting range (and shoot!)
• Invest in a stock
• Learn how to make Grandma’s poppyseed küchen
• Learn how to make mom’s beef stew
• Learn all the new players on the Twins roster
• No meat for ALL of Lent
• Open water 2 mile swim race
• Read all of Corinthians
• Ride 3 centuries
• Ride a motorcycle
• Run around Calhoun
• Save $10 for each item I check off
• Speak Spanish with a stranger
• Start going to Connect at church
• Start my own nacimiento

[* If you're good at counting... you will note that the list is only 20 and not 22. The administration has exercised its' authority and selectively edited where inappropriate appropriate. ]

Some of these items are things that should be easily accomplished… starting the nacimiento takes all of one quick trip to E. Lake Street. Going to Connect (which, let’s be real, is really just a Christian singles group) only takes manning up and going, even if it means going solo. Others, like running around the lake and getting to that 3rd date, are things that should be easy but in reality might put up a fight. I already can check off one – getting a new job (!!) – which also means I need to put $10 into the ‘Mo Money’ jar…

So, mis amigos, this has been an entirely non-tri-related post. But I’ve had fun making the list [(it took multiple swim sessions of brain storming - only 20 days after I started making this...) haha I just made it tri-related!], and I’m looking forward to checkin’ things off one by one!

Reader Qs:

Do you have a bucket list? A birthday list? A must-do list? What is one thing you absolutely want to do before you … um … croak?

-E