knitting is for morons, anyway.

knitting is for morons, anyway.

I had a pretty successful run at my “things to do before I turn thirty” bucket list (we’re not counting the knitting disaster). My biggest achievements from that list were traveling to Ireland and Spain, miles I ran, blog followers, etc.

Some things didn’t happen for me on that list, and that’s okay. So I’m going to carry over a few of those items (the first five listed here), and add some more here, to my thirtyfivex35 list.

1. Complete this list. 28/35 finished as of March 2019

2. Publish a book. 80% of the way through the first edits! It’s just an ebook of some travel stories. I want to do it.

open mike, my dudes.

3. Sing at an open mic night. Sang at Beer and Hymns night, Kowloon, February 2018. Morrisons, May. Beer and Christmas Hymns, December.

4. Memorize 5 songs on the guitar (Leaving on a Jetplane, Time After Time, Don’t Stop Believing, Free Fallin’, Sweet Child O’Mine)

5. Read 150 books 

6. Visit five new countries. Goals: Brazil, Argentina, Antarctica, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Cuba, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia.

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7. Take a picture with a penguin. (Planning some Patagonia adventures after my move!)

8. Go to the Amazon.

9. Become at least conversationally fluent in Portuguese. (Brazil!)

10. Write the girl I sponsor through Compassion International at least once a month. (April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April)

11. Try every single one of these 22 foods before I ever leave Brazil.

12. Visit Iguazu Falls. October 2016!

13. Buy the person behind me a coffee.

14. Completely “unplug” for three days.  (Big Sur, Ihla Grande, Amazon, Patagonia)

15. Read all the Jane Austen books. (started this on the last list. Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice)

isn’t she lovely isn’t she wonderful

16. Make a pie or cake from scratch.

17. Lose 25 pounds. (5 10 15 20 25)

18. Keep a plant alive for a year.  My bamboo made it! And my aloe is kicking arse too. It’s practice for a fish. And then an animal. And then maybe a child one day.

19. Meet someone famous. This was actually the third time meeting Kerri Walsh Jennings (and April Ross, not pictured) but I chose this photo because it was after watching them play in the Olympics! It was actually the last game they won in the Olympics, so I think it was super special. :)

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Kerri is a G.

20. Get 300,000 hits on this blog.

21. Visit a floatation tank.

22. Take a cooking or dance class.

23. Blog everyday for a month.

24. Travel alone again. (Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Japan, Indonesia)

25. Pay off all American credit card debt.

26. See 15 concerts/live music performances. (Justin McRoberts, Samba at Lapa40, Backstreet Boys, Falamansa, Richard Marx, the Doobie Brothers, Chicago, Interpol, Big Shaq, Cigarettes After Sex, Khalid, Erykah Badu, Wolf Alice, Amadou & Mariam, Alvvays) 

27. Have 1000 followers on this blog.

28. See a sunrise on purpose, for pleasure.

29. Attend a multi-day/weekend music fest. Clockenflap 2018!

30. Run a race in Rio. Finished the Rio Antiguo 5k Race on May 10, 2015 in 31:46. Somewhere to start!!

31. Visit Asia. (Moved to Hong Kong July 2017!)

32. Give up restaurants for a month.

33. Read the Bible all the way through again.

34. Go on a blind date. What a bust.

35. Complete 700 Yelp reviews. I love reviewing places, but I also use this as a writing exercise. I make myself do some if I don’t feel like doing the writing I should actually be doing.