Bucket List

A thunderstorm is rolling in, and I felt like updating this blog, but had no particular ideas about what, exactly, so I thought I'd share what I have on my bucket list thus far. I actually have a list saved on my computer (dorky, I know), that I try to keep adding to. For those of you who are unsure what a bucket list is, it is a list of everything you want to do before you die. Considering I'm only 25 years old and in good health, hopefully that day is a long way off.

1. Swim with whale sharks: This is a totally random first entry to my list.  I read an article about this in a recent issue of Smithsonian magazine, and was intrigued enough to search online for companies that provide this service.  http://www.islawhalesharks.com/default.asp is one website I found. I've not done any in-depth research into this particular company or type of tourism, so don't take that as an endorsement. They have some good information, though, and a lot of neat pictures. It looks like a lot of fun, and appears to be relatively inexpensive. Another big plus is that it appears you don't have to have any experience scuba diving or even snorkeling necessarily (I think I'll practice beforehand, though).

2. Write a book: My thesis doesn't count. :-) I'd love to write a novel, as daunting/impossible as this seems.  A short story might be more feasible, but what few ideas I have seem to be so grandiose that they wouldn't work (unless I had a series of short stories...?). That's the other problem: having ideas, if I want to write anything other than fanfiction.  For the time being, I've resorted to random writing exercises to at least try to keep writing.

3. Visit the Western U.S coast: I'm thinking Washington and/or Oregon.

4. Learn yoga: I'd like to take a proper yoga course, rather than the half-assed attempts to try to learn it on my own.  Within the past year or so I've been trying to exercise on a more consistent basis, and yoga has always attracted me as a relaxing and fun way to go about it. 

5. Buy a house: kind of a no-brainer, really. Along with getting a "grown-up" job, I'd like to get out of the renter's market and have a place of my own.  I'm rather torn about whether I'd like to live in the city or the country.  I love nature, having a lawn with trees, and so forth, but I like having things to do and being near everything (a by-product of living out in the country). On a random note, I'd kind of like my house to have solar panels. :-)

6. Write a serious blog: depending on how this blog goes, maybe I can cross this one out? :-P

Well, there are most definitely other things to add to this list, but this is what I've actually bothered to write down so far. The storm outside has abated, and I need to get going.