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Hang gliding

Thing to Do: Go Hang Gliding

April 21, 2013 by Jessica 3 Comments

Hang gliding has definitely been one of those things I’ve always wanted to try. Luckily for me, one of the best places to do a beginner’s lesson is right in my own state. Jockey’s Ridge State Park’s high dunes and great winds has attracted people interested in flight since…well…the beginning! (Heard of a couple of brothers named Orville and Wilbur?)

Booking a beginner’s hang gliding lesson with Kitty Hawk Kites (who, also, have pretty much been doing this since the beginning of hang gliding as a sport) meant I got 5 flights off the dunes after a short classroom session. Unlike lots of other things I’ve done, like tandem skydiving, I was actually mostly on my own. The instructor was there to correct for wind gusts but I was under my own power, controlling the glider myself.

The video looks kinda lame but you really do feel like you are flying! You run as hard as you can and after several steps you realize the ground is no longer under your feet. You feel like you are soaring really high, although in actuality I was no more than 10 feet or so off the ground (my instructor is 6’4″ so you get the idea) and I guess I probably only went 100 feet or so. In the video I did actually manage to land on my feet although I only did that 2 of the 5 tries. Even if you don’t land on your feet, you have sand to land on, so no worries about too many bumps and bruises.

You could also choose to be dropped from a plane a mile up and tandem glide down but I chose to opt out of that because 1) it’s crazy expensive, and 2) in my old age, I’ve managed to get quite a bit of motion sickness from these type activities. I really didn’t want to spend the money and just be miserable  As much as I really wanted to do this, I still think the excitement of flying under your own power was still better than just riding along tandem with an instructor…even from 6,000 feet up.

I really enjoyed this but I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to afford the lessons to get licensed. I’m discovering that all the super fun things to do are just way too expensive!

So who out there has done this? Who would be willing to do it off a cliff or a mountain side?

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101 Things before you die, 40 Before I'm 40, Achievement, bucket list, Entertainment, Excitement, life list, Nature, Sport and Activity, Travel
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Rock Climbing

Thing to Do #11 (40/40 list): Learn to Rock Climb

April 4, 2013 by Jessica 0 Comments

It was only a year ago that I took my first rock climbing class. I had never been terribly interested in doing the indoor rock climbing thing but after a friend shared photos of her rock climbing at Pilot Mountain, I knew I wanted to do that so I needed to learn the basics first.

Climbing the "hard" line

Climbing the “hard” line

Honestly, after my introductory class last March, I only went a handful of times. The rock climbing gym is always so crowded (even worse now since the only other rock climbing gym in the area closed), it’s not terribly convenient to get to, and if you don’t have the equipment, a simple visit to climb costs $25, which adds up quickly. I got a harness and climbing shoes for Christmas with the hope that I’d go more often but I literally cut the tags off my new equipment the night before heading to Pilot Mountain for my first honest-to-goodness rock climbing adventure.

Choosing to go with Raleigh Parks and Rec for a guided trip rather than the more expensive option of going on one of the monthly trips run by the local rock climbing gym, we set out early one Saturday morning for the 2.5 hour trip to Pilot Mountain. Pilot Mountain is one of those anomalies that jut out of hilly land, still a good 45 minutes away from the rest of the NC mountains. The mountain itself is quite distinctive with a stone “knob” on top (which you are NOT allowed to climb).

50 Feet of rock to climb (this is the "hard" line)

50 Feet of rock to climb (this is the “hard” line)

Although the trip was in late March, we were experiencing a bit of a cold snap and as we drove up the mountain, it began to sleet. As I had dressed in my usual hiking/climbing mountain gear of capri hiking pants, I was frozen through until the sun finally broke through around noon. Once the instructors had the lines up and running, we began taking turns climbing and belaying. I was the first one up the second line, which we called the “easy” line for much of the day. Although it had a tricky start, it was manageable and after the first 10 feet of rock got to lots of great hand holds and holes to work with.

I quickly realized the biggest difference between climbing real rock and an indoor rock wall was that with an indoor rock  wall, you can see the holds from 40 feet down.  Maneuvering to find holds in the real rock proved to be an exercise in problem solving. Often I would finally get a good hold only to push up further and scrabble scrabble scrabble for the next hold and have to give up and come back down. But I enjoyed it. Finally finding the next hold and moving up was a small moment of success!

I also fell for the first time. I had discovered that I wouldn’t take chances in the indoor rock wall because I was afraid of falling. I would find myself not going for the hold because I thought I may fail. With the actual rock, I was going for whatever I could and sometimes that meant I fell too. After falling the first time, I felt more comfortable in knowing that falling wasn’t the worst thing to happen.

With the sleet earlier, the rock itself felt like ice and after about 10 minutes I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore. It took 30 minutes or more to have the feeling come back in my finger tips.

Climbing the "easy" line

Climbing the “easy” line

Later on I tried the “hard” line. I was the last to try and I had witnessed others in the group have difficulty with it so I just wanted to made it past the first 10 feet. After a good bit of work, I made it past the point that had given everyone trouble and considered myself a success.

The instructors set up a rappel line and we could climb the “easy” line up and out if we wanted to. I tried but was disappointed when I couldn’t get to the last little bit. I had used up all my energy getting to that point and couldn’t give it any more. I had to belay back down and then hike up to the top of the cliff to do my big of rappelling.

During our whole trip, I managed to only climb 3 times and help belay several times but I was beat and fell asleep around 9:30 that night. I was sore for days after.

So, I really liked it! I don’t think I’ll ever get into the tech of it; I just don’t have any interest in learning how to lead climb or putting in top rope anchors. I’d much rather just join a group and have the experts do it for me. Officially, like skiing and SCUBA, I will now have to go rock climbing at least yearly.

How about you? Do you enjoy rock climbing (inside or outside)? Are you super hard core and do the lead climbing, bouldering, and free climbing?

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Rock Climbing

2013 First Quarter Report

March 31, 2013 by Jessica 0 Comments

Ok, so based on the list of Goals for 2013, I’ve gotten a good bit of work done in the first 3 months of the year. Always room for improvement but not too shabby!

#2 Swim with Whales: Ok, well…this was a fail but it WAS an attempt so I’m counting it as done for this year. Something to try again next year.

#8 Sell a piece of art (and realize my childhood dream, which is #28 on the 40/40 list): Nothing yet.

#46 Scuba Diving: Continue practicing my SCUBA skills by going at least once this summer. Gonna use my new GoPro to capture the excitement that is the murky depths of the rock quarry.

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written (#7 on the 40/40 list): Supposed to be working on at least 2 this year. Nada so far.

#65  Shout ‘Drinks Are on Me!’ in a Pub or Bar (#17 on the 40/40 list): Not yet.

#84 Learn to Ski (#32 on the 40/40 list): Went in January and had a blast.

Goals from my 40 Before I’m 40 List:

#1 Be Able to Do a Pull Up: Very much working on it. I can lift 100 pounds so far. About 35 pounds to go.

#11 Learn to Rock Climb: Went rock climbing on Pilot Mountain for “real” rock climbing a week ago. That’s where the photo above comes from. Post to come.

#12 Take a Cooking Class: Nothing yet.

#18 Watch the  Top 250 IMDB List/Watch All of the Oscar Best Picture Winners: Nothing yet.

#25 Drink All the Beers on the GQ List: Nothing yet.

#31  Learn to swim (#87 on the 101 list: Conquer Your Fear): COMPLETED!

#35 Visit all of the NC Breweries: The original goal was to visit 7 this year. I’ve visited Trophy Brewing and Raleigh Brewing thus far.

#36 Learn How to Ballroom Dance: Nada yet.

From the Sports List:

#18 Attend a rugby game (and learn the rules): Nope

#19 Attend a cricket game (and learn the rules): Nope

Things not on an official list but still want to try:

Think that’s enough? What’s on YOUR goals for 2013?

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whale watching

Thing to Do #2: Swim with Whales

March 3, 2013 by Jessica 4 Comments

Photo Credit from The Virginia Pilot

So in the book, Thing to Do #2 before you die is to swim with a multitude of oceanic creatures: dolphins, sharks, whales, and tropical fish. Although the title implies to literally swim with them, the entry form does allow for a simple sighting of said creature. I have successfully (and literally) swam with dolphins, sharks, and tropical fish. I was kinda hoping to check of this last one with a whale watching trip, which is actually something that I had on the original list I created back in high school. Being a typical girl, I was obsessed with whales when I was younger and for a brief time wanted to be a marine biologist to study whales. And, honestly, I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to finally schedule a whale watching trip. But better late than never. When I discovered that the Virginia Aquarium ran whale watching trips January-March each year, I set about making plans.

Amy, a friend at work, had been interested in coming along on one of my adventures and when I suggested whale watching, she was on board immediately. In anticipation of the trip, I searched online to see if it had been a “good year” thus far and found this article and this article that buoyed our hopes for seeing a whale. You see, whales sightings are not “guaranteed.” I really had gotten pretty excited about the possibility of fulfilling a childhood dream and besides, who wants to drive 7 hours round trip and take a 2 hour boat trip only to be disappointed?

We left Raleigh at 7am and made good time, arriving to pick up our tickets with plenty of time to grab breakfast before boarding the boat. Immediately upon leaving the dock area, we were greeted with a huge pod of dolphins, which followed us the entire trip. I’ve seen dolphins in the wild before, although seeing them is always a pleasant surprise. Besides, I had never seen this many at one time.

After watching the dolphins for a good long while, we went south where the morning boat had sighted a whale earlier. After traveling for an hour, we apparently had reached the point but after only 10 minutes or so, turned around to head back. I honestly was a little taken aback; we had never left the shoreline at all but instead had just run parallel to it for an hour. I had completely expected to go out to sea. Knowing that the trip was only supposed to last 2 hours, I knew we probably weren’t going to see a whale that day. Although the dolphins continued to play in our wake, when the boat turned, Amy and I were no longer in the sun. The wind and February chill became too much and we went inside to keep warm for the return trip.

I knew a sighting wasn’t guaranteed but knowing the morning boat had seen one and that there had been so much success all year long, I was pretty disappointed.

Oh well. There’s always next year to try again. Plus, my friend Jessica lives in New England and has been on many successful whale watching trips. I may just go up to visit her and take advantage of her whale watching mojo!

How about you? Have you ever been on a whale watching trip? Or just seen one in the wild on a completely separate boat trip?

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trapeze

Goals for 2013

January 23, 2013 by Jessica 3 Comments

Photo Credit

In looking at my list, so many things that are left involve travel. Well, I hope to get out and visit at least one new country this year but otherwise I’m going to have to find things a bit closer by to do.

#2 Swim with Whales: Technically I wouldn’t be swimming with whales but I do plan to go on a whale watching trip out of Virginia Beach in February. Hope to see a humpback on its migratory path!

#8 Sell a piece of art (and realize my childhood dream, which is #28 on the 40/40 list)

#46 Scuba Diving: Continue practicing my SCUBA skills by going at least once. Gonna use my new GoPro to capture the excitement that is the murky depths of the rock quarry.

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written (#7 on the 40/40 list): I didn’t do ANY of these last year! I mostly have really long ones left so out of the 10 remaining, I’m going to tackle 2 this year. As ONE of these things to read is the ENTIRE works of Shakespeare, I also want to see 2 plays performed live.

#65  Shout ‘Drinks Are on Me!’ in a Pub or Bar (#17 on the 40/40 list): I’m waiting to go my bar on a Tuesday afternoon at 3pm. I can swing buying drinks for 5 people.

#84 Learn to Ski (#32 on the 40/40 list): I went last year but I take “learning” to mean something you do multiple times in an effort to improve. So I’m going again.

Goals from my 40 Before I’m 40 List:

#1 Be Able to Do a Pull Up: I started working seriously on this late 2012. I’m up to lifting about 90 pounds so I only have 50 more to go.

#11 Learn to Rock Climb: Continue with going to the indoor rock climbing wall but I’ve also scheduled a trip to go to Pilot Mountain for “real” rock climbing.

#12 Take a Cooking Class: I want to sign up for a Sushi making class.

#18 Watch the  Top 250 IMDB List/Watch All of the Oscar Best Picture Winners: Watch 25 this year

#25 Drink All the Beers on the GQ List: Drink 10

#31  Learn to swim: I’ve signed up for beginner lessons. No more doggie paddling for me!

#35 Visit all of the NC Breweries: I went to 13 last year but admittedly I’ve now visited all the ones near me. Travel is now required to visit the rest. Visit 7 this year

#36 Learn How to Ballroom Dance: I went for one lesson but I think I’m going to try to attend one of the dance studio’s “dance socials” to practice

From the Sports List:

#18 Attend a rugby game (and learn the rules): There are actually some local teams

#19 Attend a cricket game (and learn the rules): There’s actually a local league!

Things not on an official list but still want to try:

Think that’s enough? What’s on YOUR goals for 2013?

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Over the edge

2012 Fourth Quarter Report

January 18, 2013 by Jessica 0 Comments

Although I felt like I didn’t do that much in 2012, I really have made good progress on my original list. There’s never been a year where I accomplished every single goal I laid out for myself but that’s no bother because inevitably I also manage to do lots of things NOT on the list too!

My Goals for 2012:

#8 Sell a piece of art (and realize my childhood dream, which is #28 on the 40/40 list): Dang. Another year where I didn’t do this. Shame on me.

#46 Scuba Diving: COMPLETED! Went to the Rock Quarry in July to keep up with my SCUBA skillz. Was relieved and proud to say that I actually remembered how to do it. As long as I keep going regularly, hopefully I won’t forget.

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written (#7 on the 40/40 list): I’m failing at reading on the list, but I’ve been tearing it up in regard to books I want to read. Which, after years of reading books I’m supposed to read, has been really nice. Total for the year includes: the newest Sookie book, Dexter is Delicious, The Hunger Games, The Help, The Children of Men, Fight Club, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, Wicked, Less Than Zero, and Living with Miss G.

#65  Shout ‘Drinks Are on Me!’ in a Pub or Bar (#17 on the 40/40 list): Moved to next year.

#68 Save Someone’s Life (#8 on the 40/40 list): I was on pace with 3 pints donated so far for the year. (I’ve donated 7 total pints for lifetime). But then I started reading articles about how donating blood builds up scar tissue and makes it difficult for you to potentially get IVs and things you may need later in life. I don’t know. I need to do some more research on this.

#84 Learn to Ski (#32 on the 40/40 list): COMPLETED!

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor: COMPLETED!

Goals from my 40 Before I’m 40 List:

#1 Be Able to Do a Pull Up: Starting in late October I started working out at the gym with the “assisted pull up” machine. So far my max lift is 90 pounds; only need 50 more. Didn’t accomplish this one but I’m working hard on it for 2013.

#11 Learn to Rock Climb: COMPLETED! I’ve been a few times but would like to go more. Definitely want to go “real” rock climbing next year.

#18 Watch the Top 1,001 Films: About halfway through the year I kinda changed my plans and I’m actually kinda working more on the IMDB Top 250. Of these, I’ve watched a total of 191 (although this list is always changing, which can be frustrating).

#25 Drink All the Beers on the GQ List: Drank 10 of 20 (20 was my goal this year)

#35 Visit all of the NC Breweries: COMPLETED! The original task was to visit 10; I visited 13. This year I have been to: Natty Greene’s, Big Boss, Aviator, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Lonerider, Roth, Mystery, White Street Brewing, Carolina Brewing Co., Red Oak, NoDa Brewing, Birdsong, and Foothills.

#36 Learn How to Ballroom Dance: COMPLETED-ish! I did take one private dance lesson. I’m supposed to go back for a group lesson and then a “dance social.” But the one private dance lesson showed me I have a long way to go!

#37 Start Using Coupons: I’m kinda halfheartedly doing this. Baby steps.

#38 See a Movie in a Drive-In Movie Theater: COMPLETED!

From the Sports List:

#18 Attend a rugby game (and learn the rules): FAIL! I missed the opportunities this year.

#19 Attend a cricket game (and learn the rules): FAIL! I missed the opportunities this year.

#24 Attend the Kentucky Derby: This didn’t happen this year. No worries!

One of my favorite things to do is to take advantage of opportunities as they come up, even if they aren’t on the list! After all, the true spirit of the list is to get you out of your comfort zone. So far this year I have also:

  • I attended two Roller Derby Matches 
  • I visited Natural Bridge
  • I went Indoor Skydiving
  • I went to a concert by myself (twice. I went to see Dave Matthews in December and it was truly wonderful. I’m definitely going to concerts by myself from now on).
  • I did most of the Warrior Dash
  • I went camping for the first time, climbed Grandfather Mountain, and managed to cross off Thing to Do #37: Make a Fire Without Matches (I went camping again at the beach in August and started a fire even more quickly and efficiently so I can actually say the first time wasn’t a fluke!)
  • I went Zorbing
  • I went to Bonnaroo
  • I made beer (three times; the first and third time was pretty great, the second time was a bit of fail but that’s what you get when you drink whilst making beer!)
  • I went to Niagara Falls and went into Canadia for the first time! (Adding to my work on #36: Visit Every Country)
  • I raised $1,000 and rappelled down the side of the building at the “Over the Edge” event.
  • I got colorful at The Color Run
  • You know when you look on a map and see that pointy part of NC that juts out into the ocean? I went to that exact point of Cape Hatteras and watched the waves crash together. Rather cool. Still haven’t been to the top of the lighthouse though.

In my personal life:

There have been so many successes that aren’t even on the list, and in many ways I feel this has been the most successful year of my life. Professionally I continue to be satisfied and challenged by my work; a promotion in July brought a bit more stress and work load but I’ve enjoyed the new challenges.

Personally, I’ve discovered a lot about myself this year. It’s been a great time for self-reflection and looking inward. I’m still trying to work on some things but overall I feel better about having figured some things out.

Also in the personal realm, I’ve continued to keep the weight off from last year. I no longer diet; I rather eat what I want. But I do continue to attend Zumba 3 times a week. Through Zumba I’m still the same weight (anywhere from 139-143), but I’ve actually lost another dress size. At my biggest in April 2011 I weighed 164 and was a size 10; although I’m still 10 pounds more than what I was in college, I’m the smallest size I’ve ever been at size 4 (in college I was a size 8). Next year’s goals will hopefully see me finally do a pull up.

Financially I guess we could always wish for a little more but through contract work and my day job, I’ve managed to continue to maintain the lifestyle I want while being single. I became a landlord this year and that’s actually going well so I’m pleased with that decision and I have little by little been able to rebuild my wardrobe through Goodwill purchases and consignment shops.

Overall I guess I would say 2012 was somewhat quiet and subdued; not quite the like the year I had in 2010! But if we gauge our success not in trips and adventures but in happiness and security, I’d easily say 2012 was by far my most successful year yet.

How was your 2012? What are you looking forward to for 2013?

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American Falls

2012 Third Quarter Report

September 30, 2012 by Jessica 1 Comment

Although I feel like I haven’t done that much this year, I really have made good progress on my original list. There’s never been a year where I accomplished every single goal I laid out for myself but that’s no bother because inevitably I also manage to do lots of things NOT on the list too!

My Goals for 2012:

#8 Sell a piece of art (and realize my childhood dream, which is #28 on the 40/40 list): Nothing on this one yet. I PROMISE I’m doing this one this year.

#46 Scuba Diving: COMPLETED! Went to the Rock Quarry in July to keep up with my SCUBA skillz. Was relieved and proud to say that I actually remembered how to do it. As long as I keep going regularly, hopefully I won’t forget.

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written (#7 on the 40/40 list): I’m failing at reading on the list, but I’ve been tearing it up in regard to books I want to read. Which, after years of reading books I’m supposed to read, has been really nice. Total for the year includes: the newest Sookie book, Dexter is Delicious, The Hunger Games, The Help, The Children of Men, Fight Club, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, and Wicked.

#65  Shout ‘Drinks Are on Me!’ in a Pub or Bar (#17 on the 40/40 list): Ok. I’ve got my bar picked out and I know the perfect time to do it. And I’ve had news big enough to do it (Hel-lo promotion!) so really no good excuse on this one.

#68 Save Someone’s Life (#8 on the 40/40 list): I was on pace with 3 pints donated so far for the year. (I’ve donated 7 total pints for lifetime). But then I started reading articles about how donating blood builds up scar tissue and makes it difficult for you to potentially get IVs and things you may need later in life. I don’t know. I need to do some more research on this.

#84 Learn to Ski (#32 on the 40/40 list): COMPLETED!

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor: COMPLETED!

Goals from my 40 Before I’m 40 List:

#1 Be Able to Do a Pull Up: My sporadic rock climbing has not helped with this so I think I may need to step it up at the gym or something.

#11 Learn to Rock Climb: COMPLETED! I’ve been going about once a month or so.

#18 Watch the Top 1,001 Films: Have watched 3 of 100. But halfway through the year I kinda changed my plans and I’m actually kinda working more on the IMDB Top 250. Of these, I’ve watched a total of 191 (although this list is always changing, which can be frustrating).

#25 Drink All the Beers on the GQ List: Have drank 8 of 20 (20 was my goal this year)

#35 Visit all of the NC Breweries: Have visited Natty Greene’s , Big Boss, Aviator, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Lonerider, Roth and Mystery. 3 more to go for the year.

#36 Learn How to Ballroom Dance: COMPLETED-ish! I did take one private dance lesson. I’m supposed to go back for a group lesson and then a “dance social.” But the one private dance lesson showed me I have a long way to go!

#37 Start Using Coupons: I’m kinda halfheartedly doing this. Baby steps.

#38 See a Movie in a Drive-In Movie Theater: COMPLETED!

From the Sports List:

#18 Attend a rugby game (and learn the rules): FAIL! I missed the opportunities this year.

#19 Attend a cricket game (and learn the rules): FAIL! I missed the opportunities this year.

#24 Attend the Kentucky Derby: This didn’t happen this year. No worries!

One of my favorite things to do is to take advantage of opportunities as they come up, even if they aren’t on the list! After all, the true spirit of the list is to get you out of your comfort zone. So far this year I have also:

Coming Up:

  • I’ve never done “hoity-toity” afternoon tea so I hope to do that sometime.
  • I’ve reached my goal for raising $1,000 for the “Over the Edge” event. So I’m doing that next weekend (October 6th); Stay tuned for details of that adventure!
  • I’ve registered for The Color Run in Charlotte, November 17th

In my personal life: from the promotion I got in July, I’ve been working just a little bit more, as well as I continue to copyedit dissertations most nights at home. Thing to do #30 on my 40 before I’m 40 list was to begin bringing in money through contract work. Originally that was meant to be that I was writing grants but just in editing this year I will be close to making $10,000. I think that’s pretty considerable and maybe enough to check that item off the list.

Between my day job and my side job and still making time for family and friends (as well as religiously attending Zumba 3 times a week), my blog has continued to suffer. In addition, I haven’t been visiting YOUR blogs either, which makes me sad. I hope you are all doing well and I hope to catch up with you soon!

Also, I feel like I’ve focused a lot more on things I’ve been putting off that aren’t necessarily on the list. Even simple things like reading books or catching up on television shows have been wonderful luxuries I feel I’ve denied myself for the last few years.

How are you doing with your goals for 2012 thus far?

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whaleshark4

Thing to Do #2: Swim with…Sharks

August 15, 2012 by Jessica 4 Comments

This is a re-post but in honor of Shark Week, thought it was timely. Plus, I love telling people about this experience; of all the things I’ve done on my list this is definitely one of my favorites.

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Although I had already completed #2 by swimming with Dolphins in January 2007, when Alex and I were planning our vacation to the Mexico in August 2008, I was especially intrigued by one excursion that detailed a swim with Whale Sharks.

Apparently, there are only two places on Earth that whale sharks congregate for any significant amount of time; one is off the coast of Australia and the other is off the coast of Cancun, with the “season” lasting from about July to September.  And, just in case you don’t know, Whale Sharks  do have tiny little teeth, but eat plankton through a filtering system, and are not aggressive at all, but are large, docile creatures.  In fact, the only aggression on record was a few that had butted sports boats, but only after having been provoked.

On vacation, the last thing I want to do is to wake at 5:00am, but we did, as we were staying in Playa del Carmen, and had an hour’s ride to Cancun.  Once in Cancun, we boarded a boat with 10 others and began another hour’s ride into open water off the coast of Cancun.  Once out, we began seeing fins all around, which immediately conjure up the worst scenes of Jaws.  Everything you’ve been taught says NOT to get into the water!

We were to go in two at a time wearing a life jacket and snorkel gear, accompanied by a guide.  Each couple got three chances to go in to swim with the whale sharks.  We were instructed not to touch the whale sharks and while some of the sharks seemed to be curious, most slowly swam away from our boat, or began to dive deeper when we began to swim in their direction.

I had never snorkeled before so I unfortunately wasted my first trip into the water coughing and choking while trying to get a hang of the snorkel gear.  However, that first trip into the water, our shark hung around for awhile and we got a few good looks at him/her under water.

Our second shark (we had to keep chasing sharks around with the boat as they swam away) was not as interested in us and began swimming away pretty quickly.  We began swimming after it and as we did, Alex, who was behind me, grabbed my foot.  I ignored him, thinking he was fooling around or trying to scare me.  A moment later, a fin was next to me in the water!  Alex had been trying to warn me that another whale shark had come up behind us.  I yelped, which was echoed and amplified by the snorkel gear, and the guide laughed at me and began making fun of me to the others in the boat (I THINK he was anyway, he kept pointing at me.  Thing to Do #51:  Learn Spanish).  I swam out of the way because, while I wasn’t afraid of the shark trying to eat me, his tail was sizable and a thwack! from something roughly the size of a Buick can still be considerable!

On our third and final go, we again set off after a fast-swimming whale shark when this time the guide saw that another had joined us from behind.  He yelled for us to put our faces in the water and just below us, within arms length, a whale shark slowly glided by.  We followed this one for awhile as he dove deeper and deeper, until we could no longer see him.

Of the 10 or so others on the boat, Alex and I were only one of two couples that took all three swims with the sharks.  The others had grown seasick, which I had also been fighting off (we were mostly floating on the open sea and between the waves and the fumes from the gas, it WAS a bit much).  Once we set off on our way again, I felt better and we soon arrived at a reef where I was able to employ my new found snorkel skills.

Many excursions like these that are sold in tourist-centric areas can fall short of expectations, but swimming with whale sharks 100%  met my expectations.  What was especially awesome was that it was in open water-these were not trained animals, they weren’t even being fed!

Anyone else swam with whale sharks?  Seen a shark in the wild?  I’d really love to find someone that has gone down in the cage with dangerous sharks…

Excitement, Nature, Sport and Activity, Travel
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Bonnaroo in Pictures

July 15, 2012 by Jessica 7 Comments

WordPress isn’t the best interface when trying to share photos. I guess I’d be better served by Tumblr with this post but I’ll try anyway.

I hate that I’ve taken so long to write about Bonnaroo because the biggest advantage of having a blog and writing about my experiences is to record those details I’ll eventually forget. Now, even after only a month, I’m sure there are things I’ve already forgotten. But here are a few moments I remember because they were captured in photos.

There are a LOT of people at Bonnaroo and not a lot of space.

How excited was I to see this!?

You know I had to add my own thing to do before I die (“See the Northern Lights”)

Bigger than life size Mail Box (the building behind me is the Post Office they have open just to support the mini city that is Bonnaroo!)

40 ft tall inflatable big ass water slide! It wasn’t free but so worth it, especially to go head first!

Me in the famous Mushroom Water Fountain (look for the red arrow)

Comedy Tent with Brian Posehn (besides music, there’s comedy, film, art and lots of other things going on 24 hours a day)

Night time in Centeroo. The bell tower would start a music and light show at the top of each hour, accompanied by a crazy cuckoo bird that emerged from the top. The Ferris Wheel provided a great aerial view of the whole farm.

I had a good time at Bonnaroo because we did a lot of research and prepared ourselves for the experience. Even so, there were things that, once we were there, we wished we had known. So in the next post, I’ll share all that we learned from our Bonnaroo experience.

101 Things before you die, 40 Before I'm 40, bucket list, Entertainment, Excitement, Nature, Recklessness, Sport and Activity, things before you die, Travel
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2012 Second Quarter Report

July 3, 2012 by Jessica 5 Comments

I’m sorry for not being around more lately but…honestly? I’ve just not been feeling it. After blogging pretty regularly for 3 years, I guess I’m a bit burnt out. Between that and traveling a good bit and getting a promotion at my job (yay!) and working furiously copyediting dissertations, I just haven’t had the energy. And I guess it kinda means I haven’t had the energy to DO stuff on the list either. Not to worry – I’m still doing a bit. Updates below.

My Goals for 2012:

#8 Sell a piece of art (and realize my childhood dream, which is #28 on the 40/40 list): Nothing on this one yet. I PROMISE I’m doing this one this year.

#46 Scuba Diving: Gonna head to the Rock Quarry in August.

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written (#7 on the 40/40 list): I’m failing at reading on the list, although I’ve read a good amount of books I want to read including: the newest Sookie book, Dexter is Delicious, The Hunger Games, and The Help. Currently reading The Children of Men.

#65  Shout ‘Drinks Are on Me!’ in a Pub or Bar (#17 on the 40/40 list): Ok. I’ve got my bar picked out and I know the perfect time to do it. And I’ve had news big enough to do it (Hel-lo promotion!) so really no good excuse on this one.

#68 Save Someone’s Life (#8 on the 40/40 list): I’m on pace with 3 pints donated so far for the year. 3 more to go for the year. (I’ve donate 7 total pints for lifetime)

#84 Learn to Ski (#32 on the 40/40 list): COMPLETED!

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor: COMPLETED!

Goals from my 40 Before I’m 40 List:

#1 Be Able to Do a Pull Up: Hopefully rock climbing will help with this.

#11 Learn to Rock Climb: COMPLETED!

#18 Watch the Top 1,001 Films: Have watched 3 of 100. I’m actually kinda working more on the IMDB Top 250. Of these, I’ve watched a total of 182 (although this list is always changing, which can be frustrating)

#25 Drink All the Beers on the GQ List: Have drank 8 of 20 (20 was my goal this year)

#35 Visit all of the NC Breweries: Have visited Natty Greene’s , Big Boss, and Aviator. 7 more to go for the year.

#36 Learn How to Ballroom Dance: I did take one private dance lesson. I’m supposed to go back for a group lesson and then a “dance social.” But the one private dance lesson showed me I have a long way to go!

#37 Start Using Coupons: I’m kinda halfheartedly doing this. Baby steps.

#38 See a Movie in a Drive-In Movie Theater: COMPLETED!

From the Sports List:

#18 Attend a rugby game (and learn the rules): I think I missed the opportunities this year.

#19 Attend a cricket game (and learn the rules): I think I missed the opportunities this year.

#24 Attend the Kentucky Derby: This isn’t happening this year. No worries!

So far this year I have also:

Coming Up:

  • I’m going to try my hand at brewing my own beer.
  • I’ve never done “hoity-toity” afternoon tea so I hope to do that sometime.
  • Thinking about trying out hang gliding at Kitty Hawk in the fall.
  • I’ve signed up for the “Over the Edge” event for October 6th. (If you haven’t contributed to my goal of raising $1,000 yet, please consider it. Even $10 helps!)
  • I’ve registered for The Color Run in Charlotte, November 17th

In my personal life: I got a promotion with a company I continue to love, went to my 10 year college reunion, moved to the big city of Raleigh and became a landlord. I also continue to keep the weight off I lost last year, actually losing just a bit more, taking me down to 30 pounds lost total.

This year may not be one of the most visibly exciting years of my life, but its been one of the most satisfying and truly I am the happiest I’ve been in a long while.

How are you doing with your goals for 2012 thus far?

101 Things before you die, 40 Before I'm 40, Achievement, bucket list, Entertainment, Excitement, life list, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, things before you die, Travel
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