About these ads
Tag Archives: incomplete
Corona Christmas Commercial

Thing to Do #80: Spend Christmas on the Beach

December 25, 2012 by Jessica 1 Comment

So this may end up being one of the things on the list that I’ll never do.  I like my family and its important to me that I be with them at Christmas.  If I went to some resort, I think I would just be sad that I wasn’t with the ones that I love and I know my family wouldn’t travel with me (my parents don’t fly).  I guess we could just go to the North Carolina beach, but I feel like that probably wasn’t the point.  However, I recognize that I may be in the minority in that an awful lot of people seem to not like their families.

Has anyone else spent Christmas on some warm beach?  Makes me think of that Corona commercial…

About these ads
Life Management, Relationships, Travel
, , ,
German flag

Thing to Do #51: Learn a New Language

December 5, 2011 by Jessica 11 Comments

Living in North Carolina (really, America in general, for that matter), the language that would make the most sense to learn would be Spanish.  The states with the highest percentage increases in Hispanic population between July 1, 2007, and July 1, 2008 were SC and NC;  South Carolina’s increase was 7.7% and North Carolina’s was 7.4%.  (There are 16 states with at least a half-million Hispanic residents–Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington).

I took four years of Spanish in High School and one more year in college but I know little more than my numbers and how to say Hola.  I’m just not of those people that learn languages easily, but it could be argued that I also need to apply myself a little bit.  I took one year of German in college, being an Art History major and German being the “language of art history” (bet you didn’t know that-see? you learn something every day!).  I actually liked German a lot more than Spanish and I picked it up more quickly.  Unfortunately that’s now almost 10 years ago and if you don’t use it, you lose it.  I can’t even remember how to count to 10, although I do remember this line: Ich studiere Kunstgeschichte (I study art history).

Miranda turned me on to this little language program, and I think I may have to do some of these courses.  Its called Steps; the aim is for you to complete a course in 12 weeks, followed by an ‘end of course’ assessment to see how well you’ve done. You’ll even get a BBC certificate! You can choose from six different courses in four languages: French Steps, Ma France, Spanish Steps, Mi Vida Loca, German Steps and Italian Steps.

I want to do this, if anything for the little certificate at the end.  (Do you think I could put it on my resume?)  Its a good way to get back into German, and now that I’m older, perhaps I could get the energy to really apply myself and learn the language.  It really isn’t a practical language around here, but if I like it, it’ll be easier to learn!

After I’ve done Steps, maybe I can use one of the lanugage courses Steve posted about on his blog. Or, even better, my local library offers a free language course through Tell Me More-check to see if your library offers this too and by just entering your library card number, you could have free access to the same language course the US Military uses.

What language courses have you tried? Which ones worked? How many bilingual people we have out there?

Achievement, Life Management, Travel
, , ,

End of 2010 Results

December 18, 2010 by Jessica 14 Comments

So we are at the end of 2010 and I have to say its been a pretty rocking year.  And its not just about checking things off a list.  I did a lot of   L-I-V-I-N this year.  Here’s how I did with my goals for the year:

#1  Write a Novel: Well, the original goal was to start my novel.  I planned to participate in the National Novel Writing Month in November but it ended up not being a success.  Oh, well, I’ve got my start and I’ll keep plugging along!

#16 Get in the Guiness World Book of Records: Did the Skinny Dip Record Challenge in July and got in to the Record book on that one.

I also donated 4 pints of blood toward my goal of being the World’s Biggest Blood Donor. 

#30 Stay in the Best Suite in a Five-Star Hotel:  We’ll put this one off until we can afford to blow the cost of mortgage on a night’s stay.  So, you know, when I’m 80.

#36 Visit Every Country:  Completed my year’s goals with trips to New Zealand in March and the Bahamas in April.

#37 Make a Fire Without Matches: Nada

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written:   I said I would read 12 books this year.  Total for the year of the official books, I read: Kestrel for a Knave, Not Fade Away, The Art of War,  Birdsong, David Copperfield, Brighton Rock, The Van, Bonfire of the Vanities, Possession, The Crow Road, Explaining Death to the Dog, and Crash. 

But I generally kicked ass at reading this year because I read a lot of other books, some of which, while they may not be on the “official” list, are definitely on some “Greatest Book Lists” (some aren’t but hey, everyone needs brain candy every now and then).  The other books I read include: 4 Dexter books, 6 Sookie Books, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Choke, Never Let Me Go, The Sun Also Rises, Bridges of Madison County, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Lovely Bones, The Other Boleyn Girl, My Antonia, The Remains of the Day, and The Princess Bride.

I think 33 books in one year is honorable.

#86 Run a Marathon:  I ran the Outer Banks Marathon on November 14, 2010.  The greatest accomplishment of my life.

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor at Flying Saucer: So far I’m up to 123.  I’ll put in the comments the total list as that takes up a lot of space here.

#99 Confess:  Nada again.

Not part of my original goals for the year but also saw the Golden Gate Bridge (#67), visited California (#11), saw Penguins, Dolphins, and Seals in the wild (#38), swam with sharks (#2), went white water rafting (#90), attended a Carolina v. Duke basketball game (#48.5) and went skydiving (#38).

How did you do with your goals for 2010?

Achievement, Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, Travel
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thing to Do #71: Have Adventurous Sex

July 5, 2010 by Jessica 13 Comments

Since True Blood was off this week, I thought I might as well still talk about sex. 

There are a few items on the 101 Things to Do Before You Die list that are…um… “private” in nature.  I’ve wondered for awhile how I might be able to write about these items, as my Mother-in-Law and professional colleagues sometimes read this blog (as well as the fact that its just good sense to not post private information about yourself on the interwebs).  What I’ve decided is that I’ll just list the places the book suggests a person should have adventurous sex.  I’ll also say that I’ve done 10 of the 23, and interestingly, none are “Have sex with a Vampire”! 

I’ll probably not write a post when/if I complete this thing to do.

  • In a taxi or public transport
  • Under the stars
  • On camera
  • On the beach
  • In an elevator
  • At work
  • As someone else
  • In the middle of nowhere
  • Somewhere inappropriate
  • In a park
  • On the stairs
  • In your parents’ bed
  • At a concert
  • In a penthouse
  • In a limo
  • In a movie theater
  • At a drive-in movie
  • In a tent
  • With someone you shouldn’t
  • In a swimming pool
  • At a party
  • On the roof
  • In a churchyard

Um…so…like…have you done any of these?

Relationships
, , , , ,

Thing to Do #33: Get to Score a Hole in One

June 18, 2010 by Jessica 3 Comments

I actually play golf.  I learned when I was in college by taking it as one of my PE courses.  At Hollins,  PE courses were just pass/fail and you could miss up to 6 classes and still pass.  Since I actually enjoy sports, I took quite a number of PE courses to learn sports I wanted to learn: Beginners Golf, Intermediate Golf, Beginners Tennis, Intermediate Tennis, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, etc.  I wanted to take Fencing too, but I was never able to fit it into my schedule.

Once upon a time, I wasn’t that bad.  I wasn’t that good either.  But I managed to hit the ball straight most times and while I’ve never finished under 100, I have actually hit the ball on the green from the tee box several times (although I was always still several feet away – and my short game sucks, so I would still two-putt it in).  You certainly don’t get better at golf by NOT playing, but I’ve only played twice in the past 2 years – both times in the same yearly golf tournament - the Annual Best Ball, Case of Beer, Co-ed, Cheap Ass Golf Classic.

Each foursome gets two packs of beer – one “yummy” (think Bud Light or Heineken), one “yucky” (think Schlitz or Milwaukee’s Best).  To finish the tournament, all of the beer must be finished.  I play because each team needs a girl and I’m the only girl who plays in my group of friends.  However, I DO actually help the team.  By playing best ball (or Captain’s Choice or Scramble or whatever you want to call it), I usually do manage to sink a putt or two for the team or because I am a girl and can hit from the girl’s tees, I sometimes get a 100 yard advantage on the Par 5s.  So if I hit it 100 yards from there, sometimes my drive is the longest of the team’s

So to complete this item on the 101 Things to Do Before You Die list, I definitely need to practice more.  However, there are plenty of people who play regularly that have never gotten a Hole in One, so it’s a lot of luck too.  It would be a huge accomplishment and I’d definitely earn respect from the boys in my group of friends.  I’ll let you know how close I get this afternoon at the tournament.

So how about you?  Ever scored a Hole in One?  Play Golf?  Think your time could be better well spent than chasing a small white ball around several acres?

Achievement, Sport and Activity
, , , , , , , ,

Thing to Do #7: Eat Exotic Foods

May 3, 2010 by Jessica 9 Comments

The original #7 on the 101 Things to Do Before You Die list is “Have a Threesome.”  I decided to change it to something from my original list from High School; to eat several strange foods, including: Chocolate Covered Ants, Live Lobster, Escargot and Cavier (I’ve eaten cavier and escargot since then, BTW).

I’ve decided to flesh out (HA! Pun!) this Thing to Do a little with other strange and exotic foods you can find around the world.  So far I’ve got on the list:

  • Live Lobster – I had a High School Spanish teacher talk about eating lobster while it was still crawling around on the table and said it was the best thing she had ever tasted.  Is this cruel?
  • Chocolate Covered Ants, Grasshoppers, Caterpillars, and grubs - The North Carolina Museum of Natural Science has a BugFest each year where they serve dishes with insects. DONE!
  • Fugu - this is the famous pufferfish in Japan that you’ve heard about that, if not prepared correctly, can kill you.  Awesome.
  • Live Octopus Tentacles – they wriggle around and you HAVE to chew them thoroughly or else the tentacles’ suckers will stick to the back of your throat and kill you.  Awesome.
  • Haggis – won’t kill you but if you think about what its made of, you may want to die. (COMPLETED!)
  • Guinea Pigs – I didn’t realize until that South Park episode that guinea pigs were raised for food in South America.

I also found some other strange foods, but I really don’t think I can do these simply because reading about them made me feel sick.  There is a kind of cheese called Casu Marzu that has live maggots in it and Balut, an Asian delicacy, which is an egg that is boiled, almost when the chick is fully developed.  GROSS!

What other items should I add to my list?  (No spiders or eyes or genitalia of any animal – this ain’t Fear Factor)

Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Travel
, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thing to Do #36: Visit New Zealand-Zero Hour

March 1, 2010 by Jessica 1 Comment

I’M GOING TO NEW ZEALAND!

Ok, that’s out of my system.  My bags are packed!   I have my travel pillow, power adapters, and passport/travel itinerary/travel vouchers/proof of travel insurance.  We’ve packed every medication you can get over the counter, umbrellas and ponchos, sunscreen and hats, winter AND summer clothing.  I’m bringing my laptop to record my adventures daily (or almost daily) because at the end of 2 weeks, I’m going to forget what we did at the beginning.  I’m bringing seven books with me-I hope its enough.

I’m nervous/excited/anxious.  I haven’t been able to concentrate on much of anything for the past week.  I’m not even there yet and I’m already dissapointed that its going to end.  I hope I have energy to keep going the whole time-I love sleep too much but I don’t want to sleep away my time there.  I hope Alex has a good time and isn’t too anxious while we are there.  I want him to have a good time and enjoy doing some of the more adventurous stuff we have scheduled.

I have such high hopes for this trip and have been talking about it and looking forward to it for so long that I’m convinced there is no way it can live up to expectations.  AND I’m still trying to kick this cold!

But its going to be awesome.  I know it.  It HAS to be!

Try not to miss me too badly while I’m gone.  I promise I’ll have lots of photos and stories when I return.

Travel
, , , , , , ,

World Record Skinny Dip

February 24, 2010 by Jessica 2 Comments

I had mentioned for my goals in 2010 that to accomplish this thing on the 101 Things to Do Before You Die List, I would try to be the world’s largest blood donor.  Well, I have yet to begin that, although I’m not saying I won’t.  However, a new opportunity has presented itself and I’m thinking this one is just too awesome to pass up. 

It began with a post from Gina.  #83 on the list is to go Skinny Dipping (which I have done) and she recounted her experience of skinny dipping in Costa Rica.  At the end of her post she mentioned that she had discovered that a World Record for the largest number of skinny dippers was recorded last July.  I did some research and may or may not have signed up to receive e-newsletters from the American Association for Nude Recreation so that I would be alerted if they planned to do it again.  Lo and behold, the very first newsletter I get is about the 2010 World Record Skinny Dip Attempt, scheduled July 10, 2010.  Of course I have the date marked on my calendar and even contacted fellow TTDers Gina and Miranda to make sure they were aware of the date, in case they’d like to participate. 

I’m actually trying to get some friends to do it with me, as odd as that sounds, but I think I’d feel better doing it with people that I know rather than strangers.  And I know this must just sound crazy, but just think of the awesome story it would make.  As I continue the list, I think its the potential for awesome stories that keeps me going.

Here’s the info about last year and this year’s attempt:

On July 11, 2009, history was made when 13,648 people throughout North America celebrated the joys of skinny-dipping, and in doing so, set the first world record for this marvelous experience. 

At 3 p.m. Eastern Nudist Time, people gathered at 143 locations – beaches, pools, resorts, lakes and hot tubs – and happily shed clothes for the pure pleasures of sun, wind and water.  According to reports received, all participants – even the “newbies” – remained in this state of nature after the official count and proceeded to enjoy the day with new and old friends. 

Some of these thousands of participants were regulars at AANR clubs, campgrounds and resorts, and this was one more fun event they regularly enjoy at these locations.  Others were attracted by the widespread media coverage of the event, the novelty or the urging of friends and family to “try something different.”  The unanimous view of all was that this event should become a regular part of the celebration of Nude Recreation Week, and plans are already underway to break the 2009 record on July 10, 2010.

This exciting project was the brainchild of AANR marketing consultant Randy Savage, who suggested contacting the Guinness organization in April of 2009.  After lengthy discussions, in which Randy explained that the skinny-dip events would be held at dozens of locations, not at a single location such as Spencer Tunick uses for his fascinating photography.  With cooperative goodwill and mutual enjoyment, Randy and the Guinness representatives worked out the rules for validating events that ranged from 25 participants at one location to over 600 at another. 

Media enjoyed this original story and covered it in publications such as Sports Illustrated and USA Today, and on television and radio shows as far away as Australia.   

A question frequently asked by those who have not yet enjoyed skinny-dipping is, “Why?”  The answer was simply summed up by one of the first-timers splashing happily in a pool long after the 3 p.m. official count:  “Once you’ve felt how wonderful it is to be without a bathing suit, you’ll never want to wear one again!” 

So who’s with me? ;)

Achievement, Nature, Sport and Activity
, , , , , ,

Thing to Do #67: Visit…

February 10, 2010 by Jessica 4 Comments

Ok, this thing to do on the list of 101 Things to Do Before You Die is a list of iconic places to visit all around the world.  So far, all I have marked off is the Roman Colosseum from my visit to Italy in January 2001.  The other places that I have to visit before I can count this ONE thing as done are:

  • Uluru (or Ayer’s Rock), Australia
  • Great Barrier Reef, Australia
  • Sydney Opera House, Australia
  • Great Wall, China
  • Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Machu Picchu, Peru
  • Pyramids, Egypt
  • Grand Canyon
  • Golden Gate Bridge
  • Taj Mahal, India
  • Angkor Wat, Cambodia

When we visited Rome in January 2001, I was dissapointed to see how much of the modern city had encroached upon the colosseum and the Roman Forum that was across the street.  While the Roman Colosseum was an impressive structure from the outside, I had to habitually remind myself that it was built over 2,000 years ago with none of the modern conveniences of today’s technology.  Once inside, it was difficult for me to visualize what it must have once looked like, as the original floor is no longer there.  There were also lots of places within the building that you weren’t allowed to go.  I may have gotten more out of it if I had taken a guided tour, but back then, I wasn’t interested in that type thing.  (Nowadays, I will sign up for a guided tour in a heartbeat!)  Outside of the colosseum are men dressed as Roman Centurians that you could take your photo with – I thought it was cheesy then and didn’t do it, but it would have been kind of funny and would have made a good photo.

So there are a LOT of Australia items on this list, huh?  But I think this is a pretty comprehensive list of iconic places to visit, minus tall buildings, which is another thing to do.  Its interesting that there aren’t any mountains to climb on the 101 Things to Do List – I’ve been thinking a lot about Mt. Kilimanjaro because it doesn’t require any climbing equipment, yet its the tallest mountain in all of Africa!

When we have our 10 hour lay over in San Francisco coming back from New Zealand, I think I’m going to try to make my way to the Golden Gate Bridge.  What other places should I visit (either in a quick stop in San Fran or the world in general)

Nature, Travel
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thing to Do #36: Visit A Lot of Countries

February 4, 2010 by Jessica 8 Comments

Let’s be realistic.  I’m probably not going to visit every country.  I don’t even WANT to visit EVERY country (I mean, I’m cool if I never visit Chad or Uzbekistan).  BUT there are certainly ones that I’d really like to visit and if I ended up just making it to every continent, I’m doing pretty well!  So here are the countries I want to visit for my 101 Things to Do Before You Die, listed in priority:

  1. New Zealand (obviously that’s getting ready to be checked off)
  2. Sweden/Norway (I desperately want to stay in a Ice Hotel and maybe check off #32 See the Northern Lights)
  3. Antartica (they offer cruises there and you can get off the boat and see penguins!)
  4. Kenya (I want to do a safari and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro)
  5. Greece (I was this close to going my Senior year of college.  I paid my deposit on September 7, 2001.  The next week changed international travel for awhile.  BUT a group still goes every other January and they are always looking for chaperones…)
  6. Japan (My friend Heather lived there and taught English as a Second Language for 2 years and I never took advantage of having a place to crash and a person that could give me all the “must-see” places to visit)
  7. Peru (Machu Picchu)
  8. Brazil (Maybe during Carnivale? and to see Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janiero)
  9. United Kingdom (Deep down, I’ve always been terribly fascinated with all things British/Irish/Scottish-sorry Wales-and I think I could easily spend a month here)
  10. Germany (Ditto about all things German.  AND I’ll get to brush off my incredibly rusty German.  At least I already know how to swear-Scheisse!)
  11. Russia (Kremlin)
  12. Australia (Ayer’s Rock, Sydney Opera House, Great Barrier Reef)
  13. Spain (Running of the Bulls in Pamplona!)
  14. China (Great Wall)
  15. India (Taj Majal)
  16. Egypt (Pyramids)
  17. Cambodia (Angkor Wat)
  18. Turkey (Hagia Sophia)

I can hear it now: you mean, no France?  Yeah, never really felt the need to visit France.  And Canadia isn’t on the list either, but I figure I’ll visit “North Montana” eventually.  And if I don’t, am I really missing anything?

So what other countries should I put on my list?  These are definitely my top 18 but I’m open to adding others.

Excitement, Miscellaneous, Nature, Sport and Activity, Travel
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 161 other followers

%d bloggers like this: