Make Me More Interesting

Hey friends.

So as the Facebooks told you, I recently turned 31. I also recently moved into a 1 bedroom place of my own. And knowing myself, I'm probably going to spend way more time in the next year watching TV and playing video games than a 31 year old single guy should . . . . and that's pathetic.

Last weekend I made a couple new friends. One of them had recently just biked from Boston to Portland, Oregon. Not motorcycle biked. Use-your-feet-to-pedal biked.  The other will be heading to Belize in a couple months, and then making her way down to the bottom of South America without any real travel plans. Oh, and she's then going to hop over to Antarctica to run a marathon. No big whoop.  These people are both insane and awesome . . . .  and I want to be awesome.

However, since I can't envision myself taking months off work to have my own life-changing globe-trotting adventure (at least not yet), I figure I can try and have a string of mini-adventure over the course of the next year. Local places I've never been to. Activities I've never done. Food I've never eaten (and if you know me, this is incredibly atypical). And I want both your creative suggestions, and your participation. Pass on to me the things that make you interesting.  The basics:


 Who: Me. I'm Alan. If you're actually reading this, I'm pretty sure we've met.

What:  Do 52 new things that I've never done before.

When:  Over the course of 1 year, before I turn 32 next September.

Where:  Mostly in Boston, but if something's worthwhile enough, and within reason, I will travel.

Why:  Because I was inspired by my new-found friends. Because I spend too much time in front of the TV and XBox.  Because living alone is cool, but it can be damn boring. Because you people are interesting and I want you to rub off on me.

How:  By putting together a list of 100 or so potential items that I can do whenever I can find the time (which will probably be often).  And by having you people join in, either by coming along for the ride, or by teaching me the skills or traits that make you interesting. Are you a good cook? Teach me to make a cake from scratch. Do you know karate? Teach me to break a 2 x 4. Do you know a hidden jewel for fantastic slider burgers? Take me. Do you work at a museum? Give me the experts tour.

And thus, I now turn to you.  People I've known for 20 years and people I've known for 20 days. BFF's and people I've met once. What the hell should I do? What do you do that makes you interesting? What events have you done that you love telling stories from? Where do I still need to go in Boston? What will me make say "god damn I'm glad I did that"?

And since I don't want suggestions like "do a hooker" or "do body shots off the pope", a few specifics:

• I should probably be able to do it in a day. Bad suggestion - learn to play guitar. Good suggestion - you teach me a couple chords and I learn to play the first riff of "Smoke on the Water".
• It probably shouldn't be illegal. Try oysters? sure. Try heroin? Not so much.
• I shouldn't feel mentally worse the day after. Again, not doing a hooker just to see what it's like. 
• Don't take everyday mundane things for granted. There's a damn good chance I haven't done it. Remember, you're talking to someone who doesn't eat salads.
• It shouldn't be probability based. I'm not going to 162 baseball games in the hopes of catching a fly ball.

 And here's the type of randomness I'm expecting:

• Do yoga
• Try sushi (while sober)
• Learn to make my own homemade pasta sauce like a good Italian boy should
• Start a pub crawl
• Get pizza at Santarpio's and/or Pizzeria Regina
• Break 7 minute pace in a 5K race
• Try a 24/24/24 challenge (run 24 miles and drink 24 beers in 24 hours)
• Take a punch to the stomach / get slapped by a girl
• Read a book in a day
• Start a blog (item #1 . . . check)

But the blog is only worthwhile if you people actually help me out. Assuming I get a quality list, I'll write. And I'll post pictures. And I'll post videos. And I'll hopefully keep it interesting.  And you'll hopefully participate.  And if the list blows . . . . well, FIFA 2011 comes out on XBox in 2 days! And if I know girls, and I think I do, they love guys that play an excess of video games.

So that's what I'm looking for. It may be cool. It may be stupid. It may be a rip-off of My Name Is Earl.  It may be a mid-life crisis without the sportscar and 18 year old girlfriend.  I'm not sure.  But at the very least, I hope it's something that gets me out of the house. So please send me your suggestions, either via email or a Facebook message with "52 new" in the subject line, and I'll post a draft list when available. I have 206 Facebook friends - you people should have enough interesting things to last me 10 years.