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Sunday, September 26, 2010

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.

10 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. 1. visit an art gallery/attend an art opening
    2. take a one-day art workshop (screenprinting?)
    3. attend a political event/rally
    4. brew your own beer
    5. try korean bbq (mine and deb's friend hey could help)
    6. park your car in harvard yard (just kidding)
    7. throw a grown up cocktail party (i can help with this)
    8. throw your own festivus party (or come to mine and deb's)
    9. take the chinatown bus to nyc and do some stuff off the list there
    10. go on some cheesy boston history/colonial tour
    11. write a love poem
    12. celebrate 32 in some very big way (destination birthday party)
    13. sing karaoke (if you haven't)
    14. take a comedy or acting workshop/class
    15. watch all of the new battlestar galactica (although this might defeat the whole "watch less tv" spirit of the game)
    16. call into a radio show
    17. watch the BBC version of pride and prejudice with colin firth
    18. wear eyeliner for a day
    19. suit up! (go out one night in a full on suit)
    20. go ice skating
    21. foster a dog
    22. crash a wedding
    23. take a dance class
    24. do one of those acrobat circus things (http://www.simplycircus.com/Register/index.htm)
    25. contact a long lost friend or lover
    26. apologize to someone you've hurt/wronged
    27. volunteer
    28. watch an entire season of 2 and 1/2 men on DVD
    29. attend a rodeo or nascar event (or some other slightly hill-billy thing)
    30. go on a blind date for valentine's day (unless you are seeing someone then)
    31. go see live jazz
    32. celebrate a non-white and/or non-christian holiday
    33. volunteer to dress as santa claus (for something?)
    34. go to church
    35. rent a cool car for a day
    36. do a wardrobe consultation or get a personal shopper somewhere
    37. hire a decorator for the new apartment
    38. build a piece of furniture
    39. visit me in chicago (take the train?) - we can do ferris bueller's day off or some other such thing (nov 6th i'm attending the Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer - not sure if it's sold out or not)
    40. milk a goat (or cow)


    okay, that's what I have for now.
    xoxo

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  3. want to feed my baby and then change her diaper? we can give you a short course in parenting an infant, 101. ;)

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  4. Great blog idea. I'm going to have to think about this and get back to you.

    Hey

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  5. Um I thought I could make the name link to Jason's blog clydefrazierapproves.com but I screwed it up and now it goes to our really old wedding blog. Sorry.
    Oh and Hillary's list is great. Since Jason and I live right here in Boston, you should count on us to help you with at least #5 and #13 (do korean style karaoke, screw the american kind).

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  6. Learn to brew beer - or better yet: come to Milwaukee and brew a batch with Dave and I, then you'll be ready to do it on your own!

    I also second everything on Hillary's list (and Hey's suggestion of Korean style Karaoke). Additionally I would add:
    *Go on a whale watch (if you haven't done it already in Boston)
    *Go to Martha's Vineyard for the weekend and bike around the island
    *Hike a little bit of the Appalachian trail
    *Try one new food every month.
    *Read book that you would usually never pick up.
    *Try online dating
    *Learn to ride a motorcycle - they have weekend classes for this, and then rent one for a day/weekend (with helmet, please!)

    I bet I could think of more...Can't wait to see what you do :)

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  7. OOh, this sounds like a ton of fun & there are some totally amazing suggestions already! I'm sure that i have more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

    Some random ones:
    -Learn how to surf (this is totally doable in NE, but a bit late in the season right now)
    -Go on a weekend trip without a destination in mind and without taking the highway.
    -Go Scuba diving
    -Learn how to make your own pasta
    -Make a kite & fly it
    -Go on a backpacking adventure with friends.

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  8. let me know when we are going to church bingo, vineyard/winery, lesbian club for unsa unsa, and best pizza in boston: santarpios
    also add get herpes to the list, it can be mouth herpes i dont want you to have to go too hardcore

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  9. Oh by the way i thought of the best idea ever- you should try getting you nads waxed. dont dismiss this right away, it would be a very good opportunity to live a day in the life of many women and give you a lot of perspective on the issue. it would also give you the ability to say "there was that time..."

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