(aka, a fake conversation with myself to explain this blog)
So what the hell is this blog about?
It's basically a long list of items that I may or may not do over the course of the next year, and some stories on each one as I do them.
Seems fairly simple. So why are you doing it?
A couple reasons. The first is because after having roommates for the last 6 years, I moved into my own 1 bedroom apartment. I figured I'd become much more bored over the course of the next year, and basically wanted something new and different to fill those random weekday nights, as opposed to the usual 5 hours of XBox and TV.
5 hours? And you're single?
Shocking, I know.
Anyway, the second reason is because I was inspired by a couple new friends I had met. One had recently biked across the country, from Boston to Portland. The other was about to leave for a several month journey from Belize to the bottom tip of South America, and plans on finishing off that trek with a marathon in Antarctica.
Wow. So what type of world-traveler list items do YOU have?
Ummm, not really any.
Lame.
Yeah, kind of. But I know myself. And I know my pseudo-ADD needs a whole bunch of little goals to attack whenever I see fit, as opposed to slowly setting up a master goal over the course of a year. If I go that route, I'll probably get bored after awhile, and get distracted by someone dangling some keys in front of me. If I started biking across America, I'd probably be taking a bus home by Albany. I want to better myself / make myself a little more interesting, but do in a whole bunch of little increments.
OK. I understand. So how many do you plan on doing?
Hopefully 52. One for every week of the year.
Yes, I figured that based on the number 52. So one every week?
Sort of, but not really. I actually plan on doing them whenever it makes sense. If no great opportunities come along for 2 weeks, or I'm super busy for 2 weeks, so be it. Or if 3 cool new opportunities arise in 3 days, that works too. I just want to make sure I don't slip too much and fall behind. 52 new things by the time I turn 32 in September 2011.
So what does your full list of 52 look like?
Well, there isn't really a "full list" of 52. It's kind of a dynamic and loose thing. I'll take as many cool things as people can suggest, and then just make sure to cross off 52 of them within the year. As people suggest new things, they'll get added to the list, and I hope people will continue to suggest things over the course of the entire year. And if something isn't on the list but just randomly materializes and is something new to me, I might just count it.
So what if someone just calls you up and gets you to go to a new coffee shop around the corner, you get to mark off another item? That's weak.
Yeah, it is. And that's why I wouldn't count it. It has to be something distinctly new to me, or distinct unto itself. Another coffee house wouldn't count. But say, the coffee house had it own mini version of Cirque De Solei i going on behind the counter while housebroken wolverines were trained to bus the tables? OK, making a trip to see that might be worthy of counting. I've kind of broken down the list into groupings, which you check out on the List page.
OK. I think I got it. Can I join you?
Yes, yes and yes, and not just because your my own disembodied voice. While occasionally I might be better off doing doing an item on my own (maybe for my own fulfillment, maybe because a 3rd wheel on a blind date would be weird), I welcome any and all participants. And as mentioned, I'll basically consider any suggestion from anyone I know, but it would be especially cool if the suggester came along for the ride.
