Pot Committed

I've had my first official case of list-makers remorse.  

A lot of the items on the list are there because they'll probably be fun as hell. Some are on their because they'll theoretically make me more cultured. Some are on their because I'll end up learning a new skill.  And some of them are on there because they're new experiences that will take me out of my element, and most likely, make me a little comfortable. A blind date falls into that last category, and a blind date has been offered to me.  And the thought of a blind date makes me want to delete the list and go back to that whole 3-hours-of-video-games-on-a-weeknight thing.

Without this new year-long gameplan, I absolutely would have said "no," or at the very least would have gone new-age-stalker and looked up the girl's Facebook profile and hunted down pictures of her. But the existence of the list compelled me to say "yes" . . . . and to immediately get the butterflies going (I think I'm less scared for potentially skydiving). And since the list does indeed say "blind date", against my better judgement, I do indeed plan to go into it blind (though I told the setup girl Heyjin to go ahead and have the potential date look up my own Facebook profile. While I'd love for her to quote Arrested Development during the date, I'd prefer she doesn't show up and 30 seconds later start quoting the Bluths with "I've made a huge mistake". Alas, she has given the initial approval based on my Facebook profile, so I guess I got that going for me).

So while I don't know exactly when it will be, item #3 is in the works. She is apparently smart, pretty and an allergist, and that's all I'll go into it knowing. And yup, I'm terrified. Damn the list! (said while shaking my fist in the air like a 80 year telling kids to get off my lawn).

Other news and notes:

• My first actual attempt at a third item was a failure, though a bum knee certainly contributed. No 5K in sub-7-minute pace. It was closer to 7:25. Sigh. But we try again in 2 weeks.
• As expected, the 100-beers item is well underway. 14 down. 86 delicious experiences to go.

Draft List 1

(UPDATE:  actual ever-changing list can be seen on the List page)

I asked, and you kids responded. I still need to do some more sorting, but here's a short prelim list of the types of things I'm hoping to do (if you missed the explanation of what the hell i'm talking about, please go here to see how you can help me, well, not be boring)


Draft List 1

• Start a blog (item #1 . . . check)
• Do yoga (bikram yoga, if i got the balls)
• Do pilates
• Try sushi (I've done it while drunk, so I don't think it counts)
• 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
• Bake a cake and/or bake a pie
• Visit the Mapparium in Boston (no, i hadn't heard of it until it was suggested)
• Hike Mt Washington, or at least get above the tree line
• Hike Mt Graylock, or the to the point in western Mass where 3 states meet
• 9-9-9 Club (9 dogs, 9 beers in 9 innings of baseball)
• No TV or video games for a week (yes, that includes Hulu. and yes, i most definitely would wait until after the football season for this one)
• Try the trapeze
• Attempt Ferris Bueller's Day off in Chicago
• Attend a political event/rally
• Take a dance class / go salsa dancing
• The 2 1/2 Men drinking game (watch my most despised TV show and drink every time the laugh track goes off)
• Attend a hillbilly event (Nascar, rodeo, etc)
• Take a duck tour
• Make a day trip to NYC on the Bolt Bus (or for a real adventure, the Fung Wah bus)
• Have or attend a Festivus party
• Suit up (wear a suit to the bar for no damn reason)
• Go a blind date / go speed dating
• Actually go to church (preferably something out of my element, aka, non-Catholic or even non-Christian)
• Learn to hockey stop
• Visit the Mall of America (an excuse to finally visit my little sis in Minneapolis)
• Learn to surf
• Attend a play (I don't I've been to one in 5+ years)
• Attend a local wrestling event (think shitty town hall, like in The Wrestler)
• Learn rugby
• Take an art class (or get taught screenprinting by Meg!)
• See a Boston Breakers women’s soccer game, or a Boston Cannons lacrosse game
• Sell a ton of crap on eBay and see what the most ridiculous thing I can sell is
• Climb the Bunker Hill Monument
• Change a baby diaper and feed a baby without breaking out in sweats
• See Sloan in Canada (my all-time favorite band in their home country)
• See soccer in Europe (OK, this one might be a hope and a prayer this year, but its #1 on my lifelong list)
• Have a 100 different beers this year (the first 50 will be easy. the 2nd 50 will be a bit more of an effort)
• Go rock climbing
• Go to Kelly’s Roast Beef in Revere
• Volunteer / sign up for Boston Cares
• See the cranberry bog flooding on the Cape
• Go to a haunted house in Salem during the Halloween season
• Buy stock (that isn't just part of my 401K)
• Do a sprint triathalon
• Run a 6 minute mile (this was our HS soccer team's goal for awhile. I never made it, but i think 31 year old Alan may actually have a better chance than 17 year old Alan)
• Go for a night hike and camp out for the sunrise
• Go snowshoeing
• Do the cliff walk in Newport, RI
• Take a ferry to the Boson Harbor Islands
• Listen to an entire country album (I thought about listening to an entire DMB album, but I can only be so sadomasochistic)
• Go to a concert for band I've never heard of
• Watch 3 Oscar winning movies made before 1975

Again, this list is a work in progress. And frankly, it will probably be pretty fluid throughout the year if people continue to come up with cool stuff that can definitely considered a new experience. If someone says "hey, we're going skydiving tomorrow, want to come", I think that counts, even though it might not be on the list. But "hey we're going to that new Starbucks that opened" probably shouldn't be counted. My standards may be low, but they exist. 


Anyway, with the second legitimate post, I think item #1, start a blog, is underway. Item #2, have 100 different beers, is, not surprisingly, also underway. 

• Shipyard Pumpkinhead
• Wachusett Green Monstah Ale
• Shocktop
• Sam Adam's Oktoberfest
• Keystone Light
• PBR

Like I said, the first 50 will be the easy 50.


And this Saturday we make a first attempt for #3 - run a 5K at 7 minute mile pace. It's been a 4 year journey towards it, but we'll hopefully we'll celebrate and discuss Saturday.


Keep the ideas coming kids.

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.