It would be nice to reveal that I had totally done every item here... unfortunately that isn't the case. BUT I have done quite a few of the things. Perhaps a person's priorities shift as they grow up, or perhaps it's because a lot of those items are basically shit, but I can't say that I am 100% dedicated to finishing the remaining items.
So here is the list as it stood, and where I am with each item.
1. Go to Edinburgh fringe festival
I have achieved it only last year! It was an excellent trip and worth a blog post of it's own!
2. Get Nestle to Give me £5 and donate it to charity
I have not achieved this. I have given at least £5 to charity though - so I am going to declare this close enough
3. Run any Marathon
Not done. For a while I was running nearly every day and built my stamina up to manage a few miles - with every intention to then run a marathon. However I didn't manage it. I am not ruling out the possibility of doing this one, and so it will most likely make it into draft 3 of the list.
4. Learn to Ski
I have learned to ski in the French alps on a skiing trip in 2010 and it was a lot of fun. I intend to go and now like to think of it as a hobby.
5. Grow my hair
This item is very vague. My hair is also very curly... At one point I had longish hair, that when pulled straight was about 1 foot.
6. Get Chuck Norris to E-mail Me
He never did =(
7. Drive coast to coast in America
Not complete. The idea still appeals though.
8. Learn to Write my Name in Japanese
I did and it is recorded somewhere in this blog.
9. Do some good
This is a shit item. I guess you could say I completed that under point number 2
10. Host my own website with a domain for more than a year
I did this, punarama.co.uk and punarama.com was a humor blog I hosted for a couple of years. I was proud of a number of the entries I wrote on it - and it was getting some readers but I found it too difficult to keep writing fresh posts that were quality enough so in the end I stopped paying all the hosting fees etc
11. Try to get a book published
Still ongoing. I am still not 100% satisfied with the quality of my writing - however I have yet another idea for a story. I have the plot & structure and am now writing it (slowly). At the moment I am 1 and a bit chapters into the first draft.
12. See a new film every week for a yearThe issue with this item is that it requires that I post an entry every week too - otherwise I forget where I am. This was more an excuse to encourage me to post regularly about something that an actual desire to do this before I die, so wont make it to draft 3.
13. Brew my own beer
No. I would still like to.
14. Do some art and try to get it in the tate modern
No. It would be amusing to try but ultimately futile, and that is probably why I added it in the first place. I don't think I will include it in draft 3.
15. Learn how many days are in each Month
I did and it is recorded somewhere in this blog.
16. Write some brilliant article and try to get it in a national paper
Not done. Same as 14 I don't think this would be possible or worth doing..
17. Apply for a job which pays more than £100,000 a year
Not done. Again, same as 14. Whilst it would be jolly to write about, at this point I would never get such a job - so I will save this one for draft 4 or 5.
18. Be an extra in a movie
Not done. There is no reason why I wouldn't be in future. This was added because I was an extra on TV shows in my teenage years, and felt it would be a nice thing to revisit. This will most likely be in draft 3.
19. Write a letter to the government, and give them a piece of my mind
Not done. This is also very vague. I have nothing I feel passionately enough about at the moment - but I did go on the anti war march over Iraq so I'll mark this closed.
20. Bet £50 on black
DONE. One evening I went to a casino whilst drinking with some friends and bet £50 on black. It actually came up black too! This meant that the money I had previously lost was won back - and we were able to play a few extra roulette games before leaving the casino having broken even overall.
21. Read ten novels that have won the booker prize
I have read a few - I will post a separate article about which ones, and if they are any good. This will make it to draft 3
22. Shoot a gun
I have shot a shotgun a number of times whilst clay pigeon shooting. Most recently this was on a stag do, and I was such a sharp shooter I won out of 14 guys and got a trophy!
23. Go travelling
I am currently saving to do this. This will be in draft 3.
24. Earn over £500 on ebay
Ongoing. This one is difficult to guage because I dont think you can list your selling items for all time. I know I have sold a fair few things now... although even if I go by the total sale including shipping I think I am under £100. I will endeavour to see if there is a way to find this out. I would also like to complete this little challenge.
25. Invent a new cocktail
Not intentionally. This one would be particularly easy though - and not even something I am that bothered about so it wont be in draft 3.
26. Earn a cool new nickname and insist everyone calls me by it
I have accrued some nicknames, but none I would consider 'cool' exactly, or want anyone to call me. Curly is one that springs to mind... I am happy enough with that!
27. Understand the rules of baseball, then go see a game
Not done. I added this as I thought it would tie in nicely to 7 - drive coast to coast in the USA; but now I think about it I have no interest in doing this.
28. Do a family tree
Not done. I have been told that a fairly close relative has already done this, too - so there is not really a reason for me to reinvent that wheel.
29. Get on the radio
Not done. I don't see the difference between this and 18 - being an extra in a film. It's just random public exposure.
30. Visit South Africa
Not done. The reason for this was I knew someone living there at the time and I could visit them. They are no longer there and I have since set my heart on other destinations to travel. This item is also pretty much the same as 23
So fairly successful, with 12 complete, and another 8 still something I want to do. So there are 10 I properly failed at for whatever reason. The only thing left to do is write Draft 3 of the list - 40 things to do before I am 40. But on that note: Should things I already did be left on the list?
So fairly successful, with 12 complete, and another 8 still something I want to do. So there are 10 I properly failed at for whatever reason. The only thing left to do is write Draft 3 of the list - 40 things to do before I am 40. But on that note: Should things I already did be left on the list?
