Lonesome Cosmonaut

Looking for some direction this weekend, I stumbled upon the concept of writing a bucket list. A bucket list is a list of stuff that you want to do before you die – it doesn’t have to be huge things, just stuff that would make you feel good or accomplished. I’m going to keep this list on-going, and make sure it stays up-to-date and append any good ideas that should happen to wander along.

• Make a bucket list – I didn’t say this had to be difficult. Sometimes, the first step is just moving your leg a bit.

• Spend a day in Akihabara – The famed electronic Mecca in Japan. If I don’t go, I honestly cannot say I’m a devout tech geek.

• Bring Reg to a Hitmen game – A promise is a promise, and I said that I’d get tickets to a Hitmen game.

• Speak conversational Welsh – This would be great for when I finally manage to visit Wales.

• Run a marathon – I’m in terrible shape, so this would be a great thing to get around to.

• Run for Maine House of Representatives - Maine local politics is hilarious and awesome. Since I only managed to win one student representative election (after who knows how many student races), I’ll be content in simply running. Winning would be nice, though :-D

• Have a successful blog (1,000+ hits a day) – This one is in progress. Last I checked, I’m managing an average of 13 hits a day. Hey, if you tell your friends about this blog, this one could be finished lickety-split.

• Have all printers entered into openprinting.org – Having a Linux driver for every single printer will probably never happen. However, documenting every printer is totally possible. It would be a great milestone for open-source software.

• Drink gin while the sun rises – I like a good gin, and I like sun rises. Why not put them both together? Having put them both together now, I can assure you this was not as romantic as I thought it would be. It’s done, though, so there’s no need to dwell on it.

• Build my own cabin – I read a lot of Henry David Thoreau in university, so building a cabin would bring me closer to that ideal I had when I was younger and more naive.

• Finish Digitalis EP – Mark my words, it’s coming. Expect dreaminess in sound.

• Read “The Ocean World of Jacques Cousteau” – I’ve got the 20 volume set in my bedroom, and it taunts me every day.

• Write a letter of apology to my Uncle Mike and Aunt Janet – They gave me a thoughtful graduation card and gift, but I was too embarrassed that I hadn’t actually graduated and haven’t sent them a letter back. and so I’ve sent them a letter.

• Digitize all of my photographs – I’ve got a shoebox of old photos I took when I was a kid. I should go through them, slim down the collection, and digitize them for your viewing pleasure.

• Compete in DefCon Hacker Jeopardy - Drinking and computer trivia are two things I do pretty well. Winning gets you a lifetime free pass to Defcon, so try try try I must!

• Slim VHS collection to 100 tapes – Anyone who had been to my old apartment knows that I had a crapload of tapes. I’m still a firm believer in VHS (way cheaper than other formats!), but having too many made it hard to move.

• Speak conversational French – French has always eluded me, and I’d love to eat a croissant by a river and say “c’est bon” without a hint of irony.

• See “On the Side of the Road” @ Theatre Junction (March 3-5, 2010) – I missed it the first time it came through Calgary. I cannot miss it again! I saw it, and it highly exceeded my expectations as I had thought it would! Should you get a chance to see this play, do not miss it!
  

• Do a Vipassana Meditation retreat – Two weeks of total silence and meditation. It’d be good to slow my mind down a bit, it’s just a matter of getting the vacation time.

• Finish Portal – A beautiful game, and I really want to beat it. I don’t particularly like scary games, but I’m determined to finish it. The game was every bit of awesome I expected it to be. Even better, there’s cake at the end!

• Finish GTA IV – I’ve beaten all of GTA, GTA2, GTA 3, GTA: Vice City, GTA: Vice City Stories, and GTA: San Andreas. This would make it the fourth iteration I’ve gone ballistic on.

• Ride in a Critical Mass – I walked one once, but that is definitely not the same as biking one.

• Blog all Calgary Parks- I’m on my way:
  • 12 Mile Coulee
  • Baker Park
  • Battalion Park
  • Beaulieu Gardens
  • Beaverdam Flats
  • Big Marlborough Park
  • Bottomlands Park
  • Bowmont Park
  • Bowness Park
  • Calgary Olympic Park
  • Canmore Park
  • Carburn Park
  • Centenary Park
  • Central Memorial Park
  • Clearwater Park
  • Confederation Park
  • Connaught Park
  • Century Gardens
  • Devonian Gardens
  • Douglas Fir Trail
  • Eau Claire Park
  • Edgemont Ravine
  • Edworthy Park
  • Elliston Park
  • Fort Calgary Historic Park
  • Griffith Woods
  • Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
  • Haultain Park
  • James Short Park
  • Lawrey Gardens
  • Laycock Park
  • Lindsay Park
  • McHugh Bluff
  • Nat Christie Park
  • North Glenmore Park
  • Nose Hill Park
  • Old Refinery Park
  • Olympic Plaza
  • Peace Park
  • Pearce Estate Park
  • Prairie Winds Park
  • Prince’s Island Park
  • Ranchlands Park
  • Reader Rock Garden
  • Riley Park / Patrick Burns Rock Garden
  • River Park / Sandy Beach
  • Rotary Park
  • Rouleauville Square
  • Shaw Millenium Park
  • Shouldice Park
  • Sien Lok Park
  • South Glenmore Park
  • Southland Park
  • Stampede Park
  • Stanley Park
  • Strathcona Ravines
  • Tom Campbell’s Hill
  • Tomkins Park
  • Valleyview Park
  • Weaselhead Flats
  • West Nose Creek / Confluence Park

• Make a nightlife map of Calgary – I’m a bit of a night-owl, and a few beers makes it hard to remember where food is. Since Gerry’s has closed, this is quickly becoming essential.

• Go to Wednesday meditation at Avatamsaka Monastery – Every Wednesday night the Avatamsaka Monastery near the 10th Street bridge has a meditation session. Om!

• “Fine-dining” at a food court – This one will have to be blogged to get the idea, methinks.

• Spend a week in Montreal – I went as a little child, and loved every second of it. I have a feeling I’ll like it as an adult, too.

• Bike the major paths of Calgary – I’ve been trying to get more into biking, and this should feed my wanderlust.

• Read a Sunday Edition of the New York Times – This paper is huge. It’s the last of its kind.

• Make a mix CD for Aaron - I promised I’d make him a Bump-style mix CD.

• Do an acoustic set at a coffee house – Intimacy was never my strong suit. So I’ll play to a scathing coffee-house crowd and see what happens.

• Meet Miguel De Icaza – Yeah, the guy who made GNOME. I wonder if he still makes it to the GNOME Summits in Boston…

• Pilot a blimp – Not sure how one goes about this. If you know, please write down how in the comments section below!

• Get my $900 from Max – If not getting the $900, then at least getting $900 worth of enjoyment out of the situation.

• Eat a classy meal at the Lido – It’s a tiny little restaurant in Kensington. Had a delicious roast beef dinner, and I’m definitely going back!

• Go down Route 1 from Ft. Kent to the Keys – I originally planned this trip with my sister as a sort of “On The Road” style trip. She’s married now and has a really fancy job, so I think I may be doing this trip solo.

• Harass Erin about her bucket list – We’re going to be bucket list buddies, so naturally we’re going to nag each other to death.