May 13, 2008
#22 - Have a Dog
September 10, 2006
#3 -- Go Skinny-Dipping In the Ocean
The moon was full, the night snorkelers were an appropriate distance away, the surf was gentle, and we were naked.
June 12, 2006
#4 -- Fly a Plane
Last Friday I drove out to Winchester to take a Discovery Flight with Valley Aviation.
A discovery flight is an excellent way to experience flying for the first time. It gives the student a chance to see what learning to fly is all about. During the discovery flight the instructor will let the student take-off, go through a few basic flight maneuvers and experience navigating through the Shenandoah Valley. The flight will end with a landing at Winchester Regional Airport and a future student pilot asking when the next flight lesson will be.
Although I certainly wasn't asking when the next flight lesson would be (instead, I spent the first 5 minutes of the flight wondering where the airsick bag might be), it certainly was an experience. Andrew, my instructor, was delightful and I wasn't once in fear for my life--despite the fact that the cockpit of the Cessna made my Miata look like an RV.
Final reflection: I see no need to be a pilot, but I'm happy to check it off my list.
Posted by madchen at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)May 08, 2006
#23 -- Make Ice Cream By Hand
Thanks to the best present ever from Ms. Wish To See, I have now accomplished THREE things on my list of 50 Things To Do Before I Die. That's right, I've made ice cream by hand.
Dip into a sweet, cold bowl of homemade ice cream after a long day of hiking or on a hot day at the beach. Fill the bottom of this durable, lightweight Lexan® plastic ball with ice and rock salt, add ice cream ingredients to the top and just shake, pass or roll the ball around your campsite. In 20 minutes, scoop out about a pint of ice cream.
The "make by hand" part involved 10 minutes of Janie rolling the ball around the dining room floor, and then an additional 10 minutes of us rolling it back and forth. Quiet, it is not. Delicious, it definitely is. The four of us managed to down a whole quart of vanilla hazelnut with chocolate chips in a single sitting.
Posted by madchen at 11:01 PM | Comments (2)April 12, 2006
#10 -- Kiss a Girl
March 08, 2006
#30 -- Bake a Souffle
Looking over my list, I should have guessed that "Bake a Souffle" would be the first item to be completed. After all, it's not like I'm going to run off to Victoria Falls (#1), or make a dash to the humane society for a dog (#22) anytime soon.
Nonetheless, I felt quite accomplished. Sure, the cheese souffle wasn't quite as puffy and round and perfect as it might have been, but under Ms. NYC Rouge's watchful eye, I thought it turned out pretty well. We ate it with a simple mesclun salad mix while enjoying Jon Stewart and the Oscars. Simply divine.
Posted by madchen at 06:04 PM | Comments (0)February 13, 2006
50 Things to Do Before I Die
Over the past few years, I have tried to create a list of 50 Things To Do Before I Die, with the intent of spurring on new adventures, both meaningful and exciting. It was always hard to come up with a full list of 50; in fact, I usually hovered around a dozen.
I realized a few weeks ago that I'd accomplished most of that previous dozen--including skydiving, LASIK eye surgery, and living abroad. Currently being in a big transition phase with other aspects of my life, I thought it was high time to make a new list. And so, dear reader, I give you:
50 Things To Do Before I Die
1. See Victoria Falls
2. Read 1,000 books
3. Go skinny-dipping in the ocean (September 8, 2006)
4. Fly a plane (June 9, 2006)
5. Go on an African safari
6. See the pyramids
7. Write a novel
8. Sleep under the stars
9. Go to Burning Man
10. Kiss a girl (April 11, 2006)
11. Learn a language fluently
12. Run a 5-k
13. Live without a car for a year
14. Be a vegan for 6 months
15. Cut my eco-footprint down to 1
16. Start a charity
17. Have a secretary/assistant
18. Build a house
19. Go cross-country skiing
20. Go scuba diving
21. Get a Ph.D.
22. Have a dog (May 10, 2008)
23. Make ice cream by hand (May 6, 2006)
24. Grow a vegetable garden
25. Climb Macchu Pichu
26. Hold a public office
27. Learn to play guitar
28. Own a piano
29. Race a sailboat
30. Bake a souffle (March 8, 2006)
31. Visit a vinyard (March 2008)
32. Win an award (January 2008)
33. Learn to dance the shag
34. Speak at a graduation
35. Participate in a medical experiment
36. Act in a play
37. Meet the President
38. Get a solar panel
39. Register a patent
40. Work in an election
41. Publish an op-ed
42. Buy a Modigliani
43. Have a library room
44. Make a sculpture
45. Draw a self-portrait
46. Sing with a band
47. Throw a fancy party
48. Keep a blog for 5 years
49. See a baby being born
50. Complete all 50 things before I die
I've created a separate category called 50 Things (on the right hand side of the page), where I'll be tracking my progress. First on the agenda: make a souffle. That shouldn't be too hard, right?
Posted by madchen at 12:04 PM | Comments (9)
