Wish List: Explinations

I wanted to tell people the stories of how I accomplished the things on my list. So here in no particular order are my stories.

4. See the world from above the clouds
My time in the army had me flying a lot. To Korea and then to Afghanistan I saw a lot of the world from 32,000 feet and that is definitely above the clouds.

15. Fly (pilot)
The premise of this wish was that I would pilot the aircraft and I got the Chance While I was in Korea. One of my Warrant Officers was doing a maintenance flight, basically he was lifting off, holding a hover, and landing. Since it is not all that big of a deal, he took me up and let me hold the hover for about five minutes. Yes, that sounds boring, but can anyone else reading this say that they "piloted" an Army Apache helicopter?

21. Love someone so much it hurts
There is a small portion of my list that was included because I couldn't have imagined life without those things happening to me, this is one of those. For reasons of my own I will not mention names, but there are times I think about her and still get knots in my stomach.

27. Stop smoking (inside joke sorry)
The inside joke was that I don't smoke. In my office, we would get to take a break every once in a while to smoke, well, I don't smoke, so I would say I am taking a smoke break just to get out of the office for 5 minutes. I got into such a habit of this that my sergeant commented that I should look into quitting.

28. Live abroad
One year in Korea and one year in Afghanistan might not count for some of you but it does for me and as it is my list, (X)

35. Do something unpredictable
After we redeployed to the states from Afghanistan I had a weekend where I really didn't have anything to do. All my buddies were home on leave and I was left to my own devices. I was planning on seeing a movie that night but I never made it to the theater. I started driving and made a wrong turn that put me on 421 south. I decided that I really didn't care where I went and was in the mood to drive. I reached the Atlantic coast a few hours later, in the town of Southport, NC. I watched the sun rise and had breakfast at this little greasy skillet on the shore and headed home.

195. watch the sun rise on the beach
See the story for #35.

46. Learn to swim
This may seem pretty lame to some but I have a very rational fear of drowning, so I thought, to give myself more time to complete the rest of my list it would prove a handy skill.

68. Be a knight
In the fall of 2009, after moving back to Columbus, I was knighted and included in the Knights of Columbus. Since there are not to many chivalric orders still around today, this will do.

87. Cuddle up and watch White Christmas with someone I love
Christmas 2008, I introduced the magic of Irving Berlin to Goldie, a friend in Lexington, KY.

89. Celebrate a birthday twice
While stationed in Korea, on the other side of the International Date Line, I arranged for my leave to start on my birthday. I took off from Inchon Airport outside Seoul around 7 am, crossed the IDL, where it was the afternoon of the day before. When I landed in Atlanta, I celebrated turning 21 for the second time in 24 hours.

110. Be someone’s conscience
In my life I have had a few people take me into their confidence, I take a little pride in know that people trust me enough to confide in me, confidence booster.

118. Admit my favorite movie to someone
In high school I was afraid of the question, "What's your favorite movie?" It is a stupid thing to lie about but I would every time. I am comfortable enough with myself now that I can say that Breakfast at Tiffany's with Audrey Hepburn is my favorite movie, hands down.

133. Be quoted
I love posting on forums about nothing. I came across a forum topic of all things awesome, in which the soda from the late 90's, Surge, was discussed. We were discussing how awesome it was and I contributed "It is so awesome, I think an old lady died from the awesomeness." One of the posters thought this was kewl enough for his signature on that forum. Six months later I was scanning a forum for WOW and came across my quote, I asked the user where he had heard it and he told me he pulled it from a signature he had seen on another forum, it had worked it's way through at least three forums. That is Awesome!

167. Live on a farm
After I left the Army, I moved in with my grandmother in Kentucky, where she runs a small farm, with chickens.

179. Work at a museum
For three months at Ft. Bragg, I was assigned to the detail that maintained the 82nd War Memorial Museum.

184. Watch all three lord of the rings movies back to back
CAUTION: Do not attempt unless you have the entire weekend, plenty of snacks and beverages.
It was a very long weekend after we redeployed. Again all my buddies were home on leave, and I didn't have gas money. :)

That is everything I have done so far, stay tuned for more updates and stories.

Wish List : The List

Ok, a little back story. I was pulling tower guard today and got extremely bored, so I wrote down a list of things I want to do before I die. I have 215, like I said, extremely bored and eight hours can be excruciatingly long. I thought I would post it on here because maybe some of them you guys could help me with. Some of them I have already done and those are marked with an “X”. Here goes…

1. Live in Europe
2. learn to speak another language
3. go to a prom with a date
4. see the world from above the clouds (X)
5. be in two places at once
6. look a gift horse in the mouth
7. grow my hair “hippy” long (getting there)
8. work in a library
9. know someone famous
10. kiss a girl on her front porch after a date
11. see every continent
12. have a candle lit dinner under the stars
13. get snowed in with someone I love
14. drive a clown car (fully loaded with clowns)
15. fly (pilot) (X)
16. see the world through rose colored glasses
17. ride a train
18. be a snowman
19. get in a fight over someone’s honor
20. go a day without getting upset
21. love someone so much it hurts (X)
22. cry tears of joy
23. see the Pope in person
24. be unafraid
25. go skinny dipping
26. have a drink with a non-drinker
27. stop smoking (inside joke sorry) (X)
28. live abroad (X)
29. sleep in the arms of the one I love
30. be a star
31. be apart of something
32. lead people astray
33. lead them back again
34. make a good first impression
35. do something unpredictable (X)
36. do something irrational
37. randomly yell at idiots
38. be a bad boy for a day
39. win a contest
40. convince someone of something
41. slap a bull
42. own some quiet property
43. have a barn
44. be a silent benefactor
45. be a superhero
46. learn to swim (X)
47. teach someone something
48. live a fairy tale for a day
49. have a roommate of the opposite sex
50. slap an idiot in public
51. make someone wet themselves
52. drive cross country
53. have a movie dance
54. protest a protest
55. learn to dance
56. learn to play the clarinet
57. serenade someone
58. order a meal in a different language
59. visit Rome
60. make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem
61. fight for a cause
62. yell at the top of my lungs from the top of a mountain
63. show someone a secret place
64. promise someone a rose garden
65. have a tryst
66. be part of a plot
67. be an operative in a secret organization
68. be a knight (X)
69.
70. be the underdog
71. go on a real picnic (no public parks someplace out of the way)
72. cook an entire meal for someone I love
73. tell someone I love her without being afraid to push her away
74. dance without music
75. take more pictures
76. prove something
77. see something no one else has
78. have a “once in a lifetime” moment
79. ride on the open range
80. be a cowboy
81. spend a week in silence
82. Finish a book!
83. stop worrying for 5 minutes
84. kill someone with kindness
85. go nuts
86. do something no one else has done
87. cuddle up and watch White Christmas with someone I love (X)
88. make love in front of a fireplace
89. celebrate a birthday twice (X)
90. sing someone a love song (and mean it)
91. steal something
92. lose a fight
93. actually pick someone up with a one liner
94. be told “I love you” by someone not my mother
95. save the damsel in distress
96. start an organization
97. go to the bottom of the sea
98. get married at midnight
99. brew my own beer
100. see a miracle
101. walk the line
102. shoot a canon
103. pull a Duke’s get away
104. host a Christmas party
105. live in a cabin
106. speak to move someone to action
107. drive someone crazy
108. see how fast I can get nowhere
109. make someone jealous
110. be someone’s conscience (X)
111. stay out with a date until the sun comes up
112. go on summer vacation with friends
113. go on a road trip with friends
114. be the life of the party just once
115. invent something
116. heal someone
117. meet an alien
118. admit my favorite movie to someone (X)
119. write a song
120. be known by my full name
121. have a “hallmark” moment
122. declare my love to the world
123. inspire someone
124. propose on one knee
125. make a wish come true
126. change the world
127. leave someone speechless
128. be a foreigner
129. make fun of French Canadians in Quebec
130. do something monumentally stupid
131. illegally cross the boarder into Mexico
132. “just do it” in Addis
133. be quoted (X)
134. be a witness to something funny
135. be questioned in regards to espionage
136. make people think I’m crazy or a genius
137. be called eccentric
138. adopt someone older than me
139. have my name spoken in reverence
140. go streaking
141. stop being so self-conscience
142. do something I shouldn’t be able to do
143. watch someone sleep
144. save a life (not my own)
145. do something to get kicked out of a movie
146. make out in the movies
147. be nominated for something
148. go sky diving
149. go sailing
150. sail around the Caribbean
151. own a home
152. be in a parade
153. (Long one) get off a plane and have my significant other run up and jump in my arms and kiss me.
154. dance with someone cheek to cheek
155. have someone to write love letters to
156. utterly confuse someone
157. be remembered
158. perform a random act of kindness
159. lose a starring contest
160. not be so sarcastic, really
161. post a stop sign for dyslexic people (Pots)
162. build my own home
163. fall in love at first sight even if I see her everyday
164. make someone fall in love with me
165. be called a good kisser
166. make an entrance
167. live on a farm (X)
168. go Christmas caroling
169. Finally take Amy to a Christmas Eve Midnight mass
170. (This comes after but...) have an Irish wake
171. be known at a bar
172. win a game of bowling
173. play 18 hole of golf to remind me I hate the game
174. win something for my significant other at the county fair
175. be asked to sign my book
176. host a radio show
177. be a missionary
178. not cringe when I hear a catholic joke
179. work at a museum (X)
180. be brave enough to tell someone that they saved my life from 12000 miles away
181. put my name at the top of one of my college papers
182. literally burn a bridge
183. make something beautiful
184. watch all three lord of the rings movies back to back (X)
185. fall into the sky
186. escape from a mental institute
187. ask God a question and get a straight answer
188. win a game of pictionary
189. actually go on a date
190. play in a band
191. enjoy a trip to an art museum
192. con a conman
193. meet John Adams and William Penn
194. have my own Boston tea party
195. watch the sun rise on the beach (X)
196. paint the town red
197. be elected to do something
198. fight someone with a sword
199. live off the land for a while
200. raise a daughter
201. have my own dog
202. date a brunette
203. see if I am still good when I’m on jeopardy
204. crash a wedding
205. fight zombies
206. kidnap someone and hold them hostage
207. be on a covert mission
208. start a spontaneous applause
209. completely mislead someone by accident (Amy just wait until we get a chance to hang out. I’ll apologize in advance.)
210. get kidnapped
211. kiss someone under the mistletoe
212. be in a low speed chase
213. start a movement
214. learn to play piano
215. be responsible for an international inncident

SO FAR: 17
There are likely to be additions as I have one more day of tower guard. Who knows.

Wish list: Introduction

The history of this list begins in Afghanistan. I was pulling tower guard, which is like perimeter guard, and after several hours of pure boredom, I started to write some of the things I wanted to do before I died. I keep the list updated as best I can. I got the list from watching "The Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, released that year. The idea soon took on a life of it's own as a list of the 100 things I want to do before I kick the bucket, turned into 215 things. To date i have completed 17 things off my list but still young and working on some of the things. With the summer I am hoping to knock out at least 5 things this summer, stay posted. With no further ado, The List.

The hardest thing....

All caring and intelligent people say "It is important to give to charity and help out where you can". The hard part comes when we have to actually do something about those charitable urges that rise in us from time to time. This summer I am dedicating to living those charitable urges. I want to spend as much of this summer helping others as I can. And here lies the rub, I don't know what to do really. I am going to sciota county in June on mission trip but nothing the rest of the summer. I am pulling my hair out thinking of projects to work on this summer. As previously stated, I am open to all ideas so please comment or email me with said ideas. I would even be willing to join a cause or project you may have started or be a member of. There are hundreds of charities around central Ohio and all of the are worthy causes.

On a side note, I mentioned I was running in night moves on September 18, and I officially started training for it today. I made it about a moe before I couldn't breathe anymore and had to walk/jog home. Plenty of roomfor improvement I know, but with hard work and determination I will finish the race. Yes it is a race! The top 25 men and top 25 women will recieved something kewl, I'm sure. My goal is to finish in the top 100, as there will be thousands of runners this is, I believe, a worthy goal. I will say this here and now, should I fail to finish int the top 100, I will shave my head bald! I will include a picture here in the next week so you can see what I am betting with here. Best Wishes and DFTBA!

13 May, 2010

In these waning hours of Thursday I have been watching some old videos posted by the vlogbrothers. One of their main themes is to reduce "World Suck" I would agree this is an important and very community minded goal. My dilemma is not if I should do something, but what I should do. I have considered many ways that I can reduce world suck, but generally draw a blank. I am planning on running "Night Moves" the march of dimes annul run here in Columbus, Ohio. This is a good place to start but I feel that needs to be ampted up. I am currently taking suggestions for projects I could do to reduce the World Suck, so feel free to comment here or email me. I am interested in doing something that benefits Columbus, it's not that I don't care about people outside my city, I just see the need for Charity to start at home. Good Night, DFTBA.

A bit about me....

My name is William, I live in Ohio, USA and I am a devout Catholic. I am proud of my family and friends, and the Church. I served in the United States Army from 2004-2008, with one tour in Afghanistan. I do not regret my service and I am honored by the friendships I made in that time. Since I left the Army I have concentrated upon my discernment. As a Catholic man, I have seriously considered the Priesthood. As I have traveled through life I have often enjoyed the privilege of my opinion and the right to share it with you. This is just another opportunity to share that opinion with you. I hope that through this forum I can learn from others and others might learn something from me.