Nice eyes — they may be smilin’; but smilin’ eyes ain’t always nice
February 12, 2008RICHMOND, Va. — February’s almost over and I’m almost 25-years-old. Oi!
I’m having a bit of a “what the fuck am I doing here” type of a moment these last couple days. Yes, we’ve been here before, but things have been pretty good lately. This is not what we’ve had before. However, it seems prudent to step back and reassess. People’s lives are like Mack Trucks in a demolition derby. Like a tin full of bait worms. Packed tight. Flesh on flesh struggling for an unknown, a something. It’s a dangerous feeling this, this uncertainty. This dirty humanity.
So, I was digging through some of my old work here, looking for some inspiration, and commiserating with memories and wallet photographs, etc., and then I remembered that I owe you folks an updated life list. This is an old ritual of mine, dating back five years or so now. As much as I admire Jack Nicholson and as much as I love the Morgan Freeman voice, I must confess that I wasn’t thrilled that they partnered up for The Bucket List movie. I didn’t watch the movie and I don’t take credit for the idea (are you crazy?), but I admit that I thought that the importance I put into making my list would be diminished by the popularity of it. I fear the phrase: “Everybody’s doing it.”
But the movie bombed (apparently — I don’t know, like I said: I didn’t watch it. But I also haven’t heard anything about it lately) and now I’m just doing whatever I can do procrastinate delivering this years edition to you.
Just like last time around, the life list will be rolled out in two editions. Two parts. First to the plate is last year’s list. Completed “tasks,” or goals or whatever are marked. Clearly I accomplished, and I quote: “Not so much.”
On deck is the new edition revised and annotated with the latest and greatest. The “what’s on my mind,” not that you care.
Alas:
Education
- Finish one of two partially completed degrees at Virginia Commonwealth University and Curtin University of Technology.
- Grad school: possibly in New York, Boston, or Chicago.
The color of money
- Fix budget/finances quandary
- Retirement fund
Do by December 31, 2007
- Paint self portrait
- Learn to pick locks
- Read book a month
- Continue writing/editing for Commonwealth Times
- Write one investigative story (weighty)
- Write 50,000 words on single story line
- Pet, for inspirations
- Maintain between 3-3.5 grade point average
- Miss no more than one class per class per week
- Film screenplay
- Attend Richmond Braves/Richmond Kickers game
- Write 1,000 words a day (morning)
- Wake up earlier
- Stop making fun of the morbidly obese
- Find pen pal on every continent
- Complete web resume
In pursuit of women
- Reinstate black book
- Companionship
- Commission attire
- Put more effort into my love making
- Bring back Paco Rabanne
- Date girl that has asshole boyfriend
The hobbyist
- Skydive
- Cinematography
- Continue photography
- Boost music collection
- Rebuild classic vehicle (De Soto?)
- Stamps (Magyar Posta)
- Aquariums built inside walls of house
- Deep wilderness camping
- Learn to fly
- Build library
On enhanced health
- Re-get and stay fit (see Life List 2003)
- Waist: 36 inches to 32 inches
- Run 2 miles in 15 minutes
- Eat three square meals a day
- Increase wine consumption
Improving business position
- Rework quarg.com to increase revenue stream.
- Write copy for fee
- Move office operations out of office
- Environmental (naturalist) journalism
- Richmond area blog aggregator
- richmondwrites.com, richmondstandard.com, eroticrichmond.com, desotopress.com, americanterrorist.org, thereveller.com, de-soto.net, quarghost.com, getrichmond.com, civiccert.org.
The long-term vision
- Own a house
- Returning to traveling man lifestyle
- Live on a boat
- Spend time in West Africa
- Do radio show