I've tried blogging before, but it
never quite seems to work out. I get bored. Unmotivated. Things
are difficult when you lack motivation. It's hard to push through
and make yourself do it without anyone or anything behind you, under
you—supporting you. All too often the people who should support
you the most are the ones who support you the least. Parents don't
often tell their kids they're proud of them. That makes a world of
difference. My best friend gives me the most support. He's
fifteen—almost seven years my junior. He encourages me more than
anyone else ever has. I'll do this blog with him by my side.
Since June when I graduated with a BA
in history from one of the most prestigious schools in Ohio, I have
been desperately seeking a legitimate job so that I can get away from
the minimum wage job I've held since my junior year of high school.
For such an easy job, it causes a significant amount of stress. Word
to the wise: never work for family. If I could, I'd stay at home all
day and write. That's what I really want to do. I've been seeking
publication but that's a bit of a struggle. To date I've completed a
52k word novel with work started on two others and a collection of
three novellas, over 600 poems, a strong collection of short stories,
and a handful of academic writings including two papers on the
Woodstock Music and Arts Festival based upon my own original
research. It gets discouraging as the rejection letters build up,
but if it is something you really want, then you have to keep going
for it. That's what this blog is about.
I decided last week to write a Bucket
List, a term made popular by that quirky buddy comedy starring Morgan
Freeman and Jack Nicholson. It's a pretty good flick so you should
check it out if you've not seen it. Really, anything with Morgan
Freeman is worth watching (mostly for his bad ass voice). My list is
filled with some pretty absurd and crazy things. It's a big
outlandish. Most people would probably read it and think “hah,
good luck”. But that's the point. If you can dream it, then you
can do it. If you're going to dream about it then why not make it
reality? Dreams shouldn't just happen while you sleep or while you
zone out in chemistry class; they should make up each and every
minute of each and every day. Otherwise, what's the point? I don't
want to be another drone working on the line at Honda, so why should
you?
This blog will continue from now until
the time I cross off every item on my bucket list, and I will
document each and every adventure. I have a lot of my life left to
live still, though; I'm only twenty-two after all. So don't plan on
that happening anytime soon. I'll think of new things to add almost
every day. But for the time being, here's the list as it stands now:
- Write a best-selling book
- Travel by land from Ohio to Rio de Janeiro
- See the following bands in concert at least once, but preferably more: Arctic Monkeys, Avett Brothers, Blue Man Group, Mumford & Sons, MGMT, The Killers, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Eminem, Vampire Weekend, Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists, Florence and the Machine, Panic at the Disco, Weezer, Bright Eyes, Matisyahu, Nine Inch Nails, Cold War Kids, Gorillaz, She & Him, Spoon, The Shins
- See the following bands in concert at least once more, but preferably more: Kate Nash, The Kooks, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foxy Shazam
- Jam with the Avett Brothers
- Spend a day with Justin Bieber
- Eat lunch and have a beer with Stephen Fry and Ranulph Fiennes
- Be the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car
- Blow shit up with Johnny Depp
- Write and direct a movie
- Make some music
- Adopt a child over the age of 8
- Travel coast to coast by land
- Take a tour of the world's underground culture (i.e. red light districts, donkey shows, ladybird bars, black market, etc.)
- Go on a date with Zooey Deschanel
- Go on a date with Kate Nash
- Eat a pastrami sandwich on rye (no mustard) at Carnegie Deli
- Write about baseball
- Own a professional sports team (preferably the Cleveland Indians)
- Hold season tickets for first row right behind first base for the Cleveland Indians
- Spend at least one weekend in the most expensive hotel suite in the following cities: London, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York City, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Boston, Cleveland, Toronto
- Attend a baseball game at every Major League stadium, preferably in one season, preferably first row on the first base line
- Bowl more than one perfect game
- Win a doubles bowling tournament with my best friend
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