Posts tagged bucket list
A Things To Do List Update
05 months ago
The beginning of the year is always a good time to update my big list of things to do – my bucket list – the list that gives me plenty of challenges, plenty of things to aim for, plenty of things to think about.
Last year (doesn’t 2012 seem like a long time ago?!) I ticked off seven things from my list (and added to a couple more), including swimming with dolphins (I really should blog about that experience, I will do so soon) and the Sky Coaster in Kissimmee.
I love planning my next “Things to Do” adventure, and I know that I will be ticking two things off in the next couple of weeks, three if the Northern Lights put on a show while we’re on holiday in Finland. Oh and for the record, I have promised a good friend I will arrange to give blood when I come back from my holiday!
As you know, though, my list is always evolving. Each time I tick something off, whether big like the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge or small like eating a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, I find new things to add. The list is long but there is always room for more, new, interesting, exciting, thought provoking, scary, educational, adrenaline fuelled, cultural, and other challenges.
So thanks for all your suggestions so far… and your offers of help with things already on my list… keep them coming… leave your comment below!
Segway Experience
22 years ago
This weekend I have ticked another thing off my THINGS TO DO LIST (which I would update but I can’t find my memory stick with the Word doc on it anywhere – argh! – update to come when pen drive is found!). I received a voucher for a Segway Experience for my 30th last November, and it was finally time to have a go.
I can’t remember the first time I saw a Segway but I do remember seeing the “Imagineers” at Disney’s Epcot riding around on them back in 2004 when we went there for the first time. They look a bit strange – like a scooter made with the wheels next to each other instead of one behind each other.
In 2001, Dean Kamen announced the arrival of the first self-balancing, zero emissions personal transportation vehicle: the Segway® Personal Transporter (PT). Founded on the vision to develop highly-efficient, zero-emission transportation solutions using dynamic stabilization technology, Segway’s research and development was focused on creating devices that took up a minimal amount of space, were extremely maneuverable and could operate on pedestrian sidewalks and pathways.
(From the Segway website)
They say you just think “forward” and it goes, and I’ve been wanting to put that to the test for years.
We went to Thoresby Hall in Nottinghamshire for our rally, which was run by Segway Events.
The experience lasted about an hour and started with each member of the group taking turns on on Segway to get an idea how it works. Very intuitive. It’s quite amazing how it’s so perfectly balanced that it sits upright – keeping it still is as simple as standing on the spot. To go forward you move your weight to your toes, and to go back, onto your heels. The more weight you push forward, the faster you go, and the quicker you return upright, the quicker you stop. Turning left and right is a case of tilting the steeing column the way you wish to go – and much like skiing if you add weight to the opposite foot you turn much sharper, which is great fun especially on the dusty leaf/branch covered ground we were on.
With the x2, you can chart your own course. Its innovative design moves you over a variety of terrain, be it the grass in your backyard or the gravel and dirt in your favorite off road spot. Deeply treaded tires, scratch resistant fenders and higher ground clearance give you a smooth, stable ride, and the durability you’ve come to expect from Segway. And with the unmatched performance of Segway’s LeanSteer technology, your body will anticipate and conquer the trail ahead.
(From the Segway website)
After getting the hang of the controls (and having our pic taken… see below!) we went on the “rally” which took us around the grounds of Thoresby Hall, through the wooded areas, past the bowling green, and across the formal garden. The Segway X2 loved the offroad conditions – and so did I! If anything I wanted to go just a little bit faster – but I got every bit of my weight forward so at least I know I went as fast as it would let me!
The main question when we got off the Segways at the end of our run around Thoresby Hall was… well how much are they?! We were told about £5k each. I’ll add it to the bottom of the list after Jet Ski and Motorbike then!
Another successful try of something new. Having my list is a really great way of working my way through all the things I’ve ever said I want to do – and as usual if you have any suggestions make sure you let me know! If you’ve not got a bucket list I would really recommend writing one… and if you haven’t had a go on a Segway make sure it appears on your list somewhere.
Bucket List Update
02 years ago
by Splodz
in Things to Do
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve booked a few bucket list things in the diary and also added a few more to the list, so I thought I should update the document on my blog.
VISIT MY THINGS TO DO PAGE HERE
One of the things I’ve added is to learn to play Trombonology (Dorsey). I don’t play the trombone as much as I used to but I’ve been told that with some practice I should be able to play it… that sounds like a challenge! So I need to get hold of the music (choosing piano, jazz or brass band accompaniments), and get on with it. Apologies to my neighbours in advance.
This is it if you’ve never heard it:
(You will need to watch on YouTube – Sony won’t allow it to play within other sites. Click play and then on the “Watch on YouTube” link.)
As always the list is there to grow, so anything you think I should include just let me know – either comment on this post, on my Things to Do Page, or contact me using my contact form.
Oh and if you can help me tick anything already on my list off (always happy to “review” for Splodz Blogz) please get in touch – I’m not going to be able to get them all done on my own steam so all help appreciated!!
My Bucket List
22 years ago
by Splodz
in Things to Do
Anyone who knows me or who has followed this blog for a while knows I have a “things to do list”. This is something I wrote when I was about 25 as a list of challenges/things to experience by the time I was 30 (to make the most of my 20s), but the list got longer and longer until I realised there was no way I was gonna manage all of it in time! So I turned it into a kind of bucket list.
Some of the things I ticked off in 2010 were taking a photograph every day of the year (see my Year in Photos 2010 page), a tandem skydive (skydiving post here), learnt to surf (surfing post here), quad biking and go karting – amongst other things! And already lined up for 2011 I have indoor skydiving, segway rally, and a 160ft bungee jump!!
Surfing, Easter 2010
But not all of them are daring. Some are fitness challenges, like running a 10km road race in less than an hour, or more crafty like making a candle or having a pottery lesson. Eduction also plays a part, as does travel, and even property.
Graduation, January 2009
The list is growing all the time, and I’m always looking for new ideas/suggestions to add. I want to do things that are personal challenges as well as visit wonderful places, and I’m loving working my way through all of the things on it.
You can see the full list on my Things to Do page. And if you have any suggestions (or want to help me tick something off) then please either comment here/on that page or contact me using my form.
Another Things to Do Update
12 years ago
It’s been a little while since I did an update on here of my Things to Do list. So I’ve been through it, added some more stuff people have suggested, and updated the file on my Things to Do page. The next thing waiting to turn green on there is Karting, which is booked for next Saturday – bring it on!
THINGS TO DO PAGE
And of course, as always, I’m happy to hear suggestions that you have for my list – I won’t promise I’ll add them but I’m always looking for new ideas.
Also, I wanted to share this book with you…
Can’t be Arsed by Richard Wilson (published by Portico) is subtitled “101 things NOT to do before you die“. It’s in amonsgt the pile of books from The Book People that is currently sat in our kitchen at work. And for obvious reasons it was one that I just had to have a look at.
Very funny and well written, it’s basically a Bucket List but with reasons why you shouldn’t bother doing them… and the reasons are pretty good I have to say!
And yes, there are things in the book that are on my list. Take this one, for example…
3) Shower in a Waterfall
People who dream of doing this probably imagine it will be exactly like that Timotei shampoo ad, in which an impossibly beautiful blonde girl washes her already-quite-clean hair in a waterfall and then flicks her golden tresses this way and that, in super slow-mo.
It all looks so tempting, refreshing, natural and clean. It’s all faked. The film has been tinkered with – it’s never that sunny – the water has been dyed blue, the shampoo is Gale’s Honey, the girl’s in a cage in a wetsuit. It’s not her hair, they used a stunt hair double, or it’s made of mashed potato and Plasticine; she’s not really there, there is no waterfall, she’s a mannequin, it’s all done in a studio in Elstree and we don’t actually exist – we’re a figment in the mind of a silicon-based life form who sits at a desk in an office in Clerkenwell.
There is supposed to be a real-life waterfall like the one in the Timotei ad, in a place called Millaa Millaa in Queensland, Australia. I don’t actually believe this – the ad men must have made it up. But it doesn’t matter which waterfall you try to shower in; you’ll be freezing cold and your thighs will go all blue and blotchy. Not only that, but you’ll have left the soap or the shampoo in your rucksack and you’ll have to step out of the shower to get it and then in the process you’ll probably slip on some moss or slime and crack your elbow, maybe end up with a couple of grazed shins and skinned ankles. And after all that, you’ll find that one of your ‘mad’ travelling companions has stolen your clothes for a joke then videoed you on their mobile and by the time you’ve attempted to dry yourself on some leaves (causing a rather alarming burning sensation) your wobbling bulk is being viewed worldwide on YouTube. Now that could happen.
Probably not a book you’d buy for yourself, but if you know someone (that’s not me!) who has a list of things to do before they die, then this would make a very good present/stocking filler/secret santa gift this year.
