50 Things to do in 2013
1.) Get a passport- Done. I don’t know what people dislike more- their passport photo or their license photo. I don't particularly like either of mine, but I definitely wouldn't try to fight the kid in my license photo.
2.) Finish writing my memoir- Done. The writing has been completed. I’ve read it through and edited it. I’m not sure where I go from here (does anyone know someone in editing/publishing?), but I feel like the majority of this task has been accomplished. It’s a little weird because it was always something I could work on when I had the time (which was becoming an incredibly infrequent event recently). Now that it’s done I don’t know what I’ll do when those free minutes/hours come about.
3.) Read 25 books (roughly 2 per month)- Slightly ahead of schedule. As of this writing I’ve read 15 books, which puts me on pace for 29 or 30 for the year. I’m sure that I’ll write something about the books I’ve read in 2013 in December, so I won’t bore you with my impressions just yet.
4.) Visit my sisters in Washington DC- Done. I went down to DC in March to watch Syracuse advance to the Final Four and had an absolute blast. One of my sisters was away for the weekend when I was there, so I plan on making a return trip (hopefully this summer).
5.) Attend a Blue Jays game in Toronto- Incomplete. Odds that I complete this task before 2014? 60% My roommate is going to a Yankees/Blue Jays series in late August. I don’t have the days off approved yet, but I think there’s a good chance that I make it up there.
6.) Run a half marathon- Done. If you don’t think that I’ll get a 13.1 bumper sticker and put it on my car you’re crazy.
7.) Attend a Knicks game in the newly renovated Madison Square Garden- Done. I produced a Clippers/Knicks game in February for work and then went to a Thunder/Knicks game with a few of my high school friends in March. The Knicks lost both games.
8.) Buy a new suit and get it tailored- Done. My boss (and his boss) told me to hit up Joseph A. Bank and take advantage of some of their deals, so I went ahead and bought three suits for the price of one and got them all tailored. I’m on my way to adulthood.
9.) Lose 6-7 pounds- Incomplete. At certain points throughout the past 1-2 months I’ve been there, but my weight is starting to fluctuate more than it used to. After the past week and a half (bachelor party in Canada, Fourth of July celebration in New Jersey) I think it’s safe to say that I’ve packed on a few more than I’d like. Odds that I complete this task before 2014? 80% I’ll get there (roughly 3 lbs to go), but I wouldn’t bet my life on it.
10.) Go sailing- Incomplete. Odds that I complete this task before 2014? 10% I don’t know many people that sail and I have no idea how to do it, so it’s not like I can go rent a boat. My cousin who will not be named’s father is a big sailor, so there’s a very slim chance that I’ll go with him when we go on vacation in a few weeks.
11.) Become a better cook- Incomplete. It’s not for lack of effort. I’m definitely trying to create new dishes to add to my personal menu, but I haven’t struck many chords. Odds that I finish this task before 2014? 40% It’s totally subjective, so the fact that I’m trying technically means that I’ve become better, but I want to be able to whip up 2-3 quality dishes before I check this one off.
12.) Buy a winter coat- Done. When I purchased three suits for the price of one in late January I also got an adult winter coat for free. It took some getting used to, but I eventually started to appreciate the warmth that it provided.
13.) Attend my 5 year college reunion- Done. Easily one of the top 2 weekends of the year so far.
14.) Get a credit card- Incomplete. I have a corporate credit card, but that doesn’t count. Odds that I finish this task before 2014? 33% I’m still anti-credit card and feel no desire to get one, but the foundation of my belief has been under fire for years now.
15.) Shoot an 85 or below in golf- Incomplete. I’ve played two rounds of 18 so far this season and have a 95 and a 101. Odds that I finish this task before 2014? 20% I’m starting to play every Wednesday with three friends from work (two of whom are much better than me), so there’s a chance, but there are a lotttttt of holes in my game.
16.) Take a trip to Chicago in the summer- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 5% I’ve requested almost every week of August off already and it does not appear that Chicago is in the cards this year, although I would absolutely love to go.
17.) Play more basketball- Done. I played on an intramural basketball team at work in the winter. We weren’t very good, but it was good to get back on the court after a long hiatus.
18.) Go to the eye doctor and get new glasses/contacts- Done. My eyes only got slightly worse. I got new frames and felt that they were a big change from my previous ones, but zero people noticed.
19.) Do 100 pushups a day- Incomplete. I’ve probably done 100 pushups or more a grand total of 7 days this year. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 15% It’s all about developing the routine. If I can find a way to work it in it’s not unreasonable, but it just hasn’t happened yet.
20.) Visit 5 states that I’ve never been to before- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 1% So far I’ve added two new states to my map (Missouri/Delaware), but I have no plans to visit any others.
Minnesota and North Carolina were just layovers, so that's why they're in a different color.
21.) Go to the New York State Fair- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 5% The timing of the Fair does not jive too well with my work schedule this year.
22.) Go to a concert- Incomplete. I had plans to see the band Live on Long Island with my roommate, but the plans (on my end) fell through because I had to work on the US Open. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 8%
23.) Shave at least 3 times a week- Incomplete. I started 2013 out pretty well in this regard, but have fallen back into my lazy habit. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 25%
24.) Get a raise/promotion at work- Incomplete. I’m currently a Production Assistant II. The next step for me is Associate Producer. I can't get promoted unless someone on the AP level leaves. An AP spot opened up in January and I did not get it because you can only get promoted once in a calendar year and I was promoted in September (literally the only reason as per my manager). Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 66% Even if I don’t get a promotion I think my boss will find a way to get me a raise.
25.) Get my (still to be gotten) passport stamped- Incomplete. I went to Canada in late June and assumed that I’d be able to cross this one off the list, but they don’t stamp passports if you go back and forth between Canada and the United States. I was greatly disappointed. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 0% It’s not happening.
26.) Take a drive along the California coast- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 0% This was a long shot from the start.
27.) Attend a professional golf tournament- Done. I went to the Traveler’s Championship in Cromwell, CT in late June and had a pretty good time. I saw a few major championship winners (Padraig Harrington, John Daly, Vijay Singh, Webb Simpson) and spent the majority of my time watching guys play a 171 yard par-3 over water.
John Daly throwing back a "diet coke".
28.) Go to the US Open (Tennis)- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 50% This blog post made me look up when it is (August 26 – September 9th), so it’s now officially on my radar.
29.) Go to a taping of The Daily Show or The Colbert Report- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 5%
30.) Complete my quest to watch every movie nominated for Best Picture in my lifetime- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 99% As of this writing I need to see two more. Secrets & Lies (1996) and Amour (2012). I’ll find a way to watch them both in the next 5 plus months.
31.) Go to an NHL game- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 15% I watched a good amount of the NHL playoffs. Maybe that will encourage me to make the effort to go to a game this fall.
32.) Attempt to eat as many hot dogs and buns as I can in a 10 minute span- Done. I crossed this one off the list on Sunday. I took down 10 hot dogs and buns in the span of 6 minutes and then stared blankly at the extra two hot dogs and buns that I prepared just in case I was in beast mode.
33.) Completely overhaul my wardrobe- Incomplete. I have not completely overhauled my wardrobe quite yet, but I feel like significant progress has been made. A female friend actually asked if I’d be interested in her doing this for me (she took a job at a company that buys stylish clothes for guys for a certain price). I did not go through with it (actually forgot about it until now), but it’s something. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 60%
34.) Post at least 50 pictures on Instagram- Slightly ahead of schedule. As of this writing I’ve posted 28 pictures, which puts me on pace for about 52-56. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 75% I still have not asked someone to take a picture of me and someone else or in front of something, etc. and posted it, but that might be on the horizon.
35.) Take some sort of class- Done. I took a class called “Poised and Powerful Speaking” at work in February. At the end of the class everyone had to give a 5 minute speech. We drew numbers out of a hat for the order and I drew #11 (there were 17 of us). The woman next to me got #1 and said that there was no way that she’d be ready in time, so I switched with her. After I gave my speech the teacher asked what I was doing in the class and told me to pursue more avenues where I can speak in front of people.
36.) Run a mile in under 6 minutes- Incomplete. I run a lot, but always for more than a mile. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 70% I think I’ll eventually green light this idea just to cross it off the list.
37.) Watch a fireworks display from start to finish- Incomplete. I can’t believe that I didn’t see any fireworks this past weekend (I’m told there was a full display in Manasquan, NJ when I was there, but I was in a bar at the time). Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 10% Fireworks night at a baseball park might be my only chance.
38.) Witness a sunrise- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 3%
39.) Write more- Too early to determine. I started an employee newsletter at work and finished writing my memoir, but I hardly post on this site anymore.
40.) Learn to ski/water ski- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 0% I don’t know what I was thinking putting this on the list.
41.) Keep in touch with more friends- Incomplete. I was actually talking to my cousin about this recently. Friendships fade. People get busier and grow apart. It happens. Maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 40% Probably an optimistic number, but I’d like to.
42.) Give a speech- Done (sort of). I had to give a speech during that Poised and Powerful speaking class. I also ran a meeting at work last month, so I figure that that’s enough to cross this one off of the list.
43.) Memorize the world capitals- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 5% I have not even begun to start this one. In fact, I’ve probably forgotten most of the European, African, and South American capitals that I knew a year or two ago.
44.) Create a list of the Top 10 places in the world that I want to visit- Incomplete. Actually I’ll just do it right now.
1.) Ireland
2.) London
3.) Paris
4.) Argentina
5.) Greece
6.) Italy
7.) Spain
8.) Iceland
9.) Australia
10.) China
Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 100%
45.) Eat 0 meals at McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, etc.- Incomplete. I had Wendy’s for lunch when I drove down to DC in March. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 0%
46.) Wake up earlier- Done. I usually wake up anywhere from 8 to 8:45 nowadays.
47.) Go to sleep earlier- Done. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older or what, but I’m in bed before 1 a.m. almost every night (barring work).
48.) Cook the bacon explosion- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 5% The Super Bowl always seems like the occasion for this, but I’ve had to work during the last two.
Look at this thing. Eating some of this might hurt me when it comes to #9.
49.) Travel to a different continent- Incomplete. Odds that I accomplish this task before 2014? 0% This is now tied directly to #25 on this list.
50.) Watch less television- Done. I still probably watch too much, but I simply don’t have the time to watch that many tv shows anymore. I can no longer keep up with some shows that I really like (ex- Modern Family).
For you non math majors I've currently accomplished 17 of the 50 and should accomplish another 9 before the year is over. That actually takes us to my second blog post of the year.
Forecasting 2013
13 Bold Predictions for 2013
1.) The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will both miss the MLB playoffs for the first time since 1993- Too early to determine. The Red Sox currently have the best record in the AL, so this one isn't looking too good.
2.) The New York Knicks will not get out of the first round of the NBA playoffs- Swing and a miss. The Knicks snuck past the Celtics before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semis.
3.) Tiger Woods will win the U.S. Open- Swing and a miss. He finished tied for 32nd and 12 strokes behind the winner Justin Rose.
4.) The Miami Heat will win their 2nd straight NBA title- Nailed it. Predicting a third for next year would definitely be bold, but I'm not quite ready for that.
5.) The Syracuse men’s basketball team will not make it to the Sweet 16- Swing and a miss. The reverse jinx worked as the Orange went to the Final Four.
6.) I will not complete 50% of my 50 things to do in 2013- Too early to determine. As we just learned I've done 17 and should complete another 9 which would put me at 26 and over the 50% mark.
7.) Argo will not win Best Picture at the Academy Awards- Swing and a miss. It won and should have.
8.) Mad Men, the best show on television, will jump the shark in Season 6 and flame out in Season 7- Nailed it. This was easily the worst season in the show's history.
9.) Japan will win the World Baseball Classic for the 3rd straight time- Swing and a miss. The Domincan Republic took it down.
10.) The Supreme Court will uphold gay marriage- Nailed it. There's a lot of social momentum going in the gays' favor right now.
11.) The Lakers will make the NBA playoffs- Nailed it. They got swept and will suck next year, though.
12.) One of my siblings will get engaged- Too early to determine. I'm not feeling great about this one anymore, but there's a chance.
13.) We will finally meet The Mother in How I Met Your Mother- Nailed it.
5 for 13 on
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