Adventures, Languages, Cuisines, and Randomness: Bonne année !

January 01, 2010

Bonne année !

Happy New Year!
¡Próspero año nuevo!
새해 복 많이 받아!
Gutes neues Jahr!
Felice anno nuovo!
С наступающим Новым Годом!
Gott nytt år!
An Nou Fericit!
Szczęśliwego nowego roku!
Próspero ano novo!

May 2010 and the new decade bring you lots of fun and happiness!!! I wish you all the very best this year and the years to come! (And merry 8th day of Christmas!)

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Coffee

You are stubborn and tough. You tend to push yourself to the limit.

So even if you've been out drinking all night, you aren't going to let it slow you down.

A couple cups of coffee and you're good to go. You can push through any hangover.

You're perfectly comfortable burning the candle at both ends... as long as you have a candle to burn!

What Hangover Cure Are You?

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Wish List 2010

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia - Edmund Sears Morgan
How to Lie with Statistics - Darrel Huff
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries - Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway, and George A. Borden
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media - Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky
Rose - Li-Young Lee
The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance - Laurie Garrett
The Moral Sense - James Q. Wilson
The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century - Thomas L. Friedman
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith - Jon Krakauer

Things to Do Before I Die

Travel
1. Visit all 7 continents. (So far: Africa, North America, Europe, and Asia)
2. Visit 119 countries (at least). So far: Belgique/België, Bosna i Hercegovina, Burkina Faso, Canada, Česká Republika, Côte d'Ivoire, Crna Gora/Црна Гора, Danmark, Deutschland, España, France, Ghana, Hrvatska, Ireland/Eire, Italia, Lëtzebuerg/Luxemburg, Mali, Magyarország, México, Nederland, Österreich, Polska, Republika e Shqipërisë, România, Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano), Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera, Sénégal, Slovenija, Slovensko, Sverige, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States, Ελλάδα, 日本, 대한민국, България, Македонија, Россия, Србија, المغرب
3. Visit all 50 states and 1 district of the USA (So far: Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin)
4. Visit Alcatraz.*
5. Visit a pyramid.
6. Visit Jerusalem.
7. Visit Mount Rushmore.*
8. Visit the Grand Canyon.*
~~9. Visit Walt Disney World.~~ (1996)
10. Visit Walt Disneyland.*
11. Visit Yosemite Park.*
~~12. Backpack in Europe.~~(2006)
13. Buy a round-the-world air ticket and a rucksack, and run away.
~~14. Dance with a stranger in a foreign country.~~ (2006)
15. Drive across the US from coast to coast.*
16. Drive on the autobahn in Germany.*
17. Experience carnivale in Firenze or Venezia.
~~18. Experience what it's like to be in a foreign country with no money and nowhere to go.~~ (2006)
~~19. Gamble in Atlantic City.~~ (2005, yes, I did it illegally)
20. Gamble in Las Vegas.*
21. Go around the world in 80 days.
22. Go deep sea fishing and eat my catch.
23. Go on a First Class plane ride on a long international flight.
24. Go on an ocean cruise.
25. Go to a drive-in movie theater.*
26. Go to an active volcano.
27. Go to Mexico and illegally reenter the US even though I'm a citizen.*
~~28. Go trick-or-treating in a foreign country.~~ (2009)
29. Go wild in Rio during Carnival.
30. Hike on the Rocky Mountains.*
31. Hike on the Appalachian Mountains.*
~~32. Live abroad.~~ (2008)
33. Paraglide off Baba Dag.
~~34. Participate in a charity program in Africa.~~(2008)
35. Raft through the Grand Canyon.
~~36. Ride a camel in a desert.~~ (2008)
37. Ride a gondola in Venice with someone I love.
38. Ride the Trans-Siberian Express to Mongolia.
~~39. Run to the top of the Statue of Liberty.~~ (2000)
40. Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef
~~41. See a sunrise in a foreign country.~~ (2006)
~~42. See a sunset in a foreign country.~~ (2002)
43. See the northern lights.
44. Shower in a waterfall on a tropical island or some other country in the southern hemisphere.
~~45. Sleep a night in a snow fort I built.~~ (2010)
~~46. Sleep at a random person's house in a foreign country.~~ (2006)
~~47. Sleep at a train station in a foreign country.~~(2006)
~~48. Sleep at an airport.~~ (2006)
~~49. Spend a night in a "haunted house" by myself.~~ (2007)
50. Take a long road trip with friends.*
51. Take an African Safari.
52. Take someone I love to the Camera degli Sposi
53. Wear green on St. Patrick's Day in Ireland

Activities
~~54. Beat the shit out of somebody.~~(2005)
55. Be hypnotized.*
~~56. Bowl a 119+ game.~~(2008)
~~57. Build a snowman.~~(1996)
~~58. Bungee jump.~~ (2001)
~~59. Bury an animal.~~ (1997)
~~60. Catch a bird then free it.~~(2004)
61. Climb a mountain (1000 ft or more) alone.
~~62. Climb a tree.~~(1996)
~~63. Climb a tree all the way to the top.~~ (2009)
64. Defy gravity. (Either by base jumping or going to NASA's 0-gravity simulation room)
65. Drive a convertible with the top down and music blaring.*
66. Drive a motorcycle.*
67. Do 99 pushups in a row.
68. Fire a gun.*
~~69. Fly a kite.~~ (2007)
~~70. Free an animal.~~(2004)
~~71. Go apple picking.~~ (1996)
~~72. Go blueberry picking.~~ (1998)
~~73. Go cow-tipping.~~(2008)
~~74. Go crab-fishing.~~(1996)
~~75. Go grape picking.~~(1996)
~~76. Go indoor-rock climbing.~~(2001)
77. Go on a blind date.
78. Go rock climbing.
79. Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France
80. Go skinny-dipping at midnight on a Greek or tropical island.
81. Go strawberry picking
82. Go to outer-space or see the stars through a ginormous telescope
83. Go up in a hot-air balloon at night.
84. Grow and eat my own vegetables.
~~85. Hand out flyers to people in the street.~~(2000, 2004)
~~86. Help an animal.~~(1998)
~~87. Hike 19 miles in a single day.~~(2005)
~~88. Hitchhike (for at least 10mins).~~(2006)
~~89. Hitchhike in the unknown with only a backpack, and little money.~~(2006)
90. Hop a ride on the back of a truck without asking.*
~~91. Make a website.~~(2000)
92. Parachute
93. Paraglide
94. Plant a tree.
95. Ride a horse through the countryside.
96. Ride a whale
97. Ride in a helicopter
~~98. Run a marathon.~~(2008)
99. Scuba dive
100. Send a message in a bottle.
101. Skydive.
~~102. Snowboard~~(2001-present)
103. Swim across a large lake, unassisted.*
104. Swim across an international border.*
~~105. Swim in lightning storms.~~ (2002-present)
106. Swim with a dolphin.
107. Swing from tree to tree like Tarzan
108. Test-drive a sports car.
109. Windsurf.
110. Write a book.
- Get it published.
- Sell it.

Events
~~111. Attend a film festival.~~ (2008)
~~112. Attend Mardi Gras in France or New Orleans.~~(2010)
113. Be a bridesmaid
114. Be a maid of honor
~~115. Go to a baseball game and catch a ball that was hit out into the stadium.~~(1997)
~~116. Go to an Olympic game.~~ (1996)
117. Go to an Olympic game again so I'll remember it this time
118. Go to a World Cup game
~~119. Hit a home run.~~(2003)
120. Read at least 999 books (Counting from 1999 - So far 554).
~~121. Ride the tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world.~~(2005 - may have to redo this if a coaster beats "Kingda Ka")
122. See a hurricane
123. See a tornado
124. See a volcano erupt
~~125. Spend New Year's in an exotic location.~~ (2007)
~~126. Throw a huge party and invite every one of my friends.~~ (2008)
~~127. Throw an evening party.~~ (2006)
~~128. Toast marshmallows over a campfire.~~ (1996)
129. Witness an obvious physical miracle of God. (If there is a "God" or just realize for sure if there is or isn't a God)

Learn
~~130. Learn a martial art.~~(Kickboxing: 2003-2008)
131. Learn and speak at least 9 languages fluently.
~~132. Learn not to say yes when I really mean no.~~ (2002)
~~133. Learn to bartend.~~ (2009)
~~134. Learn to drive a stick shift.~~(2007)
135. Learn to juggle 3 balls at a time.*
136. Learn to let go of the past.*
~~137. Learn to play a musical instrument to an acknowledgeable level.~~(2002)
~~138. Learn to say the alphabet backwards really, really fast.~~ (2008)
139. Learn to skateboard (again).*
~~140. Learn to use a microphone and give a speech in public.~~(1998)
~~141. Memorize a poem and pass it on.~~ (2008)

Food and Drink
142. Drink beer at Oktoberfest in München.
~~143. Drink beer in Germany.~~(2006)
~~144. Drink tea with scones and biscuits in England.~~(2006)
~~145. Drink vintage wine.~~ (2009)
146. Drink vodka in Russia.
~~147. Drink wine in France.~~(2006)
~~148. Drink wine in Italy.~~(2006)
~~149. Eat a crumpet in England.~~(2006)
150. Eat a meal good enough to be my last.
~~151. Eat an English muffin in England.~~(2006)
~~152. Eat Belgian chocolate in Belgium.~~(2006)
~~153. Eat Belgian waffles in Belgium.~~(2006)
~~154. Eat fish and chips in the UK.~~(2006)
~~155. Eat French cheese in France.~~ (2006)
156. Eat jellied eels from a stall in London.
~~157. Eat paella in Spain.~~(2006)
~~158. Eat pasta in Italy.~~ (2006)
~~159. Eat pizza in Italy.~~(2006)
160. Eat Swedish Fish in Sweden.*
161. Eat Swiss cheese in Switzerland.*
~~162. Eat Swiss chocolate in Switzerland.~~(2006)
~~163. Eat tapas in Spain.~~(2006)
~~164. Eat un pain au chocolat, une baguette, & un croissant in France.~~(2006)
~~165. Make and eat S'mores over a campfire.~~(1997)
166. Try typical local food in every country I visit. (So far 39 for 39)

Miscellaneous
167. Accept myself for who I am.*
168. Actually comprehend my finances and taxes.
~~169. Adopt an accent for an entire day.~~(2008)
~~- And get everyone to really believe that I'm from a foreign country~~ (2008)
170. Anonymously do something for someone that will have a significant positive impact on his/her life.*
~~171. Approach 5 complete strangers for a 3-minute (minimum) chat in a single day.~~ (2007)
172. Ask for a raise.
~~173. Ask someone you've only just met to go on a date.~~ (2008)
174. Attend a human birth.
175. Be a member of the audience for a TV show.
176. Be an extra in a film.
~~177. Be exactly where you want to be, with whom you want to be, how you want it to be and know everything is all right.~~ (2008)
~~178. Black out.~~(2003)
179. Buy a nice car (hard-top convertible would be nice) or a motorcycle.
180. Buy my own apartment and then spend time making it into exactly what I want.
~~181. Call or write my congressperson.~~(2005)
~~- Have him/her respond.~~(2005)
~~182. Call or write to the President of the United States of America.~~(1997, 2005, 2009)
- Have him/her respond
~~183. Create my Family Tree.~~ (2007)
~~184. Be on TV.~~(1996, 2002, 2006)
185. Buy a personalized license plate.
~~186. Converse with a parrot.~~(2004)
- Give the parrot a cracker
187. Donate money and get my name put on something.
188. Dye my hair nonsensically.*
~~189. Fall in unconditional romantic love.~~(2005)
~~190. Fast (intake nothing but water) for 72 hours.~~ (2007)
191. Feel at one with the universe and know that life is great.
192. Feel satisfied to my very core.
193. Find a place where I belong
~~194. Follow Lent for 40 days.~~(1999, 2003)
~~195. Follow through with a New Year's Resolution~~ (2009)
~~196. Forgive someone.~~(2005)
~~197. French kiss a Frenchman.~~(2008)
198. Get a job that I love and will let me travel.*
199. Get in better shape to do 99 push-ups in a row.*
200. Get over the fear of life*
~~201. Get someone to stop smoking~~ (2009)
202. Get to know my neighbors when I have my own place.
~~203. Get totally drunk because of being lovesick.~~(2006)
204. Get totally drunk with a friend, because both of us are lovesick.
~~205. Give my mom a dozen red roses and tell her I love her.~~(2008)
~~206. Go a week without using a personal computer.~~(2008)
~~207. Have enough money to not worry too much about money and be able to travel.~~(2010)
~~208. Have my own laptop.~~(2005)
~~209. Have my portrait painted.~~ (2008)
~~210. Have my picture in a newspaper.~~(1998, 2004)
~~211. Hear a Briton say, "Would you like a cup o' tea?"~~ (2006)
~~212. Hear a Briton say, "Would you like a spot o' tea?"~~ (2009)
~~213. Hear a Canadian say, "eh?" at the end of a sentence.~~(2006)
~~214. Hear a Frenchman laugh the "French laugh"~~ (2009)
~~215. Hear a Frenchman say, "Ouh là là."~~ (2006)
~~216. Hear a Frenchman say, "Sacre bleu !"~~(2009)
~~217. Hear a Frenchman say, "Zut, alors !"~~ (2006)
218. Hear a Spaniard say, "¡Olé!"*
~~219. Hear an Australian say, "Throw another shrimp on the barbie."~~ (2006)
~~220. Hear an Irish man say, "Top o' the mornin' to ya!"~~(2006)
~~221. Hear an Italian say, "Andiamo!"~~(2005)
~~222. Hear an Italian say, "Mamma mia!"~~(2006)
223. Host an outdoor barbecue.
~~224. Keep a journal for 99 consecutive days.~~ (2007)
~~225. Laugh so hard that I cry.~~ (1996-present)
226. Let someone else have a chance I missed*
227. Let someone feed me peeled, seedless grapes.
~~228. Lie in bed an entire day.~~(2004)
229. Live in my own apartment.*
230. Look forward to my own death.
~~231. Lose the fear of death.~~(2002)
232. Make a friend for life
~~233. Make an enemy for life~~ (2007 - I realized, my enemy is time)
234. Make my own movie.
235. Meet a celebrity obsession
236. Meet royalty
~~237. Meet someone I met on the Internet in real life.~~ (2006)
238. Overcome my fear of failure.*
239. Own a room with a view.
~~240. Own one very expensive but absolutely wonderful business suit.~~(2007)
~~241. Pass out.~~(2005)
~~242. Risk my life, constantly.~~(2002-present)
~~243. See a lunar & solar eclipse.~~(2007, 2008 & 1998)
~~244. See a sunrise.~~(1996)
~~245. See a sunset.~~(1996)
~~246. See my first big love again (and talk to him).~~ (2008)
~~247. See something get struck by lightning.~~(2007)
~~248. Sleep under the stars.~~ (2006)
249. Shower in the rain.
250. Sit on a jury.
251. Steal a road sign.*
~~252. Steal coins from a public fountain.~~(1998)
~~253. Tell people I love them when I feel like it.~~(2007)
254. Tell someone the story of my life, sparing no details.
255. Throw lemons and rotten tomatoes at people I don't like
256. Try at least three different careers.
~~257. Vote~~ (2006)
~~258. Wade in a public fountain.~~(2008)
259. Watch at least 999 movies. (So far 630)
~~260. Write a letter to the editor.~~(2008)
~~261. Write my will.~~ (2009)
262. Keep adding to this list.
263. Have a happy ending.

Adventures, Languages, Cuisines, and Randomness

January 01, 2010

Bonne année !

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