Take part in the annual Big Wheel Race in San Francisco: I loved my Big Wheel when I was a kid. And every Easter, other high speed lovers take to Lombard Street with their favorite childhood machine and race down the twisted course. This is how you spell fun.
Be part of a flash mob: If it wasn't for the February rainstorm, this item would've been crossed off the list with the San Francisco Valentines Day Pillow Fight 2009. Hopefully, it will still be around next year, though I've heard because of the cleanup needed due to the rain and all those wet feathers, the city may clamp down on the organizers ... if they can find them.
Learn to play Taiko: The first time I saw Taiko, I knew this was something I wanted to try. As a kid, I used to take two pencils, turn up the music real loud and start drumming away to the beat on my legs. I wore numerous pencils down and reddened my legs plenty. Let's see if I still got the beat.
Witness a space shuttle launch: Can't get much closer to science fiction coming true than watching Earth fire something off into space. Though NASA has done this so many times that we've become largely immune to the magnitude of know-how, I'm still amazed and in awe of how far man has come in the realm of technology. 
Visit the Sapporo Ice Festival in Japan: Now these structures are truly amazing. Every winter, about two million people come to Sapporo to see the hundreds of beautiful snow statues and ice sculptures. It's a winter dreamland of crystal-like ice and white snow.Swim with dolphins: 
Always loved dolphins. Deep water, mm, not so much. So doing this would take care of two goals, interacting up close with wildlife and gettin' rid of that water phobia!
Always loved dolphins. Deep water, mm, not so much. So doing this would take care of two goals, interacting up close with wildlife and gettin' rid of that water phobia! Visit Loch Ness and search for Nessie: 
You look at me as if it's not possible there's a million year old dinosaur species living in a lake. Hey, they proved Bigfoot was real! Oh wait, that was a rubber suit. Um, never mind.
Work with cancer patients: I've always had a volunteer spirit, but ever since losing my mom to pancreatice cancer last year, I've felt the need to reach out to those diagnosed with this terrible disease. I've contacted the American Cancer Society about driving patients to and from their treatments and there's the possibility of working as a counselor with Camp Okizu which works with kids who have cancer. Hopefully, one of those can come through.
Complete all four LiveStrong Challenges: San Jose's done and Seattle will be in the books after June, leaving Austin and Philadelphia to close out this series. Just my way of picking a fight with cancer! 
Attend a Super Bowl: The closest I've gotten to a title game was the AFC Championship when the Raiders beat up the Tennessee Titans to get to the Bowl. I'll always regret not joining my buddy, Roger, on a San Diego road trip to try and score tickets to the big game. He got in. I'd only want to attend a Bowl if the Raiders were playing in it again, but that might be the least accessible of all my goals since we're still hurtin' from the ass whoopin' we got. Oh well. I can dream can't I?
Go to Wrestlemania: Sigh. Will I ever see a classic scientific match and feud again like the one waged between Rick Steamboat and Randy Savage? Probably not. Wrestling is crap today, without the drama and pure athletic skill that drew me in when I was in school. All the big fueds were settled at Wrestlemania, the Super Bowl of the business. And while I don't watch it anymore, going would be a nice nod to the past. Oh yeaaahhhh, dig it!
Meet Nature Boy Ric Flair: The greatest professional wrestler of all time. I've met two of my favorites already in Rowdy Roddy Piper and Stone Cold Steve Austin, but meeting Flair would be the pinnacle. Just want to share a "Woooo!" with the dirtiest player in the game.
Meet Kikaida: I was watching anime before anime was cool. I used to watch this Japanese superhero on TV RELIGOUSLY. Friends and I would act out the fight scenes on the schoolyard, which explains why I was such a hit with the girls back then. Now I find out he's still HUGE in Hawaii, with an annual festival centered around him. Crazy. Even the original stars come out for it, presenting a unique opportunity to meet these guys and reconnect with my childhood.
Awesome list. :) I've had some students who worked at Camp Okizu. They loved it. :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe take baby steps and do the dolphin thing at Discovery Kingdom - probably not as pretty as Hawaii, but at leat your goddaughter would go with you. ;) Lexi and I were thinking about doing that this summer there...
And that Big Wheel Race and Ice Festival??? AWESOME!!! :) Keep me posted. :D