I am not 100% sure this is even possible!

If you’ve read my blog at all you’ll probably know I’m a serious Amazing Race junkie. Initially I didn’t want to watch the show but my wife convinced me to watch it with her. After the first five minutes I was hooked and started working on her to apply with me. (She finally did, about 4 years later)

The host of The Amazing Race is Phil Keoghan. After a diving accident when he was 19 he wrote out a list of things he wanted to do before he died. He turned that list into a philosophy he refers to as No Opportunity Wasted (TV and book). It’s a “live each day as if it were your last” idea and he encourages everyone to create a simliar list.

The book goes into more detail on why the list is important and how you shouldn’t limit yourself by money, time, etc. The list is a series of goals for yourself over the course of your life. The important thing is to think about the list, write it down, and find ways to work on it (updating it as necessary along the way).

The TV show gives people $3000 and 72 hours to fulfill a dream.

So, to get me in the running for the “personally crafted mix CD” is:

* Find the NOW book at your local bookstore and read the first two chapters to get a better idea of what he’s talking about.

* Write up your list

* Include ONE thing you can do this month, factoring in cost, time, etc.

* Get your friends involved in making it happen. Getting others involved can not only make it more fun, but you can then reciprocate when they see what a good idea it is and want to try it for themselves. (Besides, once you’ve told them about it, it’s harder to back out of it)

* In between that time, come up with an entry for the NOW tv show, listing what you’d do with $3000 in 72 hours to make a dream of yours come true.

(and, no, I’m not affiliated with Phil Keoghan, NOW, The Amazing Race [although Lord knows I've applied to TAR enough times so it isn't for lack of trying] or anything like that. It just seems like a good idea to me and it seems appropriate to your request)

…

I’m not sure if it still works this way, but twenty years ago I took an intro flight lesson. After a brief tutorial on basic instruments/controls , I went up with an instructor and was allowed to pilot the entire flight except the landing.

Even Concord is beautiful under those circumstances.

I’ll go back to lurking now.

People are somehow amazed by others who can fix things.

1) start teaching yourself a new language
2) go to a church/religious service as an impartial observer
3) try a totally vegan or vegetarian (or just dairy-less or raw food or anything else) diet for 30 days
4) pick an author you’ve always been curious about but never read and read 3-6 of their books in a month + a biography
5) when you are at home (or at the MSG’s) try blindfolding yourself for a few hours every day to see what it’s like
6) spend a month sending letters instead of email, in all cases when it’s possible (obviously this won’t be possible for work correspondance)
7) limit yourself to 30 minutes online a day (again, discounting work if you must)
8) record every single penny you spend in a notebook for an entire month
9) Read a book about Opera, find one that’s playing in SF this month, read the libretto and some history, then go see a matinee or dress rehearsal @ SF Opera House (this is only if you’ve never seen one, or know very little about Opera now)

I can’t think of a 10. I’m sleepy. Good luck with whatever you do!

On to suggestions…

Keeping in mind your limitations and your lack of massive ammounts of funds…hmmmmmmmmm…

Well, you could put your curtain making abilities to good use by making your own parachute to go sky-diving…you’d save a ton of money by not having to buy a parachute!!!

OK, seriously…how ’bout a drive down the coast, that’s what I’d do, but I don’t live there. You’ve probably already done that a dozen times…

Ohhhhhhh…VEGAS!!! :)