Already Done & Still To Do

Here are some of the things that I have already done and some that I could still do.
(From the book 101 Things To Do Before Turning 40)

Done:
1. Take your parents out to dinner.
2. Date a 25-year-old, one last time. I've dated younger men and older ones, too. Of course, the last man I dated was 3 and a half years younger (and I married him).
3. Karaoke. I've done this a few times, but it definitely isn't my favorite thing to do.
4. Yell at someone. The idea is that you get to really express your anger to someone who won't admit their mistakes. Okay, maybe I haven't really done this. I'll to get that one done in the next few years.
5. Payoff credit card debt. This one has been done more than once. Now I leave most of the finances to Paul, but I did finally get the school loan paid off.
6. Control the future of your face. (AKA accept that your face will start looking it's age.)
7. Redistribute the wealth. As I've gotten older, how much I tip has changed. I truly appreciate good service and have no problem rewarding it. We have one particular pizza delivery guy who is very nice and polite, always acknowledges the dog, and is just so pleasant. I love when he is working and he gets tipped accordingly. We've also found that we feel a little guilty about the mess Sophie makes at restaurant, consequently Paul tips more out of that guilt.
8. Smell good. Paul and his mom make it easy for me to smell good, I just have to remember to use the perfume.
9. Unsubscribe. I've rarely had magazine subscriptions and never more than 2 at a time so this one almost doesn't apply. But I like the idea the author has of using magazines as a special treat, i.e. only buying them for trips or as rewards for accomplishing something.
10. Supply your own power. This one is about being technologically savvy. I don't think I know much about computers and such, but when it comes down to it, I really do. Of course, if you are just comparing me with Paul, I'd always come out ahead. He still can't figure out how to Tivo a show!
11. Sculpt yourself. This isn't about major cosmetic surgery, but more about the things we can somewhat easily change (weight-loss, muscle-tone, etc.). I'm not athletic or physically fit, I've just been blessed most of my life. But let's be honest, pregnancy and age changes a body, and no "body" is perfect. I recognized that mine was going to change drastically with the years if I didn't do something. So I started walking and then joined the StrollerStrides class. It's not much and I certainly don't push myself as hard as I could but I hope it will keep things in check for a while longer.
12. Teach a class.
13. Have a kid if you want one.
14. Say NO. This is one that I do in cycles. I'll add to my plate for a bit then start purging things off. I'm in the purging stage right now.
15. Ride a Harley. I'm not sure I ever actually rode a Harley but since my first husband raced motorcycles, I've ridden my share of motorcycles. I think back on those days and can't believe I ever did those crazy things.
16. Take a stand. One of the author's suggestions is to write a letter to the editor. This was also an assignment in one of my college English classes. I was one of the few that actually got their letter in the paper. Oh, and my stand...pro-choice.
17. Master a mass-transit system, but know how to hail a taxi. This was one of the most anxiety-ridden times when I moved to Chicago. We spent weeks going places together using the subway and bus lines, but then I knew Jeff wasn't always going to be with me so I set out to do it alone (with him tailing me from several yards and one subway car behind). The next day I did it all by myself. Taxis in foreign countries still make me nervous though.
18. Cut someone loose. I've had to do this and unfortunately I've been the one cut loose too.
19. Enact a 2-drink maximum. Let's face it I'm a lightweight.
20. Strain your brain. This is one we should continue to do all the time. It's about doing things that keep our brains sharp. Paul and I will play the occasional Scrabble game and his family loves to do sudoku puzzles when they get together.
21. Play poker. I'm not necessarily good, but I can play. What beats a straight?
22. Go fishing. I grew up on the lake so we fished all the time. After college, I lived with my grandma on the lake and got to spend some time fishing again. I'm a catch and release gal (not a catch it, kill it and eat it one), but these days I'd just as soon forgo the fishing pole and just lay on the dock.
23. Fill up your jewelry box. The author takes offense at having someone else choose your jewelry as she sees jewelry as being very personal. I don't agree. I have a lot of jewelry, a mix of stuff I bought, gifts from others, and pieces I inherited. In all honesty, I rarely wear much of it, and have to make a very concerted and conscious effort to put on something different.
24. Kiss the frogs. As I alluded to above, I've dated a lot of people. I rarely turned down a first date, because I figured you just never knew how someone might turn out and I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. But that doesn't mean I went on lots of second or third dates. No point in wasting more than one night on a guy who wasn't ever going to be the one.
25. Sign each book you read. I actually suggested this to my mom before I saw it in this book. She and I end up swapping books so much that we couldn't remember which ones we'd already read, so we started signing them. The author suggests signing them as an act of immortality and a way to be an active participant. I find that a little silly, but she also believes every book should have more than one home in it's lifetime. As I've started purging more, I like that sentiment, so she;s not completely crazy.
26. Show gratitude. I've always tried to write thank you notes, mostly for presents and gifts. This is one thing Sophie will be doing as well as she grows up.
27. Ask a friend for help. After the divorce, I asked for help a lot. During the fertility phase, I asked for help a lot. And now with motherhood, I continue to ask for help.
28. Play matchmaker. Poor Brian, Paul and I have set him up twice to no avail. Thankfully, he didn't blame us (or if he did he didn't show it) and now he has a wonderful wife he found all on his own (with the help of his sister I believe).
29. Take a mental health day. I plead the fifth.
30. Discover your superpower. Not exactly sure what my superpower is but I know I have it!
31. Go to a movie alone. Having worked at a movie theater, I used to do this a lot. The author is right...getting to sit wherever you want and not share your popcorn is great.
32. Root, root, root. As in root for a team. I'm not much of a sports fan, but I don't mind watching as long as I have someone to root for. That's why Fantasy Football sucks, no clear person or team to root for while watching a game.
33. Be a boss. This one implies that you will supervise people at some point and wants you to be the kind of boss you want to be. I hope my teachers think I am a good boss.
34. Purge. I did so much of this when I was pregnant, and I continue doing it periodically.
35. Host.
36. Document your life. I'm a scrapbooker (and now also a blogger), so this one is covered.
37. Charm your way into or out of something. Apparently, I have this ability without really trying. At least on the maintenance-type men that I have to come out to the house sometimes.
38. Figure out what you want to be when you grow up. I have a great job (most of the time) and it allows me to work and be a mostly stay-at-home mommy.
39. Colorize. I do tend to stick to neutral colors, especially when it comes to wardrobe, but I will typically add in some color now and then. And we just bought brand new RED couches. That's a lot of color in the living room.
40. Never show up empty-handed.
41. Bring something back to life. This could be refinishing something or a little less literal, like adopting a shelter animal. We've done that. The black boys as we call them, were rescue kittens that I bottle-fed from the day they were about 2 weeks old.
42. Retreat.
43. Be your own Schneider. Having been single for so long, I learned to manage on my own to so me degree. Of course, my dad is always on call to help.
44. Lose gracefully. This one's easy because I'm not really competitive.
45. Boycott February 14. Not sure I would do this now that I'm married, but as a single woman, I certainly did.
46. Give something back.
47. Throw out any T-shirts with logos on them. I actually had my old t-shirts turned into a quilt several years ago. My mom did the same for Paul too.
48. Ride in a limo.
49. Divorce your hairstylist or at least cheat. Okay, this one's hard because my mom cuts my hair. But when I lived in Chicago, I decided I couldn't wait for her next visit and went to a salon. Hated it, absolutely HATED it!
50. Hang up your binoculars. As in, no more concerts in huge arenas where you can't see the band. I'm not much of a concert-goer, but when I go I prefer to spend the bucks and get good seats. If I can't see anything I might as well just listen on the IPod.
51. Let the spirit move you. I can always tell when I haven't been paying attention in church, something is just missing.
52. Have a male friend.
53. Ditch your college furniture. I've even started ditching the starter marriage furniture.
54. Take the long way home. And see your hometown through the eyes of a tourist.
55. Learn to tango. I had a boyfriend way back when who signed us up for swing lessons. We were the youngest people in the class (by about 2 generations) but we had so much fun.
56. Name something. Sophie Rose, I love you!
57. Lose the snooze. When I was single, I rarely used the snooze button, now I have to listen to about 30 minutes worth of snooze because of Paul. So annoying!
58. Do something romantically cheesy.


Ongoing:
1. Admit to everything.
2. Confront bullies, racists, and homophobes.
3. Accentuate the positive.
4. Build a nest egg.
5. Rent the classics.
6. Stop the tchotchkes.
7. Put a lid on it.
8. Accept that forty is the new thirty.
9. Make a new friend each year.

Still To Do:
1. Get someone else to love your favorite movie.
2. Drive cross-country. The idea of this sounds like fun, but I'm not so sure about the execution!
3. Sleep under the stars. I guess we've done this, but it was at my sister's place so not really a true camping experience.
4. Reunite.
5. Give a really great toast. I'm not sure I've ever even had the opportunity to give a toast. I may have to create my own opportunity.
6. Drive a car that costs more than $50k. You don't have to buy it, just lease it for the day.
7. Surprise someone. This one would be hard. I'm not a good event organizer and the added pressure of keeping it under wraps just might make this one impossible.
8. Instead of a stage name, pick a stage age. I am sure there will come a time when I will lie about my age to at least one person.
9. Buy a piece of real art. I would much rather put photos on my walls, but Paul likes artwork too, so we will probably do this at some point.
10. Serve on a jury. As a former law student, I have always wanted to be on a jury. And I have NEVER gotten the notice. Everyone around me has (including my mom here in Texas and she doesn't even live here anymore).
11. Musically upgrade.
12. Expose the wizard. As in go behind the scenes of a TV show or movie. I think this would be great, of course, I would probably get really star-struck. I did do some stage managing for a community theater and it changed how I watched plays and musicals after that.
13. Throw an Oscar party. I have always wanted to do this. Of course, it's probably much better in my head than it would be in real life.
14. Break your own record. The only record I can think that I've ever broken was when I ate the whole medium pizza when I was pregnant. Not the record I really want to break, so I'll try for a new one.
15. Take a sabbatical. How great would it be to have a job that actually let you do this?
16. Habla sie Francais? Or in our case learn some Chinese before we go there and get Logan.
17. Play an instrument. I was one of those kids that hated to practice and parents never forced me to. I took lessons for both the guitar and flute during my childhood. I really wish that I'd stuck with it, but the author suggests it's never too late, so it might still happen for me.