mandag, august 28, 2006

Birthday 43 Things: Take Two

A year ago today, I completed a meme for which I had been tagged by the inimitable Daphnewood. It seemed like a good birthday thing to do then, and it seems like an equally good birthday thing to update it now. The idea is to think of (that's the hard part), and then list (that's the easy part) 43 things I'd like to do before I die.

First, here are the things from the original list that I've now done, with appropriate commentary:

1) learn the words to the Danish version of 'Happy Birthday' (there are several verses.) I've learned the first verse, and have decided that this is, in fact, enough, thank you very much.
2) get my Portuguese back to where it was. In July, it was back pretty much to where it was. It may not be there in a few months, but I know I can get it back whenever the opportunity arises.
22) be family reunified (this relates to my visa status in Denmark). Done, and even blogged about...now let's see if I can keep it for a while.
32) learn to knit. Yep, I did it. And I'm saddened to report that it was boring, and that I won't be doing it again.
37) learn to make kung-pao chicken. Did I mention that I took a Sichuan cooking class while in Chengdu?
41) see Citizen Kane. I'm not quite sure what the fuss is about this film, but I can honestly say that I didn't not enjoy it...which is to say that it was o.k. Of course, I already knew the 'secret' of Rosebud, which may have been a factor.

Several things I've done in part, or even in large part - I am procrastinating less, and worrying less, and sometimes I even have more patience with people. My Danish is getting better all the time, and I've seen a bit more of China, but I'd like to do more with all of these things, so they're still on the list. And if knitting is so boring, then why crochet? So I'm taking that off of the list, too. So, here is my updated 43 things to do before I die (new items in bold). Wish me luck.

Before I die, I would like to...
1) climb a mountain.
2) start a successful vegetable garden.
3) continue to improve my Danish.
4/5/6) visit all the continents...at this point, this means South America, Antarctica, and Africa (I was in Morocco, but for less than a day, so it doesn't count).
7) own my own house.
8) have a job where I earn enough that I can afford a mortgage.
9/10/11) have articles or papers published in at least 5 academic journals, 5 large-circulation publications, and the Weekly World News
12) retire before I'm 80.
13) learn how to build websites by building my own.
14) learn how to take professional quality photographs.
15) get a tattoo.
16) make my own cross-stitch designs.
17) learn to meditate.
18) live to see and enjoy my 101st birthday.
19/20) travel around India and China.
21) learn to speak and write Mandarin Chinese.
22) see at least part of the world from a inside a hotair baloon.
23) stop procrastinating so much.
24) get into better physical shape.
25) find a job that I look forward to going to almost every day.
26) complete a PhD.
27) decide what I would like to do a PhD in.
28) radiate self-confidence.
29/30) see more of California and the rest of the US.
31) stop worrying so much about all sorts of things.
32/33) start and successfully run my own business/consulting firm.
34) learn to weave cloth on a floor loom.
35) earn enough money to hire someone to clean my house for me.
36) learn how to network at social events.
37) learn to salsa, and/or samba.
38) learn to make clam chowder.
39/40) read José Saramago and Peter Høeg in the original.
41) decide the whole kid/no kid debate before menopause.
42) have more patience with people.
43) appreciate how many things that I wanted to do could not be included here because I've already done them.

So, now it's your turn. Yes, I am talking about you. You don't even have to wait for your birthday. I look forward to reading your list.

23 kommentarer:

Devil Mood sagde ...

Is it today your birthday? Oh I didn't know! Happy birthday!!! :)

I'm glad to see that you tried some of the items in your list, even if they weren't as satisfying as you'd imagined. It's also nice to see that you have ambition but also aim for simpler things.
Hot-air balloons are one of my dreams.

Ps: Thanks for translating for me on Scholiast's blog!

James Medhurst sagde ...

Happy Birthday Kim. Good luck with continuing to complete your list.

theblackscorpio sagde ...

And again a year of life was driven home safely ;D

x sagde ...

happy birthday!
may you fulfill all your wishes and then some more. xx

Anonym sagde ...

Hi have a nice birthday, He!He!He! been reading your blog for a while thought to let you know that you have a nice blog
Thanks for sharing
Wish you well :)

sophie sagde ...

i can teach to meditate and
observe your itchy toes
like clouds going past the
mountain...

YOU being the mountain of course...

sophie sagde ...

Happy Birthday girl!

I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vanessa sagde ...

Happy Birthday fellow Virgo!
I love that you included the Weekly World News in your list of publications in which to be published.
I'll get started on my list, but I have to ask...
why 43?
Its a rather odd number.

Cathy sagde ...

Happy Birthday!
To Us!
I will link to you..who knows, perhaps we were separated at birth? (Now I need to check which year you were born, of course:)

Dok Holocaust sagde ...

my birthday is monday, the 4th of september. had I not been born about a month late (ten months of gestation meant i came out with the same gorgeous black hair i've had all my life, until my ex gave me a few grays to highlight it with), I could have shared a birthday with HP Lovecraft back on the 20th maybe. I would've liked that muchly. anyway, stealing this in preparation for the Day of Horror

Anonym sagde ...

You're welcome to visit me in California, but only if you arrive in a hot-air balloon.

Daphnewood sagde ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I hope you get that present you have been wanting for a year (that is how the song goes, right?)

I am so impressed, blown away, in awe, jealous and a whole bunch of other adjectives that you actually took a cooking class in China! What other delicious things did you learn to cook? Do American restaurants compare at all? I hate going to a chinese restaurant and seeing onion rings, fries and corn fritters.

oh I meant to mention that Thor is quite a handsome rock star. You must have been proud to be his arm candy for a month

Chipper sagde ...

Sorry, I tried to leave a comment earlier but for some reason blogger kept booting me off...Happy Belated Birthday!!

mary bishop sagde ...

Happy Birthday Kim!

You have a most ambitious to do list -- I especially like #43!

Lotus Reads sagde ...

Happy Birthday and that's a great list! I've just returned from a trip to India ( I used to live there), so when you do decide to go there let me know and I will try to answer any questions you might have!

i'm marion sagde ...

Happy (belated) birthday, many happy returns! May you never run out of dreams, wishes and projects to build a list with.

Scholiast sagde ...

Happy birthday - belated!!!

And what's with these lists, keep appearing on all blogs these days..

Meow (aka Connie) sagde ...

Ooooh, Happy Birthday. Hope it was a good one.
I like your list ... might have to do one too.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Take care, Meow

Rich Dunbeck sagde ...

Happy (belated) Birthday!

Anonym sagde ...

I'm late, but you can imagine what I would say if I wasn't late. That's what counts ;-).

kimananda sagde ...

Ms. Mood, thanks! I tried to list only things that I really would like to do, and why would someone want to do 43 impossible long-term things at once? So, the simple things are there, too.

Mr. American, Citizen Cane is a classic...I would recommend it, as it is interesting. And thanks!

James, thanks! I may need some luck for some of these (like the Weekly World News one).

Ms. Black Scorpio, exactly! :-)

Chloe, thanks! I hope so, anyway.

Anonymous, thank you! I'll try to see what your blog is all about in more depth soon (I've been by, but only with time to glance quickly.)

Sophie, :-)

Vanessa, I don't know why 43 either...I did that number because I was following the meme instructions. And as I've said on your blog, nice profile pic!

Cathy, nope, I'm 3 years older...but there's that karmic connection for all us 28/8 folk. Do you know of any others with our birthday? Actually, Denmark's Prince Nikolaj shares it also.

Morose, thanks for stealing this...you have some cool items.

Neil, well, Thor and I are planning on doing a bit of a tour on the way to my original home in Northern California...we may get the baloon to make a stop chez Neil, if we can figure out how to steer the thing!

Daphne, yep, that's how it goes...and Thor is into the idea of having his own 'arm candy'. And, the class was only 2 hours long, but quite hands on. There were only two of us learning, and we made ourselves Sichuan Pork, Kung Pao Chicken, Sichuan potatoes, Mapo Doufo (a famous very spicy tofu dish), and a Sichuan vegatable salad. Since getting back, I've made us Chinese food on average every other night!

Etchen, thanks!

Kunstem..., thanks...and remember, 45 is before 80. Though, this is just my way of sarcasm, as at the rate I'm going, I won't ever have any money for retirement (unstable income, and other factors causing this).

Mary, thanks...I considered getting 43 out of there, as it's just a place-holder, but I couldn't think of anything else!

Lotus, I'll let you know when I'll be in India...where in India have you lived?

Marion, thanks...I don't imagine I'll ever run out of things I'd like to do.

Scholiast, thanks, and yes, list-mania...I think it's just easy to write a list.

Meow, thanks! I hope you do the list...it's quite nice to get an idea of the areas that you're most interested in.

Rich, thanks! Hey, you should be having a birthday soon, aren't you? I'll be by soon to see if that's true or if I'm just making that up.

Jack, yep, you'd be saying 'hey, I'm not late! Amazing!' ;-)

Anonym sagde ...

Yeah, that excuse never works. I still hold out hope though. It's not like I can blame snail mail on this one ;-)

Anonym sagde ...

Kim,

I grew up in Bombay, but when I visit India now I stay in Bangalore ( a city in the South of India).

I'm so excited you plan on travelling to India some day, yeay!

Lotus