Welcome to another installment of what Whitney and I are calling ‘collective blogging.’ To refresh everyone’s memory, we will both be writing blog entries on the same topic every week as an exercise to see how different our thought processes and memories are. Hopefully it will be good practice for an idea we have for NaNoWriMo 2009 – to write the same novel, but separately.
Today’s Topic: Explanations of Mutual Items on Our Bucket Lists
If you read my blog and Whitney’s blog last week, you know that we both posted lists of 75 things we’d each like to do before we ‘kick the bucket.’ If you read the two lists closely, you may have noticed that as good friends as we are, Whitney and I had few mutual life goals. In keeping with the spirit of collective blogging, I will now explain my reasons for including the items that appeared on her list as well as mine. If you go here, you will see that Whitney has done the same thing.
Item #3: Publish a book.
For me, this was one of the most obvious goals to have in life. I suspect that many people list being a published author as a goal when they are making lists like this, but most of them never pursue it. Not me. I’m pursuing it. I have Whitney to thank for that, because she talked me into participating in NaNoWriMo 2007. I’ve always liked to write, and from what I’ve been told over the years, I’m better than average at it. “A writer,” was my standard answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” from the age of 6 until the age of 15 – at which point it switched to wanting to be the first female President of the United States, which is really a whole separate blog. Publishing a book would not only fulfill a dream I’ve had since childhood, it would also validate my participation in the craziness that is NaNoWriMo. Besides, being able to say, “I’m a published author,” is just cool.
Item # 71: Set foot in all 50 states.
The United States is so incredibly diverse in terms of natural beauty, weather, and culture that I believe it might take a lifetime to see everything this country has to offer. Because of that, I have had to narrow down the specific places in the U.S. that I would like to spend any length of time visiting. However, I still want to one day say I have at the very least passed through all 50 states. It just strikes me as something every American should do. How can you truly appreciate international locations if you can’t appreciate domestic ones? (For the record, so far I have been in 16 out of 50 states, plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.)
Item # 51: See the pyramids in Egypt.
OK, doesn’t everyone want to see the pyramids, at least in theory? They are almost mythical (mummies, treasure), and yet they are tangible, you can see them if you really want to. Moreover, one of the pyramids at Giza is the only member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence. There is incredible history locked in the pyramids in Egypt. And if those aren’t enough reasons for me to want to go, here is another: for a month at age 9, I was convinced that I was reincarnated from an ancient Egyptian girl. I didn’t know which one, but I was sure of it. Then it was explained to me that I was Catholic and not supposed to believe in reincarnation, and I decided I was probably wrong about my connection to ancient Egypt. But it has held a special place in my heart since then, so if one day it becomes possible to travel to Egypt, I would certainly go!
Item # 45: Take an Alaskan cruise and walk on a glacier.
This is a new life goal for me. I traditionally avoid going anywhere that is colder than the climate I live in. Alaska definitely qualifies as a place I would never go, if using that criterion. However, glaciers are awesome. They shape valleys and mountains, and change landscapes. They are beautiful, but can be dangerous. Many have been around longer than people. So, I think it would be quite satisfying to be able to say, “Yeah, I’ve walked on a glacier.” Alaska would be a fantastic place to accomplish this, since there are glaciers there, and because Alaska itself is pretty cool. It represents an untouched area of the planet (in some spots), and is not likely to remain that way. Anything that isn’t predicted to be unspoiled forever rates a trip in my book.
Item # 20, 24, 25, 27, 41, 43, 57: Travel to Italy
I had to list so many items because I want to see ALL of Italy. There are even some places I didn’t list on my bucket list that I want to see. For example, I would love to go to the Amalfi Coast and Capri, but I didn’t mention that before. My reasons for wanting to see Italy are twofold. First, I’m 1/2 Italian, and we know which towns in Italy our family came from. It would be amazing to see those towns and know my ancestors might have walked in the same places – goosebump-inducing, really. Second, Italy is one of those places with so much history and culture and culinary experience that I honestly can’t understand how there can be people who don’t get jacked to go there. Lucky for me, I’m only 6 months away from making at least a small part of this goal a reality, because I am traveling to Florence, Italy and the surrounding region of Tuscany (and maybe a day trip somewhere else – who knows?!). Sweet!
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