Things To Do Before You Die

[The Wrath]

There are so many things I want to do in my lifetime. My plan is to draw up a list, with nice fancy lettering, and frame it. Every time I accomplish one of my goals, I take it out and cross it off. I haven't sat down and put a whole lot of thought into what all my goals will be, but I have a few:

-Have a book published

-Learn a foreign language (right now, I'm thinking Arabic)

-Have my picture taken in front of the Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, the Eifell Tower, etc. (I have a ton of places I'd like to visit)

-Climb Mt. McKinley (if I think I will ever be wealthy enough to do so, "McKinley" will be changed to "Everest")

-Visit space (assuming that commercial space travel is available to people who are not super-rich, during my lifetime)

-Go on safari and kill a lion

I'm sure I'll think of more. I know that none of these are particularly noble goals, but they're all things I'd like to do.

[Groovenstein]

Learn a foreign language (right now, I'm thinking Arabic)

I suggest when deciding which language to learn that you consider learning one you can use regularly. I'm not suggesting that Arabic isn't one such language, because I don't know you. Plus, with the internet being what it is, it is so easy to find online materials like newspapers that are in the language. Anyway, I would think learning a language you could use regularly, particularly with real people, would be much more rewarding. Just something to consider when deciding which language would be most valuable to you.

As for me, of course I have my two career goals I'm pursuing: law and music (rock and pop). More in the spirit of what you're asking, I would also like to:

- relearn Spanish;

- learn to compose classical music;

- become proficient in statistics and game theory, and apply them to the next two things;

- become a good tournament poker player; and

- improve my knowledge of the statistical and managerial aspects of baseball (sabermetrics baby, yeah!).

Like you, I'm sure I'll think of more. Life is great and full of things to do, isn't it?

[Edit: spelling]

Edited August 18, 2005 by Groovenstein

[The Wrath]

Well, the reason I choos Arabic is because I'm hoping to make a career out of studying and analyzing terrorism for the government. I may not start off in my target area, but I hope to eventually wind up there. Learning Arabic can be quite helpful when studying Arabs.

[Groovenstein]

Learning Arabic can be quite helpful when studying Arabs.

Indeed.

[The Wrath]

Yeah, I kinda chuckled a little to myself when I wrote that too.

[The Wrath]

Here's another one: Become important enough to where my murder would be considered an assassination.

[BetTheFarm]

-Go on safari and kill a lion

I'm curious how this qualifies as one of your goals in life. What aspects of this make it appealing and important enough to put it on a relatively short list of things to do before you die?

I must admit that I've never understood the appeal of hunting as a activity by which one derives pleasure. What is the rational basis for the pursuit of hunting animals living in remote areas half a world away?

[The Wrath]

I dunno...just something I've always wanted to do.

[scottkursk]

I dunno...just something I've always wanted to do.

Do you shoot recreationally? Also, have you ever hunted in the past? Or tried using a bow or with traditional black powder? I've hunted since being a kid and using a bow or real black powder not the modern black powder guns that are really not that different from using ammunition.

Texas has 3 seasons, you get an early shot at game, no pun intended, for using archery and black powder since they are a significant challenge. You have to either get very native and stalk your game or get in a stand and be very very very quiet and be equally accurate. Though I'm not a fan of using bows for anything over turkeys or fish in a shallow stream since it's not a quick kill with large game. Hunting a lion with bow would be suicide but using modern black powder would put you on equal footing since you'd get one shot, quite literally, at the lion before he got his shot at you.

Plus with black powder you do have the chance to build your own gun. And you can really become a control freak over each shot compared to regular shooting because you control every aspect of each shot. And you can't beat the whole cloud of smoke smell of gunpowder aspect of the sport.

[The Wrath]

I've never hunted in my life...and if I ever wind up actually going on safari, I picture myself as being one of those city slickers who thinks he's all that because he gets to carry an elephant gun while wearing a khaki suit and pantaloons and annoys the hell out of the guide.

...but, dammit, I wanna be able to say I killed a lion.

Edited August 19, 2005 by Moose

[scottkursk]

 

I've never hunted in my life...and if I ever wind up actually going on safari, I picture myself as being one of those city slickers who thinks he's all that because he gets to carry an elephant gun while wearing a khaki suit and pantaloons and annoys the hell out of the guide. 

 

...but, dammit, I wanna be able to say I killed a lion.   

 

Then you definitely don't want to mess with blackpowder or a bow and arrow. That would be end up with a well fed lion.

Oh, the cost of getting the beast mounted with equal that of the trip itself. They rarely mention that in the guides. But damnit you'll have a conversation piece and a half for your office. People will most definitely not forget your office.

[Groovenstein]

Also, I would like my band to play a huge show once in my life. Okay, more than once, but if it happened just once, that would be cool. By "huge" I don't necessarily mean Wembley. Red Rocks or something will do just fine.

[Felix]

Visit space (assuming that commercial space travel is available to people who are not super-rich, during my lifetime)

Richard Branson now started a new project that will make entering space available for 200.000$. I guess that once he has shown that space flight is a profitable business, competition will appear and prices will drop.

There is one idea I have that may be worth dropping here:

When my great-grandma was born, the best means of transportation was a horsewagon. When she died it was a space-shuttle. When I was born, the best means of transportation was the space shuttle. I look forward to what will come.