The Bucket List

I'm sure most of you out there have heard of the term “Bucket List”. For those of you who haven't, I'll try to explain it as best I can.

Have you ever made up a list of things that you want to do before you die? That's essentially what a bucket list is. It's a list of hopes and dreams that one hopes to accomplish before they “kick the bucket”.

Hence the reason why it is called a “bucket list”.

There was actually a movie made about this very subject. It was called “The Bucket List” and it was released on December 25, 2007, and starred Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. In the film, the two men meet each other in a hospital after both of them have been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Both of them end up becoming friends as they both undergo treatment for the disease. Carter Chambers (Freeman) is an auto mechanic who really wanted to become a history professor, but obstacles prevented him from achieving that goal. Edward Cole (Nicholson) is a self-made billionaire, who has been divorced four times, and his favourite activity seems to be abusing his servant, Thomas...or, is it Matthew?

Initially, it is Carter who comes up with the idea of writing a bucket list...but when he discovers that he has less than a year to live, he throws it away. So when Edward finds the list, urges him to complete the list, makes up one of his own, and agrees to finance the whole opportunity, Carter agrees, and the two men set off on the adventure of a lifetime.

Some of the things that the two men end up crossing off of their respective lists are once-in-a-lifetime occurances. Those things include skydiving, riding motorcycles on the Great Wall of China, drive a Shelby Mustang, and flying over the North Pole. But a lot of the things on the lists of both men are more emotionally driven, such as “kissing the most beautiful girl in the world”, and “helping a complete stranger for the good”.

The movie itself is okay. It received mixed reviews, and some critics felt that it wasn't as good of a movie as it should have been, but I think it would be worth watching at least once.

So, what does this have to do with my Thursday Confession? Well, I shall tell you.

In fact, my Thursday Confession for this week is probably the longest confession that I will ever write because my confession is in the form of a particular list.

I'm sure that you all know where this is going, don't you?

THURSDAY CONFESSION #33: MY BUCKET LIST

(Yes, you are reading this correctly. I have created a bucket list of my own. I know that 31 seems a bit young to come up with something like this, but I really wanted to have physical evidence that I have come up with one. I actually created one back when I turned 21, and have crossed off some items from it. These are some of the items that I still have to cross off. I think it's a great idea to always have dreams, and I think that by recording some of the things that I really want to do with the rest of my life, it'll give me the incentive needed to cross them off.)

(So, without any further delay, I'm sharing my bucket list.)

ITEM #1 – TO BECOME THE FATHER OF AT LEAST ONE CHILD

Yes, I know that in all likelihood, I would have to be in a committed relationship/marriage in order for this to happen (well, unless I happen to adopt or become a foster parent). At the same time, I'd love to have at least one in my lifetime. Whether it happens at 35 or 65, I'm not giving up hope that I will eventually have my own child someday.

ITEM #2 – TO VACATION OUT OF THE COUNTRY (and the United States doesn't count)

I've been to America before (well, New York State, anyway), but I have always wanted to travel overseas to a different country, to experience another part of the world that I would normally never see. Among my top five countries to visit? England, Australia, Italy, Greece, and Holland (for the chocolate, of course).

ITEM #3 – TO BECOME A CONTESTANT ON A GAME SHOW

I've talked about this dream in a couple of blog entries already, but I still have had this dream of going on a game show and just experiencing the high that can come from it. I wouldn't care about winning a car, or a boat, or a huge cash prize. I'd even settle for the popcorn machine as a consolation prize! I just want the experience of it all.

ITEM #4 – TO HAVE A BOOK PUBLISHED

I suppose that I'm on the right track, having a blog that I've kept running for fifteen months. But, you can't physically hold a blog in your hands and flip the pages of it (well, unless you print the pages of it). I have always dreamed of having my name on the front cover of a book, and my photo on the back cover. I really want to have my own book signing at a bookstore, interacting with people who really understood my writing and who wanted me to sign their books. That would be a fantastic thing to cross off my bucket list.

ITEM #5 – TO HAVE A BACKSTAGE PASS AT ANY MAJOR EVENT

It could be at the Grammy Awards, the Emmy Awards, or it could be something as simple as an outdoor concert. I've always been fascinated with the behind the scenes moments of these festivals and events. I've always wanted to see how they worked. And, hey, if I happen to get any celebrity sightings incorporated along with it, all the better!

ITEM #6 – TO GO ON AN EXTENDED CRUISE

I talked about this a couple of days ago when I did the entry on “The Poseidon Adventure”. Even though that movie ended in disaster, I still want to go on a cruise.

ITEM #7 – TO OWN MY OWN HOME

Apartment living is okay for now...but I can't see myself doing it the rest of my life (well, unless I happen to find myself living in the middle of Manhattan). Having grown up in a family that has never owned their own home, it's important to me that I have a place to call my very own one day. It doesn't have to be a palatial mansion...just a safe place where I can be at peace with myself.

ITEM #8 – TO OWN A JUKEBOX

I know, it seems like such a random item to want, but I've always been fascinated with retro jukeboxes, and admit it...wouldn't you think that having a jukebox in your living room would be the ultimate conversation piece? Plus, as someone who loves music, it would be a great reflection of my personality.

ITEM #9 – TO OWN (or at the very least, view) A COPY OF PEP COMICS #22

Again, another random item that may not make sense to some of you, but if you're a comic book fan as I am, it's significant. Pep Comics #22 happens to contain the very first appearance of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, and Jughead Jones. It was released in late 1941, and it is widely considered to be the crown jewel of the entire Archie Comics collection. I have the reprinted story that was featured in that original book, but it's not quite the same as having the original printing. The problem is that I'll likely never see it, as the current value of the book is well over $50,000! But, hey, if it happens to be crossed off my bucket list, I'll be happy.

ITEM #10 – TO PERFORM AT AN OPEN-MIC COMEDY CLUB

I don't know what it is, but I've always wanted to try my hand at stand-up comedy.  There aren't any comedy clubs in my area, which is why this isn't crossed off yet, but I'd like to try it just once, even if I get booed off stage!