I've done a lot of cool things in my life, and I've had a lot of fulfillment. But there are some things in this life I haven't done, and I'd still love to do them. This isn't the really big stuff -- I haven't ruled out flying in space, for instance, but I know it's kind of a tall order -- but, rather, things that if I threw some time and money at them, I could reasonably accomplish.
I'm not sure if I'll ever get all of these done, but I do like the idea of having goals yet unmet. It gives me something to shoot for. (To paraphrase the lovely words of Scott Crossfield, I like the idea of always having another dawn.)
In no particular order:
- I'd love to master a foreign language. For some reason, I've wanted for a long time to learn Russian. I think it's because of my Cold War fascination.
- I'd also love to learn how to read music. And learn how to play at least one musical instrument, too.
- I'd love to take courses in driving a race car. At Oshkosh a few years back, I talked with one of the instructors from the Skip Barber school, and that really did me no good. I'm not talking about one of the one-day skills courses, either; I'm talking about a full-blown racing course. Of course, there's no way I'd become a professional racer (I'm too aware of my own limitations for that; maybe, at best, I'd be the third-string driver on a GT team at a Rolex Series race), but it's something I would love to do.
- I'd love to have a couple days at one of the major broadcasting repositories -- say, for instance, the Paley Center -- so I could finally view a lot of historic recordings that aren't commonly seen.
- I still have to visit New Zealand. (This isn't a matter of "if," but "when." This is because promises have been made to third parties.)
- I'd love to write, shoot, direct and edit an original documentary. I had a hand in one a few years ago, but my students did most of the work and the subject, though intriguing, wasn't of my choosing. This time, I'd do the choosing, and all the work, and retain the ownership.
- For a long time, I've thought it would be a hoot to travel the entire length of U.S. 1, north to south. It used to be the major East Coast artery, but that function's been taken over by I-95. I'd love to see what's become of the old road. (This is similar to how some folks travel the old route of Route 66.)
- I'd love to spend several days in Washington, D.C., seeing things at my own pace, not on a tour or anything, but just going to these locations I've read about, places I traveled to in my youth as I read biographies and histories. I've been to the nation's capitol (and been in the Capitol itself, on a rather amazing self-guided tour with a friend), but I've never had enough time when I was there.
- It also occurs to me that I should probably ride a horse at least once in my lifetime. I don't believe I ever have. I like horses well enough, but I haven't had occasion to spend time around them. Still, maybe it's the latent Teddy Roosevelt (or Liz Halliday) in me that says it would be a bully idea to ride a horse at least once in my life.