My "40 things to do before turning 40" list

-- by @Josh_Suchon

Yes, this is another list of 40 things to do before turning 40 years old. I have exactly 365 days to accomplish these 40 items. I plan on writing a separate blog entry each time I cross an item off this list. If you have any advice on one of these items, or want to join me when I check it off the list, let me know.

1. Rent a fancy sports car and drive along the coast for the day/weekend. If I haven’t bought a fancy sports car by age 40, it’s probably not going to happen. Might as well just rent one for the weekend.

2. Swim with dolphins. This will probably require a trip outside our borders, which is the whole point.

2-5-13 Update -- I've booked a week in Honolulu when I turn 40. This will be done that final week. 

3. Go visit a psychic. Really curious what the hell they might say. A friend of mine did this with his wife recently, and it was a trip what she said about our deceased friend Jeff Coulthart.

4. Watch a movie in the Hollywood cemetery. DONE. My recap can be found here.

5. Sleep under the stars. This was intentionally written very generically, so I can do it anywhere in the world.

6. Do a 5K Mud run. This looks like a blast.

7. Serve the homeless at a soup kitchen. Pretty said I haven’t done this already. I’m thinking around the holidays is the best time.

8. Donate blood. See above. Except not during the holidays. I don’t even know what blood type I have. Pathetic.

12-18-12 Update -- I did this. I just need to write a little recap.

9. Camp in the Grand Canyon and/or go white water rafting down the Grand Canyon. In other words, go to the Grand Canyon. I went there when I was verrrry young with my family, but don’t remember a thing.

10. Eat the worm in a tequila bottle. I don’t have to drink the entire bottle. Just the worm. Pray for me.

2-5-13 Update -- Note to self: buy the bottle with the worm and start making progress to reach the worm. 

11. Pick a hockey team and learn every player on the team. I’m actually really looking forward to the decision making process in selecting a team. 

1-9-13 Update -- I made a list of five finalists and wrote to each team. Here's the beginning of the process. 

2-5-13 Update -- The season is two weeks old. I haven't watched a game. I've felt no desire to watch a game. Maybe hockey just isn't for me.

12. Paint something. This original idea was to paint my entire apartment. But then I’d have to paint it back over when I move out. Forget that. I want something more basic.

13. Go skinny dipping in the ocean. Preferably with a fun beautiful adventurous woman in water that is warm. Very warm.

2-5-13 Update -- I've booked a week in Honolulu when I turn 40. This will be done that final week. 

14. Learn how to edit video on Final Cut Pro. You know, just in case I decide to make my own documentary.

1-10-13 Update -- I almost got a job that required me to know Final Cut Pro. I was honest about my editing skills. I considered taking a weekend-long immersion class. I still might in the future. I took a quick 90-minute crash course on Final Cut, just in case I got the job.

1-23-13 Update -- I didn't get the job. I still might take the weekend immersion class.

15. Headstand in the middle of the room and stay for a minute. I’ve done this for a few seconds. I want an entire minute. I will do this. Repeat. I will do this.

16. Adopt something. This could be an animal. This will probably not live with me.

2-5-13 Update -- This was done. I need to write the recap because it's really cool. 

17. See your mom’s house in Nevada. She's lived there for two years. You'd think I'd have seen it by now. Nope. I even have a key. I might as well use it. 

12-27-13 Update -- DONE. Not much to recap, but the photos can be viewed here. 

18. Hot air balloon ride or zipline or bungee jump. In other words, something else from the lifelong bucket list of adrenaline junkie stuff.

19. Sit in “The Show” (the San Diego State student section) for an Aztecs men's basketball game. This is the most important item on the list. 

11-26-12 Update -- DONE. It was everything I hoped and more. My recap can be found here.

20. Ride a helicopter somewhere special. I’m thinking this will be part of the vacation that involves sleeping under the stars and skinny dipping.

2-5-13 Update -- I've booked a week in Honolulu when I turn 40. This will be done that final week. 

21. Hike to the top of Mt. Baldy. I’m not quite sure why Mt. Baldy except because it’s there and fairly close.

22. Go to a jazz concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Not a regular concert. I’ve been to plenty of those. Well, three. I mean the jazz concerts that are mellow, and you’re allowed to bring your own wine.

23. Build my Twitter following to 1,000. I’m at 456 right now. The more people who follow me, the more might buy my book.

2-5-13 Update -- I'm at 576 real followers and 2,000 extra fake followers. (I'll explain the fake followers later.) Gaining 121 followers in five months isn't very impressive.

24. Go zorbing. It’s that big huge ball that rolls down a hill.

25. Milk a cow. Kinda random, I know, but what the hell.

26. Write my will. Because it won’t take very long and I need something else that won’t cost that much money.

27. Visit Hearst castle. I’m thinking this will be part of the weekend when I rent a fancy sports car. I guess I’m driving north, instead of south.

28. Solve a Rubik’s cube. Because I don’t waste my time doing enough already. There’s 10 year old kids who solve these things in like 30 seconds. I might need 360 days to do it. I guess the first step is buying one.

11-1-12 Update -- I bought the Cube and went to work. I tried it without consulting anything. I didn't come close. I watched YouTube videos that show you how to solve it. I read the guide that comes with it. I got one side pretty easily. Then I completely fall apart. I'm taking a break from this one.

29. Open a Swiss bank account. I won’t put much money it. Maybe about 20 bucks. I just want to use the phrase, “I don’t want to dip into my Swiss savings account.” 

10-2-12 Update: Turns out, you can't just put a couple hundred bucks into a Swish account. You need a lot more. That idea was scratched.

29.1  Be an extra on a TV show or movie for a day. Admittedly, this is cheating. I actually did this, and then added it to the list later. I just need to write-up my experience with it.

30. Write a blog post that gets 5,000 hits. If you’re reading this and forward it to all your friends, maybe this will be that post.

2-5-13 Update -- Well, this post is at 2,609 hits. My list of the Top 10 most famous people from my high school is at 1,671 hits. My recap of my unique relationship with Orel Hershiser is at 1,628 hits. My analysis of why Al Davis hated Marcus Allen is at 1,405 hits. I need better traffic if I'm going to hit my goal. 

31. Walk the red carpet and attend a movie premiere. I live in LA and very close to Hollywood. It shouldn’t be that hard, right?

12-18-12 Update -- Does watching an advanced screening, before the premiere count? I didn't walk a red carpet, so I'm guessing the answer is no. Still, I was pretty excited to see an advanced screening of Gangster Squad, since my college friend Will Beall wrote it.

32. Attend a Cirque de Soleil show. Any of them in Vegas will suffice. Any excuse to go to Vegas, right?

33. Hand out a $100 bill to a homeless person in need. Can’t decide if I want to see the person’s reaction, or hand it over and quickly walk away.

34. Ride a Segway. Another pretty easy one. I should be able to do this in Santa Monica or Venice.

35. Attend a murder mystery dinner. I’ve heard these are lame. I’ve also heard they are awesome. I guess I will find out.

36. Say the phrase “quick, follow that car” for a justifiable reason. Seriously. I totally want to say this.

37. Floss every day for 365 days straight. My dentist will be so proud. I should be doing this anyway. I do floss. I just skip too many days.

2-5-13 Update: I went two weeks straight flossing after I turned 39. By the end of the two weeks, my gums were no longer bleeding. This was probably more flossing than I had done in the last two years combined. Since then, I've slacked off. I'm averaging 3-4 days a week now, which is a big improvement. I'll probably end up flossing around 200 days this year, which should make my dentist proud.

38. No red meat for 365 days. This isn’t for ethical reasons. This isn’t for health reasons. I’m sure those will be added benefits. I just like testing my self-control.

2-5-13 Update: Does salami count as red meat? I debated that with some friends one day. I mean, it's literally red. But I consider it pork. My definition of red meat is steak or a burger. Nonetheless, I haven't eaten a steak, or burger, or anything else red besides the salami sandwich one day. And no more salami the rest of the way. I'm eating more fish, which was the whole idea. But I'm also eating more pork, which wasn't the idea.

39. Obtain a copy of “The Sleepy Floyd Game” and it has to be the one with Greg Papa doing the play-by-play. This is from the 1987 Western Conference semifinal between the Warriors and Lakers. Sleepy Floyd went crazy in the fourth quarter, scoring 29 of his 51 points. The Coliseum Arena was rocking like never before. All it did was delay the Lakers defeating the Warriors in that series by a day, but it’s my favorite NBA basketball game ever.

2-5-13 Update: I don't like my chances of accomplishing this. I'm going to post something on Craigslist and see what kind of responses I get.

40. Pick something else to add to this list in the next 364 days. Because I couldn’t think of a 40^th and I like the idea of thinking of new things throughout the year. 

2-5-13 Update: Instead of picking one thing, I'm just going to make a list of all the other things I do for the first time in my life in my final year before turning 40.