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Thursday, December 30, 2010

25 things worth taking the chance on

1. Skydive.
B/c its an experience that can only be earned one way and you'll have that connection w/ everyone else that's ever done it. Plus its a total rush.

2. Fly an airplane.
Not flying "on" an airplane, but actually taking the controls and defying gravity.

3. Diversify your Beer portfolio
If you haven't branched out yet, you need to. Beer seems to take a back seat to wine in almost every category but getting drunk in college, however there is a whole world of class and distinguished tastes beer has to offer that are passing most of us by.

Here are a few safe places to start
-Rogue, my favorite is Dead Guy Ale but I'm a fan of heavy dark beer. There are others.

-New Glarus, I have yet to have anything from them that is not incredible. (and I'm not a fan of the state of WI so that is saying quite a bit.)

-Goose Island, I personally really like Pere Jacques, but it is heavy w/ a high alc content so be careful.

-Hoegaarden, It's a very tasty beer to start the night w/ friends.

Just a side note, try any IPA's at your own risk, but up to you, they're just not my favorite.

4. Ride a REAL bull
Possibly just so you can appreciate real bull riders when you flip past a rodeo on tv. And no, mechanical bulls do not count.

5. Fat. Eat it for gods sake, it's healthier than sugar.
Here's something to start w/

Duck Fat Potatoes
-1lb small red potatoes
-4 tbsp duck fat ($3 for 7 oz from a specialty supermarket or dartagnan.com

Over low heat, melt duck fat in deep skillet w/ tight fitting lid. Raise the temperature. Rinse/wash potatoes, place in colander. Transfer to skillet (water + hot fat splatter, but this will also create cooking steam). Cover, shake skillet to coat potatoes. Cook until golden brown and tender (about 18min), season w/ coarse sea salt and black pepper.

And keep this dish for after a workout, your body will accept the carbs better during that time. Refilling your glycogen stores that have just been depleted, rather than having a glucose blood rush, cause then the pancreas produces insulin to pull the glucose out of the blood in an attempt to regulate glucose levels (which is a good thing) but then our bodies store it as fat (not such a good thing).

6. Blow hole diving
B/c it'd be phenomenal.

7. Downhill ski/snowboard a level far beyond your skill.
Yeah it's dangerous but so is shaving your balls.

8. Smoke an expensive cigar.
(not on a regular basis)

9. Try eating raw oysters.

B/c once you get past it looking like a bugger they are actually extremely good, but think how hungry the first person was to suck down one of those.

10. Perform a true 360 cookie in your car

Right now it's perfect in the midwest, cold w/ snow on the ground. Otherwise, find a gravel road and believe me.....it can be done.

11. Play tackle football past the age of 25
You're not too old unless you think you're too old.

12. Learn to surf
Whats the worst thats gonna happen, you get eaten by a shark, scrap your knee on the board surface, or develop a sweet and sexy new skill.

13. Take 15 minutes to savor a good glass of scotch
The point of drinking is not to get "slammed", and if you're going to drink you really should develop some kind of appreciation for what you're putting down your trap.

14. Get a heckler at a sporting event to sit down and keep his mouth shut.

15. Learn to do a flip off the diving board.

16. Scuba dive
Don't blow up your lungs.

17. Brave some second hand smoke w/ an old guy.
They are the best story tellers, and the stuff they did when they were young would put kids in juvie today.

18. Get off the beaten path in another country.

19. Take care of a toddler that isn't your own for 6 hrs.
It is an amazing exercise for developing patience and to instill safe sex practices. It's also nice for that little kids parents to have a chance to do something besides change diapers, do laundry, clean, and do anything w/ more than one hand at a time.

20. Do something that scares the shit out of you.
If you can do it regularly even better. For me its walking into a dark room. I'm very seriously afraid of the dark, so it's a regular game of "am I brave enough?". But don't be locking me in any dark rooms, I'll seriously put a hole in the wall.

21. Go somewhere for a week or two w/o telling anyone where you went (and if you can get away w/ it, don't even let them know you're leaving.)

22. Peg the speedometer.
You only have to burry that thing once to say you did it. Believe me, you'll feel like you're about to start flying and those dotted lines are gonna look like a solid line.

23. Bungee jump

24. Sleep in a tent for one week, w/ no radio, internet, or cell phone.
Preferably in the Rockies, w/ a cute girl that doesn't need make up, and enough food, beer, and fire wood to keep you warm each night.

25. Smoke pipe tobacco w/ a pipe inside your house (not repeatedly). It'll smell amazing for a week.

TOP THING WORTH TAKING A CHANCE ON:

-Stay casual, calm and confident, walk up, half smile and say "Hi", to a girl that (you think) is way out of your league. Best done after watching "40 year old virgin". The conversation that follows could ensue the story the two of you get to share for the rest of your lives. Sometimes a girl's personality matches her face and body.

And if not, who cares, you had the courage to do it, and that's respectable.







2 comments:

  1. I made a list when I was in my twenties about things I wanted to do before I was thirty. I guess I set my expectations at a very realistic level because I managed to do everything I wanted. Maybe I will make another list one day? I loved your list:-) It would be lovely if everyone took chances. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

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