Thread: Bucket Lists Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
Bucket lists -- those lists of things you want to do before you kick the bucket.

Care to share any of your bucket list items?

Some of mine:

- Try to fly-fish -- I love watching anglers. Not sure I have the eye-hand coordination...but it's a nice excuse to spend a spring day hanging out on a shady stream bank.

- Take a scenic train trip...for some reason I have not yet experienced one.

- Eat a pawpaw -- a unique North American wild fruit that is only hardy to the lowest rows of Michigan counties. Zimmerman's Deli in Ann Arbor has been known to offer pawpaw gelato...I'd love to try it.

- Learn enough French and Spanish to make myself understood.

- Learn better kitchen knife skills.

And you?
 
Posted by Ian Climacus (# 944) on :
 
* learn an instrument that's not the guitar (for fun)

* travel the Trans-Siberian railway

* see the south of the USA

* live in Lebanon or Syria [assuming peace] for a year, working on my Arabic while there

* learn Old English and read something like Beowulf / learn Icelandic and read a saga
 
Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on :
 
Walk the Black Cuiilin
Become fluent in Welsh
Do all the Munros
Finish my pen & paper RPG
Get a folk rock band together an play local gigs
Be retired on a good income well before the wooden overcoat to afford the above.
 
Posted by Ian Climacus (# 944) on :
 
What's a wooden overcoat?
 
Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ian Climacus:
What's a wooden overcoat?
The thing you're buried in.
 
Posted by sabine (# 3861) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by LutheranChik:


- Eat a pawpaw -- a unique North American wild fruit that is only hardy to the lowest rows of Michigan counties.
Pawpaw's grow well in Indiana, too (sometimes referred to as an "Indiana Banana"). They have a vague, sweet, honey-ish flavor.

Part if my list: visit Sweden, see northern lights, explore Manitoba, visit friends in far-flung places, finally make up my mind about moving from Indy, yes or no.

sabine
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
My husband had never been to France. I said, "You have to see Paris before you die." So this year we went, and now he's studying French with a view to returning.
All of my personal bucket list items involve costly travel, which means I probably cannot achieve them. But I need to visit:
Antarctica and the South Pole
Low earth orbit
Belize and the Mayan sites
Croatia and the northern Adriatic
Also, if there is a colony, Mars. I actually would volunteer for the one-way trip this will certainly be, but have enough health issues that NASA will not pass me to go.
 
Posted by betjemaniac (# 17618) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:

Antarctica and the South Pole
I lived down there for 6 months, the novelty wore off after about 48 hours!

some, in no particular order:

- go back to Zimbabwe as often as possible
- drive a steam engine (well, technically, 2 steam engines; a standard gauge one and Talyllyn on the Talyllyn Railway
- watch the England cricket team in the Caribbean
- do the Blue Train from Cape Town to Victoria Falls (I've done Pretoria to Cape Town and that just whetted the appetite)
- learn to fly fish
- visit St Petersburg and Moscow
- visit Warsaw properly rather than with work
- race the train on the Talyllyn
- do the Bob Graham Round
- visit the Welsh Highland Railway
- buy a smallholding
- keep bees
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
Keeping bees is fascinating and fun. I have lifting restrictions now that prevent me from keeping them anymore,..I miss them.

Interesting that language learning is on a few lists. When I was in achool I wanted to learn Old English but didn't have the time...was also briefly fascinated by Manx because I have a melancholy fascination with " dead" languages and other lost causes.

Another bullet item I forgot: Spencerian handwriting. My uncle taught himself this handwriting style -- all flourishes and shading -- I'd just like to attempt it.
 
Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :
 
I would like to manage at last to tidy up my home.
 
Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on :
 
The Manx language, albeit declared extinct by Unesco in 2009, is undergoing a remarkable revival:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/apr/02/how-manx-language-came-back-from-dead-isle-of-man

On my bucket list - visit Iceland.

IJ
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
I would like to manage at last to tidy up my home.
This at least I achieved by blowing my knee out this year. When it became clear that simply scaling the stairs was going to be a task I was not going to haul a vacuum cleaner along as well. So I've hired it all out and am happy.
 
Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
I'd like to: Unfortunately, with wage stagantion, low interest rates and rampant inflation, none of those look likely to happen in my lifetime. But if I were to save up for one holiday in a decade, I'd like to see sunrise and sunset on the Masai Mara.
 
Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :
 
I have no list of things to do before I die as I have no desire to die just yet.
 
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by balaam:
I have no list of things to do before I die as I have no desire to die just yet.
Then make a list and keep adding to it. You can't die if there are still things on your list!

[Biased]
 
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
Is there anyone who has done all of it and doesn't really have a list?

There are things I thought I wanted to do, see or be, but nothing much. Most of what I think about I don't control, can't make happen. Like it would be way cool if my father makes 100, non-exploitive space aliens make first contact, there's a generation in the family after my children, woolly mammoths are successfully cloned and they roam the north again, the grand unified theory of everything (physics) is made, we get to understanding the intelligence of non-human animals who discuss life, the universe and everything with us (thinking probably dolphins and octopuses).
 
Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :
 
See the Northern Lights.

Get a novel published by a traditional publisher.

Get some music played on the radio.

Celebrate my 150th birthday.
 
Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
Walk the Camino - unlikely now that I am disabled.
 
Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Schroedinger's cat:
See the Northern Lights.
I'll see Northern Lights tonight. It's on my bookshelf next to The Subtle Knife. [Big Grin]
 
Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sipech:
quote:
Originally posted by Schroedinger's cat:
See the Northern Lights.
I'll see Northern Lights tonight. It's on my bookshelf next to The Subtle Knife. [Big Grin]
I have heard the Rennaisance song too, but it still isn't the same as the real thing. WHo also did songs.

I think I had better stop now.
 
Posted by Fredegund (# 17952) on :
 
Another one for the Camino.
Actually be able to retire and buy and run a cattery.
Learn Welsh in view of likely location of cattery
And crawl out from under the Black Dog enough to care about doing any of them
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
Oh, me too for the Camino. Alas, since I blew my knee out walking is very problematic. Maybe I could bike it?
 
Posted by keibat (# 5287) on :
 
Brenda Clough wrote;
quote:
Oh, me too for the Camino. Alas, since I blew my knee out walking is very problematic. Maybe I could bike it?
Biking is permitted. Also riding a horse.
 
Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
Brenda, depending on the injury biking can be even worse than walking. With my knee injury I can ride to my local shops and back,(10 minutes) but I can walk much further - well over an hour.

I do use Nordic walking poles however, which have speeded up my walking considerably. I used to take an hour to walk to my Doctor's, but now I can do it in 40 minutes. ( I am not so secretly very pleased with myself for the improvement).

Huia
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
I can walk, but not anywhere as near as fast as I used to. Very annoying, but it doesn't seem to be improving. Cycling gives me no difficulty at all and I regularly commute by bike.
 
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
I can walk, but not anywhere as near as fast as I used to. Very annoying, but it doesn't seem to be improving. Cycling gives me no difficulty at all and I regularly commute by bike.
You're not supporting your body weight when cycling unless you stand on the pedals. There's the option of clipping in so that you can pull upwards on pedals. If the terrain is hilly, ensure you have an appropriately geared bicycle, not all sets of gears (cassettes) are the same. The angle of lower body to pedals makes a difference, as does the size and configuration of seat/saddle, and the uprightness of the upper body. It is well worth going to a bike shop where they will put a bicycle on a treadmill like thing for you to try. You need to take quite a bit of time to fit yourself well for a lengthy cycling trip.

I am using Kinesio Tape™ (that bright coloured tape you see on athletes on TV) on one of my knees which reminds me to not let it go out of alignment and do bad things to my ACL. Physiotherapists and Kinesiologists are worthy on consultation for me. They give me exercises which also correct alignment and deal with post-activity tightness and askewness. They do the same process for walking and running as they do for cycling.
 
Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
I can walk, but not anywhere as near as fast as I used to. Very annoying, but it doesn't seem to be improving. Cycling gives me no difficulty at all and I regularly commute by bike.
It probably all depends on the nature of your injury, and your strength and other physical capabilities.
 
Posted by wild haggis (# 15555) on :
 
Agree about the cycling. I was advised by the physio & specialist not to do it. Water Workout is great - supports body and you can exercise without too much weight-bearing - ideal. And it's free for over 60s in Wales!!!!

My bucket list:

*A new body so that I can dance (all sorts), run, hill walk, get on my knees, cycle etc. again.

Anyone got a skeleton in their cupboard? 5'3" and in good condition?

A big ask that one, I think.
 
Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by wild haggis:
Anyone got a skeleton in their cupboard? 5'3" and in good condition?
Hang on.

no, no, no. Oh - probably shouldn't. No, no....

Sorry, not yet. But try me in a few years, and you never know.
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
Might one of these do the job?

You'll need to buy one quickly, though they may sell them off cheaply after October 31st!
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Bishops Finger:
... On my bucket list - visit Iceland.
On mine - visit Iceland again, and this time get up to Akureyri and the far north.

Road trip from one side of Canada to the other, and train trip back (or vice versa)

New Zealand - because it just seems so very pretty, and they make my favourite wine. [Smile]
 
Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
sabine and Schroedingers Cat both want to see the Northern Lights. I've seen them several times, but faintly. Just a green / pink shimmer, pretty but not spectacular. However, the last time I saw them the person standing next to me was photographing them on a specific shutter speed. The photographs were splendid! The colours were brighter, the definition sharper. We both agreed the photographs showed something much more spectacular than either of us had seen.

My bucket list.

Identify all 64 of my great great great great grandparents. (This went onto my bucket list in 1982!)
Learn Gaelic.
Get the book of the PhD published, preferably to critical acclaim.
Take my Beloved Goddaughter abroad.
Take my daughter to Iceland.
Take my son to the south of France.
Visit Australia.
Get my weight back down to 12 stone (at which point I'm going to get a tattoo to replace the fat).
Make a successful Baked Alaska.
 
Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :
 
After witnessing the total eclipse this summer, natural wonders took a jump on my list. Particularly the Northern Lights and the monarch butterfly migration in Mexico.

Speaking of Mexico, Oaxaca City, back to Mexico City, and the colonial sights in Queretaro and Guanajuato. Plus a Barbacoa joint on the outskirts of Queretaro that is supposed to be the best in the world.

I’ve never been to Rome, and suspect that I would love it.

India is high up on my wife’s, and I certainly won’t complain about tagging along.

I hope that I can also have some skiing and backpacking adventures with my daughter in the future, but just seeing her do what she loves (whatever that turns out to be) will be huge.
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
A great place to see the Northern Lights is Grand Marais, a tiny Michigan town on the shore of Lake Superior. Picturesque...good lodging choices and a nicely appointed campground...close to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, an Upper Peninsula must-see, and also close to Seney Wildlife Refuge. If you'd rather be closer to civilization, the Grand Traverse region of our Lower Peninsula has been experiencing good Northern Lights showungs in recent years, and there's a Dark Sky Park in the area with prime viewing for skygazing in general.
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I've done a few of other people's bucket lists - partly because I also love the scenic railway routes, so have travelled most of the linked list (including the Welsh Highland Railway), plus a few more not mentioned. I still have a bucket list of the ones I haven't visited yet and a few more, including the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Orient Express (that one I booked years ago, and the sister I was supposed to be visiting came home just before I was about to leave. Nowadays I would go anyway.) I keep finding more suggestions.

I have a long list of long distance walking routes I still want to walk, so the Camino appeals, but also the West Highland Way and Offa's Dyke Path. I have walked the Pennine Way and chunks of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path - I would love to visit again in May. Those are harder to do alone safely. I'd also love to walk the Black Cuillin, but I'm definitely not fit enough at the moment. Had I finished work in September, as planned, I was going to head to the Lake District to walk for a bit or the Scottish Islands to cycle . that one attempting the island hop that didn't happen in May. Both those routes are still on my bucket list.

I still want to see the Northern Lights, and have been to Scotland in winter a few times with that hope. Scottish weather is reliably fickle. Last year I visited Stonehaven and Dunottar Castle, after seeing Stonehaven as part of the Haggis Hunt and Dunottar as one of my laptop backgrounds. Of those backgrounds I still want to see the Giants Causeway.

Then there are the people I want to see - bands or actors in plays. I saw Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan in No Man's Land during the London run, and have seen a number of other plays.

I have learned that I regret more the things I didn't do than the things I did do, so finding interesting things to do doesn't stop.
 
Posted by Rossweisse (# 2349) on :
 
I've done a fair number of the things on my list - just this year, I visited the Shetland Isles (whence emigrated a great-great-great grandfather; a distant cousin is, I learned, Laird of Unst) and La Rochelle (whence fled a batch of Huguenot ancestors in the 17th century); saw a total eclipse of the sun (from my own front yard, yet!); and I just saw a cave with 16,000 year-old paintings (deeply moving).

Given my health issues, I'm working to achieve my goals quickly; one of them is to see the complete "Ring" cycle at Lyric Opera of Chicago in a couple of years.
 
Posted by simontoad (# 18096) on :
 
1.I'd like to do a Ring Cycle.

My wife hates Wagner, but nevertheless bought us tickets to Das Rheingold because she's brill. I loved it, edge of your seat stuff; she was bored senseless. I thought I'd try to find someone to go with me on Adult Friend Finder, but I was told that the service isn't for Opera.

2. I would like to do a pilgrimage to Auschwitz. The holocaust was pivotal in developing my sense of social justice as a teenager.

3. I would like to see Petra in Jordan, the Pyramids and roman ruins and other sites of historical significance in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and Turkey. All I'm saying is give peace a chance people so I can come and visit you. I'm pretty clean...

4. I have a longstanding dream of flying to an Indonesian island east of Bali, probably lombok but I haven't researched this at all. Then I'd like to travel by a combination of local ferry and bus through Java, up through Sumatra to Singapore, whereupon I would fly home. I can say "This chicken is cheap, Missus" and sing the first few verses of Halo Bandung, which I am told is a song to make the Indons go misty-eyed. I reckon that will see me right.
 
Posted by Ian Climacus (# 944) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:
the monarch butterfly migration in Mexico
I just googled this and watched a video: wow! And wow! again.

adds to list...
 
Posted by system1 (# 18389) on :
 
If offered tickets to Bayreuth I would be most content to accept. Bucket list suggests 'gotta' - which is not for us to discern.
 
Posted by Rossweisse (# 2349) on :
 
I made it to Bayreuth last year. The production wasn't great, but I knew it wouldn't be. The experience was heavenly.
 
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Rossweisse:
I made it to Bayreuth last year. The production wasn't great, but I knew it wouldn't be. The experience was heavenly.
Are the seats as uncomfortable as I've heard they are? (No matter, I still want to go someday!)
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by simontoad:


3. I would like to see Petra in Jordan, the Pyramids and roman ruins and other sites of historical significance in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon and Turkey. All I'm saying is give peace a chance people so I can come and visit you. I'm pretty clean...

When it is again possible to get to Libya have a look at the Roman remains there. Whole cities.
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
I was talking to a priest who lives in Jerusalem and wishing I could visit.
 
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
How is it that Northern Lights aren't seen from northern Europe? Too much light from human sources?
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
Quite apart from light pollution, much of northern Europe just isn't far north enough to see them well - though I did catch a faint glimpse of them from East Anglia last year, and they can quite often been seen in northern Scotland although I take NEQ's point that photos are often more impressive than reality. The places to go though are northern Norway/Sweden/Finland and there is a thriving industry in those places promoting Northern Lights Experiences (although a viewing can't be 100% guaranteed), complete with nights in an Ice Hotel or Igloo, husky dog driving, reindeer herding, snowmobiles etc.

[ 21. November 2017, 14:17: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
 
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on :
 
We spend a lot of time at 52°N which is about the same as Amsterdam, and just a wee bit north of London's latitude. We have northern lights maybe 2 of 3 nights when it is clear in winter. So not thinking how far north you are is it. Maybe amount of cloudiness?
 
Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet's flag is set so...:
Is there anyone who has done all of it and doesn't really have a list?
I've done quite a lot of what was on my list.
Things I have ticked off:

See the Northern Lights
See a Total Solar Eclipse (I became addicted and have now seen six!)
Visited Uluru (Ayers' Rock)
Seen the Oberammergau Passion Play
Seen the Taj Mahal
Seen the Grand Canyon
Watched an erupting volcano
Seen Orangutans in the wild
Seen tigers in the wild
Seen whales in the wild (a humpback under the Golden Gate bridge, Star Trek IV anyone!)

Still do to:

Walk all the Wainwrights - I'm halfway through!
Visit Amazonia
Visit the Galapagos
Visit Petra
See Emperor Penguins in the wild in Antarctica
Do a Nile cruise
Travel on the Trans Siberian Railway
Travel on the Rocky Mountaineer railway from Banff to Vancouver - doing that next year!!
 


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