Things to Do Before I Die, Living To-Do, the Dream List - Whatever you call it, we invite you to post your list, suggest things for others to do, and most importantly, have fun living to do!

10 Ways to Annoy Your Neighbors

By sarajean on 6/29/10 11:52pm
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Over our mini staycation (it’s funny how I’ve adapted to use that word; if you use vacation, everybody expects for you to tell them “where you’re going” these days, and then you just mumble, “Around…”), my husband and I were really looking forward to getting a little extra sleep in. We both work at night—me from home, him in the city—in order to have family time during the day and to prevent our daughter from being in daycare. In my case, I actually enjoy working at night, too; in his, it’s just the shift that was available.

So there we were, snuggled and sleeping next to one another—something that rarely occurs these days, unfortunately—when we were suddenly awakened by loud, obnoxious drilling and hammering at 6:30 in the morning.

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I Love You

By sarajean on 6/28/10 8:53pm
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How many times have you said these three words today? This week? In your life?

How many times have you been told these words by others?

In that Snow Patrol song, “Chasing Cars,” the lyrics say, “Those three words/ are said too much/ they’re not enough.” While I love the song and think it’s very beautiful, I don’t agree.

I would wage that the words are not said enough. I think if you told each person you love that you love them every day of your life, it probably still wouldn’t be enough. Remember that saying, “Nobody has ever loved anybody the way everybody wants to be loved”? I’m not sure I agree with that either, but I think it comes close to capturing the sentiment that we all want to be loved, to feel love, and to express love—and to do it often.

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Add Some Modifiers to Your List

By sarajean on 6/15/10 9:24am
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This sounds like a weird suggestion, doesn’t it? But to really add some fun to your Living to Do list, you need some modifiers! By modifiers, I mean specific adjectives or verbs that truly spice up your listed items—and only modifiers that you really want, of course.

You might have “Go snorkeling” on your list. But where do you want to snorkel? Who do you want to snorkel with? Is there a specific color of snorkeling gear you prefer? Get as specific and outrageous as you like. For example, on my Living to Do list, I don’t have down that I want to try wine in Europe; I have “Drink Champagne in Champagne,” as well as Bordeaux in Bordeaux, of course! I don’t have “Learn to make chalk,” but specifically, “Learn to make stick chalk with my sister.”

Just take a look at your list overall and think about these questions:

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Dream It. List It. Do It!

By sarajean on 6/12/10 6:18pm
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After collecting several “Things to Do Before You Die Books” (at the continuous mocking of my husband), I’ve recently purchased a small but packed book which I believe houses the best Living to Do suggestions I’ve come across yet. The book, Dream It. List It. Do It! How to Live a Bigger & Bolder Life, from the Life List Experts at 43Things.com, has an astronomically long title. It also has thousands of great ideas for your own Living To Do list.

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Still More Bucket List Ideas

By becksta on 5/11/10 3:16pm
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Living to Do List
"Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all."- Helen Keller
I had this bumper sticker in my room when I was younger and couldn't imagine how I would make it true for myself. I felt stuck and scared to try new things; since then, I've tried quite a few things that were on my own personal "Bucket List", but there are quite a few items still on the list. 
I believe that not every goal has to be large- sometimes having smaller goals is ok, too- here's a list of things that I haven't done that I hope to do someday.
1. I want to attend an NBA basketball game. I am not picky- it doesn't have to be a playoff game, but it should be a team I like playing against the LA Lakers and kicking their asses. Unlike Jack Nicholson and company, I hate the Lakers.
2. I've never participated in a fun-run and have always wanted to. I heard about a run in Milwaukee that involves stopping every kilometer for a beer, which would be nice, but that's probably not necessary- I'd settle for a beer at the halfway point. 
3. I don't have a very good understanding of Physics at all- before I die, I would really like to understand a little bit more about both Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and why there are Eleven Dimensions in String Theory.
4.  I want to learn how to Photoshop my body and face enough to make me look thinner and younger so that I will have a nicer Facebook profile.  Facebook, after all, is the center of my life. 
5.  I've never been in a Book Club, a Movie Club, or a Wine Club and think that joining any of them would greatly enhance the quality of my life, as long as I could choose the books, movies, and types of wine without greatly offending the other members of the not-yet-existing clubs.  
6. According to the latest study, I need to exercise an hour a day five times a week to maintain my weight for my age. I'd like to settle for exercising half that much by forgoing candy on a semi-regular basis. 
7. My culinary skills are still somewhat lacking- I need to learn ten more kick-ass recipes for the summer.
8.  I definitely want to eat more foods from around the world. So far, I've tried Ethiopian, French, Italian, Thai, Korean, Indian, and some weird Pork BBQ in Malaysia that I'm not quite certain I enjoyed. 
http://www.locust-street.com/beerrun.htm

Beer RunBeer Run"Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all."- Helen Keller


I had this bumper sticker in my room when I was younger and couldn't imagine how I would make it true for myself. I felt stuck and scared to try new things; since then, I've tried quite a few things that were on my own personal "Bucket List", but there are quite a few items still on the list. 

I believe that not every goal has to be large- sometimes having smaller goals is ok, too- here's a list of things that I haven't done that I hope to do someday. What would you like to do that you haven't done?


1. I want to attend an NBA basketball game. I am not picky- it doesn't have to be a playoff game, but it should be a team I like playing against the LA Lakers and kicking their asses. Unlike Jack Nicholson and company, I hate the Lakers and Kobe Bryant in particular.

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Live Like You Were Dying

By sarajean on 4/15/10 4:11pm
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I’m not much of a country fan, so I don’t know what it is with me and Tim McGraw songs lately!

A few days ago, my friends and I had a small discussion on Facebook after I posted this seemingly random question: “Let’s pretend that, as of today, we have exactly one year left to live. What will you do?”

Many friends postulated that if they had the time, the money, really only a year left, etc. they would do X,Y, Z. Some wanted to see relatives, others to pay off bills, or to see the world. But I clarified that my question is in regards to life right now, as we know it: If we could just live with the philosophy that this could very well be our last year (because, truth be told, it could; it always could), how could you create the life you want to live within your current situation and means? Or would you change your situation and means, perhaps? What would you do?

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Pare Down Your List

By sarajean on 4/15/10 4:00pm
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Hopefully you’ve got a good Living To Do List going now, full of adventures, dreams, and desires that you hope to accomplish within your lifetime. I truly hope that for as many professional or “success” oriented items you have list, you have at least double that many things to simply do for fun! I don’t know how many people I’ve talked to who include learning a dozen languages, earning millions of dollars, and obtaining so many different degrees without being able to explain why they want to do these things.

On that note, I’d like for you to take a look at your Living To Do List sometime soon and pare it down.

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Go Ahead, Grow Those Fingernails

By sarajean on 4/2/10 7:32pm
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I used to get so disgusted when I heard about people growing their nails out several feet (or longer) for fame or even simply for fun. How they heck do they eat, pick their noses, work? Just the look of those nails—often yellow, spiraling down like some kind of alien staircases out of a Wes Craven movie—were enough to send shivers down my spine. Ew…

But when you think about it, it is a personal choice. Some people are grossed out by tattoos or multiple piercings or biker chaps, right? None of those things really bother me, and if anyone said, “She/he is so gross for wearing that! How could she/he even go out in public?” about any of these people, I would probably feel offended on their behalves. To each their own, right?

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Take the April Script Writing Challenge

By sarajean on 3/31/10 7:15am
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If you’ve ever wanted to write a screenplay but have simply lacked the motivation to do so, this April is your chance. The tagline, “30 Days. 100 Pages. Are you in?” pretty much sums up the entire challenge: Throughout the month of April, participants will try to write a 100-page script.

If you think it can’t be done, think about this: Sylvester Stallone wrote the script for Rocky (the first of the six) in only three days. And he was a working man at the time—doing janitorial work or some form of labor to support his family. So if Sly can do it, why not you?

It’s time to cross off “Write a screenplay” from your Living To Do List! There’s no pressure; you don’t have to commit to selling the screenplay, making millions of dollars, and rubbing elbows with Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. Just write. That’s all.

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Spend Some Time in the Dark

By sarajean on 3/26/10 3:27am
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This article from Care2.com features some wonderful ideas about living in the dark. We humans are often so disassociated with the dark, viewing it as only a minor inconvenience; indeed, we have street lamps, electricity, and plenty of ways to avoid it. Many of us work at night, or even shop at night, during a time when most creatures are either asleep or hunting prey. Instead of further alienating ourselves from nature, why don’t we start celebrating the dark once in a while? Not only could we save energy, we could also help our children learn to love the dark and not fear it so much.

In addition to Care2’s wonderful list, here are more things to enjoy in the dark.

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