40 Before 40!

This used to be a 35 before 35 list (see URL lol) but then the pandemic happened and it seems like the world collectively lost a few years where we did nothing much but pick up obscure hobbies and grieve for unimaginable loss.

So.. I pushed this out to the big 4-o. And changed up a few things. Who knows, it may actually work out this time, huh? Without further ado, and in no particular order, here is my new life list:

DONE ✅      /      WIP      /      TO DO

CURRENT STATUS: 14/45

1. Visit another wonder of the world / UNESCO heritage site. 
2. Go on another road trip. ✅
   • Ruta 40, Argentina [Dec 2018]
   • Prague to Vienna [July 2019]
3. Explore at least 5 national parks / forests. ✅
4. Visit 10 new states! [current status: 7/10]
   • Overall and New tally: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia.
5. Watch my favorite wild animals (polar bears or orcas) in their natural habitat.
6. Volunteer again. ✅
7. Learn to drive (and actually drive!) in USA.
8. Get a piercing.
9. Invest my own money. ✅
10. Go to another city’s Pride parade.
11. Take a dance class.
12. Get another tattoo. ✅
    • A new tattoo for Dusk, Seoul July 2023
13. Be part of a live / recorded TV show audience. ✅
    • Watched the Moulin Rouge performance for the Tony Awards, September 2021
14. Kiss in a hot air balloon.
15. Try 5 famous local drinks of the world. ✅
    • Singha (beer) in Bangkok
    • Einstök (beer) in Iceland
    • Pisco Sour (cocktail) in Peru
    • Malbec (wine) in Argentina
    • Pilsner Urquell (beer) in Czechia 
16. Watch a Broadway classic. ✅
    • Wicked [September 2019]
    • The Lion King [December 2019]
    • Hadestown [October 2021]
    • Phantom of the Opera [December 2021]
    • The Book of Mormon [December 2022]
17. Go back to Scandinavia. ✅
    • Iceland v2 [September 2022]
18. Have the best time at a carnival.
19. Turn the house we’re living in, into a home. ✅
20. Float on the Dead Sea.
21. Spend a night in the Sahara.
22. Go on a safari/watch a migration.
23. Take a cooking class!
24. Actually finish a Project 365. ✅
25. Become 100% debt-free.
    • This is unlikely to happen because we actually bought a damn house! LOLSOB
26. Commit to a skincare routine. [current status: in the middle of identifying what works best and how to actually make it into a routine]
27. Start a yearly tradition with loved ones.
28. Finish 10 memorable hikes. [current status: 6/10]
    • Inca Trail, July 2017
      • distance: ~12 miles, elevation gain: 1,892 ft, trail type: loop
    • Watkins Glen Gorge Trail, September 2018
      • distance: 2.4 miles, elevation gain: 820 ft, trail type: loop
    • Cerro Torre, December 2018
      • distance: ~14 miles, elevation gain: 820 ft, trail type: out and back
    • Dark Hollow Falls Trail, May 2019
      • distance: 1.3 miles, elevation gain: 564 ft, trail type: out and back
    • Goat Lake Trail, September 2019
      • distance: 8.1 miles, elevation gain: 1,788 ft, trail type: out and back
    • Artists Bluff Trail, October 2021
      • distance: 1.5 miles, elevation gain: 436 ft, trail type: loop
29. Watch IMDB’s Top 50 movies. [current status: 22/50]
30. Place a bet in a casino. 
31. Have an emergency fund. ✅
32. Dip toes in all the Great Lakes. [current status: 2/5]
33. Buy myself something that is gorgeous, eternal and just for me.
34. Plant a flower garden for the bees!
35. Get another degree.
36. Have another feel-really-small-and-insignificant-in-this-huge-wonderful-universe moment. ✅
    • watched the northern lights
    • sat in silence at the Ayasofya
    • climbed a long dead volcano
    • gazed upon a sky full of stars (and a bonus comet!)
    • watched the clouds roll over the Andes from somewhere random and nondescript on the Inca trail
    • hiked a mighty 2,500 year old glacier (and ate some very very old ice)
    • touched the Eurasian and American tectonic plates in ice cold water
37. Have a serious plan for retirement.
38. Watch an iconic GOAT human irl. ✅
    • Saw Lebron James play [December 2018]
    • Saw Beyoncé in concert [July 2023]
39. Spend my 15th wedding anniversary doing something epic.
40. For my 40th birthday, throw a dart at the map and actually go wherever it lands!

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.