Vince and I were supposed to be skiing at Camelback this weekend with our friends Michael and Katherine, but things didn’t work out as planned and instead I put the finishing touches on Vincent’s birthday bash next Saturday night, I made reservations for a Murder Mystery Weekend at the Brookview Manor and also for our friend Toni’s play The Butler Did It, I joined the Appalachian Mountain Club, and I completed about 7 pages in my scrapbook (yes, my dear friends, I am still working on the scrapbook that was supposed to be finito in 2001).
In recent memory, I also just finished The Old Wives Tale, which is listed somewhere as one of the top 100 books to read of all time and if you’re in to classics, you might really like this novel. It’s kind of like Seinfeld insomuch as it’s a book about absolutely nothing, but I enjoyed it on every subway ride I’ve taken this month. Ha HA! So my next read is The Da Vinci Code. Vince has been trying to get me to read The Dark Tower series by Stephen King ever since I gave the books to him for completing his first project at work, but I think I’m going to hold out for a little while longer. The pile of books next to my bed is getting increasingly higher and I really should make a valiant attempt at getting through them and putting them back on the shelves in our “library.”
So, today I was leafing through my photos of Italy (I’m on November 2001 in my scrapbooking) and I was thinking to myself, “Man, I really need to go on more trips.” I never want to be one of those people who works hard, takes no time off of work, retires, AND THEN starts traveling. I want to see the world while I’m young and still able to do many things without my arthritis and rheumatism acting up.
Thus far in my life, I’ve visited much of the United States (having spent significant time in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticutt, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisianna, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin) and abroad (having spent time in Canada – it counts!, England, Egypt, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Spain). But I still want to see more of the world. I’ve been keeping a list on my Palm Pilot of the places I’d like to see / things I’d like to do (yeah Corinne, right by my “cheat” list) and here they are, in no particular order:
Alaskan cruise
The Alaska Highway
Walk the Appalachian Trail (like my hero, David Stango!)
Austrailia
Bali
Burning Man Festival
Brazil
Cambodia
Caribbean Cruise
China
Costa Rica
Dead Sea (even though I’ve already seen the Red Sea!) and Israel
I want to take Vincent to England – London specifically
Fiji
Gabon
Greece
Hawaii
Iceland (Vincent thinks this is the most perfect place on earth)
Italy, AGAIN (last time my mom brought me as a kind of birthday present, but this time around I want Vincent to try to “rough” it out)
Japan
Jazz Festival in New Orleans
Korea
Kuala Lampur
Mexico
Nepal (I’m still working on the whole “family” vacation there, but San doesn’t seem to want to go back anytime soon; the bonus? I already convinced my friend, Jeff, to go with me since Vincent practically refuses to go)
New Zealand
Phillipines
Portland, Oregon
Prague
Seattle, Washington
South African safari
Thailand
A U.S. trip of the National Parks
Vietnam
And that about rounds that list out. This year I have several lovely trips planned, and I certainly hope they all pan out! The first should be a trip out to California to hike Mt. Whitney with my Michelle and Daddy A. Then it’s off to Las Vegas for a few days of sin with our friends Hunter and Alex, followed by a 6-day rafting and hiking trip in the Grand Canyon. Finally, I shall be relaxing on the beach with my Jimmy and Corinne come winter, while we enjoy our Dominican Republic vacation! So the year is rounding out nicely for me as far as adventure goes. So here’s to more of this!
Speaking of adventure, I am about to join the New York chapter of Team in Training, which is this group that trains and competes in marathons, triathlons and century bike rides around the world. The training, some equipment, and all travel and competition expenses are paid by Team in Training (a NPO). The only thing I need provide is a certain fundraising minimum, about 75% of which goes to fund blood cancer research. Everyone on the team rides/runs/walks/competes either in honor or in memory of someone they know whose life has been affected by blood cancer. My choice for the season is to compete in the Lake Tahoe Century Bike Ride in June (I think that’s the month) in honor of my Nonnie. I am really psyched about this event, as it’s a great way to give a little back to someone you care about, to do charity, and to get in kick-ass shape! The only thing that kind of stinks about the biking team is that our practices are at 6:30AM. I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to get to Central Park by 6:30AM, and then back home to shower, and still be in to work on time. Oh yeah, training is during the week AND on weekends. Say goodbye to your old friend, Ryan!!!
Well, that’s my five and a half cents for the time being. Vincent just went out in the cold, harsh winter night to buy me some mint chocolate chip ice cream and I mean to eat some!!!
