Zero to go
Or thirteen, depending on how strict I want to be
Here we are. Today is the day. My self-imposed deadline for 32 Before 32 is today, or maybe yesterday, since the title implies finishing these items before 32. I owe it to my thousands of insatiable readers to provide an update about whether I was able to complete the list, so let’s get on with it.
At the moment, I am listening to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Wave, which rounds out my goal of listening to 365 albums. No attention needs to be paid to the fact that the average runtime of these “albums” has been plummeting in the past couple of weeks as the deadline approached. Less attention needs to be paid to the most egregious entry to the list, a 7-minute, two-track Spotify Singles set by Cold War Kids that, to its credit, includes a worthwhile reimagining of Alicia Keys’s “No One.” (To my credit, my initial due date for this goal was December 14, so amidst a panoply of underperformance and chicanery, I actually overachieved here.)
I met three of my revised goals over the past weekend, as Whitney and I visited Washington, D.C. for the first time. To summarize an eventful and overwhelmingly positive trip, it was surreal to bear witness to today’s unparalleled present moment—demolition at the White House, National Guard troops milling about the streets and parks, “No Kings” flyers on every street pole—alongside American iconography that has stood the test of time. The visit comprised, among many other things, a visit to a new state (Virginia, which is for some reason “for lovers” [of what?]) and a day which involved more than 40,000 steps. A 9-mile morning run, plus 11 miles of walking later in the day will do that!
(The goals replaced in the preceding paragraph were: climb Palomar Mountain on my bike, visit the Living Desert with the kids, and an as-yet undefined 32nd goal. I plan to include Palomar/Living Desert on next year’s list.)
Originally I wanted to write a short story, but that was revised to simply writing a personal narrative. I actually wrote two of these, telling stories of when I once poisoned myself to get out of a sleepover and when I won a free plane ticket for running a marathon slowly. They served as models for my sophomore students as they embarked upon writing their own short narrative pieces. I enjoyed the process of writing, but they didn’t feel “challenging” in the way I want list entries to feel. Honestly, they just felt like ordinary blog posts. Not that my blog posts are anything to write home about to begin with, but the genre felt very close to home. It made me wonder if I want to include “write a novel for NaNoWriMo”1 in my new year’s list…
My three final (arbitrary, revised) goals:
Try a new cuisine — Over the summer I had the pleasure of being introduced to Cambodian food by a colleague at a rival high school. Not a huge fan of the fermented plum soda, but the kathiew—a pho-like soup dish—is something I can’t wait to return to.
Listen to the entire Beatles discography — I hadn’t done this since the summer of 2015, when I listened to all 213 songs on a road trip with Ethan. Well worth the time spent. The first few albums bleed together a bit in the mind, but everything after and including Help! is awe-inspiring work of genius. Except Let It Be. According to my scrawled notes, close listens to “Here Comes the Sun” and the Abbey Road medley were highlights.
Try a new workout method — I’ve had a lot of fun over the past few weeks lifting kettlebells with Jordan on Friday mornings. It’s nice to add another layer of variety to my exercise routine, and I’m a fan of how much the kettlebell moves incorporate the whole body. It’s hard to get “excited” about waking up at 5 a.m., but these end-of-week workout have become something to look forward to.
That’s all, folks. I aim to be back ASAP with a new list. What’s life without dozens of unchecked boxes?
-Kurt
Which no longer exists(!)