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doesn't know REAL wrestling...
I was doing a bit of a clean up in my office yesterday and under my clock I found a list of things I wanted to do before I turned 30. I have no recollection of writing this list (I probably copied it from somewhere) and I normally do not go in for such goal-setting mush but it is clearly my handwriting - it is notably neat, in case you are wondering.
Let's see how I got on...
1. Go Travelling
Fail. Whilst I have been fortunate enough to travel plenty of places in Europe and America, technically I have never gone travelling in the back-packing sense. No real intention of either.
2. Get Something Published
Check. Two academic articles and a book, although technically the book was published after my 30th birthday.
3. Watch More Classic Movies -Goodfellas, Scarface, Godfather, Godfather II, Psycho, 2001: A Space Odyssey, City of God, The Deer Hunter, Alien, Aliens, Jaws, Life is Beautiful, Citizen Kane, The Breakfast Club, Stand By Me, Chinatown, The Outsiders
I have crossed out those I have watched in their entirety and before some of you leap down my throat for some of those that are not crossed out, I was being truly honest with myself and not including those which I don't think I have sat down and watched from start to finish. That is why the likes of Jaws and Aliens (I own them both on DVD) are left unchecked because I have just not watched all of them in one single viewing.
4. Live in London
Fail. Tried to get jobs there but in no big rush to move to a big city full stop.
5. Learn A Second Language
Fail. My Latin training allows me to understand things in Spanish, French and Italian, while I can get the gist of Ancient Greek and be passably polite in German but I am not fluent/conversational in anything.
6. Run A Marathon
Fail. No idea why I put this in here. Makes me think that I copied at least parts of this from somewhere, or I was drunk.
7. Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
Check. For my thoughts... http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=180431
8. Have More Sex
Almost certainly a Fail. I'm in an extended dry spell.
9. Go To A Music Festival
Check. Reading 2001. Great fun but should have drunk more.
10. Try Different Foods
Tentative Check as I do make the attempt to try new foods when the opportunity presents itself - bison, crocodile, ostrich, springbok etc.
11. Get on the Property Ladder
Fail. Lack of a full time job scuppered any chances of this one.
12. Test Myself
Not entirely sure what this was meant to be, although "get out of your comfort zone" sounds like it might fit and in that case, it is a Fail.
13. Visit Paris and Rome
Check. Great fun on both fronts. Culture and alcohol was a great mix.
14. Blow £500 in one night
Fail. I have spent that kind of money on a single purchase but not on a night out, as I am not a lunatic
15. Use Savings Account
Check. It sounds rather boring but I actually do use my savings account to actually save for things - new phone, console, PC etc.
16. Do Something for Charity
Fail. Now I have given to charity but by the definition of being the doer rather than the sponsor, I failed.
17. Be On Television
Check. Twice. Once on local television and once on national. Both on quiz shows and for those interested, I am 1-1.
18. Eat in a Michelin Starred Restaurant
Fail. There aren't any nearby and I am not that overly keen and splashing that kind of cash on food.
19. Quit a Job
Check. Had to quit my job in Austria due to PhD commitments or at least I thought I had to quit at the time. Turned out that I really didn't need to - that pissed me off.
20. Go to a Live Sporting Event
Check. Been to plenty - football, rugby, hockey, ice hockey.
21. Have a Weekend in New York
Fail. Been to New York three times but none could be considered an actual visit to New York as I was passing through on the way to somewhere else on each occasion.
22. Read Classic Books - Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Romeo and Juliet, Harry Potter, LOTR, To Kill A Mockingbird, Catch 22, Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, Great Expectations, Tess of the D'Urbevilles, Treasure Island, The Beach, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Ulysses, The Shining, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
I have crossed out those I have read in their entirety... Yeah, my reading of classic literature is quite frankly appalling. But I would say that I do read plenty and have an extensive and somewhat varied library, not to mention I have read plenty of the actual Classics. You know from the actual Classical Period - Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Polybius, Sallust, Livy, Tacitus, Ammianus Marcellinus to mention but a few - so I am not overly disappointed in myself.
23. Own a Convertible
Fail. What the Christ? I was turning 30 not 60!
24. Buy Something Really Expensive
What does really expensive mean? In the thousands rather than the hundreds? If so, then Fail.
25. Buy Wine Worth £50
Fail. I think I added this aim because I kept thinking that I would eventually develop a taste for wine. But I never have. Maybe I have an unrefined palate but it all tastes like coloured vinegar to me.
26. Use the Internet more
Check. I live on it mostly.
27. Record Family History
Technical Fail. I had every intention of doing this. I even went as far as to start downloading materials to build an online family tree. Then I was told that my grandfather had already done it and had a copy of the family tree that when back as far as it could go (1805 when my maternal ancestors moved from Scotland to Ireland).
28. Sing Karaoke
Check. Unfortunately for the ears of those present and my own reputation.
29. Have A Complete Health Check
Fail. Now, I am really suspicious that I copied chunks of this from somewhere... I detest people who go to the doctor for any ailment so I am not going to get such a check-up when I have no reason to. I suppose though I have so far been lucky to have had a healthy existence.
30. Climb a Mountain
Fail. I am calling bullshit - this could easily be in there with #6 and #12, plus I have no intention of ever doing it.
So how did I do? A 60% Fail rate is not great. Poor even. But given that I set at least 6 aims that would seem to have assumed that I would become a completely different person throughout the course of my 20s, I suppose it is not all that bad.
Let's see how I got on...
1. Go Travelling
Fail. Whilst I have been fortunate enough to travel plenty of places in Europe and America, technically I have never gone travelling in the back-packing sense. No real intention of either.
2. Get Something Published
Check. Two academic articles and a book, although technically the book was published after my 30th birthday.
3. Watch More Classic Movies -
I have crossed out those I have watched in their entirety and before some of you leap down my throat for some of those that are not crossed out, I was being truly honest with myself and not including those which I don't think I have sat down and watched from start to finish. That is why the likes of Jaws and Aliens (I own them both on DVD) are left unchecked because I have just not watched all of them in one single viewing.
4. Live in London
Fail. Tried to get jobs there but in no big rush to move to a big city full stop.
5. Learn A Second Language
Fail. My Latin training allows me to understand things in Spanish, French and Italian, while I can get the gist of Ancient Greek and be passably polite in German but I am not fluent/conversational in anything.
6. Run A Marathon
Fail. No idea why I put this in here. Makes me think that I copied at least parts of this from somewhere, or I was drunk.
7. Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
Check. For my thoughts... http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=180431
8. Have More Sex
Almost certainly a Fail. I'm in an extended dry spell.
9. Go To A Music Festival
Check. Reading 2001. Great fun but should have drunk more.
10. Try Different Foods
Tentative Check as I do make the attempt to try new foods when the opportunity presents itself - bison, crocodile, ostrich, springbok etc.
11. Get on the Property Ladder
Fail. Lack of a full time job scuppered any chances of this one.
12. Test Myself
Not entirely sure what this was meant to be, although "get out of your comfort zone" sounds like it might fit and in that case, it is a Fail.
13. Visit Paris and Rome
Check. Great fun on both fronts. Culture and alcohol was a great mix.
14. Blow £500 in one night
Fail. I have spent that kind of money on a single purchase but not on a night out, as I am not a lunatic
15. Use Savings Account
Check. It sounds rather boring but I actually do use my savings account to actually save for things - new phone, console, PC etc.
16. Do Something for Charity
Fail. Now I have given to charity but by the definition of being the doer rather than the sponsor, I failed.
17. Be On Television
Check. Twice. Once on local television and once on national. Both on quiz shows and for those interested, I am 1-1.
18. Eat in a Michelin Starred Restaurant
Fail. There aren't any nearby and I am not that overly keen and splashing that kind of cash on food.
19. Quit a Job
Check. Had to quit my job in Austria due to PhD commitments or at least I thought I had to quit at the time. Turned out that I really didn't need to - that pissed me off.
20. Go to a Live Sporting Event
Check. Been to plenty - football, rugby, hockey, ice hockey.
21. Have a Weekend in New York
Fail. Been to New York three times but none could be considered an actual visit to New York as I was passing through on the way to somewhere else on each occasion.
22. Read Classic Books - Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Romeo and Juliet, Harry Potter, LOTR, To Kill A Mockingbird, Catch 22, Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, Great Expectations, Tess of the D'Urbevilles, Treasure Island, The Beach, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Ulysses, The Shining, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
I have crossed out those I have read in their entirety... Yeah, my reading of classic literature is quite frankly appalling. But I would say that I do read plenty and have an extensive and somewhat varied library, not to mention I have read plenty of the actual Classics. You know from the actual Classical Period - Homer, Herodotus, Thucydides, Polybius, Sallust, Livy, Tacitus, Ammianus Marcellinus to mention but a few - so I am not overly disappointed in myself.
23. Own a Convertible
Fail. What the Christ? I was turning 30 not 60!
24. Buy Something Really Expensive
What does really expensive mean? In the thousands rather than the hundreds? If so, then Fail.
25. Buy Wine Worth £50
Fail. I think I added this aim because I kept thinking that I would eventually develop a taste for wine. But I never have. Maybe I have an unrefined palate but it all tastes like coloured vinegar to me.
26. Use the Internet more
Check. I live on it mostly.
27. Record Family History
Technical Fail. I had every intention of doing this. I even went as far as to start downloading materials to build an online family tree. Then I was told that my grandfather had already done it and had a copy of the family tree that when back as far as it could go (1805 when my maternal ancestors moved from Scotland to Ireland).
28. Sing Karaoke
Check. Unfortunately for the ears of those present and my own reputation.
29. Have A Complete Health Check
Fail. Now, I am really suspicious that I copied chunks of this from somewhere... I detest people who go to the doctor for any ailment so I am not going to get such a check-up when I have no reason to. I suppose though I have so far been lucky to have had a healthy existence.
30. Climb a Mountain
Fail. I am calling bullshit - this could easily be in there with #6 and #12, plus I have no intention of ever doing it.
So how did I do? A 60% Fail rate is not great. Poor even. But given that I set at least 6 aims that would seem to have assumed that I would become a completely different person throughout the course of my 20s, I suppose it is not all that bad.
