Things to Do
There’s a fantastic and hilarious movie called, Things to Do. It’s about a guy who, for reasons we learn later, leaves his spirit breaking office job in the big city to return to his parents’ small-town home, which is depressing in its own way. One day he’s watching some “teens gone wrong” day-time talk show and the host says that to be happy in life a person has to be organized and have goals, advice our protag closely follows. He creates a Things to Do list, a list of anything he wants to do, but has never done. Then he tackles the list with the idea that it will help him find his place. I’ve been seriously thinking about the same issues, so I’ve begun this page, linked at the top right corner of the blog. My list is public and dynamic. I will add things as I think them up and cross them off as I do them. I’ll also post about my experiences. I’m making it public because of a post I read on Ecstatic Days by Catherynne M. Valente. She posted about writing a novel in 30 days, but the part that really struck me was about how it’s important to make goals public because it’s so much easier to quietly fail in private. People are welcome to join me in tackling the list.
Here’s the list so far:
Spend a day theater hopping at the movies
Have a home and a family of my own
Stay in a dive hotel in a city like New Orleans or New York
Go on a post-trache trip without my family
Ride a riverboat
Visit the Canadian side of Niagara Falls
Visit a New Orleans cemetery
Ride a Greyhound bus
Write a novella
Go to a shooting range
Fire a gun with a switch
Camp at the Grand Canyon
Spend an entire night on a beach with a woman I love
Sleep at a New England bed and breakfast
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As far as New Orleans cemeteries go, I recommend St. Louis #1 where you can visit the grave of Marie Laveau, the voodoo priestess.
This is one of my favorite parts of your blog. I can’t speak too much from experience on a lot of these (and you’re one up on the ‘day at the movies’), but if you ever make it to your seedy NYC hotel (Chelsea Hotel is the obvious choice – spring for room 100 if you have the itch for some historical bathroom deaths a la Sid and Nancy – not like that would be the only crazy thing that ever happened there…), let me know if you want to add being on the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall to your list. I work there and would be happy to make that happen. I mean how many people can say they sang a few notes at Radio City? Anyway, I know you are switching out switches, but hopefully you are staying well read.
As an aside, I have ridden a greyhound bus from Syracuse, NY to Miami, FL (when I was 16) and it was definitely something you should do – just for the people you get to meet and observe. I had Thanksgiving on a Kentucky riverboat this past year and it was a nice way to have a holiday away from home. I once camped NEAR a beach with the woman I love and that beach was where I proposed to my, now, wife. That being said, I am trying to keep a home and have a family of my own. I’ll keep checking back to see your list hopefully ebb and flow. I’d also love to see things crossed out that would have been on your list that you have already done, like getting a tattoo.
When you visit NYC, I can put good effort into getting you on a shooting range.
Let me know when you are planning a voyage…
The Canadian side of the falls is pretty commercial in places, like the continuous row of haunted houses on the main strip, mixed into the carnival simulacrum.
That said, the coup de grace has to be riding in a Maid of the Mist boat. They travel to within maybe 250 feet of Horseshoe Falls. You don a thin blue windbreakers (to keep the spray off of you) and away you go. It’s quite an experience.
I must add, if you’re going to be on the Canadian side anyway, it’s only about an hour to Toronto, the greatest city in Canada and perhaps in North America itself.
I recently did the theatre hopping trick and whole little story came out of it. I wasn’t planning it, and just decided it was time to make it happen. I am really going to contemplate the public “things to do” list. Good luck in NYC. I recommend, Central Park (of course), the deck overlooking the East River at South Street Seaport and since we are both big on movies, you don’t want to miss spending some time in Washington Square Park in the Village.
Have a great trip. Very eager to read about your travels!
-Jay (Boston)
When you come to the Canadian side of the falls, you must contact me. Come stay a couple of days in Toronto… and I know some great goth bars that will blow your mind.
Lafayette #2 is a good cemetery as well. When I was there, some local drunk/”caretaker” gave us an informal tour. We tipped him and he followed us to the neighborhood bar and continued his drinking. As for dive hotels, there are plenty. I hope you get a chance to make it down there.
I lost my job and it’s true..I feel hopeless I should start my own list. My things become colorful once again..
From all the things you have written, I would have thought you’d written a novella by now. Not even a novella but most likely a novel! Your writings are awesome and I praise you.
I have several guns of my own if you want to go shooting, I would love to help with that if you’re interested. There are a couple of machine gun shoots a year in Hernando county if that is something you would like to check out. I would suggest seeing a night shoot as well, they use tracers and that in itself is cool to watch. Check out my friends site, at the very bottom of the page you will see a night shoot on video, it’s really quite entertaining.
http://www.a-1firearms.com/picsvideos.html As far as firing a gun with a switch, I don’t know much about that but will volunteer any one of my 14 guns for that if it’s possible.
Great list. Honestly, I’m not sure there *are* dive hotels in New York anymore! No, there are, I’m sure. But they are few and far between, compared to the “glory” days of the Bowery.
And btw, you *have* written a novella. It’s called your blog.