7. Fire a pistol

Big whoop!  My friend Brandon brought his pistol over to my parents’ house one weekend and I shot at some cans in the dirt.  Didn’t hit anything.  Didn’t really care, but I did it.  Let’s just say you won’t be seeing me at any gun ranges in the near future.

9. Buy a pair of Toms shoes

Jordan helped me pick out a plain olive green pair.  They are comfortable in that “house slipper” kind of way.  I wear them occasionally, but they haven’t become part of my daily uniform like so many hipsters out there.  Brilliant way to mix marketing and philanthropy though.  Way to go Mr. Toms!

13. Smoke a pipe

I finally found my way into Ted’s Pipe Shop at Utica Square in Tulsa.  I warned the fine folks who greeted me that I was a virgin and they treated me gently.  Tapered pipe cleaners, tamper, reamer, and some very smooth “Twilight” tobacco.  All the supplies purchased it was months until I actually got around to smoking, but I eventually did one evening while cooking out at a friend’s house.  I’ve smoked a few other times, and it’s enjoyable enough.  I’m the sappy nostalgic type and smoking a pipe is just one desperate way of tapping into this “ideal past” that has been constructed in my mind over the years.  With my DeLorean in the shop and the Lybian supply of uranium dwindling, smoking a pipe seems like a more viable method for achieving that sort of mental time travel.  Remembering is forgetting is moving on.  Something like that.

15. Grow my hair out (circa 2001-02)

This one is hard to quantify without photographs.  I think I’ll save that for a later post, but let it be said that my hair has only been cut in the last year for “general maintenance purposes”.  It’s long enough to meet the goal put forth in this list. Check!

26. Take a yoga class

My girlfriend Jordan takes Yoga at a couple of different studios around town.  I’ve gone with her twice.  The first one was a Level 2 - Vinyasa “Hot Yoga” class, and although I had no business being there I felt pretty good about myself afterwards.  The teacher was great and she helped me get though it even though I had to strip off most of my sweat drenched clothing before it was over.  The second class was easier and honestly kind of boring.  I keep saying I’ll go again, but haven’t.  Again…Check it off!

Last night I finished reading The Catcher in the Rye.  It was a quick and easy book to read.  I could have gotten through it in just a few days if not for my acute case of reading induced narcolepsy.

I didn’t really have any clue what to expect.  I claim no literary prowess, and The Catcher if the Rye was just one of many classic novels that I’m illiterate to.  That said, I did enjoy the story or lack there of.  It felt like I was reading one of my old journals from high school.  I used to write like that…filling pages with wandering thoughts while attempting to create a meaningful narrative of what I did that day.  

I don’t know enough about literature to construct an in-depth review of the book.  What I do know is that I finished it, and for me…that’s as good of an endorsement as I can give.

2/29 completed.  349 days before 30.  I’m just getting warmed up!

It’s been 30 days since I turned 29 and today I marked the first item off my list.  I’m really gonna have to pick up the pace to complete the other 28 before my birthday next June.

The Chesapeake Boathouse is an impressive facility, but the equipment I rented for $10 was not.  The Route 66 Boathouse on Lake Overholser had better paddles and life jackets when I kayaked there earlier in the summer.  Check out the Oklahoma City Riversport website for more info about kayaking and all the other sports they have going on down there.

The weather this afternoon was amazing!  It felt great to spend an hour out on the water soaking up some Vitamin D and getting a little exercise.  Now…on to the rest of the list!!!

1. Witness a Space Shuttle launch
2. Learn Karate or another martial art
3. Go kayaking in the OKC River
4. Read The Catcher in the Rye
5. Re-read Into The Wild
6. Re-read On The Road
7. Fire a pistol
8. Go bungee jumping
9. Buy a pair of Toms shoes
10. Ditch work for no reason
11. Learn to tie a bow tie and wear one
12. Get a library card
13. Smoke a pipe
14. Read through the New Testament
15. Grow my hair out (circa 2001-02)
16. See Mount Rushmore
17. Visit Yellowstone National Park
18. Climb Pike’s Peak
19. Go sailing
20. Fly an RC airplane
21. Go camping in 3 different states
22. Go snowboarding or skiing
23. Learn another language
24. Try surfing
25. Attend a music festival
26. Take a yoga class
27. Cancel my Facebook account
28. Build a guitar amp
29. Visit Canada