The List

I haven't abandoned the list. I'm still working on a few things. Unfortunately a good portion of the list requires two things I don't have enough of right now, money and time.

I don't consider myself a cook by any means, but I can follow a recipe. That's why I figured this would be relatively easy to accomplish. What I didn't realize is that something as simple as rice can be easily screwed up if you don't know what you're doing. My first few attempts at steaming rice resulted in a gloppy mess, but now I have the hang of it.

There are several pineapple fried rice recipes to be found on the internet and each one is different. I took bits from several of them, omitting ingredients I don't care for, and assembled my own. Almost every recipe I found called for fish sauce. I haven't been able to find it at any grocery store so I left it out.

I've fixed it several times over the last couple of months. It's not Royal House quality, but it's pretty good. Once I get the ingredients down it should be even better.

I jumped out of the back of Matt's truck today. He was only going between 10-15 mph. But since I am currently without health insurance (yeah, I know that's stupid), I didn't want to take the risk of going any faster.

We had lunch at Toot's yesterday, and I got the frog legs. They looked like chicken legs. I picked one up and tried eating it as such, but it didn't really work out so I had to use a fork. They weren't bad, but I didn't care for the batter they were fried in. The "tastes like chicken" cliché is true. Although given the choice between them I would rather eat chicken.

Now reptiles are the only type of vertebrate I have not eaten.

I thought this would be a lot easier than it was. From here I can be in Kentucky in no time. Surely there must be a KFC right across the border. Well, there isn't. I pretty much have to go to Nashville or Knoxville and then on to Kentucky to find the closest KFC.

I liked Leah's suggestion of going to the first KFC. I did some research and found out that Colonel Sanders originally started selling his famous chicken at his cafe in Corbin, Kentucky. The Sanders' Cafe has since been demolished and replaced with a restaurant/museum. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise was actually opened in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I couldn't justify making the trip just to eat some chicken. I did really need some computer stuff though. So I hit the CompUSA in Knoxville this morning, then headed up to Corbin, and made a quick pit stop at Indian Mountain State Park on the way back. That makes 17/54 state parks.

Legend has it that the Colonel's ghost haunts the cafe, trying to protect his secret 11 herbs and spices. Okay, I made that up. But while I was eating my popcorn chicken I think I figured out what those spices are. Salt, pepper, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, earth, fire, wind, water, and heart.

While I have yet to cross a single thing off my list, I have been hard at work at some of the more time consuming ones. Over the break I practiced my card counting, did some obedience training with Banjo, and visited a couple state parks. I played a lot of Guitar Hero, but I'm not sure if it's a game I will be able to master. Now that I'm back, I'll be spending a little more of my free time over at the foosball table.

I've been thinking about what I want tattooed on my body. The decision is more difficult than I imagined. I keep coming to the conclusion that one day I will be 60, and do I really want to have a tattoo of Donkey Kong when I'm that old?

I'm eager to get at least one thing on the list accomplished soon. I may just drive to Kentucky and get some KFC in the next few days.

It's been almost a year since I started this list, and almost 6 months since I finished it. Since then I've removed a couple things that don't seem like such good ideas now. I also modified a couple things to make them more achievable. I'm still not sure about that going to space thing though. I've started categorizing the list and plan to start marking off the easier ones very soon.

1. Eat frog legs.
2. Overcome my fear of bees and wasps.
3. Tie bed sheets together and use them to climb out of a window.
4. Win a Halloween costume contest.
5. Find the remains of the cabin in Morristown where Evil Dead was filmed.
6. Tour the Bell Witch Cave.
7. Get banned from a place of business.
8. Play a game of lacrosse.
9. Handcuff a briefcase to my wrist.
10. Visit every state park in Tennessee.
11. Write a message in a bottle.
12. Be in a food fight.
13. Learn to cook pineapple fried rice.
14. Pick up a hitchhiker.
15. Research my family tree.
16. Jump out of a moving vehicle.
17. Use a bullhorn.
18. Own a handgun.
19. Eat at a KFC in Kentucky.
20. Use night vision goggles.
21. Get a tattoo.
22. See Stonehenge.
23. See a live volcano.
24. Visit Australia.
25. See Mount Rushmore.
26. Take an Alaskan cruise.
27. Search for Bigfoot.
28. See the St. Louis Arch.
29. Tour Alcatraz Island.
30. Go whale watching.
31. See the Grand Canyon.
32. Eat at Hello Deli.
33. Visit Yellowstone.
34. Go to Area 51.
35. See Niagara Falls.
36. Go to LEGOLAND.
37. Travel around the country in a Winnebago.
38. See the Statue of Liberty.
39. Tour Washington D.C.
40. Experience a total eclipse.
41. Compete in the Rock Paper Scissors International World Championships.
42. Attend a PEZ convention.
43. Watch the Aurora Borealis.
44. Attend a Republican National Convention.
45. Watch an Olympic event in person.
46. Learn to play a musical instrument.
47. Learn to drive a manual transmission.
48. Master card counting.
49. Teach Banjo a stupid trick that will get us on Letterman.
50. Take stunt driving classes.
51. Learn to pick locks.
52. Take up carpentry as a hobby.
53. Train Banjo to run an agility course.
54. Learn to beatbox.
55. Become fluent in another language.
56. Practice one video game until I master it.
57. Become an excellent foosball player.
58. Hotwire a car.
59. Be a contestant on Jeopardy.
60. Get into the Guinness Book of World Records somehow.
61. Patent an invention.
62. Be my own boss.
63. Be a father.
64. Get married in Las Vegas.
65. When I’m an old man, sit in a rocking chair on the porch and whittle.
66. Coach a youth swim team.
67. Join the Coast Guard Reserve.
68. Write my memoirs.
69. Sponsor a third-world child.
70. Play Monopoly with real money.
71. Join the Polar Bear Club.
72. Compete in a bass fishing tournament.
73. Open a Swiss bank account.
74. Write a screenplay.
75. Build and spend the night in a tree house.
76. Build a secret passageway behind a bookcase.
77. Have an aquarium full of either piranhas or small sharks.
78. Have my own soda fountain.
79. Start an arcade and pinball machine collection.
80. Have a pet goat.
81. Buy a boat.
82. Buy a late 60’s – early 70’s Camaro SS.
83. Buy a DeLorean.
84. Undergo hypnosis.
85. Play baccarat in a casino.
86. Hike the Appalachian Trail.
87. Chase a tornado.
88. Be part of a live studio audience.
89. Feed an alligator.
90. Be an extra in a movie.
91. Sink up to my waist in quicksand.
92. Find the world’s best donut.
93. Ride on a double-decker bus.
94. Drive an Aston Martin.
95. Ride a snowmobile.
96. Ride in a hot air balloon.
97. Tackle a purse snatcher.
98. Serve on a jury.
99. Meet a sitting President.
100. Be a space tourist.