Fifty Before 50

50 Things to Do Before I Turn 50 A random list of 50 things I want to do before I turn 50 on December 21, 2020. I  have 8 years and 7 months to accomplish everything. This works out to 3136 days--strangely enough, it is also a Monday--and gives me approximately 62 days per item. Read about why I am doing this. My list is not complete. In fact, it stops at 30. The reason for this is simple...what if something amazing happens between now and 2020, like commercial Space (or even better, Time) Travel? I want to be able to augment the list to include new interests and opportunities. Suggestions are always welcome.  Read  To Kill A Mockingbird  by Harper Lee  DONE September 10, 2012 Ride a camel in the dessert  POSTPONED DUE TO COVID Skydive   POSTPONED DUE TO COVID Make great  Hollandaise sauce   First attempt DONE Sunday, June 17, 2012 , second attempt DONE Thursday, November 22, 2012, third attempt DONE Monday, December 24, 2012, f...

Complete 21 July 2018 I did it. The perfect  #poutine . I knew I would know it when I found it. Despite Doubters and others. The Green Spot in Montreal...cheese, gravy, fries, atmosphere, everything. My quest is done.  https://www.instagram.com/p/BlfVcMbB5WY0LVdgwHoAnNL0ijaLTMHLXJczMk0/ Ok, so I know this isn't really a measurable goal, that really when it comes down to it, it is subjective and based on things like how drunk you were when you were eating it. Whatever... It is more about continuing the quest rather than actually finding  the perfect poutine because then what would I do? Beginning the Poutine Quest March 24, 2011 By  admin Poutine… was there ever a more perfect combination of sauce, cheese and starch? I think not.  For the past year I have been on a crusade… a quest so to speak, to find the perfect poutine.  For those of you untutored in this Quebecois delicacy, I quote  Wikipedia  (because, really who else know the answers...

After a small mishap of using the entire egg instead of just the yolk and finally figuring this out after the sauce didn't combine properly this attempt was near perfect. Ergo, the last. It was after my epic Hood to Coast run where I broke my 'Run 5k in under 30 Minutes' goal and we were finally at the beach. The place was the Seaside Worldmark and I was making Eggs Benny for the team (Beer Pressure). It was glorious. Check it out: Beer Pressure, Van 1 -- witnesses to the Eggs Benny joy.

29 August 2013 -  Hot damn! I did it. Yep, this year's Hood to Coast gave me the perfect route to finally achieve this goal. Leg 2 out of Government Camp was 5.67 miles with a de-elevation (is that a word?) of 1500ft. I think it was the socks. 17 April 2013 - I have be training for my half marathon in May, walking to work and doing a ton of circuit training in the past three months but haven't been trying to achieve this one. That being said, I dropped my car at the shop at lunch and planned to walk/run the three miles back to work. At the two mile mark, I realised I was at 19 minutes.Sweet! In the end, I managed to do three miles in 30 min and 15 seconds. This is an entire minute per mile faster than my October time. I can see victory on the horizon! 17 Oct 2012 - Ok, this one is going to kill me. It seems pretty easy compared to completing a half-marathon each year, sky dive, etc...right? Nope. I can go the distance, but it is the speed I have trouble with. ...

I think this one was the scariest task I had on my list. Why? Well, I sound like a drowning chipmunk when I sing and since I am well aware of this fact, have only done Karaoke in a group and lubricated with adult beverages.This list item required me to have not one drop of anything alcoholic prior to singing.Instead I downed that other drug: caffeine. I decided to tackle this one on a night and in a location where the least amount of people would 1) know who I was 2) ever see me again  and 3) were actually good singers themselves. Enter South Jetty Lounge in Hammond, Oregon. Population approx 23. I had to choose a song I could rock from a performance standpoint so no one would really care that my voice was flat and in the wrong key. (Yes, I can hear how bad I am thanks to years of piano and ear training <sigh> sadly, not much I can do about it). Unfortunately, the KJ didn't have any Hole (aka Courtney Love aka Kurt Cobian's widow) because her voice is about as bad as...

I decided to host Thanksgiving at my house this year. I have participated in several at other people's houses over the years in both the U.S. and Canada (where the holiday is the same , but on the second Monday in October) but have never cooked a turkey or made stuffing. Below is a pictorial of the experience. I ordered a fresh turkey from New Seasons Market, a locally owned mostly organic grocer. My "humanly raised" turkey. Insert ironic comment here. The savory bits for the stuffing. This was always the "boy" job in my house growing up.  Two loaves of crustless buttermilk bread added to the onions, butter, celery and spices.  Yes, I am a traditionalist when it comes to stuffing the turkey. It just doesn't taste the  same if you don't. All buttered up and ready to go. I added my secret ingredient into the recipe my co-worker gave me for cranberry sauce. Bubble, bubble. Toil and trouble. Totally mis-quoting ...

Sorry Betty Crocker , but Julia Child could totally kick your butt in a celebrity cage match if your only weapon was your H ollandaise sauce recipe. Thanksgiving morning I decided to make Eggs Benny for me and the kids because, hey, who doesn't want to make an elaborate breakfast on a day full of elaborate cooking? So started Hollandaise attempt #2. ( read about my first ever attempt ) I pulled out my trusty bright orange, 1986 edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook and thumbed to the proper page.   Strangely, it was nestled up against the asparagus section. Please note, there is a microwave option. I made it per Betty's somewhat vague instructions. Topped my eggs, ham and English muffin. Dug in. Asked the kids their opinion. The foodie kids that they are, they had many: too lemony, good consistency, too salty Apparently, this one is to be struck from the book.

Catch 22 Just got this Saturday from my fav bookstore ( Powell's ) and am starting it today on my lunch break. Look for updates along the way. 26Sept12 On chapter 2 and it is an odd book so far and not what I expected. Hopefully, the critics and other book lovers are right and it is as great a book as everyone says.

Add caption I found To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee a novel that appears very forward thinking and modern considering when it was written and where it takes place. I loved Atticus, Calpurnia and Miss Maudie but felt others (like Dill and Uncle Jack) were left hanging. I know Scout is young, but I was irritated by her several times throughout the story. Was it what I was expecting? Well, in a way yes. I had a faint idea it was about race relations. However, I did not know it took place during the Depression , nor that it was from the POV of a young girl. Although some of the racism is difficult to read about, because it was written in 1960 and when takes place in the mid-1930s, it needs to be in the story. Atticus' view on life, fairness and equality make the book a must read. I can't believe it took me this long. Nearly everyone who knew it was on my list was 1) shocked I hadn't read it and 2) more than happy to let me know it was one of their favourite book...

This one was a bit scary to complete. $100 is no small amount and the possibility of losing it is, well, 50/50. I headed to Las Vegas this past weekend for my friend's bachelourette weekend and decided it was as good a time as any to check this item off the List. I went to the ATM and withdrew a crisp Ben Franklin, stuck it in my purse and waited for inspiration to hit. Inspiration came at around 4:30 a.m. at Bill's Gambling Hall . Fueled by a couple dirty martini's I scanned the floor looking for a "lucky" table. Now, I know random is random and really the odds on the wheel are even, but this did not stop me from choosing the table where the last six spins were red, red, black, black, black, red. After three black in a row followed by a red, I figured the odds were good. Even if, in truth, the odds were the same. I walked up as people were placing bets, drew out my C-spot, put in on the table and told the croupier, "$100 on red." Did I mention I...

It was a quiet Father's Day Sunday after a busy week and I was craving eggs benny. I decided it was a perfect opportunity to attempt my first pass on making good Hollandaise sauce. I walked to the market and picked up eggs, english muffins, ham and potatoes and it wasn't until I was partway home and read a Facebook comment from my friend that I realised I had forgotten the butter. Doh! “First hollandaise attempt?? It’s easy…All you need is butter. Lots and lots of butter” So finally after nearly two hours of prep I was ready. I decided to start with an easy recipe [1] and chose Julia Child’s classic take on this saucy staple (recipe follows). The ingredients. Please note the packaged hollandaise sauce. It was purchased as a back-up incase I totally destroyed the one I was making. Wisking water and lemon juice into the eggs. I used my Grandma's double boiler for this and put the pot on the simmer element. Starting to thicken over the bath just th...