What's on your bucket list?   

If you must see Yellowstone do not go in the Summer! Yuck! Did that once. Imagine miles of crawling and stopping tourists just like you. I have had friends go in winter on snow mobile trips that is fantastic.

As for Grand Canyon, again, not summer. I have dreamed of getting a backpacking permit probably early spring when I'm sick of Colorado Winter. But I might have to ride a mule.

I've jumped on slow trains for short rides under 2 miles. Actually last Summer I was on my bike when a slow train crossed my path on Mason Street. I grabbed a ladder rung and coasted for a few blocks. Several clusters of pedestrians thought it was funny seeing a 58 year old actin' like a kid.

Steve

Welcome, Steve to mylot! It's great to know of another man who wants to engage in these strange, but true conversations. I must warn you that there are several women on this forum that start controversial discussions - for apparently no reason at all. Oh, they make some pocket change, but it's really about much deeper things.

You might as well act like a kid, I figure. You only live once, and it's better to be a teenager than an old man. Except that old men are often the best resource for the very thing you need to know. I've got a couple friends who are older men that I rely on: Wayne, who is 80 and I've known since I was a kid. My Uncle Will, who is 85 and invariably puts the heat on me regarding my beliefs, and tells me straight out how I need to modify my behavior. So, yeh, I guess I need that from time to time.

But teenagers teach me a lot as well. To once again believe you are invulnerable, and you will never die. To do whatever comes to you at the moment, and say whatever you want at the moment. Those were the days, but I'm not there, nor am I old. We'll see how it all works out. I figure I'll make it.

Cheers, Dan

That's awesome that you did that Steve. I didn't think it was possible in this day and age, with all these concerns about terrorism and stuff. I guess it's not a big a concern with freight trains, right?

My dad tells stories of playing in coal yards when he was a kid. I think he has told some freight train stories as well...

I don't remember what movie it was, but I remember a scene where some kids jumped on a train and then the train rolled through a "shanty town"? (not sure if that is the right word) and started throwing food out to the people on the side of the railroad. It was an awesome scene and it reminded me of some of my dad's stories.

Typing that out reminded me of one more thing on my bucket list...

I want to be Santa Clause (or at least Mrs. Santa Clause) to someone. I want to find a family in need and buy them gifts and leave them on their front porch on Christmas Eve. I know there are programs like "toys for tots" etc. But I want to do it on a more personal level.

I actually did kick the bucket one time: we were staining some woodwork, and I turned around and kicked a bucket full of stain. It went everywhere! Fortunately, we hadn't painted yet, and the carpet wasn't in. My boss at the time, one Frank Gibson, just looked at me with those sleepy blue eyes and said, "Dan, I'm going to the paint store to pick up some more stain. Start cutting in those walls. I'll be back in a while."

My point in jumping on the train was to see where it would take me. I also want to make so much money that I can help out others beyond what I'm already doing. Speaking of jumping out in front of speeding trains, we've had a problem nearby with people trying to cross our nearby highway. So far, 2 have not made it, and 1 old guy tried to do so with his car, and he didn't make it either. It's really got the neighborhood upset, because a lot of people knew them. I don't know if they had a bucket list, but it's too late now.

Crosswalks, and a red light. That's got to be the answer. Maybe that's on my bucket list, now.

Cheers, Dan

Train accidents don't seem to be uncommon. Unfortunately. I think there was something on the news recently about a man rescuing his wife and/or baby from their car that got stuck on the track.

It sounds like your boss was a pretty calm, cool, and collected guy.

Miami, how did we get onto train accidents? I thought this was about the things we wanted to do before we died? Certainly, Steve is welcome to weigh in this one, and he picked up on my reference to trains, but surely there is more to it than all that.

Blessings, Dan

Sometimes conversations (discussions) have a way of getting derailed, don't they?

That was cute, Miami. Yeh, they do get derailed, especially when you're discussing things to do before you die. I really think we ought to avoid dying whenever possible.

Our discussions get derailed because we are both very verbal, and chatty. We know a lot of different things, and obviously everything is connected in some way, so why not bring it up? I talk so much, and write so much, I lose track of half of what I've said. One lady wants me to take all of my discussions and put it in book form. I may do that, but first I need to "book" a paint job for the next few days before the two I've already got booked get started. Otherwise, I will spend way too much time on these discussions. Meanwhile, I've got one guy with a newborn baby that needs money, and another with two kids that we babysit from time to time...

Most of our days are not filled up with jumping out of airplanes. It's filled with mostly mundane things - washing dishes, picking up cat poop, cleaning out the ferret cage, separating the recyclables from the regular trash, checking the bank account, making deposits, and that's just when we're not actually working. Once I start working, it's all about going from room to room, or around the house with paint brush and bucket in hand. Or making sure the sprayer is properly cleaned out. That the tip is not worn out. Or the drop cloth is underneath me or my workers. Or we don't overspray the windows. Or that everything is properly spackled and caulked. There's a lot to painting, believe it or not.

You come to a point where you realize that, short of winning the lottery, you'll be so busy with the ordinary chores of life that you'll never get around to your own bucket list. It's just dreaming - fantasy. Daily I get spammed with "work at home" e-mails offering a way to make $1000 a day or more, and all these testimonials of people that are living the life of their dreams by simply advertising over the internet, and all they want is $9.95 for shipping and handling of this fabulous DVD which will show me how to do the same thing. They also want to be paid via a credit card. Why can't I just order it, and they'll send me a bill, and I'll write them a check? Because, you see, they make their money by automatically debiting your card, and that ol' computer just keeps on debiting it month after month. Then, they sell that number to somebody else, who does the same thing, and the next thing you know, your bank account is in the red, and you get to do something else besides what's on your bucket list.

I hope this helps, and blessings - Dan

That's great that you followed through on that. I'd never run for public office. I know how complicated and thankless it can be...

It's tough enough being involved in PTSA and other non-profit groups. I couldn't take on real politics.

SInce I knew that I would not win, I shot off my big fat mouth and very often.
I know that this will sound insane, but I had fun running for office, and helping to shoot down a stupid sales tax for SHaw's Gareden in ST Louis.
One thing that they wanted to do was to put siding on a brick building. Letting people know about that helped shoot down THAT tax...

So, even though you didn't win, you definitely accomplished something.
That's great. You were able to speak out about some things and make some things happen.

Did you have that roommate meeting yet? Now, that sounded like fun!

I love road trips! I would love to do more. I don't know if I'd want to do the whole country in one trip, but I would love to see the whole country. I'd probably break it up into smaller trips.

Yes Steve, I did. Thur we're having a cleaning day. Not till then because our scheduales don't co-incide untill then. I think they were all shocked at my determination to get the help I needed. It became a planning session including who was going buy what for the project. Thanks to all for their help.

Sounds great! Thanks for your response. That should keep you busy for a while!

The Japanese have a common practice of not finishing a task so they have reasons for living. And, I think, a superstition that you finish things, you die... Maybe I was Japanese in a former life?