The Barrel List (part 1)

The Barrel List

Hey there everybody,

I was watching an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond today and the topic of the episode was quite inspiring. Ray (the guy everyone apparently loves) was having a midlife crisis of sorts and the family suggested he make his "Bucket List" or list of things to do before he dies.

Short story: He didn't have that many things to put on his list, creating even more hilarity as he soon realized he had accomplished what he always dreamed and began to fear that he had nothing left to live for.


This got me thinking.... Why wait until your 40's to make a bucket list? Start young, give yourself more time, and eventually you will churn items off that list like Joey Chestnut packing franks at Nathan's on the Fourth of July.

So without further delay, I present my "Barrel List" (buckets are for kids on the beach). This is part 1 of a (seemingly) unknown number of posts concerning my own life's goals and dreams.

These items are not in any particular order, so I've decided to list them in order of Shenanaganary rating.


Goal: Become a published author
(Shenanaganary rating of "Humble Pie")

I enjoy writing, as you can tell (you are reading this, if you haven't noticed...) and I love expressing my creativity on paper (or word document). To be able to reach a wide array of people with nothing more than my own ideas would be truly fulfilling. Frankly, I'm honored you are reading this, so having a published work would be beyond my wildest expectations.



Goal: Learn To Play Guitar
(Shenanaganary rating of "Gently Weeping")

I like to consider myself musical. I can play most brass instruments as a result of my school days in the band, and I have somewhat learned how to play the harmonica thanks to the plethora of information on the Internet, and I've taken piano lessons for a long time, but one instrument that has always interested me has been the guitar. It's always been elusive... I didn't not have access to one as a child and my parents really weren't knowledgeable about the instrument so they suggested going into music our schools were able to provide lessons with (basically your average wind and percussion showcase). I'm sure if our school did have guitar lessons, they would have been happy to put me in line to learn, but unfortunately some things just don't happen. Hopefully someday in the future (when I can afford it) I will be able to take up the instrument and learn to play it as well.



Goal: Fly a Plane
(Shenanaganary rating of "Kick the tires, light the fires")

I LOVE AIRCRAFT. From watching World War II airplane battles to the star fighter glory from Star Wars, I always wanted to learn to do that. Being a pilot has an element of freedom attached to it most people don't really have. I would love to be able to put myself into the sky and be able to look down and know I'm not going to die from the fall. Planes and helicopters of all types fascinate me, especially military craft. My favorite aircraft is the The McDonnell Douglass F-15 Eagle and it is mostly because of a video game I had on the Sega Genesis called "F-15 Strike Eagle II". As a kid, it was the first plane I was exposed to. The game had detailed specs and diagrams that, over time, I learned to understand.




Well, I'll stop off there for now. Look for more goals of mine in the future, and feel free to share your own in the comments!


~Jimmy "Red Leader to Base, I'm Hit!" the G.