50 At 50
Okay folks, let's buckle up.
For a while, I have been planning out a way to celebrate my 50th year on this planet, at least to the best of my ability. Hence, I spent the past several months compiling a list of 50 things to achieve over the course of my 50th year. Some of these things are simple, fun little one-shot events, others will take several months, and still others I have no clue how I will complete, but hey, let’s see what happens.
There is a fair amount of overlap with things I am already doing, but that's the point; I want to be celebrating a lot of the little things that I already do, not just grand adventures and discoveries. Likewise, I want to use this as an opportunity to do some things I have always wanted, or at least give it a try. I’m not worried about actually getting everything done, either. If I hit age 51 and there are still things not checked off, oh well – it’s all about the journey, not the destination.
If nothing else, it should provide me with plenty of content for the mailing list. Heh.
In any case, here’s my current list in no particular order. I may change these things as the year goes on if I realize a task is utterly beyond me, but will otherwise try to keep it as close as possible.
Write 50 Pages In A New Book
I don't have to finish the book, but I want to get some progress done on one of the several novels I have started. Murder mystery, fantasy, my Rescue Ranger-inspired series….
Post 50 Times To SubStack
I have been working on “training” myself to post regularly, already, so I feel good about this one.
Spend 50 Quarters At Barcade in One Night
While this sounds easy, I haven’t done this for ages, 50 quarters is a lot of games, and even worse, it’s not easy to get to a Barcade. With any luck, I can schedule a time with May and a few friends to make it more of an event, but my ability to get people out for a get together is dubious at best.
Take 50 Photos I Could See Submitting to a Gallery
The key is that I am not submitting 50 photos to a gallery; the cost of printing and framing alone would be ridiculous. Rather, the goal is to have 50 different photos that, if I wanted to, I could print out, frame, and feel confident about submitting.
Try 50 New Beverages
Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic count, and while they need to be things I have not tried before (so Magner’s, 7-Up, etc. wouldn’t count), I can try the same drink made in different locations. For example, a chocolate shake from different ice cream shops is completely within the rules.
Make 50 Drawings by Hand
I’m going to say that these can’t just be quick, rough sketches, but something that is “finished,” akin to the stuff I would have to turn in back in CCAD.
Make A 50 Second Live-Action Movie Trailer
This can be longer than 50 seconds (and probably will be) but it needs to have actual actors (i.e. my friends), a title, and all that cool stuff. I already know what I want this to be, but again, coordinating time with my friends is going to be the hard part.
Make A 50 Second Animation
This can be hand-drawn or 3D, and also can be longer than 50 seconds.
Watch 50 New-To-Me Movies
To be clear, they don’t have to be “new” movies, just films that I haven’t seen.
Visit 50 New Locations
I am being careful on this one, as travel can really get expensive, and how does one define a location? Well, for me the rule-of-thumb is that it’s not just passing through, it’s a named spot, and it’s a place that I am going out of my way to visit. This gives me a lot of flexibility. I’ll make a final call on what counts, but this can range from visiting the black sand beach in Hawaii to checking out a new Italian grocery store 5 minutes away.
Compliment 50 Different People In Real Life
These can be either strangers or people I know, but the goal is to say something nice to people. Maybe a person in front of me in line has a cool Mario Kart T-shirt on, or May makes another amazing Shepherd's Pie. Whatever the case, I want to be giving out more kudos to people I see out and about.
Compliment 50 Different People On Social Media
Again, these can be strangers or known people, and be across LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, etc. The goal is to try and make social media a nicer place.
Earn At Least 50 Dollars From a Side Gig
This is going to be a tough one, because it has to include an actual signed contract through my company, Strange Unlimited, LLC. So, if you or anyone you know might want some video editing / animation services, let me know!
Make Things From 50 Different Recipes
These can be things that I have made before, and can be simple, but stuff like Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches or frozen corn won’t cut it, alas. Even I have standards, by golly.
Make A 50 Minute Game
Here’s another tough one; I have been working on a game, but doing the whole thing solo takes a lot of time. That said, the goal is to have a polished, vertical slice ready to go before I turn 51.
Spend 50 Hours On Redoing Old Artworks
I have a lot of older artworks from college that I always wanted to revisit. I’m not saying I have to finish anything, mind you, because a single thing might turn out to be a lot more complicated than I first thought. So, as long as I put in at least 50 hours, even across different pieces, I shall be satisfied.
Plant 50 Trees
This one is way out there, because I can probably do a few around the house, and maybe at my parent’s place, but beyond that, I’ll either need to look into joining an organization or just sneaking out at night to plant trees around town, like a rogue Johnny Appleseed.
Establish 50 New Industry Connections
I’ve never been a natural at networking, so this is me looking to change that. Through the internet and possible conventions, I need to establish rapport with more people; and that’s the key – not just following their news feeds or liking their posts, but actually having dialogues with them.
Do 50 Minutes of Motion Graphics
This can fold in with some of my other video projects, but I suspect I’ll need to be cranking out some standalone things as well.
Get 50 Big Hugs From Gracie
These are the off-the-ground variety, like where she leaps from the stairs or otherwise pounces.
Self-Publish A Book of at least 50,000 words of My Previous Writings
I’ll comb through ye olde Fireside Chat Log entries from like 10-15 years ago, narrow down my favorites, and proceed to find out what the whole self-publishing ordeal is like.
Play 50 Different Video Games
I don’t have to finish the game, and I can even play games that I have played before, but I need to spend at least an hour per game. This is me trying to finally work through my Steam backlog.
Make 50 3-Pointers
I can do this from my driveway, as long as I have the right distance, but a gym is definitely ideal.
Watch 50 New TV Episodes With May
I expect this to be the easiest, really, thanks to May and I’s “Murder Nights.” Which are not as sinister as they sound.
Put Together a Playlist of 50 Tracks for 50 Memories
50 songs for 50 events of my life. The events might be a singular moment, like one night, or over the course of a week, or even a month.
Try 50 Different Cheeses
Given my Wisconsin heritage, this is a no-brainer. I need to start hanging around Uncle G’s a lot more often, given their collection of free samples.
Get At Least 8 Hours Of Sleep At Night 50 Times
At least, I need to get to bed and stay there for 8 hours. Given my ability to stay up late, this could be harder than it seems.
Watch 50 Different Videos With Gracie
This includes things we both want to watch, like Oversimplified and musical pieces, to things that only she wants to watch, like hundreds of Minecraft music videos.
Read new books for 50 hours
Again, I don’t have to necessarily finish the books. This can include collections of short stories, as well.
Read 50 New Poems
I can’t remember the last time I actually sat done to read some poems, and I feel like I’m missing out. This will give me a chance to check out some poets I have heard about but never read.
Listen To 50 New Artists
At least 1 song from the artist.
Make 50 Improvements / Repairs Around The House
Basic cleaning doesn't count, but changing light bulbs does. Otherwise, clearing out the old fence panels, tossing things from the garage, re-attaching the carpet rugs, etc. I’m sure there will be plenty of things to attend.
Spend 50 Hours In A Course
Can be 50 hours in the same course or across multiple different ones; no general tutorials, but a proper learning course. This could also be either online or in-person.
Write 50 pages in my RPG system
This includes rules, tables, and charts.
Reach Out To My Family at Least 50 Times
The weekly call with my Mom does not count, and neither do the group chat messages, unless they are directed to a specific person. Can be email/text/calls/telegraph/semaphore flags/etc.
Use Our Telescope 50 times
The telescope works but the base is broken and is refusing to be easily fixed. Hence, this is me throwing down the gauntlet on figuring out how to fix the base so we can actually use the friggin’ thing.
Post 50 Times To Social Media
This doesn’t count things like sharing work or links. Discords/Slacks, sharing substacks, and holiday postings don’t count. The 50 posts here need to be more like quips, observations, etc.
Get 50 Pictures of Me and May and/or Gracie
The key here is that I need to be in the frame with them. Someone else can take the picture, but I need to get a copy of it.
Play Board/Card Games 50 Times
I am going to need to be the one to start instigating Family Game Night more often, now.
Watch 50 Sunsets
I need to spend at least 10 minutes just relaxing and looking at the sunset.
Celebrate 50 Holidays
The celebration does not have to be exactly how it is normally done; what I can actually physically do will determine how I celebrate the holiday.
Do a 1 Hour Workout 50 times
The workout can (and should) combine cardio and strength training.
Make a 50 Minute YouTube Documentary
Another tough one, as the 50 minutes in the final runtime, so it’s not including the time to research, write, and gather proper footage. But hey – maybe I can get Audible to sponsor me? Or at least Raid Legends?
Create 50 3D renders
These can be different renders of the same subject, or different subjects entirely. The renders can’t be just tests.
Write 50 letters to my Local, State and/or Federal Representatives
These can be e-mails or posts to their contact pages. My house rep, senators, governor, mayor, president, state senators, etc. They cannot be copy/pastes of the same letter to different people.
Listen to an Episode From 50 Different Podcasts
Need to listen through the whole episode. They need to be episodes I have not heard before.
Spend 50 Hours at Conventions
Another tough one, because I have to figure out how to get there. Plus, I need to be careful of costs. The conventions can be for writers, gaming, video, etc.
Walk 10,000 Steps 50 Times
10k steps over the course of a day, not necessarily all at once.
Send a Revised “Game Designer's Dilemma” to 50 New Agents
Another tough one to crack, as I have to do the rewrite and identify 50 new agents to submit it to. Yikes.
Kiss May 50 Times
These need to be long, lingering kisses. I will have a stopwatch handy!