#55 Walk 1000km with Kooper

Last September I wrote that my goal to walk 1000km with my Australian Shepherd, Kooper, was 50% complete. You can see that post here.

March 27th, I reached my goal. I walked 1000km with Kooper.

Although I have reached my goal, I am continuing in order to reach 1000 miles (1609.344 km), because it sounds so much better to sing:

I would walk 500 miles
and I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
to fall down at your door
(I Would Walk 500 Miles by The Proclaimers)

#54 See Kasabian

I have been wanting to see Kasabian live for years.

I finally did this past March. Here's my post I wrote for My Life Is Like A Song.

Approximately five years ago, Kasabian played in Toronto. I wanted to go but didn't have anyone to go with (pjmixer had plans perhaps?). So I didn't go, figuring I'd go next time. Most of the British bands I love play in Toronto every other year.

I didn't know that it would take so long for them to come back. Year after year they would be nominated or win for Best Live Act in Britain, and I would regret not going to see them.

When they announced the Kool Haus date for the end of March, I did not hesitate to get tickets; and they were worth the wait.

The highlight for me was the change in lyric in Velociraptor! when they sang Toronto Raptor instead of Velociraptor! So great when bands make the effort to recognize which city they're in.

They didn't play a couple of my favourites like Goodbye Kiss (that are not as high energy) but I completely understand when they have such amazing upbeat hits like Empire, L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever), Shoot The Runner, Club Foot, Re-Wired, Where Did All The Love Go and Fire.

Photos taken by pjmixer. You can see the full set here.

Come on Toronto!

Set list:

Days Are Forgotten

Shoot The Runner

Velociraptor!

Underdog

Where Did All The Love Go

I.D.

Thick as Thieves

Black Whistler

Club Foot

Re-Wired

Empire

Fast Fuse

Man of Simple Pleasures

L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)

Encore:

Switchblade Smiles

Vlad The Impaler

Fire

Here's a video from YouTube of their New Year's Eve concert where they did play Goodbye Kiss (and had given me hope that they'd play it in Toronto - you can read my blog post about that here)

#52 and #53 LA Galaxy

On my list of athletes I would love to see live are David Beckham and Landon Donovan.

Last fall, I wrote about the ending of David's contract with LA Galaxy. You can read that here.

When Toronto FC qualified for the semi finals of the CONCACAF Champions League quarter finals, I bought tickets for my family without thinking about our opponents.

Then, David Beckham resigned with the Galaxy and I was at the Rogers Centre cheering for Toronto FC while getting to see two of my favourite soccer players play for the other team. You can read my game post here.

Although we were up in the 500 levels, we brought our binoculars and our zoom lens in order to capture some shots.

We caught them both in this shot:
The crowd didn't make it easy on David for the corner kicks:

#51 Write a F$#&-It List

When I was looking online for Bucket List ideas, I came across the F$#&-It list.

This list is meant to be for items that we let go of like:

1. Things I do that don't make me happy.
2. Things on my to do list (or Day Zero list or Bucket list) that either:

• I think I should do, but don't really want to do
  
• Things I would Like To do, could do, but it's fine if I don't do
  

Items on my list include:

• some local tourist sites (Fort York, Honest Ed's, Canadian Air and Space Museum, Wheat Sheaf Tavern, Royal Botanical Gardens, etc.)
  
• items I feel guilty for not doing (better train my dog, have a regular housework schedule, etc.)
  
• items I would have loved when I was younger but probably wouldn't now (go to a UK festival or MMVA's, etc.)
• items I could do (Climb the CN Tower, stargaze at an observatory, etc.)
• working on letting go (worrying what others think, consumerism, negativity, perfectionism, etc.)
  

#50 Write a Bucket List

With my Day Zero Project nearing its end, I thought I should make a bucket list.

My Day Zero list was fairly realistic since I needed to complete it in 1001 days. My bucket list is meant to be things I want to do during the rest of my life.

Some of the items (not in order) include:

1. Go to Australia
2. Go to Scotland
3. Go to Turks and Caicos
4. Fly over Muskoka in the fall
5. Go to Algonquin Park
6. See the Northern Lights
7. Go to the Summer Olympics
8. Go to Prince Edward Island
9. Go to Wimbledon
10. Go to the Masters
11. Take a writing course
12. Meet my grandchildren
13. Retire comfortably
14. Sponsor an up and coming athlete

I also have some personal goals in finances, parenting, relationships and life that are probably too boring to share. Like my Day Zero list, this bucket list will be an ongoing list with things being added or deleted as my wants and needs change.

We can't get there, if we don't know where we're going.

#49 Learn a Coldplay Song on Piano

I have had a Coldplay song book for a few years. Every once in a while I would go and play the pieces by reading the sheet music.

I have finally applied myself and learned one by heart.

The Scientist!

One Year To Go!

There is one year left in my 1001 days project.

I have completed 51 things of the 101. I will write up #49-51 later, but for now I wanted to mark this day.

Last week I was struggling. I wondered how in the world I would come up with 50 more things that I felt were important enough to complete in the following year.

When I started this project, I called it "Day Zero...My Way" because unlike most Day Zero Projects, I didn't want to be stuck to the 101 things I wrote on day 1. Things change, we change. I didn't want to force myself to do something I no longer wanted to do or felt was important enough to do just to complete a project.

There have also been many times when something would come up. I would hesitate on whether I would do them or not. At times of indecision or procrastination, I would add them to my list and often times, I would do them.

Many of the items I had originally written I no longer want to do. I had written many Toronto tourist attractions, including those that I felt I should do even if I didn't really want to do them. Isn't life too short for things we should do that aren't necessary?

So as this date was approaching, I have been giving my Day Zero Project a lot of thought. Most of the past 51 things have been pleasurable things to do. I was now seeing my time taken up doing things I didn't necessarily love. I was envisioning not doing the things that perhaps I don't love to do, but annoy me that they are not done.

For example, if I don't go to a tourist site, it won't bother me. There is no Toronto tourist site that I would love to go to that I haven't been to already.

On the other hand, if I don't get my photos in order, it will bother me.

Since losing my passion for scrapbooking (I used to make time at least once a month to keep my photos in albums) and since the digital age has caused my photo collection to multiply exponentially; it annoys me that they are not in physical or digital albums. Would I say that I can't wait until the next time I organize my photos? No. Would I enjoy actually doing it? Yes. Will I be so much happier once it is done? Absolutely. Will it annoy me every day, week, month and year that passes and it's not done? YES!

So in the year to come, I want to schedule afternoons or evenings, like I would to complete any other thing on my day zero list. They just won't be exciting like seeing a favourite athlete, but in the end, will give me much more satisfaction and peace of mind.

With scrapbooking for example, I am giving myself one year. If next year it's not done, I will conclude that it's not important enough to me and I will let it go. It will no longer be on my list of things to do.

I will not say that for other things on my list though. I also have health and financial goals I want to reach. If I don't reach those in a year, I won't give up on them. They are important and will continue to be important.

It's a matter of recognizing what things we should let go and which we should keep fighting for. This is the basis for #50 and #51 that I will write about later.