I’m 29 years old, and stretched out ahead of me I have potentially the busiest year of my life yet. I’m working full time. I’m teaching tutorials in broadcast journalism at university. I’m getting married in October. Three weeks later, I’ll be thirty.
So I find myself in probably the quite common situation of wondering where the time has gone. I didn’t plan for my life to be in this position. Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be happier, it was just so… unplanned. Like all you young, innocent people out there, I thought I had all the time in the world. I thought I could sit back, work as a temp, and make funny radio plays until I became old and grey.
Well guess what. There’s grey hair creeping in right now. I’m having trouble remembering my 29th birthday, and it was five months ago. If there are things I wanted to do before I was thirty, I’m down to seven months and not a lot of free time to do it.
Two years ago, a younger and innocent me sat down in a cinema in Adelaide, South Australia, to watch ‘The Bucket List’. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was two days away from starting the first stable job I’ve ever had (the one I have now) and sitting next to my girlfriend of five months, who this October will become my wife.
‘The Bucket List’, held in it the concept of writing a list of things you wanted to do before you died. And while I’m not dying, aren’t I, in a sense, wasting the time I have? It’s all very well to say there’s things that I want to do in my life… so what am I waiting for? I’m 29 years old and I’ve never seen snow. There’s something wrong there.
I hope that in writing this in blog format, you people will push me. Push me to write, push me to work through my list. Encourage me, if you feel inclined, help me. Hopefully at some point down the track, I’ll be able to return the favour to you. My list starts here.
1. See snow
I live in Australia, where our temperature ranges from hot, to bloody hot. My life has been centered around the coasts, I’ve lived in Newcastle, Sydney, briefly in Perth, and now in Melbourne. I’ve never seen snow, let alone tried to ski.
2. Be healthy
I’ve always been a person who struggles a bit with his weight. Up until the age of 26, I could have been classed as a ‘fatty boombah’. When I was 25, I found out I had high blood pressure, and have been on daily medication ever since. Currently, I’m 178cm tall, and 86.6kg. I’m getting there. But it’s something that I struggle with constantly.
3. Run a marathon
I’ve always said I’m going to run a marathon. I know it’s something not to be taken lightly either.
4. Travel overseas
I’ve always been a little jealous of people in Europe, or even people in the U.S… heck, anywhere really, but Australia, for one simple reason: you can get in a car and drive to another country. Heck, for some places, you could be there in an hour. Australia is a bloody huge place, and while I’ve skirted around the edges, I’ve never left. I haven’t even gone through the middle, for that matter.
5. Find out who Francis Mervyn Langley-Priestley was
This one is tied up in a desire to know more about my past, as Francis was my grandfather. He died in the 50s, and the guy was a complete enigma.
6. Be an extra
There are Australian productions going on quite often in Melbourne and Sydney, as well as the occasional move in Queensland etc. Surely they need extras. Isn’t there another Mad Max gearing up? Surely someone willing to stand in the background and follow instructions can be me.
7. Do a bit of stand-up comedy
As you may have figured out by these radio plays, I fancy having a bit of a sense of humour. I would love to have the chance to do a bit of stand-up comedy in front of an audience, even if it were for five minutes.
8. Get my book published
Remember that awesomely funny radio play, Tierra de los Muertos? Well two years ago I wrote an even funnier book based on it. It clocks in at more than 300 pages, and has sat on my computer gathering dust ever since. I know it’s a lofty wish, but the other alternative is ‘get pubished’. Magazine, newspaper, whatever’s going.
9. Watch a football game
AFL seems to be somewhere near a religion in the state I live, Victoria. I’ve lived here for three years, and haven’t watched a football game on television, let alone in person.
10. Get my driving licence
Days after my 29th birthday, I finally got around to getting my driver’s licence. I don’t have a car, but hey, there’s a bit of responsibility I finally got around to taking.
I have a little under eight months, does this seem doable? Over to you, general public. Please, help me out.
Originally recorded on the 27th March, 2010.
Originally recorded on the 27th March, 2010.
If by some freak genetic mutation accident I somehow managed to develop superpowers, I’m not entirely sure what they were be. At this stage the only thing that seems to be vaguely abnormal about me is that I have an uncanny knack of falling asleep on public transport, and waking up just in time for my stop. As soon as I find out a way to use that to fight crime I’ll be set, but until that day, superpowers are unattainable. But it was a close thing – I was probably one playful romp in radioactive waste away from putting it on The Bucket List.
