Whole30 Week One

You guys, I'm kind of disappointed. I feel ... fine.

Tender Greens tuna salad Niçoise with spring lettuce, olives, capers, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, quail eggs and seared tuna steak with a sherry vinaigrette

Off Topic: In Which Getting Gas Proves Surprisingly Herculean and I Ponder Divine Intervention a Little

I just had the longest gas station visit ever. Longer than the time I filled up my dad's F-450, which holds approximately one million gallons of diesel gasoline. Longer than the time some Chinese friends were taking me somewhere, possibly dinner, and pulled into a gas station en route, but waited to get out of the car until they had a rapid-fire conversation in which the only English words, repeated several times each, were "gas" and "petrol." (I eventually interrupted with the answer to the question I couldn't technically understand they were asking.) Today I spent at least 45 minutes at the Arco on Washington and La Cienega (you know the one) and came away with just under four gallons of gas, a somewhat cleaner car, and a real appreciation for the evenness of my temper. Truly I am a paragon of patience. But that's not the interesting part.

Micro Challenge: The Whole30 Diet

All diet posts should be required to feature at least a three-quarters shot. Let's know what we're really talking about here, am I right? The grenade launcher, as always, is just a bonus.

Real talk: not everything worth do is really worthy of being on a bucket list. I have never dreamed of going on a particular fad diet before I die, know what I mean? (Making out with a cowboy, on the other hand—there might have been a dream …) So I figure once in a while I’ll do what I’ll call a micro-challenge: not a bucket list item, exactly, but not a day at the beach, either. I’m envisioning a combination of hare-brained schemes I concoct on my own and the occasional recommendation (or, probably, flat-out dares) from friends. Today’s micro-challenge is pretty much the latter. 

The Food List

This one needs work, honestly. Right now it's just that "something something your palate" list floating around the internet, which is not terrible, but it's not a grand adventure either. Regardless, I do love food (cooking it, eating it ... not so much cleaning it up), so I clearly need a food list. So here it is:

The TV List

When does one say one has seen a TV show? Do I have to watch every episode of the last, Duchovny-less seasons of The X-Files to say I've seen The X-Files? No, never mind The X-Files -- how about all 635 episodes of Gunsmoke? Just -- no. Not going to happen. The goal is to see good stuff before I die, not make myself wish for death. So here's the rule: All the so-called seminal episodes, plus whatever other ones I personally want to see. Arbitrary? You betcha. Do I care? Six hundred thirty-five episodes of Gunsmoke. James Arness, I salute you, but I cannot with that.

The Films List

This list is my best shot at immortality, because I'm going to have to live a very long time to see all the movies I apparently have to see before I die.

There are close to 500 films here, of which I've seen around 150. In the age of Netflix, et al, movies are easier to see than ever, but a lot of these films, for one reason or another, are hard to track down -- Los Angeles Plays Itself, for example, isn't even on DVD, due to endless film rights issues; you can only see it if you catch one of the director's public screenings or get it from some back alley file share situation. (Really good film, though.) So it's  not just a list, it's a treasure hunt. A treasure hunt with subtitles and Thin Mints -- which is, if not the best kind, still an awfully good one.

So with no further ado:

The Sights and Events List

I suppose a lot of these events could technically be classified as sights (let's be clear; I'm not looking to participate in the Iditarod. I just want to see it, clutching a Jack London novel in my double-gloved hand). But still we cling to the compound title. Why? Why not?

And in that spirit:

The Countries List

Uh, hows-about we just list the countries I have been to? 'Cause there are a whole lot of countries in the world. And the number changes practically every day ...

The US States List

Sing along if you know the song:

The Accomplishments List

I won't say all these items are blindingly original, but I will say they are all me -- as in, I have some interest in doing them. That seems paramount for a bucket list -- or at least any bucket list I want to be involved in.

My Mission Statement

There are a million blogs out there about people working their bucket lists ... probably. I'll be honest, I didn't do more than glance through a couple; reading other people's bucket lists is not on my bucket list. Or even my regular, everyday to-do list. So I'm not here to revolutionize the form (is there a form? There's probably a form. And a rival form. And probably, considering the life span of trends on the internet, a couple of more generations of upstart, new wave forms). I just wanted a space to chat about my ongoing efforts to do neat stuff. And to find more neat stuff to do. Because I don't know how long I'm actually going to live, and I'm finding it really hard to predict how "successful" I'll wind up being at the classic life milestones (marriage, kids, home ownership, retirement) -- but I like doing neat stuff. And as long as I've still got small goals to enjoy and enjoy working toward, I'm OK waiting on all that other business.

So, to be clear, because I love a list (LOVE a list), I've got multiple bucket lists: There's the classic Accomplishments list (learn a foreign language, publish a novel, finish a 5K). There are separate US States, Countries and Sights lists, and I aim to visit them all -- the states and the countries, that is. They keep making up new sights. Which is a good thing. I'm toying with an Events list -- your Iditarods, your Carnivales -- but it's not very long yet. Could be fun, but it's not what you'd call full-fledged yet. (Actually, I could combine that with the Sights list, couldn't I? That would make sense, right? OK, done.) I've also got Films, TV and Reading lists, because I love all those things (plus there are lots of "MUST SEE/WATCH/READ BEFORE YOU DIE" lists out there, and it's fun to take a stab at those challenges). And lastly, there's a food list, a combination of distinctive regional and ethnic foods and a couple of quixotic local quests of my own: LA's best burger (it's a great burger town, y'all) and LA's best pie (because pie). And that's ... plenty of lists. Miles (of delicious, crazy, adventurous, educational fun) to go before I sleep.

• Accomplishments
• US States
• Countries
• Sights and Events
• Films
• TV
• Reading
• Food

-- SA