Take That and Rewind It Back

New Years' night found Kim and me stretched out our on backs, staring at the hotel's ceiling. We had walked around the French Quarter and surrounding area for about ten hours that day, retiring to our room at nine o'clock. We laid as still as we could, as if that would help sleep come sooner.

"Have you ever thought about a reverse bucket list?" Kim asked, breaking the silence.

I hadn't. I had just re-considered my 101 in 1001 project, thinking of things I'd like to put on my list, which was basically a bucket list with a deadline (though when put that way, sounds more morbid than it actually is).

We named a few experiences that we considered accomplishments worthy of a reverse bucket list, then lapsed back into silence to be with our own thoughts. However, being Kim and Allison, seconds later we were cracking jokes about the state of our room and laughing until we couldn't talk anymore.

Kim's idea of the reverse bucket list stayed with me during our train trip home the next day, and I had to compile a concrete list. I thought it was especially fitting to share after starting a project to accomplish even more. I love the idea of looking back on my life and being proud of what I've done, instead of just focusing on thing I want to do one day.

- lived alone without going crazy
- lived with roommates without going crazy
- survived living on my own, financially
- saved a nice nest egg while supporting myself and living on my own
- didn't get married (despite a couple what I like to call "near-death experiences")
- didn't have kids (this and the above are accomplishments in the south, trust me)
- took an improv class without dying
- took a comedy class and workshopped good stuff
- had a sketch read in front of an audience at the end of the course
- took a comedy workshop with a former SNL writer
- admitted I was unhappy and changed the course of my life
- traveled by myself and wasn't lonely
- traveled by myself abroad
- explored a new city on foot without internet/GPS help
- explored a new state (from state park 3+ hrs away back to inner city) without GPS
- became a self-employed freelancer
- completed 50,000 words for Nano 3 out of 3 attempts
- lived out of a single backpack for three weeks at a time
- lived out of a single backpack for three weeks one time, without doing any laundry
- got the only piercing I wanted and stopped
- got the only piercing re-done after I had to take it out for a job promotion
- dyed my hair countless colors in high school to get it out of my system and be a grown up now, ha!
- got tattoos as souvenirs when I travel
- donated money to a charity I liked
- started volunteering for a great organization
- worked in a library
- dated someone involved with the CIA (shhh)
- learned to mow the grass
- saw my favorite band live five times...so far
- photographed bands on tour for two years
- had my photographs used in album liner notes
- rode the Aerosmith Rock N Roller Coaster
- stood on Four Corners
- traveled on a train
- graduated from college
- earned two degrees
- got a full ride to grad school
- moved to a city where I knew no one for grad school
- have kept the same phone contract and number the entire time I've had a phone - over 7 years
- named my major belongings (car, computer, laptop, ipod, phone) and have convinced others to refer to them by name
- hosted a yard sale and made some pretty good money, donated the rest of the crap to Goodwill
- lived without TV and cable (happily)
- got people at my old office to start recycling