30 by 30 - How'd I do?

In a word...eh

 

I didn't get to everything on the list but it was fun trying to. Considering I had about 4 months to get everything done, I think I did all right. Here's how it went:

1. Publish my book - Did it! It's an eBook published through Smashwords. I haven't posted about it on Facebook or blogged about it yet because I noticed some bugs with the file and I'm in the process of correcting them. I want it to look nice before telling everybody about it. But happy to say that as of now it has been downloaded over 100 times.

The cover of my book

2. Win a jiu-jitsu match in competition - No go. There weren't any competitions I could enter since I made this list. But!! It just so happens that there is a competition this Saturday (10/19/2013) that I am entering.

3. Shoot a desert eagle…the gun, not a bird - did it, it was awesome!

4. Go rock climbing - Check! My good friend Biggs took me rock climbing by Lake Tahoe. It was a lot of fun...kinda scary, but fun. Now it's time to see if I can find a way to go climbing here in Hawaii.

5. See a professional sports game - No go here. No professional sports games were hosted in Hawaii since I made this list and I didn't come across any during my trip to Cali.

6. Watch a meteor shower - Yep! I caught the Leonids, saw one meteor. Note to self: An off shore hurricane does not foster good star-gazing weather.

Shooting a Desert Eagle. Watch the video

7. See a 20+ foot wave - No go, haven't had a large swell since making this list. Or at least I didn't hear about any.

8. Go to a concert…with a good band playing - Check! I caught Coheed and Cambria! Good show. Check out a video clip

9. Be part of a triathlon relay team - No go. I didn't get myself into the triathlon loop with my triathlete friends in time.

10. Play Hotel California all the way through…the acoustic version…on the guitar - Playing this song in its entirety continues to elude me. I'll keep working at it though.

11. Win a Texas Holdem poker tournament - No go. But I did place in the top 10 in two tournaments. Top ten out of how many people, you ask? That's beside the point...

12. Complete a Tough Mudder - No Tough Mudders. It hasn't come to Hawaii yet and I didn't have a way to do one on the mainland. I did complete a Spartan Race though if that's any consolation.

13. Shoot a medieval style longbow - No go. I found some archery ranges but didn't find the time to go check them out.

14. See a great-white shark…preferably from inside a steel cage - Nope. I looked into it, I was in Cali at the right time to cage dive in the bay area or near San Diego, but the cost was near $1000. Yeah...never mind on that one.

15. Swim with a turtle...again - I made it to the beach a few times. Even saw a few turtles from the beach but I wasn't able to actually swim with one.

16. Cliff dive - Not yet. I learned of some good spots to go but didn't make it out to any of them. Although I intend to check them out still.
 

17. Begin writing my second book - Check! I started on the prologue and outlining chapter 1.

18. Dip my fingers in the chocolate business - Kinda but not really. It may still yet happen though.

19. Bake a cake…I wonder if I can make it with whiskey...yeah, whiskey cake!! - Did it! And it was rather tasty!

20. Hike olomana…all 3 peaks - Check! It was a great hike. Check out my Olomana Blog

21. Scuba dive - Nope. I learned of a few places I could dive without being certified but didn't make the time to go.

Whiskey Cake

22. Start a bon fire - Nope, didn't have an occasion or a crowd to do this.

23. Draw a gracie triangle in my facial stubble - Attempted (a few times) but failed. I tried a couple times but I can't draw for beans on paper, it's much harder on stubble. It just looked like a hairy patch.
 

24. Jump out of a plane…and land safely - Nope. There are several places to go sky diving here but didn't make the time to check any out.

25. Earn some $$ by writing - Nope. If you're wondering why not since I've published a book, it's because my book is free. The side gigs I've tried to do never panned out.



Whiskey Mint drink. It's a tasty one!

26. Create a video that gets 1000+ hits on YouTube - I've gotten several hundred hits, but haven't hit the 1000 mark.
 

27. Mix a whiskey mint cocktail…that tastes awesome - Check! Ginger Ale, whiskey, and fresh mint leaves. It was good!
 

28. Ride a Harley across a desert - Nope. No desert, no Harley. It's a cool thought though.

30.  Participate in Run for your Lives...as a Zombie! Check! It was fun so much fun being a zombie and scaring the hell outta people.

I learned that 4 months just wasn't enough time to get to everything. But I also learned that having this list got me up and going places and doing things, whether I could check an item off the list or not. There was more hiking, more trips to the beach, more exploring new things, trying new activities, feeling fear rush through me and overcoming it, and more whiskey sipping.

I was able to check off one third of the things on the list. Not too shabby, I think. Let's see how I do on the next one. Coming soon: 31-by-31!