Things to Do in the Fall Season

Saying there’s a seasonal change in the year is nice in that it breaks up the year. It gives you things to look forward to doing that’s related to that part of the year. Stuff that you do each year that have become traditions, and new things you are wanting to accomplish and experience. Fall season is my favorite, with the changes of colors in the leaves, and my birthday month of October. Some of the following things I’m looking forward to are traditions and some new experiences to try.

• Watch 31 Halloween-ish movies from the “1001 Movies to Watch Before you Die” List
• Apple Hill road trip (located around Camino, California)
• Apple donuts, apple juice, apple pie, apples, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream
• hiking, see the colorful foliage
• pumpkin patch, pick a pumpkin, carve a jack-o-lantern
• corn maze (located in Dixon, California)
• pumpkin flavored food hunt (not pumpkin spice)
• Hayride
• Fall Festivals
• mountain mandarin festival, in November (located in Auburn, California)
• Pizza, go to a new place (October is pizza month)
• fall picnic
• Make some fall recipes
• Fall themed music playlists (Halloween one for sure)

Items listed in the “2001 things to do” book

• order yourself a birthday cake (birthday in October)
• be the guest of honor at your own party
• build a birdhouse
• roast marshmallows in your backyard
• pick, then bob for apples
• have a Halloween bonfire with hot apple cider
• See a ghost
• levitate someone
• have a séance
• work at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving
• learn the Rocky Horror Picture Show routine by heart
• walk knee-deep in maple leaves
• learn to carve a turkey like a chef
• buy a perfect tomato from a farm stand and eat it like an apple
• bake the best apple pie
• Sing Christmas carols around the middle of August
• Have a cookout that ends with S’mores
• Tell ghost stories in a pitch-black room
• Develop your own recipe for chili
• Exorcise demons
• jump into a big pile of leaves
• Cast a spell
• Spring clean in October
• Carve a smiling jack-o-lantern
• Sleep with a ghost in the room
• Cruise the backwoods of Vermont between Oct 7 and Oct 14
• gather a bunch of friends for a Halloween hayride
• perform an exorcism
• study witchcraft

Any other fun things to add for the Fall season?

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That was a memorable day

I am looking over my online journal here (aka a blog), and I realize I don’t really think of my lists and my stories as checking things off a bucket list. Sure it’s an easy term, and makes for a good check list or goal list, but I’m NOT trying to check things off just to get it down once before I die. I want to use the lists I find to help keep life interesting. If you have a plan and go experience these things you want to do, at least once, then you won’t feel bored. You have that memorable moment in your life. Thinking of moments, it brings to mind a snippet I grabbed when reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

That’s what I want my journal to be; those moments of life, big or small, experiences, new things, adventures, or goals reached. Plus, it has been fun taking photos and writing up the memories as I check off the item in a list.

Autumn Feels

Been a moment or two since I last posted in here. With it being officially Autumn (even if you cannot tell by the weather temperatures, 92 degrees in Sacramento, California as I write this) I think it is a perfect time to write up some fall things to do. That will hopefully help get me motivated and/or inspired to check some list items. At least to keep life interesting and not a same old work/home routine rut that I find myself currently doing

What’s your go-to things to do in the Fall?

On the Bookshelf: In Cold Blood

read about this challenge and see the full list here

Title: In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
Publication Date: 1966
Country: USA
Genre: Non-Fiction / True Crime
Pages: 343

Synopsis: On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.

As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.

My Book Report: Very different from the type of fiction I normally read. This was pretty good. “In Cold Blood is regarded by critics as a pioneering work in the true crime genre” Now I can watch the movie.

The List: 100 Ways to Shake Up Your Life

book by Gail Belsky

Get a tattoo, ride in a fire truck, or use food as foreplay—in short, get out there and shake things up! Fun, inspirational, and incredibly motivating, The List offers one hundred ideas—ranging from challenging to outrageous—for women who have been craving a little novelty in their lives.

With instructions and inspirational stories from women who have risen to the challenge, The List will excite, scare, and push readers to do something they’ve always dreamed of, or better yet, to do something they’ve never dared consider. Whether it’s writing a novel, running a marathon, or taking on a lover, The List delivers what many women are missing—taste of adventure and a light kick in the butt. (description from Amazon.com)

1. Write a novel
2. Do a triathlon
3. Strip
4. Catch a big fish
5. Learn a foreign language
6. Witness childbirth
7. Join an ambulance crew
8. Learn to surf
9. Audition for something nerve-racking
10. Join a relief effort
11. Get a tattoo (or a piercing)
12. Enter a poker tournament
13. Run for office
14. Brew your own beer
15. Do a polar bear swim
16. Drastically change your hairstyle
17. Bake a wedding cake
18. Go horseback riding, bareback style
19. Launch your own website
20. Join a cattle drive
21. Build your own piece of furniture
22. Organize a rally
23. Get hypnotized
24. Learn trapeze
25. Go commando
26. Visit an ashram
27. Shoot a gun
28. Record your own music
29. Buy yourself a sex toy
30. Take a lover
31. Hike Machu Picchu
32. Have nude pictures taken
33. Have a cosmetic surgery procedure
34. Drive over 100 miles per hour
35. Learn an exotic dance
36. Swim with sea creatures
37. Dive off a cliff
38. Sneak backstage
39. Spelunk
40. Create a sacred space
41. Learn to sail
42. Take up an instrument
43. Leave your marriage
44. Start your own business
45. Ask someone out
46. Make over a room
47. Hire a personal shopper
48. Make a big move
49. Conquer a fear
50. Skydive
51. Eat something really weird
52. Become a bartender or sommelier
53. Tell someone to screw off
54. Take singing lessons
55. Switch careers/go back to school
56. Learn to box
57. Get a makeover
58. Buy something outrageously expensive
59. Escape (for the day, weekend, or week)
60. Kiss a total stranger
61. Bike across America
62. play in the snow
63. Ride in a fire truck
64. Watch porn
65. Skinny dip
66. Break a long-held tradition
67. Join the Peace Corps
68. Plan a girls’ vacation
69. Learn survival skills
70. Paint your house a wild color
71. Try high-stakes gambling
72. Play ice hockey
73. Throw an all-girls party
74. Make a sex tape
75. Learn to drive
76. Lie about something
77. Go topless
78. Scuba dive
79. Get a Brazilian wax
80. Use food as foreplay
81. start a charity
82. Find love online
83. Go to Burning man
84. Plan and prepare a seduction dinner
85. Quit smoking
86. Read the classics
87. Blow glass
88. Get a pilot’s license
89. Spend 24 hours in bed
90. Lose 50+ pounds
91. Take a year off
92. Have a baby late in life
93. Live with less
94. Mount an art exhibit
95. Find religion
96. Bungee jump
97. Sleep with a younger man
98. Buy a negligee
99. Blow off the day
100. Make your own list

Drinking Adventures

Most of my posts inspired by drinking, will be on my drinktopia page. Last year, I came across a blog that talked about this book and I was intrigued. It’s very informative and fun to go chapter by chapter and learn about different alcohol. I am now starting out with learning about Scotch whisk(e)ys. It reminded me that I have been Scotland and toured a whisky distillery. Hopefully I can find a photo to share about that adventure.

Have you read this book? Or had Scotch Whisky? And what was a favorite?

Things to Do In Winter

A WINTER BUCKETLIST

Listed in the “2001 things to do” book

• Ski Tuckerman’s Ravine (Sept 2012)
• Ice-skate by candlelight at midnight (Jan 2013)
• ski by torchlight (Jan 2013)
• walk on the beach in winter (Jan 2013)
• dress up like santa claus and play it to the hilt (Feb 2013)
• find out what auld lange syne really means (Feb 2013)
• snowmobile (Jun 2013)
• drink mulled wine on a snowy night in Prague (Aug 2013)
• build a glorious, elaborate snow castle (Aug 2013)
• Christmas carol with candles (Oct 2013)
• build an igloo (Oct 2013)
• skate a perfect figure-eight (Oct 2013)
• spend the winter holidays in Austria or Switzerland (Nov 2013)
• pay Santa for a needy family at Christmas (Dec 2013)
• catch a snowflake on your tongue (Jan 2014)
• take a walk in the woods at night when it’s snowing (Mar 2014)
• attend the winter solstice, or any Paul Winter concert (Mar 2014)
• Write a personal note on every Christmas card (Jul 2014)
• Take a child with you to cut down a Christmas tree on a a snowy night (Dec 2014)
• Hire someone to wrap all your Christmas presents (Dec 2014)
• Have a picnic on the beach in February (Feb 2015)
• Send all your Christmas cards out on time (Mar 2015)
• Decorate outdoors with abandon at Christmastime (May 2015)
• Pack a thermos full of hot cocoa and go for a long walk in the wintry woods (Jun 2015)
• Camp out in the snow (Dec 2015)
• Read A Christmas Carol (Mar 2016)
• Spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square (Apr 2016)
• Make a snowman (Apr 2016)
• Build a snow fort (Apr 2016)
• Snowshoe (Jul 2016)
• Go sleigh riding (Nov 2016)
• Acquire meaningful Christmas ornaments (Jan 2018)

Any other fun things to add for Winter season?

Good Eats: Impossible Burger

#foodiefriday entry

As a kid, I was a pretty picky eater. Didn’t like many sauces and wasn’t happy with spices or trying odd foods. As an adult, I am willing and wanting to try new foods and there are a ton of choices out there. I think it’s been a couple of years now when I first heard about a vegan burger patty that looked so much like a meat burger, people were making waiters take their food back to the kitchen because they thought the waiter got the order wrong. Turns out it just was that good of a meatless patty. I was intrigued and wanted to give it a try but just never got around to buying it in a restaurant or grocery store.

Yesterday, I was heading out to a happy hour at a wine bistro place in town. I saw that they do burger and wine deals on Thursdays and one of the choices was with the Impossible burger. I jumped for joy. (Not really, but was happy for sure seeing that). As soon as I got in the door and sat down to order, I pointed to the burger and said that was what I wanted.

If I hadn’t known that it was vegan, I would have thought it a good flavored meat burger. They had added aioli, greens, pepper jam, vegan mozzarella, crispy onions & avocado (I had it without the vegan bun). I recommend and it is definitely worth a taste, it was super yummy.

Find out more about the Impossible Foods here.  Have you tried it? 

Crab Feeds

Do you like crab? Seems that crab season also creates a crab FEED season that are usually fundraisers for schools, churches, and non-profits. I belong to a non-profit that has been putting on a crab feed for 26 years. Volunteering to work this event got me to try crab and I realized that I enjoy the seafood. I also learned that there are people out there that LOVE going to a bunch of crab feeds each year. I had no idea that it was such a thing to do, but they are a ton of fun (and a ton of food).

I want to take a moment to promote my organization’s crab feed (tickets are still available). And I plan to write up a couple of posts about working a crab feed and also attending one for “bucket” list checks. I really encourage you to go try one out.

Have you worked or been to one? 

Step Right Up for the Active 20-30 Club of Greater Sacramento #1032’s 26th Annual Crab Feed, January 19, 2019 at our NEW VENUE: Citrus Heights Community Center!

General Admission sales ($65). For tickets, click here

Wear 2 Different Shoes

I have posted about this item before

This is a common enough mistake someone could make. In fact, I made it this morning. I grabbed these 2 shoes in the dark and didn’t pay attention to them until I got to work and realized they weren’t the same. This got me to wondering why would someone purposely wear 2 different shoes to check the item off the list in the book? Or is it there because we have probably made the mistake and it’s a funny memory? It sure is something out of the normalcy of the everyday.

Well, either way, I can share that I have now done it on purpose (kind of) with 2 shoes that were different but same color, and now by accident, completely 2 different colors.

What about you? Have you done it on purpose or accident? Did you go all day without realizing?

DDD: Dad’s Kitchen

Do you know the show from Food Network, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (DDD)?

With roadside diners, vintage drive-ins and out-of-the-way “dives” enjoying a resurgence of hipness among foodies, host Guy Fieri travels across America in search of some of the best “greasy spoon” eateries. The restaurants that Guy visits are usually well-known among locals and other people in the region. While at each location, Fieri talks to the staff as well as the customers to get their thoughts on the food. Many episodes feature eateries that are connected by a common thread, such as burgers or comfort foods

Click here to see the list as I add them, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: #2 out of over 800

Dad’s Kichen is located in my hometown of Sacramento, California. I have been here several times for breakfast (or brunch), lunch, dinner, even picking up food to take home. All the food I have eaten have been pretty yummy. They also keep a nice rotating beer menu on tap.

The day I took a photo with Guy’s DDD poster, we were there for lunch and enjoyed the french dip, fries, and onion rings. They have a nice enclosed patio seating (inside seating too, but small area).  I highly recommend.

Have you been to a DDD location based off seeing it on that show? Have you met Guy Fieri?

This location was featured on Season 11, Episode 8 – Soup and Sandwiches

Get Donald Trump to Autograph This Book

This book “2001 Things to Do Before you Die” was printed back in 1997. It was still funny to see this item to get check marked from the list. I really didn’t (& still don’t) think I’ll get this accomplished. Mainly because I live on the West Coast.

Last year, I had the bright idea to try sending it to the White House. I knew they would be getting TONS of mail and most likely I wouldn’t get anything back. But I also thought it might be quirky enough to make it through. I enclosed a letter and the book. I even added a return envelope. Then I sent it off. Now, you can go to the White House’s webpage to get where to send mail, and they say it will take a couple of weeks to get any response.  It took about two months and by that time, I went ahead and purchased the book again because I didn’t really know if I would get the other one back.

Imagine my surprise when there was an envelope with the White House address at the front door one day. I opened it up and was happy to see the book returned and a letter with a response that I wasn’t surprised about. The president was thankful for my letter, but unfortunately too busy at this time. Here’s a photo and a copy of his signature for you.

Well, I guess I could go ahead and count that as a half check for this item. I did get his autograph, just not in the book. I really don’t know if I will ever have the opportunity to ask for him to sign it. Politics and likes or dislikes aside, it would be fun to get this done. (and while at it, get the “shake hands with someone famous” checked off too)

If you have any ideas to help with this, I would appreciate the assist.

Would you like the extra copy of this book?

 

Start a Barbie Collection

My sister and I had quite the Barbie collection as kids. I can’t recall how many Barbies, Kens, and a few of their friends we had. We also had a large house and the corvette car. We also used to make some clothes for our dolls. Over the years, the collection has dwindled, but I knew we still had a box in the closet.

I pulled it out today and it brought back so many memories. Especially the doll without the head. I have no idea why the heads would come off. Perhaps it was brushing the hair to hard, pulling to get the dolls you wanted away from your sister, or just because you could and then pop it back on. There were a few other random finds, like a little cat that I am pretty sure went with a strawberry shortcake collection and a cabbage patch doll necklace.

It would kind of be fun to get some of the new barbies, the ones modeled after real life people. But for now, this is a check mark for this list item.

Did / Do you have a Barbie collection? 

Memorize the name of the play “the Persecution and Assassination of

Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum at Charenton under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade”

photo credit: Harris Center/Three Stages at Folsom Lake College

When I saw this item, I wondered if this was truly a real play. It made sense that just memorizing the title would be quite the accomplishment and a great conversation starter. I happened to catch a post about a production of this play being performed last year (2017).

I knew I had to go see it. I didn’t really think anything about what it exactly was about until after I saw it live. The cast did a great job adding in modern elements (not sure if that is part of what the play is supposed to do). I really thought it funny they gave out “Make France Great Again” buttons.

photo credit: Harris Center/Three Stages at Folsom Lake College

It is not your typical play, you walk in and become a part of the cast yourself. Here, I was handed a clipboard and guided by a “hospital attendant” to a chair. We became observers in a mental hospital where the warden was allowing the inmates to perform a play. It was also a kind of musical.

I’m grabbing the plot from Wikipedia:

Set in the historical Charenton Asylum, Marat/Sade is almost entirely a “play within a play”. The main story takes place on 13 July 1808, after the French Revolution; the play directed by the Marquis de Sade within the story takes place during the Revolution, in the middle of 1793, culminating in the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat (which took place on 13 July 1793), then quickly brings the audience up to date (1808). The actors are the inmates of the asylum; the nurses and supervisors occasionally step in to restore order. The bourgeois director of the hospital, Coulmier, supervises the performance, accompanied by his wife and daughter. He is a supporter of the post-revolutionary government led by Napoleon, in place at the time of the production, and believes the play he has organised to be an endorsement of his patriotic views. His patients, however, have other ideas, and they make a habit of speaking lines he had attempted to suppress, or deviating entirely into personal opinion. They, as people who came out of the revolution no better than they went in, are not entirely pleased with the course of events as they occurred.

photo credit: Harris Center/Three Stages at Folsom Lake College

In the end, we, the audience, become the inmates and the inmates the audience. It reminded me a lot of philosophical debates and talking about socialism. I used to enjoy those ponderings and had not realized that I had forgotten about it for so long. It was a little hard to follow the dialogue at times, but the gist of it was an argument between Sade and Marat on the factors of revolution, is really good to have for changing the class system and helping human suffering or does it just change who’s at top and who is at bottom. They also discuss if it’s good to have the revolution as a movement by everyone or just work one changing yourself.

I read more about the author being a German and he wrote this during the 1960’s which authors were delving into kind of abstract, bizarre, ways to talk about class struggles and socialism. And his picking the true life people of Jean-Paul Marat and the Marquis de Sade were a good choice. They were very interesting characters.

I wouldn’t mind going to see this play again, maybe catch some things that I didn’t this first time. I might even try to get friends to come with me. They might enjoy or end up asking what the heck?

have you seen this play? Or even heard about it?

Eat Alligator

In 2015 I decided I wanted to celebrate my October birthday in New Orleans. The other reason I chose to travel to that city was because I had been wanting to experience Halloween and visit a friend that had moved there. We made plans and set the dates at the beginning of the year. Another friend that lives in Dallas said she would come visit at the same time and we could hang out. This would be both of our first time in New Orleans and I was very excited.

We had so much fun exploring the area seeing all the landmark sites, as well as ate and drank throughout the town. One of the first places our friend took us to was a place called Oceana Restaurant in the Famous French Quarter district. Walking into the restaurant, looked like some fun décor. That is also when I realized the places there had courtyards. I had thought it was just patios on the side of places like they mostly have where I live. It was really pleasant to sit in the courtyard and relax. We order several sampler dishes and drinks. One of which was some alligator. Couldn’t come all that way and not try alligator.

I didn’t think to get a close up photo of the alligator. It’s the breaded dish that looks a little like nuggets. And it did taste like chicken nuggets, definitely not chicken, but similar. I’d eat them again.

We also enjoyed oysters, gumbo, crab cakes, and pasta. Very yummy and filling lunch.

Have you tried alligator?