30 Things Before 30

Dudes.  I'm getting fucking OLD.

I was at a dinner the other night with a 19 year-old and three 22 year-olds.  I wanted to cry.

I've been having back issues.  Like pains and tightness.  IN MY BACK.  That is something old people have!

Tomorrow I turn 29.  As mentioned previously, I've been fortunate to have traveled quite a bit and have had many incredible experiences (jumped off a cliff and swam with sharks in Palau, surfed and sailed in Australia, saw the Mayan ruins in Mexico, hiked the Great Wall in China, floated in the Dead Sea in Israel, etc.).  But for some reason THIRTY seems like a deadline by which I need to make a lot of check-marks on the grand ol' bucket list.  So I've decided to make a list of 30 things I need to do before I turn 30 in order to feel ready for my next decade.  Some of these are general goals I've had for a long time, some are things I feel I need to leave behind in 20's, and some are things I feel will prepare me for my 30's:

1. Eat at Providence
2. Book a trip to Africa
3. Leave current job / start a new job
4. Drink the champagne in the fridge that I've been saving for a "special" celebratory occasion
5. Run - actually RUN - in a race (even just a 5K)
6. Use the cooking class gift certificate my boss bought me for my LAST birthday
7. Get some sort of waterproof casing for either my iPhone or my Rebel so that I can document it when I...
8. Swim with whale sharks
9. Re-read The Great Gatsby, and read 3 other classics for the first time
10. Attend a beer fest
11. Try snowboarding or skiing for real
12. Test-drive the Tesla
13. Develop a proper regimen for taking good care of my skin (e.g. using face cream - ick)
14. Go a whole month without eating any meat whatsoever
15. Buy a pair of Louboutins or a designer bag
16. Watch at least 10 more of AFI's top 100 (I've seen 32 from the 2007 list)
17. Help an animal give birth OR be present during a surgery
18. Create something (e.g. a full script, short story, painting, etc.)
19. Learn how to make the perfect dirty martini (yum)
20. Go through all the junk in my room at my parents' house (and get rid of most of it)
21. Shoot a gun (at a target range)
22. Buy a new, carefully-chosen bicycle
23. Have a meeting with a financial analyst
24. Keep a plant alive for more than 2 weeks - preferably lavender
25. Go back to Best Friends
26. Try absinthe (the real kind)
27. Assemble an earthquake kit
28. Plan a reunion / vacation with my besties from college (this may already be in the works).
29. Answer the phone "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?"
30. Forgive.

Anything I missed?

Serious-Time Thursday

Lesbihonest, this blog is mainly fluff - mentions of movies & television programs I find enjoyable, adorable animal photos, travel day-dreaming, funny viral videos, etc.  I try really hard not to let it become a venue for too much ranting or complaining (believe me, it could) and to keep things light and positive.  But I feel compelled to share some fairly serious items today, simply because I feel that the more people exposed, the better.

Let me begin with this article from Esquire.  There are a lot of facts here that I was unaware of prior to reading.  For example, the first paragraph under the heading "How to Disenfranchise a Generation" explains how "voting reform" is making it increasingly difficult for young people to vote, which I didn't realize was an issue at all.  

Here's the thing:  I don't live at home.  My life is not entirely consumed by debt.  I've been completely self-sufficient since graduation.  So I suppose I'm not the exact "younger American" referred to throughout the article.  However, it is still definitely hard for me to feel optimistic about the future when I consider the statistics presented:

- The federal gov't spends $480 billion on Medicare and $68 billion on education; $62 billion on prescription drugs, $8 billion on Heat Start.

- An estimated 85% of college graduates moved back home in 2010 with $25,250 in debt.

- Social Security will dry up by 2036.

- Only 58% of Boomers have more than $25K put aside for retirement.  The rest will need to be provided for by the government or their families.

One particularly poignant quote:

Nobody wants this. The Boomers did not set out to screw over their kids. The wind just seemed to blow them that way. But no matter what their motivations, a painful truth grows truer with every passing year: Through its refusal to act, the generation in power is willing to do what other generations before them would not — sell their children's birthright for a mess of their own pottage.



I feel like this applies to all aspects of life, not just financial status.  Look at the state of our environment, look at our dependency on oil.  *SIGH*  I don't mean to be a total Debbie Downer, I just think it's important that we know where we stand.

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On a totally unrelated note, I think everyone should watch this video from The Black Fish:

If you, like me, enjoy a good sushi dinner every now and again, click here for a pocket guide detailing which items are best and worst choices when selecting from the menu.

Also, this one from Sea Shepherd (warning: graphic images):

Per Sea Shepherd, shark populations are facing extinction in every part of the world; an appetite for shark fin soup being the #1 demand causing the the over-fishing of this apex predator.  Here is one of many petitions related to this issue that Sea Shepherd is asking people to take action on - please sign.

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Thanks for indulging me.  I promise I'll be back tomorrow with a more fun and lighthearted post.

Warren Buffett is My Best Thing

A friend posted this fantastic article written by the Sage of Omaha himself on FB today.  I must say, it's really refreshing to hear from someone actually IN that top-most of tiers, as opposed to pundits/reporters/commentators/people-who-don't-know-what-they're-talking-about who claim to know what is best for everyone.  I truly hope that this piece is put in front of all members of the "Super Congress," and is read by anyone protesting tax increases for the super rich.

Readers, have any of you ever met W. Buffett?  I bet he's awesomesauce.  I mean, he frequents Dairy Queen - which is like, my best thing (circa 1993)!

Photo credit: jetsetterfresh.com