33X33: New Year, New List
Ladies and gentlemen, my new list for 2012. 33X33, begins…now!
1. Fly a plane
2. Make beef jerky
3. Learn to sail
4. Brew beer
5. Grow vegetables
6. Play 18 holes of golf
7. Get a tattoo
8. Pistol training
9. Learn to silkscreen
10. Guitar lessons
11. Fishing trip
12. Design a Munny
13. Skeet shooting
14. Submit a design for Threadless
15. Be a movie/TV extra
16. Make soap
17. NYC food truck tour
18. Volunteer
19. Food eating competition
20. Wilderness survival training
21. Go to the Massachusetts pirate museum
22. Go to a horse race
23. Throw a limo party
24. Shoot an M-16
25. Martial arts class
26. Design a guitar
27. Be a nude model
28. Master the Rubik’s Cube
29. Swim with sharks
30. Go to a US city never been before
31. Be a speaker at IGNITE NYC
32. Have a Guiness in Ireland
33. Wild Card (any one of the following)
A. Go hunting
B. Crash a wedding
C. Motorcycle license
D. Learn about wine
E. Order Nyotaimori
F. Meet a porn star
G. Build something out of wood
H. Make a wish on the Zoltar machine
I. Beer pong tournament
Walking the Plank
#12: How I started a pirate pub crawl
People know two things about me: I eat bacon and love being a pirate…and I’m all out of bacon. So on the eve of my 32nd birthday, the last challenge I would accomplish was to dress up as a pirate with a bunch of friends and get drunk at a couple bars. The evening was unforgettable, to say the least.
The Blade
#31: How I got a hot towel shave
I consider myself a well-kept, stylish man. I think I have taste. I can dress myself well for a particular occasion. And I like to think of myself as “well-groomed.” But I didn’t know what well-groomed really meant until I had a hot towel shave at a barber. If you’re a dude and you haven’t had one yet, I highly recommend it. It will open your eyes to a new, manly world.
Nom, Nom, Nom (Part 3)
#26: How I went to five New York City restaurants never been before (continued)
The quest for amazing restaurants in New York City ended as I ventured into the Lower East Side and checked out the popular Meatball Shop.
Meatless
#28: How I became a vegetarian for three months
I have many vegan and vegetarian friends. It astounds me because it’s really hard for me to comprehend living a life without eating meat. Eating meat is a very guttural, primal, and basic need. Our teeth are designed for it. It’s been a mainstay of human evolution since the beginning of time. But it’s easy to live with it by calling it meat. Rarely do you call it “dead animal” because in all honesty, that is what is it. It was once a living creature which was murdered for our benefit. It’s sometimes hard to wrap our head around it when you’re used to calling it ‘meat’ and not ‘carcass.’ I’ve criticized the vegetarian philosophy enough in the past and denounced their lifestyle, but I’ve never walked in their shoes. So as a personal challenge, I decided to cross the border and see the other side of the war. I would be vegetarian for three months, as in no meat, poultry, or shellfish.
Helping Hands
#22: How I volunteered walking a dog for the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition
Volunteering is something really taken for granted. Some organizations in New York City are 100% staffed by volunteers. Some people say that volunteering isn’t a completely self-less act because many people do it to feel good about themselves. Others do it because they truly believe in the purpose of the company they volunteer for. But I think no matter what the reason really is, organizations need help, and it’s a good thing when people give up at least an hour for someone in need.
A Real Drink
#19: How I learned about Scotch at a Johnnie Walker tasting event
I have always loved Scotch ever since my first drink. It burned like a motherfucker, naturally, but I’ll never forget the smokiness of it. The taste of oak, vanilla, caramel, and earthiness of the flavor was very memorable. But I didn’t know much about the drink until I came to the Johnnie Walker “House of Walker” tasting. It was educational beyond what I expected.
Element of Man
#24: How I buy a designer suit
A police uniform. Shredder’s bladed armor. A Mobile GUNDAM mech. These are suits that command respect and attention from everyone around. But not everyone can afford fictional military weaponry. Fortunately, wearing a fine fitted suit garners similar amount of respect from others. I fucking love wearing suits. Most guys don’t. Most guys find them restrictive and uncomfortable. I think it’s because they’re not buying the right suits or not getting them tailored. In the early half of the 20th century, suits were worn by a majority of white collar businessmen in the United States. Now I rarely see anyone in a full suit. What happened to the modern suit?
Serenity Now
#25: How I went to the Buddhist temple in Carmel, New York
New York City can take a lot out of you. It’s noisy, crowded, filled with pricks, and it smells like urine most of the time. I needed a day to get away from it all. That’s when I was reminded of a little place in my hometown of Carmel, located an hour and a half north of the city. Tucked away in the woods just ten minutes from the house I grew up in lies the largest Buddhist temple in North America. Crazy, I know. So for an afternoon I step into a world unlike my own.
Full House
#4: How I played a Texas Hold’em poker tournament at a casino
Many people know me as a degenerate gambler. I’ve lost thousands of dollars in Atlantic City, casinos like the Borgata, Tropicana, Caesars, as well as places in Vegas like the Sahara and the MGM Grand and New York, New York. Oh, and I can’t forget the time I lost $300 easily at Harrah’s in New Orleans. So when I told people I have never yet played at a casino poker tournament, people are generally shocked. I love poker. It is my game of choice at a casino. So it was my mission to get in there and put it all on the line, again.