Commentary: The Bucket List, Thrice Revisited
I took the time to review the first two bucket lists to see how much I progressed. Then, I pondered a bit to make a new one. Some of the old items remain – though I found that some have already been achieved.
Bucket lists…why do we torture ourselves in making one?
As I advance in age, bucket lists become more commonplace to guide one through what they want to achieve in the last remaining years of their lives. Perhaps, my life. Not that I’m headed to my demise any year soon…
Last year’s illness did put it all in perspective. I fought to get myself better, so I do not have to face that rush to do everything before it’s all over.
Still, we all have goals. Probably enough goals to make a bucket list. On this website, I made two. Yes, two.
I took the time to review the first two bucket lists to see how much I progressed. Then, I pondered a bit to make a new one. Some of the old items remain – though I found that some have already been achieved.
Maybe this third is the charm. Indulge me, if you would…
YOU MEAN I STILL HAVE TO DRIVE A FERRARI FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER? The last bucket list stated that I had two brands of automobiles that I have yet to drive in my lifetime. Good thing the Aston Martin Vantage was absolutely incredible for me to accomplish driving that brand. What’s left is Ferrari. Enzo’s bane of his existence – vetting customers to own his special models, while taking other customer’s money towards the Scuderia. I am not one to openly pursue these things. I just let it happen when it can. That is my philosophy. If I stumble upon someone offering me a chance for, maybe, 20 minutes behind a Ferrari – OK, sure, fine. It does not have to happen, to be honest. Just a pipe dream, I suppose.

AGAIN WITH THE ROAD TRIPS: Now that a publication wants me to write about road trips for their readership, I still want something a bit more substantial than what is being proposed by my bosses there. It would be great content to do something close to epic. I have to be careful with my health because I want to make sure I am comfortable behind the wheel for long periods of time. Still, there are plenty of cities I want to see and explore, like Omaha and Louisville. I also want to revisit some cities on a road trip, such as Kansas City and Indianapolis. I suppose any road trips to the coasts are out of the question at this point.
ITCHING TO FLY: Travel by air has been a crap shoot. I’ve been lucky last year because I did not have to experience any cancellations or unmanageable delays. Then again, I have split my flights between Delta and Southwest for most of the year – two of the airlines I truly trust above anyone else. With that in mind, there are a few destinations I would like to visit sometime in the next year or so. I have never been to St. Louis, Nashville, or anywhere in Florida. Maybe those destinations would work? I also had some inkling of returning to Detroit or Los Angeles. For obvious reasons, of course – Detroit is where the auto industry is (mostly) at and Los Angeles is my birthplace. I’ve looked at fares. I am also looking at timing. Maybe? Just maybe…

OR, MAYBE THE TRAIN? As much as we deride Amtrak for its issues – I have a long list of them, but you probably know some of them – why not travel by train? Yes, the train takes longer, overnight trains are uncomfortable in coach, and they do not go fast enough for some people’s liking. However, what if I invested in at least a Roomette on an overnight train to get to the East Coast somewhere? What if I want to ensure that I have a few days to get on the Empire Builder to either Seattle or Portland? Years ago, Amtrak sang that there’s "something about a train that’s magic." If I were to spend the extra money on a First Class ticket with a bed and some outdated controls, maybe there might be something. Some of the travel reviewers I watch on YouTube (Wingin’ It with Paul Lucas and Noel Phillips) seemed to be OK with Amtrak. It also all depends on where I would love to go, as well. If I go east, then I have to endure the day train from St. Paul’s Union Depot to Chicago’s Union Station, then transfer on the next train to, say, New York or Washington, DC. Not entirely excited about it, but, hey, it may be something in the cards in the future.
I STILL WANT TO SEE SOME RACING: Seeing qualifying and practice for TransAm at Brainerd is not going to cut it here. The allure of the NTT IndyCar Series and IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship still shines, as they present two series of motorsports that I actually enjoy. Not to mention that the personalities in these two series seem to be a bit more engaging on a higher level. Road America hosts both series during the summer. I have yet to check out the short oval at Iowa Speedway. Though I am more familiar with Elkhart Lake than anywhere.

DO SOMETHING ON A SCALE TO CELEBRATE VICTORY & RESEDA’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2021: Ten years in the new frontier of digital content creation and publishing is worth celebrating. There are some ideas towards creating a celebratory concept. Without giving away those ideas, I would like to be able to celebrate this website that brings you together. Just putting it out there…
Now that I wrote out my latest version of my bucket list – what’s on yours?
All photos by Randy Stern