40 Fun or New Things in 40 Hours

Over the years I have had many friends and family members organize and celebrate wonderful birthdays with me.  Twenty-one roses and 10 helium balloons, a wake, surprise dinners, distracting movies to a surprise party, 24 cupcakes a cake and many family members, and many more wonderful events.

As my 40th birthday approached I wanted it to be memorable and a real celebration of life and the many wonderful experiences it can posses.  As my brain is wont to do, it connected the dots and in a flash I decided I was going to try and do 40 new and/or fun things in 40 days.  Since that seemed a little long and I am poor (in graduate school), the idea shrunk down to 40 fun or new things in 40 hours, faster, zippier, smaller time frame, shorter things.  The planning began.

I sent out invites asking friends and family to send me ideas and let me know if they wanted to do something specifically with me.  Many friends contacted me and participated in the planning.  At one point I was ready to give up but my Love Manitoba friend's, Christa and Stephanie, would not let me.  They planned much of the last minute new things and saved the day!  As well, my sister Lurene flew in from Calgary for the weekend and things I had done before became new because I was doing them with my sister for the first time (freebees).  See how this works.  None of these new things have to be huge, they just have to be inventive and creative.

So in the end, this is the list, most of which occurred the actual evening of my birthday, March 31 at King's Head Pub in Winnipeg.

40 Fun New or Fun Things in 40 Hours:

1. Drinking Chololate

2. Eating Manitoba

3. Eating Bacon Bark

4. Backwards lunch (started with dessert, ended with main course)

5. Wore steel coloured nail polish

6. Had Henna done on my hands

7. Went rock climbing in Manitoba (indoors, there are no mountains or hills to climb here)

8. Attempted geo-caching

9. Received a flower delivery at home (thanks Marcia!)

10. Visited the crazy purple poster shop at the end of Osbourne Village
(turns out it is not my type of shop)

11. Walked down Osbourne Village streets with one of my sisters

12. Received a mug from my sister (caveat: Marcia - another sister - gave me a mug when I was 19 with her picture on it so I would not miss her.  I still use this mug but I received it on Christmas morning, not on my birthday.)

13. I was hit on by a random stranger on Facebook on my birthday (thank you some guy named Richard or Raymond or something)

14. Ate at the Bonfire Bistro

15. Ate at La Bamba (this is where I had the backwards lunch and the item below)

16. Ate tequila ice-cream

17. Purchased rainbow tights (ready for Folk Fest and other exciting events)

18. Tried Don Jolio tequila (wow, smooth as silk)

19. Played with interactive lights in Central Park, Winnipeg

20. Tried sashimi (and nearly threw up as my body does not respond kindly
to fishy fish and this had been sitting for a while)

21. Beer Bomb also called a Dr. Pepper (yummy!)

22. Flatliner

23. Kripsy Crunch shot

24. Lemon-Drop shot
25. Liquorice shot

Friends join me

Not to everyone's taste

26. Jolly Rancher shot

27. Wore a red boa in a bar

28. Used a super cheesy pick-up line on a stranger

29. Ate Jeanne's cake (a Winnipeg tradition; thanks to Christa and Stephanie for the birthday gateau!)

30. Have a rap song sung to me in my honour (thank you again Christa, Stephanie and sister Lurene; form a group quickly and rap on ladies)

31. Sing with the band (I did not get on stage as the Beatles tribute band
was rocking it and I did not want to mess it up)

32. Take a crazy photo (thanks Meaghan and Chad for stepping in while I clicked)

33. Wear a rainbow wig at the bar

34. Kiss a random stranger in a bar

35. Go for a motorboat ride with a friend (thank you CW!)

36. Get in a bar fight (thank you random stranger Ian who also helped with #34)

37. Have a drink thrown in my face
(I dodged the first drink but Christa threw another and hit me the second time)
38. Slap someone in the face

39. Eat Bananas Foster

40. Receive a HUGE Birthday card signed by friends and strangers (thanks to all who signed)

41. Attend a broadcast of a London National Theatre event
(say the hilarious and over-acted play She Stoops to Conquer)

42. Get hit on by a a man and a woman in the same night at the same bar

43. Slide down the slides in Central Park, Winnipeg

At the top of the slide

44. Eat at the new poutine place of off Market Square (Smoke's Poutinerie)

45. Glow in the Dark bowling in Manitoba

46. Walk 4 miles in the Assiniboine Forest, Winnipeg

Most of this was completed in 20 hours, from 9 am March 31 to 2 am April 1.  As you can see, not all the activities were large, massive projects.  Some were simple things that I had just never tried before.  Several activities (rock climbing, forest walk, theatre broadcast, bowling, and several meals) happened in the weeks leading up to March 31.  That is OK because this was my creative, unique fantastic idea and I was the one who made the rules.  It all counts.  40 new and fun things in about 25 odd hours with a few bonus events.

I already have several friends who are planning similar feats for their birthdays.  May I suggest you do the same but include very cool friends who make it all happen.  The participating friends and family members are the key!  Most importantly have a wonderful time, dare yourself to do something different, then add a large dose of laughter and smiles.  Go forth and experience people!  Life is short but can be marvellous!