Castle Rock, Kalbarri
Castle Rock, Kalbarri

My 2012 Summer Sandcastle Pail List

I don’t care if it’s almost halfway through my summer, I still have exactly eight weeks left before I head back up to the University of South Central Southern California in Los Angeles to become a full time student, part time zombie–thanks to the LSAT, my love for LA nightlife, and a caffeine addiction so powerful I drink coffee with most of my dinners.
Castelo em Copacabana / Castle at Copacabana

I’m no mathematician, but I think I can obtain at least one item off this list per week if I rally hard enough and utilize all my resources (this does NOT include craigslist). I’ll throw a few extra events just in case I’m feeling especially productive that week. It’s a scientifically calculated number so complex that I’ll leave you with that explanation, modified for simpletons of course.

It’s named my Sandcastle Pail List to fit the overall theme — buckets are so fall 2011, and the word bucket makes me think of this boy in 5th grade who gave a speech on President Jackson. He ended his speech with a huge smile and said, “in 1845 Jackie-boy finally kicked the bucket!” The whole class laughed while my teacher gasped in horror. None of us knew what kicking the bucket meant, but I think the imagery of a president physically kicking buckets was enough to stimulate our overly active imaginations. The literal thought still makes me feel a little silly yet uncomfortable. We got a lecture on respecting the dead and after I told my dad what happened, he mentioned that Jack Daniels died from kicking a safe. Imagine my confusion! Was saying, “he finally kicked the safe” disrespectful too? My little mind couldn’t take it!

Philadelphia - Old City: Second Bank Portrait Gallery - Andrew Jackson
Basically, sandcastle pails are less depressing, more summery, and more useful for creating things than a bucket.

Alas, My Sandcastle Pail List. 

  1. Pick spherical tree fruits. I don’t want to limit myself to simply apples or oranges, I’ll settle for picking anything off a tree as long as I can snack on it while doing so.
  2. Take a foreigner on a tour of San Diego. My best friend and I did this with some French boys in L.A., and it ended up being a really great day! Some potential spots to meet foreigners: Pacific Beach at night, the zoo (where apparently hunting is forbidden?!), the beach — I’ll keep my eye out for anyone with leather shoes, floaties, and a speedo.
  3. Swim in the ocean at night. Just call me shark bait… maybe I’ll complete this one after I forget about this ordeal.
  4. Make and fly a kite. I picture the kite plummeting down towards me like a spear and hitting me right between the eyes. I still want to do it, though! Kitesurfing will meet and exceed this requirement.
  5. Watch a Shakespeare play. My love for Shakespeare deserves a whole other post in itself — I’ll spare you for now.
  6. Learn to play a song on the guitar. Will it be a heart wrenching score from Lil’ Wayne? Johnny Cash? Jack Johnson? Subscribe to find out! I’ve already been putting the word out on obtaining a guitar… so far I haven’t had the best of luck.
  7. Camp in the bed of a truck. I adore beach camping and have a lot of great recommendations for sites in California. It’s a summer staple that I have yet to do!  Sleeping in the bed of a truck is perfect because you’re raised off the ground and still remain secluded.
  8. Rollerblade at a skate park. Is this even allowed? Either way, I’m going to launch myself into a pit of cement doom just to cross it off my list. Hopefully the middle school hoodlums won’t pick on me like the last time I showed my face there.
  9. Go sailing. I’ll rig a bathtub with a sheet, ropes, and a pole if I have to.
  10. Send creepy, yet inspirational, anonymous notes to someone and get a response back! Any ideas on going about this? Should I just simply open a phone book and choose from there? What address do I tell them to respond to? Put the note response under a tree in the park? Aye, this one obviously has a few kinks to work out.
Honorable mentions (things I want to do, but not sure if it’s realistically going to happen)
  1. Hit a home run on my softball team. This isn’t an official list maker because I don’t have too much faith in actually accomplishing this. I’ve only played softball once in my entire life — it was last week. It was also our first game. I was so bad, the opposing team was giving me pointers and my team had to yell RUN!!! and STOP!!! My hand-eye coordination could use a bit of improvement. So we’ll see how this one turns out. Go Warhawks!
  2. Hang gliding off of the cliffs of Torrey Pines. $200 aka 800 gumballs… which is my budget for four days in Europe.
  3. Go geocaching. I did this in L.A. and my GPS led me to the shadiest of places just for a prize of a ziplock baggie with a toy soldier in it.

What didn’t make my list

  1. Spiked lemonade stand – most customers are drive bys. Drinking and driving is never okay.
  2. Going to the fair – I’ve been a few times, and I’m sad to say that the fair is slightly overrated. I love greasy food, depressed barnyard animals, and 10-for-10 rides (That’s 10 dollars for 10 seconds of a ride) just as much as the next person… but it didn’t make my list this summer.
  3. Saying “yes” to everything for a whole day. I work at a summer camp where kids come up with the most creative of questions (Can we splash each other in the urinals? Can I honk the bus horn just one time? Can you tell the devil I want to make a deal?). This wouldn’t apply to a weekend day either because I’d like to go out at night and that requires the ability to say no. Offers commonly turned down: creepy men trying to wife me up in Pacific Beach, any type of meat — I don’t eat it, my sister asking me to do her makeup… and hair… and wear my clothes.

Do you have a Sandcastle Pail List yet?