Do Something Awesome: Ideas Needed Plz

[triedunture]

So my BFF has this crazy idea. He wants to do something awesome every week. Every 7 days, he plans on learning something new, doing something he's never done before, commit a random act of kindness, just something, anything awesome.

He's asked me to try it to. And I think I'll have to. But I can't think of many awesome things to do.

So far, Tony has ridden on a motorcycle, learned to surf, played paintball, and brought his professor a coffee.

Any ideas about what I can do? I don't have a lot of money, and sporting activities in NYC are limited I think, but I want to do awesome things. Please pelt me with ideas, maybe awesome things that you do that I haven't.

We'll probably record all our awesome experiences in a blog. And then we'll get a book deal and perhaps sell the film rights and then I can quit my 9-to-5 and spend all my time doing awesome things.

2009 needs to be an awesome year, right!?

Comments

[jane-hidell.livejournal.com]

Learn how to say one utterly random phrase, in a different language, every week. (The same phrase in 52 languages.)

IDK. It kind of seems like a neat idea to ME...

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

yesyesyes. like 'thank you' or 'peace' or 'where's the bathroom' (that one is more important than one thinks.)

[triedunture.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm, that seems sort of like cheating to use that activity for 52 weeks, but I think language-learning would be a good thing for one week. Maybe learning to say Hello in 52 languages can be done in a week?

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

go on a tour of central park! i know there are some. <3 i think there's an 'edible plants of central park' tour.

[triedunture.livejournal.com]

OHH. I love that kind of survivalist crap! I'll have to look that up; it sounds like fun.

Let´s see...

[cadeira.livejournal.com]

- Take up an instrument you always considered weird, like a jaw harp.
- Learn how to code in a programming language you don´t know yet.
- When the leaves are back, go into the park, collect leaves, dry them, put them into a scrapbook and give it to someone who might appreciate it.
- Bake some cookies for the coffee kitchen at work/your colleagues.
- Read a book through completely while you´re in the book shop/library. (As a kid I always dreamed of doing this in our local library. I hoped that they would forget me and I´d be there the whole night.)
- Adopt a cat/dog/snake/rabbit from the animal shelter.

Re: Let´s see...

[triedunture.livejournal.com]

These are all great ideas! I can't keep a pet and I'm an awfully slow reader, but these other things are sweet and totally doable. Thanks!

[starlingthefool.livejournal.com]

Go to a Bear bar! Learn how to jump double dutch! Take a pole dancing lesson! Recite a poem to a random stranger (or a group of them)! Get a tattoo! Learn to play the spoons! Watch a foreign movie without subtitles!

I dunno. This sounds like a great idea though.

[lilallisun.livejournal.com]

Call or write an email to someone you haven't talked to in a while.
Buy something that you really like but would never normally buy because it doesn't exactly fit with your image.
Show up at a friend's place randomly with a feast from their favourite fast food joint.
Create a new holiday for something you think is awesome and post flyers everywhere you can think of.

[pinglederry.livejournal.com]

Take a homeless person out to dinner (or lunch, or brunch, or coffee, depending on your budget) and actually get to know them. I'd advocate scouting beforehand to rule out the obviously creepy/crazy (unless you're more daring than me, or more willing to listen to somebody babble for hours on end about their pet conspiracy theory), but it's surprisingly interesting. I invited two guys to get pizza with me once and got to know them a bit in line. One was travelling through the state, and the other one's name was Tiffany and he was on unemployment. Or I'll sit outside the grocery store where people gather after it closes and just chat with them. Lots of interesting stories. It's worth your time (although I'd advocate sticking to crowded spaces, just in case).

I myself am a fan of the "do something everyday that scares you" platitude. Whether it's telling somebody I like that I want to kiss them (or actually going through with kissing them), complimenting strangers on their styles, doing a jump on my bike, climbing a tree, climbing a building, camping with strangers, learning how to shoot a gun, eating a bug or even just acting weird/making a fool of myself in public, it definitely adds spice to my life.

[tobegone.livejournal.com]

Learn the Korean alphabet. There are sites online. And it's such a pretty language.

If you learn the whole language in a week, I'll be very upset and ask you not to tell my bosses. Because I'm in my 5th month here and still know very little.

Or cook something ethnic on several weeks. An Italian dish, a French dish, a Korean dish, etc.

Learn basic conversation in a language, and then go find someone to say "Hi how are you okay bye!" to. Call it hit and run language learning.

[georgeodowd.livejournal.com]

I used to pelt people with cookies from tall buildings and open car windows, but I'm not sure that's the most mature or productive activity for anyone past the age of 10.

Er. My 'do something awesome' for 2007 was taking opera lessons. Singing in front of someone was always my worst nightmare, so I decided to get over it. I've stuck with it, and now I enjoy it quite a bit!

I'd say rent a horse over at that stable near Central Park and then try to get mowed down by Matthew Broderick and his boyfriend, which happened to me, but they went and closed it. Horses in an apartment building. Man, that was weird...