Archive for the ‘*Completed To Do’s’ Category
365) Start a blog
LOOKING BACK Back in the winter of 2011, when John finally convinced me to do [&hellip
364) Climb with an ice axe
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] There’s a feeling you get when you stand [&hellip
363) Get a pleasure craft operator card
Let me tell you, there’s nothing pleasurable at all about getting a Pleasure Craft Operator [&hellip
362) Make a photo scrapbook
As John and I near the end of this year-long project of ours, we’ve had [&hellip
361) Get our portrait drawn
Our progress shots just came in from friend, Laura Heany, last night. Even in their [&hellip
359) Build a robot
Our friend and colleague, Gram Schmalz, is a brilliant guy. His official title with Labspace [&hellip
357) Get a foot massage
Today I learned there’s a major difference between a “foot massage” and “foot reflexology.” A [&hellip
356) Get our fortune told
Giovanna has been in the “psychic” business for 17 years. From everything I’ve read online, [&hellip
354) Navigate without a compass
Today on our lunch break, we walked over to our favourite place in the city, [&hellip
353) Keep a travel log
Every year I say I’m going to keep an accurate travel log, and every year [&hellip
352) Floss a six pack stomach
2012 was a physically active year for us. I’d say it was the most physically [&hellip
351) Watch Seven Samurai (1954)
Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) has been called the most influential Japanese film ever made for [&hellip
350) Take a kayak lesson
It was a late night at the pool yesterday in a far-off land called Etobicoke. [&hellip
349) Roll a kayak
Knowing how to “roll a kayak” is an essential skill to know for anyone pursuing [&hellip
348) Visit The Toronto Archives
I get the impression that not a whole lot of people pop into the Toronto [&hellip
347) Roll naked in the snow
The act of “snow rolling” (i.e. rolling in the snow with little or no clothing [&hellip
346) Cross-country ski
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only’ to-do] Flying down hills at fast speeds, strapped to [&hellip
345) Snow shoe
Now this is a “sport” I can handle – physically demanding but non-aggressive. We were [&hellip
344) Ice skate on a lake
I use to think that skating wasn’t my thing; that was before I skated on [&hellip
343) Vow a day of silence
All I can recall were the nuances of the day: the long, silent drive to [&hellip
342) Winter Camp
This to-do was an introduction for us, a relatively easy winter-camping experience to ease us [&hellip
340) Make Pine Needle Tea
Last night, en route to our dog-sledding outfitters, we stopped in at the Algonquin Motel. [&hellip
339) Send a parcel to a stranger
If all goes according to plan, someone named Erin Lindsay from Calgary, Alberta (a stranger [&hellip
338) Throw a pie in someone’s face
Oh the proverbial ‘pie in the face’ act. That gag never seems to go out [&hellip
337) Visit the ROM’s new building
The other night, right before our tango dancing debacle, we swung by the Royal Ontario [&hellip
336) Dance the tango
Nothing beats walking into a room that you think is a beginner’s Argentinian Tango class [&hellip
335) Make a 10’+ ft. snow man
There were those that doubted us on this to-do. 10 feet? Seriously? Um, like, how [&hellip
334) Brew our own beer
Down the street from us on Danforth Ave is a magical place called Fermentations, a [&hellip
332) Toboggan in Toronto
There’s freakin’ snow in Toronto. Like everywhere! I thought we’d have to kill this to-do [&hellip
331) Have a winter picnic
Next weekend we head up north to do some winter camping and knock off the [&hellip
330) Solder something
What to do with excess gingerbread dough, two hyperactive kids who need something to keep [&hellip
229) Learn to Fly fish
Like most sports, fly fishing requires patience and practice. Watching someone else do it (like [&hellip
328) Tie a Fly
After 40+ years of being stowed away in a closest, out came John’s dad’s fly [&hellip
326) Cook a turkey w/ stuffing
As ‘Martha Stewart’ as it sounds, preparing a whole turkey for an entire family is [&hellip
325) Change a car’s oil
So not our most exciting to-do on the list, but a useful skill nevertheless. You [&hellip
324) Make a gingerbread house
Check out our alpine ginger hobbit house. I hate to brag, but I think it’s [&hellip
323) Kiss under the mistletoe
Technically, what you see here is holly not mistletoe. But as far as I’m concerned, [&hellip
322) Make a wreath
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] I love the fact that this year John [&hellip
321) Watch White Christmas (1954)
As undeniably warm, fuzzy and festive as this Christmas classic proved to be, I must [&hellip
320) Buy a nice coffee table
2012 has definitely shaped up to be a monumental year. Besides the obvious, it’s the [&hellip
319) Make Egg Nog Cheese Cake
Speaking of being “functioning grown ups,” this egg nog cheese cake was a smash hit [&hellip
318) Visit the Varley Art Gallery
Our last remaining art gallery on our list of galleries to visit happens to be [&hellip
317) Mail a Christmas card
I blame it on my generation for being completely complacent when it comes to writing [&hellip
316) Visit the Bata Shoe Museum
Who knew that shoes could be so culturally stimulating? I must have passed by this [&hellip
315) Be a Toronto Tour Guide
As a Torontonian, I doubt I’m alone in saying that it still feels odd to [&hellip
314) Winter hot tubbing
John’s return to Toronto (after a month of being away from home) was promptly followed [&hellip
312) Read a sports book
[The following is a designated ‘John-only’ to-do] My first “sports” based book and, fortunately, far from [&hellip
311) Read ‘The Monkey Wrench Gang’
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] The Monkey Wrench Gang is a fictional story [&hellip
310) Drink glühwein
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] Glühwein (mulled wine) is a traditional German winter [&hellip
309) Try Cachi (Persimmon)
[The following is a designated ‘John-only’ to-do] I didn’t really know what this fruit was [&hellip
308) See Gaudi’s Sagrada Família
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] I have wanted to see this building for [&hellip
307) See a real live mummy
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] Alright, this is some weird, creepy, can’t really [&hellip
306) Climb on another continent
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] Climbing is an addictive sport. Or rather, a [&hellip
305) Visit a Monastery
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] High atop a misty mountain peak in the [&hellip
304) Research the 2012 Mayan Prophecy
Well here we are on the morning of December 21st, the end of the Mayan [&hellip
303) Make Bread in a Stone Oven
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] I just recently visited my sister and brand [&hellip
302) Summit something
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] This post may look a little similar to [&hellip
301) Try Via Ferrata
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] A via ferrata (Italian for “iron road”, plural vie ferrate or in English via [&hellip
300) Bungee jump
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] So, technically, they call this “peunting” not bungee [&hellip
299) Finish Days that End in Y project
Days that end in Y was a short lived project that John and I started back [&hellip
298) Watch When Harry met Sally
Truthfully, I’ve avoided this film like the plague. I’ve avoided it for all the same [&hellip
297) Make Pumpkin Cookies
Another dark, cold, wet morning in Toronto, where everything looks drab and city stained. I [&hellip
296) Make Cinnamon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Sweet, salty, nutty goodness. The perfect simple-to-make snack for quiet nights at home, curled on [&hellip
295) Make Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
It seemed so ridiculous we had to give it a shot. Turns out pumpkin flavoured [&hellip
294) Make an orange peel lamp
Dear Readers, John’s back from Europe! (I was starting to miss the guy). Thank you [&hellip
293) Re-watch old Disney films
To anyone reading our blog on a semi-regular basis, we’d like to apologize for the [&hellip
292) Jello eating contest
This to-do is dedicated to all the college frat parties we never attended nor were [&hellip
291) Make healthy jello
Oh Jello. You’re so giggly and playful and colourful and that’s why kids love you. [&hellip
290) Visit the Don Jail
The Don Jail is just around the corner from our apartment in Riverside, tucked away [&hellip
288) Visit the Gardiner Museum
For $12 a ticket, I had excepted something a little more sexy than just ceramics. [&hellip
287) Go to a pottery class
I wonder how many women out there took up pottery as a hobby after watching [&hellip
286) Make our own mug
Does this count? I sure hope so. Firing it would have taken two extra weeks [&hellip
285) Finish a 1000 piece puzzle
Hallelujah! It’s finished!!!! Seriously, this puzzle has been a pain in the ass. We started [&hellip
284) Make a secret hideaway book
This was sooo much fun to do, and so easy! I have no idea what [&hellip
284) Make deep-fried pickles
Fail! Huge fail. This is one of those “theoretically good” to-do’s. As avid pickle eaters, [&hellip
281) Get our shoes shined
My father used to go to work every morning in shiny leather shoes. He’d keep [&hellip
280) Make espresso
A simple, cheap $20.00 stove-top espresso maker from Canadian Tire is all we needed to [&hellip
279) Make a jellyfish light box
I think Jellyfish are by far the most magical, ethereal, extraordinary, most bizarre looking creatures [&hellip
277) Make a Periodic Table art work
Chemistry aside, there’s something genuinely satisfying about the design and layout of the Periodic Table [&hellip
276) Research Plants
Over the last six months, we’ve spent a good chuck of time researching plant life. [&hellip
275) Canoe to Toronto Island
I’m gonna quote basketball legend Michael Jordan here, only because I think it’s fitting in [&hellip
274) Dismantle a complex electronic device
It should be said, this to-do requires that we “dismantle a complex electronic device” NOT [&hellip
273) Buy a rug (the grown-up kind)
Seriously, this is a BIG deal. A rug is not just a rug. Just like [&hellip
272) Attend 7a*11d
7a*11d is a bi-annual Toronto-based festival of international performance art, that takes place in various [&hellip
271) Visit the Int’l Fest of Authors
Every year in October the Harbourfront Centre hosts an international program of distinguished authors and [&hellip
270) Write a letter to the editor
Dear John Macfarlane – Editor & Publisher of The Walrus, Firstly, I’d like to say [&hellip
269) Visit a Frida Kahlo exhibition
“They thought I was a surrealist but I wasn’t. I never painted dreams I painted [&hellip
268) Practice setting a snare
There are many different ways to set a snare. This method here is called the [&hellip
266) Conduct our own acid rain project
According to the pH strips in our kids chemistry set, our Toronto rain water has [&hellip
265) Read the Communist Manifesto
Ok, it was boring. I mean in a really, really interesting sort of way. I [&hellip
264) Visit a Chocolate Factory
As it turns out, the Cadbury chocolate factory in Toronto no longer gives out public [&hellip
263) Do a wine tasting
Wine country is beautiful, even in the rain. Special thanks goes out to Brian & [&hellip
262) Travel w/ just the clothes on our back
A night in Niagra Falls without a toothbrush or a change of underwear It was [&hellip
261) Catch a fish in the Don river
There are no fish in the Don. This makes me sad. It may be possible [&hellip
260) Make a headboard for our bed
I know what you’re thinking…. “Lame.” Fair enough, but understand, making a headboard for our [&hellip
257) Watch Casablanca
You know the feeling you get when you meet someone new for the first time [&hellip
255) Etch our names in steel
Thanks (once again) to John’s Dad for lending out his machinery and overseeing the entire etching [&hellip
254) Make sushi
Making a California Roll from scratch is easy peasy. We found all the ingredients we [&hellip
253) Make a tie-dye shirt
Our all natural turmeric tie dye t-shirts turned out pretty alright (at least mine did). [&hellip
252) Drink Kopi Luwak Coffee
[Gmail chat conversation between John & Laura on Jan 2, 2012] John: I’ve got a [&hellip
249) Try Galaktoburiko
Galakoburiko is a traditional Greek desert prepared with egg custard and phyllo, baked until crispy, [&hellip
248) Toronto Zoo date
Three words: Best. Date. Ever. Seriously, why didn’t anyone tell us how hilariously entertaining the [&hellip
247) Wrap a gift in handmade paper
Our good friend Vasa invited us over for dinner the other night. As a thank-you, [&hellip
246) Weave a basket
We tried. Then we tried again, and again, and then again, until we decided to [&hellip
245) Decorate for Halloween
Last Halloween John and I ditched a friend’s Halloween party, stayed home instead, turned off [&hellip
244) Buy fudge from a trading post
I’ve spent a good chunk of my life driving up north to the cottage. Always [&hellip
243) Make a gourmet meal from canned food
I’d like to think that if we ever had a major calamity that shut down [&hellip
242) Camp on Lake Superior
After all these years of talk, we finally made the 10-hour drive north to Lake [&hellip
241) Build a raft
Meet Twiggy, our mini-raft mascot. We felt the need to add a little something extra, [&hellip
240) Make our own rope
After searching for an hour in vain for suitable rope making material — climbing over [&hellip
238) Go to a live taping of a TV show
If we lived in New York City, we’d totally attend a live taping of the [&hellip
237) Go to the symphony (blindfolded)
First off, thanks to John’s parents who agreed to partake in this “cultural experience” with [&hellip
236) Eat out at Buca
Housed in a former warehouse boiler room, hidden away down an unsuspecting alley, Buca has [&hellip
235) Eat an ostrich egg
As it turns out, buying an ostrich egg in Toronto is tricky. Timing is everything. [&hellip
234) Watch Singin’ in the Rain
Hello Gene Kelly, you’re my new crush! As a dancer and closet musicals fan, I’m [&hellip
233) Own an ant farm
We have yet to figure out why our ants have barely responded to their new, [&hellip
232) Canada’s Wonderland date
The last time either of us visited Canada’s Wonderful, we were like sixteen or something. [&hellip
231) Read Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
John didn’t like this book so much. I’m paraphrasing here, but I’m pretty sure he [&hellip
230) Get a shiatsu massage
Some words to describe our first experience with shiatsu therapy: soft, quiet, light, intuitive, graceful, [&hellip
229) Make homemade soap
In our ongoing effort to rid our home of unnecessary toxins and chemicals, we cooked [&hellip
228) Explore Aromatherapy
Without access to a certified aromatherapist, or an amateur aromatherapist for that matter (the sales [&hellip
226) Fly a Box Kite
I have this reoccurring dream every so often where I’m running through a field of [&hellip
225) Own a microscope
When we heard word that Toronto’s EfstonScience Superstore (the largest retailer of science and astronomy [&hellip
224) Make dried food
Food is good. Eat well. Don’t overanalyze this. I’ve just started noticing how many food [&hellip
223) Invite John Pack to dinner
Us and John Pack go way back to 2007, the night we officially launched Labspace [&hellip
222) Make mushroom stock/soup
Yummy, earthy, wholesome mushroom-leek soup, made from our first batch of homemade mushroom stock. As [&hellip
221) Visit the Scarborough Badlands
I had heard rumours, seen pictures floating around Facebook of a strange, bizarre place in [&hellip
220) Make caramelized popcorn
{Note: This here is the final to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip
219) Pick (and eat) wild mushrooms
{Note: This here is the ninth to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip
218) Shoot a magnum gun
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] {Note: This here is the eighth to-do of [&hellip
217) Make a bolt
{Note: This here is the seventh to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip
216) Make Irish stew
{Note: This here is the sixth to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip
215) Pickle something
{Note: This here is the fifth to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip
214) Bake a pie from scratch
{Note: This here is the fourth to-do of ten completed this past weekend at John’s [&hellip
213) Make homemade jam
{Note: This here is the third to-do of ten completed this past weekend at John’s [&hellip
212) Eat a bug
{Note: This here is the second to-do of ten completed this past weekend at John’s [&hellip
211) Cut each other’s hair
{Note: This was the first to-do of ten completed this past weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip
210) Visit Bon Echo Provincial park
John’s lucky red sweater + his little red rental car + our trusty canoe = [&hellip
209) Read The Teachings of Don Juan
Carlos Castaneda was an anthropology student at UCLA when he first began writing about his [&hellip
208) Learn a new hair braid
Performing this to-do was a pretty epic deal for me. I know that sounds dramatic [&hellip
207) Attend an AGO opening
Remember that crazy weekend we knocked off 13 to-do’s in 2 days? Wow, did that [&hellip
206) Eat at Paulette’s
Everyone’s been buzzing about Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken. The small, quirky take-out joint opened [&hellip
205) Pick (and drink) wildflower tea
Red Clovers are often found in the wild, grassy meadows of Europe, Asia and North [&hellip
204) Keep a book of pressed-flowers
To see a world in a grain of sand And a Heaven in a wild [&hellip
203) Identify new constellations
Sunday night while watching meteors zip across the sky, we managed to locate Hercules and [&hellip
202) Watch a meteor shower
Every time I’m up north I melt a little; some part in me just gives [&hellip
201) Hike backcountry solo
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] I’d been out alone in the bush before, [&hellip
200) Make filet mignon from beef tenderloin
2 beef tenderloins, 12 pounds in total, prepared as filet mignon, served to 25 guests [&hellip
199) Wear a kilt
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] In celebration of his sister’s “German-Italian” wedding, John [&hellip
198)Try a Paleo Diet for a week
For the last two weeks we’ve been eating like cavemen — pounding back the veggies, [&hellip
197) Drive all of Yonge Street
For those unfamiliar with the arterial routes of Southern Ontario, Yonge Street is a major [&hellip
196) Drive a dune buggy
The things I let John talk me into…. Normally I’m up for most adventures: climbing [&hellip
195) Paddle stern
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] Knowing how to paddle is one thing, but [&hellip
194) Read while drifting in a canoe
Learning some skills in mid-drift. A perfect way to pass a lazy afternoon on the [&hellip
193) Read ‘Path of the Paddle’ by Bill Mason
“….the canoe is not a lifeless, inanimate object; it feels very much alive, alive with [&hellip
192) Read all of Genesis
When I was twelve, I had the biggest crush on this older Italian boy from [&hellip
191) Dance naked in the rain
The rain! She came. She poured down tonight. Farmers across Southern Ontario are breathing deep [&hellip
190) Try Durian
In Southeast Asia, the Durian fruit is commonly called the “King of the Fruits,” a [&hellip
189) Visit Snakes & Lattes
Snakes & Lattes is a quirky concept cafe in Toronto that sits on the border [&hellip
188) Grow some sprouts
I can’t tell you how long we’ve been searching for a Chia Pet; probably since [&hellip
187) Chase a storm
Being from Southern Ontario and all, we rarely get the kind of weather to warrant [&hellip
186) Sleep a night in a hammock
Everything is hot and sticky in Toronto. Even our apartment is sweating profusely…. the walls, [&hellip
185) Start a rock collection
If there’s anything as titillating as building a burgeoning rock collection, it’s photographing a burgeoning [&hellip
184) Read ‘Shackleton’s Boat Journey’
“We had seen God in His splendors, heard the text that Nature renders. We had [&hellip
183) Hike the Bruce Trail
Dear Anyone who Reads this Blog, We’re over our halfway hump!!!! One hundred and eighty [&hellip
182) Scramble on scree
On our road trips to the Southwestern states (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, etc) Laura and [&hellip
181) Snorkel
This past weekend we made it out to Bruce Peninsula National Park with our snorkelling [&hellip
180) Read ‘Jitterbug Perfume’ by Tom Robbins
Jitterbug Perfume tells the parallel story of Priscilla, the genius waitress and aspiring perfumer, and [&hellip
179) Hang out in a graveyard
“Those who shun the whimsy of things will experience rigor mortis before death.” ― Tom Robbins [&hellip
178) Draw Fibonacci spirals
In 12th century Italy, a man known as “Fibonacci” developed a simple mathematical system, derived [&hellip
177) Build a water reservoir
Originally we had big plans to build an actual, legitimate, real life water reservoir to [&hellip
176) Eat dinner at Jim’s Restaurant
Jim’s Restaurant is an east-end greasy spoon dive that John and I have been frequenting [&hellip
175) Create a mass public art work
Confessions Underground Back in October of 2011, John and I presented at an art conference [&hellip
174) Make a team L.J flag
Sometimes couples need a little motivation, a wee reminder that they’re a team, through and [&hellip
173) Visit the Leslieville Farmers’ Market
A few years ago, we could have only dreamed of having our very own Farmers’ [&hellip
172) Watch an Elvis film
“Elvis: That’s the Way It Is.” (1970) As kids growing up in the 80’s, Elvis [&hellip
171) Juggle with three balls
Overall, I’d say I put in a good 5 hours of practicing how to jungle [&hellip
170) Make noodles from scratch
This was all John. I can’t take credit for any of it, except maybe photos [&hellip
169) Set off fireworks
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] The fear of blowing up my hand or [&hellip
168) Build an Inuksuk
With deep roots in Inuit culture, the Inuksuk was used as a navigational device to [&hellip
167) Buy a band t-shirt from a concert
Alexi Murdoch came to Toronto last Friday for a small, intimate concert at The Great [&hellip
166) Make homemade yogurt
Technically we didn’t fail this to-do, we just forgot to check our yogurt before it [&hellip
165) Harvest something from the yard
Back in March (which feels like forever ago), we planted our first herb garden. A [&hellip
164) Make butter
How to make butter the hardcore pioneer way 1) Hand-milk a cow 2) Let milk [&hellip
163) Cook on a fire rotisserie style
So far on our 365 list we’ve knocked off a number of “fire” related to-do’s: [&hellip
162) Operate a backhoe
Sunday morning / 10:30am: In the same weekend that we hand-milked a cow, drove a [&hellip
161) Have a spaghetti fight
“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” ― Mark [&hellip
160) Pluck a chicken
[Warning: this video may upset some] A recent survey in Britain revealed that 1 in [&hellip
159) GT behind a motorized vehicle
Saturday afternoon / 5:15pm: First off, sorry moms. (This was Dave’s idea.) Clearly, we assumed [&hellip
158) Wear a rope belt
Saturday afternoon / 4:30pm: Rope belts! They’re all the rage in the fashion world. Also, [&hellip
157) Filet a fish
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] Dead Stuff with Dave Meets 365 Saturday afternoon [&hellip
156) Split wood with a wood splitter
Saturday afternoon / 12:30pm: Splitting wood with a mechanized wood splitter isn’t very challenging or mentally [&hellip
155) Use a chainsaw
Saturday morning / 11:30am: After we chopped that old hickory tree to the ground, we [&hellip
154) Cut down a tree with an axe
Saturday morning / 10:30am: After our jaunt in the John Deere, we headed to John’s [&hellip
153) Drive a tractor
Saturday morning / 8:30am: After our informative hand-miking session at Steenbeek Dairy Farm, we hopped [&hellip
152) Hand milk a cow
Friday was a chaotic day for us. After work we just wanted to go somewhere [&hellip
151) Write a jingle together
Most people don’t know this about me, but I’m an exceptional bad jingle writer. This [&hellip
150) Drive around a Great Lake
Throughout our years together we’ve gone on a number of epic road trips: we’ve driven [&hellip
149) Visit the Heidelberg Project
“My job as an artist is to come up with solutions….” -Tyree Guyton (Artist and [&hellip
148) Visit Chicago
After only two days of running around Chicago, we’ve decided it’s our new favourite city. [&hellip
147) Visit a Chicago jazz bar
For a little over a year, John and I ran a small jazz series from [&hellip
146) Leave a lock on a bridge
On bridges across the globe from Paris to New York to Rome, personalized love locks [&hellip
145) Visit the Chicago Art Institute
Another must-see art museum on our list, for all sorts of reasons, but mostly for [&hellip
144) Visit the Toledo Museum of art
Despite recent pockets of development and a semi-burgeoning arts district, Toledo Ohio is still very [&hellip
143) Write on a bathroom stall door
For the last two months I’ve been carrying around a Sharpie in my purse, waiting [&hellip
142) Visit the Albright Knox gallery
So John and I, being the crafty multi-taskers that we are, took off on a [&hellip
141) Read all of Revelation
Revelation is a chapter in the bible that wasn’t taught much when I (John here) [&hellip
140) Bake a giant cookie
It’s just one of those things I’ve always wanted to do but never have because [&hellip
139) Cook a meal in an earth oven
This half-worked, half-failed. Next time we attempt it, we’ll dig a bigger hole and add [&hellip
137) Visit Montreal’s Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium, the world’s tallest slanted structure and stadium. Built for Montreal’s 1976 Summer Olympic [&hellip
136) Learn a sleight of hand magic trick
This is not a how-to video. This is just us on a patio showing off [&hellip
135) Make a candle
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] Sometimes when John’s out for the night, I [&hellip
134) Graffiti tag something
This to-do was a complete bust. I don’t want to write about it. I don’t [&hellip
133) Try kangaroo
For me, the thought of eating kangaroo was as absurd a thought as eating monkey [&hellip
132) Send a message in a bottle
Full disclosure: This to-do is a shameless publicity stunt for our upcoming art commission, Confessions [&hellip
131) Buy a Degrassi High box-set
Before there was 90201 or Saved by the Bell or any other American melodramatic teen [&hellip
130) Eat a candy apple
I really can’t stand snappy people snapping their annoying little fingers at service people. I [&hellip
129) Make butter chicken
I don’t think I’ve ever made anything with this many steps in it. I’m sure [&hellip
128) Make a mango kiwi smoothie
Kiwi, mango & banana: three singularly delicious fruits. For sure a kiwi-mango-banana smoothie would taste [&hellip
127) Wear all natural deodorant
Aluminum free, GMO-free, bamboo, vegan deodorant with immune supplements! We’re turning into a fine pair [&hellip
126) Play checkers in the park
Originally I had envisioned us playing checkers with a little old man at one of [&hellip
125) Stalk a stranger
Meet Gracie and Chad (note: these are only pretend names). Gracie and Chad have been [&hellip
124) Braid a grass necklace
This necklace is dedicated to all the hippie chicks in my high-school who used to [&hellip
122) Climb a 5.11
[The following is a designated ‘John-only’ to-do] A quick lesson on climbing: The “grade” or [&hellip
121) Build an exploding volcano
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] How many artists does it take to make [&hellip
120) Curate a street festival
After 8 months of hair-pulling, conference calls, admin-ing and creative visioning, we’re ready to roll…. [&hellip
118) Drink Grappa
Greek Grappa (Tsipouro) is a strong distilled spirit containing approximately 45 percent alcohol, normally consumed [&hellip
117) Make sweet potato bread
Things you may not know about us: 1) We love sweet potatoes 2) Laura spills [&hellip
116) Watch “Cave of forgotten dreams” by Werner Herzog
At this point I think we should just throw out our movie to-do’s altogether cause well…we’re [&hellip
115) Guerrilla garden
Some days to-do’s just fall in your lap…. Yesterday John and I were out for [&hellip
113) Go commando for a weekend
Apparently in the jungle it is recommended to go without socks and underwear in order [&hellip
111) Camp outside the temperate zone
The Inca Trail gave us the opportunity to camp on some of the most spectacular [&hellip
110) Eat a traditional South American meal
[Hurrah! Our pictures have been saved. Sorry for the delay. John’s laptop is now up [&hellip
109) Feed a Lama
Before this week, I’d never met a lama. We don’t have many lamas in Toronto. [&hellip
108) Catch a butterfly (then let it go)
Along the Inca Trail alone there are close to 4000 varieties of butterflies. We managed [&hellip
107) Learn to knit
When I was younger my mother use to draw. She was an exceptional drawer; portraits [&hellip
106) Hike in the jungle
We’ve just landed in the city of Lima, after a week of being incommunicado in [&hellip
104) Paddle a traditional canoe
The best way to see wildlife in the Amazon is perched in canoe. Every day, [&hellip
103) Make a paddle
Technically, we didn’t make this remarkable Amazonia paddle. I wish we had, but it would [&hellip
102) Hike in a cloud
On the third day of our hike along the Inca Trail, having ascended over 12,000 [&hellip
101) Hike above 10,000 feet
In an instant, life changes. One moment you’re on a path and everything makes sense, [&hellip
100) Visit Machu Picchu
Our 100th to-do! We’ve been waiting for this one for five years. I’ll let the [&hellip
99) Ride on a rickshaw
As I feared (and half-expected), my lost luggage won’t be arriving here in time for [&hellip
98) Try a ridiculous cold remedy
Nothing sucks more than waking up with a head cold the day you have to [&hellip
97) Travel to South America
We did it. We’re here in Peru. We’ve been talking about this trip for about [&hellip
96) Make out on the bleachers
What a weekend. We’re spent. Exhausted. Can barely type. Resorting to short sentences. Eyelids closing….. [&hellip
95) Ring an old church bell
This was one of the highlights of my weekend Thanks to big brother Dave for [&hellip
93) Have a couples sleepover
Impromptu couples sleepover party with John, his sister Liz, and Emmanuel
92) Calculate our bodyweight in stones
Admittedly, this is a ridiculous to-do…. Have you ever watched that show….that hilariously alarming British [&hellip
91) Try goat cheesecake
Yes, yes, I know… we’re getting behind in posting our to-do’s. We’ve done them. It’s [&hellip
90) Climb lead
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] As far as climbing goes, I’m really just [&hellip
89) Throw a surprise birthday party
The thing I really love about this crazy project of ours (which, I’ll admit, is [&hellip
88) Visit Toronto’s Fort York
If you’ve never been to Fork York (home to Canada’s largest collection of original War [&hellip
87) Make a tilt shift photo
Last night we found ourselves at Yonge & Dundas square (i.e. Toronto’s modestly modest version [&hellip
86) Try to slackline
Tightrope walking has been around for thousands of years. Slacklining, on the other hand, is [&hellip
85) Try grapeless wine
Try, we did. The whole bottle. It was blueberry sweet. Very sweet. Then we bounced [&hellip
84) Make a playlist of accordion songs
Today we finally put together that accordion playlist we’ve been meaning to do for over [&hellip
83) Buy a rare book
“The canoe…the most beautiful and functional craft ever created.” – Bill Mason Bill Mason – the [&hellip
82) Make homemade orange juice
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] If you think your store-bought “100% pure OJ” [&hellip
81) Do a wheat grass shot
Loaded with enzymes, amino acids and healthy minerals, wheat grass shots are to health nuts [&hellip
80) Make a tree-swing somewhere
Swing at your own risk. (Leslie Spit, Toronto) More Spit Love here. and here
79) Wear full body underwear
The union suit is a classic garment: simple, basic, comfortable and functional (…you can’t get [&hellip
78) Make a birch bark cup
The birch tree is one of my favourite trees; up there with the mighty Sequoia, [&hellip
77) Run a river together
To prepare for our first full-length river paddle together, we consulted our newly purchased “Top [&hellip
76) Make a sea-shell necklace
Ok, so technically these aren’t shells from the sea; they’re snail shells, and we found [&hellip
75) Identify animal tracks
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] I picture an ideal version of myself: someone [&hellip
74) Identify a new bird
During our 3-day canoe trip down the Saugeen River, we encountered a staggering number of [&hellip
73) Modify a piece of gear
If you’ve been following our posts or you know us personally, you’ll know that we’re [&hellip
72) Bike to Etobicoke
Yesterday, as part of our tip-top training regime and to pick-up a yoke for our [&hellip
70) Drink Ovaltine
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] Somewhere along its 108-year history, Ovaltine lost its [&hellip
69) Learn to tie new knots
Knowing how to properly string a tarp, tie off a canoe, or hang your food [&hellip
68) Go curling!
[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] A week ago I received an invite from [&hellip
67) Make yogurt popsicles
If not for the tiny ice shards, I’d say our yogurt pops turned out tart [&hellip
66) Make a protein shake
Having just returned from a rigorous couple’s workout sesh (short form for session in aerobics [&hellip
65) Carve J + L = Love in something
Before I go on to tell the story of how we professed our undying love [&hellip
64) Kiss on a bridge in the sunset
Crossing over the Don River and the Don Valley Expressway is the Queen Street Bridge, [&hellip
63) Camp in Spring Thaw
“Thaw with her gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor with his hammer. The one [&hellip
62) Finish ‘The Long Journey home’ by Edward Abbey
We’ve carried this book around for a year not wanting to finish, not wanting the [&hellip
61) Make bannock bread
Water, flour, baking powder, butter. That’s all it takes to make this simple and delicious [&hellip
60) Cook with a “tripod” over the fire
Cooking over a fire without a grill can be difficult. But if you have three [&hellip
59) Start fire with flint & tinder
Thanks to our trusty char cloth we made last week, we managed to light all [&hellip
58) Buy a pair of wool socks
[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] I am very proud of John, he finally [&hellip
57) Build a fountain for the backyard
Springtime seduced us this week with her sunshine and abnormally balmy weather, causing us to [&hellip
56) Make char cloth
We’re heading north this weekend for our first canoe trip of the season. The weather [&hellip
55) Make our own paper
Last night we spent a quiet evening making our first batch of homemade paper from [&hellip
54) Eat at the CN Tower restaurant
On Friday night we went out to 360 Restaurant with John’s sister Liz and her fiancé Emmanuel [&hellip
53) Eat tripe
Let it be known that this to-do was another one of John’s crazy picks. Personally [&hellip
52) Try Romanesco
Galaxies, black holes, flowers, pine cones, sea shells, tree rings, cyclones, you can find spirals [&hellip
51) Try Cherimoya
The cherimoya is a sweet, succulent, subtropical fruit rumoured to be the tastiest fruit on [&hellip
50) Drink wine at a movie theatre
If you’re looking to drink an entire bottle of wine in a movie theatre and [&hellip
49) Visit Allan Gardens
Today we discovered our new favourite place in the city. Many books will be devoured [&hellip
48) Organize our loose change
A boy and a girl walk into a bank carrying a large, suspicious cylinder of [&hellip
47) Kiss upsidedown like Spiderman
Nimbly and awkwardly, against the pale moonlight of a cool, winter night, he hangs silently [&hellip
46) Shuck an oyster
I’ll be honest, I don’t like oysters. I know they’re considered classy cuisine, but seriously, [&hellip
45) Get a pedicure
Tonight we took our battered soles to Timeless Nails & Spa in Leslieville for our [&hellip
43) Smoke a cuban cigar
Friday Night: A Friday night in Toronto, and we had options. We could have attended [&hellip
41) Watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
The last time we tried to cross off one of our “movie” to-do’s, John passed [&hellip
40) Drink a Root Beer float
So we’re back in Toronto after a whirlwind trip to Belize. Despite American Airlines completely [&hellip
39) Go Caving
After an hour drive from the village of San Ignacio through orange groves and Ceiba [&hellip
37) Skinny dip in the sea
This morning we caught the sunrise for a quick dip in the buff. Another first
36) Kayak in the sea
For the last stretch of our time here in Belize, we’ve been taking it easy [&hellip
35) Ride a catamaran
Catamarans are a beautiful thing. My admiration for these boats is rooted in their aesthetically [&hellip
34) Lounge on a tropical beach
We’ve be going and going this past week: exploring caves, jungles, waterfalls, coral reefs and [&hellip
33) Shower in a waterfall
We heard from a local that hidden inside the escarpment of the Pine Ridge Forest [&hellip
32) Hang out in a tree house
Who remembers the 1960’s Disney film Swiss Family Robinson? I adored that movie as a [&hellip
31) Canoe through a cave
With ancient sites scattered throughout the region, Belize is recognized as the centre of the [&hellip
30) Drink water from a coconut
Coconut water is simply the best. I am actually mildly addicted to the stuff back [&hellip
29) Visit Belize
Salutations from Belize! I am writing this post from a little beach cabana about 20 [&hellip
28) Go inside Toronto’s Flatiron Building
Tomorrow morning John and I fly out to Belize to celebrate our 7-year anniversary. We’ll [&hellip
27) Try deep-fried ice cream
Deep-fried ice cream should be served everywhere, at every restaurant, and off every ice cream [&hellip
26) Buy high-quality green tea
“Tea is a cup of life.” – Chinese Proverb I want us to live long, [&hellip
25) Bake a cake for someone
This past weekend we baked a cake (our first cake ever) in honour of my [&hellip
24) Do a beer tasting
Bearded guys, short guys, young guys, old guys, guys of all shapes and colours, and [&hellip
23) Make a mobile
Perhaps it’s the dancer in me that is fascinated by mobiles. I can somehow stare [&hellip
22) Camp out in our backyard
It’s an abnormally balmy February morning in Toronto. The sweet smell of mud, the damp [&hellip
21) String backyard lights
Last night we pitched our new tent in our muddy backyard, strung up lights, and [&hellip
20) Cook smore’s on the bbq
Last night we pitched our new tent in our muddy backyard, strung up lights, and [&hellip
19) Make shelves for the bedroom
Tonight John and I cut up some triangles with the left over wood from last [&hellip
18) Trim my nose hairs
[The following is a designated ‘John-only’ to-do] On Friday my “Groom Mate Platinum XL Nose [&hellip
17) Try out trapezing
5 Tips for Trapeze Amateurs 1. When you’re flying through the air, upside down, on [&hellip
16) Do a cheese tasting
There seems to be a running theme this week with our to-do list: it starts [&hellip
15) Go on an opera date
If you’re under the age of 30 and looking to explore your sophisticated side, you’ll [&hellip
14) Visit the Four Season’s Centre for the Performing Arts
To read about our date night at the opera, click here. Otherwise, check out the [&hellip
13) Make our own hummus
Hummus is the best. It’s quick, easy, high in protein, low in fat and loaded [&hellip
12) Tie a Windsor Knot
The Windsor Knot is a thick, wide and triangular tie knot commonly seen on business [&hellip
11) Celebrate the Chinese New Year
Happy Chinese New Year Everyone! Today marks the dawn of the Year of the Dragon, [&hellip
10) Organize our closet
According to old Chinese custom, New Year’s eve is an ideal time to clean your [&hellip
9) Make a paper crane
I fondly remember as a kid reading the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper [&hellip
8) Eat out at Poutini’s
Last night was suppose to be the night of our first ever trapeze class. We [&hellip
7) Mix a sex on the beach
Last night we headed out for a mingling event at “Art & Drinks” on the [&hellip
6) Make real hot chocolate
Last night John and I checked off a relatively easy to-do on our list of [&hellip
5) Hand write a letter to mom
Yesterday evening we took some time to hand write and mail letters to our moms. [&hellip
4) Light a match with our teeth
Today we joined the ranks of the cinematic badasses out there and learned how to [&hellip
3) Watch Bonnie & Clyde (1967)
Last night was apparently the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards. I discovered this factoid through [&hellip
2) Make green eggs & ham
This morning John and I woke up, drank some coffee and scanned through our list [&hellip
1) Finish a list of 365 things we’d like to do
Today we completed our big bad mother of all to-do lists. 365 to-do items for [&hellip
Share us
About The Project
Duration: Jan 14, 2012 - Jan 13, 2013
Hi there. We’re John & Laura, a curious and mild-mannered Canadian couple, living, working and making things together, mostly in Toronto.
Here you’ll find a public archive of our 365 day challenge. We've got till Jan 13, 2013, to complete 365 things we’ve always wanted to do. ...MORE
Our Fav Posts
4) Light a match with our teeth
80) Make a tree-swing somewhere
159) GT behind a motorized vehicle
299) Finish Days that End in Y project
Project Status:
Recent Updates
- 365) Start a blog
- 364) Climb with an ice axe
- 363) Get a pleasure craft operator card
- 362) Make a photo scrapbook
- 361) Get our portrait drawn
Categories
- *Completed To Do's (365)
- Adventure (48)
- Books (12)
- Education/Certification (5)
- Everyday (19)
- Films (12)
- Food & Drink (68)
- Health/Wellness (14)
- John Only (13)
- Just for Fun (54)
- Laura Only (11)
- Make Something (51)
- Purchase (9)
- Special Skill (31)
- Toronto Tourist (24)
- Travel (18)
