The latest issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray appeared on the table of the abbey coffee corner, and although I don't watch her shows, I do like her recipes. So I leafed through the magazine this morning over coffee. There were some good looking side dishes and a year's worth of chocolate dessert recipes, but what really intrigued me was the article on developing a Bucket List, that is, a list of things you want to do before you "kick the bucket." (The idea comes from the movie of the same name--you can find Rachael's Bucket List here). I've had such a list for quite some time, which I refer to as my "Life Goals" and occasionally I try to get my students to write one out as well.
I've managed to check off quite a few in the last 50 years. Write and publish a play? Check! Have my own TV show? Check! Make the syrup and the pancakes come out exactly even without having to pour more or enduring a soggy last bite? Check, with pancakes, French Toast, and waffles! Also among my other completed Life Goals: I have played a pinball machine for so long on a single ball that the computer in the machine thought something was wrong, turn itself off and ran a self-check. I actually didn't know that was a life goal until I had actually accomplished it. But I still have quite a few to complete, including:
--Be a guest on NPR's Splendid Table and make the host Lynn Rosetta Kasper laugh (she has a great "radio" laugh).
--Visit the factory where they make Brach's Maple Nut Goodies and eat them warm, straight off the line.
--Have a YouTube video (one that isn't embarassing!) that goes viral.
--learn to make great pie crust, every time
--Expand my repertoire of breakfast breads to include more yeasted coffee cakes.
--Make at least ONE recipe out of every ten that I repin on Pinterest.
--Adapt my Grandma Garramone's cinnamon roll recipe (she wrote it out herself and I think the amount of flour is too small) and make her Shortcut Kringle more often.
This last one on the list (which is somewhat more expansive than what you see here) prompts me to make a point about life goals, bucket lists and resolutions in general Experts tell us that to acheive goals successfully, the goals themselves have to be realistic, specific and measurable. No point in my saying, "I'll make her Kringle once a week," because once rehearsals for the musical start, I may not have a spare night for weeks on end, and the aforementioned "more often" is too vague. Better to say "I'll bake Grandma's Kringle for two special occasions this year"---realistic, specific, measurable.
One last thing for this year: get at least 1000 followers on Twitter. Yes, I've gone over to the dark side and started tweeting, mostly just to keep my publisher happy since he mentions it in nearly every phone conversation we have. It's certainly true that most people in media use it a lot. We'll see what happens: @FrDomGarramone, if you're interested. I'll certainly tweet every time I have a new blog post or test a new recipe, but I promise you: no tweets about what I just ate unless it's a mini restaurant review or an invite to join me for supper!
I've managed to check off quite a few in the last 50 years. Write and publish a play? Check! Have my own TV show? Check! Make the syrup and the pancakes come out exactly even without having to pour more or enduring a soggy last bite? Check, with pancakes, French Toast, and waffles! Also among my other completed Life Goals: I have played a pinball machine for so long on a single ball that the computer in the machine thought something was wrong, turn itself off and ran a self-check. I actually didn't know that was a life goal until I had actually accomplished it. But I still have quite a few to complete, including:
--Be a guest on NPR's Splendid Table and make the host Lynn Rosetta Kasper laugh (she has a great "radio" laugh).
--Visit the factory where they make Brach's Maple Nut Goodies and eat them warm, straight off the line.
--Have a YouTube video (one that isn't embarassing!) that goes viral.
--learn to make great pie crust, every time
--Expand my repertoire of breakfast breads to include more yeasted coffee cakes.
--Make at least ONE recipe out of every ten that I repin on Pinterest.
--Adapt my Grandma Garramone's cinnamon roll recipe (she wrote it out herself and I think the amount of flour is too small) and make her Shortcut Kringle more often.
This last one on the list (which is somewhat more expansive than what you see here) prompts me to make a point about life goals, bucket lists and resolutions in general Experts tell us that to acheive goals successfully, the goals themselves have to be realistic, specific and measurable. No point in my saying, "I'll make her Kringle once a week," because once rehearsals for the musical start, I may not have a spare night for weeks on end, and the aforementioned "more often" is too vague. Better to say "I'll bake Grandma's Kringle for two special occasions this year"---realistic, specific, measurable.
One last thing for this year: get at least 1000 followers on Twitter. Yes, I've gone over to the dark side and started tweeting, mostly just to keep my publisher happy since he mentions it in nearly every phone conversation we have. It's certainly true that most people in media use it a lot. We'll see what happens: @FrDomGarramone, if you're interested. I'll certainly tweet every time I have a new blog post or test a new recipe, but I promise you: no tweets about what I just ate unless it's a mini restaurant review or an invite to join me for supper!
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