the list of 9 for december 29, 2005:
NINE ORDINARY THINGS I DID FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2005
As another "year-end list," I decided to get personal as I sometimes do and share with you theunremarkable things that I did for the very first time in 2005. As I am 35 at year's end, you maybe slightly shocked that I took so long to get around to doing a few of these things. (I've done alot of other things for the first time in 2005, but they're a little more esoteric - going to acountry club, eating a funnel cake, visiting Hollywood's Magic Castle, etc. - and I don't expectanyone reading this to consider them everyday experiences for most people.)
- GOT MARRIED. The biggie! And okay, not everybody getsmarried, but even diehard bachelors will admit that it's a pretty normal event for most people.
- LIVED WITH ROMANTIC PARTNER. You could group this in withthe previous entry, as I didn't live with my romantic partner (Miki) until I married her. Still,for most liberal-minded Americans my age, it's unusual not to have lived with a romanticpartner by the age of 35.
- GOT DRUNK. This may be the most surprising thing for mostreaders, but I never, ever got drunk until this year. (In fact, to shock you even more, Ididn't drink alcohol at all until Thanksgiving 2003. No special reason why I put it off;just never felt like doing it.) But in February I settled down with Miki to watch the Oscars, andconsumed a tasty but ultimately vile champagne punch in the process. The world started spinning asthough I'd just stepped off a nasty amusement park ride, and I felt ill the entire next day. Itwas not a "fun drunk" and this is not something I'd ever choose to experience again.
- SMOKED SOMETHING. I suppose it's no great revelation that,for someone who avoided alcohol until he was 33, I never smoked anything either. But last March,while Miki and I visited a friend in Scottsdale, I did partake of his treasured hookah pipe. Thehookah is probably the mildest thing in the world that one can smoke. I suppose I'd do it again,though I wouldn't want to make a habit of it.
- BLOGGED. Admittedly, not everybody blogs - which isprobably a good thing, as too many people indulge in this pointless waste of time as it is. Asof last May, I became one of those people. (For the record, I'm not referring to this site'sUpdates page but to a blog I keep elsewhere that is only semi-public.)
- LOST SOMETHING WORTH MORE THAN $100. During our honeymoon in Hawaii, my prescription sunglasses fell into the sea when a wave knocked over my kayak. Never to be seen again. I guess I'm really lucky that these sunglasses were the first expensive thing I've ever truly lost. My first car dying on the highway doesn't count.
- WORE JEWELRY. Naturally I'm referring to my wedding ring.And okay, I know many guys who have never worn jewelry. But it's not that common, especially formarrieds.
- RENTED A U-HAUL. Almost everybody who's ever moved has hadto rent a moving truck of some sort, usually from U-Haul. For years I managed to get all my junkcarted around thanks to the kindness of friends and family. This time, no such luck. (Thoughtechnically I did pay for a U-Haul when shooting my film Claustrophobia, since I needed itto transport the props and furniture for the film. But I never actually drove or even sat in it.)
- RODE IN A HOT AIR BALLOON. While admitting that riding ina hot air balloon (where Miki and I got married) is not a typical experience for most, it's stilla unique, enjoyable thing to do that I recommend everybody try at least once. This wedding thingsure took care of a lot of "firsts" for me! Probably why I'm not going to make this an annual list:Sadly, the older you get, the fewer "firsts" you have in life. Though I suppose it's a worthy goal foreach of us to try to do at least nine new things every year. Even if it's just trying a certaincuisine for the first time, or visiting a new city, or, well, getting married.
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