My Bucket List

So by now, I would assume--or at the very least hope--that you are all now familiar with my new project, my second blog, Where the Magic Happens. It's been 26 days since I started this project (I know because I've been keeping track), and while I haven't crossed many tasks off of my list, I am happy with the slow and steady progress I've been making. (Fun fact: I may be able to cross off Task #6 by the end of the month!)

In my first ever post on that blog, I made reference to my bucket list. After uploading, however, I realized that I didn't currently have a physical bucket list. While it's true that I've written at least half a dozen different bucket lists over the years, I realized that I hadn't made one in a while. That paired with a few bucket list-themed YouTube videos I happened to watch recently inspired me to sit down and make my own.

So here, in no particular order, right off the top of my head (or, okay, created over the course of my commute to work), my bucket list:

1. GO ON THE GREAT CANADIAN ROAD TRIP

So here's the dealio: I love long car rides. Part of the reason I'm able to tolerate my often hour+ commute to work (and back) every day is because I genuinely love being able to zone out at the back of the bus and just watch the world go by, allowing my mind to wander.

Despite this, I have never been on a proper road trip. Ever. Longest car ride I've taken (that I remember) was the six hour drive to Regina, Saskatchewan--and when you're driving straight through, it doesn't really count.

I want to go on what I imagine to be the Great Canadian Road Trip. I want to drive from one end of the country to the other, coast to coast, stopping along the way at any site I see fit. I want to jam out to my favourite country playlists, to camp out in tents and sleeping bags, to take a million pictures along the way and stop at every McDonald's I can to update the internet on my adventures. I won't be able to zone out if I'm the one driving, of course, but it'd still be fun.

2. BACKPACK ACROSS EUROPE

It may seem overdone, or cliched, or completely unoriginal, because let's face it: half the world must have this same item on their bucket list. But there are so many places I want to go in Europe, so wouldn't this be the best--and probably cheapest--way to do it? I want to go to London, to Dublin, to Rome. I want to visit France for a second time, and go to Greece and Spain and every other country I possibly can.

Besides: backpacking sounds kinda fun.

3. QUIT MY DAY JOB

It's no secret that I want to make a living off of my writing. (Look at what blog you're reading. For real.) And Lord knows there are a million OTHER things I want to do, as well. Someday, I just want to be able to make a living for myself doing what I love, without having to have some pesky little part time job taking up time that I could be using towards what the projects that I love so very much.

4. GO TO JAPAN

I've wanted to do this since ninth grade, easy. There's really not much else to it.

5. GO TO AUSTRALIA

I had a conversation with someone a while back (I can't remember who it was...might've been a coworker), and we were discussing the idea of travelling to Australia. Neither of us knew why we wanted to go--it just seemed like a cool place to go.

Again, really not much else to it.

6. GO SEE LIVE WITH KELLY AND MICHAEL..LIVE

Something you may not know about me is that I am a talk show junkie, my favourite being Live! with Kelly and Michael. (Could it be because it's the only one that I'm able to watch almost every day? Maybe. But I still love it.) It's filmed live in New York, and being able to go watch the show live would be INCREDIBLE.

Plus, I want to go see New York anyway, so I'm just killing two birds with one stone.

7. GO TO DISNEYLAND

I almost added Disney World onto this list, but I decided to go a different route and add Disneyland, instead. While I most definitely want to (and will) go back to Disney World in the future, I also want to visit the opposite side of the US and check out Disneyland. It may be smaller than its Florida counterpart, but it's still something I'd like to see.

8. MEET TERRI HAWKES

In the past, I've already touched on my deep love for Sailor Moon and what the show means to me as a human being. In fact, I've already gotten the chance to meet many of the original dubbed voice actors last year. But the one person I didn't get to meet was Terri Hawkes.

Terri Hawkes was the second voice actress hired to play the role of Sailor Moon / Serena in the English dubbed version of the show, back in the 90's. She was hired part way through the first season, and stayed on for the role for the remainder of the first season, the entirety of the second season, and all three movies. (She was replaced by Linda Ballantyne, whom I got to meet last March, for the third and fourth seasons.)

While she wasn't the first, nor the last, or even the person who held the role the longest...to me, she is Sailor Moon. Her voice is the voice I hear in my mind whenever I think of the character, the show, and what it means to me. And all I want is the chance to meet her, if only for a moment. It would literally--literally--make my life.

9. MEET SARAH DESSEN

Sarah Dessen has been my favourite author since middle school. I've read all of her books, own most of them, and her 2004 novel The Truth About Forever is my all-time favourite book--I've read it a whopping 14 times. (At least. I only the counted the times that I remember specifically--in all likihood, I've probably read it more.) Her books have inspired and influenced my writing more than any others--she is my idol and everything I aspire for.

Meeting her would probably involve a trip to the United States, as she very very rarely travels to Canada for her book tours. (She did once, but only went to Toronto, as I have grown to expect of my American idols.) But I honestly believe it'd be worth it.

10. TRAVEL TO BIGGER CONVENTIONS

I'm no stranger to conventions--I've gone to Ai-kon twice in past years and the Winnipeg Comic Con once, as well as a couple different smaller ones held over the last few years. However, all of these have been in Winnipeg--which makes sense, because it was the closest city that actually held any conventions at all. But someday, I'd want to be able to make the trek to places like California so I can attend Vid Con and the San Diego Comic Con. I've spent years seeing updates from people on Tumblr and Twitter and YouTube who have been lucky enough to attend these events, and gosh darnit, I WANT TO GO, TOO. I want to have my chance to make the people of the internet jealous!


Odds are, the things on this list will change. Things will get added and altered as time goes on, until eventually, I cave and make a whole new list entirely. But for now, this is it.

What's on your bucket list?


Until later,

- Justyne