The Edison Project 2017 List
[Items highlighted red represents a completed item]
1
Make A Song
2
Past Life Regression
3
Visit one of the home nations
4
Learn to play a musical instrument
5
Create and sell a piece of art
6
Design and sell an item of clothing
7
Join a gym and bulk up
8
Visit one of the seven wonders of the world
9
Visit a random city abroad and take a stranger for a meal
10
 Climb a Ben Nevis, Mount Snowden or Scafell Pike
11
Take part in a running event
12
Surf a wave
13
Go scuba diving with sharks
15
Experience Rio Carnival in Brazil
16
Learn to dance
17
Experience the Northern Lights
18
Fly a plane
19
See the cherry blossom in Japan
20
Watch a sumo wrestling fight in Japan
21
Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway
22
Couch surf
23
Learn to sail
24
Get married
29
Sleep outside beneath the stars
30
Eat in San Sebastian
31
Go to Burning Man
32
Go to a football World Cup
33
Have a photo with a Hollywood star
34
Swim with dolphins
35
Take part in a TV show
36
Go speed dating
37
Stay in a bungalow in Bora Bora
38
Visit every continent
39
Experience Oktoberfest
40
Experience a bull fight
45
Visit a vineyard in France
46
Drink a cup of coffee in Milan
47
Buy a tailored suit
49
Shave my hair off
50
See the Pittsburgh Steelers live
51
Watch a space shuttle/rocket launch
52
Send a message in a bottle
53
Spend a day saying yes
54
Learn to make a signature cocktail
55
Abseil down a tall building
56
Cut down a tree with an axe
57
Sleep in a tree
58
See whales in the wild
59
Sleep in a castle
60
Build an igloo
61
Visit a Buddhist monastery
62
Visit five temples in Cambodia
63
Start a fire on a beach
64
Go horse riding
65
Visit Auswitz
66
Stay in a ice hotel
67
Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans
68
See the Tour de France
69
Learn a magic trick
70
Fly to a random location in Europe and work my way home
72
Take part in a flash mob
73
Learn to juggle four balls
74
Create a tie-dye piece of attire
75
Visit Fussen
76
Visit the Lake District
77
Eat frog legs
78
Go paddle boarding
79
Visit at least one national park
81
Be completely honest on social media for a whole day
84
Reach out to an old friend
85
Sleep in a lighthouse
86
Watch speeches at Hyde Park Corner
89
Go on the St Albans Cathedral Tower Tour
91
Visit all the local pubs in Welwyn Garden City
92
Visit the London Aquarium
94
No internet connection for a whole weekend
95
Visit St Paul’s Cathedral
96
Visit the capital of each county
97
Walk every street in Welwyn Garden City
98
Walk home from work
99
Buy a house with a garden
100
Get someone else to start a list
 Blog Posts
Birth Takes Longer Than Five Minutes
It is over six months since my last blog post in the ‘Playing Dad’ series. I talked about how no parent can fully prepare for welcoming a baby into the world. I believe this statement is most applicable when it comes to the actual birth, especially if it is your first child. Books, classes, birthing plans and tours of the maternity ward only go a certain distance in preparing you for what awaits. I hope by sharing my experience, it can go some way to preparing others for this life event.
Santiago Bernabeau Stadium – One Of The Greatest Stadiums In The World
The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium has a capacity of 81,044, making it one of the largest football stadiums in the world. It is also host to Real Madrid, the most successful football team in the world. Item #14 on The Edison Project is to watch a football match in the Nou Camp, Bernabeu, San Siro, and Maracana.
Yoga Is Not For The Flexible. It Is For The Willing
It is rare for me to tick off multiple items on the same day, but that is exactly what I achieved back in August. Item #82 – Try Yoga and Item #93 – Visit the Sky Garden. I guess I should provide some context to each of these items.
I Believe That Ballet Chooses You
In a recent post I referenced lavender and the fact some of my future pursuits as part of The Edison Project would be pretty effeminate. As you have probably guessed from the post title, this experience involves ballet. And no, it does not involve me donning a tutu, but more so being a spectator. Item #42 – Go to a ballet.
Different Roads Sometimes Lead To The Same Castle
There are over 800 indexed castles in the UK, but only 300 classified by the presence of a substantial structure. In others words, 300 that possess some type of identifiable feature, a turret, a gatehouse, a castle wall etc. My ultimate aim is to visit everyone of these, but at the current rate, I am well on course to fall significantly short of that target. Item #83 on the list is to visit a new castle in the UK.
Stop And Smell The Lavender
Lavender. I bet you did not expect me to be writing about lavender. The effeminate nature of my blog posts will become more prominent in the coming days with items involving ballet and yoga also completed within the year. I guess it is lucky I am not sexist or particularly concerned as to what others think of my pursuits.
Explore And Eat More…Especially On Your Doorstep
Explore and eat more is a simple philosophy, but one that is often overlooked. I grew up in a small village called Brookmans Park, which happens to have several restaurants. Despite growing up in the village, I had only visited a handful of the present restaurants, favoring those further afield. Being a creature of habit was something I wanted to break free from through The Edison Project, thus Item #48 was to try every restaurant in my village.
Boxing – When A Loss Is A Victory
This is one item on my list that I will tell my grandchildren about in years to come. It really was a great experience. I must admit I cannot say if I would feel the same if the fight was not such a big event, but in any case, it has motivated me to watch more boxing whether that be in person or in front of a television screen. Who knows, maybe one day I will go a step further and step into the ring itself.
I Am No Cook, But I Can Follow Directions
I am no cook but I can follow directions. This sums up my cooking ability to a tee. Since moving out I have gradually become more adventurous in the kitchen and even started experimenting with some of my favourite dishes to make them my own. In…
Visit Berlin. Love It. Ich Bin Ein Berliner
My plan was not to wait so long between posts. That obviously did not go to plan. I previously hinted I was writing whilst on a flight to tick off another item from The Edison Project list. That trip kind of went to plan, but I have since completed a number of other items from the list between blog posts. My ability to keep up with the blogging is severely lagging.
My Edison Project 2017 – The 100 List
It is better late than never. That is the best way to describe this post. The Edison Project is now in its fourth year, and on every previous cycle, this post would have been published in early January. The reason for the delay was purely down to my limited development skills.
Vegetarianism Is Not Just For Hippies
The opportunity to be more active with my blog has been challenging with the arrival of Isla and numerous other commitments. At the same time progress on this year’s list has got off to a slow start with only one item completed in the first three months of the year. In January I decided to attempt an item on my list that was inspired by a friend. Their suggestion was to attempt a vegan diet for one month.