Sweet
The Chewy Freeze. 
I have talked about my love of gum before here. People that know me well are aware of this affinity and for Christmas this year I received a case of a new minty fresh type that I was particularly appreciative of. I try to pay attention to little things that I come across on a day-to-day basis that are particularly sweet and add a bit of awesome to an otherwise ho-hum day. This happened on Saturday as I was chewing a piece of gum and grabbed the cup in the console and tossed in a few pieces of ice. I hadn’t done it in a while but I love chewing gum and ice together. This was exactly one of those sweet things that I like to earmark and remember. It wasn’t just any ice either, which is what made it even better. It was that tiny pellet ice that you remember from concession stands at little league. I think we can all agree that pellet ice is the best ice ever. That ice chews up perfectly and combined with gum that gets partially frozen and hard is totally sweet.
Weak
It May not be a Marathon, But I did Run an Errand Once. 
Last week I read this great blog post by Maggie. Since then I have had the “bucket list” concept come up several other times. A friend of mine is playing The Old Course at St. Andrews today and my grandmother flew in a sail plane a few months ago. People are climbing mountains and starting non-profits and catching salmon with their bare hands. My recent triumph was finally getting a few days of old gym clothes out of my trunk and into the laundry, gross I know. Thinking about all of the amazing experiences this world has to offer sometimes makes me feel small. I don’t worry though that my bucket list may have a leak or even that no formal list has been made. I may never take up falconry on the weekends or spend the night in an igloo, but I do have goals. Goals that are achievable (I think) and goals that would make my life better. It may not be enough to fill a whole bucket but from a guy trying to be the best husband and dad he can be, here are a few excerpts from my teaspoon list.
1. Get rid of the two dirt spots in the front lawn.
2. Break down all those boxes in the garage and take them to the recycling place.
3. Play an entire game of football on the X Box just like before kids.
4. Start the day with something other than profanity when the alarm goes off at 5:30.
5. Learn some kind of basic “in case of emergency” hair styling strategy for my daughters in case my wife isn’t home.
6. Try out that taco truck everyone keeps talking about.
7. Remember to buy stamps and get the trash out to the curb on time.
8. Figure out some kind of alternative energy solution fueled by dryer lint and dropped goldfish.
9. Hit all green lights.
10. Remember (just once) to bring those re-usable grocery bags to the store.
I have done some pretty cool stuff and I am sure that there will be more cool stuff to come. I won’t feel empty if I don’t drive a Formula One car or see the march of the penguins in person. I am happy for you folks that are out their building a violin from a tree in your backyard, and nursing an injured koala back to health with goat’s milk from your own goat. For me though, calling a bunch of crap I will probably never do “my bucket list” is totally weak.
Simon C. Holland 
October 24th, 2015 at 6:18 am
Hey, haven’t got a bucket, gonna put it on my bucket list …
May 9th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
A great teaspoon list… It is good to have goals, achievable ones are important. I am the over the top, lofty bucket list person, but hey… I like to dream.
May 9th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
[…] There’s a Hole in My Bucket List (sweetandweak.com) […]
May 7th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
[…] next day I see the leftover bunch of mint, and remember this awesome blog post about the chewy freeze. I wanted to make mint ice cream mochi after reading that. Here’s the mint – […]
May 2nd, 2012 at 6:10 am
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April 24th, 2012 at 7:57 pm
In response to #5, my friend has a pin for her daughter that says, “My daddy dressed me.” Get one of these and you don’t even have to TRY to fix the hair–just send them out in public with the daddy pin on and everyone understands. Total cop out? Definitely (but I won’t tell).
April 24th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
so sad and so true
April 24th, 2012 at 7:42 am
who needs a bucket list…. what will come will come and if we want to do thigns, we should just get out and do them. You don’t need a list to know what you want. Should I die before I have done alot of things I want… well I’m more than happy with I’ve done and seen so far… But I really like the sound of a taco bus… maybe I need to move countries… hmmm best go and start that list…
April 23rd, 2012 at 8:16 pm
I love that title! Great work!
April 23rd, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Love the concept of the “teaspoon list”! That’s something that I can definitely get my arms around. 🙂
Good luck with the dirt spots — Scott has been systematically digging up our whole yard over the past five years, and excavating humongous rocks. Then we fill in with top soil, seed, water, REPEAT…..
April 23rd, 2012 at 4:48 pm
I’m not so sure about the ice and gum thing, but I’m going to pass the suggestion along to my hubby nonetheless as he is the big gum chewer in the house. I’m still laughing about the taco bus, though. We had one in the last town we lived in and every time I passed it, I vowed that I would stop the next time I saw it. And then we moved. On the upside, our new city also has a taco bus – in a permanent location – just blocks from our place…and I’ve already tried it. Of course, it was AWESOME! So cross all the other stuff on your list and make visiting the taco bus numero uno, pronto!
April 23rd, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Yeah, I need to hit up those tacos ASAP.
April 23rd, 2012 at 4:09 pm
What is it with those grocery bags? I even go so far as to put them in the car when I go shopping, and don’t realize I’ve forgotten them in the car until I’m standing in line paying for the groceries. Ugh!
Thanks for my smile-of-the-day!
April 23rd, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Thanks for reading. They are impossible to remember.
April 23rd, 2012 at 3:50 pm
I don’t know where to start! Thank you for linking to my post. Thank you for making me giggle with “falconery” and then thanks for the out loud at work guffaw over nursing a baby koala back to health.
You are sweet!
April 23rd, 2012 at 3:57 pm
You are so very welcome glad you liked the koala bit.
April 23rd, 2012 at 3:44 pm
I love your weak bucket list! That’s neat that you have a taco truck in your area. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Your idea about creating an energy source out of goldfish and dryer lint could make my household self-sustaining. Let me know when you figure out how it works.
April 23rd, 2012 at 4:30 pm
yeah, the goldfish lint thing would be world changing lol.
August 28th, 2014 at 7:35 pm
An inngelilett answer – no BS – which makes a pleasant change
April 23rd, 2012 at 2:55 pm
Mmmm. Tacos!
Mmmmm. Goats’ Milk!
I really don’t think I’ll be upset when I die because my bucket list isn’t complete. I think I’ll be upset…BECAUSE I’M DEAD! 😉
Well done, Simon.
Jim
http://jimmmyjams.wordpress.com
April 23rd, 2012 at 4:30 pm
exactly
April 23rd, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Love it. Although I’m an avid list maker, I have never drummed up the courage to create a bucket list. I doubt I will ever bungie jump or parachute or climb a mountain. If I want to throw my back out of whack for eternity, land on my head or freeze my butt off, I imagine there are easier ways to go about it. 🙂
April 23rd, 2012 at 2:34 pm
I agree completely. You don’t have to put the awesome on a list, it will come and it is totally OK if you don’t have to wear a helmet.
April 24th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Smells of paradigm shift. 🙂 Anyway, that’s cool because I look awful in helmets.
April 23rd, 2012 at 1:01 pm
Fantastic reading, very engaging…keep it coming!!
http://www.geordiesgirl.com
April 23rd, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Thanks for stopping by!
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:33 am
“chewy freeze”, what an awesome concoction! i’m going to make some mint ice-cream mochi in your honor. Your list is great! Emergency hairstyle tip: headbands. Or cover their heads with bandanas. That’s what I do in an emergency.
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:46 am
That sounds awesome. I don’t think anything has ever been made in my honor. Too bad it doesn’t hold up in the mail.
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:10 am
This may sound rather weird, but my brother-in-law suffers from chronic heartburn. He was told to lay off the antacids and chew gum. He’s been doing this and you won’t believe it – it works. I’ve been doing it now – absolute relief. Strength with your goals – so good, and thanks for a great post.
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:46 am
Well, I don’t have heartburn so maybe we are onto something. Thanks for stopping by.
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:08 am
I love your list! Confounded dirt spots!
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:46 am
Thanks!
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:02 am
Can’t help you with most of your list, but do have a small suggestion with respect to #8: While it’s not an energy solution, you could make birds very happy by donating the dryer lint to them for nesting material. At least you’d get some good karma! As for the goldfish, I got nothin’…
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:47 am
the birds would probably go for the goldfish as well. great suggestion!
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:00 am
Agreed on all points. Realistic goals are important, but don’t give up falconry yet. I learned everything I ever needed to about it on the internet.
April 23rd, 2012 at 11:48 am
Sweet!
April 23rd, 2012 at 10:37 am
Good luck!