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Archive for the ‘*Completed To Do’s’ Category

365) Start a blog

LOOKING BACK Back in the winter of 2011, when John finally convinced me to do [&hellip

364) Climb with an ice axe

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] There’s a feeling you get when you stand [&hellip

363) Get a pleasure craft operator card

Let me tell you, there’s nothing pleasurable at all about getting a Pleasure Craft Operator [&hellip

362) Make a photo scrapbook

As John and I near the end of this year-long project of ours, we’ve had [&hellip

361) Get our portrait drawn

Our progress shots just came in from friend, Laura Heany, last night. Even in their [&hellip

360) Yodel

After nearly a year of 365 “firsts,” I can honestly say that nothing has been [&hellip

359) Build a robot

Our friend and colleague, Gram Schmalz, is a brilliant guy. His official title with Labspace [&hellip

358) Make an ice sculpture

Late night experiments using ice, glass, light, and a drill

357) Get a foot massage

Today I learned there’s a major difference between a “foot massage” and “foot reflexology.” A [&hellip

356) Get our fortune told

Giovanna has been in the “psychic” business for 17 years. From everything I’ve read online, [&hellip

355) Make a sundial

In its most basic form, a sundial is any device that can tell the time [&hellip

354) Navigate without a compass 

Today on our lunch break, we walked over to our favourite place in the city, [&hellip

353) Keep a travel log

Every year I say I’m going to keep an accurate travel log, and every year [&hellip

352) Floss a six pack stomach

2012 was a physically active year for us. I’d say it was the most physically [&hellip

351) Watch Seven Samurai (1954)

Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954) has been called the most influential Japanese film ever made for [&hellip

350) Take a kayak lesson

It was a late night at the pool yesterday in a far-off land called Etobicoke. [&hellip

349) Roll a kayak

Knowing how to “roll a kayak” is an essential skill to know for anyone pursuing [&hellip

348) Visit The Toronto Archives 

I get the impression that not a whole lot of people pop into the Toronto [&hellip

347) Roll naked in the snow

The act of “snow rolling” (i.e. rolling in the snow with little or no clothing [&hellip

346) Cross-country ski

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only’ to-do] Flying down hills at fast speeds, strapped to [&hellip

345) Snow shoe

Now this is a “sport” I can handle – physically demanding but non-aggressive. We were [&hellip

344) Ice skate on a lake

I use to think that skating wasn’t my thing; that was before I skated on [&hellip

343) Vow a day of silence

All I can recall were the nuances of the day: the long, silent drive to [&hellip

342) Winter Camp

This to-do was an introduction for us, a relatively easy winter-camping experience to ease us [&hellip

341) Go dog sledding

On the advice of a good friend, we made the 3+ hour drive north to [&hellip

340) Make Pine Needle Tea

Last night, en route to our dog-sledding outfitters, we stopped in at the Algonquin Motel. [&hellip

339) Send a parcel to a stranger

If all goes according to plan, someone named Erin Lindsay from Calgary, Alberta (a stranger [&hellip

338) Throw a pie in someone’s face

Oh the proverbial ‘pie in the face’ act. That gag never seems to go out [&hellip

337) Visit the ROM’s new building

The other night, right before our tango dancing debacle, we swung by the Royal Ontario [&hellip

336) Dance the tango

Nothing beats walking into a room that you think is a beginner’s Argentinian Tango class [&hellip

335) Make a 10’+ ft. snow man

There were those that doubted us on this to-do. 10 feet? Seriously? Um, like, how [&hellip

334) Brew our own beer

Down the street from us on Danforth Ave is a magical place called Fermentations, a [&hellip

333) Make our own wine

More Christmas presents thanks to Fermentations

332) Toboggan in Toronto

There’s freakin’ snow in Toronto. Like everywhere! I thought we’d have to kill this to-do [&hellip

331) Have a winter picnic

Next weekend we head up north to do some winter camping and knock off the [&hellip

330) Solder something

What to do with excess gingerbread dough, two hyperactive kids who need something to keep [&hellip

229) Learn to Fly fish

Like most sports, fly fishing requires patience and practice. Watching someone else do it (like [&hellip

328) Tie a Fly

After 40+ years of being stowed away in a closest, out came John’s dad’s fly [&hellip

327) Pick a lock

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do to get ‘er done. We’ve been [&hellip

326) Cook a turkey w/ stuffing

As ‘Martha Stewart’ as it sounds, preparing a whole turkey for an entire family is [&hellip

325) Change a car’s oil

So not our most exciting to-do on the list, but a useful skill nevertheless. You [&hellip

324) Make a gingerbread house

Check out our alpine ginger hobbit house. I hate to brag, but I think it’s [&hellip

323) Kiss under the mistletoe

Technically, what you see here is holly not mistletoe. But as far as I’m concerned, [&hellip

322) Make a wreath

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] I love the fact that this year John [&hellip

321) Watch White Christmas (1954)

As undeniably warm, fuzzy and festive as this Christmas classic proved to be, I must [&hellip

320) Buy a nice coffee table

2012 has definitely shaped up to be a monumental year. Besides the obvious, it’s the [&hellip

319) Make Egg Nog Cheese Cake

Speaking of being “functioning grown ups,” this egg nog cheese cake was a smash hit [&hellip

318) Visit the Varley Art Gallery

Our last remaining art gallery on our list of galleries to visit happens to be [&hellip

317) Mail a Christmas card

I blame it on my generation for being completely complacent when it comes to writing [&hellip

316) Visit the Bata Shoe Museum

Who knew that shoes could be so culturally stimulating? I must have passed by this [&hellip

315) Be a Toronto Tour Guide

As a Torontonian, I doubt I’m alone in saying that it still feels odd to [&hellip

314) Winter hot tubbing

John’s return to Toronto (after a month of being away from home) was promptly followed [&hellip

312) Read a sports book

[The following is a designated ‘John-only’ to-do] My first “sports” based book and, fortunately, far from [&hellip

311) Read ‘The Monkey Wrench Gang’

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] The Monkey Wrench Gang is a fictional story [&hellip

310) Drink glühwein

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] Glühwein (mulled wine) is a traditional German winter [&hellip

309) Try Cachi (Persimmon)

[The following is a designated ‘John-only’ to-do] I didn’t really know what this fruit was [&hellip

308) See Gaudi’s Sagrada Família

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] I have wanted to see this building for [&hellip

307) See a real live mummy

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] Alright, this is some weird, creepy, can’t really [&hellip

306) Climb on another continent

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] Climbing is an addictive sport. Or rather, a [&hellip

305) Visit a Monastery

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] High atop a misty mountain peak in the [&hellip

304) Research the 2012 Mayan Prophecy

Well here we are on the morning of December 21st, the end of the Mayan [&hellip

303) Make Bread in a Stone Oven

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] I just recently visited my sister and brand [&hellip

302) Summit something

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] This post may look a little similar to [&hellip

301) Try Via Ferrata

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] A via ferrata (Italian for “iron road”, plural vie ferrate or in English via [&hellip

300) Bungee jump

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] So, technically, they call this “peunting” not bungee [&hellip

299) Finish Days that End in Y project

Days that end in Y was a short lived project that John and I started back [&hellip

298) Watch When Harry met Sally

Truthfully, I’ve avoided this film like the plague. I’ve avoided it for all the same [&hellip

297) Make Pumpkin Cookies

Another dark, cold, wet morning in Toronto, where everything looks drab and city stained. I [&hellip

296) Make Cinnamon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Sweet, salty, nutty goodness. The perfect simple-to-make snack for quiet nights at home, curled on [&hellip

295) Make Pumpkin Mac & Cheese

It seemed so ridiculous we had to give it a shot. Turns out pumpkin flavoured [&hellip

294) Make an orange peel lamp

Dear Readers, John’s back from Europe! (I was starting to miss the guy). Thank you [&hellip

293) Re-watch old Disney films

To anyone reading our blog on a semi-regular basis, we’d like to apologize for the [&hellip

292) Jello eating contest

This to-do is dedicated to all the college frat parties we never attended nor were [&hellip

291) Make healthy jello

Oh Jello. You’re so giggly and playful and colourful and that’s why kids love you. [&hellip

290) Visit the Don Jail

The Don Jail is just around the corner from our apartment in Riverside, tucked away [&hellip

289) Make chocolate banana pops

Ok. These tasted waay better than they look&#

288) Visit the Gardiner Museum

For $12 a ticket, I had excepted something a little more sexy than just ceramics. [&hellip

287) Go to a pottery class

I wonder how many women out there took up pottery as a hobby after watching [&hellip

286) Make our own mug

Does this count? I sure hope so. Firing it would have taken two extra weeks [&hellip

285) Finish a 1000 piece puzzle

Hallelujah! It’s finished!!!! Seriously, this puzzle has been a pain in the ass. We started [&hellip

284) Make a secret hideaway book

This was sooo much fun to do, and so easy! I have no idea what [&hellip

284) Make deep-fried pickles

Fail! Huge fail. This is one of those “theoretically good” to-do’s. As avid pickle eaters, [&hellip

282) Dress up…for fun

Last week on a whim we decided to dress up for fun. That morning we [&hellip

281) Get our shoes shined

My father used to go to work every morning in shiny leather shoes. He’d keep [&hellip

280) Make espresso 

A simple, cheap $20.00 stove-top espresso maker from Canadian Tire is all we needed to [&hellip

279) Make a jellyfish light box

I think Jellyfish are by far the most magical, ethereal, extraordinary, most bizarre looking creatures [&hellip

278) Make french toast kabobs

French toast kabobs, guaranteed to make any Monday morning not suck

277) Make a Periodic Table art work

Chemistry aside, there’s something genuinely satisfying about the design and layout of the Periodic Table [&hellip

276) Research Plants

Over the last six months, we’ve spent a good chuck of time researching plant life. [&hellip

275) Canoe to Toronto Island

I’m gonna quote basketball legend Michael Jordan here, only because I think it’s fitting in [&hellip

274) Dismantle a complex electronic device

It should be said, this to-do requires that we “dismantle a complex electronic device” NOT [&hellip

273) Buy a rug (the grown-up kind)

Seriously, this is a BIG deal. A rug is not just a rug. Just like [&hellip

272) Attend 7a*11d

7a*11d is a bi-annual Toronto-based festival of international performance art, that takes place in various [&hellip

271) Visit the Int’l Fest of Authors

Every year in October the Harbourfront Centre hosts an international program of distinguished authors and [&hellip

270) Write a letter to the editor

Dear John Macfarlane – Editor & Publisher of The Walrus, Firstly, I’d like to say [&hellip

269) Visit a Frida Kahlo exhibition

“They thought I was a surrealist but I wasn’t. I never painted dreams I painted [&hellip

268) Practice setting a snare

There are many different ways to set a snare. This method here is called the [&hellip

267) Watch The Changeling

Clearly John’s not into Canadian horror cult classic films

266) Conduct our own acid rain project

According to the pH strips in our kids chemistry set, our Toronto rain water has [&hellip

265) Read the Communist Manifesto

Ok, it was boring. I mean in a really, really interesting sort of way. I [&hellip

264) Visit a Chocolate Factory

As it turns out, the Cadbury chocolate factory in Toronto no longer gives out public [&hellip

263) Do a wine tasting

Wine country is beautiful, even in the rain. Special thanks goes out to Brian & [&hellip

262) Travel w/ just the clothes on our back

A night in Niagra Falls without a toothbrush or a change of underwear It was [&hellip

261) Catch a fish in the Don river

There are no fish in the Don. This makes me sad. It may be possible [&hellip

260) Make a headboard for our bed

I know what you’re thinking…. “Lame.” Fair enough, but understand, making a headboard for our [&hellip

259) Bet on a horse

This was not how I imagined it would be. In my head I imagined more [&hellip

258) Watch a horse race

We watched, we bet, we lost, we ate, we left

257) Watch Casablanca

You know the feeling you get when you meet someone new for the first time [&hellip

256) Backyard movie-night

A little Bogie and Bergman to heat up a cool autumn night in the backyard

255) Etch our names in steel

Thanks (once again) to John’s Dad for lending out his machinery and overseeing the entire etching [&hellip

254) Make sushi

Making a California Roll from scratch is easy peasy. We found all the ingredients we [&hellip

253) Make a tie-dye shirt

Our all natural turmeric tie dye t-shirts turned out pretty alright (at least mine did). [&hellip

252) Drink Kopi Luwak Coffee

[Gmail chat conversation between John & Laura on Jan 2, 2012] John: I’ve got a [&hellip

251) Visit Wychwood Barns

A few years back I used to visit a good friend of mine up around [&hellip

250) Hand carve a pipe

How to Make a Pipe 1) Find a piece of wood that already looks like [&hellip

249) Try Galaktoburiko

Galakoburiko is a traditional Greek desert prepared with egg custard and phyllo, baked until crispy, [&hellip

248) Toronto Zoo date

Three words: Best. Date. Ever. Seriously, why didn’t anyone tell us how hilariously entertaining the [&hellip

247) Wrap a gift in handmade paper

Our good friend Vasa invited us over for dinner the other night. As a thank-you, [&hellip

246) Weave a basket

We tried. Then we tried again, and again, and then again, until we decided to [&hellip

245) Decorate for Halloween

Last Halloween John and I ditched a friend’s Halloween party, stayed home instead, turned off [&hellip

244) Buy fudge from a trading post

I’ve spent a good chunk of my life driving up north to the cottage. Always [&hellip

243) Make a gourmet meal from canned food

I’d like to think that if we ever had a major calamity that shut down [&hellip

242) Camp on Lake Superior

After all these years of talk, we finally made the 10-hour drive north to Lake [&hellip

241) Build a raft

Meet Twiggy, our mini-raft mascot. We felt the need to add a little something extra, [&hellip

240) Make our own rope

After searching for an hour in vain for suitable rope making material — climbing over [&hellip

239) Kayak Lake Superior

How adorable does our kayak look on top of our little-rental-that-could

238) Go to a live taping of a TV show

If we lived in New York City, we’d totally attend a live taping of the [&hellip

237) Go to the symphony (blindfolded)

First off, thanks to John’s parents who agreed to partake in this “cultural experience” with [&hellip

236) Eat out at Buca

Housed in a former warehouse boiler room, hidden away down an unsuspecting alley, Buca has [&hellip

235) Eat an ostrich egg

As it turns out, buying an ostrich egg in Toronto is tricky. Timing is everything. [&hellip

234) Watch Singin’ in the Rain

Hello Gene Kelly, you’re my new crush! As a dancer and closet musicals fan, I’m [&hellip

233) Own an ant farm

We have yet to figure out why our ants have barely responded to their new, [&hellip

232) Canada’s Wonderland date

The last time either of us visited Canada’s Wonderful, we were like sixteen or something. [&hellip

231) Read Surfacing by Margaret Atwood

John didn’t like this book so much. I’m paraphrasing here, but I’m pretty sure he [&hellip

230) Get a shiatsu massage

Some words to describe our first experience with shiatsu therapy: soft, quiet, light, intuitive, graceful, [&hellip

229) Make homemade soap

In our ongoing effort to rid our home of unnecessary toxins and chemicals, we cooked [&hellip

228) Explore Aromatherapy

Without access to a certified aromatherapist, or an amateur aromatherapist for that matter (the sales [&hellip

227) Ph Test our water

We wanted to be sure our city water was safe to drink and the only [&hellip

226) Fly a Box Kite

I have this reoccurring dream every so often where I’m running through a field of [&hellip

225) Own a microscope

When we heard word that Toronto’s EfstonScience Superstore (the largest retailer of science and astronomy [&hellip

224) Make dried food

Food is good. Eat well. Don’t overanalyze this. I’ve just started noticing how many food [&hellip

223) Invite John Pack to dinner

Us and John Pack go way back to 2007, the night we officially launched Labspace [&hellip

222) Make mushroom stock/soup

Yummy, earthy, wholesome mushroom-leek soup, made from our first batch of homemade mushroom stock. As [&hellip

221) Visit the Scarborough Badlands

I had heard rumours, seen pictures floating around Facebook of a strange, bizarre place in [&hellip

220) Make caramelized popcorn

{Note: This here is the final to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip

219) Pick (and eat) wild mushrooms

{Note: This here is the ninth to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip

218) Shoot a magnum gun

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] {Note: This here is the eighth to-do of [&hellip

217) Make a bolt

{Note: This here is the seventh to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip

216) Make Irish stew

{Note: This here is the sixth to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip

215) Pickle something

{Note: This here is the fifth to-do of ten completed last weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip

214) Bake a pie from scratch

{Note: This here is the fourth to-do of ten completed this past weekend at John’s [&hellip

213) Make homemade jam

{Note: This here is the third to-do of ten completed this past weekend at John’s [&hellip

212) Eat a bug

{Note: This here is the second to-do of ten completed this past weekend at John’s [&hellip

211) Cut each other’s hair

{Note: This was the first to-do of ten completed this past weekend at John’s family’s [&hellip

210) Visit Bon Echo Provincial park

John’s lucky red sweater + his little red rental car + our trusty canoe = [&hellip

209) Read The Teachings of Don Juan

Carlos Castaneda was an anthropology student at UCLA when he first began writing about his [&hellip

208) Learn a new hair braid

Performing this to-do was a pretty epic deal for me. I know that sounds dramatic [&hellip

207) Attend an AGO opening

Remember that crazy weekend we knocked off 13 to-do’s in 2 days? Wow, did that [&hellip

206) Eat at Paulette’s

Everyone’s been buzzing about Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken. The small, quirky take-out joint opened [&hellip

205) Pick (and drink) wildflower tea

Red Clovers are often found in the wild, grassy meadows of Europe, Asia and North [&hellip

204) Keep a book of pressed-flowers

To see a world in a grain of sand And a Heaven in a wild [&hellip

203) Identify new constellations

Sunday night while watching meteors zip across the sky, we managed to locate Hercules and [&hellip

202) Watch a meteor shower

Every time I’m up north I melt a little; some part in me just gives [&hellip

201) Hike backcountry solo

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] I’d been out alone in the bush before, [&hellip

200) Make filet mignon from beef tenderloin

2 beef tenderloins, 12 pounds in total, prepared as filet mignon, served to 25 guests [&hellip

199) Wear a kilt

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] In celebration of his sister’s “German-Italian” wedding, John [&hellip

198)Try a Paleo Diet for a week

For the last two weeks we’ve been eating like cavemen — pounding back the veggies, [&hellip

197) Drive all of Yonge Street

For those unfamiliar with the arterial routes of Southern Ontario, Yonge Street is a major [&hellip

196) Drive a dune buggy

The things I let John talk me into…. Normally I’m up for most adventures: climbing [&hellip

195) Paddle stern

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] Knowing how to paddle is one thing, but [&hellip

194) Read while drifting in a canoe

Learning some skills in mid-drift. A perfect way to pass a lazy afternoon on the [&hellip

193) Read ‘Path of the Paddle’ by Bill Mason

“….the canoe is not a lifeless, inanimate object; it feels very much alive, alive with [&hellip

192) Read all of Genesis

When I was twelve, I had the biggest crush on this older Italian boy from [&hellip

191) Dance naked in the rain

The rain! She came. She poured down tonight. Farmers across Southern Ontario are breathing deep [&hellip

190) Try Durian

In Southeast Asia, the Durian fruit is commonly called the “King of the Fruits,” a [&hellip

189) Visit Snakes & Lattes

Snakes & Lattes is a quirky concept cafe in Toronto that sits on the border [&hellip

188) Grow some sprouts

I can’t tell you how long we’ve been searching for a Chia Pet; probably since [&hellip

187) Chase a storm

Being from Southern Ontario and all, we rarely get the kind of weather to warrant [&hellip

186) Sleep a night in a hammock

Everything is hot and sticky in Toronto. Even our apartment is sweating profusely…. the walls, [&hellip

185) Start a rock collection

If there’s anything as titillating as building a burgeoning rock collection, it’s photographing a burgeoning [&hellip

184) Read ‘Shackleton’s Boat Journey’

“We had seen God in His splendors, heard the text that Nature renders. We had [&hellip

183) Hike the Bruce Trail

Dear Anyone who Reads this Blog, We’re over our halfway hump!!!! One hundred and eighty [&hellip

182) Scramble on scree

On our road trips to the Southwestern states (Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, etc) Laura and [&hellip

181) Snorkel

This past weekend we made it out to Bruce Peninsula National Park with our snorkelling [&hellip

180) Read ‘Jitterbug Perfume’ by Tom Robbins

Jitterbug Perfume tells the parallel story of Priscilla, the genius waitress and aspiring perfumer, and [&hellip

179) Hang out in a graveyard

“Those who shun the whimsy of things will experience rigor mortis before death.” ― Tom Robbins [&hellip

178) Draw Fibonacci spirals

In 12th century Italy, a man known as “Fibonacci” developed a simple mathematical system, derived [&hellip

177) Build a water reservoir

Originally we had big plans to build an actual, legitimate, real life water reservoir to [&hellip

176) Eat dinner at Jim’s Restaurant

Jim’s Restaurant is an east-end greasy spoon dive that John and I have been frequenting [&hellip

175) Create a mass public art work

Confessions Underground Back in October of 2011, John and I presented at an art conference [&hellip

174) Make a team L.J flag

Sometimes couples need a little motivation, a wee reminder that they’re a team, through and [&hellip

173) Visit the Leslieville Farmers’ Market

A few years ago, we could have only dreamed of having our very own Farmers’ [&hellip

172) Watch an Elvis film

“Elvis: That’s the Way It Is.”  (1970) As kids growing up in the 80’s, Elvis [&hellip

171) Juggle with three balls

Overall, I’d say I put in a good 5 hours of practicing how to jungle [&hellip

170) Make noodles from scratch

This was all John. I can’t take credit for any of it, except maybe photos [&hellip

169) Set off fireworks

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] The fear of blowing up my hand or [&hellip

168) Build an Inuksuk

With deep roots in Inuit culture, the Inuksuk was used as a navigational device to [&hellip

167) Buy a band t-shirt from a concert

Alexi Murdoch came to Toronto last Friday for a small, intimate concert at The Great [&hellip

166) Make homemade yogurt 

Technically we didn’t fail this to-do, we just forgot to check our yogurt before it [&hellip

165) Harvest something from the yard

Back in March (which feels like forever ago), we planted our first herb garden. A [&hellip

164) Make butter

How to make butter the hardcore pioneer way 1) Hand-milk a cow 2) Let milk [&hellip

163) Cook on a fire rotisserie style 

So far on our 365 list we’ve knocked off a number of “fire” related to-do’s: [&hellip

162) Operate a backhoe

Sunday morning / 10:30am: In the same weekend that we hand-milked a cow, drove a [&hellip

161) Have a spaghetti fight

“The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter.” ― Mark [&hellip

160) Pluck a chicken

[Warning: this video may upset some] A recent survey in Britain revealed that 1 in [&hellip

159) GT behind a motorized vehicle

Saturday afternoon / 5:15pm: First off, sorry moms. (This was Dave’s idea.) Clearly, we assumed [&hellip

158) Wear a rope belt

Saturday afternoon / 4:30pm: Rope belts! They’re all the rage in the fashion world. Also, [&hellip

157) Filet a fish

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] Dead Stuff with Dave Meets 365 Saturday afternoon [&hellip

156) Split wood with a wood splitter

Saturday afternoon / 12:30pm: Splitting wood with a mechanized wood splitter isn’t very challenging or mentally [&hellip

155) Use a chainsaw

Saturday morning / 11:30am: After we chopped that old hickory tree to the ground, we [&hellip

154) Cut down a tree with an axe

Saturday morning / 10:30am: After our jaunt in the John Deere, we headed to John’s [&hellip

153) Drive a tractor

Saturday morning / 8:30am: After our informative hand-miking session at Steenbeek Dairy Farm, we hopped [&hellip

152) Hand milk a cow

Friday was a chaotic day for us. After work we just wanted to go somewhere [&hellip

151) Write a jingle together

Most people don’t know this about me, but I’m an exceptional bad jingle writer. This [&hellip

150) Drive around a Great Lake

Throughout our years together we’ve gone on a number of epic road trips: we’ve driven [&hellip

149) Visit the Heidelberg Project

“My job as an artist is to come up with solutions….” -Tyree Guyton (Artist and [&hellip

148) Visit Chicago 

After only two days of running around Chicago, we’ve decided it’s our new favourite city. [&hellip

147) Visit a Chicago jazz bar

For a little over a year, John and I ran a small jazz series from [&hellip

146) Leave a lock on a bridge

On bridges across the globe from Paris to New York to Rome, personalized love locks [&hellip

145) Visit the Chicago Art Institute

Another must-see art museum on our list, for all sorts of reasons, but mostly for [&hellip

144) Visit the Toledo Museum of art

Despite recent pockets of development and a semi-burgeoning arts district, Toledo Ohio is still very [&hellip

143) Write on a bathroom stall door

For the last two months I’ve been carrying around a Sharpie in my purse, waiting [&hellip

142) Visit the Albright Knox gallery

So John and I, being the crafty multi-taskers that we are, took off on a [&hellip

141) Read all of Revelation

Revelation is a chapter in the bible that wasn’t taught much when I (John here) [&hellip

140) Bake a giant cookie

It’s just one of those things I’ve always wanted to do but never have because [&hellip

139) Cook a meal in an earth oven

This half-worked, half-failed. Next time we attempt it, we’ll dig a bigger hole and add [&hellip

138) Try Montreal’s best Poutine

Poutine mega overload. (It was not the best, just the most)

137) Visit Montreal’s Olympic Stadium

Olympic Stadium, the world’s tallest slanted structure and stadium. Built for Montreal’s 1976 Summer Olympic [&hellip

136) Learn a sleight of hand magic trick

This is not a how-to video. This is just us on a patio showing off [&hellip

135) Make a candle

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] Sometimes when John’s out for the night, I [&hellip

134) Graffiti tag something

This to-do was a complete bust. I don’t want to write about it. I don’t [&hellip

133) Try kangaroo

For me, the thought of eating kangaroo was as absurd a thought as eating monkey [&hellip

132) Send a message in a bottle

Full disclosure: This to-do is a shameless publicity stunt for our upcoming art commission, Confessions [&hellip

131) Buy a Degrassi High box-set

Before there was 90201 or Saved by the Bell or any other American melodramatic teen [&hellip

130) Eat a candy apple

I really can’t stand snappy people snapping their annoying little fingers at service people. I [&hellip

129) Make butter chicken

I don’t think I’ve ever made anything with this many steps in it. I’m sure [&hellip

128) Make a mango kiwi smoothie

Kiwi, mango & banana: three singularly delicious fruits. For sure a kiwi-mango-banana smoothie would taste [&hellip

127) Wear all natural deodorant

Aluminum free, GMO-free, bamboo, vegan deodorant with immune supplements! We’re turning into a fine pair [&hellip

126) Play checkers in the park

Originally I had envisioned us playing checkers with a little old man at one of [&hellip

125) Stalk a stranger

Meet Gracie and Chad (note: these are only pretend names). Gracie and Chad have been [&hellip

124) Braid a grass necklace

This necklace is dedicated to all the hippie chicks in my high-school who used to [&hellip

123) Yarn bomb

A few weeks back, John’s mom taught us how to knit. This week, as part [&hellip

122) Climb a 5.11

[The following is a designated ‘John-only’ to-do] A quick lesson on climbing: The “grade” or [&hellip

121) Build an exploding volcano

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] How many artists does it take to make [&hellip

120) Curate a street festival

After 8 months of hair-pulling, conference calls, admin-ing and creative visioning, we’re ready to roll…. [&hellip

119) Whiten our teeth

This process felt a little silly…but there you have it, now we’ve done it

118) Drink Grappa

Greek Grappa (Tsipouro) is a strong distilled spirit containing approximately 45 percent alcohol, normally consumed [&hellip

117) Make sweet potato bread

Things you may not know about us: 1) We love sweet potatoes 2) Laura spills [&hellip

116) Watch “Cave of forgotten dreams” by Werner Herzog

At this point I think we should just throw out our movie to-do’s altogether cause well…we’re [&hellip

115) Guerrilla garden

Some days to-do’s just fall in your lap…. Yesterday John and I were out for [&hellip

114) Visit the Amazon

Before we set off to Peru, I had been invited to write a feature for [&hellip

113) Go commando for a weekend

Apparently in the jungle it is recommended to go without socks and underwear in order [&hellip

112) Learn a bird call

The call of the wild chicken&#

111) Camp outside the temperate zone

The Inca Trail gave us the opportunity to camp on some of the most spectacular [&hellip

110) Eat a traditional South American meal

[Hurrah! Our pictures have been saved. Sorry for the delay. John’s laptop is now up [&hellip

109) Feed a Lama

Before this week, I’d never met a lama. We don’t have many lamas in Toronto. [&hellip

108) Catch a butterfly (then let it go)

Along the Inca Trail alone there are close to 4000 varieties of butterflies. We managed [&hellip

107) Learn to knit

When I was younger my mother use to draw. She was an exceptional drawer; portraits [&hellip

106) Hike in the jungle

We’ve just landed in the city of Lima, after a week of being incommunicado in [&hellip

105) Catch a piranha

Piranha fishing in the Amazon. Any questions

104) Paddle a traditional canoe

The best way to see wildlife in the Amazon is perched in canoe. Every day, [&hellip

103) Make a paddle

Technically, we didn’t make this remarkable Amazonia paddle. I wish we had, but it would [&hellip

102) Hike in a cloud

On the third day of our hike along the Inca Trail, having ascended over 12,000 [&hellip

101) Hike above 10,000 feet

In an instant, life changes. One moment you’re on a path and everything makes sense, [&hellip

100) Visit Machu Picchu

Our 100th to-do! We’ve been waiting for this one for five years. I’ll let the [&hellip

99) Ride on a rickshaw

As I feared (and half-expected), my lost luggage won’t be arriving here in time for [&hellip

98) Try a ridiculous cold remedy

Nothing sucks more than waking up with a head cold the day you have to [&hellip

97) Travel to South America

We did it. We’re here in Peru. We’ve been talking about this trip for about [&hellip

96) Make out on the bleachers

What a weekend. We’re spent. Exhausted. Can barely type. Resorting to short sentences. Eyelids closing….. [&hellip

95) Ring an old church bell

This was one of the highlights of my weekend Thanks to big brother Dave for [&hellip

94) Make dandelion tea

Went dandelion picking in John’s sister’s yard

93) Have a couples sleepover

Impromptu couples sleepover party with John, his sister Liz, and Emmanuel

92) Calculate our bodyweight in stones

Admittedly, this is a ridiculous to-do…. Have you ever watched that show….that hilariously alarming British [&hellip

91) Try goat cheesecake

Yes, yes, I know… we’re getting behind in posting our to-do’s. We’ve done them. It’s [&hellip

90) Climb lead

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] As far as climbing goes, I’m really just [&hellip

89) Throw a surprise birthday party

The thing I really love about this crazy project of ours (which, I’ll admit, is [&hellip

88) Visit Toronto’s Fort York

If you’ve never been to Fork York (home to Canada’s largest collection of original War [&hellip

87) Make a tilt shift photo

Last night we found ourselves at Yonge & Dundas square (i.e. Toronto’s modestly modest version [&hellip

86) Try to slackline

Tightrope walking has been around for thousands of years. Slacklining, on the other hand, is [&hellip

85) Try grapeless wine

Try, we did. The whole bottle. It was blueberry sweet. Very sweet. Then we bounced [&hellip

84) Make a playlist of accordion songs

Today we finally put together that accordion playlist we’ve been meaning to do for over [&hellip

83) Buy a rare book

“The canoe…the most beautiful and functional craft ever created.” – Bill Mason Bill Mason – the [&hellip

82) Make homemade orange juice

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] If you think your store-bought “100% pure OJ” [&hellip

81) Do a wheat grass shot

Loaded with enzymes, amino acids and healthy minerals, wheat grass shots are to health nuts [&hellip

80) Make a tree-swing somewhere

Swing at your own risk. (Leslie Spit, Toronto) More Spit Love here. and here

79) Wear full body underwear

The union suit is a classic garment: simple, basic, comfortable and functional (…you can’t get [&hellip

78) Make a birch bark cup

The birch tree is one of my favourite trees; up there with the mighty Sequoia, [&hellip

77) Run a river together

To prepare for our first full-length river paddle together, we consulted our newly purchased “Top [&hellip

76) Make a sea-shell necklace

Ok, so technically these aren’t shells from the sea; they’re snail shells, and we found [&hellip

75) Identify animal tracks

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] I picture an ideal version of myself: someone [&hellip

74) Identify a new bird

During our 3-day canoe trip down the Saugeen River, we encountered a staggering number of [&hellip

73) Modify a piece of gear

If you’ve been following our posts or you know us personally, you’ll know that we’re [&hellip

72) Bike to Etobicoke

Yesterday, as part of our tip-top training regime and to pick-up a yoke for our [&hellip

71) Plant an herb garden

They’re growing!

70) Drink Ovaltine

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] Somewhere along its 108-year history, Ovaltine lost its [&hellip

69) Learn to tie new knots

Knowing how to properly string a tarp, tie off a canoe, or hang your food [&hellip

68) Go curling!

[The following is a designated ‘Laura-only‘ to-do] A week ago I received an invite from [&hellip

67) Make yogurt popsicles

If not for the tiny ice shards, I’d say our yogurt pops turned out tart [&hellip

66) Make a protein shake

Having just returned from a rigorous couple’s workout sesh (short form for session in aerobics [&hellip

65) Carve J + L = Love in something

Before I go on to tell the story of how we professed our undying love [&hellip

64) Kiss on a bridge in the sunset

Crossing over the Don River and the Don Valley Expressway is the Queen Street Bridge, [&hellip

63) Camp in Spring Thaw

“Thaw with her gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor with his hammer. The one [&hellip

62) Finish ‘The Long Journey home’ by Edward Abbey

We’ve carried this book around for a year not wanting to finish, not wanting the [&hellip

61) Make bannock bread

Water, flour, baking powder, butter. That’s all it takes to make this simple and delicious [&hellip

60) Cook with a “tripod” over the fire 

Cooking over a fire without a grill can be difficult. But if you have three [&hellip

59) Start fire with flint & tinder

Thanks to our trusty char cloth we made last week, we managed to light all [&hellip

58) Buy a pair of wool socks

[The following is a designated ‘John-only‘ to-do] I am very proud of John, he finally [&hellip

57) Build a fountain for the backyard

Springtime seduced us this week with her sunshine and abnormally balmy weather, causing us to [&hellip

56) Make char cloth

We’re heading north this weekend for our first canoe trip of the season. The weather [&hellip

55) Make our own paper

Last night we spent a quiet evening making our first batch of homemade paper from [&hellip

54) Eat at the CN Tower restaurant 

On Friday night we went out to 360 Restaurant with John’s sister Liz and her fiancé Emmanuel [&hellip

53) Eat tripe

Let it be known that this to-do was another one of John’s crazy picks. Personally [&hellip

52) Try Romanesco

Galaxies, black holes, flowers, pine cones, sea shells, tree rings, cyclones, you can find spirals [&hellip

51) Try Cherimoya

The cherimoya is a sweet, succulent, subtropical fruit rumoured to be the tastiest fruit on [&hellip

50) Drink wine at a movie theatre

If you’re looking to drink an entire bottle of wine in a movie theatre and [&hellip

49) Visit Allan Gardens

Today we discovered our new favourite place in the city. Many books will be devoured [&hellip

48) Organize our loose change

A boy and a girl walk into a bank carrying a large, suspicious cylinder of [&hellip

47) Kiss upsidedown like Spiderman

Nimbly and awkwardly, against the pale moonlight of a cool, winter night, he hangs silently [&hellip

46) Shuck an oyster

I’ll be honest, I don’t like oysters. I know they’re considered classy cuisine, but seriously, [&hellip

45) Get a pedicure

Tonight we took our battered soles to Timeless Nails & Spa in Leslieville for our [&hellip

44) Make pana cotta

I am a simple things kind of girl. I am not into frills or pretty [&hellip

43) Smoke a cuban cigar

Friday Night: A Friday night in Toronto, and we had options. We could have attended [&hellip

42) Eat cactus

I own this cactus that for the last six months has decided to lean over [&hellip

41) Watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

The last time we tried to cross off one of our “movie” to-do’s, John passed [&hellip

40) Drink a Root Beer float

So we’re back in Toronto after a whirlwind trip to Belize. Despite American Airlines completely [&hellip

39) Go Caving

After an hour drive from the village of San Ignacio through orange groves and Ceiba [&hellip

38) Get Scuba (PADI) certified

A year ago, if you had asked me to strap a tank on my back [&hellip

37) Skinny dip in the sea

This morning we caught the sunrise for a quick dip in the buff. Another first

36) Kayak in the sea

For the last stretch of our time here in Belize, we’ve been taking it easy [&hellip

35) Ride a catamaran

Catamarans are a beautiful thing. My admiration for these boats is rooted in their aesthetically [&hellip

34) Lounge on a tropical beach

We’ve be going and going this past week: exploring caves, jungles, waterfalls, coral reefs and [&hellip

33) Shower in a waterfall

We heard from a local that hidden inside the escarpment of the Pine Ridge Forest [&hellip

32) Hang out in a tree house

Who remembers the 1960’s Disney film Swiss Family Robinson? I adored that movie as a [&hellip

31) Canoe through a cave

With ancient sites scattered throughout the region, Belize is recognized as the centre of the [&hellip

30) Drink water from a coconut

Coconut water is simply the best. I am actually mildly addicted to the stuff back [&hellip

29) Visit Belize

Salutations from Belize! I am writing this post from a little beach cabana about 20 [&hellip

28) Go inside Toronto’s Flatiron Building

Tomorrow morning John and I fly out to Belize to celebrate our 7-year anniversary. We’ll [&hellip

27) Try deep-fried ice cream

Deep-fried ice cream should be served everywhere, at every restaurant, and off every ice cream [&hellip

26) Buy high-quality green tea

“Tea is a cup of life.” – Chinese Proverb I want us to live long, [&hellip

25) Bake a cake for someone

This past weekend we baked a cake (our first cake ever) in honour of my [&hellip

24) Do a beer tasting

Bearded guys, short guys, young guys, old guys, guys of all shapes and colours, and [&hellip

23) Make a mobile

Perhaps it’s the dancer in me that is fascinated by mobiles. I can somehow stare [&hellip

22) Camp out in our backyard

It’s an abnormally balmy February morning in Toronto. The sweet smell of mud, the damp [&hellip

21) String backyard lights

Last night we pitched our new tent in our muddy backyard, strung up lights, and [&hellip

20) Cook smore’s on the bbq

Last night we pitched our new tent in our muddy backyard, strung up lights, and [&hellip

19) Make shelves for the bedroom

Tonight John and I cut up some triangles with the left over wood from last [&hellip

18) Trim my nose hairs

[The following is a designated ‘John-only’ to-do] On Friday my “Groom Mate Platinum XL Nose [&hellip

17) Try out trapezing

5 Tips for Trapeze Amateurs 1. When you’re flying through the air, upside down, on [&hellip

16) Do a cheese tasting

There seems to be a running theme this week with our to-do list: it starts [&hellip

15) Go on an opera date

If you’re under the age of 30 and looking to explore your sophisticated side, you’ll [&hellip

14) Visit the Four Season’s Centre for the Performing Arts

To read about our date night at the opera, click here. Otherwise, check out the [&hellip

13) Make our own hummus

Hummus is the best. It’s quick, easy, high in protein, low in fat and loaded [&hellip

12) Tie a Windsor Knot

The Windsor Knot is a thick, wide and triangular tie knot commonly seen on business [&hellip

11) Celebrate the Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone! Today marks the dawn of the Year of the Dragon, [&hellip

10) Organize our closet

According to old Chinese custom, New Year’s eve is an ideal time to clean your [&hellip

9) Make a paper crane

I fondly remember as a kid reading the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper [&hellip

8) Eat out at Poutini’s

Last night was suppose to be the night of our first ever trapeze class. We [&hellip

7) Mix a sex on the beach

Last night we headed out for a mingling event at “Art & Drinks” on the [&hellip

6) Make real hot chocolate

Last night John and I checked off a relatively easy to-do on our list of [&hellip

5) Hand write a letter to mom

Yesterday evening we took some time to hand write and mail letters to our moms. [&hellip

4) Light a match with our teeth

Today we joined the ranks of the cinematic badasses out there and learned how to [&hellip

3) Watch Bonnie & Clyde (1967)

Last night was apparently the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards. I discovered this factoid through [&hellip

2) Make green eggs & ham

This morning John and I woke up, drank some coffee and scanned through our list [&hellip

1) Finish a list of 365 things we’d like to do

Today we completed our big bad mother of all to-do lists. 365 to-do items for [&hellip