I apologize to any of you who have been following my Birthday Challenge updates on here (maybe not many of you but still), for not posting sooner, but the last items on the list are a couple of the bigger things. I’m sorry I couldn’t do them all within the 35 days leading up to my birthday, but I did them, which is what counts right? So without further ado here are the last five challenges on my list followed by the total number!
29. Go to a Friends’ show- So I wanted to complete this challenge earlier and I was going to see a production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead directed by my friend Matt Ritchey. However, the show overlapped with my own production of Pride and Prejudice as well as my work schedule and as it turned out, there was only one day where it would have been possible for me to see the show. Unfortunately I just couldn’t make it. So I suppose I completed this challenge by seeing my friends in several other things. I think it’s important to support each others’ work and it happens very rarely. So I saw Ms. Jennie Fahn, my co-star in Pride in Prejudice in her production of the original play “Grow a Pair of Wings” and went out to lunch afterward. Jennie did a great job playing an anxious Jewish mother (I can relate) . I saw my friend Samantha Barrios in her production of “Black Comedy” By Peter Shaffer at the Morgan-Wixon through May 24th. Sam sees almost everything I’m in and it was great to support her doing a fabulous job in this funny play. And I saw my college friend Ivy Khan play the lead in Rebecca Gilman’s drama “Boy Gets Girl”. Ivy was fantastic in the show. Also notable, I saw the production of “Immediate Family” a the Mark Taper Forum, playing through June 7th and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I highly recommend the production if you can catch it. So looks like I saw quite a bit of theatre in the past couple weeks.
30. Write a speech for my sister’s wedding- My sister Lindsay is getting married in July. She wanted to include me in the wedding, but I”m not exactly Bride’s Maid material, and while her fiance is a great guy, his groomsmen are his best buddies and I don’t know him very well. So she asked me to officiate the wedding! That’s right, I am “marrying my sister” (fortunately to someone else). I’ll admit, I’m kind of terrified. What if I screw up? What if I am not funny or witty enough? What if I don’t please everyone? But this is happening right? I’m an actor, I can stand in front of a group and speak right? Well, not without a script. I’ve learned that as excited as my sister is to have a wedding, she’s not a planner. I think she’d prefer it just “happened” for her rather than having to plan every detail. So I went online and found a template of something to say. I registered as a minister in the Universal Life Church, and I went over the speech with my sister. We will probably have another session of checking in with each other so that everything I say is copacetic with her (she wants everything pretty vanilla as she’s gauging the crowd). But we did this during my 35 days leading up to turning 35. I better start memorizing now! the real question is can I please my mother who has MUCH stronger opinions about what I should say and hand wrote me four whole pages of notes and quotes. Sigh…
31. Tell Someone you love them- This was one that was just a whim. but I think it’s important to appreciate the folks in your life who are there for you and stick by you. I had it on my list and actually accomplished it and didn’t make a big deal about. I could have actually posted it earlier. But I’m going to give a shout out to my best friend Samantha Barrios who is incredibly kind, and loyal, and caring. She’s a special person and always listens without judgement and is open to others. I really appreciate her friendship and support that she has continued to give me over the years. Sam always ends every conversation with “I love you.” And makes it easy for me to say it right back to her “I love you, Sam.” – for all you do to support me and those you care about.
32. Try a Krav Maga Class- I’m a Black Sash in Wing Chun Kung Fu. But several years ago I quit and have been looking for something new. I tried a few other Wing Chun schools, Wu-shu/Shaolin Kung Fu, Kali/Escrima, and spent the last year getting a taste of Eagle Claw Kung Fu. Eagle Claw was pretty cool but it was hard being a beginner in a class that was focused heavily on repeating grading material over and over that was either review or not difficult for me to learn. The school was also a bit far for me and expensive, so I thought I might look for some other options. It was a little heavy on the “art” and not much on the “martial”, at least for me (since I couldn’t afford to buy into the more advanced classes which included sparring). So I thought I would try something new. There is a Krav Maga school within walking distance of work. Krav Maga is Israeli in origin, and since I have Jewish heritage, that’s kind of cool. It’s also strictly self-defense based so I figured at the very least I wouldn’t get bored doing forms. Each Martial Arts school has it’s own vibe. This place was fancy, like going to a high end 24 Hour fitness. They had three rooms, tons of instructors, showers, towels, and classes morning, midday, and night. A basic membership gets you unlimited access (except for the more advanced classes which you do have to graduate into). Each class was totally full with lots of people including women (which was nice to see). So on that end it’s pretty phenomenal compared to what I’ve experienced. I could even spar if I wanted in a controlled environment as long as I proved that I wasn’t totally spastic (something I would have had to pay DOUBLE for at the last Kung Fu school I was at). But at the same time, the place also felt like a well-oiled machine and I didn’t feel the “art” at all, and I guess I kind of like a mix of both. It’s curious how successful and clean this business was in comparison to the places I’ve been. But at the same time I did miss that I was a part of a lineage and a traditional art which kind of makes you feel like you are learning something special other than just jab, cross, front kick, round kick combinations (which you probably get to a degree anywhere). So I’m not sure what I will do if and when I decide to commit to a school again. Though I am leaning to continuing my Wing Chun training, albeit at a different location than I trained in before.
33. Go Skydiving- This has been on the list for a while. Movies like Point Break have made me want to experience this for a while. When I was 13-14 I saw the Power Rangers movie (yeah that’s right) and there was a skydiving sequence in the movie and I really wanted to be one of those skydving Power Rangers. So gave a shout out on facebook to see if anyone else wanted to go. My friend Deidre said she was interested, so we booked out session with Skydive Santa Barbara and this past Monday drove out to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Once we got there anxiety level was pretty high. Were we actually going to risk our lives? The 1980’s safety video starring the ZZ-Top bearded inventor of the tandem jump with the horribly synced audio did not assuage my fears. But as we suited up (I got the yellow suit- so I guess I was the Yellow ranger?) I played the jokester. During the photos and video interviews I was kind of hammy, because it was an easier way to shrug off the fear. We rode in a tiny airplane by the Santa Barbara coast up to 13,000 feet with just a clear piece of plexi-glass off to the left that let me see EVERYTHING. We opened up the panel and the instructor told me to sit on the edge. He said “ready” and before I even said “okay”, we were plumeting toward the Earth. the closest thing I can liken it to is drowning as wind rushes up your nose and you can’t breathe. There was a lot of screaming and thumbs-upping at the camera! Partly because it was fun and partly because it’s better than saying “Please don’t let me die”. Once the parachute deployed it was a peaceful coast to the ground. That was probably the coolest part of the experience I’d say, looking out as you calmly sail to the Earth. I wasn’t really afraid once the chute had deployed, even though really the landing is when injuries and mistakes could happen. It was a fun experience. I would do it again… maybe someday.
Machu Picchu (Peru)
34. Plan a trip to Peru- So every year or two I like to go on a vacation. Last trip was Cancun. For whatever reason I haven’t really explored the United States very much. I much prefer to see other countries. There were several that I am interested in seeing- Nepal, China, Japan, Spain, Italy. But for whatever reason, I had it in my head to go to Peru and hike the Inca trail. My friend Hayden mentioned too that he wanted to get out of the country. I told him I was going to Peru and he was totally game. So we went and had some Peruvian food and discussed the things we wanted to do and then went back to his place and booked our flights. We have since also booked a tour that will explore the Amazon and hike the Inca trail. We will see Machu Pichu and we also plan on doing something a little crazy by going to an Ayahuasca ceremony. I’m really excited. this year has been about flourishing and opening myself to new experiences. Career-wise acting and writing is hard. I’m very good at those things but I make no money doing it. I wish I could translate my talent into an actual vocation. So often it feels like a closed door. But I am determined to not let the competitiveness inhibit me from living a full rich life replete with experiences, self discovery, and growth. That’s what this trip is about.
35. Launch the Book- I am a writer. I have a few irons in the fire right now, but none more personal or that I’m more proud of than my novel, Song of Edmon. The novel grew out of a role-playing game organized by my friend Philip and has been a wonderful project. I’ve never been published before and it was suggested to me that as I go through the final edits and try to connect with contacts who might take my work to an agent/publisher, I should begin building a fanbase. I started a website where some additional content is being displayed as well as a facebook page. I’m very excited to put this work out to the world to read and share. I think it’s really well written and is an exciting story. I’d love for you to check out the website- www.songofedmon.com and like the facebook page- www.facebook.com/songofedmon
I’m so proud of this challenge and that I’ve started off my 35th year being active, doing things, and experiencing some new things. Here is the total list if you would like to see it all:
35 before 35 challenge list
- Use the Condo pool
- Write a poem
- Paint a picture for the bathroom
- Give to a cause
- Eat a new Cuisine
- Buy an item for the bookshelf
- Buy flowers for the apartment
- Use the condo hot tub
- Write a mentor
- Sell something on Ebay
- See a movie on my own
- Learn a song on the guitar
- Buy lunch for someone else
- Buy a chair for the bedroom
- Buy a shirt for myself
- Play an April fool’s joke
- Go rock Climbing
- Go a day without the cellphone
- Go for a picnic
- Go for a day hike
- Buy a bicycle
- Cook something new
- Learn a monolgue
- Restring the Fender Guitar
- Get a Massage
- Host a game night
- Ride the bicycle to work
- Hike to the Hollywood Sign
- Go see a friend’s play
- Write a speech for sister’s wedding
- tell someone you love them
- Take a Krav Maga Class
- Go Sky diving
- Plan a trip to Peru
- Launch Book Website
Musings of Adam Burch 