Now that’s an interesting question.  What would you like to do before you turn 30? This is what I came up with. 

1. Finish my thesis

2. Publish a book

3. Live in the US

4. Visit Japan

5. Finish James Joyce’s Ulysses

6. Design and make my own clothes

7. Get my driving license

8. See aurora borealis

9. Learn Spanish

10. Meet many more amazing people

11. See Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

12. Dance without feeling stupid

13. Teach undergrads that Faulkner is not as scary as he seems

14. Write my family’s genealogy

15. See Slipknot live

16. Make a short film

17. Share more of my writing with the world

18. Stop being a controlfreak

19. Get the black karate belt

20. Fall in love

21. Get a cat

22. Bake my own bread

23. Bridge the gap between academia and “the real world”

24. Find a job

25. Learn how to fix my bicycle

26. Find a flat big enough for my great aunt’s sofa

27. Learn to play guitar

28. Paint more often

29. Make a difference

30. Grow up

And I can think of many more things, but 30 seems like plenty to begin with. Still 6.5 years to go…