Like my 40 before 40 list, I’ve put together a 50 before 50 list: 50 things I’d like to do before I turn 50. It’s a 10-year project, so it’s far more ambitious than 40 before 40, since these are for 10 years, not just for a single year. It’s a little daunting, for sure. I moved some of my remaining items from 40 before 40 here, to make sure that I eventually get to them. Wish me luck.

1. Go on a week-long backpacking trip.
2. Make a really cool piece of interactive art.
3. Play a movement of one of the Bach solo cello suites reasonably well.
4. Set up a real retirement savings plan. Done!
5. Read Bleak House.
6. Purchase a piece of real estate.
7. Write another design book. Done!
8. Write a novel.
9. Have a suit made for me.
10. Attend an opera.
11. Eat at The French Laundry.
12. Perform a cello/violin duet with Fiona.
13. Buy a new cello.
14. Go to New Orleans. Done!
15. Go to Rome. Done!
16. Go to Barcelona. Done!
17. Go to Africa.
18. Go to South America. Done!
19. Go to India.
20. Go to the South Pacific. Done!
21. Go to Bhutan.
22. Go to a state I’ve never been to (I have 10 to choose from). Done!
23. Teach Fiona how to ride a bike. Done!
24. Spend a day in a pub doing nothing but reading, talking, drinking. Done!
25. Prepare an amazing dinner for friends.
26. Do an extended stay in another country.
27. Win a design award.
28. Donate a large sum to charity.
29. Go whitewater rafting.
30. Launch a consumer electronics product.
31. Design a “signature” product. Done!
32. Learn a new skill.
33. Do a road trip.
34. Drink a bottle of very expensive wine.
35. Have a romantic meal in Paris with Rachael.
36. Buy an antique piece of furniture.
37. Take a martial arts class.
38. Speak at a non-design conference.
39. Design a truly useful product.
40. Buy an antique device.
41. Teach a class.
42. Reread the Patrick O’Brien Aubrey/Maturin series.
43. Mentor a designer. Done!
44. Meet one of my heroes. Done!
45. Write a personal essay. Done!
46. Give a talk on something that isn’t design. Done!
47. Rent a vacation house for a week and have friends stay over.
48. Read The Baroque Cycle.
49. Become debt free.
50. Do something amazingly generous and unasked-for for someone I don’t know.