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“…so I’m like YOU KIDS TURN THAT MUSIC DOW…huh…what?  I’m on? Thanks!”

(sound of me clearing my throat)

Hello world!  For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jim Chaney.  This is the part where you tell me your name.  Well it’s a pleasure to meet you.  I figure we should get the introductions out of the way now seeing as how we’ll be spending quite a bit of time together over the next year or so.  Oh wait…they didn’t tell you?  Yep, you are now helplessly addicted to following my blog.  On the plus side, those who tag along with me on this journey will receive a shiny new set of ginsu knives.

(Cue the fast talking, monotone voice man to read my 500 word disclaimer in 8.2 seconds explaining that you will not actually receive the ginsu knives)

Now back to this journey I was talking about.  For the past several months, it has brought to my attention (as if I didn’t already know it) that I will be turning 29 in early November.  The last of the 20’s, one more year until the big 3-0!  My wife and several of my close friends have been sure to remind me of this as I am the elder of our group.  While I am not someone who would typically make a big deal about something like this, I must admit it has weighed on my mind.

A few nights ago, while enjoying some drinks around our neighbors’ fire pit, the topic of age came up yet again.  As you can imagine, my birthday quickly became the subject of the discussion.  My neighbor, Stephanie, mentioned that a popular idea going around for people dealing with the idea of turning 30 is to create a bucket list of sorts.  The idea, aptly named 30 before 30, is to create a list of 30 things you would like to do before wrapping up your 3rd decade on this big rock.  At first I scoffed at the idea, not giving it time to marinate, but the more I thought about it, the more energized I got.

As I began to contemplate my list, I found that sports related activities and locations were a dominant theme.  For those of you who know me, this must come as quite a shock.  For those who do not know me (or were unable to realize the sarcasm in that last sentence), I am a major geek when it comes to sports.  I can rattle off stats like how many consecutive games Johnny Unitas threw a touchdown pass in (47) or who won the 1976 NCAA mens basketball tournament (Indiana) without missing a beat and I become a kid in a candy shop when I get to see my favorite teams in person.  Sports is a passion of mine and I am proud of it. 

Another passion of mine is writing, or more accurately, writing about sports.  One of the ideas I had for my 30 before 30 list was to start a sports blog.  I figured it would be a fun way to get my thoughts and opinions out there into cyberspace and you never know who might be reading.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll get a call from an executive at ESPN asking me to be their newest sports columnist.  Hey, I guy can dream can’t he? 

Anyway, as I started looking into the process of creating a blog, another idea occurred to me.  (That’s right, two ideas in one week…take that all you rocket scientists out there!)  Instead of blogging about sports, why not blog about checking off the items on my list?  People love to read about the lives of others, even when they’re not that exciting.  Take yourself for example, you are captivated by my story already aren’t you?  I will take your silence to mean yes.  So, for the next year or so, I will be using this space to regale you with stories of my 30 before 30. 

Another reason for telling my story is that hopefully some people with connections might happen to come across this.  You see, there are several items that may make their way onto the list that I consider extravagant.  In other words, I probably can’t afford to do them or they require more than money to accomplish them.  This is where I plead to you, my loyal readers, to share my story.  Perhaps someone you know, knows the friend of a brother of a guy who can help me.  It’s possible…again, I guy can dream.

So that’s the back story folks.  My birthday is November 8th so I have just under 3 weeks to go before the official one year countdown begins.  I will be posting my 30 before 30 list soon (as soon as I actually complete it) so keep checking back.  And feel free to leave any suggestions you may have for additions to my list.  Let the journey begin!

“Just a small town girl…living in a lonely world…she took the midnight tr…”

Sorry, that was just too easy!

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