Movers and shakers

Chris and I watched a KRON 4 special on earthquakes and the faults in California. So interesting, so informative, so scary and nerve-wracking. Apparently, the Hayward fault averages one M6+ earthquake every 130 years (give or take 40 years), and the last big one on that fault struck in 1868. So we're kind of due. Apparently. Oy. I hope I'm not too close to the Marina to be safe. My old house in SF not only survived the '89 quake, but the '06 one, too. It's a wooden structure, built on solid bedrock, so here's hoping that I'm over there when the next big one hits. Chris and I are going to put together some disaster kits this weekend. Even Vinny will get one. Maybe I'll make it backpack-style so I can strap it to him.

So what I didn't get to the other night: Phil Keoghan, of The Amazing Race, has a new show called "NOW," which stands for No Opportunity Wasted. The idea stems from a near-death experience he had when he was 19 and his takeaway lesson that he should go out and do all the things he wants to, instead of saying what we all say: I'd do X if I had the time and money. What he does is give people $3,000 and 3 days (he clears their schedules for them: work, home, any and all commitments) and lets them try to accomplish their goals. It has to involve doing: one woman put on a burlesque show, a guy made a music video, another guy wanted to ride a live bull for 8 seconds, yet another wanted to conquer his fear of sharks. So yeah, you can't, like, take the three grand and stuff your face with the world's most exotic foods for three days. It got me thinking about what I would do, and I honestly don't know. That realization made me kind of sad. How can I not know what I'd do with such an opportunity? It's made worse by the fact that 3 days and $3,000 is a situation I could realistically find myself in, without help from Phil or the Discovery Channel. It's not a lifetime and a million dollars. I gave it more thought, and these are the things I've come up with:

*I'd learn to scuba dive: I tried it in Maui and failed miserably. Getting the gear on and understanding what I had to do was all fine. But when I was fully submerged, my heart started hammering and everything closed in on me. Lo and behold, I get claustrophobic under water—or at least, in the ocean, with full scuba gear on. (Swimming pools don't bother me.) So I'd take 3 days to learn how to scuba dive, starting in a pool and ending with an ocean dive.
*I'd go to circus school for 3 days, with the goal being a trapeze routine at the end of it. I never did gymnastics as a kid and I wish I had. I want to learn how to hurl myself through the air without dying.
*I would learn how to sail a sailboat and sail from SF to LA. It just seems like a handy skill. Or take flying lessons.
*I'd swim with dolphins.
*I'd go to Italy or France to learn about food—yeah, this is vague. Sue me.

What would you do?