Blog

23Mar 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#72 Walk on a Glacier: Part 2

#72 Walk on a Glacier: Part 2

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 2nd January 2018 in Franz Josef, New Zealand. In my previous post, #72 Walk on a Glacier: Part 1, I told the stories of the two attempts that preceded my third, and final, attempt at walking on a glacier. This item took me nearly four and a half years to complete it but, on 2nd January 2018, I was successful. Attempt #3 In December 2017, my mum came to visit me in New Zealand and I wanted to take her to the West Coast. She and my dad had travelled the South Island in 2015 but skipped the West Coast due to bad weather. I thought this was a good chance to get her to the West Coast and, with any luck, perhaps…
Read More
09Mar 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#72 Walk on a Glacier: Part 1

#72 Walk on a Glacier: Part 1

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This particular item seemed to be quite elusive to me and took me three attempts, which spanned nearly four and a half years. Some bucket list items are easy to achieve. It is just a matter of planning to go do it and then following through. However, walking on a glacier proved to be much different. I will recap the first two attempts in this post and then the story of how it was finally completed will be told in my next post. Attempt #1 While travelling through New Zealand in 2013, my friend Kyle and I found ourselves in Queenstown, then Wanaka and then heading up the West Coast. The West Coast of New Zealand is a rugged place as it cops the brunt of the weather systems that…
Read More
23Feb 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Why I Changed #33 Slap a Bull

Why I Changed #33 Slap a Bull

GENERAL
My previous blog, Why I Didn’t Change #27 Watch a Bullfight, described the judgement that was placed on me for wanting to run with the bulls and attend a bullfight. Somehow this third bull-related bucket list item flew under the radar. My guess is that not many people know what this means or know the reference. This bucket list item is in reference to the Hollywood movie Wild Hogs, staring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy. These four regular middle-aged men form their own wannabe biker gang and head off on an adventure to bring meaning back into their lives. In one of the scenes, Tim Allen’s character must sneak up behind a bull and slap it on the ass. Then he was supposed to get…
Read More
09Feb 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Why I Didn’t Change #27 Watch a Bullfight

Why I Didn’t Change #27 Watch a Bullfight

GENERAL
As discussed in my previous blogs, #27 Watch a Bullfight and #54 Run with the Bulls in Spain, I copped a lot of verbal abuse for wanting to be involved in these two events. Those who were close to me said hurtful things to me and drew conclusions about my opinion on animal rights that were not at all accurate. I was not oblivious to what happened at these two events. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. The only thing that I didn’t know was how I was going to react. I thought about changing these two items to make the naysayers happy, but, after much deliberation, I decided to leave them unchanged. I didn’t want to become them. I didn’t want to have my opinion formed…
Read More
26Jan 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#61 Lesson] Marvel at Human Capabilities

[#61 Lesson] Marvel at Human Capabilities

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog #61 Watch the Tour de France Live. Just as I described how I Marvel at Engineering Capabilities, I marvel at human capabilities in the same way. I have never been a fan of road cycling, but I love the Tour de France. The reason I love the Tour is because of the feat of endurance that all these athletes put on display for us. For a month straight, they bike all over France, through some grueling stages in the French Alps. This is what I truly love to watch. Endurance athletes have always impressed me. Although I am a fit person, I would not be able to complete many of the endurance races that this world has to offer. I have completed…
Read More
12Jan 2022 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#61 Watch the Tour de France Live

#61 Watch the Tour de France Live

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 22nd July 2017 in Marseille, France. Ever since I was a kid I have always marvelled at the endurance of the athletes in the Tour de France. I have never been into road cycling and have never actually rode a proper road cycle but the Tour de France was always an event I could not ignore when it was on TV. I just had so much respect for the athletes who were going flat out, stage after stage, for a month straight. And not just over flat ground... They would go up and down mountain passes and through small villages as they toured around the country. It was my admiration of the athletes that compelled me to put this one on the list.…
Read More
29Dec 2021 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#27 Lesson] You Don’t Know Until You Go

[#27 Lesson] You Don’t Know Until You Go

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog #27 Watch a Bullfight. The first time that I heard these words, laid out in that exact order, was from my friend Jesse. He was referring to a surf report that we were trying to decipher. Modern surf reports are very accurate and used by every surfer to figure out whether the drive to the beach is worth it or not. However, they are still based on a computer model that is susceptible to inaccuracies. From Halifax, the nearest break is about 40 minutes away. When the reports are marginal, it becomes a gamble to determine the value of the next 80 minutes of your life. If you don’t think the conditions will be surfable, do something else. Or take the chance…
Read More
15Dec 2021 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#27 Watch a Bullfight

#27 Watch a Bullfight

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 8th July 2017 in Pamplona, Spain. This post continues on from the story in #54 Run with the Bulls in Spain: Part 2. As a forewarning, I will describe what I witnessed at the bullfights. For those of you who don’t know, the bulls are killed in the ring during the fights and it can be gruesome. As I sat on the bus on my way back to camp, all I could think about was finally getting some sleep. I began chatting with the girl next to me and explained what had happened to me in the ring. I told her about the doctor and all the checks he performed on me. She mentioned that it would be a good idea to assume…
Read More
01Dec 2021 by Dave Macleod No Comments
2016 Roundup

2016 Roundup

GENERAL
I had my second-best year for the bucket list in 2016. I managed to complete seven items from my bucket list across three different countries. In case you have missed any of the stories or lessons from my bucket list adventures in 2016, here is a roundup. #36 Run a Half Marathon Completed on 26th June in Wellington, New Zealand [#36 Lesson] Accomplishing Life Goals Takes Commitment #90 Go to Pompeii Completed on 3rd July in Pompeii, Italy [#90 Lesson] Explored History #23 Ride in a Gondola Boat in Venice Completed on 15th July in Venice, Italy [#23 Lesson] Keep your Wits about Yourself When Travelling #78 Make a Call from a London Phone Booth Completed on 3rd October in London, England, UK [#78 Lesson] Stay in Touch #77 Get…
Read More
17Nov 2021 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#54 Lesson] Do Things for Your Own Reasons

[#54 Lesson] Do Things for Your Own Reasons

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog #54 Run with the Bulls in Spain. The San Fermin Festival in Pamplona is known around the world by millions. Just as a flipped coin has two equally weighted outcomes, it would appear that 50% of people think that the festival is an incredible experience, while the other 50% think it is despicable. Unfortunately, my ex-girlfriend Sarah, her mother and the loud-mouthed English holidaymaker on the airplane were part of the latter 50%. I never tried to impose my beliefs on any of them, but they did their best to bring shame to those very beliefs. I wasn’t doing it for them, and I didn’t need their approval, but their disapproval made it tough on me. It took a lot of resolve…
Read More