Forty. Damn. I can honestly say that I didn’t think I’d ever get to this milestone. (And it’s still more than a month away, so maybe I need to knock on some wood!) I’ve been trying to think of how to celebrate the Big 4-O and discarding plans at every turn. International travel? Who has money for that? Vegas? Moooney. Disney World? Yeah, you get the picture. So, in lieu of making my friends go on some splashy, expensive, trip with me in the middle of winter, I’ve decided to make a list of 40 things I want to do throughout the course of my 40th year. I don’t expect to get them all done, but you never know!

1. Go axe-throwing.
2. Get a massage. (I’ve never, ever, had one! Can you believe it?)
3. Book a staycation night at the Library Hotel or some other shmancy place. DONE!
4. Get some soul food.
5. Go to an arcade or hit up Dave & Buster’s for Skee-Ball.
6. Get a famous chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery DONE!

7. Visit the Museum of Sex. DONE!
8. Vacation some place warm!
9. Hit up Tea & Sympathy again. DONE!
10. Say “yes” to more things. ONGOING!
11. Do the boozy-snacky movie experience at the Nitehawk or Alamo Drafthouse. DONE!
12. Try a regional cuisine I’ve never had before. DONE!
13. Start or finish writing another book. DONE!
14. Get purple highlights/streaks.
15. Get another tattoo! DONE!
16. See Black Panther multiple times. DONE!
17. Make out with somebody.
18. Eat a churro. (Yes, I’ve never had a churro. IDK why!) DONE!
19. See more theater! ONGOING!
20. Win the Hamilton lottery (hahahahahahahahahaha)
21. Go on a date! (A good date, not a bad date!)
22. Visit more museums, zoos, and aquariums. ONGOING!
23. Try an egg cream! DONE!
24. Learn how to make an Old Fashioned. DONE!
25. Have dosa and sambar in Manhattan or Queens. DONE!
26. See Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom. DONE!
27. See Love, Simon. DONE!
28. Visit a state I haven’t been to before.
29. Buy myself a traditional desi masala container. DONE!
30. Hit up some new museums, aquariums, and zoos. DONE!
31. Level up in Indian cooking and learn how to make an appetizer or a dessert!
32. Take a boxing class.
33. Plan that Scotland whiskey trip I’ve been wanting to do for years.
34. Do karaoke. DONE!
35. Do pub trivia.
36. Have a chocolate martini. DONE!
37. Try an author I’ve never read before. DONE!
38. Figure out where I’m moving next! DONE! (And I actually moved there!)
39. Splurge and buy myself a nice bottle of peaty single-malt scotch. DONE!
40. Pick a nice/favorite restaurant to have dinner on my actual birthday. No spending that day alone! DONE!