To do...

Any writer will tell you that research is key to writing effectively and accurately about the experiences of their characters, whether they ride horses, deliver babies, hack computers or duel with broadswords. Maria V. Snyder has admitted to taking up glassblowing, riding horses, and picking locks while researching her characters in the Study books (some of my faves--fans of Tamora Pierce MUST read these).

I don't have the time or resources to do anything very in-depth apart from Googling a lot and using my local library, but lately, I've been making a list of things I want to do to add to my life experiences. Some are for research, some aren't, but hey, anything new is something good, right?

• Getting a bikini wax: This is high on my list of "doable, but do I really want to do this?" Mainly because A) I don't frequently wear a bikini, and B) I just don't know if getting my hoo-hah mass-plucked is going to be fun. Maybe I'll start with something less intense, like an armpit or leg wax.
  
• Playing Dungeons & Dragons: Did this last weekend, thanks to John's friend Zack who played Dungeon Master to our maurauding group of mostly noobs. It was a fantastic experience, great for getting into character motives. I've been using the game to help build a character I've been writing for a young adult novel that's moving nowhere.
• Learning a martial art: I'd toyed with the idea of going to a free karate class, since my latest project involves an MMA fighter whose specialty is karate. Then I thought, hey, why not try boxing or MMA instead? But then I remembered, oh, right, my body is broken and I'm decrepit. Also, I did Aikido for a summer when I was in grade 9, and I don't remember it being that much fun. But just so I can say I did, I toured the Toronto BJJ gym across from Christie Pits. What I saw didn't exactly inspire me to join. They did, however, have an Octagon upstairs in their poorly ventilated upper level. A selling feature, but not for the frightened novice.
  
• Camping: I'm not an outdoorsy type. At all. John will attest that I can't even walk on the grass without squirming. I mean, it's covered in poo. Don't believe me? Well, have you ever seen squirrel poo? HAVE YOU? Right, you haven't. Guess what you're lying on over on the grass there!... You know what? Never mind. My idea of roughing it is going without the Internet for 24 hours.
• Horseback riding: Who doesn't want to do this?
• Firing a gun: I wondered if my company would actually pay for half the cost of my getting lessons and a gun license. I decided (wisely) not to ask.