As my grad school classmates know, I’ve been talking about my 30 by 30 list for quite a while. As I stewed on what to include, I managed to make some of these happen. Subsequently, I have done two of my charges in the past nine months, both of which have been on the “bucket list” for all of my adult life:

21. Go to Red Sox Spring Training

Me and Ben in Fort Myers

In 2011, a last minute decision to spend Spring Break in Florida paid major dividends. I spent a few days with family in Tampa and then met up with a grad school classmate and headed to Fort Myers, a location of mythological proportions for New England baseball fans: the March home of Red Sox Nation.

Upon arrival in this baseball Mecca, Ben and I caught two games against the Mets. Obviously, this did not represent the most intense pre-season rivalry, but the Sox played well and the Mets even managed to take a game. We saw a couple of bombs, at least one from a young prospect whose name I imagine we’ll hear in the near future. After the first game, we watched the Princeton men’s basketball team come within one shot of upsetting Kentucky in the first Round of March Madness – on Saint Patrick’s Day nonetheless. Pilgrimage complete.

20. Volunteer at a Burn Camp

Campers and Counselors at the 2011 Mid Atlantic Burn Camp

I have wanted to volunteer at a Burn Camp – a week long get-away for young burn survivors – since I spent two months in a burn hospital when I was 18. I first learned about these camps from my physical therapist, who explained how the camps were an opportunity for kids to both forget about their trauma and embrace their difference.

Last summer I cold-called a couple of burn camps near D.C. and heard back from the Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp, an all-star program in Virginia which drew kids from DC, Maryland, and the Philadelphia area. I talked my way into being a volunteer, and was assigned a cabin with six 11-12 year old boys. It was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. The theme was “Superheroes” so clearly there were some amazing costume opportunities (see picture: I am the faceless Spider-Man).