So remember when I told you I was growing a mustache for Movember, the movement to raise money for men’s health issues? Well, the month is halfway through now, and this is what it looks like.

And I hate it. I really do.

I’ve been told I look like a young Clark Gable. Sure, if Clark Gable were hit in the face with an ugly stick. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. I obviously don’t, because I’m letting this thing grow on my face.

But here’s the rub: I’m not doing this for me. If I were, I would have shaved a long time ago.

I’m proud to report that our Movember team - the best damn dad team on the planet – has raised over $8,000 so far. And we still have half a month to go.

Don’t be sad that you haven’t donated yet. I know you’ve wanted to, but you got busy, and you had a long day, and yada yada yada. Don’t despair – you can rectify that situation right now. Donate now, and immediately feel better about yourself.

It’s like a dose of self-esteem. Think of it as making up for all the self-esteem I’m losing this month.

I’m currently flying from Chicago to Los Angeles. It’s a long flight, and it will be accompanied by a long drive. But it’s giving me some much needed introspection time. I need it because I’m having to contemplate my whole life.

I’m about to attend Camp Mighty, the awesome brainchild of Maggie Mason and crew. I’ve been looking forward to it not only because of the warm California weather (it was snowing yesterday in Chicago – WTF?), not only because I’ll get to mix and mingle with some really smart and fun people, not only because it’s at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs – I’ve been looking forward to it because of a particular exercise “campers” go through: making a Life List.

In practical terms, a Life List is similar to a bucket list, only less morbid. In it, you outline things you want to accomplish in life, but there are particular parameters around Life Lists that make them special. Parameters like it can’t contain any guilt-driven things (“Lose 10 pounds.”) It has to be fun.

And the list shouldn’t be set in stone – it’s a living, breathing constitution for your life goals. If in a few years things change, and one doesn’t seem right anymore, strike it with no guilt.

Of course I have seen others make such a list, and was familiar with the concept. But I had never gone through the exercise myself. Here and now, on a plane flying somewhere over Nevada for all I know, I’m doing it. I’m writing down everything I’ve ever wanted to do in life. It’s simultaneously scary and exhilarating.

So far, I’ve put down a little over 50 items on my list (the goal is 100). Here’s what I’m working with so far, in no particular order. And I ask you to withhold your judgements about both how lofty and how simple some of them are:

• Fight in a boxing match
• Learn to play the banjo
• Bungee jump
• Visit the Great Wall
• Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef
• Drive a convertible down Route 66
• Restore an old muscle car
• Write a memoir
• Write a novel
• Hike down the Grand Canyon (and back up)
• Invent something
• Run a 5K
• Run a marathon
• Be invited to the White House
• Pilot a plane
• Own my own art studio
• Do a studio photography shoot
• Design my own menswear line
• Walk the Camino de Santiago
• Have a working ranch (with horses)
• Become a CEO
• Pick grapes in Tuscany
• Go on an African safari
• Go on a silent retreat
• Speak at a TED conference
• Meet Nelson Mandela
• Meet Desmond Tutu
• Drive a professional racecar on a track
• Hunt for my food
• Go parasailing
• Paint a beautiful painting
• Learn to sail
• Build Caroline a rocking chair
• Play a sold out stadium
• Release an album
• Own a coffeehouse
• Be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
• See Mount Rushmore
• Attend a Hollywood movie premier
• Act in a movie
• See the Pyramids
• See Stone Hinge
• See Easter Island
• Bet on a winning horse
• Hold political office
• Sail around the Tierra del Fuego
• Teach a college class
• Learn to cook
• Write for the New Yorker
• Be on the Moth podcast
• Tell a story for This American Life
• Learn to whittle
• Start a million dollar company

One thing this exercise has done that I wasn’t expecting was to help me realize how much I didn’t have to put on the list. I’ve already skydived. I’ve seen the Colosseum and the Acropolis. I’ve seen several Broadway shows in New York. In short, I think I’ve done a damn good job with my non-written Life List so far. Now thanks to Camp Mighty, I can just make the rest “official.”

And you know what, who says I can’t do this stuff? The more I wrote down, the more ridiculous it felt. But at the same time, I thought, Why not? Why can’t this kid from a semi-small Oklahoma town accomplish most if not all of this stuff? I’m not expecting to do it all, but I’d rather lean towards Yes, I will do this rather than I could never do that.

What would be on your list? I bet you could think of five things off the top of your head, just like I did. The things that always linger towards the surface, gnawing at you. What’s something scary that you haven’t wanted to voice?

(PS, The image above is of my newly acquired Field Notes from their Tatt.ly collaboration. Pretty awesome stuff.)

I want to put this on the wall above Miles’ crib.

[via Swissmiss]

This past weekend I spent a few days down in New Orleans at Mom 2.0 Summit, a conglomerate of some of the smartest people (not just parents) I’ve yet to meet. I like to describe the entire experience as a series of attempts. Not sure what I mean? Let me walk you through it.

• I attempted to play it cool when Karen Walrond casually sat two seats away from me on the plane ride from Houston to New Orleans, and not gush about how much I love her photography. I think I played it cool enough, even when she started taking photos of me and Sarah Hubbell (also lovely) right there on the plane.
• I tried to maintain composure when finally getting to meet Jim of Sweet Juniper and hang out with the very cool Aimee Giese and Kristen Howerton at the Speakers Dinner. (At that same dinner, I also attempted to decline the generosity of John Pacini and others who offered me their food after mine never came.)
• On Friday, I attempted to play it cool when Liz Gumbinner casually struck up a conversation, and not gush over how much I love her writing. (Case in point.)
• Then I tried to hang (both physically and intellectually) with the dads who were killing it in the “Dad Shack” track hosted and coordinated by Doug French. It became significantly harder when Catherine Connors stepped up to the plate to moderate one of the panels at the last minute. Catherine seriously oozes sophistication.
• I then attempted to not make a fool out of myself, as Ron Mattocks, Kristen Chase, Jim Higley, Renee Ross and I stepped up to the plate for our panel. And it went really well actually – thanks in large part to the intellectual heavy hitters on stage and in the audience.
• That night, I tried to keep up with Whit Honea, Father Muskrat, and Beta Dad as they took full advantage of New Orleans, but I eventually had to use the wee small hours of the night for sleeping. Those guys have a stamina unknown to man… except maybe in New Orleans, where they’d be considered wimps for calling it quits at sunrise.
• Speaking of the seedy underbelly of New Orleans, that night Whit and I actually attempted (successfully) to discourage a prostitute who seemed keen on keeping us “company” that evening. (Hint: when she asks “Are you happy?” quickly follow with “Yes – emphatically!” before she has the opportunity to ask any of the inevitable follow up questions.)
• On Saturday, I attempted to rejoin the cast of characters for one last day of fun outside the hotel. But I came down with some kind of stomach ache, and had to stay in bed most of the day. This sucked so much it made me want to cry.
• But I felt better by Sunday, so I decided to attempt to do a little photo walking tour of the French Quarter on my own, for the few hours I had left in New Orleans. And it was really great. It was one of those moments where you think, “Yeah. I could do this.” New Orleans has culture dripping from every corner, and is one of those cities that understands how appealing it is to tourists. But it isn’t snobby about it – you still feel welcome.

Overall I had a fantastic time, and credit Laura Mayes, Carrie Pacini, and the rest of the crew for putting on a great conference. The tone overall was one of movement, as in moms are an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

The moving forward was also evident in the inclusion of dads in the conference. I was really encouraged by the positive conversation around it – all seemed to love having us there. And then I got really excited by the announcement at the end of the conference of the launching of Dad 2.0 Summit. And you should be too.

If everything wasn’t changed last fall, it is now.

More non-words on Flickr.