Last weekend I partook in something that every Cornell alumna/us must do at least once in their lifetime: I marched down New York City's famed Fifth Avenue with close friends from undergrad, from Rockefeller Center to the Cornell Club, as part of the bi-annual Sy Katz '31 Memorial Parade -- apparently the shortest parade in New York City. On top of being able to reconnect with many old Cornell friends who I haven't seen in years (who were too lazy to make it to Ithaca for Reunions or Homecomings or the stray hockey game), the parade reminded me of a project I had been working on but had since placed on the back-burner -- creating a list of 161 Things That Every Cornell Alumna/us Must Do before they die. This would be a 'Far Beyond Cayuga's Waters Bucket List', so to speak, to complement the widely publicized 161 Things Every Cornellian (Student) Must Do first published by the alumni magazine in 1995 and is now refreshed annually by the Daily Sun. That list has inspired interactive websites and many YouTube video and has permanently become an enduring Cornell tradition. Now, loyal MetaEzra readers will no doubt recall that I've bemoaned many of the changes that have happened to the list over the years as it's progressively become less educational, diverse, and uniquely Cornellian in its aspirations, instead devolving into a list of alcohol and libido-fueled tomfoolery that can be found on any college campus. Because, really, Richard Farina is so much better than Four Loko or whatever the kids are raving about these days. So part of the goal of this new alumni-centric list is revert to that earlier, more genteel mindset, but at the same time, we don't want to sound too much like the organ of the University. This is an independent publication, after all. Of course, 161 action items is a long list to make, and we will not be able to complete this project without a little help from all of our Cornellian friends: meaning you. So this year's MetaEzra holiday contest encourages our alumni readership to submit their top five choices for things that every Cornell alumnus/a must do. Be creative and funny, wistful, earnest, or sarcastic. Or some combination thereof. I have a hand-picked group of judges who will help to sift through the submissions to both a) compile a finalized list and b) select the submission with the best five entries. Please email your five submissions by Wednesday, December 22nd to editor(at)metaezra.com with the subject line '161 Things Submission'. Winners and the finalized list will be announced in early 2011. An as yet to be determined prize will be awarded at that time. And to whet your appetite a bit, I've proposed 25 possibilities below. Enjoy! 1. After graduation, stick around in Ithaca for a few days, weeks, or even years. Become a townie, even if just for a little while. 2. Try to get your senior thesis published. Pass yourself off as a graduate student, or better yet, a professor, to the journal’s editors. 3. Date a current student while you’re out in the real world. Tell everybody you meet who is still a student that they have no idea how good they have it. 4. Enroll in a graduate program. Realize just how well your Cornell education prepared you. 5. Attend your 5th year reunion. Hit up the Palms, party like you did when you were 21, and realize that you’re not so young anymore.
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