2DO Before I Die

Remaking 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'

This article is from a few years back, but if you haven't read it - it's a classic. Born out of a love of the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark", two friends in southern Mississippi - 10-year-old Chris Strompolos and 11-year-old Eric Zala decided to remake Spielberg's adventure shot for shot with a home video camera. Starting in the summer of 1982, it took them 7 years... As Vanity Fair puts it, it's "a tale of love, obsession, and pissed-off moms". Here's a taster:

"For most kids, an afternoon spent daydreaming out loud about taking on some grand project would have been enough. But for Chris and Eric, it was just the beginning. As partners, they would prove to be strangely suited to the huge task they had begun. And so their little undertaking became something that occupied them for the rest of the 1980s."

UPDATE: Since posting, we've since heard that talented writer/artist Daniel Clowes ('Ghost World', 'Eightball'...) has written a screenplay for a feature-length movie about this story. The film's producer? A Mr. S. Spielberg...

Things I've Never Done

The Guardian ran an interesting series this week called 'Things I've Never Done'. A number of writers recount their first ever experiences driving, smoking, wearing high heels, going to a soccer/football match and more. The link here is to Lucy Mangan's piece about flying for the first time - on her way to New York City. -- Mike

2DO Story to be made into film...

One of the most popular stories in the 2DO Book is Benjamin Wagner’s ‘Meet my childhood hero’ (Roots, p.15) – a moving account of his conversation with the US children’s TV icon, Mr Rogers, just a few months before his death.

Ben also got a very warm reception at the 2DO book reading last June as he read the story to an audience of contributors, friends and strangers.

Encouraged in part by this enthusiasm for his story, Ben’s now decided to go one stage further and put together a documentary on Mr Rogers, which he’s currently shooting with his brother Chris.

To find out more (and to check out a great piece of serendipity between his film and the 2DO project) visit the 'Mr Rogers & Me' blog.  Best of luck Ben! Keep us posted...

2DO Story: 'Climb a live volcano'

Here's a story we've had sent in to the site from Sheila, a 19 year-old from Java, Indonesia. She recently bought the book over there and was prompted to recall the time she climbed up Java's highest mountain, the active volcano Semeru. She was only 14 and Semeru was 3676m above sea level, which is a dizzying height/weight ratio if ever there was one...

Click here to check it out...

Cycle across America

What does it take to cross the U.S.A. on a bicycle? After two months, 12 mountain passes, six flat tires, and 4,000 glorious miles, Joe Kurmaskie can tell you.

Hi everybody, a story for you for the weekend. Written by a friend of a friend who got in touch with us recently. Joe Kurmaskie writes regularly for Men's Journal, Outside, and Backpacker magazines. We enjoyed reading about Joe's cycling adventure with his two sons and hope you do too. Very much in the spirit of the 2DO project, Joe's story was sadly snapped up by Men's Journal before we could get our filthy paws on it...

Click here to check it out.

Post-Oscars glitz-fix...

For anyone out there with award ceremony withdrawal symptoms, we have a fun story from Suzie in Boston - all the requisite red-carpet glamour and glitz, but with a kinky twist. Click here to check it out...

Plucking up the courage...

As you may have heard, it’s the day of Valentine’s, famous for cheap chocolates and mafiose bloodbaths. Whatever you’re planning for this evening with your lover/lovers/self, if you need a little help plucking up the courage to say what you feel, here’s a link that might tingle the old aorta. It’s a nice story sent in a while back that made the Love section of the 2DO book – 'Ask out a total stranger' by Karen, 40 of San Francisco... Click here to check it out...

Quit your job (for 24 hours anyway)...

According to an article in the Guardian Newspaper in the UK, today is the most popular day of the year to call in sick and take the day off. The article cites “a combination of of bad weather, post-Christmas blues and the long haul to the next holiday” in its reasons for this mass exodus of fake coughs and strategic groans.

There’s a certain art form to calling in sick, and some are better at it (and less restrained by a guilty conscience) than most. But if you’ve secured a few hours of illicit freedom today and feel under pressure to carpe your diem, we’ve got a story to reassure you that sometimes the only sensible option is to "do nothing at all." It's by Nic Kelman, 32, from New York and appears in the 2DO book (Experiment section, p.89). Click here to give Nic's story a read...

What's Your Story?

When you look back, no matter how young or old you are, what are the experiences that you always remember? Was it graduating from college? Getting married? Singing in that band?

We're curious to hear your stories -- something you worked towards, an event that remains particularly memorable or an experience that continues to inform and inspire.

Over the years, we're received hundreds of stories in some form or another. Seventy of our favorites were collected in the 2DO Before I Die book, covering a wide range of experiences, from small experiments to life-long ambitions. The youngest contributor was 20, the oldest 81, and nearly all ages in-between....

And we'd love to hear your story... Just leave your story via the comment boxes below. They don't have to be success stories -- we’re as hungry for tales of hapless realism as those of bright-eyed idealism -- a sense of humour goes a long way. And we'd be grateul if you could keep the wordcount below 300 (just a snapshot or a moment if it fits)...

Thanks, Mike and Chris

Work with the Homeless

Another chance to check out Pete's festive story of helping the homeless on Christmas Day (as featured in the book, p94).

Click here to check it out...