> I've decided that what my life is really lacking is adventure. So, since I'm obviously not quite exciting enough to stumble upon adventures just randomly, I've decided to actively seek them out. What I plan on doing is to come up with at least one "adventurous" thing a month (ideally more, but sometimes I can have a hectic schedule) to do and then document them online. I'm thinking I should carry around a camera, a notepad and get any brave friends together to give these things a shot and then compile reports in a Web site. This has the added bonus of sneakily allowing me to hone my reporting skills.
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> What I want from Rinkies are ideas for interesting, funny or just plain weird adventures that I could engage in for little money. Things that maybe you'd like to try but don't have the guts to. Anything specific to Southern California would be a bonus, but if you don't know the area I'm sure there are general things you can come up with. Any takers?

First of all, does my former teacher get any credit for starting you on this new hobby? He's the one who influenced the Discovery Events section on my Web page (more Events need to be added), then Brunnen-G caught on, and now you. I think that ultra-ruling professor should get Brownie points, or something.

Anyway, my suggestion will probably come as no great surprise considering my line of work, but here goes: Ride along with police officers. I don't know how your police department is, but the Lodi PD will apparently let people ride along if they ask. It's probably a bit easier with my press credentials, but I was out with a couple officers tonight and they told a citizen he could ride along in a patrol car sometime. You won't always get to go on high-speed chases, but if you're out long enough, you'll probably get to experience some speed, maybe even with lights. It's certainly adventurous, if that's what you want.

Tonight was the second time I've ridden along with a police officer, and while this ride-along didn't include speed and sirens, it was still fun. (Yes, it probably helps that I am utterly and completely fascinated by anything and everything related to law enforcement.) We were in an unmarked car, so we didn't have a cool computer in the center console, but if you can see those, they are incredibly fascinating. Lodi squad cars have touch screens with keyboards, and with two touches of the screen you can see where officers are out answering calls. They can park their car and file reports right there, rather than returning to the station, and it's all transmitted through radio waves so it synchronizes with the scanners and radios.

I could ramble on for quite a while, but the best thing is to just go out and do it. Talk to the police department, and maybe see if you can reach a public information officer. Just tell them what you told us on the forum, and be sure they know you live in their jurisdiction. You're a citizen who wants to know what the police officers do, and you're also a journalism student. I know I don't need to tell you not to promise them any kind of an article, but if you're genuinely interested, they'll recognize that. I guarantee that you'll learn a lot in a short amount of time.

Along other lines, I've been thinking of things I can do once I move, and here a few I want to do: take a self defense class, visit the local museums and cemetaries, bike around the lake (in your case, along the coast, which sounds amazing), volunteer at a couple places I've always had a special interest in, go to a silly Kiwanis breakfast because someone's been bugging me to go and the food will be free, and some other things that have presently left my mind because it's 1:23 a.m.

If you have the money, what about sky diving? I want to do that sometime next year. Oh, and you don't live too far from Los Angeles: Go to Skid Row. It's the place where tents and cardboard boxes line the empty streets at night -- empty because people are too scared to go down them in the dark. We got lost there not too long ago, and I want to go back (not at midnight), wearing plain clothes, no jewelry and simply talk to people.

Ell"Always wanted to fly over the volcano in Hawaii in a helicopter, but Mom and Grandma said no"myruh