So it wasn't the end of the world, but what if it had been?

Part of me wanted the Rapture to actually come Saturday just to put an end to all the stupid jokes and comments about it. Honestly, about 1 percent of them were funny. Maybe that's because the best humor comes from reality, and there was nothing real about some goof who forecasted Judgment Day to be last Saturday and the goofs who took him seriously.

But I didn't really want the End of Days. Not when they haven't aired the season-finales to "Modern Family" and "Friday Night Lights" yet, and there's still a whole season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" coming up.

But since we all have to go sometime, I think I'd prefer an end-of-the-world, all-together-now deal as opposed to nodding off at my desk at work for keeps. By the way, I nearly came to a sudden end on three separate occasions during a vacation to Puerto Rico several years ago, via cliff, rock, and waves. And I'd happily go back.

However, there is a realization of all you'd miss or could miss if you, say, fell into the Grand Canyon.

I came up with a short list.

1. I want to see the Chicago Cubs play in a World Series. That would be apocalyptic in itself, don't you think? Can you imagine the millions of minds that would be rocked by that? Boston Red Sox fans thought it was life-changing when their team won a Series. If the Cubs ever just get to one, every fuse in Chicago and many more around the nation will be blown. The euphoria and angst all at the same time -- you don't get that from "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars," people.

2. I want to cover a Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit. Alas, it will never happen. Iowa, even at 6-6, would never fall all the way to that game. The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas or the TicketCity Bowl would take a 6-6 Hawkeyes team with pleasure. But to spend Christmas in Detroit on assignment at a bowl game that would be held in great disdain by the Iowa fandom ... that's not blog or newspaper material, that's my book.

3. I want to visit Cedar Rapids, Nebraska. As someone who has lived most of my life in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, I've often been curious about the Cedar Rapids to our west.

Here's what the

Cedar Rapids, Neb., official website says:

Imagine lying on your back in lush green grass on the banks of the Cedar River fishing for the elusive catfish in unpolluted water. An eagle soars overhead in a crystal clear blue sky as a turkey gobbles in the distance. A splash attracts your attention as a deer cautiously pauses for a drink. In the shadows of a sprawling Cottonwood tree, two fox pups playfully wrestle unconcerned, yet not too far from their den. Pheasants abound in the fall among an array of gorgeous colored trees and sumac bushes. Sandhill cranes, geese, ducks, and pelicans occasionally fly overhead and land in cornfields to feed and rest.

Why, it's as if my Cedar Rapids had a twin.

4. I want to laugh at everyone who says they have bucket lists. 

Because there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them. As the late, great Jim Croce told us 40 years ago.