The following is part of The Lasso’s annual end-of-year tradition, in which we look back on the most outstanding parts of the past twelve months. Be sure to check out our other Top 11 pieces! Wishing you all a happy new year.

Over the last year, I have tried a great number of things, and I have made a number of videos documenting my efforts in a series called “Truman Tries.” We’ve had a lot of great ideas that made the cut. But for every publishable and rational idea, there are dozens of ideas that were deemed unfit to print. Not that you can print videos. 

Without further ado, here are my favorite Truman Tries ideas that didn’t make it. Is the world better or worse off because of this? We’ll never know. 

• Truman Tries Theft

I had recently watched the film “Ocean’s 13.” Not as bad as you might think, and also inspired me to try and orchestrate my own heist. What would I have stolen? Who would have been on my team? I guess we’ll never know.

• Truman Tries Being the Vice Principal

Never got off the ground. Used for a cheap gag, but was never fully realized. I never envisioned exactly what would happen in this video. Then again, I never do.

• Truman Tries Teaching

Of all my rejected ideas, this came the closest to reality. I worked with a teacher and set a date to conduct a statistics lesson in a senior math class. A few days before I was set to teach, I realized that the risk/reward balance was extremely tilted in the wrong direction. Not wanting to be mocked for the sake of my art, I moved on.

• Truman Tries Trouncing my Enemies

I was told I couldn’t directly attack school institutions in my videos. For those same reasons, I am sadly unable to name the organization in question here. They know who they are.

• Truman Tries Thrifting

This came very close to happening on several occasions, but was constantly hampered by scheduling conflicts. Eventually, I realized that I didn’t really want to go thrifting anyway and that it wouldn’t make a very interesting video. Just buy clothes from a normal store.

• Truman Tries Tap Dance

Does anyone really want to see this? I didn’t, and that’s all that mattered. I’ll leave the dancing to resident Lasso star of the stage Sam Mostow, who is starring in this year’s production of Tick, Tick, Boom!, which will be showing on the 20th of January through the 22nd. Tickets are $1 million dollars and one penny. 

• Truman Tries Treason

Great idea, too much paperwork.

• Truman Tries Trespassing

Fun, but illegal. Also, I wouldn’t know the first thing about going somewhere I wasn’t lawfully allowed to go. I certainly wouldn’t want to associate myself with anyone who would.

•  Truman Tries Truancy

Based off of Shawshank Redemption. Teachers couldn’t put up their own posters in their rooms at the time, so I didn’t have anything to hide the tunnel with. Also, Sam said no.

•  Truman Tries a Corporate Takeover of the Lasso

 Still in progress. Stay tuned.

• Truman Tries T…..

Do you know how hard it is to come up with things to do that begin with T? I knew I was setting a dangerous precedent when I started out with Tea and Training. I’m still digging myself out of that hole. 

Check out my success stories (if they can really be called that) here.