Hi All,
I'm posting another brief synopsis of the project so far. The past couple weeks have flown by. Justin and I are getting our things settled, applying for jobs and I'm studying for school and the bar. The lessons I've been learning aren't daily anymore - they are weekly. I've continued to be more joyful, more open and happier because of this project than I ever was before. So, I am sorry if these particular daily things aren't as interesting as they used to be, but for me they've been just as enlightening.
Day 278 - Learn the Animaniacs Song
Date: October 11th, 2010
With a little help from Justin, who, to his great shame, already knew all the words; I learned the song. It was a delightful respite from things I've had to stretch to accomplish.
Day 279 - Learn to Throat Sing
Date: October 12th, 2010
One word. Weird. I assumed it was essentially humming, but it felt entirely different. I would recommend googling some videos and attempting it. You haven't lived until you've felt your throat vibrate.
Day 280 - Do a Chinese Firedrill
Date: October 13th, 2010
So, Justin, Ingrid and I were driving down to DC for the weekend (for job hunting, house hunting and vacation purposes) and Ingrid recommended that we do the old classic road hi-jink known as a Chinese firedrill. For those who don't know, that's when everyone gets out of the car, runs a lap around it and jumps back in. Usually this is done at an intersection, but not being much for traffic violations and danger,we decided it would be a better idea to do it in the drive-thru of a local McDonald's. In short, it was amazing and we're awesome.
Day 281 - Hold my Breath Under the Appalachian Mountains
Date: October 14th, 2010
I've gone back and forth to DC a bunch of times and every time I come across the tunnel under the mountains I attempt to hold my breath. I'd never previously succeeded. Though I assumed I'd fail, I tried again, mostly out of habit. When I saw the light start to open up on the other side of the tunnel, I was shocked to realize I'd not yet taken a breath. Huzzah! Huzzah for being awesome.
Day 282 - Sit in on an Inner-City High School Class
Date: October 15th, 2010
As part of a promise to Ben, I'm going to write a much longer and more detailed entry about this experience. While I've generally attempted to refrain from political commentary, I'm suspending that rule for the purpose of this entry.
Day 283 - Read a Graphic Novel
Date: October 16th, 2010
I've been an avid reader from a young age. While I used to enjoy picture books, I never read an actual graphic novel. I was surprised at how fully the pictures told the story. I'd expected the story to be somewhat barren without detailed prose. Then again, you really can't go wrong with a title like "The Walking Dead".
Day 284 - Crack a Safe
Date: October 17th, 2010
As part of the awesome trip, we all went to the Spy Museum and did an interactive tour to stop a nuclear bomb. That museum, man, that's some heavy stuff right there. Part of the experience was shuffling through a room filled with hidden compartments and papers to look for evidence. There was a safe in the corner and I spent about fifteen minutes looking for papers before realizing that no one had been able to crack it. In a moment of divine ego-stroking, I figured it out in about 15 seconds. I'm not exaggerating. I walked over, looked at it, spun a dial and thought "oh, that's the trick" before solving the rest of the locks. It was epic and I feel brilliant.
Day 285 - Have an Open and Frank Discussion About my Future
Date: October 18th, 2010
On the way home from DC, Justin and I had an eight hour car ride to entertain each other with. Considering our decision to move in together and the fact that we're looking for jobs in the same places and all other manner of major life decisions, we decided to lay all our cards out on the table and start talking future plans. By about hour five I'd realized that what he wants and what I want are so deeply in sync that I couldn't have planned it better if I tried. By hour eight I was tired, but I knew exactly what Justin would do in the even that our youngest child (a girl), at the age of fifteen, decided she wanted to go to a concert with a boy on a school night if her GPA was 3.7 and she'd one cut school to see a walrus exhibit at the local zoo. No, seriously, that's how detailed the conversation got. It was lovely.
Day 286 - Watch a Hockey Shoot-Out
Date: October 19th, 2010
I went with Justin and his mom to a Red Wings game. Other than the Wings losing, it was awesome. We got to buy snacks from Justin's brother Aaron (he works at the Joe), watch a super exciting game and see the capper - a shoot out that broke a 4-4 tie. Other than the Avalanche winning the shoot-out, it was super exciting.
Day 287 - Learn to Read Braille
Date: October 20th, 2010
Not unlike secret codes and sign language, understanding braille feelings like being in a cool club where no one else know what you're writing. The system is pretty genius, though my fingertips are definitely not sensitive enough to be able to read it by hand without practice. I have new-found respect for the blind. I'm just kidding. I always respected the blind.
Day 288 - Call a Random Number and Have a Conversation
Date: October 21st, 2010
It took, I'm not even kidding, 15 calls before I managed to get a conversation past 30 seconds. People are wary of strangers calling on the phone and wanting to shoot the breeze (I wonder why). I was ready to give up when I talked to a lovely woman from Ypsilanti. She has 3 kids, a dog named Trip and she works two jobs to get by. We only talked for a few minutes, but she seemed utterly delightful.
Day 289 - ***Redacted***
Date: October 22nd, 2010
So, my project is to do a new thing every day for a year. I did a new thing this day, but I don't feel it is appropriate to broadcast it on the internet. I know that makes it more intriguing than not, which is counter to what I want... but here's what I'll say... Justin can vouch that I did a new thing for this day. As can my mother. Other than that, you know nothing and see nothing.
Day 290 - Attempt my own Baking Recipe
Date: October 23rd, 2010
Baking is chemistry. I learned that on day one. So what made me think I could make meringues without an electric mixer and with fake sugar, well, I'm not sure. The result was a weird, puffy, souffle-omelet-rubber-cake-wheel that tasted bitter like my tears of disappointment. Seriously. It was a monstrosity.
Day 291 - Had a PJ Day with my Boyfriend
Date: October 24th, 2010
I'm a big fan of laziness. I wish laziness were motivated enough to be famous so I could write it a letter telling it how awesome it is. Then I remember that laziness wouldn't bother appreciating my hard work. In any case, Justin and I both needed a relaxation day so we stayed in PJ's, watched TV and cuddled all day. Granted I applied to jobs and did some school reading, but it was an all day PJ fest and its the first time I've done that with someone.
Day 292 - Clean out my Basement
Date: October 25th, 2010
I've often done major cleaning projects when forced, yelled at or threatened with grounding. I've rarely done them without such motivation. For a long time, the basement room at my condo has been filled with things I'm "storing" there. Which really means stuff I put there and forgot about. So I decided it was time to clean it out. Sort of like Spring cleaning, except that its fall and its just the basement. It felt like Christmas though... I discovered a ton of stuff I forgot I had. And its nice to have my basement back.
Day 293 - Get Keratin Put on my Hair
Date: October 26th, 2010
I was curious to see if there was anything, in existence, that could kill the frizz. I think I finally found something. Its called keratin and it helps build up the hairs' own proteins to make it stronger and less frizzy. I'll let y'all know how it looks in a couple days when the salon styling wears off.
October 26, 2010
October 19, 2010
Block Entry
Hi all!
One of the things that I realized about, well, life, in the past month is that as things get difficult, its important to prioritize. The project started as something I'm doing for me and its going to end that way. So, when it came time to figure myself out and potentially miss days for the sake of getting an entry done the night before, I chose to get the extra sleep, do the school reading and then do my new thing.
I have a feeling that things will be mostly catch up entries for the next month because of how busy life is. My primary focus is on completing the project, which I'm ever more certain I will do. In the meantime, here are entries to let y'all know what I did over the course of the last couple weeks.
Day 270 - Get a Couple's Numerology Reading
Date: October 3rd, 2010
Justin and I decided to see what things the universe has in store for us. For me, I wanted to see what the difference was between getting a reading myself and getting one as part of a couple. While there was some overlap (she talked a bit about my numbers for his benefit and his numbers for my benefit), the discussion of compatibility was really interesting. As for me telling you if we're compatible... well, I think I'll leave the surprise for the rest of y'all.
Day 271 - Redact a Document
Date: October 4th, 2010
Working at Legal Services gave me the opportunity to work on some incredibly interesting cases. As a result, I wrote briefs and memos for those cases and found myself looking at things that would make great writing samples for later jobs and opportunities. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of details in those briefs and memos that violate that whole... confidentiality... thing. So I sat down and took what was actually a shockingly long amount of time to redact the documents.
Day 272 - Help Someone Move
Date: October 5th, 2010
I've moved a lot and I've gotten a lot of help doing so. I have not been on the other side of the equation until recently. Justin and I decided to move in together a bit later in the year, but we went ahead and took some of his stuff out of his place and brought it over to mine. I didn't realize how difficult it was to help someone else move. I spent most of the time looking around and wondering what I could be helping with. Until I got instructions, it was really impossible to tell what needed to be done.
Day 273 - MacGiver Something
Date: October 6th, 2010
I came to the distinct realization that I needed measuring tape and didn't have any. So I took a piece paper and folded it into eight sections (seeing as it is eight inches across and all) and then I marked the folds. Then I took a piece of string, placed it on the paper and marked off the inches on it. Voila, measuring tape. That's about the time I realized that my solution not being "go to the store and buy some" was an utterly new experience for me. Huzzah!
Day 274 - Convince Someone to Try a New Look
Date: October 7th, 2010
This one was pretty straightforward. I was excited at how much my opinion counted. It was a lovely day.
Day 275 - Cook Dinner for my Parents at my House
Date: October 8th, 2010
Justin and I decided it was time for our parents to meet each other so we set up a nice dinner at my place to introduce them to each other. We spent the whole afternoon cleaning and cooking so we could serve an awesomely delicious dinner. I'm officially calling the night a success. It was especially nice to feel like I was able to host a night for my parents instead of continually mooching from them.
Day 276 - Watch a GameCast on an iPad
Date: October 9th, 2010
Since football season started, Justin and I have watched every game together. We have either gone over to his dad's house, gone to a bar or stayed at my place. But this weekend, we were on the road down to Indiana. So we used mobile internet to watch the GameCast on my iPad. Its similar to the MacGiver-ing I did earlier in the week, but a lot more high tech.
Day 277 - Go to a Country Wedding
Date: October 10th, 2010
This year, I've been to four weddings. Justin and I went to his friend Sarah's wedding in May and then we were both in our friends Ben and Lisa's wedding in August. After that was my friend Nick's wedding, which we drove out to Grand Rapids for. Last, but certainly not least, was Kyleigh and Matt's wedding in Indiana. They had a beautiful fall ceremony on 10-10-10 out on a farm. The crunch of the leaves, the gorgeous flower and table arrangements, the rolling hills of the farm - they all created a lovely ambiance. But the most wonderful part was the look of joy on the faces of the bride and groom. It was delightful.
Another catch up entry to follow. As soon as I get time. And in the meantime, I'm counting down the days until I've finished this amazing project.
One of the things that I realized about, well, life, in the past month is that as things get difficult, its important to prioritize. The project started as something I'm doing for me and its going to end that way. So, when it came time to figure myself out and potentially miss days for the sake of getting an entry done the night before, I chose to get the extra sleep, do the school reading and then do my new thing.
I have a feeling that things will be mostly catch up entries for the next month because of how busy life is. My primary focus is on completing the project, which I'm ever more certain I will do. In the meantime, here are entries to let y'all know what I did over the course of the last couple weeks.
Day 270 - Get a Couple's Numerology Reading
Date: October 3rd, 2010
Justin and I decided to see what things the universe has in store for us. For me, I wanted to see what the difference was between getting a reading myself and getting one as part of a couple. While there was some overlap (she talked a bit about my numbers for his benefit and his numbers for my benefit), the discussion of compatibility was really interesting. As for me telling you if we're compatible... well, I think I'll leave the surprise for the rest of y'all.
Day 271 - Redact a Document
Date: October 4th, 2010
Working at Legal Services gave me the opportunity to work on some incredibly interesting cases. As a result, I wrote briefs and memos for those cases and found myself looking at things that would make great writing samples for later jobs and opportunities. Unfortunately, there are a bunch of details in those briefs and memos that violate that whole... confidentiality... thing. So I sat down and took what was actually a shockingly long amount of time to redact the documents.
Day 272 - Help Someone Move
Date: October 5th, 2010
I've moved a lot and I've gotten a lot of help doing so. I have not been on the other side of the equation until recently. Justin and I decided to move in together a bit later in the year, but we went ahead and took some of his stuff out of his place and brought it over to mine. I didn't realize how difficult it was to help someone else move. I spent most of the time looking around and wondering what I could be helping with. Until I got instructions, it was really impossible to tell what needed to be done.
Day 273 - MacGiver Something
Date: October 6th, 2010
I came to the distinct realization that I needed measuring tape and didn't have any. So I took a piece paper and folded it into eight sections (seeing as it is eight inches across and all) and then I marked the folds. Then I took a piece of string, placed it on the paper and marked off the inches on it. Voila, measuring tape. That's about the time I realized that my solution not being "go to the store and buy some" was an utterly new experience for me. Huzzah!
Day 274 - Convince Someone to Try a New Look
Date: October 7th, 2010
This one was pretty straightforward. I was excited at how much my opinion counted. It was a lovely day.
Day 275 - Cook Dinner for my Parents at my House
Date: October 8th, 2010
Justin and I decided it was time for our parents to meet each other so we set up a nice dinner at my place to introduce them to each other. We spent the whole afternoon cleaning and cooking so we could serve an awesomely delicious dinner. I'm officially calling the night a success. It was especially nice to feel like I was able to host a night for my parents instead of continually mooching from them.
Day 276 - Watch a GameCast on an iPad
Date: October 9th, 2010
Since football season started, Justin and I have watched every game together. We have either gone over to his dad's house, gone to a bar or stayed at my place. But this weekend, we were on the road down to Indiana. So we used mobile internet to watch the GameCast on my iPad. Its similar to the MacGiver-ing I did earlier in the week, but a lot more high tech.
Day 277 - Go to a Country Wedding
Date: October 10th, 2010
This year, I've been to four weddings. Justin and I went to his friend Sarah's wedding in May and then we were both in our friends Ben and Lisa's wedding in August. After that was my friend Nick's wedding, which we drove out to Grand Rapids for. Last, but certainly not least, was Kyleigh and Matt's wedding in Indiana. They had a beautiful fall ceremony on 10-10-10 out on a farm. The crunch of the leaves, the gorgeous flower and table arrangements, the rolling hills of the farm - they all created a lovely ambiance. But the most wonderful part was the look of joy on the faces of the bride and groom. It was delightful.
Another catch up entry to follow. As soon as I get time. And in the meantime, I'm counting down the days until I've finished this amazing project.
October 2, 2010
Another Catch Up Entry
Hello again, fantastic people.
Its that time again. The time that I realize that while I've barely hung on to not messing up the project itself, I've failed utterly at keeping all you amazing people in the loop. I can only hope that playing big catch up one more time will be enough to get my writings back in the swing of things. So, without further adieu, here are ten paragraphs about my amazing life.
Its that time again. The time that I realize that while I've barely hung on to not messing up the project itself, I've failed utterly at keeping all you amazing people in the loop. I can only hope that playing big catch up one more time will be enough to get my writings back in the swing of things. So, without further adieu, here are ten paragraphs about my amazing life.
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