Date: May 26th, 2010
Ever since Ryan and I went to see Don Giovanni, I've marveled at the amount of contemplation and calculation that must've gone into writing that opera. Mozart didn't just have to write music and words, but also a play and, in some senses, choreography. Granting the director has his actors do what he pleases, Mozart still must've had a sense of where they would stand and how they would interact. The idea of putting all that together just seemed so, insurmountable to me.
In retrospect, that was probably, at least in part, because I don't usually do anything with music. Knowing that one part of a huge endeavor is outside of my expertise has tended to make the whole project seem more impressive. I decided to test that theory by trying to write a song. A few years back I went to visit my friend Sean in Evanston for his 21st birthday. On the way out to Illinois, I stopped at a Native American outpost along Route 12 and bought a Navajo flute.
June 2, 2010
Day 139 - Learn Handball
Date: May 25th, 2010
When I was younger, I used to play wall ball. Its not really a well defined game. Its a tennis ball, a brick wall and lots of free time at recess. Everyone I know played some version of it and when I couldn't find anyone to play catch with, I'd practice for softball doing the same thing. Apparently, years ago, someone got overwhelmed by recess nostalgia and created an honest-to-goodness sport out of throwing a ball at a wall.
My friend Louis plays handball quite a bit so he offered to teach me how to play on one evening after work. I showed up at the gym expecting to rock the pants off of handball. Hmm. In retrospect, that sentence had way to many entendres for my taste. The point is, despite not having done the spot, I figured this new experience would be right up my alley, against my brick wall and back into my hand. Ok. Again. That sentence was much dirtier than I intended.
When I was younger, I used to play wall ball. Its not really a well defined game. Its a tennis ball, a brick wall and lots of free time at recess. Everyone I know played some version of it and when I couldn't find anyone to play catch with, I'd practice for softball doing the same thing. Apparently, years ago, someone got overwhelmed by recess nostalgia and created an honest-to-goodness sport out of throwing a ball at a wall.
My friend Louis plays handball quite a bit so he offered to teach me how to play on one evening after work. I showed up at the gym expecting to rock the pants off of handball. Hmm. In retrospect, that sentence had way to many entendres for my taste. The point is, despite not having done the spot, I figured this new experience would be right up my alley, against my brick wall and back into my hand. Ok. Again. That sentence was much dirtier than I intended.
So yeah. Hi Louis.
Day 138 - Want to Give Up
Date: May 24th, 2010
This entry is a bit more serious and its one of the reasons that I'm a little behind. I sort of dreaded writing this one because I feel like I'm admitting more about myself than I usually choose to outside of my immediate family.
Twenty years ago, I was five. (Check out those math skills). And at five, I thought about many fanciful things. I wanted to be an astronaut, I hated playing house and I was really good at arguing with people. One of those three things has stayed a fundamental part of who I am. Guess which one, says the law student. The fact of the matter is, I've never met an argument I didn't want to be a part of. That got me in a lot of trouble in grade school, college, law school, relationships, run ins with law enforcement, neighbors, friends, coworkers, bosses, customers at jobs, strangers at the gas station. You get the point.
This entry is a bit more serious and its one of the reasons that I'm a little behind. I sort of dreaded writing this one because I feel like I'm admitting more about myself than I usually choose to outside of my immediate family.
Twenty years ago, I was five. (Check out those math skills). And at five, I thought about many fanciful things. I wanted to be an astronaut, I hated playing house and I was really good at arguing with people. One of those three things has stayed a fundamental part of who I am. Guess which one, says the law student. The fact of the matter is, I've never met an argument I didn't want to be a part of. That got me in a lot of trouble in grade school, college, law school, relationships, run ins with law enforcement, neighbors, friends, coworkers, bosses, customers at jobs, strangers at the gas station. You get the point.
June 1, 2010
Day 137 - Go Disc Golfing
Date: May 23rd, 2010
A few years ago, I beat Tim at bowling. He has never forgiven me. As penance, it was decided that I should be forced to, at some point in the future, engage in an activity in which he clearly excels, thus righting the universe. I agreed to these terms with roughly the same amount of thought as one puts into the decree to return a favor to the Godfather. With a mix of apprehension and vain belief that my number would never be called to repay my transgression, I went about my business for years.
Flash forward to a balmy Sunday afternoon in May. I recently developed a hankering for not sitting on my ass, so anything physically inclined has been a welcome suggestion. That's when Tim and I got in touch about Disc Golf. In case you're wondering, that's golf, but with discs.
A few years ago, I beat Tim at bowling. He has never forgiven me. As penance, it was decided that I should be forced to, at some point in the future, engage in an activity in which he clearly excels, thus righting the universe. I agreed to these terms with roughly the same amount of thought as one puts into the decree to return a favor to the Godfather. With a mix of apprehension and vain belief that my number would never be called to repay my transgression, I went about my business for years.
Flash forward to a balmy Sunday afternoon in May. I recently developed a hankering for not sitting on my ass, so anything physically inclined has been a welcome suggestion. That's when Tim and I got in touch about Disc Golf. In case you're wondering, that's golf, but with discs.
May 28, 2010
Gone Campin'
Dear Loyal Everybody,
This weekend I shall be communing with nature.
Because of an FBI probe, I've been forced to go off grid.
I lost my keys in the UP and I've gone to search for them.
I'm going camping! There. That works.
My friend Tim was awesome enough to invite me to come along on his camping trip this weekend. Delightfully, the wilderness is full of experiences I've never had before. Sadly, I won't be writing until at least Tuesday. I hope Memorial Day BBQs, car races and celebrations treat everybody kindly. Until then...
Peace out.
I'm outty-5000.
Later, bitches.
Bye!
I'm going camping! There. That works.
My friend Tim was awesome enough to invite me to come along on his camping trip this weekend. Delightfully, the wilderness is full of experiences I've never had before. Sadly, I won't be writing until at least Tuesday. I hope Memorial Day BBQs, car races and celebrations treat everybody kindly. Until then...
Bye!
May 27, 2010
Day 136 - Do the Shuffle with the Consul General of Macedonia
Date: May 22nd, 2010
So let's talk about P.W.A.P. for a second. That stands for Party With A Purpose and it is the name of the group my good friends and neighbors, the Nicholases, started as a new way of raising money for charity. Because they aren't directly affiliated with a specific charity, they have the freedom, each time they plan a party, to send their money somewhere new. I think its just a fantastic idea. I've also been trying to get myself to one of their parties for almost a year, but without luck. Seems to be every time I'd hear about a P.W.A.P. in the near future it would be at a time when I was out of town (the last one was in February, I believe, when I was in DC) or when I'd already made plans I promised to keep.
Having gotten deeply frustrated with myself for never being able to attend, I sat down with Josephine and Jihan and devised a plan. Wait for it. I'm going to give you all a moment to marvel at the brilliance you're about to read before I actually lay it on you. Here goes. Maybe, my exquisitely intricate brain reasoned, if I committed to doing something to help them plan their party, I won't be busy when it happens. Sort of a "clear the calendar, here I come" idea. I know, it seems simple. It may even resemble an idea one of you has had, but I assure you, it was genius.
So let's talk about P.W.A.P. for a second. That stands for Party With A Purpose and it is the name of the group my good friends and neighbors, the Nicholases, started as a new way of raising money for charity. Because they aren't directly affiliated with a specific charity, they have the freedom, each time they plan a party, to send their money somewhere new. I think its just a fantastic idea. I've also been trying to get myself to one of their parties for almost a year, but without luck. Seems to be every time I'd hear about a P.W.A.P. in the near future it would be at a time when I was out of town (the last one was in February, I believe, when I was in DC) or when I'd already made plans I promised to keep.
Having gotten deeply frustrated with myself for never being able to attend, I sat down with Josephine and Jihan and devised a plan. Wait for it. I'm going to give you all a moment to marvel at the brilliance you're about to read before I actually lay it on you. Here goes. Maybe, my exquisitely intricate brain reasoned, if I committed to doing something to help them plan their party, I won't be busy when it happens. Sort of a "clear the calendar, here I come" idea. I know, it seems simple. It may even resemble an idea one of you has had, but I assure you, it was genius.
May 26, 2010
Day 135 - Price Items for an Auction
Date: May 21st, 2010
Over the past couple weeks leading up to May 22nd, I was working on gathering items for a small charity auction. I got a ton of great donations from friends, which was wonderful, but now that it was the day before the party and I had a well defined pile of stuff, I had no idea what it should go for. Luckily, that was completely up to me.
Granting that it was a relatively small measure of personal power, I greatly enjoyed getting to name the prices of the auction goods. At the time that I was doing it, I felt like I was truly and completely in charge of a project. I've managed projects and been second-in-command on projects, but having the entirety of the decisions rest on my shoulders is something more new for me.
It struck me that, sink or swim, it was on me. I planned it, put it together, got the donations for it, priced the items, figured out the way it would run. Everything. The day before the actual auction was supposed to take place, it hit me what a big responsibility it is to be in charge of a project and have the final outcome rest on your shoulders. It was scary, but it was also a good feeling. I liked knowing that the lessons learned and the things gained from the experience or putting it all together before the party would be mine and mine alone.
Over the past couple weeks leading up to May 22nd, I was working on gathering items for a small charity auction. I got a ton of great donations from friends, which was wonderful, but now that it was the day before the party and I had a well defined pile of stuff, I had no idea what it should go for. Luckily, that was completely up to me.
Granting that it was a relatively small measure of personal power, I greatly enjoyed getting to name the prices of the auction goods. At the time that I was doing it, I felt like I was truly and completely in charge of a project. I've managed projects and been second-in-command on projects, but having the entirety of the decisions rest on my shoulders is something more new for me.
It struck me that, sink or swim, it was on me. I planned it, put it together, got the donations for it, priced the items, figured out the way it would run. Everything. The day before the actual auction was supposed to take place, it hit me what a big responsibility it is to be in charge of a project and have the final outcome rest on your shoulders. It was scary, but it was also a good feeling. I liked knowing that the lessons learned and the things gained from the experience or putting it all together before the party would be mine and mine alone.
May 25, 2010
Day 134 - Call Clients Directly
Date: May 20th, 2010
I'd like to write a flamboyantly egotistical entry about how easy it is for me to meet people, kiss hands, shake babies, etc.. but that would be a lie. When I know what I'm going to say or I'm enthralled by what the other person is saying, I generally manage pretty well. When that's not the case, like most people, I struggle a bit more. I fear the awkwardness, wonder what kind of a first impression I'm making while I'm still making it, and let my mind wander to a safer place, inevitably losing my place in the conversation.
Because of that vaguely rational fear, I've generally avoided jobs that involve cold door knocking or cold calling people. See, in those cases, having a pitch is a double edged sword. Sure, I have something to say to start the conversation, but what if the person says something unexpected?
Me: Would you like to subscribe to People Magazine to help blind children today, sir?
Gentleman: It depends. Is People Magazine endorsed by Xenu?
Me: By who?
Gentleman: Be gone, vile temptress!
**true story**
And that's where the less rational part of the fear kicks in. As easy as it is to talk to people about my blog or my family or even just to listen to them talk, when it comes to business calls, I get worried. What if I don't know the answer to one of their questions? What if they lose confidence in the service we provide because I mess up and tell them something wrong? What if I forget to water the houseplants? Its deeply concerning.
On my first week on the job, my supervising attorney sent me off to make calls to clients about appointments, their current case status and other important information. That fear started creeping in and I tried to think back to the last time I called a business client. Never at Plum, seeing as cashiers didn't get phones. Not once at Cisco or Yahoo. The US Attorney never asked me to. Ok, no problem, what about volunteer positions? No... nope.... never.
Having realized that my work assignment could count for my thing of the day if I wanted it to, I decided to do it up right. I sat down for a few minutes, took some deep breaths and ran through the conversations in my head. I thought about a variety of reactions, from grateful for the help to rude as heck to a level of crazy as yet not understood by modern science. Then I decided to focus on fighting through my fear of awkward irrelevance.
At the end of the day, my calls weren't perfect, but my confidence was way up. I realized that I am a strong enough person to fight through fear when the situation calls for it. Maybe its not the same as locking up an abusive husband, but those clients needed information or a meeting time or an update on their cases and my ability to provide that for them hinged on my ability to, quite frankly, suck it the heck up.
So... I grew myself a spine and made the calls.
I'd like to write a flamboyantly egotistical entry about how easy it is for me to meet people, kiss hands, shake babies, etc.. but that would be a lie. When I know what I'm going to say or I'm enthralled by what the other person is saying, I generally manage pretty well. When that's not the case, like most people, I struggle a bit more. I fear the awkwardness, wonder what kind of a first impression I'm making while I'm still making it, and let my mind wander to a safer place, inevitably losing my place in the conversation.
Because of that vaguely rational fear, I've generally avoided jobs that involve cold door knocking or cold calling people. See, in those cases, having a pitch is a double edged sword. Sure, I have something to say to start the conversation, but what if the person says something unexpected?
Me: Would you like to subscribe to People Magazine to help blind children today, sir?
Gentleman: It depends. Is People Magazine endorsed by Xenu?
Me: By who?
Gentleman: Be gone, vile temptress!
**true story**
And that's where the less rational part of the fear kicks in. As easy as it is to talk to people about my blog or my family or even just to listen to them talk, when it comes to business calls, I get worried. What if I don't know the answer to one of their questions? What if they lose confidence in the service we provide because I mess up and tell them something wrong? What if I forget to water the houseplants? Its deeply concerning.
On my first week on the job, my supervising attorney sent me off to make calls to clients about appointments, their current case status and other important information. That fear started creeping in and I tried to think back to the last time I called a business client. Never at Plum, seeing as cashiers didn't get phones. Not once at Cisco or Yahoo. The US Attorney never asked me to. Ok, no problem, what about volunteer positions? No... nope.... never.
Having realized that my work assignment could count for my thing of the day if I wanted it to, I decided to do it up right. I sat down for a few minutes, took some deep breaths and ran through the conversations in my head. I thought about a variety of reactions, from grateful for the help to rude as heck to a level of crazy as yet not understood by modern science. Then I decided to focus on fighting through my fear of awkward irrelevance.
At the end of the day, my calls weren't perfect, but my confidence was way up. I realized that I am a strong enough person to fight through fear when the situation calls for it. Maybe its not the same as locking up an abusive husband, but those clients needed information or a meeting time or an update on their cases and my ability to provide that for them hinged on my ability to, quite frankly, suck it the heck up.
So... I grew myself a spine and made the calls.
May 24, 2010
Day 133 - Sing Pub Songs at a Pub Sing
Date: May 19th, 2010
Let's talking about singing. I don't do it. Not in front of people anyway. Why, you ask? For the good of society and our children and our children's children. God blessed me with a fair number of talents. Which He traded me for my singing voice. That is the only logical explanation I can come up with. Generally speaking, in church, I've adopted a practice of humming, on the belief that using my singing voice in a house of worship may or may not be an actual affront to God.
That is the place I was operating from when I accepted my friend Louis's invite to the Ann Arbor Morris Team's vaguely semi-annual Pub Sing. What's the word for "once every couple months with some regularity"? That's what that Pub Sing was. They meet up at Conor O'Neils (the place I didn't realize was amazing until just recently) and sit around singing old Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, and random songs.
Let's talking about singing. I don't do it. Not in front of people anyway. Why, you ask? For the good of society and our children and our children's children. God blessed me with a fair number of talents. Which He traded me for my singing voice. That is the only logical explanation I can come up with. Generally speaking, in church, I've adopted a practice of humming, on the belief that using my singing voice in a house of worship may or may not be an actual affront to God.
That is the place I was operating from when I accepted my friend Louis's invite to the Ann Arbor Morris Team's vaguely semi-annual Pub Sing. What's the word for "once every couple months with some regularity"? That's what that Pub Sing was. They meet up at Conor O'Neils (the place I didn't realize was amazing until just recently) and sit around singing old Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, and random songs.
Day 132 - Engrave Something
Date: May 18th, 2010
Given that my summer job is a nine to five affair, I'm back to having to balance the life I know I want with the way I want to live it. Its an interesting challenge because of how important this project has become to me and how important becoming a lawyer has always been. In the interest of not messing up my project, I brought a few of the home-based projects with me to Lansing to do in the evenings after work until I get my sea legs, so to speak.
I went looking for a new twist on an old staple for me. I unwind very well with highly specific, detailed, repetitive tasks. Not unlike the frog that I loved making a few days earlier, I thought an art project that follows a particular structure would be a good idea. Having already done the coloring on felt project, I went for an engraving project instead.
Given that my summer job is a nine to five affair, I'm back to having to balance the life I know I want with the way I want to live it. Its an interesting challenge because of how important this project has become to me and how important becoming a lawyer has always been. In the interest of not messing up my project, I brought a few of the home-based projects with me to Lansing to do in the evenings after work until I get my sea legs, so to speak.
I went looking for a new twist on an old staple for me. I unwind very well with highly specific, detailed, repetitive tasks. Not unlike the frog that I loved making a few days earlier, I thought an art project that follows a particular structure would be a good idea. Having already done the coloring on felt project, I went for an engraving project instead.
May 23, 2010
Day 131 - Send a Letter to a Client
Date: May 17th, 2010
As much as I love this project, it don't pay the bills. Now that school is over for the year, it was time to get myself a job. I few months back I found one at Legal Services of South Central Michigan in Lansing. What I didn't realize is that I would hit the ground running on the first day.
There's very little to tell about my new experience today, except that I was incredibly nervous about it. Putting together a letter to send to a real, living, breathing human being whose life will be impacted by it is very different than writing a brief about excessive ATM fees for a law school class. I had an almost overwhelming sense that not getting this right would matter.
At the end of the day, that feeling was a silly one, since my letter was double-checked and signed by the attorney I'm working with over the summer before it was sent out anyway. For me, though, the point remains that it felt so much more real than it did in school. When I was growing up, my mother used to tell me that she hated math until she started learning about the mathematics of money. Then it made sense to use this formula or that calculation because doing them right changed something real and material instead of just numbers on a page.
That's how I started feeling pretty much immediately at this job. At the end of the day, my one little letter may not matter all that much, but there was something almost surreal to me to think about what was going to happen to that letter. At some point in the near future, someone, a client, would open that envelope and hold that specific piece of paper in their hands. Its no Supreme Court brief, by any means, but it was a big step towards really, truly, having the career I want.
As much as I love this project, it don't pay the bills. Now that school is over for the year, it was time to get myself a job. I few months back I found one at Legal Services of South Central Michigan in Lansing. What I didn't realize is that I would hit the ground running on the first day.
There's very little to tell about my new experience today, except that I was incredibly nervous about it. Putting together a letter to send to a real, living, breathing human being whose life will be impacted by it is very different than writing a brief about excessive ATM fees for a law school class. I had an almost overwhelming sense that not getting this right would matter.
At the end of the day, that feeling was a silly one, since my letter was double-checked and signed by the attorney I'm working with over the summer before it was sent out anyway. For me, though, the point remains that it felt so much more real than it did in school. When I was growing up, my mother used to tell me that she hated math until she started learning about the mathematics of money. Then it made sense to use this formula or that calculation because doing them right changed something real and material instead of just numbers on a page.
That's how I started feeling pretty much immediately at this job. At the end of the day, my one little letter may not matter all that much, but there was something almost surreal to me to think about what was going to happen to that letter. At some point in the near future, someone, a client, would open that envelope and hold that specific piece of paper in their hands. Its no Supreme Court brief, by any means, but it was a big step towards really, truly, having the career I want.
Day 130 - Solicit Donations from Local Businesses
Date: May 16th, 2010
There were several valuable lessons that I learned today. Among them were the importance of knowing your own elevator pitch really well, giving yourself time to fill out paperwork and being ready to have some doors shut in your metaphorical face. In short, my thing of the day was not the usual lighthearted fare, but rather a day of disappointment, perseverance and hear-learned life lessons.
There were several valuable lessons that I learned today. Among them were the importance of knowing your own elevator pitch really well, giving yourself time to fill out paperwork and being ready to have some doors shut in your metaphorical face. In short, my thing of the day was not the usual lighthearted fare, but rather a day of disappointment, perseverance and hear-learned life lessons.
May 21, 2010
Day 129 - Fire a Cannon
Date: May 15th, 2010
"Where is your drill sergeant, men?"
"Blown up, sir!"
After much deep thought and contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that explosions are amazing, but only in a few select situations. Fireworks at the Fourth of July and Chinese New Year both come to mind. Controlled blasts to destroy buildings in Vegas are so cool they throw parties to watch them. Any and all explosions in movies are amazing as well. That is what is known as the Michael Bay Principle.
"Where is your drill sergeant, men?"
"Blown up, sir!"
After much deep thought and contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that explosions are amazing, but only in a few select situations. Fireworks at the Fourth of July and Chinese New Year both come to mind. Controlled blasts to destroy buildings in Vegas are so cool they throw parties to watch them. Any and all explosions in movies are amazing as well. That is what is known as the Michael Bay Principle.
And, of course, explosions of flavor.
Day 128 - Attend Someone Else's Graduation
Date: March 14th, 2010
I'm an only child. At times that is a lot of hilarious fun and at times it can be pretty lonely. One thing that I never thought about, though, was the whole graduation situation. My whole life, graduations were for me. I had a kindergarten graduation when I was five. My classmates and I were painfully adorable. The next graduation was at Phoenix Academy. They liked to, you know, celebrate our accomplishments and whatever. I have a drawer full of pins declaring me good at History and Spanish. I got an ethics pin once. Once.
High school was bigger. Family flew in from out of town. We had a party. A party I left early for my last speech competition, but a party nonetheless. Then there was college. It was another family affair. A large contingent of my extended family showed up for the graduation, which was in Michigan in December. I think it goes without saying that a blizzard was braved. I shoveled my own driveway on my graduation day. Hilarity ensued.
I'm an only child. At times that is a lot of hilarious fun and at times it can be pretty lonely. One thing that I never thought about, though, was the whole graduation situation. My whole life, graduations were for me. I had a kindergarten graduation when I was five. My classmates and I were painfully adorable. The next graduation was at Phoenix Academy. They liked to, you know, celebrate our accomplishments and whatever. I have a drawer full of pins declaring me good at History and Spanish. I got an ethics pin once. Once.
High school was bigger. Family flew in from out of town. We had a party. A party I left early for my last speech competition, but a party nonetheless. Then there was college. It was another family affair. A large contingent of my extended family showed up for the graduation, which was in Michigan in December. I think it goes without saying that a blizzard was braved. I shoveled my own driveway on my graduation day. Hilarity ensued.
May 17, 2010
Day 127 - Have a Full Day Orientation for a Job
Date: May 13th, 2010
I've had a bunch of different kinds of jobs before, but for the most part, training consisted of pointing me in the direction of a computer or cash register and telling me not to mess up. Oh, and filling out I-9s. I-9s are the bane of my existence. I'm not for draconian or Orwellian governmental programs, for the most part, but man would jobs be easier if I just had a little scannable chip in my hand. Just saying.
I was mostly worried before work started that having a full day of orientation would get boring. Not that the job would be boring. I've been giddy-over-the-moon since I got hired. More that being bombarded with information about all things office-related would get tiring after a while. The thing about an orientation is that you're not really doing anything affirmative. Your job for the day is to become a sponge and soak up the sticky, sugary spill that is your summer internship.
It went a lot faster and was a lot more engaging than I expected it to be. I think what I wasn't realizing about the job was that there really, genuinely was a full day's worth of information that we needed to get started. There is a computerized case system, a series of rules and procedures required for dealing with callers, several laws concerning what we can and can't say to people and forms for just about everything. Realizing how important the information was made the day fly by. I ended up rereading the orientation packet a few times over the weekend to try and commit more stuff to memory.
It was a bit different from my other jobs in that the orientation felt more necessary. Don't get me wrong - I loved my other jobs. The companies I interned for as an undergrad were both fantastic. However, because there weren't, ya know, specific laws and whatnot, that I had to know before starting, the only thing I had to orient to was the break room. Knowing that there are things that I absolutely must know how to do properly is a little daunting, but its definitely better than, you know, not knowing until after you mess up. By the time orientation was over, instead of being bored, I was incredibly excited for work on Monday. I was pumped.
I've had a bunch of different kinds of jobs before, but for the most part, training consisted of pointing me in the direction of a computer or cash register and telling me not to mess up. Oh, and filling out I-9s. I-9s are the bane of my existence. I'm not for draconian or Orwellian governmental programs, for the most part, but man would jobs be easier if I just had a little scannable chip in my hand. Just saying.
I was mostly worried before work started that having a full day of orientation would get boring. Not that the job would be boring. I've been giddy-over-the-moon since I got hired. More that being bombarded with information about all things office-related would get tiring after a while. The thing about an orientation is that you're not really doing anything affirmative. Your job for the day is to become a sponge and soak up the sticky, sugary spill that is your summer internship.
It went a lot faster and was a lot more engaging than I expected it to be. I think what I wasn't realizing about the job was that there really, genuinely was a full day's worth of information that we needed to get started. There is a computerized case system, a series of rules and procedures required for dealing with callers, several laws concerning what we can and can't say to people and forms for just about everything. Realizing how important the information was made the day fly by. I ended up rereading the orientation packet a few times over the weekend to try and commit more stuff to memory.
It was a bit different from my other jobs in that the orientation felt more necessary. Don't get me wrong - I loved my other jobs. The companies I interned for as an undergrad were both fantastic. However, because there weren't, ya know, specific laws and whatnot, that I had to know before starting, the only thing I had to orient to was the break room. Knowing that there are things that I absolutely must know how to do properly is a little daunting, but its definitely better than, you know, not knowing until after you mess up. By the time orientation was over, instead of being bored, I was incredibly excited for work on Monday. I was pumped.
Day 126 - Color on Felt
Date: May 12th, 2010
When I was younger and I needed to de-stress I did one of a select few activities to calm myself down. I used color patterned pictures just to feel the structure of drawing in the lines. Sometimes I'd sort skittles to avoid thinking about whatever thing was bothering my mind. There were certain types of structured coloring that always worked to calm me down and others that, quite frankly, I never tried. You'd think, for example, that with my structured proclivities, I'd be totally into paint-by-number. However, as has been established on many an occasion, paint-by-numbers is not among the things I've done with my free time.
When I was younger and I needed to de-stress I did one of a select few activities to calm myself down. I used color patterned pictures just to feel the structure of drawing in the lines. Sometimes I'd sort skittles to avoid thinking about whatever thing was bothering my mind. There were certain types of structured coloring that always worked to calm me down and others that, quite frankly, I never tried. You'd think, for example, that with my structured proclivities, I'd be totally into paint-by-number. However, as has been established on many an occasion, paint-by-numbers is not among the things I've done with my free time.
May 15, 2010
Day 125 - Find a Tracked Dollar Bill
Date: May 11th, 2010
My new thing for the day was one of those cool experience that I always wanted, but never thought I would actually have. I know that sounds melodramatic, seeing as people put getting married, having kids, being a CEO, skydiving and winning the lotto in the same category as that, but its not. See, what happened is this. A couple years ago, a friend of mine told me about a website that tracked dollar bills based on the serial numbers.
From that day forward, I looked at money differently. That was my sophomore year in college and now that I'm halfway through my 3L year in law school, I still check every bill for that URL. I'm not as good about writing the URL on bills. I've done it once or twice, but I forget a lot. What I don't forget to do, though, is look for it. Since he told me about that site, I've wanted to find one and see where it had been. Every time I got money from an ATM or change at a restaurant, I'd scan the bill for the URL in the hopes that I'd get a glimpse into the life and times of the American dollar. But alas, it was not meant to be.
My new thing for the day was one of those cool experience that I always wanted, but never thought I would actually have. I know that sounds melodramatic, seeing as people put getting married, having kids, being a CEO, skydiving and winning the lotto in the same category as that, but its not. See, what happened is this. A couple years ago, a friend of mine told me about a website that tracked dollar bills based on the serial numbers.
From that day forward, I looked at money differently. That was my sophomore year in college and now that I'm halfway through my 3L year in law school, I still check every bill for that URL. I'm not as good about writing the URL on bills. I've done it once or twice, but I forget a lot. What I don't forget to do, though, is look for it. Since he told me about that site, I've wanted to find one and see where it had been. Every time I got money from an ATM or change at a restaurant, I'd scan the bill for the URL in the hopes that I'd get a glimpse into the life and times of the American dollar. But alas, it was not meant to be.
May 13, 2010
Day 124 - Participate in Pub Trivia
Date: May 10th, 2010
I always operated under the assumption that I would rock the freakin' world at Jeopardy. Sometimes, when I watch it, I yell at the TV over how obvious the answers are. Of course, there's no one taking money from me when I get them wrong so I tend to only notice when I'm right. Turns out, when I pay attention, I'm significantly less accurate at trivia than I thought I was.
I always operated under the assumption that I would rock the freakin' world at Jeopardy. Sometimes, when I watch it, I yell at the TV over how obvious the answers are. Of course, there's no one taking money from me when I get them wrong so I tend to only notice when I'm right. Turns out, when I pay attention, I'm significantly less accurate at trivia than I thought I was.
Day 123 - Learn Morris Dancing
Date: May 9th, 2010
Have you ever seen that one guy in the center of the dancefloor doing moves from before he was born with the kind of zeal usually reserved only for lottery winners and people on fire? Yeah. That's me. Except I'm a girl. So when the nice young man from the flash mob mentioned that he's part of Ann Arbor's Morris Dancing team and maybe I could come join him at a practice, I was understandably concerned. Partly about my reputation, but mostly for the safety of the people around me. I was told there would be kicking involved.
Have you ever seen that one guy in the center of the dancefloor doing moves from before he was born with the kind of zeal usually reserved only for lottery winners and people on fire? Yeah. That's me. Except I'm a girl. So when the nice young man from the flash mob mentioned that he's part of Ann Arbor's Morris Dancing team and maybe I could come join him at a practice, I was understandably concerned. Partly about my reputation, but mostly for the safety of the people around me. I was told there would be kicking involved.
May 12, 2010
Day 122 - Have a Professional Tarot Reading Done
Date: May 8th, 2010
So after telling my fortune myself, I thought "why wait? I'll go tomorrow". As a slight tangent, I'm going to point out that the whole "why wait" thought has been happening more and more. I can't say as I actually know what made me want to get the Tarot reading right away after the fortune telling debacle. I think it had to be a combination of impatience and curiosity. In any case, there is a bookstore on Main Street in Ann Arbor that hosts all manner of paranormal whosawhatzits. I found it when I was doing my Alphabet Walk a couple of weeks back and the fact that its called Crazy Wisdom should in no way cause you to rush to judgment.
So after telling my fortune myself, I thought "why wait? I'll go tomorrow". As a slight tangent, I'm going to point out that the whole "why wait" thought has been happening more and more. I can't say as I actually know what made me want to get the Tarot reading right away after the fortune telling debacle. I think it had to be a combination of impatience and curiosity. In any case, there is a bookstore on Main Street in Ann Arbor that hosts all manner of paranormal whosawhatzits. I found it when I was doing my Alphabet Walk a couple of weeks back and the fact that its called Crazy Wisdom should in no way cause you to rush to judgment.
Day 121 - Learn to Tell a Fortune with Playing Cards
Date: May 7th, 2010
I love daydreaming about the future. I know its wishful thinking, but generally speaking I've determined one of a few life paths for myself. The first one has me becoming an Appeals Court justice, getting kidnapped, using Kung Fu that I somehow randomly learned to escape and then testifying at trial to put my captors in jail for ever and ever and ever. I realized what a law nerd I was when I started enjoying the trial portion of my daydreaming the most. The second one has me joining the CIA, becoming an expert spy, rescuing a random foreign dignitary from a MacGiver-esque evil plot, and then testifying at trial to put the supervillians in jail forever and ever and ever. Sensing a pattern?
I love daydreaming about the future. I know its wishful thinking, but generally speaking I've determined one of a few life paths for myself. The first one has me becoming an Appeals Court justice, getting kidnapped, using Kung Fu that I somehow randomly learned to escape and then testifying at trial to put my captors in jail for ever and ever and ever. I realized what a law nerd I was when I started enjoying the trial portion of my daydreaming the most. The second one has me joining the CIA, becoming an expert spy, rescuing a random foreign dignitary from a MacGiver-esque evil plot, and then testifying at trial to put the supervillians in jail forever and ever and ever. Sensing a pattern?
May 10, 2010
Day 120 - Place a Facebook Ad
Date: May 6th, 2010
In the spirit of shameless self-promotion I have made a logo, gotten business cards and begun working with a publicist. Although, the logo was a creative exercise. And, well, the business cards needed to happen for school and professional stuff, so why not have blog cards too? Ok, so, the publicist is a wonderful family friend who taught me a lot about that industry. So I guess its not totally shameless. Buying an ad on Facebook, on the other hand, was absolutely shameless self-promotion.
In the spirit of shameless self-promotion I have made a logo, gotten business cards and begun working with a publicist. Although, the logo was a creative exercise. And, well, the business cards needed to happen for school and professional stuff, so why not have blog cards too? Ok, so, the publicist is a wonderful family friend who taught me a lot about that industry. So I guess its not totally shameless. Buying an ad on Facebook, on the other hand, was absolutely shameless self-promotion.
Day 119 - Have a Text Message Conversation with a Stranger
Date: May 5th, 2010
What do you do when you get a wrong number call or a text from someone you've never met? If you're like me, its one of the following three things:
1. Say or text "sorry, wrong number" and hang up the phone (or stop responding to messages).
2. Say or text "seriously, still the wrong number" and hang up again or keep ignoring messages.
3. Say or text something utterly ridiculous in the hope that they will respond to your insanity by running, screaming, in the other direction.
Sometimes, if I'm bored, I start with option three. OK. Most of the time, but that's neither here nor there.
What do you do when you get a wrong number call or a text from someone you've never met? If you're like me, its one of the following three things:
1. Say or text "sorry, wrong number" and hang up the phone (or stop responding to messages).
2. Say or text "seriously, still the wrong number" and hang up again or keep ignoring messages.
3. Say or text something utterly ridiculous in the hope that they will respond to your insanity by running, screaming, in the other direction.
Sometimes, if I'm bored, I start with option three. OK. Most of the time, but that's neither here nor there.
May 7, 2010
Day 118 - Learn to Take a Proper Fingerprint
Date: May 4th, 2010
There are certain things that people should just know how to do. For the most part, this includes things like doing your taxes, getting a passport, shopping for groceries, gassing up a car and other boring as heck mundane activities. For some people, such as myself, I feel like there are subsets of knowledge that should also be required. I feel like the list of things I should just know also includes such gems as: writing a proper brief for the court, using LexisNexis without suffering from a brain aneurysm, making quilted socks, and, of course, mercenary spelunking. Another on the fabled list of things I should know how to do is take a fingerprint. I love the idea of fingerprints. They're your body's little witness to all the things you shouldn't have done. Its like your own skin oils ratting you out for the crime. That's betrayal right there, kids.
There are certain things that people should just know how to do. For the most part, this includes things like doing your taxes, getting a passport, shopping for groceries, gassing up a car and other boring as heck mundane activities. For some people, such as myself, I feel like there are subsets of knowledge that should also be required. I feel like the list of things I should just know also includes such gems as: writing a proper brief for the court, using LexisNexis without suffering from a brain aneurysm, making quilted socks, and, of course, mercenary spelunking. Another on the fabled list of things I should know how to do is take a fingerprint. I love the idea of fingerprints. They're your body's little witness to all the things you shouldn't have done. Its like your own skin oils ratting you out for the crime. That's betrayal right there, kids.
Day 117 - Write a Story in One Sentence
Date: May 3rd, 2010
I love words. Words are amazing. I love them so much I use them unnecessarily at every possible occasion. When I was younger, my parents used to postulate that I just loved the sound of my own voice. Its true. Objectively, I have a voice for newspaper, but that's neither here nor there. The point out, not being verbose is somewhat of a challenge for me. Especially in the middle of law school finals. For those who haven't taken one - some are about well-reasoned arguments and others are typing tests. To the highest WPM go the spoils. It may or may not be the right habit to be in for actual lawyering. That remains to be seen.
I love words. Words are amazing. I love them so much I use them unnecessarily at every possible occasion. When I was younger, my parents used to postulate that I just loved the sound of my own voice. Its true. Objectively, I have a voice for newspaper, but that's neither here nor there. The point out, not being verbose is somewhat of a challenge for me. Especially in the middle of law school finals. For those who haven't taken one - some are about well-reasoned arguments and others are typing tests. To the highest WPM go the spoils. It may or may not be the right habit to be in for actual lawyering. That remains to be seen.
May 6, 2010
Yeah, Yeah, More Promises
Hi All!
Today was the last day of finals. For that reason I make literally no apologies about not having updated this delightful adventure. You all should've been studying too. So. There's that.
Tomorrow is catch-up day for entries so I can prove I totally didn't drop the ball during finals on the whole "do new things" thing.
Love and Kisses,
Me.
Today was the last day of finals. For that reason I make literally no apologies about not having updated this delightful adventure. You all should've been studying too. So. There's that.
Tomorrow is catch-up day for entries so I can prove I totally didn't drop the ball during finals on the whole "do new things" thing.
Love and Kisses,
Me.
May 4, 2010
Day 116 - Freeze in Place in Public
Date: May 2nd, 2010
I love the idea of flash mobs, but unfortunately, they're one of the things I can't do. I mean, there are laws against that and, well, I'm trying to become a lawyer. Apparently, they don't get too happy when you, ya know, strip in public.
Wait. What's that? That's not what a flash mob is? No kidding...
I love the idea of flash mobs, but unfortunately, they're one of the things I can't do. I mean, there are laws against that and, well, I'm trying to become a lawyer. Apparently, they don't get too happy when you, ya know, strip in public.
Wait. What's that? That's not what a flash mob is? No kidding...
May 3, 2010
Day 115 - Be a Producer for the 1 Second Film
Date: May 1st, 2010
I've seen a lot of movies. I adore them. I'm not what you'd call a film connoisseur though. Largely because being that pretentious takes effort and planning for me. I mean, you have to read movie reviews, decide if you agree with critics, practice using the word droll without collapsing under the weight of your own ego. I just have better ways to spend my time. By going mercenary spelunking, for example.
I've seen a lot of movies. I adore them. I'm not what you'd call a film connoisseur though. Largely because being that pretentious takes effort and planning for me. I mean, you have to read movie reviews, decide if you agree with critics, practice using the word droll without collapsing under the weight of your own ego. I just have better ways to spend my time. By going mercenary spelunking, for example.
May 2, 2010
Day 114 - Use a Star Chart to Find a Constellation
Date: April 30th, 2010
I may or may not have mentioned this at some point, but my favorite thing in the whole widest world is to look up at the stars. I'm incredibly flaky and holistic about it. No need for telescopes, charts, ships, observatories, and whatever else. All I need is me, a blanket and the sky. In fact, my best date of all time was an evening out under the stars. My boyfriend, at the time, lived up on the top of a mountain in Los Gatos with his family. They had a ton of land with a clearing at the top of the mountain. Driving up through the woods was insanely scary, but I adored his family (they were totes the best) and we went out to that clearing with a blanket, some snacks and candles. It was tres romantic. Well, until my pants caught on fire, but that's got nothing to do with the sky.
I may or may not have mentioned this at some point, but my favorite thing in the whole widest world is to look up at the stars. I'm incredibly flaky and holistic about it. No need for telescopes, charts, ships, observatories, and whatever else. All I need is me, a blanket and the sky. In fact, my best date of all time was an evening out under the stars. My boyfriend, at the time, lived up on the top of a mountain in Los Gatos with his family. They had a ton of land with a clearing at the top of the mountain. Driving up through the woods was insanely scary, but I adored his family (they were totes the best) and we went out to that clearing with a blanket, some snacks and candles. It was tres romantic. Well, until my pants caught on fire, but that's got nothing to do with the sky.
Day 113 - Send the World's Smallest Letter
Date: April 29th, 2010
I've heard the art of letter writing is dead. I can see where people say that. I mean, if I want to contact someone I'll call them, text them, e-mail them, IM them, send them a Facebook message, show up at their house in the middle of the night and hide in the bushes. Wait. Scratch that last one. The point is, I can't remember the last time I sent a letter. Wait. Scratch that one too. I can remember. It was 2003 and my boyfriend, at the time, lived way out in the boonies. It seemed quaint.
I've heard the art of letter writing is dead. I can see where people say that. I mean, if I want to contact someone I'll call them, text them, e-mail them, IM them, send them a Facebook message, show up at their house in the middle of the night and hide in the bushes. Wait. Scratch that last one. The point is, I can't remember the last time I sent a letter. Wait. Scratch that one too. I can remember. It was 2003 and my boyfriend, at the time, lived way out in the boonies. It seemed quaint.
May 1, 2010
Day 112 - Get a Fake Buddy
Date: April 28th, 2010
You know what they say - money doesn't buy happiness. I understand why people say that. I mean, you can't buy the sun. Well, ok, you can take a tropical vacation, so that's a bad example. You can't buy serenity. Wait. No... I guess you can take a trip to the spa or hire a meditative guru to teach you how to let go. You can't buy beauty. Actually, duh... I mean, botox and plastic surgery beg to differ. Well, I'm running out of things. You can't buy friends... I mean, you can surround yourself with sycophants, but not people who just want to make you happy. Except... that's no longer the case anymore either.
You know what they say - money doesn't buy happiness. I understand why people say that. I mean, you can't buy the sun. Well, ok, you can take a tropical vacation, so that's a bad example. You can't buy serenity. Wait. No... I guess you can take a trip to the spa or hire a meditative guru to teach you how to let go. You can't buy beauty. Actually, duh... I mean, botox and plastic surgery beg to differ. Well, I'm running out of things. You can't buy friends... I mean, you can surround yourself with sycophants, but not people who just want to make you happy. Except... that's no longer the case anymore either.
April 29, 2010
Day 111 - Send a Virtual Message in a Bottle
Date: April 27th, 2010
I don't know if y'all can tell from the tone of the entries over the course of the last couple days, but the stress of finals is starting to get to me a little. I deal interestingly with the stress of finals. Usually I do odd things like dress in a full length robe and backwards baseball cap and pose for pictures in my room. Then there was the year that I walked to Main St. in pajamas at 4am so I could go to the Fleetwood (so a little past Main St. actually). This one time I spent an hour laying on my bedroom floor, staring at the ceiling just to feel the flatness on my back.
The point is, finals get my goose. This year's impact has been twofold. The first thing that happened was that I thought it would be a good idea to watch "Ancient Aliens" on the History Channel. It made the non-crazy version of Scientology seem like a good idea. The second is that my entries have been... less giddypants than usual. Though I often delight in my own sarcasm, its also important to enjoy the lighter side of, ya know, paper citations, I guess.
I don't know if y'all can tell from the tone of the entries over the course of the last couple days, but the stress of finals is starting to get to me a little. I deal interestingly with the stress of finals. Usually I do odd things like dress in a full length robe and backwards baseball cap and pose for pictures in my room. Then there was the year that I walked to Main St. in pajamas at 4am so I could go to the Fleetwood (so a little past Main St. actually). This one time I spent an hour laying on my bedroom floor, staring at the ceiling just to feel the flatness on my back.
The point is, finals get my goose. This year's impact has been twofold. The first thing that happened was that I thought it would be a good idea to watch "Ancient Aliens" on the History Channel. It made the non-crazy version of Scientology seem like a good idea. The second is that my entries have been... less giddypants than usual. Though I often delight in my own sarcasm, its also important to enjoy the lighter side of, ya know, paper citations, I guess.
Day 110 - Actually Attempt to do Citations Correctly
Date: April 26th, 2010
My final exam for Critical Race Theory is a roughly 25 page paper on the use of anonymity in hate speech. Its incredibly interesting and, quite frankly, now that the paper is done, I will probably keep researching the topic. I've been through various research phases in my life. I had the 'learn about all the things Bush has done wrong' phase and then a 'learn about the problems with large bank monopolies' phase and then a 'twilight' phase. What? It was a fun read. Shut up.
As much as I like research (and the occasional teen romance), I have always hated citations with the burning passion of a thousand suns. Don't get me wrong - I understand the need to cite one's work. It's important that people be able to make sure you're not a dirty, plagiarizing liar. I totally get it. What I don't understand is why this thing has to be in italics, that thing has to be underlined and this other thing changes the positioning of a comma in relation to quotation marks. We have reached "who cares" stage.
My final exam for Critical Race Theory is a roughly 25 page paper on the use of anonymity in hate speech. Its incredibly interesting and, quite frankly, now that the paper is done, I will probably keep researching the topic. I've been through various research phases in my life. I had the 'learn about all the things Bush has done wrong' phase and then a 'learn about the problems with large bank monopolies' phase and then a 'twilight' phase. What? It was a fun read. Shut up.
As much as I like research (and the occasional teen romance), I have always hated citations with the burning passion of a thousand suns. Don't get me wrong - I understand the need to cite one's work. It's important that people be able to make sure you're not a dirty, plagiarizing liar. I totally get it. What I don't understand is why this thing has to be in italics, that thing has to be underlined and this other thing changes the positioning of a comma in relation to quotation marks. We have reached "who cares" stage.
Day 109 - Get Primaled
Date: April 25th, 2010
There are a lot of things in the field of psychology that I think are... less than scientific: rebirthing, vegetotherapy and most anything proposed by Freud all come to mind. One thing that used to be on the list, but isn't anymore is primal scream therapy. That would be the therapy that found favor with with psychotherapists in the early 1970s. The idea was that adults who have problems are really just upset about things that happened in their childhood and if they scream it out, everything will be unicorns and rainbows for the rest of their life. No. Wait. Sorry. I meant for the rest of the week until their next appointment. Turns out that there may be some merit to that lovely little idea.
There are a lot of things in the field of psychology that I think are... less than scientific: rebirthing, vegetotherapy and most anything proposed by Freud all come to mind. One thing that used to be on the list, but isn't anymore is primal scream therapy. That would be the therapy that found favor with with psychotherapists in the early 1970s. The idea was that adults who have problems are really just upset about things that happened in their childhood and if they scream it out, everything will be unicorns and rainbows for the rest of their life. No. Wait. Sorry. I meant for the rest of the week until their next appointment. Turns out that there may be some merit to that lovely little idea.
April 28, 2010
Day 108 - Have my Handwriting Analyzed
Date: April 24th, 2010
I thought I knew myself really well a year ago, but apparently I'm just scratching the surface of the different ways I can have myself analyzed. See, according to the various forces of the universe, it is not my accomplishments, work ethic or even overall appearance that makes me who I am. It's my birthday, my numbers, my feet, my hands, my dreams, my interpretations, my voice, and my hair. But the way I dot my i's and cross my t's... no, they can't take that from me.
Wait. No... yeah they can.
I thought I knew myself really well a year ago, but apparently I'm just scratching the surface of the different ways I can have myself analyzed. See, according to the various forces of the universe, it is not my accomplishments, work ethic or even overall appearance that makes me who I am. It's my birthday, my numbers, my feet, my hands, my dreams, my interpretations, my voice, and my hair. But the way I dot my i's and cross my t's... no, they can't take that from me.
Wait. No... yeah they can.
April 27, 2010
Day 107 - Learn to Breathe
Date: April 23rd, 2010
I know what you're thinking, what with this being the middle of my finals period and all. You're thinking this is going to be some poetic garbage about finding my center in a chaotic universe. Well. I did that too. But I do that a lot. And its not poetic so much as calming and then boring. No, what I'm talking about is learning how to breathe correctly.
Apparently I've been doing it wrong my whole life. Good to know.
I know what you're thinking, what with this being the middle of my finals period and all. You're thinking this is going to be some poetic garbage about finding my center in a chaotic universe. Well. I did that too. But I do that a lot. And its not poetic so much as calming and then boring. No, what I'm talking about is learning how to breathe correctly.
Apparently I've been doing it wrong my whole life. Good to know.
April 26, 2010
My Something Arrived
I got my something! It's a... thing... hooray!
Actually, what I got was a beautiful pink scarf. Very beautiful. I adore it.
Actually, what I got was a beautiful pink scarf. Very beautiful. I adore it.
Gorgeous.
As for me? I just finished writing a 25 page paper on the implications of anonymity in free speech for Critical Race Theorists. Yeah. I don't know what it means either (kidding. I promise). One thing I'm not kidding about though - being tres burnt out on typing. I have an exam tomorrow afternoon so substantive updates will probably come after that. In the meantime... marvel at my scarf. It's what I'm doing. Well, that and desperately cramming for Jurisdiction.
April 23, 2010
Day 106 - Send Feedback to a TV Network
Date: April 22nd, 2010
Serious Entry Alert. Ironically involving Comedy Central.
Serious Entry Alert. Ironically involving Comedy Central.
April 22, 2010
Day 105 - Watch a Meteor Shower
Date: April 21st, 2010
When I was a kid I had two passions. Talking back and stargazing. If only I were given a chance to talk back to a teacher while stargazing, I think my life would've been complete. As I got older, it hit me that I could actually make a career out of either of those two hobbies. And now I'm almost done with law school. Guess which one I chose.
When I was a kid I had two passions. Talking back and stargazing. If only I were given a chance to talk back to a teacher while stargazing, I think my life would've been complete. As I got older, it hit me that I could actually make a career out of either of those two hobbies. And now I'm almost done with law school. Guess which one I chose.
We won!
A few weeks back, I entered a sculpture contest at The Scrap Box with Dawn and Justin. Specifically, if you're in the mood to reminisce, it was on Day 66. Until about two weeks ago, there was open online and in-person voting for the sculptures to see which ones would be on display at Whole Foods on Washtenaw as a celebration of Earth Day and local artistry.
Well, I'm super-pumped to report that our sculpture, which you may recall was a darn masterpiece, won a prize and will be displayed at Whole Foods until the beginning of May. So, you can go marvel at it, jaws agape, minds rocked, in person, at Whole Foods.
Well, I'm super-pumped to report that our sculpture, which you may recall was a darn masterpiece, won a prize and will be displayed at Whole Foods until the beginning of May. So, you can go marvel at it, jaws agape, minds rocked, in person, at Whole Foods.
I LOVE RIBBONS SO MUCH.
We won the "Made Us Laugh" prize in the adult category. I'm about 99% sure that was all Dawn and her hilarious antennae. Justin and I did the cut-and-paste grunt work. Dawn was totally the brains of the operation. And you can't prove me wrong - its out there on the internet now, so it must be true.
In any case, I'm keeping the trophy.
Each of us got an adorable beanie baby (remember those?) owl and a $5 gift certificate. You may be able to spot my owl (get it? spotted owls, spot my owl. ahh, you don't get it) as it is currently attached to the top of the trophy I'm keeping.
More importantly, the contest was great fun, regardless of how we did. For anyone living in the Ann Arbor area next year, I'd recommend keeping an eye on The Scrap Box for the next time it rolls around. It was a fun challenge.
Bull Riding Pictures
So, today is Day 106. Does anyone remember Day 2? I do. Mostly because it was mildly to moderately petrifying. Also, because I recall promising you all some pictures. Thanks to my dire, dire, seriously dire need for a study break, at long last you are getting proof positive that I actually completed my Day 2 task.
On Day 2, a group of friends (including, but not limited to the recently graduated Bobb-o and Katya, and of course, the incomparable Kari Brown) took me out to the Fifth Quarter in downtown Ann Arbor to experience the majesty of mechanical bull riding. Bob was kind enough to take some cell phone pictures, as I was regrettably without camera for the evening.
Ok, so picture(s) was a a misnomer. What I have is picture. Singular. And in said picture, I appear to be rocking a pretty darn spectacular mullet. So. You know. Good for me, there.
On Day 2, a group of friends (including, but not limited to the recently graduated Bobb-o and Katya, and of course, the incomparable Kari Brown) took me out to the Fifth Quarter in downtown Ann Arbor to experience the majesty of mechanical bull riding. Bob was kind enough to take some cell phone pictures, as I was regrettably without camera for the evening.
Pictured: Majesty. Grainy, grainy majesty.
April 20, 2010
Day 104 - Celebrate John Paul Stevens' Birthday
Date: April 20th, 2010
There is maybe only one thing in the world I get more geeked about than the Supreme Court and that's esoteric celebrations commemorating important dates in the lives of the semi-famous. Thank you, Justice Stevens' 90th birthday, for combining my two loves into one utterly pointless day of tribute. Its been a blast.
There is maybe only one thing in the world I get more geeked about than the Supreme Court and that's esoteric celebrations commemorating important dates in the lives of the semi-famous. Thank you, Justice Stevens' 90th birthday, for combining my two loves into one utterly pointless day of tribute. Its been a blast.
Day 103 - Buy "Something"
Date: April 19th, 2010
Its day two of "oh right, I'm in law school" week. I spent most of the day studying, but did manage to take a five minute break to enjoy the sweet satisfaction of a new experience. I bought "something". I've never done that before. I know what you're thinking.
You: "But Kristen, you own clothes and movies and knick-knacks. If you didn't buy them, then how did you get them?"
Well, my upstanding friend, I did buy them. The difference between those things and the thing I bought yesterday is that I knew what those were when I bought them. I found a shop online called The Something Store. They sell, umm, things. In other words, a package is coming in the mail for me sometime in the next few days and I have no idea what it will be. I imagine this is what expectant mothers feel like before finding out the sex of their child.
That might be a slight exaggeration.
The point is, I'm excited. My OCD kicked in a little bit and I found myself lamenting my lack of control over what my something would be. I mean, they could have girl somethings and boy somethings and unisex somethings. What about small, medium and large somethings? Maybe sets of somethings or individual somethings. At no point in that thought process did it hit me that the whole point is that you don't get those choices. I had that realization when I woke up this morning and checked the front porch for a package. Wishful thinking since I ordered it last night around 10pm.
I would recommend everyone buy one something from The Something Store in their life. Its a surprise you give to yourself. I know that's silly, but its a pretty small indulgence and those can be good for you sometimes. My only hope is that my something isn't so cool that it distracts from finals. I may be leaving it in the package until early May.
Who are we kidding? No one has that kind of self control.
Its day two of "oh right, I'm in law school" week. I spent most of the day studying, but did manage to take a five minute break to enjoy the sweet satisfaction of a new experience. I bought "something". I've never done that before. I know what you're thinking.
You: "But Kristen, you own clothes and movies and knick-knacks. If you didn't buy them, then how did you get them?"
Well, my upstanding friend, I did buy them. The difference between those things and the thing I bought yesterday is that I knew what those were when I bought them. I found a shop online called The Something Store. They sell, umm, things. In other words, a package is coming in the mail for me sometime in the next few days and I have no idea what it will be. I imagine this is what expectant mothers feel like before finding out the sex of their child.
That might be a slight exaggeration.
The point is, I'm excited. My OCD kicked in a little bit and I found myself lamenting my lack of control over what my something would be. I mean, they could have girl somethings and boy somethings and unisex somethings. What about small, medium and large somethings? Maybe sets of somethings or individual somethings. At no point in that thought process did it hit me that the whole point is that you don't get those choices. I had that realization when I woke up this morning and checked the front porch for a package. Wishful thinking since I ordered it last night around 10pm.
I would recommend everyone buy one something from The Something Store in their life. Its a surprise you give to yourself. I know that's silly, but its a pretty small indulgence and those can be good for you sometimes. My only hope is that my something isn't so cool that it distracts from finals. I may be leaving it in the package until early May.
Who are we kidding? No one has that kind of self control.
April 19, 2010
Day 102 - Learn a Paper-Clip Bar Trick
Date: April 18th, 2010
A couple weeks back I was struck with the realization that finals were around the corner. I'll admit that this project has been enough fun that part of me has wanted to run off into the sunset with it and let the chips fall where they may. That being said, the rest of me just remembers that I've wanted to be a lawyer since before I could even talk so, I decided to hang out and prep for finals. I decided to start looking for small, but interesting things that I could do to keep this going. So, without further adieu, I present the first in a roughly three week series I'm calling "School is a New-sense". Get it? God I love wordplay.
A couple weeks back I was struck with the realization that finals were around the corner. I'll admit that this project has been enough fun that part of me has wanted to run off into the sunset with it and let the chips fall where they may. That being said, the rest of me just remembers that I've wanted to be a lawyer since before I could even talk so, I decided to hang out and prep for finals. I decided to start looking for small, but interesting things that I could do to keep this going. So, without further adieu, I present the first in a roughly three week series I'm calling "School is a New-sense". Get it? God I love wordplay.
Day 101 - Learn to Knit
Date: April 17th, 2010
My friend Ryan is embarking on a great adventure. He's moving across the country to pursue amazing opportunities, untold fortunes and ceaseless glory. I think that's just utterly fantastic, other than missing him terribly, which I fully plan on doing. I still remember the first time I met Ryan. I went to play poker with a friend I met in an intro PoliSci class and was introduced to about ten people at once. Ryan stood out though. I don't know if it was his magnetic personality, his rapier wit, his Adonis-esque hair or the fact that he was knitting a hat at a poker game, but whatever it was, we hit it off right away.
My friend Ryan is embarking on a great adventure. He's moving across the country to pursue amazing opportunities, untold fortunes and ceaseless glory. I think that's just utterly fantastic, other than missing him terribly, which I fully plan on doing. I still remember the first time I met Ryan. I went to play poker with a friend I met in an intro PoliSci class and was introduced to about ten people at once. Ryan stood out though. I don't know if it was his magnetic personality, his rapier wit, his Adonis-esque hair or the fact that he was knitting a hat at a poker game, but whatever it was, we hit it off right away.
April 18, 2010
Day 100 - Go Geocaching
Date: April 16th, 2010
I had one of those surreal "how did I get here" moments about a week ago as I thought about hitting Day 100. Its the first time since I started doing this that I felt like simply doing my new thing would be a real, honest-to-goodness accomplishment. I think that's part of the reason I started to get nervous about it. It seemed like I should really do something... epic. My friends, bless their peer-pressure laden hearts, definitely added to that feeling. I'm lucky to know such wonderful people. Almost all of whom made a point to ask me if I was doing anything big or neat or special for Day 100. I wish I could say I had a poetic response like "oh, my dear friends, every day is big and neat and special to me; these days are like my children, all of whom I love equally". But I can't say that. Because I'm not flaky.
I had one of those surreal "how did I get here" moments about a week ago as I thought about hitting Day 100. Its the first time since I started doing this that I felt like simply doing my new thing would be a real, honest-to-goodness accomplishment. I think that's part of the reason I started to get nervous about it. It seemed like I should really do something... epic. My friends, bless their peer-pressure laden hearts, definitely added to that feeling. I'm lucky to know such wonderful people. Almost all of whom made a point to ask me if I was doing anything big or neat or special for Day 100. I wish I could say I had a poetic response like "oh, my dear friends, every day is big and neat and special to me; these days are like my children, all of whom I love equally". But I can't say that. Because I'm not flaky.
Day 99 - Build a Fairy Door in the Arb
Date: April 15th, 2010
Thursday was a beautiful day. It was 75 and sunny, with a slight breeze and just enough clouds to make the sky look inviting. Sometimes on days like that the sun is so bright the sky almost looks white instead of blue, but that wasn't the case on Thursday. On Thursday, the sky was a piercing, deep shade of blue. It was the kind of day that makes you want to apologize to anyone who's job keeps them indoors.
Thursday was a beautiful day. It was 75 and sunny, with a slight breeze and just enough clouds to make the sky look inviting. Sometimes on days like that the sun is so bright the sky almost looks white instead of blue, but that wasn't the case on Thursday. On Thursday, the sky was a piercing, deep shade of blue. It was the kind of day that makes you want to apologize to anyone who's job keeps them indoors.
Gorgeous.
April 16, 2010
Day 98 - Call an Accident in to 911
Date: April 14th, 2010
I've been in a couple fender-benders in my life. And by been in, I mean that I was in the car. And by I was in the car, I mean that my mom likes to drive into things. Actually, to be fair to her, its more that she gets attacked by other cars. I remember riding with her in Connecticut and she made the mistake of actually signaling before switching lanes. Now, in California, Michigan and everywhere else we've lived, putting on your turn signal means "hey, I am letting you know that I intend to shift lanes... please let me in". In Connecticut, it means "I'm not from around here". Needless to say, as soon as she put that little light on, the driver in the other lane decided to make herself comfortable in our blind spot. You know, for kicks.
I've been in a couple fender-benders in my life. And by been in, I mean that I was in the car. And by I was in the car, I mean that my mom likes to drive into things. Actually, to be fair to her, its more that she gets attacked by other cars. I remember riding with her in Connecticut and she made the mistake of actually signaling before switching lanes. Now, in California, Michigan and everywhere else we've lived, putting on your turn signal means "hey, I am letting you know that I intend to shift lanes... please let me in". In Connecticut, it means "I'm not from around here". Needless to say, as soon as she put that little light on, the driver in the other lane decided to make herself comfortable in our blind spot. You know, for kicks.
April 14, 2010
Day 97 - Meet with a Publicist
Date: April 13th, 2010
There are a lot of industries I don't understand at all. Off the top of my head I'm thinking... shrimping, spool making, detergent safety testing and, of course, mercenary spelunking (that would be where you get hired by a foreign army to kill a cave). On the other hand, my long and storied history of public BSing should, in theory, leave me pretty well cut out for PR work. Despite all the informal training I received in the form of speech classes (go go high school forensics), I honestly had no clue what a publicist actually does, until yesterday.
There are a lot of industries I don't understand at all. Off the top of my head I'm thinking... shrimping, spool making, detergent safety testing and, of course, mercenary spelunking (that would be where you get hired by a foreign army to kill a cave). On the other hand, my long and storied history of public BSing should, in theory, leave me pretty well cut out for PR work. Despite all the informal training I received in the form of speech classes (go go high school forensics), I honestly had no clue what a publicist actually does, until yesterday.
April 13, 2010
Day 96 - Donate my Cell Phone to a Soldier
Date: April 12th, 2010
About three weeks ago, I realized that I would never be able to keep track of daily things, classes, meetings, work, family and social affairs without having pretty constant access to my calendar. I've always been one of those "if its not written down, it doesn't exist" kind of people, so I wanted to make sure that I didn't accidentally skip one of my daily things or miss an exam or something. Around the time I started to get worried about being able to keep track of everything, I got a message from Verizon telling me that I was eligible for a phone upgrade.
About three weeks ago, I realized that I would never be able to keep track of daily things, classes, meetings, work, family and social affairs without having pretty constant access to my calendar. I've always been one of those "if its not written down, it doesn't exist" kind of people, so I wanted to make sure that I didn't accidentally skip one of my daily things or miss an exam or something. Around the time I started to get worried about being able to keep track of everything, I got a message from Verizon telling me that I was eligible for a phone upgrade.
Day 95 - Install a Dock
Date: April 11th, 2010
There are some things that, at the beginning of this year, I didn't know how to do and that was a huge problem. I wasn't sure how to deal with my taxes, I didn't know where to go to get something notarized and I still don't have a passport (what? Its on the list). Those are all important life skills and/or items. There are also things I've learned so far that have little to no bearing on my ability to function as an adult. I learned that Belgians love mussels, giraffes are secret lovers, and opera is awesome. And now... I know how to install a dock.
There are some things that, at the beginning of this year, I didn't know how to do and that was a huge problem. I wasn't sure how to deal with my taxes, I didn't know where to go to get something notarized and I still don't have a passport (what? Its on the list). Those are all important life skills and/or items. There are also things I've learned so far that have little to no bearing on my ability to function as an adult. I learned that Belgians love mussels, giraffes are secret lovers, and opera is awesome. And now... I know how to install a dock.
April 12, 2010
Day 94 - Attend the Opera
Date: April 10th, 2010
When I was 16, I spent almost an entire year lying to my parents about mundane things just to see if I could get away with it. That was not among the smartest decisions I ever made. That being said, when I got caught (which is another story for another day), I was summarily sentenced to a good six months without the various forms of entertainment I'd grown accustomed to. My bedroom, which was a teenager's dream before, would no longer house a television set, phone, light near the bed for reading, or access to the internet. They left the computer and printer for homework reasons (because being a nerd, I'd managed to evade them for a year without letting my grades suffer).
So, for six months I had one and only one activity. Minesweeper. I played it for about three hours a night and boy did I get good at it. I'm not as well versed as I once was, but my best scores are pretty much the stuff of legend. I beat beginner in 2 seconds (we all know that's a fluke), intermediate in 21 seconds (half fluke, half skill), and expert in 66 seconds (all skill, baby). I used to be pretty high maintenance about what I needed to amuse myself. It took a lot to keep me from getting bored. After six months of three hours of Minesweeper a night... I'm pretty easy to keep entertained.
When I was 16, I spent almost an entire year lying to my parents about mundane things just to see if I could get away with it. That was not among the smartest decisions I ever made. That being said, when I got caught (which is another story for another day), I was summarily sentenced to a good six months without the various forms of entertainment I'd grown accustomed to. My bedroom, which was a teenager's dream before, would no longer house a television set, phone, light near the bed for reading, or access to the internet. They left the computer and printer for homework reasons (because being a nerd, I'd managed to evade them for a year without letting my grades suffer).
So, for six months I had one and only one activity. Minesweeper. I played it for about three hours a night and boy did I get good at it. I'm not as well versed as I once was, but my best scores are pretty much the stuff of legend. I beat beginner in 2 seconds (we all know that's a fluke), intermediate in 21 seconds (half fluke, half skill), and expert in 66 seconds (all skill, baby). I used to be pretty high maintenance about what I needed to amuse myself. It took a lot to keep me from getting bored. After six months of three hours of Minesweeper a night... I'm pretty easy to keep entertained.
April 11, 2010
Day 93 - Get Something Notarized
Date: April 9th, 2010
In less than a year, after I rock the bar exam out of its mind on the first try without studying (hey, it could happen), I will become not only a lawyer, but also a notary. That's why its mildly shameful that I didn't actually know thing one about notaries until a couple days ago. Ok, that's not entirely true. I knew notaries are those dudes who make things all official-like. That being said, having never owned a home, gotten sued and had, umm, official documents in connection with that, I guess, or any other number of vaguely legalistic things of personal importance happen to me; I didn't particularly have occasion to know.
In less than a year, after I rock the bar exam out of its mind on the first try without studying (hey, it could happen), I will become not only a lawyer, but also a notary. That's why its mildly shameful that I didn't actually know thing one about notaries until a couple days ago. Ok, that's not entirely true. I knew notaries are those dudes who make things all official-like. That being said, having never owned a home, gotten sued and had, umm, official documents in connection with that, I guess, or any other number of vaguely legalistic things of personal importance happen to me; I didn't particularly have occasion to know.
April 9, 2010
Day 92 - Go One Day Without Shoes
Date: April 8th, 2010
There are a few things that I never forget to do in my morning routine. Shower. Brush my teeth. Brush my hair. Put on pants and a shirt. You know, the basics. Putting on shoes makes that list too. It is so normal, so essential, so common that I just don't even think about doing it. It just... happens. That's why Thursday morning was so weird for me. I woke up. Showered. Brushed my teeth. Brushed my hair. Put on pants and a shirt. And then... went to school.
Wait. What?
There are a few things that I never forget to do in my morning routine. Shower. Brush my teeth. Brush my hair. Put on pants and a shirt. You know, the basics. Putting on shoes makes that list too. It is so normal, so essential, so common that I just don't even think about doing it. It just... happens. That's why Thursday morning was so weird for me. I woke up. Showered. Brushed my teeth. Brushed my hair. Put on pants and a shirt. And then... went to school.
Wait. What?
Day 91 - Watch Paint Dry
Date: April 7th, 2010
Well, they can't all be winners.
Now, here's the thing - I had a great day on Wednesday. I got a ton of studying done, did my laundry, cleaned up my house and got a nice dinner with my dad. Wednesday was a good day. When class got out, I realized that I had a lot to do to make sure I'm ready for finals so I decided to do one of my back-up projects. So far, the back-up projects have been rarely touched, but thoroughly enjoyed. I made a nice necklace. I love it. I bought land on Mars. That was fun. If we ever settle there, I will be exercising my right to claim that land. Its Martian-tropical... not that it means much to be Martian-tropical since there isn't really, ya know, water at the tropics. There is plenty of ice for my umbrella drinks though.
In any case, I decided to hit up one of the back-ups and have an otherwise productive day. So I scanned down the set of links that I found a couple weeks ago and picked out one that I thought was pithy, unique and fun. How weird and cute is it that someone set up a camera to watch paint dry. Ha. Ha. Ha. Turns out its not cute. Or fun. Or interesting. Its just boring. And a scam. There aren't cameras. There are six year old JPEGs.
I suppose I should change the title to "Fall for an Internet Scam". I honestly hadn't done that before either. I generally heard about all the awful dark corners of the internet before I made my way to them. The lovely video that circulated where a hideous screaming face popped up halfway through the video - I got tipped off. The Nigerian money scams... can you say "too good to be true"? You have $15,000,000 for me in a Swiss bank account and all you need is my account number and social security number and pin code so you can transfer it? Awesome. Tomorrow I'm buying a boat.
If you want to see the JPEGs that duped me, you can go here. Come. Witness my internet shame.
Well, they can't all be winners.
Now, here's the thing - I had a great day on Wednesday. I got a ton of studying done, did my laundry, cleaned up my house and got a nice dinner with my dad. Wednesday was a good day. When class got out, I realized that I had a lot to do to make sure I'm ready for finals so I decided to do one of my back-up projects. So far, the back-up projects have been rarely touched, but thoroughly enjoyed. I made a nice necklace. I love it. I bought land on Mars. That was fun. If we ever settle there, I will be exercising my right to claim that land. Its Martian-tropical... not that it means much to be Martian-tropical since there isn't really, ya know, water at the tropics. There is plenty of ice for my umbrella drinks though.
In any case, I decided to hit up one of the back-ups and have an otherwise productive day. So I scanned down the set of links that I found a couple weeks ago and picked out one that I thought was pithy, unique and fun. How weird and cute is it that someone set up a camera to watch paint dry. Ha. Ha. Ha. Turns out its not cute. Or fun. Or interesting. Its just boring. And a scam. There aren't cameras. There are six year old JPEGs.
I suppose I should change the title to "Fall for an Internet Scam". I honestly hadn't done that before either. I generally heard about all the awful dark corners of the internet before I made my way to them. The lovely video that circulated where a hideous screaming face popped up halfway through the video - I got tipped off. The Nigerian money scams... can you say "too good to be true"? You have $15,000,000 for me in a Swiss bank account and all you need is my account number and social security number and pin code so you can transfer it? Awesome. Tomorrow I'm buying a boat.
If you want to see the JPEGs that duped me, you can go here. Come. Witness my internet shame.
April 8, 2010
Day 90 - Be a Part of a Social Experiment
Date: April 6th, 2010
"I am an absolute badass. I walk with swagger, go wherever I want, do whatever I want and I don't let anybody push me around. Uh-uh. No way any Joe-Law-Student is going to tell me how it is. "
That, my friends, is a little taste of the tizzy I had myself worked up into before going to class on Tuesday. See, the night before I got an e-mail from one of my classmates who was part of a presentation group that said the following:
"Please be advised that laptops will not be permitted in class tomorrow. Also, be prepared for an assigned seat. We look forward to a productive and enjoyable class tomorrow.
- The "Gates" group"
"I am an absolute badass. I walk with swagger, go wherever I want, do whatever I want and I don't let anybody push me around. Uh-uh. No way any Joe-Law-Student is going to tell me how it is. "
That, my friends, is a little taste of the tizzy I had myself worked up into before going to class on Tuesday. See, the night before I got an e-mail from one of my classmates who was part of a presentation group that said the following:
"Please be advised that laptops will not be permitted in class tomorrow. Also, be prepared for an assigned seat. We look forward to a productive and enjoyable class tomorrow.
- The "Gates" group"
Day 89 - Go Housewares Shopping
Date: April 5th, 2010
I don't know thing one about household maintenance. I'm trying to learn though. I know not to let water leak out of a water heater for six months (learned the hard way) and I know to change light bulbs when they burn out. I'm also a whiz at hanging pictures. I'm like a picture hanging ninja. And the wall's all "ow, my eye, why would you... oh, nice picture". That's exactly how it works.
When I was a kid though, I used to hate Home Depot with the blinding passion of a thousand giant suns. Lowe's too, but that was more of a principled rage. Home Depot was the true object of my loathing. I present to you now, the way a six-year-old only child sees the world: "Home Depot. There is literally nothing there I could possibly want for myself. Maybe I should cry until we go somewhere else". It was complex logic, I know. That being said, while there actually are things for me in Home Depot now... I still rarely go there.
I don't know thing one about household maintenance. I'm trying to learn though. I know not to let water leak out of a water heater for six months (learned the hard way) and I know to change light bulbs when they burn out. I'm also a whiz at hanging pictures. I'm like a picture hanging ninja. And the wall's all "ow, my eye, why would you... oh, nice picture". That's exactly how it works.
When I was a kid though, I used to hate Home Depot with the blinding passion of a thousand giant suns. Lowe's too, but that was more of a principled rage. Home Depot was the true object of my loathing. I present to you now, the way a six-year-old only child sees the world: "Home Depot. There is literally nothing there I could possibly want for myself. Maybe I should cry until we go somewhere else". It was complex logic, I know. That being said, while there actually are things for me in Home Depot now... I still rarely go there.
April 7, 2010
Photo Shoot Pictures
Hello and Salutations bloggerinos.
I got an e-mail with Kathryn's favorite pictures and from that group I chose my favorite pictures. I particularly love the timed exposure pictures (I believe that's what she called them). The way it works is you turn off all the lights and take one picture and then take another with the shutter still open from the first shot. It exposes the same piece of film twice and ends up making it look like I'm my own conjoined twin. I had fun playing around with various things to be doing with myself for the pictures.
I know I mentioned how much fun the shoot was, but I'm going to say it again cause its my blog and I can. I really enjoyed getting to be goofy and silly. I brought several props with me and ended up using this amazing Cleopatra hat that I've never gotten to wear before and, of course, our Zoorotica giraffe mascot. So, without further adieu, here are pictures of moi being weird. Cause life is too short not to be.
I got an e-mail with Kathryn's favorite pictures and from that group I chose my favorite pictures. I particularly love the timed exposure pictures (I believe that's what she called them). The way it works is you turn off all the lights and take one picture and then take another with the shutter still open from the first shot. It exposes the same piece of film twice and ends up making it look like I'm my own conjoined twin. I had fun playing around with various things to be doing with myself for the pictures.
I know I mentioned how much fun the shoot was, but I'm going to say it again cause its my blog and I can. I really enjoyed getting to be goofy and silly. I brought several props with me and ended up using this amazing Cleopatra hat that I've never gotten to wear before and, of course, our Zoorotica giraffe mascot. So, without further adieu, here are pictures of moi being weird. Cause life is too short not to be.
By kissing the giraffe, I have offended myself.
Additionally, I am offended that I think I'm better than myself.
The shoot was amazing. I learned to let go and be less nervous about having my picture taken. Also... my kingdom for a more prominent chin.
Day 88 - Be a Part of International Pillow Fight Day
Date: April 4th, 2010
There are few things in this world as irreverent, joyful and spontaneous as a pillow fight. What could be better than swinging soft, delightful piles of feathers into one another and watching them explode with a delicate puff as they hit someone's face? Unfortunately, once you get past about the age of five, there are very few opportunities to participate in pillow fights.
There are few things in this world as irreverent, joyful and spontaneous as a pillow fight. What could be better than swinging soft, delightful piles of feathers into one another and watching them explode with a delicate puff as they hit someone's face? Unfortunately, once you get past about the age of five, there are very few opportunities to participate in pillow fights.
Unless you go into... you know... "the arts".
April 6, 2010
Day 87 - Be the Subject of a Photo Shoot
Date: April 3rd, 2010
Have you ever gone to Sears and had your photo taken by the pimply high school kid they pay minimum wage to try and make you look pretty? I have. I don't consider that a photo shoot, by any stretch of the imagination. I thought it would be nice to share some of my photographic horror stories with you, but decided instead to retain some semblance of dignity. What complex am I blathering on about? I like to call it digital leprosy. It is also known as being extremely, painfully, insanely not photogenic.
Have you ever gone to Sears and had your photo taken by the pimply high school kid they pay minimum wage to try and make you look pretty? I have. I don't consider that a photo shoot, by any stretch of the imagination. I thought it would be nice to share some of my photographic horror stories with you, but decided instead to retain some semblance of dignity. What complex am I blathering on about? I like to call it digital leprosy. It is also known as being extremely, painfully, insanely not photogenic.
Day 86 - Go on an Alphabet Walk
Date: April 2nd, 2010
For about the last two weeks while the weather was getting nicer, I'd been thinking about the possibility of going on an Alphabet Walk. I got more and more amused as I kept telling people that I was going on this walk and getting blank stares in response. See, the thing about an Alphabet Walk (and the reason I hadn't heard of it before this project started) is that it is pretty much only a photographers thing. It is a pretty common photography and photographic illustration exercise as it combines creative picture taking and awesome collage making skills.
For about the last two weeks while the weather was getting nicer, I'd been thinking about the possibility of going on an Alphabet Walk. I got more and more amused as I kept telling people that I was going on this walk and getting blank stares in response. See, the thing about an Alphabet Walk (and the reason I hadn't heard of it before this project started) is that it is pretty much only a photographers thing. It is a pretty common photography and photographic illustration exercise as it combines creative picture taking and awesome collage making skills.
April 3, 2010
Day 85 - Carry Out an April Fool's Day Prank
Date: April 1st, 2010
You know what's great about April Fool's Day? Freaking nothing, that's what. Every year - every single year - I hear about a new invention or a spectacular event or some wonderful friend of mine hitting the lotto. Then what happens? The clock hits midnight and Cinderella loses her darn dress in the middle of the ball. And every year I fall for it. Maybe I'm naive or maybe I just really want to see amazing new inventions or friends doing well. I don't know what the deal is. What I do know is that come April 2nd, I'm left wondering why three of my friends were only engaged for one day (and why one of them was going to marry the ghost of Elvis).
Not this year. Oh no. Thanks to this project, I saw April Fool's Day coming back in January. I knew it was on its way and when I woke up in the morning I was ready. I didn't fall for a single, solitary, individual joke. Ok, except one of my friends really did seem like the type who'd be getting engaged so that doesn't count. Well, and, another friend of mine said he was running for office in Oakland County. But he's super smart and really political so that's not my fault. And... ya know what, nevermind.
The point is, this year I decided it was time for me to get in on the action.
You know what's great about April Fool's Day? Freaking nothing, that's what. Every year - every single year - I hear about a new invention or a spectacular event or some wonderful friend of mine hitting the lotto. Then what happens? The clock hits midnight and Cinderella loses her darn dress in the middle of the ball. And every year I fall for it. Maybe I'm naive or maybe I just really want to see amazing new inventions or friends doing well. I don't know what the deal is. What I do know is that come April 2nd, I'm left wondering why three of my friends were only engaged for one day (and why one of them was going to marry the ghost of Elvis).
Not this year. Oh no. Thanks to this project, I saw April Fool's Day coming back in January. I knew it was on its way and when I woke up in the morning I was ready. I didn't fall for a single, solitary, individual joke. Ok, except one of my friends really did seem like the type who'd be getting engaged so that doesn't count. Well, and, another friend of mine said he was running for office in Oakland County. But he's super smart and really political so that's not my fault. And... ya know what, nevermind.
The point is, this year I decided it was time for me to get in on the action.
April 2, 2010
Day 84 - Release a Book into the Wild
Date: March 31st, 2010
I'm a big fan of sharing books with friends. Not unlike illegally sharing music files, this process allows many people to enjoy the benefits of the artist's work. And, strikingly different from illegally sharing music files, no one in a suit will show up at your house and take you away into the dark of night to torture you for their IP addresses. That is what the RIAA does, right?
Anyway, I tend to have trouble figuring out what to do with books once I've finished reading them. Sometimes I donate them to charity. Other times I keep them, assuming they will become interesting again in six months. But sadly, not every book can live up to the polished allure of the Twilight Saga.
But... I recently discovered something new and fun to do with books when you're done reading them. Set them free.
I'm a big fan of sharing books with friends. Not unlike illegally sharing music files, this process allows many people to enjoy the benefits of the artist's work. And, strikingly different from illegally sharing music files, no one in a suit will show up at your house and take you away into the dark of night to torture you for their IP addresses. That is what the RIAA does, right?
Anyway, I tend to have trouble figuring out what to do with books once I've finished reading them. Sometimes I donate them to charity. Other times I keep them, assuming they will become interesting again in six months. But sadly, not every book can live up to the polished allure of the Twilight Saga.
But... I recently discovered something new and fun to do with books when you're done reading them. Set them free.
April 1, 2010
Day 83 - Fill Out The Census
Date: March 30th, 2010
If I were to spend the same amount of time on this entry that I spent filling out the census, I'd be done after this sentence. If I were to invest an amount of time in this entry that lined up with how awesomely important it felt to be filling out the census, it would never get done. See, I love this country. I'm not kidding. I got really annoyed when I had to study history from other countries to get my undergrad degree (before I realized how interesting that was too). I'm all about the red, white and blue.
If I were to spend the same amount of time on this entry that I spent filling out the census, I'd be done after this sentence. If I were to invest an amount of time in this entry that lined up with how awesomely important it felt to be filling out the census, it would never get done. See, I love this country. I'm not kidding. I got really annoyed when I had to study history from other countries to get my undergrad degree (before I realized how interesting that was too). I'm all about the red, white and blue.
Oh, to be clutched in his icy talons of freedom.
Day 82 - Actually Do a Diorama
Date: March 29th, 2010
There's been a lot of talk about dioramas recently. I've even earned the nickname "diorama queen" from my dad. I should probably just stop writing now, as I'll never be able to compete with that level of wordsmithery. We both know that's not how that's going to go down. Besides, there are apparently lots of different kinds of dioramas and now I've done... most of them.
There are sculptures that think they're dioramas:
There's been a lot of talk about dioramas recently. I've even earned the nickname "diorama queen" from my dad. I should probably just stop writing now, as I'll never be able to compete with that level of wordsmithery. We both know that's not how that's going to go down. Besides, there are apparently lots of different kinds of dioramas and now I've done... most of them.
There are sculptures that think they're dioramas:
Where's you're confidence, man?
There are diorama's that think they're sculptures:
Keep dreaming, kiddo.
And, of course, there are dioramas that know they're dioramas:
They never look like the box says they will.
Day 81 - Do My Taxes
Date: March 28th, 2010
As part of the continuing series: "things I should've learned by now", I finally did my taxes. And by did my taxes I don't mean 'dropped off all my tax paperwork at my parent's house and said: thanks mom, when's dinner?'. I mean I actually sat down with forms in hand and filled everything out. Every minute, painful little detail.
Ok, to be fair, most of it wasn't that bad. For the most part I just plugged in the numbers on how much money I made last year (go go student employment) and figured out which of this or that I qualified for. Honestly, thanks to Turbo Tax I'd put it around the same difficulty level as changing my wiper fluid.
That is... until I got to the home heating credit. They asked me to put in my income, then multiply it by something, subtract something else, multiply that number by a number and take the total. Then they asked me if that total was above or below a certain amount and then asked me to multiply it again, divide it, take the square-freakin-root, stand on my head and walk backwards on even ground, do the hokey-pokey and then fall down.
So maybe it wasn't that bad, but it was so unnecessarily complex that I eventually got laughing about it. It was definitely different to see how the tax code applies to an individual's accounts than it was to study it in class. Though, to be fair, it did seem unnecessarily complex and annoying in class too -- despite having one of the better professors at the school for it. And that's why we have pass/fail, kiddies.
It did feel pretty darn good to be able to understand all the things I needed to do and fill out. I, quite frankly, don't see anything wrong with handing one's mom a stack of papers and asking for help at eighteen. But now we're hitting mid-20's. Its time to know how to do this stuff on my own and without assistance. Well, except for Turbo Tax. Heaven help me if we didn't have Turbo Tax.
As part of the continuing series: "things I should've learned by now", I finally did my taxes. And by did my taxes I don't mean 'dropped off all my tax paperwork at my parent's house and said: thanks mom, when's dinner?'. I mean I actually sat down with forms in hand and filled everything out. Every minute, painful little detail.
Ok, to be fair, most of it wasn't that bad. For the most part I just plugged in the numbers on how much money I made last year (go go student employment) and figured out which of this or that I qualified for. Honestly, thanks to Turbo Tax I'd put it around the same difficulty level as changing my wiper fluid.
That is... until I got to the home heating credit. They asked me to put in my income, then multiply it by something, subtract something else, multiply that number by a number and take the total. Then they asked me if that total was above or below a certain amount and then asked me to multiply it again, divide it, take the square-freakin-root, stand on my head and walk backwards on even ground, do the hokey-pokey and then fall down.
So maybe it wasn't that bad, but it was so unnecessarily complex that I eventually got laughing about it. It was definitely different to see how the tax code applies to an individual's accounts than it was to study it in class. Though, to be fair, it did seem unnecessarily complex and annoying in class too -- despite having one of the better professors at the school for it. And that's why we have pass/fail, kiddies.
It did feel pretty darn good to be able to understand all the things I needed to do and fill out. I, quite frankly, don't see anything wrong with handing one's mom a stack of papers and asking for help at eighteen. But now we're hitting mid-20's. Its time to know how to do this stuff on my own and without assistance. Well, except for Turbo Tax. Heaven help me if we didn't have Turbo Tax.
March 31, 2010
Day 80 - Go to the Ann Arbor Film Festival
Date: March 27th, 2010
I've never been what you'd call a film connoisseur. My favorite movie is Eurotrip and I prize that film not for its cinematic brilliance so much as its hilarious consistency. It is funny. It doesn't pretend to be a gift to the world of comedy - it just... does funny things. If you're not easily grossed out, I would highly recommend it. In the meantime, the only time I've ever even seen someone understand artsy films was the time my mother watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind while accidentally high. To be fair to her, who knew anti-smoking medicine and cough medicine could make you hear the ocean?
I've never been what you'd call a film connoisseur. My favorite movie is Eurotrip and I prize that film not for its cinematic brilliance so much as its hilarious consistency. It is funny. It doesn't pretend to be a gift to the world of comedy - it just... does funny things. If you're not easily grossed out, I would highly recommend it. In the meantime, the only time I've ever even seen someone understand artsy films was the time my mother watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind while accidentally high. To be fair to her, who knew anti-smoking medicine and cough medicine could make you hear the ocean?
March 30, 2010
Day 79 - Enter a Photo Contest
Date: March 26th, 2010
So. I've got a beautifully painted house made of cardboard and enough peeps to survive the apocalypse. You know what that means! Peeps themed photo contest in which the contestants are required to build 3-D scenes, place peeps in them and then send in the photos.
So. I've got a beautifully painted house made of cardboard and enough peeps to survive the apocalypse. You know what that means! Peeps themed photo contest in which the contestants are required to build 3-D scenes, place peeps in them and then send in the photos.
Like this, except on a budget
Day 78 - Paint a House
Date: March 25th, 2010
Back in August I decided that life would be better if I could surround myself with bubblegum pink every time I felt like studying, playing video games or chatting it up on Facebook. When that realization hit, I scrapped my other big plans for the weekend (they included sitting and/or watching TV) and took up a paint brush. I was pretty darn proud to have painted a room (mostly) all on my own. That being said, one thing I've never done is painted a whole house.
Back in August I decided that life would be better if I could surround myself with bubblegum pink every time I felt like studying, playing video games or chatting it up on Facebook. When that realization hit, I scrapped my other big plans for the weekend (they included sitting and/or watching TV) and took up a paint brush. I was pretty darn proud to have painted a room (mostly) all on my own. That being said, one thing I've never done is painted a whole house.
March 29, 2010
A Brief Interim Update
Date: March 29th, 2010
Hello loyal minions and/or readers of my blog. I know I've gotten a bit behind on entries so I'm writing this small addendum to assure anyone who is concerned that the project is still a go. I have the next two-three weeks of things decided and I have yet to skip a day.
Enough with the back-patting. I'm writing this more to apologize and explain my written tardiness. I'm sorry. Ok, golden. The apology is done. Now for the explanation.
Most people who know me well know that a well timed Kodak commercial will make my one-blue-one-green pair of eyes well up with tears of touched admiration. That young mother saved a kitten from a burning tree and then fell in love with a firefighter? Aww. Despite being perfectly willing to cry about spilled milk, the drop of a hat and (the perfect storm) a hat dropped into spilled milk... well... apparently when it matters, I'm not a big fan of crying in front of people.
Like all people, I do need some time to mourn and I feel a lot more comfortable doing it privately. I don't want the pitying "how you doin'?"s every time I talk to people, but a side effect of that is that comedy isn't exactly flowing from my pores at the moment. I am sure, with time, it will be easy to see the joy in little things. Right now though, it takes a lot of work.
I don't know if any of you have ever had to work to be joyful. Its worth the work. That being said... my hope is to get back in track some time in the next couple days to a week in terms of writing. I've had really wonderful experiences these past few days (except doing my taxes... holy Uncle of Sam did that suck) and I don't want to sell them short because sharing the joy in them would be "too hard". So, instead, I'm going to make you wait. So... ya know... suck it up.
Finally (and most importantly in this entry), I wanted to say thank you to the people who offered kind words of condolence both to me and to my parents. If there was ever a question in your minds about if your words mattered - let me assure you - they made all the difference in the world. They made an unbearable situation bearable. Thank you all.
Hello loyal minions and/or readers of my blog. I know I've gotten a bit behind on entries so I'm writing this small addendum to assure anyone who is concerned that the project is still a go. I have the next two-three weeks of things decided and I have yet to skip a day.
Enough with the back-patting. I'm writing this more to apologize and explain my written tardiness. I'm sorry. Ok, golden. The apology is done. Now for the explanation.
Most people who know me well know that a well timed Kodak commercial will make my one-blue-one-green pair of eyes well up with tears of touched admiration. That young mother saved a kitten from a burning tree and then fell in love with a firefighter? Aww. Despite being perfectly willing to cry about spilled milk, the drop of a hat and (the perfect storm) a hat dropped into spilled milk... well... apparently when it matters, I'm not a big fan of crying in front of people.
Like all people, I do need some time to mourn and I feel a lot more comfortable doing it privately. I don't want the pitying "how you doin'?"s every time I talk to people, but a side effect of that is that comedy isn't exactly flowing from my pores at the moment. I am sure, with time, it will be easy to see the joy in little things. Right now though, it takes a lot of work.
I don't know if any of you have ever had to work to be joyful. Its worth the work. That being said... my hope is to get back in track some time in the next couple days to a week in terms of writing. I've had really wonderful experiences these past few days (except doing my taxes... holy Uncle of Sam did that suck) and I don't want to sell them short because sharing the joy in them would be "too hard". So, instead, I'm going to make you wait. So... ya know... suck it up.
Finally (and most importantly in this entry), I wanted to say thank you to the people who offered kind words of condolence both to me and to my parents. If there was ever a question in your minds about if your words mattered - let me assure you - they made all the difference in the world. They made an unbearable situation bearable. Thank you all.
March 25, 2010
Day 77 - Get Invited to Speak to a Class
Date: March 24th, 2010
I'm an expert at a lot of things. I'm great at pontificating. I have a PhD in imagination. I could write a book on procrastination, ya know, in theory. And, well, you may not know this about me, but I have six toes and I'm a world class liar (those last two things are, of course, meant to be read in tandem). Sadly, none of those pursuits are the kind of thing that get you invited, well, anywhere. Surely not to an institution of higher learning.
I'm an expert at a lot of things. I'm great at pontificating. I have a PhD in imagination. I could write a book on procrastination, ya know, in theory. And, well, you may not know this about me, but I have six toes and I'm a world class liar (those last two things are, of course, meant to be read in tandem). Sadly, none of those pursuits are the kind of thing that get you invited, well, anywhere. Surely not to an institution of higher learning.
March 24, 2010
Day 76 - Buy Property
Date: March 24th, 2010
After years of hoping, waiting, wanting and wringing my hands in anticipation of being a property owner; I have finally arrived. That's right kids: I'm part of the landed gentry. Were I man, I'd have earned myself a vote in Colonial America. Since I am not, I have earned my future husband a vote in Colonial America. Where is this glorious parcel, you ask? In what delightful shaded grove shall I now sit and drink tea as the sun sets.
Well. Its a little bit of a trip. You see, the land I bought... its on Mars.
After years of hoping, waiting, wanting and wringing my hands in anticipation of being a property owner; I have finally arrived. That's right kids: I'm part of the landed gentry. Were I man, I'd have earned myself a vote in Colonial America. Since I am not, I have earned my future husband a vote in Colonial America. Where is this glorious parcel, you ask? In what delightful shaded grove shall I now sit and drink tea as the sun sets.
Well. Its a little bit of a trip. You see, the land I bought... its on Mars.
March 23, 2010
Day 75 - Play a Slide Whistle
Date: March 22nd, 2010
This entry is not about a slide whistle. This entry is about my gramma. That being said, my gramma took great pride in this project. She was excited to teach me quilting and wool-working and hoped that there would be time for more projects. There was not. My gramma, Melba Turpen, died at 6:32am on Monday morning with both of my parents by her side. One of her finals wishes (and true proof of how selfless she was) was that her death not cause my parents or I to fail at our pursuits. She said to my mom, numerous times, that it was important to her not to disrupt my mom's graduation from law school. She was less concerned about mine (not being until December and all), but she was proud that I continued with my projects and brought them home to show her as long as possible. She got a good look at our greener world sculpture last weekend and saw the Mentos and Diet Coke trick video.
While it goes without saying that yesterday was hard, I knew she wouldn't want me to fail at this project (or any other) on her account. So I grabbed the slide whistle I got for Christmas (and never took out of the box) from my closet and gave it a few puffs. I hope no one will fault me for not writing extensively about the experience of passing air through a tube to make a sound. The rest of this entry is about my gramma. I'd like to share some things about her with you all, if you're willing to read on. Thank you.
This entry is not about a slide whistle. This entry is about my gramma. That being said, my gramma took great pride in this project. She was excited to teach me quilting and wool-working and hoped that there would be time for more projects. There was not. My gramma, Melba Turpen, died at 6:32am on Monday morning with both of my parents by her side. One of her finals wishes (and true proof of how selfless she was) was that her death not cause my parents or I to fail at our pursuits. She said to my mom, numerous times, that it was important to her not to disrupt my mom's graduation from law school. She was less concerned about mine (not being until December and all), but she was proud that I continued with my projects and brought them home to show her as long as possible. She got a good look at our greener world sculpture last weekend and saw the Mentos and Diet Coke trick video.
While it goes without saying that yesterday was hard, I knew she wouldn't want me to fail at this project (or any other) on her account. So I grabbed the slide whistle I got for Christmas (and never took out of the box) from my closet and gave it a few puffs. I hope no one will fault me for not writing extensively about the experience of passing air through a tube to make a sound. The rest of this entry is about my gramma. I'd like to share some things about her with you all, if you're willing to read on. Thank you.
Day 74 - Be Part of a Vigil for a Loved One
Date: March 21st, 2010
The thing about the word vigil is that it evokes images of people standing in public squares, holding candles and weeping for an iconic stranger. People go to vigils whenever a young girl was kidnapped, whenever a celebrity dies and once a year on the anniversary of the Iraq War. They are ingrained in our conscious as a public rite of mourning for someone who has already passed.
However, the word itself simply means a period of watchful attention. There is a lot less ceremony to a vigil in honor of a loved one. Over the course of the night on Saturday and Sunday, my parents and I kept watch over my grandmother. It was important to her (and us) that someone be there when she passed and starting on Friday night she went into steep decline.
I took turns with my parents watching at her bedside until Sunday night. When I made the decision to go home and sleep, I knew my parents would continue to watch her bedside and see to it that she was cared for. They were awake all night on Sunday and into Monday morning watching her and making sure she was comfortable and unafraid.
There was nothing joyous about keeping a vigil over my grandmother, but there was a sense of purpose to it. There was so little left that we could do for her - making sure she was comfortable and that she knew she was loved were all we had left in our bag of hospice tricks. So that's what we did.
The thing about the word vigil is that it evokes images of people standing in public squares, holding candles and weeping for an iconic stranger. People go to vigils whenever a young girl was kidnapped, whenever a celebrity dies and once a year on the anniversary of the Iraq War. They are ingrained in our conscious as a public rite of mourning for someone who has already passed.
However, the word itself simply means a period of watchful attention. There is a lot less ceremony to a vigil in honor of a loved one. Over the course of the night on Saturday and Sunday, my parents and I kept watch over my grandmother. It was important to her (and us) that someone be there when she passed and starting on Friday night she went into steep decline.
I took turns with my parents watching at her bedside until Sunday night. When I made the decision to go home and sleep, I knew my parents would continue to watch her bedside and see to it that she was cared for. They were awake all night on Sunday and into Monday morning watching her and making sure she was comfortable and unafraid.
There was nothing joyous about keeping a vigil over my grandmother, but there was a sense of purpose to it. There was so little left that we could do for her - making sure she was comfortable and that she knew she was loved were all we had left in our bag of hospice tricks. So that's what we did.
March 22, 2010
Day 73 - Do a Home Repair Without Any Help
Date: March 20th, 2010
There are little things around my house, car and life that are, quite frankly, baffling to me. Fixing sinks, plumbing, doors, lights, electronics, computers, any part of a car etc.. its all new and scary. I took my first little foray into the pit of darkness known as car maintenance when I changed the washer fluid a few days back, but I had yet to crack into the elusive home-repair area of the brain.
There are little things around my house, car and life that are, quite frankly, baffling to me. Fixing sinks, plumbing, doors, lights, electronics, computers, any part of a car etc.. its all new and scary. I took my first little foray into the pit of darkness known as car maintenance when I changed the washer fluid a few days back, but I had yet to crack into the elusive home-repair area of the brain.
Day 72 - Build a Mousetrap Powered Car
Date: March 19th, 2010
In what is going to go down as one of the all time sweetest things a father has done for a daughter, my dad arrived back from Lansing (he and my mother had gone there for the afternoon to take care of a few things) with two bags filled with project materials for me. It was a huge lifesaver - I'd been at my parent's house every day that whole week so I was running out of little at home things to do.
In what is going to go down as one of the all time sweetest things a father has done for a daughter, my dad arrived back from Lansing (he and my mother had gone there for the afternoon to take care of a few things) with two bags filled with project materials for me. It was a huge lifesaver - I'd been at my parent's house every day that whole week so I was running out of little at home things to do.
March 21, 2010
Day 71 - Eat at Dominick's
Date: March 18th, 2010
I've lived in Ann Arbor since 2003. There are some things about this town that are so quintessentially Ann Arbor that not doing them is a travesty of epic proportions. Never eating at Charlie's or Pizza House are unforgivable sins against this city. Just like never going to Pinball Pete's, walking through the fountain between the MLB and the League or stepping on the M at the center of the diag are all completely inappropriate. Now, be careful with that one - legend has it that anyone who steps on it before their first blue book exam will fail the test.
I've lived in Ann Arbor since 2003. There are some things about this town that are so quintessentially Ann Arbor that not doing them is a travesty of epic proportions. Never eating at Charlie's or Pizza House are unforgivable sins against this city. Just like never going to Pinball Pete's, walking through the fountain between the MLB and the League or stepping on the M at the center of the diag are all completely inappropriate. Now, be careful with that one - legend has it that anyone who steps on it before their first blue book exam will fail the test.
Day 70 - Learn to Play the Harmonica
Date: March 17th, 2010
Saying that I come from a musical family may be a bit of an understatement. My extended family on my dad's side is so musical they could make an amateur Glee knockoff without blinking an eye. I look forward, hopefully, to going to a family reunion this summer (schedule permitting) and seeing them break into a seemingly choreographed song and dance number rivaling that of the great Jerome Robbins. I assume that's what happens at family reunions, right? In any case, it goes without saying that I won't be getting a spot in the DCamp Family Band any time soon. That would require, ya know, music talent.
Saying that I come from a musical family may be a bit of an understatement. My extended family on my dad's side is so musical they could make an amateur Glee knockoff without blinking an eye. I look forward, hopefully, to going to a family reunion this summer (schedule permitting) and seeing them break into a seemingly choreographed song and dance number rivaling that of the great Jerome Robbins. I assume that's what happens at family reunions, right? In any case, it goes without saying that I won't be getting a spot in the DCamp Family Band any time soon. That would require, ya know, music talent.
March 18, 2010
Day 69 - Been the "Tech" Person on a Project
Date: March 16th, 2010
I believe I mentioned this when I installed the cable at my parent's house a couple months back, but I am not technologically literate. It may seem that way, but I manage my way around a computer the same way an illiterate person knows not to drive through a stop sign. Its not the S-T-O-P that does it - its the bright red symbol of authority surrounding the word.
As for computers? If its not in the help menu, the FAQ or the Google, its not within my expertise. Well, even counting Google may be a stretch - there's a lot of stuff on the Google. I'm serious. A lot. Of stuff. In the meantime, I manage pretty well as long as what I'm doing doesn't involve C++, PERL, HTML, A/S/L, OMGWTFBBQ etc...
I believe I mentioned this when I installed the cable at my parent's house a couple months back, but I am not technologically literate. It may seem that way, but I manage my way around a computer the same way an illiterate person knows not to drive through a stop sign. Its not the S-T-O-P that does it - its the bright red symbol of authority surrounding the word.
As for computers? If its not in the help menu, the FAQ or the Google, its not within my expertise. Well, even counting Google may be a stretch - there's a lot of stuff on the Google. I'm serious. A lot. Of stuff. In the meantime, I manage pretty well as long as what I'm doing doesn't involve C++, PERL, HTML, A/S/L, OMGWTFBBQ etc...
Day 68 - Do the Mentos and Diet Coke Trick
Date: March 15th, 2010
Americans have a unique ability to discover and exploit things that have absolutely no practical purpose whatsoever. There is no greater example of this than the Mentos & Diet Coke trick. The short explanation of what happens is that if you drop Mentos (regular flavor only) into a bottle of Diet Coke (other sodas work, but diet is better), it will cause an intense, pressurized reaction of fizzy awesomeness. The short explanation is really all you need to enjoy the trick, which is why its absolutely insane that this article, this article, this article and this TV show actually exist.
Americans have a unique ability to discover and exploit things that have absolutely no practical purpose whatsoever. There is no greater example of this than the Mentos & Diet Coke trick. The short explanation of what happens is that if you drop Mentos (regular flavor only) into a bottle of Diet Coke (other sodas work, but diet is better), it will cause an intense, pressurized reaction of fizzy awesomeness. The short explanation is really all you need to enjoy the trick, which is why its absolutely insane that this article, this article, this article and this TV show actually exist.
March 17, 2010
Day 67 - Be Responsible for Someone's Final Wishes
Date: March 14th, 2010
As I mentioned a few entries back, my grandmother is very ill. While she isn't dealing with immediate medical concerns like she was last week, we are at the "make her comfortable" stage of things. In the past few weeks, I've come to admire her bravery so much. I know everybody goes through that whole "contemplate your mortality" phase at some point so I'm not going to dwell on whatever thoughts I'm having, except to say this: it is outside of my comprehension to see how well she is handling herself through everything. I can't say I've seen her cry a single time, even when she's talking about the most serious aspects of her situation.
As I mentioned a few entries back, my grandmother is very ill. While she isn't dealing with immediate medical concerns like she was last week, we are at the "make her comfortable" stage of things. In the past few weeks, I've come to admire her bravery so much. I know everybody goes through that whole "contemplate your mortality" phase at some point so I'm not going to dwell on whatever thoughts I'm having, except to say this: it is outside of my comprehension to see how well she is handling herself through everything. I can't say I've seen her cry a single time, even when she's talking about the most serious aspects of her situation.
March 16, 2010
Day 66 - Enter a Sculpture Contest
Date: March 13th, 2010
Among the many things I initially hesitate to do is building a sculpture and entering it into a contest. There's something about having to make an object that is both artistic and structurally sound that makes the two sides of my brain get into a knife fight. Seriously. Last time I tried, my sculpture collapsed, leaving nothing to enter the contest with. I decided it was time to face up to the personal, life-altering tragedy that was trying to sculpt by entering a contest I found online. The theme was "Dreaming of a Greener World" so... ya know... y'all should recycle and junk.
The part that made it appealing to me was that it was billed as being part of a workshop. So, I figured I could make my perfectly structurally sound sculpture and enter it, then pretend the contest was rigged when I realized I'd forgotten to be artistic. The set up, it would seem, made it a lot easier to be in denial about the sculpture situation than it collapsing in front of me. For kicks (and cause they're awesome) I brought Justin and Dawn to build it with me.
Among the many things I initially hesitate to do is building a sculpture and entering it into a contest. There's something about having to make an object that is both artistic and structurally sound that makes the two sides of my brain get into a knife fight. Seriously. Last time I tried, my sculpture collapsed, leaving nothing to enter the contest with. I decided it was time to face up to the personal, life-altering tragedy that was trying to sculpt by entering a contest I found online. The theme was "Dreaming of a Greener World" so... ya know... y'all should recycle and junk.
The part that made it appealing to me was that it was billed as being part of a workshop. So, I figured I could make my perfectly structurally sound sculpture and enter it, then pretend the contest was rigged when I realized I'd forgotten to be artistic. The set up, it would seem, made it a lot easier to be in denial about the sculpture situation than it collapsing in front of me. For kicks (and cause they're awesome) I brought Justin and Dawn to build it with me.
March 15, 2010
Day 65 - Attend a Cultural Festival
Date: March 12th, 2010
Given how I was raised, this is about as shocking as not having done a paint-by-numbers at 25 years old. My parents always fostered an interest in different political and cultural points of view, but for some reason, I cannot for the life of me, remember going to any kind of festival put on by a particular cultural group. No Octoberfest, no St. Patty's Day (though I did enjoy roaming the early morning drunken streets of Ann Arbor a few years back), nada. Maybe I've forgotten, but for the purposes of this exercise, I've determined that forgetting makes it count.
Given how I was raised, this is about as shocking as not having done a paint-by-numbers at 25 years old. My parents always fostered an interest in different political and cultural points of view, but for some reason, I cannot for the life of me, remember going to any kind of festival put on by a particular cultural group. No Octoberfest, no St. Patty's Day (though I did enjoy roaming the early morning drunken streets of Ann Arbor a few years back), nada. Maybe I've forgotten, but for the purposes of this exercise, I've determined that forgetting makes it count.
March 12, 2010
Day 64 - Learn How to Break a Fever
Date: March 11th, 2010
People who read this consistently may have noticed that the entries since I got back from DC are mostly small things that I've done. Though I'm deeply committed to this project, I am also committed to my family and it is the latter that has required some attention. Most of you know that my grandmother has been ill for some time. She's been battling cancer for over a year and recently things have gotten a lot worse.
Those who've known me for a while know that I don't like going on about personal things in a public forum, but I'm also aware that some rough times are ahead in the near future. If we are extremely lucky, she will be with us for another couple weeks, but even that would be a blessing at this point. One of the things that happens when someone is nearing the end of their life is that their body becomes less capable of controlling its internal temperature. So, if you bundle up in blankets, the temperature goes way up and if you lay about with only a thin layer of clothes on, the temperature drops.
She was running a high fever the other night - up around 103 for a while. That's not something I've ever experienced. My solution to fevers is Tylenol and bed rest. But then... we're talking 101.5 max. Turns out, when it comes to breaking a fever, nothing beats an old classic. We prepared a ton of ice packs and put them on her neck, head, chest and feet to cool her down. It took several hours, but eventually her temperature went back down to about 99. Its still a little warm, but its not the dangerous temperature she had last night.
Helping get a fever down isn't something I've ever done before and its vitally important to me to be there for my gramma and my parents in the days and weeks ahead. My gramma has told me how highly she thinks of this project and, in that spirit, I will continue to do new things every day. I have been fortunate not to lose someone close to me in a long time and, for that reason, I haven't ever done the things that go along with that before. I hope no one will be too terribly bothered if there are a few times when I need to take the day for my family.
Not all new experiences are as joyful as the one's I've found so far, but that is part of living. I am much more aware of how lucky I am not to have experienced deep loss like this until now thanks to this project. The fact that I've never had to break a fever, for example, is a sign of how blessed I have been in my life so far. In a vain attempt to cheer y'all up, I will leave you with some words of wisdom I stumbled onto the other day.
Fair warning - there's some cursing - but it cheered me up, so, ya know, deal with it.
People who read this consistently may have noticed that the entries since I got back from DC are mostly small things that I've done. Though I'm deeply committed to this project, I am also committed to my family and it is the latter that has required some attention. Most of you know that my grandmother has been ill for some time. She's been battling cancer for over a year and recently things have gotten a lot worse.
Those who've known me for a while know that I don't like going on about personal things in a public forum, but I'm also aware that some rough times are ahead in the near future. If we are extremely lucky, she will be with us for another couple weeks, but even that would be a blessing at this point. One of the things that happens when someone is nearing the end of their life is that their body becomes less capable of controlling its internal temperature. So, if you bundle up in blankets, the temperature goes way up and if you lay about with only a thin layer of clothes on, the temperature drops.
She was running a high fever the other night - up around 103 for a while. That's not something I've ever experienced. My solution to fevers is Tylenol and bed rest. But then... we're talking 101.5 max. Turns out, when it comes to breaking a fever, nothing beats an old classic. We prepared a ton of ice packs and put them on her neck, head, chest and feet to cool her down. It took several hours, but eventually her temperature went back down to about 99. Its still a little warm, but its not the dangerous temperature she had last night.
Helping get a fever down isn't something I've ever done before and its vitally important to me to be there for my gramma and my parents in the days and weeks ahead. My gramma has told me how highly she thinks of this project and, in that spirit, I will continue to do new things every day. I have been fortunate not to lose someone close to me in a long time and, for that reason, I haven't ever done the things that go along with that before. I hope no one will be too terribly bothered if there are a few times when I need to take the day for my family.
Not all new experiences are as joyful as the one's I've found so far, but that is part of living. I am much more aware of how lucky I am not to have experienced deep loss like this until now thanks to this project. The fact that I've never had to break a fever, for example, is a sign of how blessed I have been in my life so far. In a vain attempt to cheer y'all up, I will leave you with some words of wisdom I stumbled onto the other day.
Fair warning - there's some cursing - but it cheered me up, so, ya know, deal with it.
March 11, 2010
Day 63 - Learn Something New with eHow
Date: March 10th, 2010
A while back I discovered this website that essentially has instructions for everything. Need to know how to change a tire? Its there. What about the best way to shampoo and condition in the shower - yup, there are easy to follow steps. Making money quickly? Indeed, there is an article. Its user generated and rated content, which is brilliant -- if you know how to do something and you think others could benefit from your knowledge, post away! The site is called eHow and it is conveniently divided into sections based on subject areas - in case you feel like surfing.
I decided I wanted to learn how to do something small and random so I went surfing until something interested me. In the wake of my glorious visit to the spy museum (and being out-spied by Ben and Lisa), I went for something a little sneaky. Did you know that if you dial *67 before you call someone, it will hide your caller ID from them? I didn't, but now I do. Its the magic of learning.
One of the main things to note about today's activity - the site made it so easy to learn my new thing. All I did was surf for ten minutes, read the article and then try it out. Maybe a 10-15 minute time commitment for learning a new skill. At any given time there are between 10-50 things that I wish I knew how to do, floating around in my mind. Sometimes I learn by doing (a la the washer fluid) and others by watching someone else's example. I'm digging the fact that there's now a way to just... look it up. I mean, the Wikipedia let's you look up what something is - but not how to cook it or build it or do it.
I love the fact that information like this is at our fingertips now.
A while back I discovered this website that essentially has instructions for everything. Need to know how to change a tire? Its there. What about the best way to shampoo and condition in the shower - yup, there are easy to follow steps. Making money quickly? Indeed, there is an article. Its user generated and rated content, which is brilliant -- if you know how to do something and you think others could benefit from your knowledge, post away! The site is called eHow and it is conveniently divided into sections based on subject areas - in case you feel like surfing.
I decided I wanted to learn how to do something small and random so I went surfing until something interested me. In the wake of my glorious visit to the spy museum (and being out-spied by Ben and Lisa), I went for something a little sneaky. Did you know that if you dial *67 before you call someone, it will hide your caller ID from them? I didn't, but now I do. Its the magic of learning.
One of the main things to note about today's activity - the site made it so easy to learn my new thing. All I did was surf for ten minutes, read the article and then try it out. Maybe a 10-15 minute time commitment for learning a new skill. At any given time there are between 10-50 things that I wish I knew how to do, floating around in my mind. Sometimes I learn by doing (a la the washer fluid) and others by watching someone else's example. I'm digging the fact that there's now a way to just... look it up. I mean, the Wikipedia let's you look up what something is - but not how to cook it or build it or do it.
I love the fact that information like this is at our fingertips now.
March 10, 2010
Day 62 - Create a Personal Budget
Date: March 9th, 2010
I have been very fortunate for most of my life in that my family has been comfortable when it comes to money. You know the old saying "champagne taste on a beer budget"? My life has been more of a mid-grade whiskey on a mid-grade whiskey budget. While that's been nice and simple so far... it doesn't lend itself to forming good habits about money.
Why, you might ask? Well, think about it for a second. If the only thing you really want is to buy sliced ham, sliced cheese and white bread for sandwiches and you know you have enough money to do that - are you going to keep close track of said money? I'm sure some people would, but my own happy little world is a very nice place and in it, running detailed budget figures is like the big, bad monster of boredom coming to eat the schoolchildren. In other words - not happening because things like that don't happen in a nice little world.
In any case, I don't have money in the budget to go buy 87 ponies, name each one of them Goldrina, Princess of Lightness and then set them free in the central American plains area. Then again, I don't have a desire to do that either - and that's generally why I've been lazy about my budget. That being said, there comes a point when it becomes clear that you're missing out on a life skill. I don't care about the pony stunt, but I sure do like my car running smoothly and having a house to live in. Those things are, ya know, nice...
So I sat down, with some familial help, and laid out all the major spending and saving categories and made cost estimates on a per month basis to figure out how much should be coming in and going out at the moment. One thing in particular that we chose to do was put down all the major categories I'm likely to experience in the next decade. So, for example, there is space on my lovely budget spreadsheet for housing taxes even though that's not something I'm responsible for yet.
It was a good exercise and now I have the framework necessary to make important life decisions - like what kind of pay I need to live on once I'm out of school. That, ya know, seems important.
PS: No, I will not tell you what my budget looks like in detail, including numbers. I will share one and only one detail - there is a section for soda and only soda. Because I'm on a health food kick.
I have been very fortunate for most of my life in that my family has been comfortable when it comes to money. You know the old saying "champagne taste on a beer budget"? My life has been more of a mid-grade whiskey on a mid-grade whiskey budget. While that's been nice and simple so far... it doesn't lend itself to forming good habits about money.
Why, you might ask? Well, think about it for a second. If the only thing you really want is to buy sliced ham, sliced cheese and white bread for sandwiches and you know you have enough money to do that - are you going to keep close track of said money? I'm sure some people would, but my own happy little world is a very nice place and in it, running detailed budget figures is like the big, bad monster of boredom coming to eat the schoolchildren. In other words - not happening because things like that don't happen in a nice little world.
In any case, I don't have money in the budget to go buy 87 ponies, name each one of them Goldrina, Princess of Lightness and then set them free in the central American plains area. Then again, I don't have a desire to do that either - and that's generally why I've been lazy about my budget. That being said, there comes a point when it becomes clear that you're missing out on a life skill. I don't care about the pony stunt, but I sure do like my car running smoothly and having a house to live in. Those things are, ya know, nice...
So I sat down, with some familial help, and laid out all the major spending and saving categories and made cost estimates on a per month basis to figure out how much should be coming in and going out at the moment. One thing in particular that we chose to do was put down all the major categories I'm likely to experience in the next decade. So, for example, there is space on my lovely budget spreadsheet for housing taxes even though that's not something I'm responsible for yet.
It was a good exercise and now I have the framework necessary to make important life decisions - like what kind of pay I need to live on once I'm out of school. That, ya know, seems important.
PS: No, I will not tell you what my budget looks like in detail, including numbers. I will share one and only one detail - there is a section for soda and only soda. Because I'm on a health food kick.
Day 61 - Pray the Rosary
Date: March 8th, 2010
I don't know about you, but driving across several states in a single day really takes it out of me. I was still very tired on Monday when I started looking for something to do for the day, so I wanted something that wasn't too... rowdy. You know, no wrestling galactic invaders or learning a catering business from the ground up. Those things would be... a little too involved. So, I swung all the way the other direction and decided to spend some time looking inward for the day.
I don't know about you, but driving across several states in a single day really takes it out of me. I was still very tired on Monday when I started looking for something to do for the day, so I wanted something that wasn't too... rowdy. You know, no wrestling galactic invaders or learning a catering business from the ground up. Those things would be... a little too involved. So, I swung all the way the other direction and decided to spend some time looking inward for the day.
March 9, 2010
Day 60 - Change the Washer Fluid in my Car
Date: March 7th, 2010
I have, thus far, managed to make most of the major milestone days that I've passed into incredibly basic new experiences. I feel like I should do something epic on day 65 - there will be fewer than 300 days to go at that point. In the meantime, I managed to schedule my little road trip such that I would be driving the entire nine hours back to Michigan, from DC, on day 60.
I have, thus far, managed to make most of the major milestone days that I've passed into incredibly basic new experiences. I feel like I should do something epic on day 65 - there will be fewer than 300 days to go at that point. In the meantime, I managed to schedule my little road trip such that I would be driving the entire nine hours back to Michigan, from DC, on day 60.
March 8, 2010
Day 59 - Go to a Roller Derby
Date: March 6th, 2010
I find that most activities are a lot more fun when they are done on wheels, blades, a board or some combination of those three things. Why run in a circle, pushing people and yelling at them, when you can strap wheels to your feet and do it at least 5-10 MPH faster? This is a point about which I feel great passion. Were it feasible, I would argue that all people should be on some form of wheels, blades or boards at all times. Walking is so passe.
I find that most activities are a lot more fun when they are done on wheels, blades, a board or some combination of those three things. Why run in a circle, pushing people and yelling at them, when you can strap wheels to your feet and do it at least 5-10 MPH faster? This is a point about which I feel great passion. Were it feasible, I would argue that all people should be on some form of wheels, blades or boards at all times. Walking is so passe.
Day 58 - Visit a Real TV Studio
Date: March 5th, 2010
If there's one thing I've found out in the past couple months, its that museums are absolute treasure troves of things people haven't done before. I generally like museums, but I took them for places to see things that were unusual and interesting more than experience things that were new and interesting. Yeah, I know, I'm just splitting hairs, but would you really still be reading if every entry started with "and then we stopped at the Museum of Whatever-the-Heck?". Maybe some of y'all would, but that's cause we're all huge nerds.
If there's one thing I've found out in the past couple months, its that museums are absolute treasure troves of things people haven't done before. I generally like museums, but I took them for places to see things that were unusual and interesting more than experience things that were new and interesting. Yeah, I know, I'm just splitting hairs, but would you really still be reading if every entry started with "and then we stopped at the Museum of Whatever-the-Heck?". Maybe some of y'all would, but that's cause we're all huge nerds.
March 5, 2010
Day 57 - Crash a Convention
Date: March 4th, 2010
I have crashed plenty of things in my life, but that's not the kind of crash I'm talking about here. See, there are two kinds. There is the "ram into something with something else" kind. That I've done a lot. I've crashed my bike into a tree, a wall, the ground, a car, another bike, the ground again and in one of the most embarrassing crashes ever, the beach. That's right, soak it in and let it simmer - I crashed into the beach once. I've crashed on roller blades - pretty much only into the walls of the roller blade place though. If scraping a parked car counts then I've crashed a car. I'm choosing not to count that. Forget I mentioned it.
I have crashed plenty of things in my life, but that's not the kind of crash I'm talking about here. See, there are two kinds. There is the "ram into something with something else" kind. That I've done a lot. I've crashed my bike into a tree, a wall, the ground, a car, another bike, the ground again and in one of the most embarrassing crashes ever, the beach. That's right, soak it in and let it simmer - I crashed into the beach once. I've crashed on roller blades - pretty much only into the walls of the roller blade place though. If scraping a parked car counts then I've crashed a car. I'm choosing not to count that. Forget I mentioned it.
Day 56 - Accept the Kindness of a Stranger
Date: March 3rd, 2010
On Wednesday, I flew back to DC from San Francisco. While I was in San Francisco, I was reminded of why I'm not the biggest fan of California. Now, don't get me wrong - there are things I absolutely adore about California. I think it is a great place. However, there are also things that really bother me about it. When I was walking around on Monday and taking in the sights, one of the stores I stopped at sold novelty magnets. I bought a couple for gifts and for my fridge, but I noticed one magnet in particular. "There may not be a Heaven, but there is a San Francisco". Wait. What? Then I saw another one. "There is no life outside of San Francisco".
See... that's what bugs me about California. It is a great place, but man do the people already know that. There is no value in modesty there. There's pride whether or not the job is well done and if you don't leave a tip, well, there's something wrong with you - not the service. There are wonderful and awful people everywhere in the world, so please don't think I'm saying San Francisco is all bad people - its definitely not. But there is a collective sense of entitlement there that drives me up a wall. That was a realization I was first putting into words when I got to the airport and walked around centuries old jade statutes from China that were, you know, being used as display pieces there.
On Wednesday, I flew back to DC from San Francisco. While I was in San Francisco, I was reminded of why I'm not the biggest fan of California. Now, don't get me wrong - there are things I absolutely adore about California. I think it is a great place. However, there are also things that really bother me about it. When I was walking around on Monday and taking in the sights, one of the stores I stopped at sold novelty magnets. I bought a couple for gifts and for my fridge, but I noticed one magnet in particular. "There may not be a Heaven, but there is a San Francisco". Wait. What? Then I saw another one. "There is no life outside of San Francisco".
See... that's what bugs me about California. It is a great place, but man do the people already know that. There is no value in modesty there. There's pride whether or not the job is well done and if you don't leave a tip, well, there's something wrong with you - not the service. There are wonderful and awful people everywhere in the world, so please don't think I'm saying San Francisco is all bad people - its definitely not. But there is a collective sense of entitlement there that drives me up a wall. That was a realization I was first putting into words when I got to the airport and walked around centuries old jade statutes from China that were, you know, being used as display pieces there.
March 4, 2010
Day 55 - Fly
Date: March 2nd, 2010
I believe I can fly, but I'm less than certain I can touch the sky and I certainly don't dream about it every night and day. That being said, I recently found a way to fly that didn't involve a high possibility of death, scaring my mother or puking at 35,000 feet. Around the country there are indoor skydiving locations. They are set up partly just for fun and partly to help train real skydivers to do what they do best... give the finger to God by challenging gravity to a game of chicken.
I believe I can fly, but I'm less than certain I can touch the sky and I certainly don't dream about it every night and day. That being said, I recently found a way to fly that didn't involve a high possibility of death, scaring my mother or puking at 35,000 feet. Around the country there are indoor skydiving locations. They are set up partly just for fun and partly to help train real skydivers to do what they do best... give the finger to God by challenging gravity to a game of chicken.
March 2, 2010
Day 54 - Get Lost in a Mirror Maze
Date: March 1st, 2010
Yesterday. Was. Epic.
So, I'm in San Francisco for a couple days. Sunday was Teatro ZinZanni and today I have something planned as well. Yesterday, however, I had a bunch of ideas, but no real plan. Time was, if I didn't have something planned to do for the day, I'd just sit around on whatever couch I was crashing on until the next day and watch TV or play video games. Since my couch, also delightfully known as Jeff, had class all day... I had to decide whether to stay in and play the aforementioned video games until he got back or go out and experience the city. Guess which one I chose?
Yesterday. Was. Epic.
So, I'm in San Francisco for a couple days. Sunday was Teatro ZinZanni and today I have something planned as well. Yesterday, however, I had a bunch of ideas, but no real plan. Time was, if I didn't have something planned to do for the day, I'd just sit around on whatever couch I was crashing on until the next day and watch TV or play video games. Since my couch, also delightfully known as Jeff, had class all day... I had to decide whether to stay in and play the aforementioned video games until he got back or go out and experience the city. Guess which one I chose?
Day 53 - Go to a Dinner Theater Performance
Date: February 28th, 2010
There are a couple different things that come to mind when people think of dinner theater. One of them is washed up actors performing to people who aren't paying a lick of attention and being forced to smell their food for hours while they sweat under hot lights. This was not the experience I was looking for. There is another thing that comes to mind when people think of dinner theater -- a unique, exquisitely performed piece of theater that comes with a gourmet meal, served to a highly entertained audience. That sounds just utterly fantastic to me.
There are a couple different things that come to mind when people think of dinner theater. One of them is washed up actors performing to people who aren't paying a lick of attention and being forced to smell their food for hours while they sweat under hot lights. This was not the experience I was looking for. There is another thing that comes to mind when people think of dinner theater -- a unique, exquisitely performed piece of theater that comes with a gourmet meal, served to a highly entertained audience. That sounds just utterly fantastic to me.
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