But Do It In Pencil

My Day In Six Words 1-23-12

2012-01-23T12:21:00.001-08:00

Ready for vacation starting tomorrow afternoon!

My Day In Six Words 1-22-12

2012-01-23T12:19:00.001-08:00

Traveled to German restaurant for "Tico" :)

Piercing The Darkness

2012-01-18T17:57:00.001-08:00

One of my goals was to leave a note for someone so when I received an invite from a friend to join piercing the darkness' leave a note day, I jumped on it. I actually left two notes. The first one I left in the women's bathroom at work. Though... I chickened out at the last minute and ripped off the second part... I figured people may figure out who it was since the bright yellow post its were a bit of a giveaway. Anyway... Do you know HOW MANY people don't wash their hands?! Ick... And why? How hard is it?! And after that nasty stomach flu that went around our store around new years, why wouldn't you?

The second note is really just something I think about and was hoping to inspire another. I left it on the book shelf at the federation building. People of all ages use that room... Wonder if it will still be there next time I go there?

Only In Vegas Baby!

2011-11-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

I made it to Vegas. Keegan had a business trip and I decided to tag along- one because it's on my list and two because he's never been there and I haven't been in 10 years, and seriously...he shouldn't go to these places on his own. I like experiencing new things with him, he's my best friend! And that goes for watching him experience new things as well. It's definitely a different town and everyone should go at least once. I would enjoy it more if they ban cigarette smoking. I should have taken a picture of it, but upon entering one of the hotels there was a brass sign bolted to the side of the building that said, "Nevada clean air act: Smoking Allowed Indoors".

We saw many people--oh the people watching!-- many brides (why would you want a mass produced wedding like an assembly line ---that's what they were doing on 11/11/11--one huge reception it was billed as. Vegas is filled with fakeness. People pretending to be big shots, people pretending to be elvis, people pretending to be elmo even... And it's ALLLLL about the $$$$$. Wow. You really can gamble at ALL hours of the day. I know they say that NYC never sleeps...I'm pretty sure Vegas doesn't either. Walking along the strip you see many photos of half naked girls everywhere--on the ground on the buildings, and there are people trying to hand you pamphlets with girls..these people where neon hoodies that say "girls direct to you in 20 minutes". It's serious the worst marketing ever! The people handing out the pamphlets and wearing the shirts are the ugliest men and women they could find. I wanted to say "are YOU the one coming to me in 20 mins?" OH AND THE SMELL!!! It was SO nice to come home and shower and not smell like smoke and flith. Clearly I'm not a city person.

NOW you may think I had a horrible time, but really I didn't. Like I said, everyone should go to vegas at least once. The food was great, the themes and designs of the buildings are really spectacular, the fountains at the Bellagio were AMAZING (I think that was one of keegan's favorite parts), the shows are outstanding (we saw O- you should see it too), and the people watching is like none other. Oh and the MOUNTAINS!!! I want to get closer to the mountains!

And one more piece of advice if you go... wear comfortable walking shoes. That's the last time I try to be a fancy girl!! I think my feet will thank me next time if I choose practicality over girlishness.

P.S.- another goal accomplished- I've been taking my vitamins regularly for over a month---thank you gummi vitamins!

Let Me See Your Inner WARRIOR! ARRRRGHH!

2011-08-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

I ran in my first official race. Check! It was a 5K UP (and I mean UP and UP) a ski mountain ...but it wasn't just a 5K...nope. It was a 5K with OBSTACLES! Cargo nets, tires, walls, barbed wire, fire, slip and slides, oh and MUD. LOTS of MUD! Mud up to my shoulders...mud here there and everywhere! Mud in places there shouldn't be mud! My goal buddy, Corey, did the race with me and hopefully next year we can get more of our friends to do it. We'll even wear some sort of costume!

I do admit that right before the race I was a little nervous...especially not knowing what to expect, but it was very laid back and I was THRILLED there wasn't a gun at the start line. It was pretty much , Ready Set Go! and then flames bursting in to the air.

There were 25,000 people signed up for this race over the course of two days. I think I heard some one say there were about 500 people in each heat. But it really didn't seem that crowded when we were there. Corey was super helpful in showing me how to tie my chip on my shoe and making sure we arrived everywhere on time. She's a pro. I would probably do another race...try a more normal, less muddy race maybe. And I would definitely do this race again! This was one of the most odd things I have ever done (and definitely one of the dirtiest!--the only thing that comes second to this in terms of dirt was the constant dirt I lived in working at summer camp!). With all of the obstacles and mud...it kind of reminded me of a muddy Double Dare show....one of my dreams come true! :)

The Quiet Serenity of The Sunrise on the River...

2011-08-15T16:02:00.000-07:00

Keegan and I had been planning this trip for a week...well ever since I woke up in his arms last saturday morning and said, "Wouldn't it be nice to go for an early morning kayak and see the sunrise?" but by that time it was too late already. So we decided we would go a week later. Unfortunately we are not very good at prepping and being on time (as many of you know). So while I did make muffins to eat for breakfast, the night before....we did not load the kayaks on the car until saturday morning AND we did not go to bed early as we planned. We stayed up friday night, until 12am and then set our alarms for 4am.

We DID get up at 4am...but let me tell you ... I had a horrible sleep for those four hours. A few days earlier we had a really bad kayaking adventure where we were almost stuck on the river after the sunset....thank goodness for the tow rope I bought! Anyway...I had the WORST mosquito bites on my feet and ankles and they kept me up all night. So it was easy for me to get out of bed at 4am, since I was pretty much already awake.

We loaded everything up on the car and ventured to our destination. I was getting nervous because even though we left the house at 5am...the sun was already starting to rise. We made it to the marina under the bridges and unloaded our boats. Immediately the sunrise started to turn brilliant so by the time we were on the water, it was BEAUTIFUL! The peacefulness of the water, the herons, fish, ducks, sunrise, homemade blueberry muffins, kayaks, and keegan....it was a beautiful scene.

We paddled about 5 miles and I did become a little loopy from lack of sleep (I was pretending to have kayaking turrets and started to spit out all the bodies of water one can think of-- "Pool, sink, lake, puddle!" "Ocean, stream, creek, hot tub!".... but other than that (I fell RIGHT asleep when we got back in to the car), it was a wonderful experience!

A Young Person's Guide To the Orchestra

2011-07-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

Looking over my list today, I was able to check off a few more. (The list says I am 57% done, but I feel like I am a lot further than that!-who keeps adding to my list?)
I was able to check off donating my clothes and shoes. Last week when Keegan wasn't home, I took almost three full bags of clothes and shoes and dumped them in the clothes/shoe box in the back of the target parking lot. I felt a little like a criminal for some reason....pulling up to sparsely marked bins with my large black car, opening the trunk and pulling out large, oddly shaped black garbage bags...really there were clothes in there... that's all officer. I wonder where those clothes go. I guess I'll find out when I see people in my town wearing my former clothes, right?

Another perk of working at my job is I receive free tickets to fun events. Recently we went to the NYC Ballet (it was ok...a little too long for my attention span, but I'm glad we got to experience it) AND last night we went to the Philadelphia Orchestra. Here is what they played:
BRITTEN The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
STRAVINSKY Song of the Nightingale
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7

The first song was my favorite, plus it was narrated by David Hyde Pierce (Niles from Frasier-see photo). It was just a unique piece and really...I mean REALLY made me LONG for the days when I was in orchestra. I didn't think I would ever actually say that...but I do kind of miss it. I miss the way the violins all move together effortlessly....the way the flute and the oboe sound together...the conductor...OH how I miss the conductor. THAT was the highlight of last night as well...the way the conductor dances to the music...almost as if it was choreographed. It was so happy. I smiled the most at the conductor. The way he bent down low and then way up high...the way his baton acted like a magical wand that brought in each section of the orchestra and made them louder and softer, staccato, lyrical and accented....it was beautiful!

THAT, my friends, would be my dream job.

Easier said than done...

2011-06-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

One of my goals on my list is to spend a day with my brother...let's just say that at this age (I'm hoping it will change someday)...concerts are more important than family to him.

And just for the record...this shouldn't have to be a goal in the first place.

I used to be a stripper.

2011-05-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

This was definitely one of the most fun goals I have accomplished so far! My goal was to "take a dance lesson" and Corey's goal was to "take a pole dancing lesson", so while she was visiting this past weekend we checked off both of our goals together! We signed up for a private pole dancing lesson led by a former stripper who couldn't show us much because she "somehow" hurt her back and one of her students... who (I wish I had a picture) was wearing the most interesting outfit. She was a middle aged woman, not spectacular looking either, but she was trying to pull off this outfit that I can only start to describe... a purple sports bra type "top" but if you can imagine the elastic band that goes under her boobs...then the fabric kind of criss-crossed across the front, leaving a decent gap in the shape of a triangle right in the front between her boobs...we were both pretty sure that she was going to pop right out. To top it off, her shorts were tiny and the print was right out of the eighties...bright neonish. As you can tell, we both felt extremely overdressed (at least we had the bright colors right!).

Anyway...the lesson was actually really fun and sexy (or attempting to be sexy without giggling too much!). Corey and I enjoyed the moves where we bumped the volleyball with our butts and used our butts as spot lights(did you know you could do so much with your butt?). We learned a few spins on the poles as well as climbs up the pole and few cool moves involving the floor. We did not take any pictures of us actually doing these spectacular moves because we were SO good at them that you will actually have to pay us if you would like to see anything. ;)

Geo what?

2011-05-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the definition of Geocaching from geocaching.com:

Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online.

I learned about it when I was unemployed and always wanted to try it. I do not own the proper equipment, so you can expect I was THRILLED when I recently met a new couple/friends who has done it before and are actually, what I would call, avid geocachers. The couple suggested we go for our first geocache together on my birthday that way I could log my name in the log book with my birth date on it! Matt picked a geocach nearby called S.O.B. It took us a little while to figure what S.O.B. meant, but after we read some of the clues, we realized it meant South of the Border. Each clue had a picture of one of those corny South of the Border signs you see when you drive south on the highway.

This cache was a multiple cache, that means that once you find the first one, there are new coordinates to the next one. When we first started off on the trail I was I little skeptical when Briegan and Matt took off in to the woods looking up and down trees for something....but they weren't really sure what. Then when they found the first one I understood! It was a little canister hidden in the bushes. I found the next two and was on a roll! The last one was the hardest to find, but the most rewarding. We walked off of the path and up a hill and eventually we found it under a pile of logs. It's kind of like a huge treasure hunt! Inside the box were a lot of little pieces of junk that you would find from the S.O.B. gift store. If you had something related, you could leave something and take something or you could take a free post card. So I signed the log book and took a free post card as a memory.
I really enjoyed it, plus we got to hang out with our new friends! I would do this live action treasure hunt again!
Lesson Learned: It's ok to go off the beaten path sometimes. Especially when you're in search of treasure!

Tie a Tie

2011-05-07T08:09:00.001-07:00

I know the outfit looks ridiculous, but I tied this tie by myself. Rena, Joe and Keegan helped me...well Keegan wasn't much help because he can only tie it when looking at a mirror, but Joe and Rena were very encouraging and helpful. Now, I just need to keep practicing so I don't forget how to do it!
Around, Over, Up, and Through.

Oh my God! You can do a duet of 'Ebony & Ivory' all by yourself.

2011-04-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

It's so funny ...life. One thing I love about facebook is finding out what happened to people. You would NEVER be able to predict where people would end up based on their highschool selves... it's quite entertaining. And don't you DARE call me a stalker because it's YOUR choice to put your information up there for the public to see. So clearly you are the one with exhibitionist qualities. We all have a little tiny exhibitionist inside of us. Me too, so don't worry, we have something else in common! We're all a little bit CRAZY! If we weren't, face it...life would be DULL!

So, I know this is not on my list, but it was a new experience so I'm going to write about it here because it expanded my knowledge of the human race. The other day my friend texted me asking if I would try spray tanning with her. She wanted to try it a few weeks before her wedding to make sure it wouldn't turn her orange. A trial run. If she had said regular tanning I would have NEVER said yes, but I have dabbled in lotion tans in the past including once in high school where I forgot to rub the lotion on my feet. When I got to gymnastics and had to take my socks off it was QUITE obvious...whoops.

I asked my co-worker (who knows a lot about girly stuff like this) to explain spray tanning to me. She suggested that we do it where I person sprays you instead of a machine. My friend and I agreed we wouldn't want to stand naked in front of another person (I guess you can wear clothes...but then there are tan lines which are apparently taboo).

So that night we went to a spray tan booth. We procrastinated and stalked out possible fake tanners coming in and out of the door...er I mean talked in the car in the parking lot for a while before actually going in to the store. We had to wait in like for 15-20 minutes because it was so busy. It was like a gym. People of all ages and types came in, showed their IDs, said what kind of level of tan they wanted and for how long and then were told which booth to go to. It was such an odd and eye opening experience. I never knew this was something that is part of peoples lives. Wake up, eat, work, gym, tan, buy groceries, eat dinner, sleep. I don't know why it impressed me so much, but it did.

It turned out we were the only ones there for a spray tan. The lady, who didn't look totally orange to us, showed us what to do. The consequence for not following any of the million of rules was "you will turn orange". We were bound to mess up. It was just so much to remember- close your eyes, don't scrunch your face, keep your head up, don't breathe, wash your hands 15 mins later and when you wash your hands don't let water drip anywhere on your body because you will streak, shower in 6-8 hours or when you feel you are turning too dark, don't scrub, lotion is your best friend...I am sure there were more. I apparently missed the part where I was supposed to keep my wrists straight because I have some pretty awesome lines on my wrist! My friend said she must have waiting too long to wash her hands because her hands are a tint of orange. She said she will try it again before her wedding. It's supposed to last about 1 week. For me, it was too much work, too many rules, but I'm glad I tried it! It was entertaining and I'm kind of liking my zebra lines on my wrist. It makes me feel special and faulty. Now I can't WAIT for the real sun to come out...plus I kind of like tan lines. The only way I can tell I am a little tan right now is looking at my wrists! Though on a plus side, my butt has never been so tan.

Tri-Tri-Triathlon!

2011-03-06T17:22:00.000-08:00

This morning, after staying out with some friends until 1am, I got my butt out of bed to cheer on a really good friend at an indoor triathlon. It's a good thing it was indoors because it started to rain/snow by the time we were done!

I really admire my friend Corey for what she has been doing over the past few months. She looks AMAZING and she is doing something fantastic for herself. As she has pointed out herself, Corey was never the athletic one out of the two of us. So for her to have the initiative and drive to start training and participating in all of these races is very admirable. So it was really an honor and a treat to wake up to see her race at 7am.

I had never seen a triathlon before and I know this one is not a usual one, but it was still interesting. The participants did 15 minutes in the pool, 15 minutes on the spinning bike and 15 minutes around the track (I've run around that track and let me say....it's dizzzzzzzzzying! --- 15 times around- about- is a mile!). Corey is going to help me with one of my other goals in August when we run the Warrior Dash together...I'm a bit nervous but seeing as by then she'll be a veteran racer I should feel more at ease.

It's interesting how things change and roles flop over time. I think that's partially why we're still friends after all of these years. We've been through a lot, but we know that we will always be there for each other. The racing and training has changed Corey and I believe for the better. She has always been a strong person (for better or worse) mentally...but now I think she is even stronger (both mentally and definitely physically!). Oh and BOY does she look sexy in that bright barbie pink swim suit!! ---no but, really...I admire people who can swim because I am not very good at it...and let me say..corey is a pretty graceful swimmer. She's going to see if maybe there is a race where they kayak instead of swim and maybe I will participate. We'll see... one step at a time. I heard these things can be addicting...

Goal Failure...

2011-01-25T16:13:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry to report that I have failed at one of my 101 in 1001 goals... I once again killed my indoor house plant. Last year in late December, my cousin Haley came up and helped me bury Mildred... She was a good plant, but I think I over watered her or something and she ...well... you know.
So we threw her in the back behind our fence and went to lowes to get a new one. We named this bright cheerful plant Artimus. I started my list a few weeks after getting Artimus so one of my goals was to keep him alive for one year. As much as I would like to say Artimus is still living...I should probably bite the bullet and say that I've been pretending he's been alive for a few weeks now....I really don't think he lasted a year...poor arti.... I DO NOT want to resort to fake plants, but that corner really needs something green and lively. I will wait until it's a little warmer to find a new plant. Maybe something leney-proof...any suggestions?

Basketball and balls.

2011-01-21T07:46:00.000-08:00

On my endless quest to try new things, I am trying to get out and meet new people. I find that the second I get home after work, I do not want to venture back out. I just want to jump in to my sweats and hoodie, grab some pretzels and nutella and just chill. It would seriously take a large bribe or a great friend to get me back out of the house. So events like happy hour are usually just my style...I can go straight from work and still have some time at home before I go to bed. Last night there was an alumni event in the area: happy hour (free food and drinks! and a basketball game). It was fun to meet other alums in the area and hear how the campus has changed. The game was ok. We lost. I felt there should have been more cheering from our little section. There wasn't a lot of "ruach" (hebrew for spirit-- pronounced Rue ACH -with that throaty phelgmy sound we love).

The 101 in 1001 website is still down so I can not access my list... I feel incredibly lost with out it. I know snow shoeing was on there...and I would love to do that this weekend with all of the snow we have now...but I'm not sure venturing out in negative 12 degrees will be the epitome of fun unless fun to you is only having 8 working fingers and toes. Which I guess that could be fun to some people...but highly inconvenient to others like hand models and kindergarten teachers --sorry kids but we can only learn how to count to 8 on our fingers.

I also wanted to apologize because I really want to write more about some of my thoughts...but I don't have the balls to post them on here so I write in a journal instead. I do want to point out though, that my friend has a blog where she successfully and craftily (is that a word?--I didn't receive a little red swiggily so it must be, right?) writes about her feels in a very broad and vague way, but you still know what she's feeling..you just don't know the whole story. For me, it's kind of a tease, but I admire her ability so much. You should check it out-- http://rubytomorrow.blogspot.com/

Alright.. I guess I should get back to work.

barg BARG

2011-01-12T10:17:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure what "barg" means, but I must say, it looks better in all caps.
I have a snow day today ( i know...right? Don't I have a great job! and I'm not even a teacher!) so I thought I would check my list to see if I could accomplish anything today...but I guess the site was bombarded with traffic in December and shut down while the owner fixes it or moves it to a new server or something technical. But the issue is the owner is in India armed only with his ipad so he won't get to it for a little while. Luckily I did print out my list and hung it on my wall, but I know I've updated it and changed it...so it's not very accurate. But I figured I would write in here just to say hello.

In other news, the wine store I work for is starting a blog. I'll post a link when it's up and running so you all can help spread the news and learn about wine with me. I'm just editing the blog and making it look pretty. There is another guy who knows a lot more about wine than I do, who is actually writing it. We may even do some videos as well, which could be ...entertaining. It should be a fun year at work.

Speaking of fun, I'm traveling to Florida tomorrow night to visit my cousin at her college. Oh college life...
Well...right now I'm in a dilemma because I'm hungry, but I wanted to go exercise first, but I have to now wait for a phone call ...grrr. I hate waiting for phone calls...it's like someone else is controlling your day and your time. So to that I say... BARG!

A New Year Reflection

2011-01-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

It's been almost a year since I started this blog and my 101 goals in 1001 days list. I like to look back and reflect on where I have come from. It gives me perspective and helps to appreciate the now.
My favorite day or even moment of the year is December 31st at 11:58pm. This is about the time people at my NYE party start to say...it's almost new years...get ready, turn the tv on! At that very moment millions of people on the East coast are doing the exact same thing and they are all filled with anticipation for the moment when the clock strikes midnight and the next year begins. To me, it's such a magical moment. And then when the midnight comes and it is the next year...you are filled with all of the potential energy and thoughts of what this new year will hold for you, your family and your friends.
Looking back at last year, I was at the breaking point of frustration for finding a new job. It seemed absolutely hopeless. I didn't have a direction or any leads. But at the same time I was extremely hopefully that if I fast forwarded a year (to today) I would be able to look back as I am now and laugh. I good belly laugh because today, January 3rd 2011, I am happy and super excited for the upcoming year. Many of my closest friends are getting married this year, I get to continue working in this job and growing online sales, I have a few small trips planned or in the works of being planned and I'm alive and loved:) Sometimes you just have to appreciate the fact that you're alive. Go ahead... I'll wait while you appreciate. Doesn't that feel good? It just puts things in to perspective.
I know some of my friends have said I've gone all mushy this year, but I'd prefer to call it thankful.
On that note... here's to a New Year! Happy 2011!
And on to accomplish more goals! About 1 year and 10 months left to finish this list!

You can call me Master if you want to!

2010-12-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

After 2 1/2 years I have finished my MBA! It started out as just another way to milk the company I was working for---hey you want to give me free education? I'll take it! But when I lost my job, I'm not a quitter...so I continued what I started. I knew I always wanted/had to get a masters degree. It's partly my competitive nature. I have other friends and family members who have advanced degrees and I really wanted one as well. But, that aside, the overall opinion of the program was pretty good. I appreciated that I had at least a few years of work experience before going back to school. It made the topics more relevant and I got more out of the material and discussions. I enjoyed listening to the other students who had more experience ... and while maybe my brain was able to absorb some of the material better then their older/wiser brains, I felt their contributions were more worthwhile and meaningful. Anyway...I can't believe I am done. I was extremely flattered when my thesis adviser suggested I consider pursuing a PhD. Though, I'm not really sure the benefit of this unless I were to go in to teaching or research. I will discuss it further with him in January/February. I really do like school, but I'm not sure I want to do a PhD program...we'll see. Right now I feel like I am flying high between being done with my MBA and having a great time at work! Oh and did I mention I got a raise? Oh yeah. I am flying high.
I am also very thankful that some of my favorite people from my old job/jail, have found happiness in other jobs. It just breaks my heart that such good people were treated like crap at that place. I know it's kind of self-centered, but part of my feels like me being fired kind of started a little fire to trigger the events of the past year that led to these other people's happiness. Even if it's not true, just let me think this for now because it makes me smile. :)

I checked the rest of my goal list today and there are a few that I will be working on in the next few months (aka winter):
Painting,
snow shoeing,
gingerbread house.

And now that I do not have classes to study for or attend I should be turning to my list for inspiration.

Happy Holidays!

It's been a while old friend...

2010-11-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been out of touch for a few weeks. I have been working hard on one of my biggest goals though- finishing my MBA. I only have this thesis to do, so I've been trying to get it done. Right now I am procrastinating by writing here instead of writing my paper...but really it is procrastination disguised as getting my brain charged up and my creative juices a flowing... I WILL finish my rough draft by tonight. I will. I will. I will. I am looking forward to January when I will have time to not feel guilty about doing other projects or visiting people because I will be officially DONE!

On another note...I know I have been writing a lot about kayaking... but my goal is to do it 10x! So deal with it, or better yet, don't read this part. We venture to vermont for a long weekend each october with some other couples. This year we decided to go kayaking. The water was flowing pretty quickly so as soon as you got in to the boat you would start to float downstream. My friend April and I started to float and before we knew it we turned around and saw a kayak upside down--which is never a good sign! It turns out that our friend joe tipped over and had swam to the shore. He was running along side the river in the woods, dripping wet and freeeezing (it was october!) trying to catch his boat. The worst part is that when he fell in, he lost his wedding ring! He is convinced he will go back next year and find it. That would be a miracle! Afterward, the whole incident was very funny and the kayak trip was beautiful! I love the fall leaves in vermont! Can't wait to go back next year!

Well, back to work...

Starry Starry Night

2010-10-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend we ventured to the Adirondacks to go camping with my in-laws. The directions emailed to us earlier in the week gave us a road name but no other info. Right before we started to drive, we learned we were going about 12 miles down that road until we see family on the side of the road. We wound up traveling in the dark trying to find this random place. We got to the road ... and the 12 miles turned quickly to narrow dirt road through the hills...twisting and turning. Keegan did shriek once like a girl when he thought a tree was a person, but we'll forgive him.

The night sky was amazing out there! Extremely clear. I've never seen the big dipper so BIG!

We eventually found where we were going when Keegan's dad started shining a mag light at us. In the morning we got to see where we were...the rain had knocked off a lot of the leaves, but it was still beautiful! There was a lake right nearby and we took turns kayaking. It was so peaceful on the water...you could stop kayaking and hear nothing but nature!!! Oh it was amazing. We need to venture out to the middle of no where more often. It just makes you appreciate what our world used to be like before life started moving so quickly.

We Kayak to see the sunrise and set....

2010-09-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

We went to my parents' house for Rosh Hashanah and were able to Kayak again. This time mom and dad took out their Canoe. I really thought the canoe was just where we stored our toys in the garage, but apparently(and luckily) it does float.
We also went again just Keegan and I on the Mohawk River. It's so peaceful, but it's getting harder and harder to do after work because the sun insists on setting so quickly. There's something about being able to glide across the water almost silently. You can see the trees and the animals, smell the smells of nature, and witness peacefulness that not many people get to see. The most impressive part is the water. How it just moves out of the way as you paddle through. At times it looks rough but other times, even on the river, it can look like glass. Then I disturb it and the moment is gone. I love when you make a drop on the water and it ripples in circles from the place of origin...it can entertain me for hours.
On another note, we are getting more efficient with loading and unloading the kayaks. I feel bad because I have to crawl all over keegan's car in order to help and there is NO way I can lift them up to the roof carrier myself, but it's ok. That's why I married a tall man.

What made your day today? Yesterday a letter made my day. I received a beautiful handwritten card from a former attorney friend. He wanted to know how things were going with me one year after I left my last job. It was really sweet. I'll probably write him back (and if I'm ever injured in a car accident you know who I'll go to-jk!).

Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day. -- Winnie the Pooh

2010-09-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

This has been a fantastic weekend for goals! We took our kayaks out yesterday to Saratoga and went kayaking with our friends-who-happen-to-be-neighbors (they get mad if we call them our neighbors). We brought along lunch and paddled for a few hours. It really was beautiful and a lot of fun. Then today, Keegan and I went again. This time to Round Lake. Again we brought a lunch. Round lake has one mediumish sized lake and then a little passage way to a smaller lake. The big lake was getting choppy because of the wind, so we went to the smaller lake to eat. It was really peaceful, no one else was around and we just floated off to the middle of the lake. I enjoyed it so much that I'm going to count this eating on the water experience from the past two days as accomplishing my picnic goal. I think it especially counts because it is unique, a new experience for me, and fun! If any one wants to come kayak with us this fall, just let me know! I'll pack you a lunch!

I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl

2010-09-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Goal accomplished: Karaoke at a real bar!!
I had done karaoke before, but I don't really count it. We did it as orientation advisors for the incoming freshman as a large group and I've done a little singing on rock band. haha. But last night, my friend Ashley was kind enough to suggest a little bar called Maxies. After a few drinks and a few inspirational songs by Ashley and her sister, I was ready to go. (Let me also say, Ashley and Erica are really good singers. I don't care what they say, but I think they secretly are professional karaoke singers- so needlesstosay, I was a little intimidated). We decided to sing Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood. I know many of the words because it's one of those songs that I sing in the car out loud...and when I say out loud - I mean loud and out of tune but with what we Jews call RUACH! (spirit!). Erica and Ashley's friend helped out and hopefully drowned out my singing, but in the end I DID IT!!

I was thinking about this last night as Ashley and Erica were asking me about my goal list. Originally this started as a good idea for things to do when I was unemployed, an opportunity to get me out of the house. But what I have also learned and come to appreciate about this list is that many of you out there are offering to help me accomplish the goals. I love that others are part of it. It helps me meet new people, become closer to others, and have new experiences with old friends. Thank you for your support!

Ausfahrt stage left

2010-09-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

I want to go back to Europe. The end.

No really though, we had a great time on our family vacation to Europe.

Four countries. 1 minivan. 6 people aged 24-89. 2.5 GPS-es, 1 week. No problem.

I took 790 photos and a few short videos (including a pretty funny one of when we were a wee bit tipsy in Paris). Keegan still hasn't see it, so I'm not going to post it yet. But I keep watching it over and over.

Ah... I really hope I can remember everything that happened. I'm not really in a writing mood right now or else I would go on and on for pages about our trip. When I post the photos on facebook, i'll try to write some of the stories in the captions. So stay tuned.

Goal accomplished- vacation in a place I've never been. (and hope we get to go back some day!)

Also...on a goals note- we finally bought kayaks of our very own the other night and we went down to the river right before dark to test them out. OOOOO so fun! So hopefully that goal (kayak at least 10x) will start picking up speed. I do need a name for my kayak though. It says tribute on the side and keegan's says pungo...but at least mine really needs a better name. Any suggestions?

Remember that who else but a bosom buddy Will sit down and level And give you the devil, Will sit down and tell you the truth!

2010-08-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

Goal accomplished: seeing a play at a local theater.

Probably a month or so ago (when I didn't have a job), I went to do my bank deposit during the day. Partly, I did this for some human contact, since it was encouraged my by career coach to get out of the house. And it's a good thing I did. I was standing in line and then all of a sudden I looked up and the teller said my name. Like my actual first name...now that's customer service. haha.. no really, though, I looked up and the person saying my name was an old friend from middle and highschool. I knew she was in the area and that she worked for that bank, but I didn't realize she had recently transferred to "my" branch. She told me she had been following my goal list/blog (hi Nicki!) and would like to help me out with accomplishing one of my goals. I wasn't sure if it was just one of those things people just say but never do, or if she was being sincere since I hadn't seen her in years! But we connected on facebook and made concrete plans. I was so excited this was actually going to happen! So on Sunday night we made the drive about 45 mins away to a little theater in Chatham, NY called the Mac-Haydn Theater. It was literally in the middle of NOWHERE (we did see a man running on the side of the road barefoot and on the way home we saw random construction cones in the middle of the road), but once inside, it was amazing! I used my student ID and got us both $12 tickets and I was afraid that we were going to get crappy seats, but it turned out there wasn't a bad seat in the house. The stage was a small circle in the middle of the room with seats all around it. Once the play started the actors came from ALL sides, sometimes even turning their backs to us. At first it was a little bit of sensory overload, but then it was just really cool. The play was MAME, and the lady who played Mame was amazing. Because of the way it is set up, you can actually see their faces and I loved Mame's facial expressions. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed re-connecting with Nicki on the car ride to and from the play. I really hope we get to do this again and I totally recommend this theater to everyone! Go out and explore your town...you may never know what talent and fun experiences you're missing out on!

Don't forget about me!!

2010-08-14T15:37:00.001-07:00

Just because I am working now, do NOT let it even cross your mind that I have given up on this list! I am determined to meet these goals and am SO happy you are all here for the ride! I did look over my list again today (I also have a copy posted on my wall, next to my computer so I won't forget). Anyway...I do need to come up with a few new ideas. For example, I can't do the goal "Stay off of facebook for a week", since I have to be on facebook for my work (all day). I hope you can hear the sorrow and mass disappointment in my words. So any new ideas are welcomed!

Now...a slight update in my goal progress. I have successfully completed the "try 3 new restaurant" goal. A few weeks ago Keegan and I went to Antipastos. It is a vegetarian restaurant that looks like a hole in the wall from the outside, but was quaint inside. Apparently it is also a wine bar, which I learned means they only serve wine (I tried to order rum and coke- how classy of me!). Keegan ordered the mushroom ravioli in red wine sauce. He said it was ok, I thought it was a bit too mushroomy-there was a mushroom sauce and the raviolis were stuffed with more mushrooms. I ordered the fried tofu with spinach and noodles and cheese and sauce....it was ok. I don't think I would order it again. We did also order an appetizer which was good. It was a nice salad with fake bacon. AND we're such pigs, we ordered dessert as well....which ....was....amazing! By far the best part of the meal. It was peanut butter gelato with a caramel core and the whole ball of yummyness was surrounded with a hard shell of chocolate....i'm drooling. I would go back just for that.

I also read Torah again this morning...so I counted that towards completion of that goal. Next time I hope he gives me more notice because today kind of really sucked. I only had a week to learn the portion and I didn't do well at all. I got up there and TOTALLY forgot what I was doing, so despite everyone saying I did well, I could see through their lies ...they probably felt bad for me...but it's ok. I know I can do better.

Shortly a few more goals will be reached so I should be updating a little more in the next few days...

You pull at my heart and it leaks through my eyes.

2010-07-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

Note: Ok there are a few parts to this blog post. I wrote most of it in my journal and providing you with a slightly edited version. The first paragraph really has nothing to do with my 101 list(it's more like verbal diarrhea), but I just wanted to share some thoughts...the rest of it is about goals (one I started to work towards -kayaking 10x, and one that I completed- riding on a boat). The end is a little about my new job. Enjoy!

---------------------------------

Sometimes I do things that purposely make me uncomfortable…like turn the water slightly too hot, or sit here in my sweatpants even though I am sweating. I’m not sure why I do it, I just do and it’s ok. Sometimes I feel connected to songs that really don’t apply to me. Like my new obsession “champagne” by Cavo. I am a little bit living in a dream world, one foot in, the other out. It’s kind of an odd feeling. I’m not sure which way to jump, but right now I’m ok where I am. Kind of in an equilibrium. I was watching MIOBI (Make it or break it)today on hulu (trying to catch up because I never know what day of the week it is anymore. Isn’t that odd…you would think I would be more aware now.) Anyway…that show displays perfectly the life of a gymnast and the thoughts that go through your head…why was a gymnast? Really? Maybe that’s where my dislike of rules came from. I guess I’m not a good sponge. I’m not sure if I learned discipline from being a gymnast. I think I was supposed to. Maybe I did a little. I was disciplined about school work, but not other things. I’m selectively disciplined. Like I selectively obey the rules. It’s the one life I get and I can do what I want. I guess it’s kind of selfish, but I prefer to consider it living in the moment. I really live in MY world. Though my heart lives elsewhere. My heart lives in each of my friends and family members and sometimes it ventures to the characters in movies or on TV. You pull at my heart and it leaks through my eyes. Gymnastics may have added in my passion, or maybe my passion came first. Where do we get these traits? I’m not sure that they are genetic. Maybe partially.

---------------

The past week has been super busy. I was thrown head first in to the working world. My first week of work I had night class on Monday and Wednesday and went to a meeting for my new Hadassah position (VP of membership) on Tuesday and Thursday….then on Friday we cleaned the house to prepare for company. My cousins came for the fourth again, which was fun as always. We went kayaking (My youngest cousin and I were in the double kayak and everyone else had their own singles. We were having our own little adventure ---it involved something like dora the racist explorer and a bunch of other very unpolitically correct terms/songs---my other cousin and her mom went back to shore, so we thought we would wait for the guys to turn around and then head back. What we didn’t know is that we were sitting on one side of an island. We looked back towards the shore and in the far distance saw the guys heading back…whoops, they must have gone around the island. Need-less-to-say, when they got back to shore there was a bunch of confusion about where we were…we were on our way, don’t worry, we weren’t lost. We knew where we were!). 1x Kayaking checked off-- only 9 more to go!

Also, a side note- I was talking to my youngest cousin about text messaging...she sends probably at least 200 a day. We stayed up one night just the two of us and she was texting (I like how this blog underlined "texting" as a misspelled word)until 2am! At one point she was seeing if I could read and understand the texts she sends. They're in text code or language, whatever you want to call it. I could understand it and read it, but like most foreign languages, I could not speak (or in this case, write) it. When ever I type "2" instead of "to" or "u" instead of "you", every single English teacher I ever had comes in to my head and starts having a panic attack! I'm not sure I will ever get the hang of it, and if that's what makes me "old" so be it. haha! Gr8! (ooo that feels so WRONG!)

To top the weekend off, after my cousins left on Monday, we met some friends in Cooperstown for a boat ride. They had rented a party (pontoon??) boat and it was a lot of fun! They guy who rents out the boat lives during the summer in a boat house on the lake. How cool is that?!

So more about work…I am trying to get out of the corporate mindset. I was asked the other day if I get bored just sitting there all day. I am the only one who sits at the computer all day(hey, my title is ecommerce!!). He said I could listen to Pandora or something. I totally forgot that I can do things like that! I literally had a party in my head…I can do what I want! My phone calls are not monitored and recorded, I can listen to music, there isn’t any QA! I’m pretty sure I’m in work heaven. So far I really like it and I can only look forward to the future. Boy did it feel good to log on to the unemployment website and click the button indicating I’m working full time. I even got a letter in the mail today saying they won’t be paying me. Super!

Oh and I'm trying to work on the website for my work and let me just say I thank this blog for teaching me a little about HTML codes!

The largest check mark of all!

2010-06-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

While my list says it is 35% complete I feel like it's much closer to 50%. There should be weights on some of those goals.

Here are some that I checked off recently:

-Recycle old cell phone http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/

-Learn a new board game - My mom recently purchased Pentago. We played a few times this weekend and it's a lot of fun. I think she's going to bring it on the plane with us in August. The object is to get 5 marbles in a row in any direction, but twist is the board moves. Here's a link to it on amazon.

-Get a job! I start on Monday at my new job as e-commerce and internet marketing manager. I am super excited especially because I will be working pretty much on my own at a family owned company, no cubicles, I get to wear jeans and sneakers and well.. it's not my old job!!! Time to start a new chapter.

Day 4-5 Dress completed and worn in public!

2010-06-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finished sewing a dress. At first I was super excited, but then I put it on and the way it is cut, from the side I look really large, but I was so excited about it anyway, I decided I would wear it in public to see what would happen (after asking my mom if she could fix it and receiving a "no" answer). So I wore it Monday to my Uncle's unveiling and received compliments all around. One lady said I looked nice and one of my elderly friends called me a beautiful wench, which I'll count as a compliment. haha. Later I wore the dress to school where one of my group mates complimented me saying she liked my dress. I keep telling people proudly that I made it myself. It feels good I must admit. The only part I had a lot of trouble with was the zipper on the back. And that's really where you can see it is home made, but other than that I'm super proud of myself.
Here's a picture, it's not a great picture of me, but it's the best one I have so far of my dress. I'll bring it to Europe with me when we go later this summer and hopefully will come back with more pictures.

(Oh and at the end of the day, Keegan said he thinks he's changed his mind about the dress, and now he likes it).

Happiness on a scale of 1-10

2010-06-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

This girl I knew for a brief time in college, her brother committed suicide the other day and I keep thinking about how horrible that must be for her and her family. I can’t even imagine. So I was sitting here trying to find something productive to do and turned to my 101 list. I felt that making my list of 100 things that make me happy would be appropriate. I found it a lot harder than it sounds and not because there aren’t 100 things that make me happy, but what really defines happiness. Many of these things make me satisfied or they are things that I enjoy, but what really is happiness. Dictionary.com has multiple definitions of happiness that sort of lead to a happiness scale. On one end is the state of being content but on the other end is ecstatic or thrilled. Well, I am sure there are many books written on the subject. Here is my list of 100 things that make me “happy” on various levels in no particular order.

Also, note...it's lunch time, so I apologize for all of the food items on the list :)

Things that make me happy
1. Laughter
2. Friends
3. Socks
4. Rainbows
5. Trees
6. Dogs (large ones)
7. Looking at photos
8. The number 8
9. Ice Cream
10. Dark chocolate M&Ms
11. Stale twizzlers
12. Blankets
13. Sweatshirts
14. Family (mostly)
15. Music
16. Sunshine
17. Seeing Keegan when he comes home from work (usually)
18. Helping a child
19. Weddings
20. Cartoons
21. Witnessing something that other people may not have seen (like someone walking in to a pole or singing in the car)
22. When seeds I plant actually grow
23. Random messages
24. Bold colors, especially greens, purples and blues
25. Vacation
26. Oceans
27. Mountains
28. Acting like a kid
29. Snowmen
30. Making others laugh
31. Blue pens, though I usually use black
32. Cows
33. Random signs of affection
34. Winning
35. Wine
36. Granny smith apples
37. Berries
38. Books that can take me somewhere else
39. Getting mail or packages
40. Bras
41. Coupons
42. The invention of contact lenses (I like having options)
43. Being able to reconnect with old friends
44. Friendships that outlast distances and times
45. Me time
46. My middle name
47. Dory (from nemo)
48. Candles
49. Talented musicians (especially acoustic guitar or piano)
50. Apple cider
51. Hot cocoa
52. Having a roof over my head
53. Having a bandaid when someone needs one
54. Costa Rica
55. Feeling sexy/girly- when I’m in the mood
56. Baking
57. Making food that Keegan approves of- he sets high standards
58. Changing the calendar each month
59. Summer breezes
60. Campfire smell
61. S’mores
62. Finishing exercising
63. Plucking my eyebrows
64. Being married
65. Adventures
66. The way the announcers on Univision announce “goal” during the soccer games
67. Underware
68. Cheese
69. Success
70. Friday nights
71. The big bang theory (tv show)
72. The way Miska sneezes
73. Maya’s personality
74. Taking out my flute and trying to play it
75. Writing in my journal
76. The feeling after I shave my legs
77. Finding something you thought you lost
78. De-cluttering
79. Folding towels
80. Board games
81. When Keegan plays the flying chicken game on Wii Fit
82. Traditions
83. Imagination
84. Balconies
85. Rum
86. Warmth
87. New recipes
88. Dates
89. Netflix/hulu
90. Sticky notes
91. My hometown
92. The smell of lilacs
93. The smell of vanilla extract
94. Birthday cake ice cream milk shake from coldstone
95. Challah
96. Fairness
97. Celebrations
98. The Sunday morning show on CBS
99. The Olympics
100. Exceeding expectations

Attempt at sewing Day 2-3

2010-06-11T09:36:00.001-07:00

I figured out how to do the interfacing and lining! Then I fused, basted and pinned my way through the next few steps (I admit I had to look up some of those terms on internet sewing dictionaries). I'm still not sure I did the elastic part correct, but from the outside it looks ok. Now on to the body of the dress (including uh..oh... pockets!).

Attempt at sewing Day 1

2010-06-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, I took advantage of the rainy day and spent all afternoon and evening (wow..it's already 8:30pm! - better write fast because Next food network star is on soon!) cutting out the pattern pieces, cutting out the fabric and attempting to figure out the instructions. I called my mom only twice, and just at the beginning so far. I also yelled at my sewing machine about 10 times so far until I figured out I had threaded the bobbin incorrectly. Now I am on a roll. I hope. So far I have the chest area of the sundress together. Here are some pictures...please ignore my boobs, it's just the fabric on the table didn't look like much of anything and I'm kind of proud of it.

Oh, and here are some pictures of my sewing box and machine (successfully threaded).

And here's the pattern. I'm making the picture in the upper right.

Also, Keegan and Amanda think the fabric is ugly. I kind of like it. So I don't really care what you think. If the dress turns out ok then I'll drag keegan to the store to help me pick out fabric he'll like next time.

There'll be two dates on your tombstone/ And all your friends will read 'em/ But all that's gonna matter is that little dash between 'em.

2010-06-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Amanda was in town this week for a training, but luckily for me, she stayed a little bit in to the weekend so we could hang out more. Friday we went to Saratoga and wandered around, which wasn't much of an adventure, but it was fun. She even forced me to go in to a store that was all about the pink sundresses. I likely would have tried one on or maybe even purchased one if they weren't as expensive as my wedding dress. jeepers.

Saturday we started driving towards gloversville. As we kept going and started to realize there was nothing out there...I figured the day was going to be a wash. Oh well. But then we stopped in Johnstown which is apparently the birth place of Elizabeth Cady Statton, one of the women's rights ladies. A girl scout had put together a walking tour of important places in Elizabeth's life. We followed it and again we were a bit disappointed at first because most of the places had been destroyed and the new building just had a plaque on it saying this used to be so and so... But then we finally found one building that still existed. The boarding house that susan b anthony stayed at when she was visiting Elizabeth is still standing. We ended the tour at the historical society and spoke to a man with a handle bar moustache about "[his] girl, liz". It was all pretty interesting. Part of the tour led us to a really old cemetery. We wandered around to find the Cady graves. Elizabeth is buried in New York City, but her family is buried in Johnstown. And we experienced another cemetery closer to the historical society. That one had people going back to the late 1700s early 1800s. Most were soldiers, but there was this one lady who had killed her husband and then experienced death by hanging. Most of the graves are hard to read, but it is still interesting to think that these people existed. Also, who ever goes back to think about these people that passed away a long time ago? I felt like I was doing my duty by thinking about them, if even just for that moment. They came alive again, they were something other than a name on a stone. I would only hope some one would do that for me.

Beware: Goals in Progress

2010-05-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

First, a quick update on the family tree goal- I've been using an online website to build the family tree and just a few weeks ago, this lady contacted me saying that she has more info. The website shows you if branches of your tree matches others'. It's really neat. I believe she is Keegan's grandpa's first cousin. We were trying to figure out where the native american blood is in Keegan's family. It looks like this lady has the answer for us. She said there is Mohawk blood on Keegan's grandpa's maternal grandmother's side. This lady can go back to the 1400s!!! Isn't that just crazy!

Second, I have been trying to get more involved in Hadassah and recently was nominated to be the co-vp of membership for the region. But I guess the "co" dropped off so now it is just me. I'll learn about what this position means soon, but in a few weeks I get to be "installed" which sounds incredibly funny to me. I'm dragging keegan to the dinner as well.

I must admit though, that I do have one goal failure recently. I am supposed to try to wear a color that I normally I wouldn't in public (two of my friends have voted for a pink sundress). I did however, purchase a bright orange dress shirt, but the longer it sat in my closest the more I thought to myself, when would I wear it. So today I returned it. But I still have some time to work on that goal. And speaking of sundresses...I purchased a pattern and fabric and will shortly begin to attempt to sew a sundress. I'll document with pictures.

The happiest place on earth!

2010-05-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

A few more items have been checked off my list. ( I was going to write "things" but then somewhere from the back of my head, a voice...likely some teacher I had at some point, comes on and says, "There has to be another word for 'things', describe it!", so I changed it.)

Anyway, we just got back from a fantastic trip to Florida. We saw my cousin Haley....and if you know us...when the two of us get together, we're a bit crazy! Here's proof:

Yes, we are using bananas as telephones and yes we have chiquita stickers on our heads. There is actually a video out there on grandma's computer. haha

We went out to dinner and celebrated Haley and my birthdays, Haley's high school graduation (sen10r!)and Keegan and my anniversary! Such happy times my family has in May :)

Our friends Rena and Joe joined us for some of our trip. We went to St. Augustine and Disney. We even got to see the Shuttle launch!!! It was really amazing. I can't fathom going to outer space....or even that there is an outer space. And to watch with my own two eyes a shuttle blast in to the air....through the atmosphere and in to the space that I can't fathom....that's just mind boggling and super cool!

I love the buttons they give you at Disney. Last year I had one that said Happy Birthday. This year we had ones that said Happy Anniversary. All of the employees are trained to wish you happy anniversary (or birthday)...and even though you know it's probably their job and they say it all day, they still say it with energy and happiness and it just makes you feel special :)

Another highlight of the trip was our celebration dinner at Jiko at Disney with Joe and Rena. Our wedding anniversaries are only 1 day (and 1 year) apart, so we celebrated together at Disney. Jiko is based on African food and wine. The food was amazing and the wine was even better! I'm pretty sure we had a three hour dinner. It was one of those moments that you don't want to end.

Tart: A fruit filled pie with out a top or a promiscuous woman?

2010-05-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

I accomplished my goal of making a tart. I was flipping through one of my most recent Cooking Light magazines and the last page had this amazing looking strawberry tart. Click here for the recipe.

Well, classes are over for the next few weeks so I figured I would give it a try. I was a little nervous about making the crust from scratch. Mainly because I figured I would burn it in the oven and have to start again. But everything turned out well. I used a regular pie plate. I'm not sure what the directions meant by a tart pan with a removable bottom. I'm not sure why you would need to remove the bottom. Anyway, a pie plate works fine. I also was afraid I burnt the almonds when trying to toast them, but even though they were a little dark...still delicious!

So it's a graham cracker crust with a layer of cream cheese and then strawberries with a strawberry glaze. And it's AMAZING!!!! I could eat it all day. I think this is the best dessert I have ever made. (Can you tell I am proud of it?!)

Here are some pics. Too bad you can't be here to eat it with me!

A-Z Road Trip Mixes

2010-04-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the two A-Z playlists I made for our trip. I made two different ones...the first one is more upbeat, the second one is pretty random. And yes I only have one song that started with "Q".

1. All I want- Toad the wet sprocket
2. Bad Reputation- Joan Jett
3. Crazy Train- Ozzy
4. Day Tripper- Beatles
5. Everything Sucks- Reel Big Fish
6. Follow you Down- Gin Blossoms
7. Get Low- Ying Yang Twins
8. Hey Ya- Outcast
9. Ignition- R Kelly
10. Jai Ho- A.R. Rahman
11. Kissed by a rose – Seal
12. Let’s talk about sex- Salt and Pepper
13. Meet Me Halfway -Black Eyed Peas
14. No Diggity- Rockapella
15. On Top of the Cage- OAR
16. Paralyzed Rock Kills Kid
17. Quicksand- lit
18. Rich Girl- Gwen Stefani
19. Sexy Chick- David Guetta
20. Tik tok- Kesha
21. Ugly- unpronounceable
22. Viva la Vida- Coldplay
23. What’s my age again- blink
24. X-ray eyes- guster
25. You may be right- billy joel
26. Zip lock- lit

1. All Star- smash mouth
2. Brong faya (Burn fire)- the idan raichel project
3. Coco jumbo- mr president
4. Disneyland- five for fighting
5. Exaltation- matisyahu
6. Fireflies- owl city
7. Got my list- jonah matranga
8. How you remind me –nickelback
9. I’ve got the world on a string- Michael buble
10. Jack and diane- john couger melancamp
11. Kozatsky ‘til you dropsky- shirim klezmer orchestra
12. Lifestyles of the rich and famous- good charolette
13. Man in the mirror- Michael Jackson
14. Never gonna give you up- rick Astley
15. On the road again- willie nelson
16. Prayin for daylight- rascal flats
17. Quicksand- lit
18. Raining in Baltimore- counting crows
19. Saved by the bell
20. Treat her like a lady- celine dion
21. Unbelievable- emf
22. Volare- gypsy kings
23. Wild- poe
24. Xerxes opera
25. You attention- blue man group
26. Zog nit kein mol-chava alberstein

Where did the Admiral Fell Inn??

2010-04-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am officially in love with Fells Point, Baltimore Maryland. I had a fantastic weekend with Beth and April, my amazing friends for pretty much all of my life. Fells Point is where our supposedly haunted hotel (if you believe in that stuff) was located. It's an extremely historic area. I felt almost transported back in time. We explored the whole area by foot multiple times and found delicious food to eat....like this eggs Benedict made with lox...

We saw the aquarium, Fort McHenry (where the star spangled banner was inspired), The Horse You came in on Tavern, The Green Turtle Tavern, a Ghost Tour, the ghost of Poe, Stuck in an elevator, good food and a lot of walking. (If you believe in ghosts, we may have been visited by two, but I don't really believe in them. The first was likely Blinky --the kid ghost that plays with the electric devices in the hotel-- we were in the elevator and the numbers kept going from 1 to 2 and back again finally stopping on 1, but the doors opened on floor 2. Oddness. The second was in the tavern that Poe haunts. The light fixture should have landed on april's head, but it didn't. Everyone around us said it was Poe's ghost.)

“If Moses had gone to Harvard Law School and spent three years working on the Hill,...

2010-04-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

... he would have written the Ten Commandments with three exceptions and a saving clause.” -Charles Morgan (English novelist)

This past weekend we went to Boston. The main purpose was to go to my cousin's Bat Mitzvah, but Friday night we got a nice tour of Boston and I saw many places that I had not seen before. My brother drove in from Buffalo and rode with us to Boston. We dropped him off at a friends house downtown Boston and then made our way to Harvard. We drove through the Northeastern campus and once again I was glad that I did not choose to go there. I'm just not a city person I guess. We ate dinner at Harvard where our friend is going to Law School. I had never seen Harvard before and I am pretty sure I've placed it on a pedestal, but it was still pretty cool.
Good food, Good company, good wine...

I was a little shocked though... at one point there were girls walking around the dorm dressed in barely nothing... yeah I wouldn't even call them dressed. It reminded me much of the freshmen in undergrad. The difference here is that these were Harvard girls! That means their brains are likely amazing...but they were dressed like (excuse me) sluts. Call me naive or close minded, but it was such a disconnect in my head.

In other news I've started my garden. I have some seeds growing inside though. I really should have labeled them. I don't know what I was thinking. Did I really think that I would remember what I planted???? I know some are flowers and some are veggies. I'm going to wait a little longer until I try to plant them in the garden outside because it's still a little cold out at night.

Also, a few days ago my car was rear ended when I was stopped at a red light. The lady (Beatrice) was about to turn 89 years old. I noticed from the report that her birthday was 4/19, so last week I mailed her a birthday card. I'm counting that as one of my two "care" packages on my goal list. I know she was at fault for the accident, but she felt so bad and kept apologizing. The least I could do was send her a card to put a smile on her face.

My list is 18% complete -- check it out

"When Courage Was Stronger Than Fear"

2010-04-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

One of my goals is to read 5 autobiographies... I've sort of morphed that in to reading 5 nonfiction books. This still fits my goal because I rarely pick up a nonfiction book on purpose anymore. I am still working on the Temple Grandin book about living with autism, but meanwhile I have picked up some other books to reach my goal as I hear about an interesting topic. For example, I watched Iron Jawed Angels and became interested in learning more about the woman's movement, so now I have a book about that. My friend Corey sent me a book about six word memoirs that I will read.

And the Fourth book I just bought yesterday at a Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)lecture/memorial service. "When Courage Was Stronger Than Fear" by Peter Hellman

(On a side note-- I guess I could try to read the book Keegan just picked up for my fifth book...but it's a bit of a political stretch for me-- He went to hear Karl Rove and Howard Dean debate and bought the book Karl Rove just wrote.)

So back to the fourth book. It's about righteous gentiles, both Christian and Muslim, that saved the lives of Jews during the Holocaust. The lecture was a panel of four people discussing what made some one a righteous gentile and why would they risk their lives to save others. It was interesting. One of the speakers said that some of the people saw saving the life of another as a privilege, or even their chance to play G-d. These people answered the door when a Jew/a stranger knocked on the door, and they were given the opportunity to save a life, to take a like in their hands, in other words...to "play G-d". Many people would not be here today if these people did not take this risk. Risked their lives and the lives of their families to save another. Another speaker said that after interviewing some of these righteous gentiles, one thing they all said was that if they had thought about it too much then they may have talked themselves out of it. He said we should learn from that, if we are confronted with an opportunity to help another, go with your gut instinct, don't think about it too much because it is SO easy to talk yourself out of it.

Another interesting question that was briefly brought up was what would a holocaust look like here in the U.S. in present time? It likely wouldn't be people wearing yellow stars and being carted away on trains.
And then the question also arises...would YOU save some one if they knocked on your door (either now or back then)?

I dedicate this Holocaust Remembrance Day to all of those people who had the courage to do the right thing despite the extreme risks. Especially since there were MANY people who did not do the right thing (After my Opa left for the U.S., his family went in to hiding with some one they thought was a Righteous Gentile, but turned out to be a traitor, and turned them all over to the police who sent them to the concentration camps).

A cut of meat from the breast or lower chest

2010-04-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

Brisket. This is the slab of meat I decided I could handle to cook for my goal list. For those of you who know me, you may know that I have a thing about meat that looks like animals. I am not sure if I would have been able to stomach cooking a whole "bird", so when Keegan mentioned he wanted a brisket, I figured here's my chance. (though when I was cooking it, Corey did notice that I was still having a little trouble-- I just needed to push it out of my mind that this same muscle and fat is in our bodies as well---eating meat is so cannibalistic!) I went to the kosher butcher and asked the meat guy to explain the different cuts of meat to me. Luckily they were on sale because the first two days of Passover were over! I shouldn't complain, but my 3lbs of meat cost $20! and it was a second cut...which I learned is full of more fat. I thought it had nice marbleization meaning it would likely be fool proof when it came to creating a tender slab of meat to eat (first cut is more expensive and is a lot leaner), but Keegan complained it was a little too fatty. It did taste good, but is very unhealthy. But let me tell you... it SMELLED amazing! I was raking outside and was imagining those vapor smell lines like in cartoons...I wanted to be the cartoon character that sniffed the air and then floated in to the kitchen....

Well, here are some pictures. I think it is safe to say my next career will not be food photography...but believe me that it tasted good and I am proud of myself.

Spring, spring spring in to spring.

2010-04-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

We went to the garden show this past weekend, final check in hand to pay off our fence, only to find the fence guy didn't have a booth this year! Well, I mailed the check today...so the fence is finally paid off! That means we've been on our house for two years!! Yippee!

Here are some pics from the garden show:

"Oceans white with foam"...really? foam??

2010-03-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

I can't check anything off right now so I feel like a bit of a slacker. Though does going to the Neighborhood association meeting count as attending a Networking Event??, if you guys think so then I can check that one off. I met the President of the City Council, the Fire Chief, our local assemblyman and various neighbors. I'm going to make this a monthly thing, maybe even one day I will be president of the Neighborhood association. I may set some sort of record as being the youngest president. But first I need to learn all of the words to God Bless America. They start off each meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and singing of God Bless America. I almost started to laugh when they broke in to song, but I held it in. Sometimes I am such a horrible human.

We attended a dinner last night at the synagogue. I wanted to accomplish my compliment a stranger goal there, but it didn't pan out. I really liked this lady's kippah- it was made of wires and beads (I have a similar one actually that I really like- I think my aunt made it for me). Anyway...I didn't get to speak with her because she was talking with some one else and then I got talking to someone... oh well, will keep working on that one.

Also, the contest I entered...we made it to the next level. Yay! Now we have to write out our full proposal and submit it by the 26th for the next level.

The Coffee Spectrum

2010-03-02T08:54:00.001-08:00

We just returned from visiting my Opa in Florida (goal complete!). The trip was better than most other times we've visited him. We actually dragged him away from his evil girlfriend so that we could spend time with him for one of the two days we were down there. The first day he ditched us for a party hosted by her that we conveniently were not invited to. Don't worry, we had our own fun- went to a nature preserve, out for a nice youthful dinner (yummmy habenaro and maple glazed salmon over jasmine rice washed down with a fresh strawberry mojito!- Oh yeah and carmelized banana bread for dessert!) and then finally saw avatar. The second day we brought Opa to a Renaissance Festival. The one in Sterling is WAY better, but we still had fun.

Thought from our visit: I don't think I will ever have the desire to live in an area where a majority of the people are over 55 and where young people are rare. We went running one morning around Opa's community and this man walking a dog says to his dog, "Look Jock, young people!".

The second goal completed this weekend was trying coffee again. At the airport on the way down to florida, Keegan bought a vanilla latte from starbucks. I tried a sip and it was actually tolerable. So when he ordered coffee at the yummy restaurant we went to, I thought I would try it again. It looked delicious, some sort of coffee served with rock candy to dissolve in the coffee. It was disgusting. Keegan made up this coffee spectrum for me so I can understand my dislike of coffee. He explained the latte was made with milk which has its own flavor and most other coffee is made with water. I won't confuse you with the whole spectrum because it only makes sense in my head, but I hope you get the general idea.

Here's a picture of the coffee from the restaurant:

Close but no cigar...

2010-02-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

So I haven't been able to check anything off my list lately, but I've had a lot of close calls!

I was going to take a free photoshop class through the university on Wednesday, but then I opted to go to a last minute interview instead. I could have taken the class again Thursday morning, but that brings me to the next goal. We were supposed to visit my Opa today. Our flight was going to leave at 6am, so I missed the photoshop class to make sure the house was clean and we were all packed. But late last night I found out our flight was canceled! At least we got to sleep in. Hopefully we'll be able to fly out tonight to see him.

Also, last weekend we had the opportunity to go snow shoeing but decided against it when we both realized we do not own a pair of warm boots. (Wait, we live in upstate NY and do not own warm boots?! yeah well... )That goal will likely be placed on the back burner for next winter and I will be sure to purchase boots.

Also, I tried to play Rockband for the first time. I guess singing there does not count for singing karaoke, in most books. So as much as I would love to check that one off, I won't. I guess more ears will have to suffer eventually. Sorry!

I did, however, mark down an "in progress" goal. I started to read the autobiography of Temple Grandin, a doctor of animal science who has autism. I also decided that reading biographies will satisfy this goal as well.

Sidebar:

Meaning of Close but no cigar:

Fall just short of a successful outcome and get nothing for your efforts.

Origin

The phrase, and its variant 'nice try, but no cigar', are of US origin and date from the mid-20th century. Fairground stalls gave out cigars as prizes, and this is the most likely source, although there's no definitive evidence to prove that.

It is first recorded in print in Sayre and Twist's publishing of the script of the 1935 film version of Annie Oakley:

"Close, Colonel, but no cigar!"

A few more check marks

2010-02-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

I marked off attending services 3 weeks in a row at least two times! We're seriously on a role for that one. I feel like our attendance is very seasonal though. This time of year, when the sun sets around 4 or 5, we're good at attending....but in the summer time by the time we get home from work, it just seems like a hassle to go back out. I hate saying that because it makes us sound lazy and old.

Also, we went to a new restaurant last night. We tried Wheatfields. It was delicious! Keegan had homemade gnocchi in a sage butter and a HUGE panzenella salad. I had a beet and goat cheese salad and a maple glazed salmon on a bed of squash and asparagus risotto. Delicious! We weren't going to order dessert, but it was one of those places where the waitress has this silver tray when a sample of each dessert for you to drool over....the flourless chocolate cake won us over. It's so much easier when they just give you the menu. I can make the disconnect between the words and the food, but when the actual food is right there staring at me....oooh chocolate. So as you might have been able to tell by the silver tray, it was a little bit of a fancy place. We had checked our coats at the door and I was a little weirded out when the coat guy helped me put my coat back on. But other than that I'm sure we'll be back again. Now two more new restaurants to try before I can check that one off.

I also checked off enter a contest. My friend Jen from my MBA program roped me in to this grocery store contest. Last week I submitted our proposal and application. We'll see if we get through the first round!

Oh and I also started on my family tree. I decided to do Keegan's side because my mom has pretty much covered my side. I did as much as I could from memory, then raked keegan's brain. I now need to sit down with his grandpa and mom for further info and hopefully some good stories!

My Top 50 Movies

2010-02-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

In no particular order:
1. The Lion King
2. Up
3. Garden State
4. Patch Adams
5. Juno
6. Wedding Crashers
7. Harry Potter Movies
8. Yentl
9. Dakota Skye
10. August Rush
11. Fight Club
12. Mr. Holland’s Opus
13. Flash of Genius
14. Finding Nemo
15. Life As a House
16. Marley and Me
17. Meet the Parents
18. The Notebook
19. Mrs. Doubtfire
20. Office Space
21. Seven Pounds
22. Ratatouille
23. The Shawshank Redemption
24. The Soloist
25. V for Vendetta
26. Bright Eyes
27. Checking Out
28. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
29. Hannibal
30. In Her Shoes
31. Lilo and Stitch
32. Sunshine Cleaning
33. Mary Poppins
34. The Matrix
35. Monsters, Inc.
36. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
37. My Girl
38. Phoebe in Wonderland
39. Say Anything
40. The School of Rock
41. Thank You for Smoking
42. The Fox and the Hound
43. The Breakfast Club
44. American History X
45. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
46. Dirty Dancing
47. E.T.
48. Eight Below
49. The Visitor
50. Peaceful Warrior

I like movies that make me laugh, cry, and/or think. I guess as long as I am not bored. I tried to pick movies that I am ok with watching again. Sometimes I become uninterested if I've already seen it. I guess it helps that I have a horrible memory for these things.

"Vegetables are a must on a diet."

2010-02-04T07:22:00.000-08:00

"I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”

Tuesday was Keegan's birthday. I had class at night so I felt bad that we really couldn't do anything exciting. He kept teasing me that I "Canceled his birthday". Anyway, I had Corey make dinner for the three of us and before I left to class I made a carrot cake from scratch. I got a little bored and adventurous so I added cocoa powder. It's a chocolate carrot cake with home made cream cheese frosting. He loves carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I think last year I made it from a box. This year, despite my horrible decorating skills, I think it turned out ok. I especially felt good when I went downstairs last night and saw that Keegan had voluntarily ate another piece! It must be good then!

Work in Progress

2010-02-01T07:45:00.001-08:00

Just letting you know I have not forgotten about this list. It is simply a work in progress. I just updated my list to show you what goals I am working on. I purchased tickets to visit Grandma in Florida in May, so one step closer to that goal. Also spoke to my Opa and hopefully this week I' ll purchase the tickets to visit him the end of February. (Hopefully he feels better by then. He seems to have caught the flu recently.) Two goals closer to being completed.

That's really about it. How exciting.

Is this person Dead or Alive: John Hughes?

2010-01-27T06:27:00.000-08:00

If you can't tell from the title, I attended my first in person trivia night (I have tried an electronic one before). Anyway this one was with a DJ and 12 rounds with 10 questions in each round, at a bar, with drinks and salty snacks, oh and middle aged women and men. Yeah...it was a fundraiser that I put together, but I am still going to count it on my list because I doubt I'll attend another trivia night unless really dragged. In terms of a fundraiser, I'd say it was a failure, but in terms of two hours of ok entertainment...it was decent. I'm also going to say that Keegan and I as a team for trivia...yeah well we suck. I think the most we got correct was 6 out of 10.

My shinning moment was when I was the only one who got the slogan (from a commercial) correct for this:

"Every thing I think I see becomes a ___ ____ ___ ___."

Do you know the answer? If you know it, you'll have the song stuck in your head for the rest of the morning.

So besides the fundraiser being a failure, this lady felt bad for me and gave me back one of the prizes I had gathered from local businesses. Really? It was a $10 gift certificate to a pizza place that is closer to where I live than where she lives (so that's the excuse she gave me, but I know she really just felt bad for me). Anyway, how can I use the gift certificate that I picked up?? It just does not feel right. So, I decided to accomplish another goal on my list. I mailed it to my friend (former co-worker) Deni. He seems to always need a smile on his face and he lives around here. What guy doesn't like free pizza?

Other news:
Goals I am getting closer to accomplishing- we attended friday night services 3 weeks in a row once so far! Yay!
Also, I was assigned another Torah portion for Feb. 20th. At least I have longer than one week to work on this one!

Goals I am failing at-- appears that Artemus, my plant is slowly dying, but I will try to keep him alive a bit longer. Poor Artie.

Food, Inc.

2010-01-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

This hits on 1.5 goals. The half of a goal is because I have not quite completed it yet. My friend Jen from my MBA program has asked me to enter a contest with her. Since we haven't actually entered it yet, I will hold off on checking off that goal. The contest is to come up with ideas for Price Chopper supermarkets to improve their customer experience. We met yesterday with our faculty adviser to discuss our preliminary ideas and to further develop some other ideas. He brought up the film Food, Inc. I realized I had it on my Netflix cue so when I got home I decided to watch it (during lunch--which was a bad idea- luckily I ate crackers, cheese, dried fruit and nuts and some elf cookies--no meat) and check off another goal (watch a documentary and write down my thoughts about it).

So Food, Inc. ... It is also a book if you want to read it. But I think that the movie was pretty powerful and interesting. I would however like to see a documentary from the meat industry's perspective. Each side should get a fair shot in my head. Let me also state that I am not a vegetarian, but I do eat a fair about of veggie and tofu dishes. I have a very difficult time eating anything that LOOKS like an animal. For example- chicken on the bone or that huge turkey for thanksgiving. Touching, looking at or consuming that REALLY grosses me out. I can not think about what I am eating (and even more so after watching the documentary).

The documentary was mainly about how there are four main meat packers in the U.S. and they control nearly everything. The trickle down effect I guess. It even seems like the government turns its head because that industry is so powerful. However analogies were made to the Tobacco industry and now, due to various movements, that industry does not have nearly the amount of power it did years ago. The documentary urges the average consumer to realize that he or she is not victim to their choices on the shelves at the grocery store. In fact, each time we purchase a product we are voting for that product, therefore increasing the demand of the product and supporting how it was made (mistreatment of animals, workers and contract farmers). Frankly it frightened me to see how some of the farmers who have contracts with these large companies were afraid to speak out against the companies. Do we not live in a free nation?

These are taken from the website, but here are some of the ways we can change our food system:

1. Stop drinking soda and sweetened beverages
2. Eat at home instead of eating out
3. Support the passage of laws to require chain restaurants to post calorie information
4. Tell schools to stop selling soda, junk food and sports drinks
5. Meatless Mondays- go without meat for one day a week
6. Buy organic or sustainable foods with little or no pesticides
7. Protect family farms- visit local farmers markets
8. Know where your food comes from- read the labels
9. Tell congress that food safety is important to you
10. Demand job protections for farm workers and food processors- ensuring fair wages and other protections

More info here.

I don't agree with #2. I can see their point for fast food which controls a vast majority of the ground beef demand, but you can still eat out and support the local businesses.
#4 kind of goes against capitalism. Also, yes, schools should have healthier foods in the machines, but we also need to teach kids how to make choices. Also if you take away all junk food, they'll just want it more.

Also, for those of you who know me, you know I like cows (for various reasons). The pictures of the treatment of cows in this movie were really awful. I understand that's how it is done, but I think sometimes being naive is really bliss. What I did learn though, is that the cows are fed corn. I guess their bellies are not made to eat corn and that's why we get ecoli. This doesn't happen if they eat grass. But they are fed corn because it makes them fatter faster.

The movie did increase my awareness about where my food comes from. After watching the movie, I probably will still eat meat occasionally, but I will have to try EXTRA hard not to think about where it came from (I know that totally defeats the purpose of the movie- but I live with two grown men who need their protein). I definitely will think more about where food comes from when I am not eating it though. Also, I will make more of an effort to go to the farmers' markets (another goal on my list already).

I Smell Of Spring

2010-01-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

One of my goals is to lotion my legs at least 2x a week for three months. I know this sounds a bit personal, but I think in the long run it will be better for all if get in to the habit of lotioning my legs. As I was lotioning last night after my shower, I got to thinking, "I really love this scent. It reminds me of Spring." So for a brief minute I forgot it was winter and my bedroom was transformed in to a rose garden. Birds were chirping, there was a slight breeze in my hair and it smelled of spring. I smelled of spring. I think the reason I never really lotioned before is because I usually just used the plain old jergens lotion from under the sink. But for Christmas this year, my mother-in-law bought me "P.S. I love you" (yes that's the name of the scent). It's a lotion from Bath and Body works that smells like roses. Keegan thinks I smell like an old lady, but it's only because his great grandma grace always rose scented perfume. Now anything that smells like roses = old lady in his mind (including me). It's not my fault that this lady I never met liked the same smell! She was just ahead of her time. I guess the whole point of this post is just to point out that I found out the reason why I did not lotion before. The key is to purchase a lotion with a scent that you really enjoy, that transports you to somewhere else, then you will be more willing to use it. So now I will continue to work on this goal with great joy AND when I run out of lotion I will likely try to find a different scent that smells like spring.

It finally snowed!

2010-01-19T06:42:00.000-08:00

The snow this past weekend was PERFECT for snowball/snowperson making. If you packed it into a nice starter ball it was very dense and potentially harmful to your target. Keegan and Corey were already outside shoveling and snowblowing. It was almost 40 degrees out and sunny...the little kid urge in me just could not resist any longer, so I dug out my long johns, threw on sweatpants (bright red) and my snow coat (bright blue) -boy did I look ridiculous! Grabbed my mittens (navy blue) and headed outside. Corey and I exchanged a few snowballs then I got down to work building my snowperson. I needed help lifting the second ball on though because the snow was so heavy, but eventually I finished. But he looked so lonely. I decided I needed to try to build a snow dog. I must say I'm pretty darn proud of my creation. I used banana peels for the ears, cilantro for the eyes, some bulb leaves for the tail (and the snowman's hat) and tied a leash with some twine. Oh and I found some color for his mouth (Cherry flavoring). I must admit, it was a lot of fun. Goal completed- Build snowperson.

On Saturday I read Torah at synagogue getting me one step closer to that goal as well. I think I did pretty well for only having 1 week to learn my 7 lines.

Give A Day

2010-01-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

Disney has a promotion going on this year where you sign up through them to volunteer with a local organization (learn more here if you're interested). Once you complete 4 hours, you receive a voucher for a free day at Disney. ABC seems to be on this whole community service kick. While the concept of volunteering to get a free ticket to Disney sounds appealing, it left me feeling a little selfish. I guess all community service can leave one feeling like that.

Keegan and I volunteered twice this week at two different elementary schools to help with homework through the Boys and Girls Club. At the first school we were introduced as the "Disney Volunteers" and it was explained to the group of kids that we get to go to Disney after we volunteer. It made me sad because it didn't seem fair. I'm sure a lot of those kids will never go on a trip (granted, they could volunteer too- but it does take money to get to Florida or California).

Anyway, we did have a great time at both schools. I freshened up on my multiplication and division (taught a kid my trick to multiplying by 9 --> ex: 9 x 4 --take the 4 subtract by 1 =3, then 3 plus what equals 9? 6. so 9x4 = 36), tried very hard to get this girl to understand the concept that there are 12 inches in 1 foot and 24 inches in 2 feet, judged a poster contest about bullying and got to play some fun games.

Since it wasn't all selfish, I do not feel totally guilty about checking off "volunteer with kids" on my list, especially since we plan to do it again because it was that much fun! I emailed the organizer and asked if we can come in every Monday to one of the schools. (Maybe that's the goal of the Give A Day Program....they make you feel bad about receiving something in return that you continue to give to your community...ah ha.)

Now back to working on another goal ("Read a Torah portion at synagogue 5x"). I was roped in to reading Torah this weekend at synagogue. I only had a week to memorize/learn 7 lines and now I am down to 1 more day! Ah I get so nervous standing up in front of everyone reading Torah. I've gotten a lot better about presentations, but Torah always gets me. Hopefully the more I do it the more comfortable I will become.

101 in 1001

2010-01-14T05:58:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to complete this list or not. I'll explain that in a moment. As some of you may know from my other blog (so throw off the bowlines) I lost my job in September and am having a hard time finding a new one. On facebook, one of my friends wrote about this create 101 goals and try to do them in 1001 days. First of all, coming up with 101 goals is very hard. But over the course of a few days, I did accomplish it (goal 1 completed)! You can review my goals and track my progress here.

In order to come up with the list I looked at other people's lists and spoke with my good friend Corey (she's also working on a list). It was difficult to not make the list a long "to do" list. Though some things like, paint shelves- is something that has been on my "to do" list for months. It also seemed like a lot of people put things on lists to use it as an excuse. For example, some people had buy a large TV on their list. To me that seemed like... hey I have to buy a tv because it's on my list and I need to complete my goals. I tried to put a lot of thought in to the list. I wanted the goals to be things that would help me grow as a person. New things to try, step out of my box a little, or even try to develop new habits (like taking vitamins more often). I also tried to make the goals attainable. If I need to change them as I move on, I will.

As I said before, I tried to quit the list before I even finished. Then I looked at a few more lists and realized pretty much no one on that site is actually working on their lists. It seems that people make the list and then not follow through. I didn't want to be like them. I want to follow through on the list and see what I can learn from it.

1001 days is 2 years and 10 months. 2yrs and 10 months ago was March 2007. I reviewed my person journal entries from that time (since my memory sucks). 2yrs and 10 months ago there were huge changes at work going on, we had just come back from visiting my grandparents (yes my grandpa was alive) in Florida, had spent some time with my friend Amanda S. in Florida (went to City Walk and her Synagogue with her), slowly working on wedding prep and getting frustrated with mom over silly details, and slowly trying on wedding dresses and deciding a toga party would have been way better than wearing a stupid fluffy dress. I also want to share this entry from my personal journal because I found it kind of fitting to the purpose of this blog:

2/20/2007
Today I talked to a very funny claimant:
I asked the claimant if she was injured and she starts yelling, "my neck, my neck, oh my neck.!" and then she said , oh just kidding, you must get that all the time.". She then told me to stop spending money on clothes and going out to eat and save all my money for a skiing trip to Europe. I should also make food and eat organic.... that doesn't sound like a bad idea... she was so funny. she ended the conversation with, well it was nice to talk to you, have a nice life.

So, let's get started. I'll post my progress here so you can follow along. Maybe even some pictures if I can figure it out. Hopefully I won't give up. Where will I be 2 yrs and 10 months from now? Around November 2012?? What will I learn on the way? Here we go...