I'm back again! This time bigger and better than ever!
...actually it's going to look pretty similar to the past.
So I'm starting off this blog again on my birthday as I turn 31. Don't ask what happened to 30. 30 was a year lost to time. I mean, I did do things but I didn't post about them here. To catch you up...
Last year:
-I started daily journaling. Something I've done on and off but never on the computer. Now I can edit my work much easier. I use a site called 750word.com. I highly recommend it if you need a place to journal and unwind each day. It's like joining a gym for your miiiiiind.
-I read 30 books, as I always try to read at least my age's worth. They are listed at the bottom of this entry.
-I did some tracking through the year. Most of what I wanted to do was derailed by a hellish appendicitis experience and epididymitis in the winter. Feel free to google the second one. I'll wait.
...
Yeah, it wasn't great.
BUT this year will be! I can taste it in the wind. Here are the two basic categories I'll be covering:
CREATIVE
(These will be the bulk of the entries)
Haikus
I miss them. I did a thousand consecutively and I'm getting back into it again. This time I will sprinkle in some different forms and try to adhere to the essence of haiku that juxtaposes two images with the center line "cutting" between them. I did not consider this in previous haikus, though I often wrote them that way unintentionally.
Drawings
I'll sketch something each day on a piece of printer paper and in pen. It's an exercise in throwing away the plan and working with what you have. It certainly raises the stakes. I will use words and/or music for inspiration.
Prompts
I'm trying out a writing prompt each day. I won't be sharing each entry as they will be very rough and long but I intend to share polished works sporadically through the year. My hope is one complete essay or short story a month with a stretch goal of one a week.
Misc
In the first year, I followed daily project prompts from a book. This year...I don't know what could happen. I've been playing around with doing readings of short stories, woodworking/craft projects or maybe even a video showing off physical theater work.
WELLNESS
(Happening in the background. Updated on Sundays)
Fasting
Each year I "fast" from certain activities (like TV watching) and consumables (like alcohol). I set a number for year end (my base for age 30 was 150) and I try to match that number in "days of fasting." My items are listed below. An added caveat to the alcohol category is a drink count. I did this last year and it was ironically sobering how much I drank. But on the plus side, I can answer accurately when the doctor asks "how many drinks do you typically have in a week?" (for my 30th year, I'm a little ashamed to admit it was 8.212)
Calling it Quits
I do this thing where I quit something each year and for the rest of my foreseeable future (presumably). The only exception to the rule: I can have it if it's homemade. Here's what I've done so far:
Cigarettes at 25 (no judgement plz)
Energy Drinks at 26 (because they are poison)
Ground Beef at 27 (pink slime. This quickly became obsolete when I became vegetarian months later)
Potato Chips at 28 (because of the book Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss. It's good. Read it.)
Soda at 29 (also poison)
Candy at 30 (colorful poison for children)
For this year I'm giving up "Shots", which means any straight liquor above 20 ABV not cut with something. Liquors on ice, like scotch, are fine.
Running
Back in 2014 I set out to run 1,000 miles for the year. Unfortunately due to weather and a knee injury I just managed to get 750. To make up the difference, generous friends and family members ran the remaining 250 in my place! You can see some of their contributions in the first six months of 2015. I'm taking another crack at it this year with the base goal of beating 750 and the stretch goal of 1,000.
Breaking a Sweat
I hope to "break a sweat" everyday. I will use DAREBEE as my resource for most of my non-running workouts. It's free, has hundreds of unique workouts and requires little to no equipment. There are also videos for each exercise to avoid injury from poor form. I'll post a link for each workout.
Vegan Days
I'm looking to spend 100 days going full vegan. For those that don't know, vegan is refraining from any foods/products that come from animals in any form (meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey). I'll post a few pictures and recipes that I find delicious!
Travel and sick days
This project is ambitious and I'm gonna need breaks. So I'll have days where I don't post much due to illness or travel restrictions (I've got a trip to Iceland/Berlin in mid-July...that will be a test run). SICK DAY or TRAVEL DAY will be screamed in the title so you know not to expect much.
Updates
Finally, on Sundays I'll share my progress so far in all of these categories. It's an accountability strategy that has worked very well in the past.
That's it for now! Thank you for reading this far and enjoy the first haiku and drawing of my year!
Today's Workout
Running: 3.1 miles (5K)
DAREBEE: Day 33 of The Hero's Journey (I'll explain tomorrow)
...actually it's going to look pretty similar to the past.
So I'm starting off this blog again on my birthday as I turn 31. Don't ask what happened to 30. 30 was a year lost to time. I mean, I did do things but I didn't post about them here. To catch you up...
Last year:
-I started daily journaling. Something I've done on and off but never on the computer. Now I can edit my work much easier. I use a site called 750word.com. I highly recommend it if you need a place to journal and unwind each day. It's like joining a gym for your miiiiiind.
-I read 30 books, as I always try to read at least my age's worth. They are listed at the bottom of this entry.
-I did some tracking through the year. Most of what I wanted to do was derailed by a hellish appendicitis experience and epididymitis in the winter. Feel free to google the second one. I'll wait.
...
Yeah, it wasn't great.
BUT this year will be! I can taste it in the wind. Here are the two basic categories I'll be covering:
CREATIVE
(These will be the bulk of the entries)
Haikus
I miss them. I did a thousand consecutively and I'm getting back into it again. This time I will sprinkle in some different forms and try to adhere to the essence of haiku that juxtaposes two images with the center line "cutting" between them. I did not consider this in previous haikus, though I often wrote them that way unintentionally.
Drawings
I'll sketch something each day on a piece of printer paper and in pen. It's an exercise in throwing away the plan and working with what you have. It certainly raises the stakes. I will use words and/or music for inspiration.
Prompts
I'm trying out a writing prompt each day. I won't be sharing each entry as they will be very rough and long but I intend to share polished works sporadically through the year. My hope is one complete essay or short story a month with a stretch goal of one a week.
Misc
In the first year, I followed daily project prompts from a book. This year...I don't know what could happen. I've been playing around with doing readings of short stories, woodworking/craft projects or maybe even a video showing off physical theater work.
WELLNESS
(Happening in the background. Updated on Sundays)
Fasting
Each year I "fast" from certain activities (like TV watching) and consumables (like alcohol). I set a number for year end (my base for age 30 was 150) and I try to match that number in "days of fasting." My items are listed below. An added caveat to the alcohol category is a drink count. I did this last year and it was ironically sobering how much I drank. But on the plus side, I can answer accurately when the doctor asks "how many drinks do you typically have in a week?" (for my 30th year, I'm a little ashamed to admit it was 8.212)
Calling it Quits
I do this thing where I quit something each year and for the rest of my foreseeable future (presumably). The only exception to the rule: I can have it if it's homemade. Here's what I've done so far:
Cigarettes at 25 (no judgement plz)
Energy Drinks at 26 (because they are poison)
Ground Beef at 27 (pink slime. This quickly became obsolete when I became vegetarian months later)
Potato Chips at 28 (because of the book Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss. It's good. Read it.)
Soda at 29 (also poison)
Candy at 30 (colorful poison for children)
For this year I'm giving up "Shots", which means any straight liquor above 20 ABV not cut with something. Liquors on ice, like scotch, are fine.
Running
Back in 2014 I set out to run 1,000 miles for the year. Unfortunately due to weather and a knee injury I just managed to get 750. To make up the difference, generous friends and family members ran the remaining 250 in my place! You can see some of their contributions in the first six months of 2015. I'm taking another crack at it this year with the base goal of beating 750 and the stretch goal of 1,000.
Breaking a Sweat
I hope to "break a sweat" everyday. I will use DAREBEE as my resource for most of my non-running workouts. It's free, has hundreds of unique workouts and requires little to no equipment. There are also videos for each exercise to avoid injury from poor form. I'll post a link for each workout.
Vegan Days
I'm looking to spend 100 days going full vegan. For those that don't know, vegan is refraining from any foods/products that come from animals in any form (meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey). I'll post a few pictures and recipes that I find delicious!
Travel and sick days
This project is ambitious and I'm gonna need breaks. So I'll have days where I don't post much due to illness or travel restrictions (I've got a trip to Iceland/Berlin in mid-July...that will be a test run). SICK DAY or TRAVEL DAY will be screamed in the title so you know not to expect much.
Updates
Finally, on Sundays I'll share my progress so far in all of these categories. It's an accountability strategy that has worked very well in the past.
That's it for now! Thank you for reading this far and enjoy the first haiku and drawing of my year!
Today's Haiku
Batches of lanyards
expertly draped on hangers
tinkle like wind chimes
Today's Workout
Running: 3.1 miles (5K)
DAREBEE: Day 33 of The Hero's Journey (I'll explain tomorrow)
Today's Drawing
(Based on the word Effigy from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
(Based on the word Effigy from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day)
Books for 30th year (30 total in chronological order - italicized books were read aloud to my wife before bed and those in bold are favorites)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
Sex Criminals (Graphic Novel) by Chip Zdarsky and Matt Fraction
Rat Queens (Graphic Novel) by Kurtis J. Wiebe
No God but God by Reza Aslan
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Learn Better by Ulrich Boser
Against a Dark Background by Iain Banks
Harry Potter and The Order of the Pheonix by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku
Wolf in the White Van by John Darnielle
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
Hagseed by Margaret Atwood
Microscope by Ben Robbins
Surface Detail by Iain Banks
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Spook by Mary Roach
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
Turtles all the Way Down by John Green
Mort by Terry Pratchet
On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Vacationland by John Hodgeman
Dead Wake by Erik Larson
Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchet
A Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
Sex Criminals (Graphic Novel) by Chip Zdarsky and Matt Fraction
Rat Queens (Graphic Novel) by Kurtis J. Wiebe
No God but God by Reza Aslan
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Learn Better by Ulrich Boser
Against a Dark Background by Iain Banks
Harry Potter and The Order of the Pheonix by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku
Wolf in the White Van by John Darnielle
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
Hagseed by Margaret Atwood
Microscope by Ben Robbins
Surface Detail by Iain Banks
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Spook by Mary Roach
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
Turtles all the Way Down by John Green
Mort by Terry Pratchet
On Such a Full Sea by Chang-rae Lee
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Vacationland by John Hodgeman
Dead Wake by Erik Larson
Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchet
A Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Love it friend! Glad to have you back!
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