So we visited Cloud Gate (aka The Bean) in Chicago yesterday. It was wonderful! It was more awesome than I expected. I've always wanted to go see The Bean. Not sure why, but people's pictures always looked cool to me.
We were in downtown Chicago and luckily my iPhone was able to tell me that we were only about 0.8 miles away! So I was able to talk Wes into walking to Millennium Park where The Bean is located. From what we heard, it was the first nice sunny day that Chicago has had in a while which is what is really needed for The Bean to be fully enjoyed. It's like a giant bean-shaped mirror so everything is distorted on it and you can see the Chicago skyline reflecting off of it and everything. It's really cool to be able to take pictures of yourself. It takes a while to get the hang of angling the camera so you can see yourself in the bean and not just a picture of you holding the camera in front of your face. It was pretty busy but everyone for the most part was polite to you while you are trying to take pictures. I'm really glad to have gotten one of the harder things on my list accomplished so quickly!
This is something that I kept thinking about doing but never actually got around to doing it which is why it made it to my 101 things list. I've been working at the U of I for the last 3.5 years, but just recently had to deal with the lousy parking situation on campus. When I first started on 2nd shift, I didn't have to be here until 2pm so I was able to use a 2nd shift parking pass and was able to park really close to my building.
Now that I have to be at work at noon every day, that is too early for the parking department to issue me a 2nd shift pass so I have to buy a 1st shift pass and park a mile away from my building even though I don't leave work until 10 or 11pm. I can move my car closer after 4 o'clock or so without getting ticketed and really after 5pm they stop looking for hang-tags anyway.
Recently, my boss got access to one of the parking spots right behind our building which basically translates to free parking. She got it for the safety of the 2nd and 3rd shifts since there have been a lot of assaults on campus recently. I can park there after 7pm.
So I wanted to figure out figure out if I could pay a meter from noon to 5 and it be cheaper than what I'm paying every month to park in the lot a mile away.
This wasn't a very hard "to-do". They take $22.24 every month for parking out of my paycheck. It costs $0.75 an hour to park at a meter. I only work Sunday - Wednesday and it's free to park at a meter on Sundays. So really we are only looking at Monday -Wednesday for 5 hours a day. So it's $3.75 a day, 3 days a week which translates to about 12 days a month. Unfortunately, this works out to $45.00 a month which is over 2 times what I'm paying in parking now. So I guess I will be walking the mile to and from my car for now until a spot in the garage opens up!
I haven't yet finished this but thought I would go ahead and start the blog for it so I can keep track of everything I've cooked so I can look back and see everything I've accomplished.
So the list so far:
Cheeseball
Bruschetta
I will be editing this entry and adding new things as I make them. The title of this "to do" is a little misleading as I know you don't "cook" a cheeseball, you just "make" them, but I'm saying it counts so it counts as will probably some other things that aren't actually cooked. When I finish this "to do" I will probably have to go ahead and revamp this entire blog to talk about the experience as a whole, but for now, enjoy!
It's not exactly official, but as far as my end goes, my MySpace account is closed. What a pain in the ass that was too. It's on my 101 things to do list because it's not just a matter of clicking "Cancel My Account". I had YEARS worth of pictures on there that I'm not exactly sure where the originals are. So I had to save every picture worth saving. It took a couple of days to do because it was really boring and tedious thing to do. Plus, I mean, it's freaking MySpace. That page has been a snooze-fest for years so it's hard to even login. It's got so much shit going on, it was hard to even find where my pictures were.
So when I got all that done, I finally found where I could cancel my account. When I clicked on it, it gave me about 4 options on why I wanted to close my account. I picked "Bored." Then it asked me to to confirm that I really did want to close my account. I confirmed. Nothing happened. I clicked on Cancel My Account again and, this time, it asked me for comments. I said there has been no interaction for years and it's finally time to bring this to a close. I confirmed again. This time it said an email was being sent to confirm the cancellation.
Part of the cancellation email states: "Why not preserve your profile, playlists and photos by deleting your friends and changing your privacy setting to "Only my friends?" That way, you can still enjoy using Myspace Music and Video and if you ever want to come back, it's here waiting for you!" Um, WTF?!? Delete my friends on a social networking site so I can listen to music and watch videos?!? Isn't that what YouTube is for?
When I confirmed (AGAIN) through the email, it said that it would take up to 48 hours to delete my account. So that's why it isn't exactly official. Not sure why they don't just have some automated thing that closes someone's account. If I can still login by Monday morning, I'm going to be pissed! Although, I probably won't even try considering the last couple of days was the first time I logged in in over two years, I think it will easily be forgotten.
I'm embarrassed to say that it's been 19 years since I've last gone to a dentist. Today, that streak has come to an end. It wasn't bad at all. They scrapped my teeth and polished them up and the lady said it wasn't bad for 19 years. She said that she doesn't recommend going another 19 years though. She also asked me when I had braces and seemed shocked when I said that I never have had braces. Guess my teeth are just that awesome! When I saw the dentist, he found 5 cavities. He said they weren't full blown cavities, just "starter" ones, but that they needed to be take care of pretty quickly because they could turn into full blown cavities if they are ignored. So I'm going to have 3 of them done on Monday and the other 2 some day after that. They said they have to do the one side of my mouth first and then the other. Not sure why they can't just do all 5 at the same time. Oh, well, I'm just glad I'm going to be setting a good example by getting my health in order.
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
Some common goal setting tips
Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.
My List
I'm starting my list on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 and ending on Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Close my MySpace account. (Completed 1/29/11)
Print off the pictures on my camera.
Put all my pictures in a photo album.
Visit the library at least 25 times. (0/25)
Complete the 90 day challenge on EA Sports Active 2. (easy, medium, hard)
Complete the 30 Day Shred. (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3)
Run a full marathon.
Cook 50 new things. (2/50)
Apply to be on Survivor.
Go through closets and get rid my stuff I don’t need.
Go sledding.
Learn to backward skate on roller blades.
Start a diary for my future kids to read.
Take Logan to a Cubs game.
Knit a blanket.
Have the roof of my Jeep off at least 5 times. (0/5)
Learn to use Photoshop.
Go Putt-Putt golfing. (Completed 3/19/11)
Go to a driving range to golf.
Write a letter to myself that I can open in 10 years.
Play basketball.
Learn to play tennis.
Start skydiving again.
Learn to do the splits (or get close).
Build a snowman.
Donate blood.
Read all the books on my bookshelves and then donate/sell them.
Throw away/donate the clothes in my closet that I don’t want anymore.
Read 101 books. (0/101)
Watch 101 movies. (2/101)
Clean out the kitchen cabinets.
Write Phil Collins a fan letter.
Complete the 100 push-up challenge.
Learn to do a pull-up.
Watch all 6 Star Wars movies. (0/6)
Learn how to burn stuff from my Tivo to DVD.
Cancel my gym membership. (Completed 4/1611)
Cancel my tanning membership. (Completed 4/16/11)
Get down to 1 credit card.
Get my passport.
Hang pictures in the living room.
Get a family photo taken.
Go fishing and take the fish off the hook myself.
Drink the beer I made.
Frame my SIUC diploma.
Make my bed every day for a month.
Wear my contacts every day for a month.
Watch all 6 LOST Seasons over again. (0/6)
Help out with my 10 year high school reunion.
Take Logan somewhere without Wes (to the park or something).
Take a picture of myself everyday for a year. (0/365)
Make a blog about each completed goal. (3/101)
Learn how to sew.
Go to an exercise class.
Write 10 reviews online about anything. (0/10)
Eat breakfast every day for a month.
Go see a play.
Write down every penny I spend for a month.
Learn how to do a cartwheel.
Go visit The Bean in Chicago. (Completed 3/11/11)
Start a scrapbook.
Teach Logan how to play the adult version of Monopoly.
Get my voter registration information updated.
Go to an eye doctor.
Go to a dentist. (Completed 1/28/11)
Get a new job.
Learn to ride a motorcycle.
Brush my teeth 3 times a day for a month. (0/30)
Watch a sun rise.
Watch a sun set.
Use re-usable bags for a month.
Take an awesome picture, blow it up and frame it.
Draw something.
Learn how to wear my hair in an “up” style.
Successfully sell something on Ebay.
Do a YouTube video.
Climb a climbing wall.
Get all the recalled items on my Jeep fixed.
Break my half marathon PR.
Break my 5K PR.
Place a bet at a casino table.
Try 20 new alcoholic beverages. (1/20)
Try 25 new things that I've never eaten before. (3/25)
Slide through the mud on a really rainy day.
Go to an NFL game.
Play Bingo.
Go to my high school's Homecoming game.
Wear a skirt. (Completed 4/24/11)
Buy a watch and use it.
Go through all the shoes in my closet and throw away broken ones and donate others.
Buy a digital book.
Update my resume. (Completed 4/17/11)
Visit 5 shops in downtown Champaign. (0/5)
Go hiking at Turkey Run.
Figure out if it's cheaper to pay for my parking pass at work or pay the meter every day. (Completed 2/2/11).
