Updates from February, 2010 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • kimkin85 11:50 pm on February 27, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

    Adventures 5-7 

    I seem to be a bit behind in my posting, but once you read what my adventures were, I think you’ll understand.

    For week 6, a traveled with fellow adventurer Adrienne to Boston’s Museum of Science to take in the Harry Potter Exhibition, a fangirl’s dream come true.  Since it would take hours and a novel to explain the true awesomeness of the experience, I’ll direct you to my personal blog for all the details.

    Adventure 7 was something that’s been in the works for many months now.  I am in the midst of a series of oral surgeries to rebuild and reinforce the bone and soft tissue around my teeth.  It’s been a painful process, but it will be worth it to not loose my teeth before I’m 30!  Again, I’m going to direct you to my personal blog to find out more, so I don’t have to write it twice.  Check it out and follow the links if you want to follow the whole process!

    For week 8, I undertook the adventure of cutting my own hair. Well, a portion of it. To save the bother of finding an affordable stylist, a trimmed my own bangs and managed to not look completely undone in the end. I think it’s a pretty good accomplishment for someone who spent most of the last week on prescription pain medications!

     

  • Berton 12:51 am on February 26, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Week 6, 7, 8 

    I have been failing at posting on these adventures lately.  But I have been doing them.  I just have become lazy, to be honest.  So here is a short post about the past three weeks, and I am making the dedicated statement that I will now post once a week (the week I do the adventure).

    Week 6 was sort of a revisit of Week 1 – The Jucy Lucy.  There is a dispute that the place I went to, Matt’s Bar, didn’t invent this lovely burger.  Some people claim that the 5-8 Club (a restaurant about three miles away) made the original.  Well, I don’t know who made it first, but I thought I should check out which one tastes better.  So Tom and I went to the 5-8 Club and got out our taste buds.  And, hands down, Matt’s Bar’s Jucy Lucy was better.  Above and beyond better.  Not to say that the 5-8 Club makes a bad burger, far from it.  But it didn’t have a unique flavor.  And to be honest, the meat and cheese was kind of dry, not befitting it’s name.  Now I could have just gone on a bad night, but still, with the knowledge that I have, I will always recommend Matt’s Bar over the 5-8 Club.

    Week 7 took me to pond skating.  I have been ice skating before, but always in a rink.  I found out not to long ago that there is a great link of three small ponds that have ice skating on them.  So a crew of friends (my fiance Becky included) took off to see if pond skating is much different than an ice rink.  And it is.  Without a Zamboni, and the natural cracks and bumps of the ice, it was a more raw, unique kind of skating.  And since we had a crew of friends, it was a great time.  Made me feel more Minnesotan, especially with our state representing the Winter Olympics so epically.

    And Week 8 took me to a place where I have been interested in but intimidated by also.  But two good friends of mine gave me the confidence and encouragement to go.  I went to a gun range.  I have been pheasant hunting before (once last year) and I admit it was kind of a rush.  So the opportunity to fire a hand gun also interested me.  But I am not a hard core believer in the whole “right to bear arms” second amendment thing.  Conceal and carry kind of scares me.  I think the availability of hand guns causes more problems than makes people feel safe.  But at the same time, firing it in a controlled, safe environment was a hell of a lot of fun.  At first my aim was hit or miss (bad pun, I know) but after an hour or so of shooting rounds, my aim and confidence grew by miles.  I know I will never buy a handgun.  But I will probably go back to a gun range and shoot there.

     

    • renea 11:00 am on February 26, 2010 Permalink

      Super Cool Idea. I’d love to try this.

  • Kimberly Hula 10:45 pm on February 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    Salem v. Brazil 

    I tire of all the vixen-villians in romance-suspense-thrillers that explain their unorthodox behavior with the adage, “Love makes you do crazy things”. It’s not that I think it trite or that I take issue with the storyline. Rather the sentiment is wrong. Love does not make you do crazy things. Love makes you do mechanical things. Love makes you buy flowers and exchange mixed tapes and read poetry. There is a very scripted formula. Instead, I might be more apt to empathize with these vixi-villians if they changed one word to make the adage a well adapted mantra. It’s loneliness that makes us do crazy things. When lonely there is no greater time and better opportunity for crazy, and because there is no script for loneliness, I found great adventure potential in it. So for my fifth week, it all started in Salem and ended in Brazil.

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    • renea 10:48 am on February 24, 2010 Permalink

      Wow! I could read your blogs all day!
      You are indeed a writer yes?

    • 2010adventurequest 11:12 am on February 24, 2010 Permalink

      What an empowering and insightful experience. Thank you for sharing!

    • cupcakeemergency 11:37 am on February 24, 2010 Permalink

      LOVE IT!

    • wip78 1:55 pm on February 24, 2010 Permalink

      I’m sure it could have been easier to have not said a thing and drank a bottle (or two) of wine that night, but you stood up for yourself. Good for you! He SOOOOOO doesn’t deserve a mixed tape from you;)

    • yearof52adventures 2:35 pm on February 24, 2010 Permalink

      Thanks everyone! It’s good to stand up to goons!

    • eatveggiesdrinkwine 8:19 pm on February 24, 2010 Permalink

      Bravo! I am working on being more assertive, and this is a fantastic (and beautifully written) lesson.

    • yearof52adventures 12:03 pm on February 26, 2010 Permalink

      Addendum to this story: Mr. Josh contacted me today to ask….. for his books back. I think I’ll leave them in a rain puddle, on the interstate.

    • blueskiesinva 7:38 pm on April 22, 2010 Permalink

      Nearly two months out, but I’m reading older posts…I left a guy’s books propped against his garage door, along with a CD containing only “S*** Song” by Kate Nash. It felt good.

  • wip78 1:48 pm on February 23, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , shoes   

    7/52: Shoes…..Shoes….. 

    Since my first adventure, I have been working out consistently.  Last week, my shins started to hurt and I realized that my 6 year-old Addidas could no longer cut it.  Saturday,  I had a cool experience in purchasing my new kicks at Fleet Feet.  They sat me down and asked me what type of excercise I usually do and what I was looking for.  They handed over a pair of shoes and had me jump on the treadmill.  As I ran, they filmed my ever so graceful strides in order to see how my feet rolled as they landed.  We then viewed the footage of myself running on a flat screen tv above our heads to discuss what we saw.   He had some technical terms for me about how my heel rolls one way and how my foot shifts and rolls the other way towards the toes.  He then checked my arch and came back with several pairs from different brands to see which one was the better fit.  I ran on the treadmill with each pair; eliminating a few as I went along. I ended up with the, as he put it, the “Cadillac” of the running shoes (which is code for pretty DARN expensive).  But, I have never had a better fitting tennis/gym/running shoe.  It feels like I am walking on clouds.  I am in Fleet Feet Heaven:)

     

  • eatveggiesdrinkwine 11:47 pm on February 22, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , handmade napkins   

    6/52: Sewing swanky cloth napkins for every day meals 

    I’ll admit it: I’m a hypocritical kind of tree-hugger/tree-killer who uses 20 times her weight in paper towels and napkins each year. It’s embarrassing. But how can I be expected to stop when IKEA makes such cute printed napkins?

    In a moment of intense shame, I googled how to make my own cloth napkins and came upon this fantastic tutorial: http://www.purlbee.com/mollys-handmade-napkins/. Then I found some really cheap fabric and ridiculously expensive ribbon to make my own, just in time for a lovely Valentine’s Day dinner. Sadly, that’s the last time I’ve really needed a napkin … too much eating on the run or standing up in the kitchen … but I look forward to many future meals with my fancy, eco-friendly napkins. There IS a dinner party in my year of adventuring, after all.

     

    • wip78 1:48 pm on February 25, 2010 Permalink

      Swanky, indeed! I would like to place an order of 6,please. Thanks;)

  • eatveggiesdrinkwine 11:26 pm on February 22, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , duct tape   

    5/52: Being duct-taped to a window for an educational purpose 

    I’m an academic advisor, so I’m used to students asking questions of me. Many of their questions are the same, and many of my answers are the same. Two Fridays ago, however, I experienced a significant break in the monotony … I was asked by two first-year students I advise to consider being duct-taped to a window for educational hijinks (that is, Engineering Week festivities). And my answer was quite unexpected too. After a quick glance at the 52 Adventures logo that’s next to my computer screen, I said yes.

    So, on the following Monday, I arrived at Zimmer Hall, ready for my taping. Along with 18 other people, I was taped to a window, quite strategically. I was one of three people who actually stayed taped to the window for any amount of time, and I managed to hang in for a few minutes before not-so-gracefully falling face-first into my kind teammates’ arms. Because extra points are given when any foolish faculty or staff member can be talked into an activity, my team won enough for a first place finish. Hoo-ray!

     

    • yearof52adventures 11:16 am on February 23, 2010 Permalink

      post post post the picture. I LOVE this adventure in adhesive!

    • wip78 1:22 pm on February 23, 2010 Permalink

      post it!

    • wip78 2:08 pm on February 24, 2010 Permalink

      Great picture!

  • wip78 3:10 pm on February 22, 2010 Permalink | Reply
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    Adventure #6:… and the unexpected. 

    Adventure #6 was supposed to be the parade in Chinatown celebrating the Chinese New Year, but I got my dates mixed up and realized I was supposed to be about 40 miles south volunteering and my participation in said festivities would be impossible.  Sad clown.  I volunteer two times a year for the high school organization Snowball that sponsors a Thursday- Sunday retreat.   The focus of this organization is leadership and team building activities that allow small groups of 12 with one teen and one adult leader facilitating the group to work together in a drug-free, 0% peer pressure environment. They focus not only on the group as a unit but on the individual; preparing them to make healthy lifestyle choices in order to acquire success.  The kids sleep in cabins and the support staff that helps implement the schedule and keeps the retreat on track stay in the main house.  We feed the teens in the mess hall, some meals being catered in, other meals made by the camp itself.

    (More …)

     

  • wip78 11:04 pm on February 21, 2010 Permalink | Reply
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    Adventures 4 and 5: The planned…. 

    There are adventures you plan for, and then there are adventures that find you.  Some are great, some are inspiring, some are permanent, some are tasty, and some you just learn from.  The past couple of weeks have been simple, fun, and interesting to say the least…

    For adventure #4, I got inked:)  Tattoos say a lot about a person.  Each tattoo usually has a story attached to it.  Was it to rebel when you were 16?  Did you get it during a drunken debauchery?  Does it stand for something meaningful?  Spiritual? Or does it symbolize a moment in your life? My first tat was about 4 years ago.  I waited so long to get one for fear of the wrath I would receive from my parents.  I was considered a good boy who obeyed his parents….catholic guilt goes a loooong way.  When I finally grew some cahones, I said screw it.  Over the last two months, I have gotten 3 more, with the latter one being the focus of the fourth adventure.  All my tattoos are personal.  They are an extension of me…  This last tattoo is an adinkra symbol that comes from the Asante tribe found in the western African country Ghana.  This symbol is known as “the wisdom knot” that stands for wisdom, ingenuity, intelligence and patience.   This symbol represents the wisdom I give my students and in turn what they teach me on a daily basis, a reminder of the patience and understanding they deserve, and the intelligence and ingenuity that we all possess.  This tattoo ties in with the one on  my wrist that stands for the life-long quest for knowledge…to always remember that there is something to be learned on a daily basis. (More …)

     

    • yearof52adventures 6:17 pm on February 24, 2010 Permalink

      I’m going to go ahead and nominate this for adventure MVP for week 4 🙂

  • jeindeer 5:59 pm on February 20, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , contest, planning   

    #7: Win Week 

    I guess I felt lucky after that last quote. For adventure 7/52, I’ve been entering every free twitter raffle, mailing list random drawing, or other quirky web 2.0 giveaway that only requires an e-mail or twitter account.

    Seriously. Every single one. Trip to Iceland? Check. Arrangement of soap shaped like fortune cookies? Check. Cocoa butter caramels? Sure. Cotton necklace scarves? Put my username in the hat for that. The only limit is that I hit up only vouched-for and reputable sources, no “xtreem ring tones” or “complete 8 gold offers” or anything like that—but as for the prizes? I’m casting the net extremely wide, and seeing where, or what, it gets me.

    I can imagine you canny web users thinking “that’s a bad idea,” but you needn’t fret. Since my goal isn’t to get spammed out of my skin or drive everyone who knows/follows me insane, I’ve created a new (but 100% truthful) e-mail address and a dedicated twitter feed for this adventure. I’ve discovered that there’s an entire culture surrounding “frees” and “review giveaways.” Anyway, we’ll see if I’ve got what it takes to RT #Giveaways with the best of ‘em.

    Wish me luck! Or at least perseverance. There’s a lot of clicking involved. Even if I don’t end up coated with swag (I have little expectation of winning), it’s already been a fascinating study in web marketing.

     

    • wip78 3:24 pm on February 22, 2010 Permalink

      OOOO! I hope you win some great infomercial items like the Miracle Blades or the “Perfect Push-up”. Good luck to you , my friend!!!

  • jeindeer 3:10 pm on February 18, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

    “Wiseman discovered that lucky people also score significantly higher in openness than unlucky people do. “Lucky people are open to new experiences in their lives…. They don’t tend to be bound by convention and they like the notion of unpredictability,” he notes. As such, lucky people travel more, encounter novel prospects and welcome unique opportunities. Expectation also plays a role in luck. Lucky people expect good things to happen, and when they do they embrace them.”

    Michael Shermer in “As Luck Would Have It,” an Scientific American article on Richard Wiseman’s studies of self-identified lucky people. Read more.
     

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