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  • skywatcher 7:52 pm on June 13, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52,   

    Double Play: #6/52 & #7/52 

    Habitat for Humanity #6/52

    I stopped by Habitat for Humanity’s “Women Build” display earlier this year, when I was looking for opportunities to volunteer in a meaningful way.  During Memorial Day weekend, I was able to join a crew of other women in working on a quadriplex; my part involved helping install windows and window trim.  I was also able to assist the crew foreman in marking chalk lines for the siding.  We began the day before 9 am and worked through until about 2 pm…at which time there was a birthday party for one of the volunteers.  Obviously, I picked a good day to work!

    I already knew how to use a hammer, of course, but the nail gun – now that’s power!  (And kind of fun…they nearly had to pry it out of my hands! ) While I was working on windows, other crews worked on framing.

    I’ll be back this week to help put siding on the house, and I’m really looking forward to it.  I’ve met a couple of the partner families, as well as some wonderful women, and it makes me feel good to be giving back to the community.  Thanks to this website for prodding/encouraging me to get involved with something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

    Job Interview  #7/52

    Well, I did it:  first in-person job interview of the year.  This is a public forum, so I won’t go into details other than to say that I applied on a whim for a position traditionally held by a male.  The interview went well, and although another candidate was ultimately chosen, I’m glad for the experience.  The fact that I was even called for an interview makes me more optimistic about the future.  I’ll keep plugging away!

     

    • yearof52adventures 4:10 pm on June 14, 2010 Permalink

      I have always wanted to do this! Annnnnd I suppose I will now. Thanks for the inspiration!

  • Stephanie 8:37 am on March 22, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52, leggings   

    Adventure #6 – Leggings as Pants 

    January 22

    The challenge: create a costume for a night on the town at two very different venues (aka “Rockstar Chic”)

    1. alternative rock scene at the Middle East in Cambridge
    2. swanky hipster scene at the Foundation Lounge in Boston

    I know many folks have strong opinions about wearing leggings as pants, but I decided to take a chance on virgin territory.  I paired my black leggings with a short-sleeved black v-neck sweater and knee-high black boots.  I wish I had been brave enough to take pictures, because I was rocking those leggings!

    Meghan, Spencer, AJ, and I went to see AJ’s brother’s band Muy Cansado at the Middle East.  Although I wasn’t a fan of the bar (or being in grungy, hippie-filled Cambridge), the band was awesome!  I get “itchy” if I spend too much time in Cambridge, so the highlight of the night, for me, was crossing the river into Boston to see DJ Matty D spinning at Foundation Lounge.

    Botton Line:  if you are looking for an ensemble that transcends opposite ends of the party spectrum, opt for leggings as pants!  🙂

     

    • Mike 2:27 pm on April 19, 2010 Permalink

      I had a hard time visualizing what the deal was. Really needed pictures. I have been staring at anyone I see with leggings to figure out if I know what leggings really are.

  • Kimberly Hula 9:35 pm on March 21, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52   

    Adventures in Hairstyling 

    I sometimes (see: often) have these quarterly year crises.  They involve me getting restless.  When I am restless I crave change.  When I crave change I sometimes (see: often) dramatically alter my physical appearance by changing my hair.  So, should one look at the date stamp of any photograph of me of any certain year, one will find upwards to four different hairstyles.  Four!  2000 boasted the best of black to red to burgundy to brown.  I was a blond in Japan, and a brunette in Japan.  And what my hairstylists dubbed my “sakura (cherry blossom)” phase in Japan.  4 colors all at once in Chicago; one at most in Florida.  All told, I am not immune to impulsivity.

    Okay, so a proposed hair adventure is weak.  I understand this, except that it is always good to take routine, no matter how harried (hair-ied), and make it into something new.  So I did just that.  I scoured the streets of Boston for any salons willing to take me on as a test patient (aka: hair model), and in turn offered them this freedom: complete and total control.  Therein lies the caveat: I had, for the first time ever, absolutely no say in my own makeover.  I could not suggest.  I could not request.  I could not betray my opinion.  I was to remain stoic, impartial and ready to receive… anything. (More …)

     

    • modpix 9:52 pm on March 21, 2010 Permalink

      I love it – almost every single picture of me shows a different style and/or color. I was everything you were regarding hair color. Thanks to radiation and a thinning of my hair on one side of my head – my cut will likely not stray absurdly far from what I have now, as it has done before. I think many people are afraid to change their hair in any way, so a “small” adventure to you is huge for them…

  • adrienne 6:40 pm on March 18, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52   

    And the 6th – I went to Hogwarts 

    Who knew it was at the Museum of Science?  And I thought I liked the V&A in London.  The Harry Potter Exhibition was quite possibly the most brilliant thing I have done or will do in this town.  A mostly self-directed tour of the wonders of the Harry Potter world, the exhibit was filled with the creatures, props, and costumes used in the films.  A lot of what my friend Kim and I saw were in The Goblet of Fire, so that film now has a special place in my heart.  I wanted to try on Hermione’s Yule Ball gown in the worst way – I’m sure it would’ve fit.  I pulled up a Mandrake, threw a Quaffle through a hoop, sat in Hagrid’s big chair, which was really huge, and heard the Fat Lady sing!  There was so much I can’t even remember it all.  But it was brilliant – if only I didn’t have to come back…

     

  • Berton 12:51 am on February 26, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52, ,   

    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.

  • eatveggiesdrinkwine 11:47 pm on February 22, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52, 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;)

  • wip78 3:10 pm on February 22, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52   

    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 …)

     

  • AG 9:49 am on February 17, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52   

    Adventure #6: Hot Yoga 

    I have been wanting to take yoga classes for some time now. So on my walk to work today, I was thinking, “I wish there was a yoga studio nearby within walking distance of my apartment.” Within a minute, I found a place. This is proof that when you really want something and ask for it, you get it. Or maybe it’s a testimony to the saying of, “The universe gives you exactly what you need when you need it.”

    I am really self-conscious about walking into places here in Korea where I will be singled out and need to communicate with Korean folk. This is mostly due to my horrible Korean language ability and the fact that I cannot just walk into a place here and expect to blend in. So I was really proud of myself that I didn’t hesitate and just pulled the door open. I noticed immediately upon entry the six people standing at the front desk because when I walked in and took my shoes off they all stared at me and laughed. This is not uncommon, being laughed at. It’s what you get when you’re a foreigner in Korea. It’s not rude, it’s more excitement at the sight of someone “different” in a purely homogenous society.

    So, luckily one of the staff spoke English and within minutes I was offered a great deal for hot yoga classes with an extra free month as service (service is what they call getting things for free here). They offer classes everyday all throughout the day. The instructor does not speak English, so I will be taking yoga for the first time with a Korean speaker. It should be interesting, much like everything else that I’ve experienced while living in this country.

     

  • jeindeer 7:26 pm on February 15, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52, , reading, the t   

    #6: Finish Infinite Jest 

    The cover of infinite jestI tend to go through pleasure reading pretty quickly, but I’m not used to books which weigh as much as a healthy baby. Case in point: if Infinite Jest were in fact a healthy baby, by the time I finished reading, it would be able to play peek-a-boo and drink from a sippy cup. Seven long months. At almost 1,100 pages of tiny, end note-strewn text, it has enough physical and emotional bulk to justify my reading time, but it’s still been on my shelf for roughly forever. I read other books, too; I moved to New England; I started grad school; it has infinite in the name. For every week I couldn’t put it down, there was a week when the only progress I made was a couple of pages during one night’s dinner. Even then I’d gush about it to my bewildered friends—”you won’t believe how they tell time,” “I can’t believe he/she/it has first-person segments now!”—but there was always a new revelation to digest and, just as important,  wonder why I was so effected.

    By six months I was in up to my neck, and there was still a novella’s worth of content left. I was humbled. I just needed to finish it. After paring down what remained a couple of times, decided that this would be an adventure. I’d just sit down and finish Infinite Jest. Since the story takes place in Boston—and makes frequent mention of the green line—I decided to up the ante and read the last hundred pages while riding the T. I have a monthly pass, so I don’t get charged for individual rides. I’d just start in the morning and ride branches of the green line until I was finished.

    (More …)

     

  • heididino 11:46 am on February 15, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 6/52   

    6/52 DIY 

    I built a shelf. It took me like 3.5 hours and i only had to take it apart once. I wouldn’t really say that i am adept at assembling things. I’m not very crafty and i have very little patience. i got aggravated trying to hang up my shower curtain! I consider myself to be very independant yet i always seem to find someone to take care of my assemblying needs. Not this time!  With my screw driver and Arrested Development on in the background i went to work.  i know have a lovely 5 shelf rack thing for my bathroom. I’m pretty pleased with my handiwork.

     

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