Here are a few of the things on my list so far. I am still six goals short... Ideas?
1. Read 25 books
Luckily for me, this vacation has given me a head start, and I have already finished two!
2. Bungee jump
3. Drive a big motorcycle
4. Learn to juggle
Yes, I learned to juggle scarves with Mr. Sopelak in grade 3, but I never moved up to juggling balls like Tony Volpi. And honestly, juggling scarves is not the most impressive party trick.
5. Snowboard
6. Go to New Zealand
Maybe I'm cheating by already having a plan to go there, but it's my list. And Jenny, I am on vacation right now, but I will send you the itinerary next week.
7. Run a half marathon
8. Go to Burning Man
Technically, it will take place after my birthday, but once again, it's my list.
9. Learn to play golf
10. Take a tour of Alcatraz
11. Complete a Rubiks cube
I used to be able to complete about two thirds of the cube, but that isn't a cool party trick either.
12. Go to the New York Public Library
How do I live in New York state and I have never been there?! This is on so many lists of "must sees" in the USA, and it should be a pretty easy one to check off the list.
13. Get my scuba certification
I am well on my way! I had a full day of classroom and pool practice today, and tomorrow we are out on the boat! Oh, and I got 100% on my exam, beat that, Garvey!
14. Play tennis
15. Finish learning the Thai alphabet
... And remember it in order!
16. Have over 5000 views on my blog!
As I said, I'm still missing six items, and I need your help! And yes, I can count. I know that sixteen plus six does not equal twenty-five, but I can't tell you everything!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
25 by 25
25 by 25
Nearly a week after I returned to Khon Kaen, a friend of mine passed away. She wasn't one of my very close friends, but someone that meant quite a bit to me. She was a counselor at the camp I went to, and the camp that Chip still goes to, Camp Woodstock.
She was three years older than me, and I first met her when she was a counselor and I was still a camper. She was the person I wanted to be. But first, I just wanted to be in her cabin! I was never in her cabin, but I was able to work with her when we were both counselors, and later, she was waterfront director. She was everything I wanted to be in three years. She was hilarious and adored by the campers and counselors alike. She was athletic and beautiful. She was kind and constantly smiling and laughing.
When I found out about her death I was at a loss for words. I was shocked, and had no idea how to react. Over the years I got to know her younger sister, and couldn't help but think about how significantly her life would be altered. The younger sister was one of my campers, and exactly like her. Chip has been lucky enough to work with the younger of the two.
Then, about a week ago, Paul found out that one of his Thai friends died in a motorcycle accident. He was very good friends with Paul and all of my Thai friends. Paul was devastated, absolutely beside himself.
After lots of thinking and talking, to myself and others, I am making a list. The list will contain 25 things I want to accomplish before I turn 25. I am making this list simply to take advantage of every day I have. And with a little over ten months until I turn 25, I need to get cracking!
Tomorrow I will post what I have so far. And yes, suggestions are highly encouraged.
Nearly a week after I returned to Khon Kaen, a friend of mine passed away. She wasn't one of my very close friends, but someone that meant quite a bit to me. She was a counselor at the camp I went to, and the camp that Chip still goes to, Camp Woodstock.
She was three years older than me, and I first met her when she was a counselor and I was still a camper. She was the person I wanted to be. But first, I just wanted to be in her cabin! I was never in her cabin, but I was able to work with her when we were both counselors, and later, she was waterfront director. She was everything I wanted to be in three years. She was hilarious and adored by the campers and counselors alike. She was athletic and beautiful. She was kind and constantly smiling and laughing.
When I found out about her death I was at a loss for words. I was shocked, and had no idea how to react. Over the years I got to know her younger sister, and couldn't help but think about how significantly her life would be altered. The younger sister was one of my campers, and exactly like her. Chip has been lucky enough to work with the younger of the two.
Then, about a week ago, Paul found out that one of his Thai friends died in a motorcycle accident. He was very good friends with Paul and all of my Thai friends. Paul was devastated, absolutely beside himself.
After lots of thinking and talking, to myself and others, I am making a list. The list will contain 25 things I want to accomplish before I turn 25. I am making this list simply to take advantage of every day I have. And with a little over ten months until I turn 25, I need to get cracking!
Tomorrow I will post what I have so far. And yes, suggestions are highly encouraged.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Stumbling
In April, Garvey and I spent the afternoon in New York City. We went to The High Line with a friend of his from West Hartford and his girlfriend. From there, the four of us jumped in a cab and headed to a flea market. Sitting in the back of the cab I saw a strange SU logo. I looked at it, and made a comment about Syracuse University, and how I thought the color was orange, not blue and green. Garvey thought I was kidding. He said, "what are you talking about? That's StumbleUpon." I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. Everyone in the cab thought I was crazy.
They gave me a quick rundown. You enter interests, and push the "stumble" button. The website randomly takes you to websites that you might find interesting. It is the newest and hippest time- waster. I thought it sounded ridiculous. Until about two weeks ago.
Let's just say that this funk has led to Stumbling. A lot of Stumbling. And while I still believe it to be the newest and hippest way to waste time, I have also found some pretty cool things.
This is currently my favorite video that I stumbled upon. For one, I like to watch the video and try to figure out how many of the places I have been to. But, I also like to look at the cute boy.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Funk
I've been stuck in a funk. This is really the only reason I haven't posted. Because, without a job, trust me, I have plenty of free time!
I have been in a funk. The kind of funk that makes me miss my friends and family terribly, but also keeps me from calling them, or answering when they call me. The kind of funk that keeps me up at all hours of the night, accomplishing absolutely nothing, but craving to accomplish something. The kind of funk that makes me sleep late in the morning and not want to get out of bed, when all I want to do is run and get in shape. The kind of funk that makes every single thing my roommate does drive me crazy. But, I adore my roommate. This is the kind of funk that makes me open new blog post after new blog post, but never type anything. Well, I never type anything worthwhile. This is a funk in which my sole accomplishment has been watching The Office, in its entirety, in just a few weeks. And for those of you that don't know, that is seven seasons. I am not even going to do the math of how many hours that is.
There are certain things that I can pinpoint as reasons for my slump. But, at the same time, I know there are other things bothering me that I haven't been able to figure out just yet.
Losing Grandma has definitely been challenging. While I was back in the States, I stayed busy. I visited with friends, took trips, helped to clean out my grandparents' room and get the house back to normal. Instead of it hitting me, the realization of having no grandparents has slowly seeped in. And it has really been seeping in since I have been back in Thailand, without my family. And of course, I got an email today with the subject: CookiEmail - Send your love on Grandparent's Day! Well, thanks for the reminder to send a cookie bouquet, but no thank you.
Going home was also the best and worst thing that I could have done. I loved every second of being home. I have lots of friends in the area, and was able to spend tons of time with them. There is nothing better than Saratoga in the summer. Between the track, the orchestra, Caroline Street, the dog park, and Lake George, I stayed very busy. I loved every second of it, and it only made it more difficult to come back to Thailand. I felt that much lonelier when I came back here.
And, to top it all off, I no longer have a job. I quit. I have not regretted that decision for a second, but I have been bored. Paul and I still had four weeks of our after school program when I returned, so I was forced to stay in Khon Kaen. Without work every day, the funk has had an opportunity to fully set in.
This is all changing.
Paul and I finished the after school program yesterday. We are done for good. I cried. But I am ecstatic. On Sunday, Grandparent's Day, I will be going to the beach for two weeks. I will spend my time on Koh Lanta, Railay Beach and Krabi. I will spend my time getting my SCUBA certification, reading, tanning and doing yoga. I am nervous to travel alone, as I always am, but I am thrilled.
When I return, a group of us will be taking a trip to my friend's boat in Chiang Rai, in northern Thailand. A weekend of lounging and swimming on a lake in the mountains? Sounds perfect!
Here I am, with just over three months left in Asia, and ready to make a change. I am going to pull myself out of this funk, and I am going to take advantage of every second I have left. White sandy beaches, here I come!
I have been in a funk. The kind of funk that makes me miss my friends and family terribly, but also keeps me from calling them, or answering when they call me. The kind of funk that keeps me up at all hours of the night, accomplishing absolutely nothing, but craving to accomplish something. The kind of funk that makes me sleep late in the morning and not want to get out of bed, when all I want to do is run and get in shape. The kind of funk that makes every single thing my roommate does drive me crazy. But, I adore my roommate. This is the kind of funk that makes me open new blog post after new blog post, but never type anything. Well, I never type anything worthwhile. This is a funk in which my sole accomplishment has been watching The Office, in its entirety, in just a few weeks. And for those of you that don't know, that is seven seasons. I am not even going to do the math of how many hours that is.
There are certain things that I can pinpoint as reasons for my slump. But, at the same time, I know there are other things bothering me that I haven't been able to figure out just yet.
Losing Grandma has definitely been challenging. While I was back in the States, I stayed busy. I visited with friends, took trips, helped to clean out my grandparents' room and get the house back to normal. Instead of it hitting me, the realization of having no grandparents has slowly seeped in. And it has really been seeping in since I have been back in Thailand, without my family. And of course, I got an email today with the subject: CookiEmail - Send your love on Grandparent's Day! Well, thanks for the reminder to send a cookie bouquet, but no thank you.
Going home was also the best and worst thing that I could have done. I loved every second of being home. I have lots of friends in the area, and was able to spend tons of time with them. There is nothing better than Saratoga in the summer. Between the track, the orchestra, Caroline Street, the dog park, and Lake George, I stayed very busy. I loved every second of it, and it only made it more difficult to come back to Thailand. I felt that much lonelier when I came back here.
And, to top it all off, I no longer have a job. I quit. I have not regretted that decision for a second, but I have been bored. Paul and I still had four weeks of our after school program when I returned, so I was forced to stay in Khon Kaen. Without work every day, the funk has had an opportunity to fully set in.
This is all changing.
Paul and I finished the after school program yesterday. We are done for good. I cried. But I am ecstatic. On Sunday, Grandparent's Day, I will be going to the beach for two weeks. I will spend my time on Koh Lanta, Railay Beach and Krabi. I will spend my time getting my SCUBA certification, reading, tanning and doing yoga. I am nervous to travel alone, as I always am, but I am thrilled.
When I return, a group of us will be taking a trip to my friend's boat in Chiang Rai, in northern Thailand. A weekend of lounging and swimming on a lake in the mountains? Sounds perfect!
Here I am, with just over three months left in Asia, and ready to make a change. I am going to pull myself out of this funk, and I am going to take advantage of every second I have left. White sandy beaches, here I come!
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