It is that time of the year again! I got an email yesterday telling me that they were opening up auditions again. I have yet to hear any type of result from doing the online auditions, but it is still fun to try to be a part of the show.
If you want to try out here is the link. All you have to do is answer 50 assorted humbling questions to test your knowledge. My test time is 8:00 pm on Jan. 9th. I know I it makes me a nerd, but I really like the show and would LOVE to be on the show some day!
Friday, December 28, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
2. Host a Gingerbread party
Melissa already wrote about our gingerbread party here.
I just need to share this picture. Charlie loved his gingerbread house so much he leaned down and just took a bite out of the top of his house. He didn't pick it up or anything, he just leaned down, opened his mouth and took a bite. It was my favorite part of the day!
44 goals down!
I just need to share this picture. Charlie loved his gingerbread house so much he leaned down and just took a bite out of the top of his house. He didn't pick it up or anything, he just leaned down, opened his mouth and took a bite. It was my favorite part of the day!
44 goals down!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
53. Read Plato’s Republic
After about 8 months of working to get through this book I have finally finished it.
The only reason it was on my list is because the first time I read it I had no clue what I was reading. To compound it even more I was taking a philosophy class at NIU and had to feel even more foolish having to try to discuss this book and to write papers about it. I had such a poor understanding of the content that I depended on Melissa to read portions of the book to me and discuss it as we went along. It was horrible and embarrassing all at the same time. This time I took my time working through it and have a little better understanding of what is happening in the book.
That is all.
43 goals down!
The only reason it was on my list is because the first time I read it I had no clue what I was reading. To compound it even more I was taking a philosophy class at NIU and had to feel even more foolish having to try to discuss this book and to write papers about it. I had such a poor understanding of the content that I depended on Melissa to read portions of the book to me and discuss it as we went along. It was horrible and embarrassing all at the same time. This time I took my time working through it and have a little better understanding of what is happening in the book.
That is all.
43 goals down!
Monday, December 3, 2012
25. Swim 1 mile
I don't know if I was encouraged or puzzled, but swimming a mile this morning wasn't as tough as I thought it would be. My morning started with a 5:00 wake up from my alarm clock. I had everything laid out and ready to go so I was able to be moving in the van by 5:15. I have learned from past experience that if I don't have it all set up and ready to go, then there is a good chance I will not go. But go I did.
After changing I got into the pool at 5:31 and began to swim. The pool is 25 yards long which means that I had to swim 1760 ÷ 25 = 70.4 lengths of the pool. After experiencing the Icebreaker Marathon I knew that being accountable to count to 70 wasn't going to happen. Instead I broke it down to 4 separate 400 yard portions. Each time I would swim two lengths (down and back) I would count it as one and would count 8 of those which would equal 400 yards. I did that four times and then was left with 160 yards to cover at the end. For that I just did four more trips down and back getting me a total of 1800 yards. I'm not going to lie. I was basically doing side strokes for the whole time. Any other stroke would have tired me out way too much, but I got it done.
When I was done I just hung onto the edge of the pool. I didn't stop at all during the mile swim and this was my first break. It was then that I began to realize just how tired my legs were. During the swim I just focused on having big kicks to get me through the water and wasn't thinking about how they actually felt.
The recovery wasn't really that bad. I got out and sat on the bleachers for a few minutes then went and changed and headed home. Not a bad morning, until....
This happened on my way to school:
I should have known that was going to happen after seeing what locker I had used at the pool.
I was 2 miles into my ride to school when I heard a hissing noise from my front tire. Upon further inspection I discovered that there was a piece of glass that punctured the tire. That meant that I had to walk with my bike for the remaining two miles to school. Luckily for me I left pretty early so I wasn't late, I was just flustered. Also luckily for me, I have the best wife in the world who stopped by my school and picked up my tire and took it to get a new tube so I could ride home!
I finished with my favorite drink in the whole entire world. This stuff is amazing!
Tonight at dinner I told Melissa that this may become my new Monday morning routine. Well minus the flat tire. I had a good time and really felt confident that I could do it again.
42 goals down!
After changing I got into the pool at 5:31 and began to swim. The pool is 25 yards long which means that I had to swim 1760 ÷ 25 = 70.4 lengths of the pool. After experiencing the Icebreaker Marathon I knew that being accountable to count to 70 wasn't going to happen. Instead I broke it down to 4 separate 400 yard portions. Each time I would swim two lengths (down and back) I would count it as one and would count 8 of those which would equal 400 yards. I did that four times and then was left with 160 yards to cover at the end. For that I just did four more trips down and back getting me a total of 1800 yards. I'm not going to lie. I was basically doing side strokes for the whole time. Any other stroke would have tired me out way too much, but I got it done.
When I was done I just hung onto the edge of the pool. I didn't stop at all during the mile swim and this was my first break. It was then that I began to realize just how tired my legs were. During the swim I just focused on having big kicks to get me through the water and wasn't thinking about how they actually felt.
The recovery wasn't really that bad. I got out and sat on the bleachers for a few minutes then went and changed and headed home. Not a bad morning, until....
This happened on my way to school:
I should have known that was going to happen after seeing what locker I had used at the pool.
I was 2 miles into my ride to school when I heard a hissing noise from my front tire. Upon further inspection I discovered that there was a piece of glass that punctured the tire. That meant that I had to walk with my bike for the remaining two miles to school. Luckily for me I left pretty early so I wasn't late, I was just flustered. Also luckily for me, I have the best wife in the world who stopped by my school and picked up my tire and took it to get a new tube so I could ride home!
I finished with my favorite drink in the whole entire world. This stuff is amazing!
Tonight at dinner I told Melissa that this may become my new Monday morning routine. Well minus the flat tire. I had a good time and really felt confident that I could do it again.
42 goals down!
Monday, November 19, 2012
52. The Chronicles of Narnia
I just finished reading all 7 books in the Narnia series. I have had them in my classroom library for a bunch of years and I always wanted to read them, but I never really had the push to pick them up. The students in my class this year have been that push. They have been amazing readers and have really challenged me to also keep pressing forward in keeping reading. I have them to thank for getting through these books.
I was also encouraged to read these books because they are on my list of books that I should read. The more I look at this list the more I realize that it is really screwed up. It lists The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as one book, but it also lists The Chronicles of Narnia as another book. The Narnia series is 7 books, not just one. Oh well. Now I just need to read one more book off that list and I will be finished with that goal. I have a couple of the books loaded on my kindle ready to go. Now I just have to figure out which one will be next.
Also, I just finished my sixty-first book since I started this list. I am pretty proud and I am beginning to believe that I will be able to make it to 100 by the end of the 1001 days.
I have been so thankful for the website goodreads.com as it has given me a chance to keep track of the books that I have read. It also helps me by giving me the chance to keep track of books that I want to read in the future. It makes it a lot easier to keep track of books. For that I am thankful.
I was also encouraged to read these books because they are on my list of books that I should read. The more I look at this list the more I realize that it is really screwed up. It lists The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as one book, but it also lists The Chronicles of Narnia as another book. The Narnia series is 7 books, not just one. Oh well. Now I just need to read one more book off that list and I will be finished with that goal. I have a couple of the books loaded on my kindle ready to go. Now I just have to figure out which one will be next.
Also, I just finished my sixty-first book since I started this list. I am pretty proud and I am beginning to believe that I will be able to make it to 100 by the end of the 1001 days.
I have been so thankful for the website goodreads.com as it has given me a chance to keep track of the books that I have read. It also helps me by giving me the chance to keep track of books that I want to read in the future. It makes it a lot easier to keep track of books. For that I am thankful.
Friday, November 9, 2012
55. I passed my comps!
This means very little to most, but I just got this letter in the mail yesterday.
This summer I worked on my comprehensive exam for the program. This required me doing the equivelant of 3 research papers over a two week timeframe. It was as fun as it sounds.
I am officially "intellectually mature!" That means nothing, but what this letter does mean is that I am now considered to be ABD. That means that I have finished most of the requirements of the program and now just have to complete my dissertation. That is no easy task, but the last 3 years haven't really been that easy either.
Getting this letter is an incredible weight off my shoulders. The other letter that could have come would have told me that I would need to redo the exam and do one to three of those papers again. I am so happy that I don't have to do that!
This isn't a goal down, but it is a step in that direction.
This summer I worked on my comprehensive exam for the program. This required me doing the equivelant of 3 research papers over a two week timeframe. It was as fun as it sounds.
I am officially "intellectually mature!" That means nothing, but what this letter does mean is that I am now considered to be ABD. That means that I have finished most of the requirements of the program and now just have to complete my dissertation. That is no easy task, but the last 3 years haven't really been that easy either.
Getting this letter is an incredible weight off my shoulders. The other letter that could have come would have told me that I would need to redo the exam and do one to three of those papers again. I am so happy that I don't have to do that!
This isn't a goal down, but it is a step in that direction.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
We love old houses!
This is what I have waiting for me when I get home:
Last night there was a leak in the tub because the overflow pipe wasn't sealed completely. About an hour after the tub had been drained I went into the kitchen and discovered the kitchen floor was soaked. I looked up to see a bubble in the ceiling. I got a bucket and a knife and cut an opening in the ceiling only to have a little more than a gallon of water flow down into that bucket. I started cutting away at the soaked drywall and ended up with a hole about 3 feet by 2 feet in our kitchen ceiling.
Oh the joy of owning an older home...
Last night there was a leak in the tub because the overflow pipe wasn't sealed completely. About an hour after the tub had been drained I went into the kitchen and discovered the kitchen floor was soaked. I looked up to see a bubble in the ceiling. I got a bucket and a knife and cut an opening in the ceiling only to have a little more than a gallon of water flow down into that bucket. I started cutting away at the soaked drywall and ended up with a hole about 3 feet by 2 feet in our kitchen ceiling.
Oh the joy of owning an older home...
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