How are things in Cincinnati?

Things are great here in Cincinnati. What have I done so far?

Thursday:
I went to bed around 1am on Wednesday night. Why? I don't really have a good answer to that. It just seemed like the thing to do at the time. Just to be on the safe side I set the alarm clock and two different alarms on my phone. I got up with no problem and had some of Kelly's awesome sticky buns for breakfast.

Bonnie gave me a ride to the airport. When I got there, the tram was down which meant I had to walk about half a mile (no, seriously) to my gate. Thank goodness I can walk that far. The flight itself was uneventful.

Mom and I went out to lunch and then shopping. We got Jenny's shower/wedding gifts and an hilarious card. Hee hee. I think Doug will like it too. We also went to Target and got Dad his fathers day gift (which Mom helped me pick out). It was approved because they were items my mom was willing to pack when they move.

When we got back into the car from Target it was about 9000* inside so I flipped the switch to turn on the A/C. And the compressor turned on right away. The fan only worked on high though. I felt so bad. Luckily Mom was there and could see that the thing just chose to break when I touched it. Still, I felt really bad.

Rehearsal was fun. I knew almost everyone there. That's the first time that's happened in any wedding I've been a participant. It was also the longest rehearsal I've ever known. We went through the whole ceremony twice. Guess who's going down the aisle first. We know how I feel about that. It's ok. A guy comes to take my arm earlier in this process and I'm in flats so I'll be fine.

Dinner was at a place called "Porkopolis" where the only things that don't have pork are the beef and chicken. It's actually the old Rookwood Pottery kiln and factory so it's a fun restaurant. I did not have the bacon. It's just not the same without Amanda.

There was also ride in a very full minivan. I was happy when that ended. It was a really fun night. I got to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while, including my first bosses ever.

Friday: I stuck my head in the lion's mouth with (hopefully) a much better result. Mom decided she just couldn't face the attic so I told her I'd clean it. She actually did an awesome job of throwing things away. Of all the things I went through, she only wanted to keep her wedding dress, wedding hat (it's a sun hat, it looks nice), the outfits her mom wore to her wedding and my uncle's wedding, and her year books.

Through the process, I also learned that Dad is cheap. He's really a bigger part of the problem than I'd originally anticipated. He doesn't want to throw away anything that cost money. Ever. Christmas Ribbon? We can use that. Books? We can read 'em. In a blessing/curse thing he's also work-avoidant and only spen about 15 minutes trying to help me sort through things. Ultimately I decided his time would be better spent taking things up and down the stairs. Good decision on my part. Our "attic" is really a third floor servants quarters. It's from when the house was made, we didn't have servants. And the stuff had to get taken out the basement so it's really four floors that he was running up and down. I did it for a while too but I got worn out.

Mom and I took a trip to the recycling program near by, which is really a dumpster by my old school. Mom wears rubber gloves at almost all times and I was wearing a bandanna as a mask because it was so dusty upstairs so we were really quite the pair.

Finally, I got to clean up and take a shower. Did I mention there's no air conditioning? Anywhere. I was so excited for that cold shower.

Then we went to see my parent's new digs. They put in an offer that was accepted. Except the inspection just came back and there's a few things that need to be fixed I guess. It sounded like some of them were pretty big and some were not. The dryer doesn't work, but I think the biggest thing is the garage floor is cracked and it sounds hollow under one part. It's a nice looking place. It is all covered in wall-paper. As soon as I walked in I thought, "well, I know who's gonna be taking that down". They're going to re-do the kitchen before they move in. I think they may re-do the floors and paint the walls. Really they'll have to paint if they take out the wallpaper.

I had Christmas Spaghetti for dinner which was yummy as always. And my cousin's son was there. He's 8 months old and really cute. I had a great time.

Now, after having spent the day as Cinderella, I'm worn out. I have pictures but I'll post them when I get home.

As seen recently

Interactive Websites. I'm always looking for something to do. Kelly, I'd like to draw your attention to The Mini-Mizer. Too bad you can't create a character for Lego Star Wars! Amanda, I'd like to draw your attention to the interactive autopsy. Don't let the website Deathonline.net freak you out, it's legit.

Mileage is going up. Yeah!! ::Looks around at the quiet people and blank stares:: Am I really the only one who drives for my job?

I'm always interested in people's views for being charged for plastic bags. I'm all for it. Really, if you had to pay for the things every single time, wouldn't you always bring your own bag? Seriously, Ikea gives them out free at the state fair, so do about 50 other booths for that matter.

New treatment for hypertension: works better as a do-it-yourself type thing. I wonder what other things they'll try this for. I wonder if it would work with weight control?

readership has increased by one

I love it when I find out people are reading my blog. I talked to my cousin Mark and his wife Irmghard (my newest cousin) who said, "I like reading your blog". Cool, thank you. Then I did a mental calculation of any time I would have mentioned Mark or Irmghard, or said anything else that would have embarrassed me. Really, nothing totally embarrassing will happen as long as the parents don't find out about the blog. If Mom ever sees some of the stuff I've said, my whole life will be bonkers...

Why haven't I written lately? I keep getting migraines. I have another one. Maybe not drinking caffeine was not the best decision I could have made. Because usually I don't get them like this. What have I done lately? (When was the last time I wrote?) Oh, that's right, the real reason I haven't written anything in a while is because I was drinking too much Tequila celebrating my birthday this weekend. What did I do?

Friday: Awesome boss brought truly awesome cake and the I got to celebrate with my colleagues. I'm learning more and more about the culture of this agency. For example, we don't go out to lunch. Ever. I've been there a whole year, it's never happened as like a team thing. One time me and a girl from a different department went out, but that had more to do with hunger than workplace camaraderie. Birthdays on the other hand are a big deal. I got presents, like stuff to actually unwrap, from lots and lots of people. Most of it was chocolate.

Which brings us to Friday night when Amanda tried to get to my house via several different routes and was nearly thwarted at all of them. When she got her, she wanted water. So she went to my kitchen and opened the door to the fridge and the freezer (at the same time) and stood there. (I keep my water in the faucet. Maybe that's why she was puzzled.) All of the sudden I hear, "you have a lot of chocolate". We had a really nice night once Amanda's driving nightmare was over.

Saturday: Technically Amanda stayed into Saturday morning and she wished my happy birthday. I didn't do a whole lot on Saturday. I went to the Y and then went to Noodles and Co for a birthday dinner. A few people called me and I hung out and indulged.

Sunday: Speaking of indulgence (and Tequila), we went to Bar Abilene where dessert is free on your birthday. That's not why I picked it. I wanted to go there because they make guacamole on the table right in front of me. Yum. We celebrated Kelly's birthday too, though sadly my gift to her had not arrived yet. I got a nice cookbook (so I don't have to get on the internet ever time I need to know how long to bake a potato) and some really nice spices. Lets be honest, both will probably be used to cook a meal for Amanda and Kelly so they gave wisely. I'm excited to try out the spices.

Amanda got Kelly the Austin Powers DVD set that I refused to buy. (Sorry, I just don't enjoy those movies. Gift gives should also enjoy the gifts, at least a little I think.)

Monday: Felt like the longest day ever at work (possibly because I worked an hour longer than normal) but Kelly's gift showed up. I went out with my mentee Monday night. We went to Cold Stone Creamery and the aquarium to celebrate both of our birthdays. I took her on deck. We saw Amanda's sea turtle, star fish and lots of other cute animals. (Hot Guy wasn't there though. Sad.) Then I came home and wrapped Kelly's present. I was surprised as anyone to learn I actually owned wrapping paper.

Today: I ran this morning. Oh hey, I should upload that to Nike+. I called Kelly to say Happy Birthday Kelly and talked to her for a while before Mark called. And now here I am.

As seen on

All the great stuff I've seen on the web lately. (Before I go clean my house so you can all come celebrate my birthday.)

• Plastic Surgeon Talks. Guys have plastic surgery? That thought never occurred to me.


• Know anyone whose an "early adopter"? I think my family was an early adopter of the VCR but almost nothing else. I was still hand writing papers when I was a senior in high school.


• Yes, that's right, Chiquita is from Cincinnati even though all the bananas are from South America and Chiquita pays paramilitary groups to guard the plantations. Apparently I've made my peace with it.


• 57 more reasons that Google is great. Some of these I knew about. Trends is really cool.


• Apparently even Comcast knows they suck. Heh heh.


• Australians have an even higher obesity rate than Americans. There's a title I don't mind sharing.


• How are others saving the planet? Quick, find me someone to shack up with so I can save the planet... Oh. Doh.

I can't believe I have to go to work tomorrow

Saturday night was a going away party for Amy (who I don't see too often and consequently, probably hasn't been mentioned here too much either). The true excitement came when we were in Amy's apartment and the sirens went off. Her apartment is all windows by the way.

I had a nice time at the party even though I didn't know too many people there. (I swear there was a man there who was wearing a purse.) As I was sitting in my chair on the side of the room watching everything happen I thought, "hmmm, I'm the only person here who's single". I wasn't really bothered by it. Although I think that maybe everyone else would think it is notable.

I left early (which really was fairly predictable when I knew about two people besides Amy). When I got home, I found out I was one of the 41,000 who lost power that night. Actually once I was a couple blocks away from my house I noticed there were no street lights so it wasn't a huge surprise when I got home. It's a good thing I have this history of caving and studying bats because I have all the proper equipment for a power outage in the middle of the night. I put on one of my headlights and read more of The Time Traveler's Wife. I can't put this book down. It's really good and I really don't say that about books too often.

This morning my mentee and I ran in the Gridiron Gallup around Lake Nokomis. She doesn't like running. I'm not sure if it's hard because she's never done it before but maybe she'll like it later in her life or if she'll just never like running. Oh well. One race down, two left to do for her. I was really excited to run because I hadn't since before I got sick. We walked mostly so I went to the Y afterward and tried to run there. I ran about a mile and then had trouble breathing. Is this what asthma feels like Amanda? So I ran really short intervals and I was fine. My breathing problems are being caused by a drug I was or am taking, either the steroid or the antibiotic. I don't think it's the sudafed. I think that'd be done by now.

By the time I was done at the Y it was almost noon and I hadn't really had breakfast either. So I went to Pineda Tacos (it's re-opened and it's really nice in there) and got a veggie burrito. Fried Cheese. Yum.

I had to do shopping for someone's birthday. No, not mine but I did think a DS or a Wii would be cool. I was feeling really frustrated because I didn't know what to get and someone hadn't updated her wish list on Amazon in a while. There was some interesting stuff on there from like 2006. I was also feeling like I couldn't just get a gift certificate to Macy's (which would surely be used on coffee) because it didn't show enough thought. Ultimately, I'm really happy with what I found. Part of my birthday gift will be torturing you. Heh heh.

I also bought a pair of silver shoes for the wedding. That's right. Silver. I looked for wedges and there were none. Ultimately I bought flats but the bride is even shorter than I am so I think it's ok. I have this issue with the dress though. There's a little more room *ahem* up top than I can fill out and there's this crazy metal wire that gives the dress it's shape. I'm worried it'll be even a little more exaggerated now. I jumped on the scale (after I had the burrito) and apparently I lost about 4lbs in my week of sickness and not eating. Not really sure how that's going to work. I think there's going to be some creative pinning. At least no one will be too concerned about the shoes.

And my parents are moving. I think. They haven't put an offer on the place they want to buy yet, but they are in negotiations I think. There's a little more information about the building they need. They did go look at cabinets for the kitchen, flooring and carpeting. And my mom is freaking out. You know? She'll tell you she doesn't have enough time. The truth is she has too much stuff and wants to take it all with her. I was in a ceramics class when I was 6. For the love of god, if you are a clutter bug, don't put your kids in ceramics. She has like four years of ceramics class stuff that she wants to keep. It's not even being used, it's just in the cupboard. I want to throw it away. Their my ceramics.

She asked me if I wanted to go shopping while I was home or stay in and clean out some of the rooms in the house. I want to clean out some of the rooms in the house but it seems like that would create more tension and pain than anything else. I guess it would be pretty painful for her to see all of those things go.

And she wants to take both of her couches to the new place. Couch A is older than I am and matches nothing else. Couch B is roughly as old as I am. There is at least furniture to match couch B. It's really eye opening how different I am from my mom some times. I was sort of excited they would move because then they could leave behind all of that furniture.

Apparently it's going to cause some pain and anxiety for me as well as my parents.

The Friday Five

From The Friday Five

1. Did you get an allowance as a kid, and if so, how much was it?
My allowance was based on how well I behaved. I had certain things I had to do every day (like brush my teeth, get dressed for school without freaking out) and I got a star if I did it. At the end of the week I got 2 pennies for every star. Usually it was like $1.00 or so.

2. How old were you when you had your first job, and what was it?
I started baby sitting when I was 12 for a couple families on my block. When I was 15 or 16 I was hired at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History in their teen program (so you see, I come by this whole working with teenagers in museums thing naturally.)

3. Which do you do better: save money or spend money?
I think I save it pretty well. I try to buy myself what I need and make myself comfortable but nothing more than that.

4. Are people more likely to borrow money from you, or are you more likely to borrow from them?
I don't save money that well. Amanda and Kelly and I have a habit of buying each other dinner and that sort of gets paid back as we go. Otherwise, my parents have given me quite a lot of money recently.

5. What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?
A condo with a brand new kitchen. Second most expensive thing? Probably Semester at Sea which I paid about half of. My parents paid the rest. Third was probably my masters degree.

Friday is a great day for internet surfing

Friday is a great day to find stuff on the web?

By the way, Firefox 3 keeps doing this crazy thing of selecting both the address bar and the search bar and not letting my type in either one. What was I looking at when I found that out? Take your pick of the following:

How big is Africa compared to other continents? Really nice graphic. It's telling once you get India and China on there.

Kelly had an interesting thought about race over on her blog today How does race affect people with diabetes? I think African Americans get the short end of the stick in a lot of health care areas. They are also more likely to be put on older (also cheaper) anti-psychotic medication which has some serious side effects than white people with similar diagnosis and dispositions. (I learned that in school.)

The Up-Side of ADD?

Someone said that people with a higher IQ are less likely to believe in God. Then everyone called him "simplistic".

The world has more people who are atheist than Jewish. I find that amazing.

People who wear flip flops are more likely to develop skin cancer on their feet. I didn't even know that flip flops were a guilty pleasure until now. Probably not likely to make me stop wearing them.

Also, Greasemonkey and my del.icio.us extensions are working in Firefox again. There are no words for my joy.

Making my way back to the land of the living

Where have I been? An inch away from death apparently. Not that bad but I was pretty sick.

Sunday: The sinus infection started. Nasal spray seemed to be quite helpful. And Amanda took me out for Pho. I thought the broth would help. The food was awesome. That was the day I could still eat.

Monday: I think I slept most of the night Sunday. I had the day off Monday for Shavout so I mostly slept. I was supposed to see my mentee. When I called her she said I sounded pretty sick so I didn't feel too bad about canceling. I took NyQuil hoping for some relief.

Tuesday: Well now I have a fever too. And it's the last day I can take nasal spray (which is a miracle drug) because it can only be taken 3 days in a row. I started taking other drugs. Dayquil? It's really an amazing drug but it makes me crazy so I try not to take it. I thought I had something to do Tuesday night so I called and canceled that too. It's a low grade fever and it seemed to be going down. More Nyquil. Work is open tomorrow so I have to go.

Wednesday: It's possible the fever has broken. I drove into work and took down the 14 messages that were waiting for me. I started returning some of those calls when it became clear that the fever had not broken. So I called the doc and went to see him instead. By the time I got there I had a raging migraine on top of everything else. So he decided in addition to the three other prescriptions that I needed a strong pain medication as well. I guess he was kind of freaked out that the fever had lasted as long as it had because he gave me antibiotics (for bacterial infections I assume?), steroids (to make me stronger and get all the way better) and really strong sudafed which also makes me mildly crazy. He said I had to get all the way better because if a sinus infection gets worse it can go into my brain. (I'd actually read that before and wasn't surprised when he said that.) I was cleared to go back to work and to run on Sunday. Also that thing I thought was Tuesday was tonight. I didn't go.

Thursday (Today): I didn't sleep so well last night. (I blame the super dose of sudafed.) I did wake up and go to work early. And I worked all day. (I'm beat.) When I got home I cleaned up from being sick. That makes a big mess. I had two sets of sheets (bed and air mattress), plus I hadn't done dishes most of the week and all the mail had piled up. I called my mom and whined for a long time about having been sick but the laundry and the cleaning got done. My A/C is on right now. I'm taking mercy on myself.

I want my internet to work again

My dad is fascinated by the fact that Minneapolis has wi-fi almost everywhere. He thinks Cincinnati should do it too. He did acknowledge that the political climate in Cincinnati might not be as receptive to such a project. Also, I think the geography and topography in Cincinnati would make a full wi-fi network challenging.

Today was day of sloth number two.

I did actually make it around Lake Nokomis last night. And then I could barely sleep because of nose clogging issues. Tonight might be a nyquil night.

I woke up this morning around 7:00 and used some nasal spray. That freaking rocked. Then I slept again 'till about 12:00.

I did make it to the y again. I did the bike, elliptical and walked. I was kind of surprised I could do that much feeling as crappy as I do.

I decided broth was in order for dinner so Amanda and I headed for Saigon and some pho. Yum. Amanda was about as tired as I was so we mostly ate silently.

I did my nightly nasal spray blow and it didn't do quite as much. Sad.

My day of no productivity

I was going to take a walk today. I came back after a block. I guess there's still time later.

In the meantime, some cool things for you to know:
Even Time thinks I shouldn't go see a doctor every year. Nice article about preventive tests (and who actually does them, it's not always your doctor).

A really cool flash animation showing the breakdown of votes for Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton in certain states. Minnesota isn't on there (I'm assuming because we caucus instead of a primary) but it's really fascinating to see what demographic groups were supporting Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama. (Ha, Firefox 3 thinks "Obama" isn't a word.)

Logo Fail. ::No words::

I don't have too many friends near retirement but I do know some people who would be really interested in this as an option. As my parents age I seem to know people who are approaching the age where they have to take social security and they describe themselves as "failing out of retirement".

I keep talking to friends of mine who still don't know why crocs are really dangerous for kids. I'm disappointed the consumer product safety commission isn't stepping in at this point. 77 incidents as 75 of them were crocs? Seriously?

Job description: Intersted parites may apply

Position available: the perfect guy.

The truth: A person I work with is from a culture where parents are involved in helping their children select a person to marry. The colleague left me a really funny message that she wanted to look for a match for me since there are so many more options available. (Since this person is from a particular culture, they are limited to prospective candidates of the same culture and thus a smaller pool of candidates.)

The message she left was so funny (Amanda, you've got serious competition) that I called her back right away. She told me to write a list and give it to her the next day. I thought, "we'll, that's one way of asking the universe for help..." And so I wrote the following list. It was really fun.

Then I told Amanda about it and she requested that I put it up so she could read the unabridged version. Anything I missed that I should add?

Smoking - Smoking is not acceptable. Past history of smoking acceptable as long as person has already successfully quit.

Alcohol use - Moderate social use is acceptable and encouraged. Drinking several times a week or binge drinking is not encouraged. Having a large supply of alcohol in the home is also not encouraged.

Drug use - Illegal drug use (even pot) is not acceptable. History of illegal drug use may be considered as long as individual has been sober for 1 year. Abuse of legal prescribed drugs is similarly unacceptable and same sobriety requirements apply.

Food - A picky eater, by that I mean someone who will only go to one or two restaurants because they have "normal food", is not acceptable. Dislike of certain foods (examples: tomatoes, mayonnaise, any German food other than beer is acceptable). Must also be supportive of my vegetarian leanings. Vegetarianism is not required. Veganism is a little scary.

Gender equality - Must do own laundry. After marriage, agrees to split duty of sheets, towels, guest laundry and laundry from any children. Agrees to participate in meals by preparing the meal or cleaning up on a regular basis. Agrees to split responsibility for cleaning the house in an equitable manner. Specific duties and menus may be negotiated. Cooking skills are not required.

Standards of cleanliness - Must have standard of cleanliness similar or "more clean" than my own. Clutter is frowned upon. Hoarding will not be tolerated. Habits of cleanliness which result in rodent, insect or mold infestation is similarly not tolerated.

Pets - Fish are acceptable. Any other currently living pet may be negotiated. After the marriage, no new dogs, cats, or winged animals or animals classified as rodents, arachnids or serpents may be introduced without written approval and a three week waiting period. Bringing home a "cute dog that needed a home" is not acceptable at any time.

Financial - Money values similar to my own. Money is a resource and should be saved appropriately and spent wisely. That said, money is there to serve me (or "us") and should be spent as indicated and not hoarded. Preferably no credit card debt. Student loans, mortgage and car payments are acceptable.

Education - Smart is sexy. Preferably college educated or higher. If no college degree, a positive attitude and willingness to participate in "learning experiences" like community talks may be substituted as appropriate. Must be supportive of my education. Geekiness is a plus.

Vocational - Must be employed (by self or others). A stable work history is highly desirable. A job with compatible hours with my own is also desirable. Chosen vocation must not have serious health consequences such as black lung disease or cancer. A profession other than a social worker is highly desirable.

Problem solving - Ability to remain calm and address problem objectively is desirable. Must be able to handle a crisis without asking, "if you were me what would you do" in a needy voice. Yelling, inappropriate language and threats during a crisis are not acceptable. Physical violence will not be tolerated. Drawing on faith and spirituality as a resource is highly encouraged.

Desired location (where I would like to live) - Preferably south Minneapolis. Southwest Minneapolis, Northeast Minneapolis and certain neighborhoods in St. Paul are also acceptable. Suburbs are generally not acceptably. Rural areas will be given consideration but are not desirable given current gas prices and traffic congestion issues. If desiring to move out of the city/state, new location may be negotiated based on proximity to family and friends and employment prospects (and schools if applicable). Residency restrictions do not apply before cohabitation.

Leisure time - Preference for time spent at home or with a small group of friends. Time spent with large groups of people, or people who are loose acquaintances in moderation. Each individual is also encouraged to maintain friendships outside the relationship and encouraged to participate in "girls night" activities ("guys night" activities) and similar appropriate gatherings with friends. Outdoor activities such as walking around the lakes, exercise, or canoeing are highly encouraged.

Hobbies and interest - An individual who has a hobby, interest or special talent is desirable. Interests that are likely to result in death or serious maiming are not desirable (examples: marksmanship, extreme cage fighting, extreme skiing, sky diving). Similarly undesirable are hobbies that require a second vehicle (motor boat, race car, truck to tow motorboat, motorcycle.) Canoeing and kayaking are highly encouraged. Any activity related to camping and/or caving are also highly desirable. "Geeky" hobbies are highly encourage and supported. Tolerance for the amount of time I spend on a computer is required.

Health and fitness - A full physical is not required. Any chronic, communicable, or fatal disease or disorder must be communicated. Regular exercise is encouraged. If not a regular athlete, individual will offer support for my exercise habits including cheering at running races and continued gym membership for at least myself.

It's really hot out

It's really hot. And someone told me it was like 80% humidity. Which makes sense after all the rain yesterday.

Despite the heat, Amanda and I decided to run around Lake Nokomis. We didn't realize just how hot it would be. We were almost all the way around the lake when we decided to take our shirts off.

Think about it this way, runners should dress as though it's 20* hotter than it actually is because that's how it feels when running. It was like 70* to 75* when we were running, so it felt to us like 95* so that's about right.

I also told Amanda to think of it as practice for her bikini this summer.

Days 28 and 29

Day 28: I worked at the aquarium. As I went in to work, I was pretty much ready to quit. That was until I met a person I hadn't worked with before, but who will presumably be working many more overnights. We'll call him Hot Guy. I actually barely got to work with him, I did team lead duties for non-team lead pay, which we'll call gift number one. Gift number two was when I took out a whole bunch of trash bags. The pay off was when Hot Guy walked me out at the end of the night.

Day 29: I woke up with a migraine but decided it was too early to take Nyquil and go back to sleep so I took some other drugs and laid around for a while. Then I got up, found the ugly mirror which had been hiding in my hall closet and the good will bag and took them over to drop them off.

I got to witness a great senior moment too. (Really, there's a reason some people say you shouldn't be allowed to drive past a certain age.) Good Will was quite busy when we got there. I had to wait to get to the drop off area. The lady in front of me must have been quite frazzled by the line that was forming because after she took her donations out of her trunk, she just got back in it and drove off. With the trunk open.

I tried to do the right thing and honk at her but she didn't hear me. It was too far away to do much else. I could've flashed my lights but she wouldn't have seen that because her trunk was blocking her back window. Luckily, there was a dude getting out of his car at the corner by the stop sign and he was able to shut her trunk for her.

What was the 29 days of giving like? I actually started keeping track around day 11 or 12. I thought it was cool that I could find something nice I did for 10 days back to get the thing started. Some of the nice things I looked back and saw seemed pretty big, my original donation to good will, having my parents up for a visit.

In the middle of the whole experiment, I felt like the stuff I did was a lot smaller in comparison, like playing Free Rice or sending Amanda recipes or giving my mom IT support. For some reason, it felt like those things were less valuable some how. Not sure why. There were some days where I did something that was part of my day. There were actually quite a few of those days.

The good will bag is probably my favorite thing that happened. It taught me to always have a good will bag, it actually gets full pretty fast. That'll probably be the thing that I keep from the whole experience. I used to have a good will bag tucked away or on a high shelf so I never really put too much in it. When I pulled it down to take to good will, I'd try to load it up but I always forgot stuff.

Free Rice is another one I'm glad I remembered. I hadn't played it in a while. They have some new words so it's even more fun.