30 While 30: The New List

The time has come! I've stretched my birthday month as long as possible but it is time to officially retire my 30 Before 30 list. I didn't accomplish as many things as I anticipated but it was fun to try some new things and document them. I have created a new list of things that I want to work towards/do while I am the big 30. But I am going to do things a bit differently.  Watch this:




The video is interesting but if you can't part with 3 minutes of your life, here are the cliff notes:

Telling people your goals makes them LESS LIKELY to happen because the good feeling you get when others acknowledge your goals tricks you into thinking you've already accomplished your goal.

So what does this mean for your desire to see my list? Well...it means you will need to exercise a lot of patience. I will reveal the goal only when it is completed (or in progress for long term goals). <---I told you you would be disappointed.

For now, my new list looks like this:

30 While 30

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3. ?????????????
4. ?????????????
5. ?????????????
6. ?????????????
7. ?????????????
8. ?????????????
9. ?????????????
10. ????????????
11. ????????????
12. ????????????
13. ????????????
14. ????????????
15. ????????????
16. ????????????
17. ????????????
18. ????????????
19. ????????????
20. ????????????
21. ????????????
22. ????????????
23. ????????????
24. ????????????
25. ????????????
26. ????????????
27. ????????????
28. ????????????
29. ????????????
30. ????????????

Very exciting isn't it?

   

Wednesday Was...

• Awesome...because I got the BEST belated birthday present ever from my best red headed Michigander friend.

FYI: I have ZERO recollection of trying to climb that pole. I couldn't even tell you what country it was in.

There could not be a more perfect quote for me. This speaks to my souuuuul.

• Stuffy...because I have a cold and can barely breathe. But I did decide it was better to suffer through  the day with a cold then take nighttime cold medicine at work.
• Busy...because I covered for lots of different teachers during my down time and finished two kid books during the day.
• Snowy...because it snowed.

Guess who lives in that purple circle? #Please don't stalk me.

• Cozy...because I was wrapped up in a scarf all day.
• Festive...because I made heart shamrocks.
• Relieving...because I am no longer a slave to the unemployment Gods. (It went in my favor BTW.)

Leap Day (Leap Year Day?) is like a free space on the 2012 calendar; an extra day to do whatever your heart desires. So on that note, I will be using this extra day to snuggle on the couch, write to some friends, cook a delicious dinner and make the following wish:

I hope tomorrow is a snow day. 

I hope tomorrow is a snow day. 

I hope tomorrow is a snow day.

I hope tomorrow is a snow day.

*New list coming later tonight!

    

The World Be Crazy

Today I was all:

about so many things.

• Two guys walk out of the supermarket. One looks like Obama's shorter twin, the other like this:

Same hat, black trenchcoat. I kid you not.

• From Massachusetts, I talked to my mom in a car wash in Arizona via cell phone. Modern technology boggles my mind sometimes. I wonder if the covered wagon folk could have ever imagined what life is like today. It makes me wonder what the future will hold. #Deep thoughts.

• I think I ate baby twin chickens the other day and it kind of freaked me out.

• I was serenaded by a second grader today...with a Ke$ha song. <---True story. The spelling pattern this week is -ow and blow is one of the words. Cue: It's time to lose your mind and let the crazy out...this place about to blow-ow-ow-ow...go insane, go insane throw some glitter make it rain. 

• Why hasn't the US at large realized Rick Santorum is crazysauce? Don't they watch The Daily Show?

Number Twenty-Four & Number Twenty-Nine

Number 24: Make 1,000 paper cranes...a fraction of a check.

I added this to The List without much thought other than: "I've made a few paper cranes, making 1,000 would be crazy."

Well...it turns out that 1,000 is a lot. I ended up with 200ish and called it quits. Folding a thousand cranes is supposed to make a wish come true, but so does blowing out a birthday candle...and cake is way less work.

I decided that finishing this goal wasn't a priority of mine but some day I will string up all the cranes I did fold and cover some of the white wall space in my apartment.

_____________________________________

Number 29: Document The List in a minibook...started.

And will be finished.

Someday...I promise.

All The Rest...

Number 1: Find a job I love.

Well...I found a job I like. I am still a paraprofessional and still NOT a real teacher but I genuinely enjoy (most) of my days at school/work. After the drama that ensued post W-Ford, I really thought that I never wanted to work in a school ever again. But after some soul searching and complete lack of alternative career paths, I still want to be a teacher.

Number 4: (Private goal).

Accomplished...somewhat.

Number  9: Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Didn't happen. Still want it to. Maybe in April?

Number 10: Get all of my financial stuff in order.

Started to consolidate and file statements, bills, and old tax stuff. Will continue to pursue this as I work to declutter my apartment (and life).

Number 16: Shoot a gun.

The opportunity was there but I failed to carpe the diem.

Number 17: Go cliff diving.

Seasonal. Didn't complete in time. Thought about trying to locate a high dive at an indoor pool as a safer option. I still want to do this at some point in my life...maybe on a tropical vacation with high cliffs and crystal clear water that I can see through.

Number 21: Screen print a t-shirt.

Couldn't settle on a design. Thought about making a "race" shirt for my unofficial 5k but just didn't make it happen.

Number 22: Private goal.

Didn't happen.

Number 26: Spend 24 hours in bed.

I imagined a day of naps, reading, and movies under a canopy of sheer fabric and twinkle lights...kind of like this: 

but the closest I came was sleeping for 13 hours straight when I was feeling under the weather and spending the remaining 11 hours on the couch napping. Someday I'll have a twinkle light, canopy, bed fort.

____________________________________

I know the idea was to complete everything on The List before I turned 30 but as the year passed a few things happened. I procrastinated, I allowed myself to miss out on opportunities, and I changed my mind about some of my goals...and I'm okay with that. I enjoyed completing the things on this list and at the end of the day, that is what matters most.

Despite the apprehension I had about turning 30, it will be fun to look back on my 29th year and remember it fondly. Thanks to everyone who supported my endeavors, participated in the adventures, and followed along vicariously. Here's to another year and another list.

Oscar Thoughts

• I can't believe they get $70,000 swag bags.  (I'm in the wrong business!)
• I seriously thought Tinker Toy Soldier movie was a G.I. Joe film and expected Channing Tatum or Jake Gyllenhall to be in it.  (It's not.)
• I really wanted Viola Davis to win but I'm glad Meryl won because apparently the last time she won was the year I was born. (And we all know how long ago that was!)
• I'm annoyed that The Artist won because I have no desire to see it.
• I do want to see The Descendants but I want to read the book first.
• I just spent the last 5 hours on the couch.
• The Oscars are too long. It is now 12:01 on Monday morning and I have to wake up for school soon because vacation is OVER.

Number Thirteen

Bake/Cook 13 new things...check!

I had so much fun and made so many messes during my Cooking with Amy adventures. Anticipate many more in the future!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls - Grade: B+

Delicious but too much work!

Lemon Pie Goodness - Grade: A

Easy to make, healthy, and delicious.

Naan - Grade: D

Old yeast didn't rise...kind of pancakey.

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever - Grade: A-

Sunken cake = ALL THE FROSTING!

French Bread - A

Crunchy outside, soft inside.

PB Frosted Chocolate Cupcakes - A

YUM YUM YUM!

Smoothies - Grade: A

Delicious...and so many smoothies since!

Pretzels - Grade: A

Chubby pretzels. Best right out of the oven.

Shrimp Pasta - Grade: B-

Looked pretty...didn't taste like much.

Egg Roll Wrapper Tortellini and Ravioli - Grade: B+

Cute! Had to Google how to wrap them.

Huge ravioli. Lots of work.

Trifle - Grade: B

This was an engineering feat. Good but not great.

Banana Bread Muffins - Grade: B+

Would have been perfect with a little more banana.

Grilled Pizza - Grade: A+

This has become a staple on the Everyday Parent grill.

  

Number Six

Take a road trip...check?!?

Again, when I added road trip to The List, I anticipated a long term solo drive with multiple stops...and someday I will take that trip. I will explore and visit new places. But this past year time and money limited me to smaller road trips. But let me be clear, smaller does not mean less awesome.

First, there was Maine.

I took a day trip and went to the wrong state to see some rusted trucks.

There were many road trips to WEMA only one of which resulted in windshield damage.

And we can't forget Michigan and Chicago!

  

Number Twelve

Read all of Roald Dahl's books...check!

I love Roald Dahl. His books never cease to entertain me and I love reading them aloud to kids. While researching Roald Dahl's catalog of work, I quickly decided to exclude his numerous (50+) short stories. Therefore, this goal includes only Roald Dahl children's books and biographies. FYI: I completed some of these books before the official start of The List so below are my notes, thoughts, or recollections of the stories.

The books:

The Mildenhall Treasure - A true story about a poor farmer who dug up a Roman treasure. His boss took it and tried to hide it but it was found out. Roald Dahl read about it and offered the man half of his book money if he would let him tell the story.

My Year - An observation of nature throughout the months of the year.

Rhyme Stew - Funny poems!

The Missing Golden Ticket - Secrets behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There were originally more golden tickets!

Going Solo - Follow up to Boy. Crazy stories like watching a lady being carried off by a lion.

Boy - Autobiography. Interesting to read about the experiences that inspired several of his novels.

The Giraffe and The Pelly and Me - A giraffe, a pelican and a monkey paint houses.

James and the Giant Peach - Better than I thought it would be. Hadn't read it since 3rd-ish grade.

Vile Verses - Funny poems.

The Minpins - Tiny people who live in trees get saved by a boy riding a swan.

Danny the Champion of the World - This book really surprised me. It's a story about a boy and his dad who figure out an ingenious way to poach pheasants. I loved this book.

The BFG - It took me a long time to get past the dialect that the giants used but I ended up enjoying this book quite a bit.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator - Had high hopes after Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I thought this book was so random and disjointed that I couldn't wait to get through it.

Revolting Rhymes - Hilarious retelling of classic fairy tales. Red Riding Hood shoots and skins the wolf and makes him into a coat. Later, Red shows up to help the 3rd Little Pig. She takes care of that wolf, makes another fur coat and turns the pig into a leather bag! Watch it here.

George's Marvelous Medicine - George makes medicine and grows GIANT animals.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. A bit different from the movie.

The Twits - Mean, grumpy people. That's all I remember.

The Vicar of Nibbleswicke - A hilarious short novel about a Vicar who mixes up all of his words and drama ensues.

Esio Trot - Tortoise spelled backwards. A sweet love story about an old man who seeks the attention of a tortoise loving lady.

The Magic Finger - Um...his finger zaps people?

The Enormous Crocodile - A big croc gobbles up little children.

Matilda - A magic little girl takes on the Trunchbull and prevails!

The Witches - My favorite Roald Dahl book! Full of suspense, great description and a wonderful villain. Read it!

Fantastic Mr. Fox - Eh. Foxes underground being clever/conniving.

Someday, I hope to plow through Roald Dahl's short stories because his writing never ceases to amaze me. Now go pick up a book!


    

Just Checking...

All of you eat asparagus out of juice glasses...right?

Good...me too.

 

3000 Thoughts

I saw a car commercial today that says humans have 3000 thoughts per day. If that is true...I have at least 11,000. So here are some thoughts from today:

• If I click no every time Hulu asks, "Is this ad relevant to you"will they stop showing me ads?
• There are no good television shows on Wednesday night.
• Will an audio book sustain me for an hour at the gym? <---Kind of. It was Harry Potter #1 so I know the story and was able to half listen. I don't know if I have attention span for audio books...especially audio books that I've never read.
• It's almost spring! It was warm-ish this afternoon and I went to the gym for an hour after school and IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUT when I left!
• Will there ever be a day where no second graders cry?
• Will I ever find a teaching job?
• If so, will I be stuck in second grade for the rest of my life? <---Please no.
• What is Everyday Brother up to?
• Should I be productive over February vacation or just chill out for a week?
• TWO MORE WAKE UPS TILL VACATION!
• We're making life-sized animals tomorrow. #Reasons I love like second grade.
• I tend to think in questions.
• Did I ever tell you that I surpassed my 50 Mile Challenge in January?

• I STILL want to see Big Miracles (the whale movie) but no one wants to see it with me.
• I think I'll get started on my new list during vacation.
• Are you still reading? If so, I'm sorry.
• I promise not to make a list of 3000 thoughts.
• Also on the agenda for vacation is buying and watching the latest Twilight movie.
• I can't wait to start making summer vacation plans. Come visit me!
• Okay, I'm done now.

    

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wish I thought of these!  Instead, I stole them from here!

Today:

• Children cried.
• Children ate so much candy.
• I ate so much candy.
• And jumbo chocolate covered strawberries.
• A child ate a lollipop while holding a tissue to his bleeding nose and got tissue all over the lollipop. #Second graders don't care.
• I carried giant paper.
• I got more flowers (my apartment now looks like a florist shop).
• I said, "hold on to your balls" to forty 8 year olds (FYI: was referencing footballs/recess balls).
• We read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. It was a touching but sad story. My first thought was that the tree needs to stand up for itself and say no when the boy asks for everything. And I know the tree is supposedly happy for giving itself and making the boy happy but it destroys itself and the boy is going to die eventually and then what is the tree going to do? It has no branches left for new kids to climb on. #Kids books are deep #Sometimes I'm too cynical for second grade

EDIT: I ALMOST FORGOT THE BEST PART OF MY DAY!

Scene: Lunch group with 4 kids that work on social skills.

Guidance Counselor: At night, do you brush your teeth right when mom says it's time for bed?

Male Student: YES!

Speech Teacher: You do?

Male Student: Yes, because I have a Justin Bieber toothbrush that sings "Baby". He proceeds to start singing "Baby, baby, baby oh..."

All 4 Students: Baby, baby, baby oh...

Teachers: Laughing.

Students: Singing.

Teachers: Crying laughing.

And that was the end of lunch group.


     

Birthday Recap: Episode 3

After making the trek home from Mohegan Sun, I took a quick nap to supplement the 2.5 hours of sleep that I got on birthday eve. That afternoon, I headed to my parent's house for a family birthday party.

There were more flowers:

a delicious dinner, big presents for a big birthday, lots of Superbowl watching and an awesome birthday cake:

The birthday cake from Everyday Auntie was an homage to The List on my blog. There were 56 books including The Secret Garden, there was a pile of golf balls, a Rubik's Cube, all the new foods I tried, the mountain/dune that I climbed, and me writing my memoir.  <---I told you it was amazing!

Turning 30 was not the heinous experience that I expected. Instead, I celebrated with colleagues, friends, and family and it turned out to be an exhausting yet awesome weekend.

 

Birthday Recap: Episode 2

Now that it's been a week since my birthday, I thought I should get around to recapping the rest of birthday weekend.

Saturday was my actual birthday (and ironically, the only day there was no birthday cake consumed). I tried to sleep in, lounged on the couch for a bit, did some laundry then got to packing for the big trip. My friends and I trekked to Mohegan Sun for a night of fun. 

The girls surprised me with a 29+1 shirt and matching Team Amy shirts! We had some wine, ate some snacks, put on fake eyelashes and headed out. We ate at the always classy Bubba's BBQ then hit the slots. I had received a generous donation to my gambling fund from the teachers at work so when K suggested that I try the Amazon penny slot, I was game. The slots confused me! They were all computerized and you had to bet on a number of lines then place a bet per line. With the guidance of the nice gentleman next to me, I randomly hit some buttons. Eight dollars in, I hit the jackpot and earned 15 bonus games. From there my winnings multiplied and after only 3 minutes, I cashed out with $96.90!

We bet a bit more after that but only proceeded to lose money. But I still walked out with more than I walked in with!

Before heading home, we hit up a bar with REALLY loud r&b music. We had a few drinks, people watched, judged the youth of America, and participated in our own Whip Your Hair music video. You see, there was this...person who at first glance I totally thought was a woman (I was not the only one to think this) but actually turned out to be a man with a really long pony tail. And he whipped his pony tail back and forth and back and forth. His pony tail whipped me in the face at one point and I thought M was going to punch him. (She wanted to.)

Mid-whip. And yes, we took like 6 pictures trying to capture the pony tail in all its glory.

It was a fun night. I tried something new and although there was lots of smoking, babies awake at midnight and neck tattoos it was a good time. We didn't hit up the felt table games but that just gives us a reason to go back. 

Thanks to K for planning a wonderful night and to S, O, M and all those who were there in spirit!

 

Sometimes I am Awkwardly Inappropriate*

Earlier this evening via text (prior to learning of Whitney Houston's passing):

Friend: Whitney Houston!

Me: Haha what?

Friend: Someone just told me she died!

Me: Whoa! I thought you just wanted to dance with somebody. (Investigates and texts this photo to friend)

Friend: Whoa! Can't believe it! Also, I do want to dance with somebody. V-Day is comping up but I'm having ladies valentine's so my changes aren't looking so hot.

Me: Hmmm...never say never. Justin Bieber taught me that.

Friend: Ha. True. This is our year after all (note: because we are grownups now). But Biebs better watch out. It hasn't been a good month for the music industry.

Sadly, I am not terribly surprised by the news. As was the case with Amy Winehouse, I always assumed things would end this way which is sad because Whitney Houston was incredibly talented. I can't count the number of times I've pretended that I could sing like her (mostly alone in the car) only to end up with a sore throat a defeatist attitude. And I've had many a pants-less dance party to I Want To Dance With Somebody.

Whitney will live forever on my iPod.

* And use humor as a coping mechanism.

On Being A Grownup

Now that I am officially a grownup, life has tested me with a series of "grownup" tasks. In the past week, this is what I've learned:

• Being a grownup means being woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of water rushing out of your bathroom ceiling.
• Being a grownup means learning to deal with awkward situations like hanging out in the middle of the night with your landlord in your pjs.
• Being a grownup means calling your landlord in the middle of the night instead of your dad.
• Being a grownup means doing things that scare you...like calling the gym and asking if they found your rings that you took off and left on a machine to avoid finger calluses.
• Being a grownup means taking care of business...like representing yourself at your unemployment redetermination hearing and hoping for the best in the face of a grumpy DUA employee who won't look you in the eye or stop talking long enough to listen.
• Being a grownup means it's okay to reward yourself for surviving scary situations with hot chocolate from Starbucks.
• Being a grownup means driving to the gym to see if just maybe, someone turned in your rings. (P.S. someone did and I've never been so happy! My Celtic braid ring has 9 lives. I lost it at a bus stop once and after an entire day of classes I found it on the side of the road.)
• Being a grownup means understanding that sometimes to fix a leak the ceiling must be removed.

Being a grownup is exhausting.

     

Birthday Recap: Episode 1

Birthday weekend began early Friday morning. There was an impromptu stop at Dunks for a hot chocolate then arrived at school to these beauties. 

The teachers I work with planned an early birthday party for me! There were flowers. There was cake:

Which was delicious...like a brownie with frosting! There were so many cards. Cards from the principal, cards from the class, and cards from every single student. These are some of my favorites:

A dinosaur card
A card for Mr. (instead of Ms.)
A card that opened backwards and said, "Dear [Student Name]
A card that says it's awesome to be 22. <---The kids started singing "are you 1, are you 2, are you 3..." so I stopped them before they started hyperventilating so according to my class I'm officially 22 years old!

And yes...I covered incriminating details with Starburst wrappers.

 

3:30 AM

What were you doing at 3:30 am on Sunday night?

Hanging out with your landlord watching water rain out of your bathroom ceiling vent?

ME TOO!

Let me rewind. I returned home from the big birthday bash at the casino of the sun at noon on Sunday. The paint on my bathroom ceiling was swollen with water and small cracks were forming. I put a towel under the drips and put off calling my landlord until I had a chance to pick up my apartment a bit.

Fast forward...parent's house...dinner...Super Bowl...back home. I furiously cleaned my apartment then tried to hit the sack but I couldn't sleep because the dripping sound was bouncing around inside my head. I finally drifted off about midnight only to be abruptly woken up 2:30 am but the sound of rushing water. Upon investigation I found water raining out of my bathroom ceiling vent at a steady pace. I put a bucket under it and attempted to sleep again but it was soo loud. After getting up to check on the mess at 3:00 am, the bucket was filling quickly.

I texted my landlord at 3:00 am and made a tinfoil slide for the water to drain into the sink. It was at this point that I realized that I was not going to school/work in the morning. I slept 3 hours on Saturday night and 2.5 on Sunday night. It was raining inside my apartment and I had to drive to Worcester to run an errand today.

My landlord arrived after 3:30 am, shut the water off to the building and called the property manager. But hours later it was going on 6:00 am and the dripping was minimal. The landlord left, I crawled back in bed and woke at 10:00 for a day full of errand running.

Birthday recaps are coming but are temporarily on hold because things have been crazy in the life and times of Amy.

It's a good thing I'm no stranger to apartment flooding.

   

It's Official!

While birthday weekend actually started yesterday, the real festivities begin tonight. Some things you should know:

• Nails will be painted.
• Hair will be did.
• Goodie bags will be given.
• Fun will be had.
• So much fun.
• Drinks will be drank.
• Food will be eaten.
• Money will be gambled away.
• I will win big!
• Memories will be made.
• 30 will be awesome.

And the theme song of all this awesomeness (minus the outfits) is: 

Also, along with an epic birthday recap, updates on The List are forthcoming. AND, you guessed it...a NEW list is on its way!

    

I Am in the Twilight of My Youth*

It's Birthday Eve! My last night as a twenty-something. <---That is kind of a BIG DEAL! Although what is even more of a bigger deal is that by turning 29+1, I am actually beginning my 4th decade on this planet!

In case you were not aware, I've been anticipating freaking out about this birthday for the past year 10 years of my life. I always assumed that by 29+1 I would be settled in a career, married, a property owner and possibly thinking about having kids. Instead, I find myself still figuring things out...on all fronts. And...this may surprise you...but I think I'm okay with that.

I've always done things at my own pace, in my own convoluted way so why would I think major life decisions/milestones would be any different? I'm slowly coming to accept the fact that I should not compare my life circumstances to others and certainly not against a number. <---Evidence of me growing up!

Tomorrow, I officially become a grownup. Remember that Britney Spears song, "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman"? Well tomorrow, I move from the girl side to the lady side of that equation.

As Dirty Thirty weekend is about to commence I would like to summarize the last 10 years...bullet style.

• Transferred from UVM to UMASS.
• Studied abroad in England.
• Traveled to Spain, Italy, Scotland and Ireland.
• Spent a final summer at camp.
• Earned a Bachelor's Degree.
• Moved home.
• Worked retail for the first time.
• Realized I wanted to be a teacher.
• Earned a Master's Degree.
• Got my first "real" job.
• Got my second "real" job.
• Moved out of my parent's house.
• Lived alone for the first time.
• Spent 6 short months as a 4th grade teacher.
• Started a blog.
• Spent 12 long months unemployed.
• Made The List.
• Returned to my second "real" job.
• Made some new amazing friends.

Here's to the next 10 years being even more awesome!

Read last year's birthday post here.

* Ryan Adams sang this.

Happy...

LAND BEAVER DAY again! Last year I wrote about discovering the secret life of the groundhog. Today I got to witness it first hand. I live streamed the festivities and was completely dumbfounded. I can't believe that groundhog handler is a real job!

These men that form Punxsutawney Phil's Inner Circle are bat-shit crazy. They parade through the crowd in top hats and have names like "Rainmaker" and "The Big Chill." The groundhog handler bangs on Phil's stump, grabs the groundhog by the belly and hoists him into the air. People scream, the groundhog sits on a red rug and tells its handler in a special groundhog language whether he sees his shadow.

Oh. Also, they give the groundhog magic medicine to make him live forever. Watch this if you need some clarification:

P.S. Did you know there are lots of weather predicting groundhogs?

 

Number Fifteen

Make a serious effort at writing outlining a book...check!

I've spent the last 10 years hemming and hawing about writing a book. But what kind? A novel? A children's book?

In the fall, I was finally inspired to write...and then my computer crashed. Luckily D&O lent me a laptop and I got to work on...a memoir. I know, I know. How exciting can my life be? But I think that a good story teller (and yes I'm insinuating that I am one so don't tell me otherwise) can capture an audience with any story.

So while I did not pen a memoir in the past 12 months, I made a serious effort at outlining a memoir.

11 Chapters.
4,000 Word Outline.

Stay tuned.