Week #5

I gave up on the swear-free week sometime on Wednesday. I don't know, I started the day off somewhere below the $10 mark. Maybe I got cocky. We'll never know. However, I do know that Wednesday kicked my ass and at the end of the night, I had completely lost count. Not even a full month into 2010 and I'm already a failure.

But, you know what will turn that frown upside down... buying chicks for the poor.

No, no, really. Have you ever been to the Oxfam web site? They're a pretty legit organization that does great things for the poor all over the world. Also, it's a pretty neat idea that instead of just giving an organization your $20 and moving on, that you can actually pick a specific gift. A cow. Seeds. School books. Manure! So I went with donating a dozen chickens. I want the naming rights of one of them though. Percy the chicken has a nice ring to it.

Well, that's week number five down. First time in my entire life I've bought someone else a chick. I always assumed something like that would cost more than $40. Who knew.

Week 4 swear tally...

Monday night... err, Tuesday morning - $8.25

Week 4 swear tally...

43 hours in and $3 down... perhaps I should just send my $30 check off now and call this week a loss.

Week #4

It took a while to come up with something for this week. One idea was to walk to work every day. I live about a mile from my office, so it could easily be done, but then I'd have to get a ride home at night because I don't want to get robbed, raped, and murdered on my walk home at 11 o'clock. Also, it's Cleveland, and it's cold. So, sorry G, I'm saving this one for March/April. Not to worry though, I've come up with an even tougher challenge for this week... no swearing.

Now, some might think this is damn near impossible for me (oops, there's one already) since I could make a sailor blush. However, I think I can do it. I just need to take a little time before I speak. And stay calm. And have an incentive. So, I'm going to fine myself for swearing. Each time I curse -- and let's face it, I'm surely going to let some slip by this week -- I'll save a quarter to donate to some charity. I mean, come on, quarters are like gold for apartment dwellers like me. I had to scrounge up one today just so I could dry my laundry (hooray couch cushion).

So, if you hear any expletives come out of my mouth, remind me that I'm a failure this week, and suggest a good cause to give that 25 cents to.

Week #3

Before I get into week three stuff, let me just say, whew, thank goodness being a vegetarian is over. I mean, the week started out fine. I was actually on hunger strike for the first 3 days so I didn't really notice that I wasn't eating meat. I wasn't eating anything, so those days FLEW by. But then, on day 4 a sad sushi mishap almost ended it. Extra sushi ended up on a friend and I's order and after I had my two cucumber rolls there was a spicy tuna sitting there staring me down. It was just begging to be eaten. Oh, and on day 6 I almost broke down and ate a hot dog, but will power prevailed. Although, I'm still craving that hot dog.

So, what's up next? I'm going back to school.

I just signed up for a Digital Print and Design class at the Cleveland Institute of Art. I'm super excited about it since I know I'm a bit rusty on my Photoshop and Illustrator skills. It'll be nice to get back up to speed and meet some new people hopefully too. Plus, I was always pretty good at book learnin'. I actually was pretty close to getting a 4.0 in college until my marketing professor told us, "only med students get 4.0s. If any of you graduate with a 4.0 you're going to have a hard time getting a job because it will look like you have no social skills." So I skipped some homework and boom - down to a respectable -- and more reflective of the social butterfly I was -- 3.8.

Anyway, this class doesn't really start until February, but I just paid for it today so I am counting it for this week. Don't worry, I won't count it again later as "first day of class" or something lame like that. Now, I just have to go get a backpack, and a pencil box, and hat - college students always wear hats right? - oooh, or a beret since that's more artsy.

Week #2

I'm going to be a vegetarian.

Yep, you heard right. Recently, I took a health assessment at work. Turns out I'm probably going to die of stomach cancer. Most likely along with half the office because that must be the catch-all disease -- "oh, you have a low risk for stroke, you'll get a tummy tumor for sure." But, on the off chance that it's really my poor eating habits that are going to give me cancer, I'll give being a vegetarian a try.

I know it's going to be hard right off the bat because I'm really craving the Grumpy's breakfast for Sunday morning brunch. Eggs, hashbrowns, cheese, and bacon all cooked up together in a skillet... mmm, soooooo delicious. And while some might argue, "just get rid of the bacon," I say that really, being a vegetarian means giving up eggs as well. Eggs always remind me of that Karl Malone skit on Crank Yankers where it mocks those old "The More You Know" PSAs and Karl Malone says, "eatin' eggs is like eatin' babies. You gots to know." There's more to it than that, and Karl Malone is a puppet, and Jimmy Kimmel is involved, but I scoured the world wide interweb for a clip because it's super funny, and I can't find it anywhere. It's like it never happened. I called my friend Rachel just to check, and she remembers seeing it with me, so I'm pretty sure I didn't make it up.

Anyway, as of right now, I am off the meat. I can do it. I have faith, and willpower, and no groceries, so maybe I'll just give up eating all together.

Week #1

Ugh.

So I don't do this whole social media thing. But, for 2010, I'm doing one new thing each week -- that's 52 new things in all -- so I'm starting week #1 with blogging. I feel somehow like a sellout. Sorry to all you hard core blogger-types, but I enjoy my internet privacy and in person social interaction. If something awesome happens to me, I'd rather just tell you about it to your face than write about it in cyberspace (probably because I talk with my hands alot and you can't get the full picture unless I'm waving my arms about wildly).

But, for my 2010 New Year's Resolution, I'm starting week #1 with blogging. This is going to be weird sharing all my thoughts with the world... oh, who am I kidding, with the two people who find out about this adventure. However, I have quite a few new things planned, like going to a concert. Yep, that's right, I've never been to a real live concert. Okay, I've seen a local band here or there where I knew the drummer or something, but I've been told that doesn't count. So, I guess I'll have to take some suggestions on a band/artist to pop my cherry.

I'm worried that come mid-April, I'm going to run out of things to do. Then I'll start doing lame things like "read the new Dan Brown book." Blech. So suggestions are definitely welcomed.