Friday, March 4, 2011

It's finally complete! For now anyways...

I finally did it! The list is complete! I present to you my “30 Things to 30!”
1.       Skydive
2.       Run a 5k/10k
3.       Get a tattoo
4.       Get a paid photography job
5.       Do something for charity
6.       Learn the piano
7.       Make 3 new friends
8.       Take a spinning/ZUMBA class
9.       Participate in a flash mob
10.   Meet a celebrity face to face
11.   Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
12.   Stay a night in Time Square
13.   Try out for a reality show
14.   Have dinner alone
15.   Do an open mic night
16.   Take a design class
17.   Learn how to ski
18.   Look into adoption
19.   Try being a vegan/vegetarian
20.   Do something good for the environment
21.   Lose 15 pounds – I mean I gotta look good for this milestone in life.
22.   Bungee jump
23.   Help a friend
24.   Helicopter ride
25.   Make my car a “No Phone Zone”
26.   Do something spontaneous!
27.   Work on being on time
28.   Love?
29.   Get this list published
30.   Have a kickass 30th Birthday Party
This list is going to be a constant work in progress so some of the things you see above may not make the final cut but I can assure you of one thing, I will do 30 Things before I turn 30! Time to get moving!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Thing Two: Learning How to Ski!

Learning How to Ski is on my list because I have always wanted to try it but never got around to it. I remember as a kid being in the backyard of my parent’s house, in the winter, with my brothers, Brian and Doug, and having Brian’s skis on, at least I think they were his, and “skiing.” By skiing I mean hopping in the too big boots that were already attached to the skis and going two feet; but as I kid I felt so cool and really felt like I was skiing!


My adventure to learn to ski took place on Saturday, February 5, 2011! I went to Blandford Ski Area, near Westfield, with 3 friends: Caitie, Nick and Jon. Nick's dad works Ski Patrol there and was able to get us FREE lift tickets and my rental only cost 5 bucks...that's right 5 bucks! Who could pass up on that deal! Nick, who has been skiing since he was a kid, took it upon himself to teach me and Caitie, who hadn't been skiing since she was 5, how to ski. Once we were in our boots with skis in hand, we headed to where else but…the Bunny Hill. (Side note: this Bunny “Hill" was no hill, it was a mountain, at least to me it was a mountain. I had tried snowboarding once somewhere else and their Bunny Hill was just that…a small hill.) Anyways, we made it to the Bunny Mountain, I mean “Hill” and headed up a little ways to test our skills. Nick gave Caitie and I some great instructions about making the pizza slice, etc., and then we off on our first attempt! We headed down the small incline to the bottom. Ok, that wasn't so bad I thought to myself...I could do that again! Well, instead of going back to our small incline, instructor Nick decided we should to go up the "Hill" a little more. Thankfully Blandford sets out little Teddy Bears as markers on the "Hill," so we decided to go half way to Teddy numero uno! Let’s do this! Well…first I had to master the tow rope, which I believe that is the ski term lol. The tow rope, for those who don’t know, is basically a cable with rubber grabs (they look phallic) on it that you catch and hold onto and get pulled up the “Hill” while on your skis. Nick said he would hold my poles, at least the first time, but I was like No, I GOT THIS! Cut to 2 seconds later when I dropped a pole and was to nervous to stop and get it, but instructor Nick picked it up on his way by. Once half way to Teddy #1 I dismounted from the tow rope and tried to steady myself with my one pole, which was not easy. Once reunited with my crew, Nick gave me my pole back, and then more instructions about taking our pizza slice across the “Hill” and about turming. (Obviously, Nick’s instructions were better then my description of them, but you get the jist).  So Caitie and I headed across the “Hill” pointing that pizza slice at the other side and putting weight on that outside leg to turn! Too bad on my turn I wiped out…gracefully, as I was told later (but who wouldn't wipe out gracefully at 1 mph… well...I could name names but I won’t). Only one fall that trip down, not bad! I got to the bottom and turned around looking for Caitie. She had a little more trouble then me and fell a few more times but still gave it her all. After the first round we went back up a few more times to half way to Teddy to get the hang of it. Once we mastered half way to Teddy, we finally made it to Teddy #1! P.S. the cute little Teddy bears did nothing for my nerves or fears; but then I realized that they were probably there because they were meant to be cute for the little kids learning to ski. Wait…am I too old for Bunny Mountain, screw it let’s learn to ski!  Let’s go Teddy #1! Caitie and I practiced a little more at Teddy #1, cuttin’ that “Hill” up with our pizza slice! We fell here and there but were improving! Time for Teddy #2! The only problem for me as we moved up the “Hill” was not the height but the increase in speed. I was not ready to go fast but the "Hill" was ready to make me go fast, and I freaked out a little. Going to fast made me feel out of control and make me forget about my pizza slice. After some more tumbles along the way we finally made it to then Teddy #3, this was not the top of Bunny Mountain but I was excited to get there! It was raining at this point and I was a sweaty mess, so we took one trip from Teddy #3 before deciding it was lunch time! I feel like we really accomplished a lot in a short amount of time and I was excited!


It rained off and on during lunch and after lunch while we a cardboard sled race. After the race, Nick competed in a speed trial on one of the slopes and made it look way to easy. Later, we found out that he won! My instructor, an OMA Large Fry Winner (that was the company listed on the trophy) for males 16 to 29! After Nick’s race we headed back to Bunny Mountain, by this time it was freezing rain and foggy. We started up to Teddy #3 but Jon and Caitie decided they were done, but I was already on the tow rope. At the bottom Nick asked if we wanted to move on to a bigger slope. We all declined. I declined because I was so nervous and said I wasn't ready. Then I thought "No I need to do this before we leave" so I turned to Nick and said "Let's do it" and instantly wanted to throw up. I hadn't even made it to the top of Bunny Mountain and here I was moving on to Bunny Mountain’s older brother (or sister, not sure what gender a ski slope is). Nick and I headed for the chair life, which again in itself is a scary experience; but Nick guided me through it, what a great teacher! On the way up I kept saying, "What am I doing" "Nick, I better not die" "Nick, my life is in your hands." He just laughed me off…real nice teaching style sir. About half way up the slope the chair lift stopped and we started bouncing - worst part of the whole ride. I had a little panic attack but all was well when we were moving again. Then we got to the top…I had gotten my instructions about proper dismount and…I didn't even fall getting off, very proud moment for myself! As we descended there was low visibility and freezing rain, which made it a little scarier. As we started down I picked up speed, again freaking me out, so what did I do…threw myself on the ground. Yup, super great move! While lying down, Nick came over and explained that if I point my skis up the mountain when turning it would slow me down. I got up, which I had mastered throughout the day, and started down the slope, again picking up speed. Nick kept shouting "Skis up the mountain" and I did what he said and it really helped! I made it down the mountain, only falling 2 more times after that, and I even tried skiing with skis together like the professionals, not fully together but a smaller pizza slice! Once at the bottom I was so proud of myself for attempting it!


We wrapped up our day after that and headed for the car when we found out that the road leading into the Ski Area was shut down because there was a pile up of cars on it due to icy road conditions…we were stranded. With no alcohol in the lodge, we held up in the warmth of my car until the road was reopened about 45 minutes later.


Overall the experience was so much fun; and I learned that I should have started skiing at an earlier age, like the youngsters there that day, because they seemed to have no fear! I am excited that I learned to ski and I can not wait to get out there again and practice…anyone up for skiing?


Thing One: Help a friend!

Help a friend was recently added to my list and I am happy to report that it is already accomplished! I added this to my list because I love my friends (and family) and would do ANYTHING for them; so why not help one out!
This thing took place on Thursday, February 3, 2011 when I helped my friend Caitie. (Caitie, who works for me at Six Flags, is a really kind, generous, sweet and overall amazing human being – just had to throw that out there.) On this day I was running around work like a manic, which is my normal routine because I do way to much there; but that is for another time. It was 3:00pm and we had a training class starting at 4:00pm and I was trying to make sure everything was ready to go. Caitie and I were going to be working the check-in table at class, which starts at 3:30pm and is where we give everyone their ID number for the Season and have people fix mistakes from their employment packets so we can hire them into our systems. Caitie was scheduled to arrive at 3:05pm but I received a call from her right around that time and she told me she was having trouble getting her car started and that she might be late. I told her that it was not a big deal and that I could handle the check in. A few minutes later she texted me saying she wasn’t going to make it in because her car was dead in the commuter lot at AIC. I texted her back to tell her not to worry about work and make sure that she was ok. We texted back and forth, me telling her to use AAA, and she telling me she didn’t have it, that no one was coming and her phone was about to die…so she was  stranded. I know that NO ONE likes to be stranded, it’s the worst! I had to figure something out. I racked my brain and tried to figure out how I could get her towed with my AAA but still be at the training in less than 30 minutes. I kicked it into help mode and decided that I was going to get her, we would come back to work to finish what we needed to for the training class, then head back and have her car towed. I ran out to Jen, my officemate, co-worker and trainer and told her that I had to go get Caitie because her car was dead and so was her cell phone. With some scrambling I was able to call another employee, Britney, who was going to be in the training class and who has done check in before, to come in early and help with the table while I ran to get Caitie. I figured I would get Caitie and we would be back no later than 4:15pm. I jumped in my car at 3:15pm and headed to AIC. Once in the car I realized that I forget that the roads in Springfield are a DISASTER. With some bobbing and weaving thorugh the terribly plowed roads of Springfield I was able to make it to AIC sometime after 4:00pm; and rescued Caitie from her car in the commuter lot. We headed back to work down a side street near AIC, which was not even plowed, and almost got into 3 accidents in the matter of 3 minutes because of all the snow still on the ground. (Side note – Springfield, you really need to do something about your plowing – YOU SUCK AT IT.) After some more time spent in the car we made it to work 4:45pm. Once we were done with work we headed back to AIC with jumper cables in hand. I decided to try that out first before calling AAA, even after my mother told me that if I did it wrong I would blow myself up…thanks mom for the scary warning. YIKES…blow myself up, that sounded painful. (No worries, I am blogging so I did it right! High 5 Dave!) I called reinforcements…my dad…to ensure I did it correctly and to find out how to know it was working. After a few minutes, I turned the key and it almost started, so I knew we were good to go! We waited a while for the battery to charge a bit then gave it a go…IT STARTED! And we were off! I told Caitie I would follow her home to make sure she made it all the way. Good thing I did because her car started to die again 5 minutes into the ride. I found an apartment complex in downtown Springfield to turn into to charge that battery again. We parked, got all hooked up and took our position in my warm car, then noticed some interesting people sitting in the car next to us STAREING. This freaked us out so we detached our cars and headed down the road to a nicely lite church parking lot and charged that battery for about 20 minutes. That was finally what we needed to get her car home and parked safely in her driveway! The whole ordeal lasted about 5 hours but I am so glad that I was able to help Caite out! She does so much for everyone else, and it was nice to be able to do something nice for her for once!
Caitie – if you ever need help again, I’m your guy to call!
Thanks for reading this entry! Next up, Learning to ski!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Here we go!

EVERYBOBY DOES IT. That “I think I want to…” For me, some of those include “I think I want to…get a tattoo,” “I think I want to…skydive.”
Why is it though that we never always act on this? Could it be fear holding us back, financial reasons or do we think the idea is way too farfetched. Well on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 in a split second decision while driving home from work I decided to challenge myself to give some of these “I think I want to’s…” a try; and not just some…but 30, that’s right…30.
Why 30?  Well, this year, 2011, I turn the big 3-0 on October 2nd; so why not try 30 things that I have never done or have always wanted to do to celebrate my life thus far; and maybe learn a thing or two about myself along the way. Another reason for going for it is that I always thought that I would be in a different place in my life at 30. For me, I have gone my whole life thinking that I would be married with children by 30. Even after coming out in 2003, at 21 years old, I still thought that I would be married and probably adopting by 30. Now, at 29 years old I am no closer to that becoming my reality. Instead of dwelling on that I decided to live this last year of my 20’s for me and have a blasting doing it! Why not, right? This split second decision could make this transition from 20 to 30 not such a big deal! The third reason for doing this is that everyone seems to agree, at least it’s what I hear on TV, that the 20’s are for finding out who you really are by doing crazy things and making mistakes along the way. I don’t feel that I ever really took that many risks in my 20’s to help me realize who I was, so if I believe what I hear on TV, do I not know myself? Why not challenge myself to find out more about ME!
With the decision made to go for it, it was time put pen to paper and come up with my 30 things! This should be so easy…or so I thought. Thinking up the 30 things to do to enjoy/challenge myself is turning out to be a very hard task. It’s difficult to think of 30 things that I want to do in the next couple months that I have always wanted to try or things that I think will make me learn something about myself. So with that being said, the list is a work in progress but here is what I have so far! You ready? Here you go!
Bring down the lights in studio. Audience….I present to you…THE LIST…dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn. Sorry I am super cheesy.
My 30 Things to 30!
1.       Skydive
2.       Run a 5k/10k
3.       Get a tattoo
4.       Get a paid photography job
5.       Do something for charity
6.       Learn the piano
7.       Make 3 new friends
8.       Take a spinning/ZUMBA class
9.       Participate in a flash mob
10.   Meet a celebrity face to face
11.   Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
12.   Stay a night in Time Square
13.   Try out for a reality show
14.   Have dinner alone
15.   Do an open mic night
16.   Take a design class
17.   Learn how to ski
18.   Look into adoption
19.   Try being a vegan/vegetarian
20.   Do something good for the environment
21.   Lose 15 pounds – I mean I gotta look good for this milestone in life.
22.   Bungee Jump
23.   Help a friend
24.   Helicopter ride
25.   Make my car a "No Phone Zone"
26.   Do something spontaneous!
27.   Work on being on time
28.   Love?
29.   Get this list published
30.   Have a kickass 30th Birthday Party
As you can see the list is not complete. I am constantly brainstorming ideas for this list that I am excited about! If you have any suggestions, let me know! Also, as you move along through this adventure with me I will explain why I decided to choose each one of these tasks and discuss/describe the adventure I had  seeing it through!
So, today is Wednesday, February 2, 2011 and I have just 8 short months from today to complete my list! Do you think I will make it? Let’s hope so! Here goes nothing!