Twelve by 2012

Robyn shared this link earlier this weekend and now I've caught the bug, too. Below is a list of twelve things I would like to do by 2012. What do you want to do?

1. Ten items in my shop
2. Knit these socks for my little brother
3. Knit five more squares for charity
4. Fill up my current diary
5. Write fifteen more blog posts
6. Make TARDIS earrings
7. Get back to running three miles regularly
8. Write a short story
9. Hang my Crayon art in the dining nook
10. Straight A's this semester
11. Review three books or movies
12. Read three books

Connective Tissue

Tammy over at Rowdy Kittens posed the question, "What does your connective tissue look like?" Connective tissue, she writes, is:

"The aspects of your life that support you, help you function in highly specialized ways, nourish your core and give you strength — that’s your connective tissue — the intangible ways in which you feel connected — the fibres that bind your being to those you share the planet with."

For me it's taking goofy pictures with my siblings, making delicious food with a friend, genuine compliments from people I respect, sleeping outside with people who love the outdoors as much as I do, looking at Chris and not being able to keep a smile off my face, cuddling with Ein, trading Doctor Who theories with my dad and brother, a concert in the rain with my sister that nearly killed our electronics but we didn't even worry, my mom hugging me and helping me solve my problems, my future brother-in-law taking me for a ride on his motorcycle, my sister's boyfriend making me breakfast because I always end up sleeping on his couch, ridiculous discussions with Trista via social media, ridiculous plans with Sammy at the branch, the smiles and shrieks and giggles from my kids on swim lessons, the enthusiasm of my campers, seeing my extended family on a regular basis, and friends who enjoy spending time with me as much as I enjoy spending time with them.

What does yours look like?

What I did on my summer vacation

My first class is just a few hours away. In these last moments of summer I'm taking a look back at some of the best couple of months I've ever had. I:

• Became a swim instructor
• Earned my Swiftwater Rescue Technician Certification
• Went backpacking
• Introduced an old friend to backpacking
• Read
• Got sunburned
• Got sand everywhere
• Had my hair cut like Princess Kate
• Bought some useful things
• Learned to sail (#18)
• Got paid to go to the beach
• Ate really really good ice cream
• Scuba dived and saw a shipwreck (#17 and #68)
• Went to Rochester
• Rode Amtrak for the first time
• Had a garbage plate from Henrietta Hots
• Was an extra  in the Glee movie
• Lost my Nalgene - again
• Lost Chris' Nalgene
• Bought two new Nalgenes
• Ran Adventure Camp for a week
• Went to the Lake
• Went to LBI
• Spent most of Fourth of July weekend drinking
• Rode the big pink bus to and from Nardi's
• Perfected the art of boogie boarding
• Learned to swim butterfly
• Played rugby
• Got staples in my head
• Got stitches in my foot
• Moved into an awesome new place with awesome people and a dog
• Moved in with my boyfriend
• Made garlic fries
• Made fruit leather
• Cleaned the garage
• Ran the Warrior Dash
• Watched every episode of Doctor Who
• Watched every episode of Dollhouse
• Quit my job
• Got a new job
• Strengthened some friendships
• Made new friends
• Went on a cruise
• Visited Bermuda, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and Puerto Rico
• Rode a Segway
• Blogged a little
• Canoed a lot

Best summer ever.

Interlude

I find it very difficult to keep up with writing during the summer. Year after year, I go weeks between diary entries. Some of my best moments and memories have been lost to time because I never wrote them down.

This year, I will say this: I am having a wonderful summer living with my boyfriend, my housemate and my dog; I have completed two more certifications (Water Safety Instructor and Swiftwater Rescue Technician); I am having a grand old time at camp; and I am spending lots of time with my friends and family. In a nutshell, I am having a summer.

I hope you are, too.

5 (useful) things to do before graduation

The weather is quickly warming up (hello 80° yesterday!) and that means that graduation is not far away.

College is a time of opportunity, and now is the best time to learn a few things other than Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the rules of Kings.

Here are five things you can do before you graduate to augment that degree and help you stand out:

1. Make a website. The beauty of the Internet is that anyone with access to a computer can use it. That means, in theory, anything you put on the Internet can be seen by anyone. We all know the problems associated with that, but what about the benefits? When you are applying to a job or marketing your latest philanthropic project, what are you showing? A resume? A PowerPoint? What if you had a website all about how awesome you are? You can use a pre-made platform, such as Blogger or WordPress. Flavors.me is a good example of a personal/professional landing page. But what if you take it one step further? What if instead of simply showing your accomplishments and skills, your website was an example of what you can do? Take a class, ask a friend, look it up... You have the time and the resources now, learn web design!
2. Write. "If you can write, you can do anything." My friend's mother said this six years ago, and it has stuck with me. Every profession utilizes writing in some capacity, from writing emails to writing proposals to writing books. Words are everywhere and the better command you have of the English language (or, even better, a foreign language!), the more useful and successful you will be. Writing can take you anywhere. Practice it.
3. Talk. Again, expressing yourself well makes a world of difference. Learn how to say what you think. Get up in front of a crowd and say something. Take advantage of those class presentations. Be comfortable in front of a crowd.
4. Listen. Close the laptop. Turn off your iPod. Yes, even put that cellphone away. You may think you can multitask, but you'd be surprised by how much you're missing. Plus, it's rude. Start by paying attention in class. If you can consistently listen to your professor, the person you're paying thousands of dollars to learn from, for an hour and twenty minutes, I promise you will not only earn better grades, but you will also find it easier to listen in conversations. Like everything else, it takes practice. Once you start listening, though, you'll start learning. And learning is what college is all about.
5. Commit and quit. If you try to do everything, you're going to accomplish nothing. If you choose to do something, do it 100%. If you are not giving your tasks all your attention and care, you're wasting your time. If you're not willing to give it your all, quit. StudyHacks is always extolling the virtues of accomplishing more by doing less, and you should take heed. Do a few things really well. Doing everything averagely will drain you and you'll just fade into the background. Decide what you want to do, figure out what you need to do, and do it. No more, no less. Save your energy for the things that matter.

Did I miss anything? What are your tips for getting the most out of college?

Anger

When was the last time you were angry? Not upset or frustrated, but scream and kick angry?

For me, it was about a week and a half ago. I haven't completely picked apart the reasons why, but I was angry. I wanted to hit things. I wanted to scream. I did scream, in fact. I let loose an unimaginative staccato of profanity when I couldn't find a parking spot on my street. I beat the steering wheel and completely let loose with what I was feeling.

And it felt pretty good. Not the anger, per se, but the intensity and passion with which I expressed my feelings to absolutely no one. I felt genuine, free, uninhibited. I wasn't doing it for anyone and I wasn't hiding it from anyone. It was completely unlike most of my daily life and it was me. It was the most I've felt in a long time.

I don't know anger well.I'm often upset or frustrated or sad, but rarely angry. In experiencing anger, I experienced a side of myself that I am not familiar with. It was like finding out your PETA friend with dreads is a world famous MMA fighter, only more exciting because I learned something new about the person I know best. It was wholly unexpected.

As I continue to grow and evolve, I wonder what else I will learn about myself. I don't expect to be angry and lashing out all the time, but I hope that genuine expression of my feelings and beliefs becomes a part of me.