40 by 40

40 by 40 Update: #19 Release 25 Books Into the Wild Through Book Crossing

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(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)

19. Release 25 Books into the Wild Through Book Crossing – NOT COMPLETED
Running Tally: $90.00 to charity.

I gave this one up back in July 2007. As I blogged back then:

If I could figure out how to do a strikethrough on this blog I would cross
this one out. I thought I would love this particular challenge. The idea is that
you tag books you have read with a Bookcrossing label, register them online, and
then leave them somewhere for someone to find in hopes that they will pick them
up, see the tag, go online to note where they found it and what they thought
about the book and then release it back into “the wild” for someone else to
find.I loved the idea of people connecting through books, but the process of
leaving them out in the wild gave me more stress than joy. Maybe because you
don’t really get to connect with people this way, and maybe because the kinds of
books I read aren’t going to find a broad audience, or maybe it is because I am
sure that most if not all of the books I have left out in the wild were probably
thrown away. In any case, I didn’t find anything edifying about the process and
it was stressing me out. So I am abandoning this one which means at least $10
for charity when I hit 40.

40 by 40 Update: #18 Start and Finish the "Write Now" Better Handwriting Program

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(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)

18. Start and Finish the “Write Now” Better Handwriting Program – COMPLETED
Running Tally: $80.00 to charity.

My handwriting has gotten so bad over the years of keyboarding that I can hardly read it these days. I followed the program, and it certainly re-taught me some things I haven’t thought about since second grade. And I discovered a new way to hold a pen that gives me better control. I am glad I did it, but in the end, the biggest trick is to write much more slowly than is useful for most practical applications.

40 by 40 Update: #17 Spend a Long Weekend in Vienna, Berlin, or Barcelona

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(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)

17. Spend a Long Weekend in Vienna, Berlin, or Barcelona – NOT COMPLETED
Running Tally: $80.00 to charity.

We have gone on many amazing trips since I made the 40 by 40 list, but did not do this one specifically. From a road trip up the Eastern Seaboard to the Great Barrier Reef, to Kenya, to many weekend trips around the U.S., but alas no Vienna, Berlin, or Barcelona. These will remain on the list in my head.

40 by 40 Update: #16 Get a Letter Published in the New York Times

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(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)

16. Get a Letter Published in the New York Times – COMPLETED
Running Tally: $70.00 to charity.

Getting a letter published in the New York Times is harder than it may seem. I saw my opening back in July 2007, wrote a pithy little ditty, and managed to get my name in print.

40 by 40 Update: #14 Make a Timpano

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(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)

14. Make a Timpano – NOT COMPLETED
Running Tally: $70.00 to charity.

For those of you who saw the movie Big Night, you will recognize the timpano. It was that amazing looking Italian dish that has everything but the kitchen sink baked into it. I was very excited to make a timpano, but my partner said they weren’t worth the effort. After the movie came out he and a friend took a cooking class on how to make a timpano. He said the result was less than satisfying. Rather than spend dozens of hours trying to prove him wrong and getting fat in the process, I decided to give up on this one. Maybe some day when I am retired and bored.

40 by 40 Update: #13 Reduce My Cholesterol Below 200

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(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)

13. Reduce My Cholesterol Below 200 – COMPLETED
Running Tally: $60.00 to charity.

Although I have no other risk factors for heart disease, my cholesterol has been consistently in the neighborhood of 226. Anything over 200 is considered to be high. At one point in the summer of 2007 when I was at my fittest I managed to reduce it to 217. But since then it has gone back up. I finally came to the conclusion that I would never have the will or desire to have the kind of diet that would allow me to get my cholesterol any lower. If it is even possible, sometimes genetics wins the contest no matter what you do. So I went on a statin drug earlier this summer. I don’t go in for a follow-up until September 14th, so I don’t know for sure if it is below 200 at this point. But, I am giving big Pharma the benefit of the doubt and assuming that it is.

40 by 40 Update: #12 Become a Homeowner

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(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)

12. Become a Homeowner – NOT COMPLETED
Running Tally: $60.00 to charity.

The last time we tried to buy a house was in the overheated DC housing market at the height of the real estate bubble. Thankfully our offer that was way over asking didn’t even make it into the top five of those who bid on the same house. After that hairy experience we decided to wait out the bubble. Now that the market here is finally starting to soften we are going to take the plunge and start to seriously look for a house starting in February. Even if the market ticks up we are going to bite the bullet and buy anyway. However, it is highly unlikely that the market will go up much between now and then. Even if the market has bottomed out, it wouldn’t bounce back up in any meaningful way by February. In fact, a report just came out this week that shows that 48% of all houses in the U.S. will be worth less than their mortgages by 2011. This certainly doesn’t suggest that we have reached the bottom yet. Fingers crossed.

40 by 40 Update: #11 Take a Cruise

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(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)

11. Take a Cruise – COMPLETED
Running Tally: $50.00 to charity.

As I blogged about back in January. John and I were both skeptical about taking a cruise. But we did and had a fantastic time. Our ship was the brand new Celebrity Solstice and it was perfect for us. The spa and fitness center was amazing as was our room and verandah. We still remain independent travelers at heart, but there are definitely more cruises in our future.

40 by 40 Update: #10 Finish My Business Plan

Thomas1 Comment

(Back in May of 2007 I noticed that a bunch of people in the blogosphere had created lists of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I was intrigued by the notion but felt I needed to change the parameters. So I created my 40 by 40 list. 40 things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Well on August 17th I turn 40, and I need to give $10 to charity for every uncompleted item. So it is time to see how I did.)

10. Finish My Business Plan – NOT COMPLETED
Running Tally: $50.00 to charity.

Numbers 1 and 2 below should explain why this one didn’t happen. If things had gone differently in the world of travel planning, the plan was to strike out on my own and be my own boss. Thus the need for a business plan.

Academy Awards

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Well the nominees for the Academy Awards are out and I need to get myself to the cinema. I promised on my 40 by 40 list to see all of the Best Picture nominees and I haven’t seen any of them. So I think tonight will be Atonement. Juno intriques me. George Clooney seems to only make good flims these days so I am looking forward to Michael Clayton. Normally I wouldn’t spend any time or money on a flim like No Country for Old Men or There Will Be Blood. But that is what is kind of great about this challenge–or at least what I hope will be great about this challenge–is that I will be exposed to films I might not otherwise go see.