21. Go Offline for a weekend

I am excited to say I have crossed the first thing off my list. I went off the grid starting at 5pm on Friday and didn't get back on until Monday (today) at 5:30am (that is normal wake up time, I didn't specifically get up that early *just* to check my phone:) I scheduled my offline weekend for this weekend since I knew I would be out of the house both Friday and Saturday nights and it would be easier to avoid the interwebs whilst being social. It was not super easy cuz I definitely am quick to search the internet while watching tv or check Facebook obsessively.

I like lists, so here goes:

Things I discovered:

• I think in status updates. I consider myself witty but apparently, it's only in a short form status update kind of way.
•  It's much easier to put the phone down when I have a goal in mind. 
•  It was nice to watch a movie uninterrupted at home. (This Means War was an adorable movie, btw)
•  I fall asleep more quickly when watching tv without the constant stimulation of the interwebs on my mobile device.
•  The world didn't stop without me.
•  As much as I love to stay connected with friends on Facebook, they were still there after 60 hours without constant supervision.
•  I am not as popular as I think I am. Only 15 notifications? Come on!
•  I was entirely too nervous to leave the house without the phone even if it was off the in my bag the whole time. 
•  The things I see that I need to look up RIGHTNOW are really not that important if I don't remember to look them up after a few hours.
•  Social Networking is incredible for getting contact info for new friends without intrusively asking for someone's phone number.

Overall, I'd rate the experience with ... I should probably come with some kind of rating system, I suppose.... Meh. It was a good experience though I am glad to be plugged back into to the Matrix. Just call me Neo:)

The first one's always the hardest...

So, I turned 30 a few weeks ago. Which to say I was freaked out is an understatement to say the least. And as it grew closer more and more folks asked why I was so freaked out. And at first, it was hard to say. But giving it some thought I realized the picture in my head of where I would be at this point is way different than the real life version. Not bad, just different. But not having met my own self imposed expectation causes me quite a lot of grief. And really it's this feeling of not knowing what I want to be when I grow up and being a grown up now is scary.

To ease the pain, I created this list of 30 brand spanking new things for me to complete this year. The hope is that perhaps I can find something to hold my interest for more than 30 seconds but if not,worst case scenario though, I'll experience 30 new things this year and I will be a better person for it. Here is the list and every time I cross one off, I'll write about it here.

1.Train and run a 5k
2. Start writing a book
3. Take up yoga consistently
4. Get a pedicure
5. Take a Segway tour
6. Play Paintball
7. Rappelling(with Anita)
8. White water rafting
9. Cook Thanksgiving dinner
10. Roller girls Wannabe clinic
11. Start a podcast with Matt 
12. Take an improv/acting class
13. Take a photography class
14. Ride a Mechanical Bull
15. Get a bikini wax
16. Go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
17. Cook a week of new recipes
18. Actually R*N a hash
19. Go rock climbing
20. Go Vegetarian for a month
21. Go offline for a whole weekend (Friday after work to Monday morn)
22. Read 5 Classic books
23. Find 5 parks I've never been to and explore
24. Indoor skydiving Take a cooking class
25. Go to a Casino
26. Market to Market Bike ride
27. Go to a shooting range
28. Go to Comic-Con
29. Do 30 random acts of kindness
30. Go to the Pride Parade 

Unfortunately traveling outside of Ohio isn't really an option at this time and the closest place to indoor skydive is North Carolina so I had to replace it with something less exciting. 

My first one to cross off will be #21 this weekend. Wish me luck!