28 July 2010

30 Things...

...to do before I'm 30

OK, so here are the rules. Each item is something I haven't done before, and something that I believe is a realistically attainable goal. Also, I have tried for the most part to avoid things based largely on the opinions and actions of other people (e.g. writing a novel is something I can do on my own; writing a best-selling novel depends on other peoples opinions). Obviously there are a huge number of things that could go on here, but I picked the first ones that popped into my head.

The list is presented in no particular order, and some items I deemed a bit too personal to include on the public list (if you really want to know them, you can ask me and I'll consider sharing).

  • -Omitted-
  • -Omitted-
  • Get a tattoo
  • Write a novel
  • Spend a week in the woods (or other wilderness type place)
  • -Omitted-
  • Get a PhD
  • Cook my way through a cookbook
  • Learn to play an instrument passably well
  • Become proficient in a martial art
  • Eat at a 5 star restaurant
  • Read at least half of 'The Great Books'
  • Visit every continent (still have to get to Africa and Antarctica)
  • -Omitted-
  • Give away or sell all my excess junk after graduation
  • Save (in some form) at least $15,000 (AUS)
  • Go on a date without regard to cost
  • See a country music act live in concert
  • Learn to ride something with 4 legs or less than 4 wheels (bikes don't count)
  • Travel to Uluru
  • Become fit enough to pass this.
  • Put together a GOOD bag and BOAT.
  • Swim naked in the Pacific Ocean
  • Give blood
  • Purchase some land
  • Fly in a helicopter
  • Have a research paper published
  • -Omitted-
  • Drive a car faster than 100 mph
  • Grow and eat my own food
Go on and make your own list (post it in the comments, if you like/anyone still reads this)! Stay tuned in 9 years for a recap of this and 40 things I'll do before I'm 40.

17 July 2010

21 years of Austen

Whenever I have a birthday, I get a little reflective*. So instead of taking the time to write an original blog post for my birthday, instead I'm going to just take you all on a magical journey over the past 21 years. Grab a beer and strap yourselves in ladies and gentleman, we're approaching 88mph, and where we're going... we don't need roads**.

July 17, 1989 - Year 0
Chart-Topping Song: If You Don't Know Me By Now - Simply Red
Honestly my birth will probably be what historians consider the most momentous event to occur on this day, so lets just leave it at that and move on.

July 17, 1990 - Year 1
Chart-Topping Song: Step By Step - New Kids on the Block
Several days earlier, 'Ghost' -the highest grossing movie of the year, was released. This no doubt precipitated my lifelong appreciation for the works of Patrick Swayze

July 17, 1991 - Year 2
Chart-Topping Song: Rush Rush - Paula Abdul
'Point Break' was released about this time. I think this says it all. Patrick Swayze had firmly made an impression upon my infant mind.

July 17, 1992 - Year 3
Chart-Topping Song: Jump - Kris Kross
Three awful, awful movies released in honor of my third birthday: 'Honey, I Blew up the Kid,' 'Man Trouble,' and 'A Stranger Among Us'

July 17, 1993 - Year 4
Chart-Topping Song: Weak - SMV
Just to recap, over these 4 years the world's population increased by 350 million! An interesting side note, if someone tells you these days that you are '1 in a million' there are almost 7000 people just like you.

July 17, 1994 - Year 5
Chart-Topping Song: I Swear - All-4-One
According to wikipedia, no significant events occurred between May 10 - August 12. So I guess its time for a VUVUZELA BREAK!!! BZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZzzz

July 17, 1995 - Year 6
Chart-Topping Song: Waterfalls - TLC
Boosted by optimism that I could make it 6 years in defiance of Natural Selection, the Nasdaq closes above 1000 (8000 too small for a really good link sadly) for the first time.

July 17, 1996 - Year 7
Chart-Topping Song: How Do U Want It - 2Pac (one of his few prehumous releases)
This entire month seemed to be full of depressing headlines, go look them up if you really want, or you could take a break and grab another beer! I did!

July 17, 1997 - Year 8
Chart-Topping Song: I'll be Missing You - A few people
The F.W. Woolworth Company Closed! After 117 years of Business! Tragedy!

July 17, 1998 - Year 9
Chart-Topping Song: The Boy is Mine - Brandy and Monica (relax ladies! there is enough of Austen to go around)
The last Russian Czar and his family were finally buried in the St. Catherine Chapel. Also, the Mask of Zorro was released! So that's exciting.

July 17, 1999 - Year 10
Chart-Topping Song: Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
I couldn't tell you when (my memory for events in my own life inspired at least one film), but this was around the time when I moved to Australia. Also that whole Y2K thing was happening (because as any educated person could tell you, when you reset the clock on your microwave, your house explodes).

July 17, 2000 - Year 11
Chart-Topping Song: Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon (*cryptic smile*)
A few days later, the Pokemon movie would be released. I loved those little guys. Back when I was a kid we just had 151 Pokemon, and had to walk five miles to school, uphill both ways...

July 17, 2001 - Year 12
Chart-Topping Song: U Remind Me - Usher
Blowing the closure of the F.W. Woolworth company out of the water, this day saw the inauguration of the replica of the Altamira Caves!

July 17, 2002 - Year 13
Chart-Topping Song: Hot in Herre - Nelly
Yeah if you were ever a 13 year old boy, you would know that song really speaks volumes about your mentality. We'll leave it at that.

July 17, 2003 - Year 14
Chart-Topping Song: Crazy in Love - Beyonce
Everyone should take this opportunity to have another drink and take a minute to remember that most famous of harpsichordists, Rosalyn Tureck.

July 17, 2004 - Year 15
Chart-Topping Song: Burn - Usher
Nothing against Usher, but lets take this moment to take a look at the Country music songs that topped their respective charts on my birthdays.
1989: In a Letter to You - Eddy Raven
1990: The Dance - Garth Brooks
1991: Don't Rock the Jukebox - Alan Jackson
1992: I Saw the Light - Wynonna
1993: Chattahoochee - Alan Jackson
1994: Foolish Pride - Travis Tritt
1995: Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident) - John Michael Montgomery
1996: No One Needs to Know - Shania Twain
1997: It's Your Love - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
1998: The Shoes You're Wearing - Clint Black
1999: Amazed - Lonestar
2000: I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack
2001: I'm Already There - Lonestar
2002: I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song) - Brad Paisley
2003: Beer for My Horses - Toby Keith & Willie Nelson
This last song deserves some special attention, since it was actually the first country song I heard while flipping through my car radio, which got me interested in the whole genre which I now love. We'll include them from now on, to add some twang to our history.
Country Chart-Topping Song: Live Like You were Dying - Tim McGraw

July 17, 2005 - Year 16
Chart-Topping Song: We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
Country Chart-Topping Song: Fast Cars & Freedom - Rascal Flatts
While I was 16, I got fired from my first real job, rejected from 3 of the 4 Universities I applied to, and dumped by the first girl I really liked in a romantic way. But it wasn't all fun and games! I also graduated from high school a bit early -a choice that would have some really far-reaching and important consequences for me, all of them good. This year deserves another drink folks. I hope you are keeping up!

July 17, 2006 - Year 17
Chart-Topping Song: Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado
Country Chart-Topping Song: Summertime - Kenny Chesney
Joined Sigma Nu. Enough said.

July 17, 2007 - Year 18
Chart-Topping Song: Umbrella - Rihanna
Country Chart-Topping Song: Lucky Man - Montgomery Gentry
Had a great birthday party in Sydney Australia, one that I will be loosely recreating in a few hours. Also, 18 was the year when I declared my majors (Math, then Physics, then Environmental Science), decided to stop being fat and lazy, and move on to just lazy, and decided that sleep was a useless luxury that I could not afford (naps on the other hand...)

July 17, 2008 - Year 19
Chart-Topping Song: I Kissed a Girl - Katy Pery
Country Chart-Topping Song: Back When I Knew it All - Montgomery Gentry
I think I realized more about myself this year than all of the previous years combined. My political views started to evolve (catalyzed by my reading of Atlas Shrugged), I started learning how to lead, and how to work hard. Most notably, I fell in love for the first time. I think this is when I first started gaining a glimpse of the man I wanted to be, the image of which is still coming into focus for me.

July 17, 2009 - Year 20
Chart-Topping Song: I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
Country Chart-Topping Song: Then - Brad Paisley
If I learned what love felt like when I was 19, I learned what losing it felt like when I was 20. There was pain, from a number of sources and people, and not in small amounts. This may sound overly theatrical, but I was going through Hell. I kept on going. I hurt, more than I think I ever had, but I learned how to overcome it. I feel stronger now than I have ever been, by every definition of strength. But enough seriousness! New drink! Or Bacon!

July 17, 2010 - Year 21
Chart-Topping Song: California Gurls - Katy Pery (really? >_<)
Country Chart-Topping Song: Rain is a Good Thing - Luke Bryan
Well we made it safely back to the present. We had some tunes, some tears, some laughter, some cheers (see what I did there?). I can't wait to see what this year will bring, and thanks to all of you who have taken the ride with me so far -and God bless everyone who didn't quite make it this far.

-Austen

*Since I was born, the earth has traveled almost 12.6 billion miles around the sun. Source: Science!
**Or sobriety.

05 July 2010

We interrupt this blog to offer our own completely useless comments

Hello all of Austen's friends and people who choose to read this blog simply because they are bored out of their mind. We were granted the wonderful honor of being guest bloggers this week. Some brief introductions, we are Kat and Jill and we decided about a month ago to take an impulse trip to visit Australia...why exactly? Who knows, but we did.

First off a huge thank you to our gracious host, Austen! I'm pretty sure he would like it if we used our blog post to talk about how wonderful he is, but really you all should already know about that.

Now, on to Sydney, which, by the way, is pretty much the BEST place on EARTH!
1) Koalas/animals in general
2) Shopping (specifically coats)
3) Botanical Gardens
4) Harbor view from the ferries
We've pretty much decided that we are going to live here forever.

I suppose we can talk a bit more about the first two items on our "favorites list." Today we adventured over to Darling Harbor (twice actually because someone* forgot the tickets) to visit Wildlife World. After surviving the terrors of the bug/HUGE spider section, we came to the cute, fuzzy section. Something to know, Koalas don't enjoy the rain, so it probably wasn't the grandest idea to go to the park on a rainy day. However there was a brief break in the rain where we got to go in and snuggle with the koalas. Okay, so maybe not snuggle, but we did get to touch them which was pretty damn neat...
-aside
Kat: Is neat the right word?
Jill: Awesomely amazing and fantastical.
Basically we want a pet koala now and are actively seeking ways to get one past customs.

Item #2, Shopping. No one in Sydney wears hoodies, sweatshirts, or the like. They all wear fitted coats. Naturally, since remember, we are going to live here one day, we needed to buy coats as well. Yesterday we decided to skip Plan A: walk, Plan B: Gardens and Museum, and jump to Plan C: Spend all the money we have in our wallets (and then some).

Finding shopping centers was surprisingly difficult. You must first find a random alleyway that leads to a random staircase or escalator, which will then lead to to a completely random and unexpected shopping center (which is pretty much always underground). You must then navigate through the underground corridors until you find a suitable store. Jill got lucky and found a coat in the first shop we stepped into, called Passion. It took me about 20 shops and 1 day to find mine.

Since you made it this far in our fairly pointless blog post we might as well tell you about our coats. Jill's knee length jacket is a vibrant shade of blue, so crisp it puts the clear waters off the coast of Australia to shame. It does however have a butt flap that is secured with a button. Clearly a necessity. I opted for a waist-length coat with asymmetric buttons and 3 quarter sleeves. I can't say its black color is anywhere near as fantastic as Jill's coat, but at least I don't have a butt flap.

We could probably go on for hours about how delightful it is here, but we aren't allowed to go to bed until this post is complete, so we'll have to cut it short. In short, Sydney is awesome, koalas are adorable, and a fitted coat is a must.

-Jill and Kat


*yes, that was me (Kat)

04 July 2010

GUEST POST ALERT!

I would just like to apologize for missing last week's post, I blame it entirely on my two guests from America, Kat and Jill. They will sometime in the next few days be making a guest post, wherein I'm sure they will explain how sorry they are to have deprived you of me for a whole week!

I would like to direct your attention here. For no reason other than it makes me smile.