They Say Patience Is A Virtue...

It occurred to me that setting somewhat subjective goals may not have been the best idea (i.e., better manage money, avoid an anxiety attack, be more patient) but I will say patience is one area I really worked on this past year and I'd like to say I did a good job accomplishing this task. Whether it was about work, friends, relationships, driving, I've made a more conscious effort to not overly stress about things (I still stress, but less drastically) and let things happen as they're supposed to happen. That being said, I still posses all the qualities of a Type A personality and will always want/expect some sense of urgency but I've learned that the best things come to those who wait (but who also work hard). This year, more than any other year, has taught me that important lesson.

Anxious Matters

I will be the first to admit the 'avoid an anxiety' attack was one goal I failed to accomplish. I actually failed it multiple times. In fact, this '30 by 30' led to some extra anxiety! As a wise friend told me, "don't set arbitrary deadlines!" That being said, I'm so glad I did this project even if I didn't reach all 30 goals. I'm excited to keep working on them over the next year and beyond. Hopefully, at some point, I will meet this goal.

Game On

This intro has become much to common. First, I apologize for such a lag in blogging. Then, I say I will not neglect this blog for so long. And finally, 2 months goes by and I realize I have not made a post. Eek! I could offer up a plethora of excuses (work, personal, work, stress, work, busy, the nfl lockout) but instead how about an update with 5 months to go til I reach the big 3-0!

Let's start with some plans in the works. First and foremost, I have a National Zoo date all set and I cannot wait! It's within the next 2 weeks and I promise to post some fun pictures after the fact. I'm hoping this brutal weather calms down a bit before Zoo-day. 

Dear Mother Nature,
78 and partly cloudy would be ideal for Zoo-day.
Love, Manda

There's also jet skiing plans in the imminent future. My good friends who live on the water in Middle River just got a brand new jet ski and I've obviously already invited myself to take it for a test drive. It's also entirely possible I'll go during my upcoming trip to Florida, but this year's Shark Week has only elevated my fear of open waters. Either way, by the end of August, I'll have conquered the jet ski.

On the weight loss front... I've been up, down, up, down, up, up, down. Right now I'm down 10 lbs from where I was on my 29th birthday. Not ideal. So I have 5 months to drop another 40. I've made some more lifestyle adjustments so I'm hoping I can focus. This is my biggest goal and the one I most want to achieve. Lofty expectations are always difficult and I get frustrated but I'm confident that under this pressure I can pull it off. Sometimes I wish life wasn't so up and down and I could just focus on one thing. Alas, real life gets intense sometimes and I have trouble sticking to a plan when extra stress is thrown into the mix. I'm hoping I can just hunker down and focus on this. Here's hoping!

I still have that Living Social coupon I bought for the Jewish Museum of Maryland. Anyone wanna go with me on a Sunday? If so, hit me up.

So those are the imminent plans. Still working on the full list, of course, but also taking it one day at a time and trying to manage goals/expectations. I like that I set lofty goals and luckily I work well under pressure. Now that I'm in the final stretch I better up my game. And in this case, GAME ON.

The Paint Job

I've been slacking on the blog world, but it's a direct result of not slacking in the real world. Alas, I present you with The Paint Job (6 weeks after painting... eek!). The painting went really well!!! I picked the Behr Lilac Rose color but ended up having Lowes paint match it in Valspar. I went with a satin finish premium paint and it was awesome. 1 coat of paint (no primer) did the trick. Now, I did have some major expert paint help (thanks Shan!) so I can't say I did it all on my own but I did much of it and learned alot along the way. The pictures don't do the color justice (looks more pink than purple in the pics). 6 weeks later and I absolutely love it. I heart color. Another one crossed off the '30'. Enjoy...

Front View Pre Paint

Front View Painted

Angle View Pre Paint

Angle View Painted

A Subtle Shade of Purple

A few of the '30' are on my 'imminent' list. There's get back on the diet wagon, walk over to the Jewish Museum of Maryland, and paint a wall of my house. As I've mentioned before, even after 4 1/2 years all my walls (with one exception) are still "builder grade" white. The one exception is my power room on the main floor which is a light shade of yellow. It was a messy shade of red for a while after my one and only attempt at painting. It was disastrous hence the "clean up" job which was completed by a professional painter. My failed solo painting attempt really discouraged me from doing my own painting. That being said, I need some color in my life. I don't want to go crazy with paint, after all I tend to be a bit ADD when it comes to decorating, but a little color never hurt nobody. My plan is to start small and paint one wall (with the help of some paint-savvy friends). I think I've settled on the wall behind my bed (see below). I'm stuck on a purple. I'm contemplating both light shades and dark shades. Initially I considered a dark purple (plum) for an accent wall behind my bed and a lighter blue on the other walls. However, I've decided to paint just an accent wall and leave the others white. I'm leaning towards a more subtle purple, perhaps lavender or lilac is the most accurate description. I've put a couple of the samples below. I know it's hard to look at paint on a computer, but if you feel so compelled please chime in and let me know what you think.

Front View

Corner View

Behr Wildflower

Behr Lilac Rose

Twilight Conquered

After 6 long weeks I've finished Twilight. I could actually write a quality dissertation on the relationship between Bella and Edward, but alas this is a blog, not an educational adventure, so I'll keep it brief. The good news is that the book was enjoyable and, unlike the film, I didn't fall asleep every time I went to read it. In fact I'm planning to watch the film again now that I've read the book. It was a good read especially considering my usual distaste for fantasy. I enjoyed the attention to detail in the storylines/history (conversion to Vampire, sixth senses) of each of the Cullens. There were a few things in the book that I didn't like. I felt some parts were really rushed, while others were given extensive detail. Also, I have trouble believing that Bella, even experiencing true love for the first time, would become such a different person. She makes reference to the fact that she doesn't even recognize her 'new self' which eases me, knowing it was in the plans. I also have trouble with Bella going along with everything Edward says/does. I understand it in terms of her infatuation and love, but she is so so quick to be ok with his lifestyle and the concept of vampires. Based on her early actions I would have bargained that she'd have more trouble coming to terms with (and believing) that the Cullens are this fantastical coven. I'm surprised she doesn't make more references to going a bit crazy. You're probably thinking, Manda, this is just a book. Yes, I understand, but it's a book with which people are absolutely obsessed. I kinda get it, and have to look past my disinterest in fantasy, I'm much more of a realist, but for what it's worth I'm glad I read it. I'm almost mad at the filmmakers who ruined the whole series for me ahead of time. Perhaps when I watch the film again, now that I've read the book, I won't find it so inconsequential. As far as reading the other three, it's not in the immediate plans, but never say never. Another '30' down.

Pucks, Purim & Palm Trees

Sweet Seats

There's something congenial about hockey in palm trees. Perhaps I would have been cursing the "soft ice" had the Caps walked away in defeat. Thankfully, I got to witness a quality win that propelled the boys in red (ok, white) to the top of the SE division. Caps 3, Panthers 2. And of course I get to cross one of the '30' off my list. And walking out of the game into 80 degree weather and palm trees was very serene. 

Neuvy in Net

My father is a Panthers season ticket holder so we already had tickets (In the 400s) for the game, but we actually used one of his clients' tickets which were 9 rows off the ice. They'd be big money if we were in Verizon Center. The truth here is that the lower bowl was 1/2 full at most, and I'm fairly sure most people in the lower bowl had tickets for the upper bowl and just moved down. My aunt, uncle and little cousins met us at the game (they got 4 people in for $20 total) and there were plenty empty seats next to us. Sundays are 'Family Fun Day' at Panthers games. The MC announced this before the game, then immediately introduced the Panthers Ice Dancers who did their routine. I found this extremely awkward family friendly. 

Rabbis vs Clowns in Intermission Broom Ball

There was also a Purim Party. This included a Purim costume contest at the 1st intermission. For those of you who went to Hebrew school or synagogue, you remember dressing up as Queen Ester, Mordechai, Haman, etc and waving the noisemakers, right? This nondenominational Purim party costume contest included Spiderman, Gumby and Darth Vader. It was humorous cute. They also had a Rabbi take the ceremonious 1st slap shot and the 2nd intermission included a broomball game of Rabbis vs Clowns. I love it!  
The Panthers look so small next to the Caps (especially Arnott). Our seats were on the side where the Caps shot twice. The view of the goal in front of us was excellent (which included Backstrom's goal and Semin's awesome GWG) but we could barely see the other goal through all the glass.

Caps Win in OT!

I'm used to sitting in the press box or in the high seats at Verizon Center and I forget there's actually a big benefit to height! Energy in the Bank Atlantic center was great last night. Much better than last season. The in-game entertainment is much improved which helps the overall atmosphere. We're spoiled by all the energy and show entertainment at Verizon Center that it can be a major let down at other venues.  The BAC is a quality venue so I'm glad they finally figured out how to make the game experience more exciting. Also helped that at least 1/3 of the BAC was full of Caps fans. When Semin scored the game winner (conveniently in front of me) the arena erupted in cheers. Good times. Another one crossed off the list. Now off to read Twilight by the pool, shop, and hopefully cook a turkey tonight.

Cheating...

One of my '30' is to write a blog post every week. A "week" in my book is Sunday - Saturday (this is how our work weeks go so that has translated into real life). It occurred to me today that I haven't blogged this week. The true reason is that I have been very preoccupied with new work projects and life and have not made much more progress on the '30'. I am 2 more chapters into Twilight (about 200 pages in). I'm hoping to finish the book by next weekend. In the meantime, since I want to fill this week's quota in the next hour, and have nothing particularly compelling re the '30' to blog about, I'm going to move onto the next best thing. Dogs. Everyone likes a cute pup, right? I'm on doggy duty this weekend. Here's my step-mutt Molly after 30 minutes at the Canton Dog Park. Enjoy. Hope to have a progress report soon.

Managing Goals... 30 of 'em...

If you know me at all, you know I'm a planner. I'm not opposed to spontaneity, I just enjoy order, organization and advanced planning. It alleviates alot of unnecessary stress down the road. While it's impossible to completely plan the '30 by 30', I did come up with a short term goal to make the somewhat massive list manageable. My goal is to complete 1 item every week. Seems easy enough, right? Easy-ish for now since I have the entire list (sans Snowboarding) left. Will get difficult once I'm down to Vegas, 5k, hiking Acadia and Syracuse football game ;-). Some weeks I'll get multiple done, some weeks I'll get nada, but I'll do my best to keep crusin'. For the next couple weeks I already have plans to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, learn to drive stick, go to Synagogue, read Twilight and paint a room of my house. Feelin good!

Revealed... My '30 by 30' Project

It's a simple concept inspired by awesome friends. What started as a few items on a New Years Resolution list is now this public '30' blog. I'll be 30 in exactly 1 year.  That gives me 365 days to accomplish my '30'. Some are more personal, some are just fun, some are about finally learning to do things I've always wanted to do. Some are things I've done but want to do again. Others are brand new. It's time to stop saying I'm gonna do it and just do it.  Though some of the '30' are more lofty than others, I'm optimistic they're all doable.  Along the way I'll blog, post pictures (y'all know I love to take pictures!), and update the status of each item on the list. You can check out the right column of this page to keep track of my '30' and whether (or not) they've been attained. For each goal not attained by 1/6/2012, I'll donate $30 to one of the Baltimore area animal shelters (BARCS or Defenders of Animal Rights). Below is my 30 with short comments. The "quick" 30 is to the right. Enjoy, comment, laugh, cry, tell me how awesome I am. It's all fair game!

• Attend a Ravens road game - None of the road opponents on next year's schedule look particularly easy so this will take some thinking.
• Attend a Capitals road game - Already have my sweet seats for 3/6, thanks to my father the Panthers season ticket holder!
• Attend a Syracuse hoops game - 2/26 @ Verizon Center is the easy option, we shall see
• Attend a Syracuse football game - Now that we're not the worst team in D1...
• Attend synagogue at least twice - Simple, but something I've been thinking about
• Avoid an anxiety attack - No comments necessary
• Be more patient - Work/Personal
• Better manage money - Hey who knew the mortgage/car/gas/insurance/bills would add up so fast?
• Eat at Dinosaur BBQ - I need to do this at least once in the next year. Either in NYC, or up in Syracuse.  I miss Dino!!!
• Cook a turkey - My mother won't believe this one
• Drive/Photograph Skyline Drive at Shenandoah - Perhaps pair this with the camping?
• Go camping - Speaking of which, my idea of "roughing it" is the Holiday Inn, but I've been told I need to go camping, should be fun...
• Go to Las Vegas - Been a few times, but haven't been since I turned 21. Enough said.
• Hike one of the "difficult" trails at Acadia - Partially an inside joke (Great Head This Way), partially because I wanna do it. Helps that my best friend lives there.
• Jet Ski - Need pure fun!
• Learn to change a flat tire - This would have come in handy a couple weeks ago... Not giving up my AAA membership though.
• Learn to drive stick - Another one that would have come in handy a couple weeks ago. It's time to learn. Sue - If you try and teach me, again, I promise this time I won't stall out your Jeep 10 times at 1am on city streets! Maybe we should try a parking lot this time?
• Lose 50 lbs - Enough said.
• Paint a room in my house - 4 years with all "builder grade white" walls needs to go.
• Read 'Twilight' - I really don't get what the fuss is all about, but never say never.
• Road trip for a weekend with my girls - We haven't done this in a few years. I'd love to get in another one this year.
• Run a 5k - As in RUN, not walk or run/walk. Gotta start somewhere.
• Snowboard - Tried skiing twice. I was awful. This will probably be a disaster, but so what?!
• Spend a day at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum - Went twice around my 13th birthday/Bat Mitzvah. Haven't been since.
• Take piano lessons - Took lessons when I was in elem/middle school but quit after a few years. Haven't touched a piano since my folks moved to Florida and sold our piano. I'd like to take a lesson or two this year.
• Try playing ice hockey - Last time I was on ice I was playing broomball and I got a concussion. I think I'd do better w/ skates on...
• Visit 1 of the 10 states i haven't been to (AK, AR, HI, IA, LA, MI, MS, OK, NE, ND) - Maybe a New Orleans trip?
• Visit the National Zoo - I love pandas!
• Visit the Jewish Museum of Maryland/Lloyd Street Synagogue - I live 3 blocks away. I need to go already.
• Volunteer at a Baltimore area animal shelter - I love dogs, but I don't feel like I have time to care for a dog. Next best thing is to volunteer, right?
• Write at least 1 blog entry every week - This blog or work blog. Don't be a slacker, Manda!