Faustus




I'm doing 39 things
 

Faustus's Life List

  1. 1. encourage others to reach their potential
    157 cheers
    37 people
  2. 2. practice and spread acceptance, understanding and compassion
    16 team members . 1 entry . 128 cheers
    44 people
  3. 3. Be open minded - learn always - listen carefully
    144 cheers
    8 people
  4. 4. be a good teacher
    3 entries . 189 cheers
    122 people
  5. 5. make poverty history
    4 entries . 97 cheers
    219 people
  6. 6. put an end to all forms of discrimination
    2 entries . 70 cheers
    5 people
  7. 7. get better at teamwork
    5 entries . 40 cheers
    1 person
  8. 8. stand up against war and oppression
    3 entries . 76 cheers
    7 people
  9. 9. let the people i love know it
    4 entries . 91 cheers
    37 people
  10. 10. love unconditionally
    91 cheers
    460 people
  11. 11. write a book
    4 entries . 38 cheers
    22,011 people
  12. 12. stop racism
    65 cheers
    89 people
  13. 13. be more social
    51 cheers
    4,235 people
  14. 14. be a better person
    3 entries . 23 cheers
    3,205 people
  15. 15. commit acts of random kindness
    56 cheers
    150 people
  16. 16. follow my dreams
    57 cheers
    254 people
  17. 17. learn a new language
    4 entries . 24 cheers
    1,358 people
  18. 18. make a list of 100 quotes that inspire me
    12 entries . 32 cheers
    200 people
  19. 19. go home
    1 entry . 31 cheers
    337 people
  20. 20. identify 10 things that make me who I am
    8 entries . 49 cheers
    9 people
  21. 21. write and share a "This I Believe" essay
    15 team members . 41 cheers
    40 people
  22. 22. Periodically reflect on at least 5 things for which I'm grateful
    15 entries . 21 cheers
    15 people
  23. 23. Give 17 all the support that she needs even though I know she's much stronger than she thinks she is
    7 team members . 16 cheers
    4 people
  24. 24. make a smaller ecological footprint
    49 team members . 1 entry . 35 cheers
    1,029 people
  25. 25. Become a tenure-track professor at a PhD-granting public university
    2 entries . 33 cheers
    1 person
  26. 26. do something worthwhile in my spare time
    3 entries . 33 cheers
    1 person
  27. 27. Write down my memories
    3 entries . 30 cheers
    7 people
  28. 28. jot down random fleeting thoughts and ideas
    9 entries . 32 cheers
    4 people
  29. 29. Submit 15 papers for publication by the end of 2008
    5 entries . 31 cheers
    1 person
  30. 30. run faster
    8 entries . 34 cheers
    218 people
  31. 31. play more
    1 entry . 27 cheers
    186 people
  32. 32. go through all the articles I've saved to read
    1 entry . 13 cheers
    1 person
  33. 33. contemplate getting a moped for my daily commute
    1 entry . 26 cheers
    2 people
  34. 34. learn more about project management
    2 entries . 13 cheers
    3 people
  35. 35. step back, look at the big picture
    25 cheers
    1 person
  36. 36. narrate
    19 cheers
    1 person
  37. 37. Practice playing piano regularly
    18 cheers
    3 people
  38. 38. waste less food
    3 cheers
    35 people
  39. 39. get another bookcase
    6 cheers
    2 people
Recent entries
learn a new language (read all 4 entries…)
Listened to 5 days ago

(and repeated!) the Pimsleur Spanish short course CDs. Nothing too advanced, but I think it does help to feel more at ease (knowing the basic greetings and such). At least now I can say “No entiendo Catellano” (I still remember that a Greek lady got really mad at me when in response to what she asked, I tried all the (other) languages I knew trying to say I don’t speak Greek :)).

The other weird thing is that questions in Spanish sound to me somehow similar to Turkish (and I don’t know Turkish!)... something about the way they stress somewhere in the middle of the sentence.



contemplate getting a moped for my daily commute
To summerize... 5 days ago

Pros:
1. Saves gas (average $7/week compared to current $25/week)
2. Not much investment (I checked and $700 buys you a decent 50cc moped)
3. No extra hassle (for <50cc and <35mph mopeds, no need for registration/tag/insurance… though I think I’d like to have insurance)
4. Off-beat enough for me to try :)

Cons:
1. Longer commute time (20-25 minutes per trip compared to current 12-15 minutes per trip)
2. Less safe (true, rides as slower speeds, but the driver is directly hit in case of an accident; also, car drivers are not too courteous/careful toward their less number-of-wheel gifted counterparts)
3. Not suitable in all weather conditions (not too much of a concern right now, but I don’t think it’s fair to wish for a drought just for the sake of riding a moped)

And parking is another concern… I’m now paying for a permit to park on campus (of course I can give the permit to somebody else, but it’s inconvenient if one day I decide to drive to school because of the rain, cold, etc). Also, I have yet to find a spot to park a moped on campus (bikes have a tendency to be stolen around here, and I’m not sure yet how mopeds will be treated!)

So considering all of these, what would you do?



run faster (read all 8 entries…)
Well 1 week ago

right knee has been acting up lately. True, I should’ve known that I can’t keep playing soccer relentlessly and run as if I’m not! Now I’m left with a knee that’s feeling uncomfortable… enough pain to know I should take care of it, but not enough to make me go see a doctor.

Two weeks, that’s how much time I gave it to heal (I did go and watch my friends play soccer enviously, of course!), and last night ran two easy miles and iced the knee. It’s not feeling worse so far… maybe I should just accept it as it is, and move on. Not having enough physical activity has already made me grumpy.



See all entries ...


 

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