Mark




I'm doing 42 things
 

Mark's Life List

  1. 1. Sell 25 Poker Timers per day
    1 entry
    1 person
  2. 2. identify 100 things that make me happy (besides money)
    9 entries . 16 cheers
    5,870 people
  3. 3. Learn Spanish
    8 entries . 7 cheers
    12,558 people
  4. 4. Swim 750m in under 16 min
    9 entries . 5 cheers
    1 person
  5. 5. get ready for my next step in triathlon competition
    7 entries . 3 cheers
    1 person
  6. 6. change the world (for the better)
    16 cheers
    160 people
  7. 7. take 43 photos of 43 places within 43 minutes of where I live
    1 entry . 11 cheers
    78 people
  8. 8. live, not merely exist
    7 entries . 19 cheers
    94 people
  9. 9. have multiple streams of passive income
    1 entry . 3 cheers
    318 people
  10. 10. be a photographer
    4 entries . 12 cheers
    707 people
  11. 11. organize my life
    7 cheers
    733 people
  12. 12. live sexy
    1 entry . 21 cheers
    16 people
  13. 13. get my back hair lasered off
    3 entries . 4 cheers
    1 person
  14. 14. return to italy
    10 cheers
    27 people
  15. 15. Join Amnesty International
    1 entry . 15 cheers
    26 people
  16. 16. Learn Latin Dance
    1 entry . 7 cheers
    98 people
  17. 17. draw better
    2 entries . 3 cheers
    314 people
  18. 18. scan all my old photographs
    6 cheers
    236 people
  19. 19. explore my sexual limits
    1 entry . 12 cheers
    2 people
  20. 20. Finish what I start
    2 entries . 7 cheers
    3,369 people
  21. 21. Get a tattoo
    1 entry . 8 cheers
    16,888 people
  22. 22. Journal regularly
    1 entry . 6 cheers
    253 people
  23. 23. play in the World Series of Poker
    5 cheers
    98 people
  24. 24. Go someplace very, very dark and look at the stars all night
    1 entry . 13 cheers
    272 people
  25. 25. discover what i want to do with my life
    1 entry . 9 cheers
    16 people
  26. 26. Make a movie
    1 entry . 4 cheers
    2,560 people
  27. 27. Submit an article for Modern Drunkard Magazine
    7 cheers
    1 person
  28. 28. start my own cult
    2 team members . 3 entries . 6 cheers
    27 people
  29. 29. go snowboarding
    1 entry . 4 cheers
    574 people
  30. 30. fight for gay rights
    14 cheers
    22 people
  31. 31. watch the imdb 100 worst movies
    1 entry . 6 cheers
    79 people
  32. 32. Photograph answers to 20 questions about me
    1 entry . 7 cheers
    21 people
  33. 33. take a good picture of myself
    5 entries . 2 cheers
    14 people
  34. 34. Create A 43Things Vampire Army
    5 team members . 9 entries . 3 cheers
    4 people
  35. 35. learn to play the harmonica
    1 entry . 8 cheers
    660 people
  36. 36. floss regularly
    3 entries . 6 cheers
    289 people
  37. 37. find the end of a rainbow
    6 cheers
    73 people
  38. 38. set up an ebay store
    1 entry . 5 cheers
    13 people
  39. 39. Finally solve Savage Island!
    1 entry . 1 cheer
    1 person
  40. 40. Evaluate my progress
    3 entries . 3 cheers
    1 person
  41. 41. see Bard on the Beach
    1 entry . 2 cheers
    2 people
  42. 42. Compete in the City Chase Canadian Nationals
    1 entry . 2 cheers
    1 person
Recent entries
floss regularly (read all 3 entries…)
Okay, this is strange... 1 month ago

but I could probably check this off as done. Every night as I help my kids brush their teeth (more like guard their actions and keep them from playing around and shooting water around the bathroom and breaking something), I end up pulling out one of those little personal flossing things I bought for the girls to use to floss their teeth. I had used these years ago and found them to be less than useless. You get about 1 inch of floss poorly attached to a two pieces of plastic. At least that is what you used to get. These things rock now! Once upon a time they would break after tooth one, now, they can handle all my teeth.
So, pretty much every night I am just standing there flossing while the kids are brushing their teeth. I am almost a flossaholic. Almost. I will check this off when I am doing it independently. In the meantime I will keep watching the kids out of the corner of my eye while I clean the sides of my teeth.


Swim 750m in under 16 min (read all 9 entries…)
I am down to 18 minutes. 1 month ago

but that is a pool swim. I need some open swimming timing…


get ready for my next step in triathlon competition (read all 7 entries…)
So, I could mark this done... 1 month ago

but I don’t think I will. I did the Triathlon. Yay! I went over to Shawnigan Lake with my friend Jason and his family. It was a lot of fun. That said, my wife was not pleased that I was going away for the weekend. I offered to take the kids with me, and I invited her. Nothing made her happy. So, I went anyways (and the result will be in my next live life to the fullest entry). So, we had to check in the night before. I was pretty hung over as I had a business drinking event the day before the check in. In any case, we missed the mandatory pre-meeting, getting ridiculously lost. I can’t thank Siobhan enough for getting reservations for the ferry, paying attention to schedules and everything, because without her, we wouldn’t have made it to the event at all.
So, we got there late, checked in the bikes, looked at the lake, felt the water temperature, drove the bike route. We got back to the hotel, where Siobhan and the kids had taken a swim. We went for dinner, got back to the hotel and got to bed at a reasonable time. I was missing a tremendous amount of gear for the race, but I eventually got everything I needed. I had to borrow a bronchialdialator from one of Jason’s kids.
So, the next morning we had breakfast at Tim Horton’s and then headed out. I had never, ever had an audience before. So, we got ready for the event, but then there was only a minute to go. I got into the water and the race started. I started swimming and I lost my breath. Whenever I put my face in the water, I lost my breath entirely. I had to swim the 500m without putting my head under. I totally need to work on this because I haven’t had this problem since I got my inhaler. So, I was sucking at the swim. This was a very fit group of triathletes, very fit so I knew I was at the very back of the pack, by a ways. When I rounded the bouy and looked to the shore, I could still see people in the water, but they were so far from me! I kept with it and I was so discouraged (later though I felt great about sticking with the swim despite my problems. At first I was so freeked out). So as I left the water I high fived one of the kids and smiled Siobhan and the very pretty blonde who Jason works with (who was there to see another triathlete). I got out of my wetsuit and realized I left my shirt for the bike ride out of the transition area. I wasn’t in any rush at this point, so I asked Siobhan to throw it to me. So, I got started on the bike and my legs were strangely tired very quickly. It was at this point I realized that only biking once this year was a bit of a problem. I passed a handful of people, but no where near as many as I should have. About halfway around, I knew just finishing this race without walking, without slacking was going to be a huge achievement. I finished quite strong on the bike but still nothing to write home about. I changed into my shoes and running shirt and grabbed my walkman and I was off. My second transition was slow, as was my first, but I think I needed the recovery time. So, I ran out on the trail. It was an out and back and shortly I came across Jason returning. We tried to high five, but missed. My muscles were exhausted, but I kept running. The 5k didn’t feel very long, but it was hard as well. In general my knees are much better and I didn’t have any knee problems. I finished it in 1:46. By all standards a terrible time. Still, I felt good. I gave it all I had. I kept pushing myself during the run. I completed a swim that I thought was going to be impossible, and my muscles were spent. So, as a first of the year triathlon, I think it was a total success in every way, especially in the way of showing me I have to start working out more seriously.
So, I am not going to mark this as checked as I just did enough training to do the race, but not nearly enough to do well. I haven’t decided on whether I will be trying for the olympic distance later this year or another sprint. I think by moving up to Olympic, I will have the best chance of taking off all unnecessary weight, but I am tired of losing. I would like to improve a little and get a better time.
We shall see, but now I am getting ready for my next step in triathlon competition again…


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