Planning and Progress

I haven't done much as far as the list is concerned except for constantly working out in preparation for the indoor triathlon and attempting to flip turn. I got so much water in my nose doing the latter that I am taking a few days off from trying to flip turn. I also did some googling in order to discover how many laps are in a mile when you swim in a standard pool. The distance across West Twin Lake is about 1.5 miles, so I'd better start swimming more!

I've also been practicing the piano again, which is providing a nice stress reliever at the end of a school day. I stopped playing piano because it was causing more stress than relaxation. As silly as it sounds, I never knew that you didn't have to apply extreme amount of pressure on yourself to play piano.

Right now, I'm thinking a lot about #24 AKA my career prospects:

I don't know why this elicits the above feeling in me. I just know that I have to make some sort of plan before I start becoming the type of English teacher who only assigns stories and worksheets and doesn't care whether the students do the work or not. While I think that it will take me a long time to become that type of teacher, I'm going to be proactive.

Maybe I'll tackle something really difficult this weekend and poach an egg.

1. Complete an indoor triathlon. 2. Complete an outdoor triathlon. 3. Swim across West Twin Lake and Rose Lake. 4. Bike the Kal-Haven Trail. 5. Play the piano in front of people. 6. Visit my family in the Philippines (or at least have tickets booked by my 30th birthday). 7. Have a conversation with a dear Senegalese friend in French or Wolof (preferably Wolof). 8. Visit my grandparents in California. 9. Pop a champagne cork with no fear. 10. Make leche flan (it's Filipino, it's amazing, and I'm makin' it). 11. Jar or can veggies, pickles, sauce... something. 12. Submit some of my academic writing and then, maybe, you know... get it published. 13. Travel out of the country with Nate. 14. Pay off at least 50% of my remaining undergraduate credit card debt. 15. Sing karaoke by myself in Kalamazoo in front of all of my friends. 16. Eat clean for one month. 17. Pick berries and bake something with them. 18. Write at least one chapter of the novel that I write in my mind while I'm walking the dogs. 19. Thank my mom for everything she's done for me. 20. Go further into the UP than the Mystery Spot tourist trap and jump into Lake Superior. 21. Get chosen for one more summer fellowship in another country where I am able to work with youth. 22. Go on a police ride along. 23. Get to 200 blog posts. 24. Make some decisions about my career and/or PhD prospects. 25. Attend roller derby training so I can learn the moves. 26. Learn how to flip turn when I'm swimming laps. 27. Take a real personal day. 28. Learn how to drive a stick. 29. Go horseback riding. 30. Poach an egg perfectly.