Adopt-a-Highway Update

June 5, 2009 2 Comments

Hundred Goals Adopt-a-Highway SignI was recently informed that the sign for the highway I adopted had finally been planted in the ground.  I was so excited about the news that I had to drive out there to see it for myself.  Of course I needed to take a picture of the event so I grabbed my camera and hopped in the car for the 12 mile drive through the beautiful Wisconsin hills.

When I arrived I parked my car and walked up to the sign to admire it.  I turned on my camera and was ready to snap a photo when I noticed the words “No Memory Card” across the top of the viewfinder.  I had left my memory card at home on the living room table as I had been transferring my pictures from our trip to Las Vegas to the computer.

I got back in my car discouraged at having driven all of this way for what was essentially a wasted trip.  I decided to try again tomorrow.  This time I would be sure to put the memory card back into my camera before departing.  My second trip was a success and I was able to get some great photos of my shiny new sign.

The next highway cleanup is tentatively scheduled for sometime in August before the beginning of the Fall Semester.  If you are from the area and would like to participate in the highway cleanup feel free to contact me.  There will be a Facebook event created to notify those who follow me at Facebook and I will also keep everyone up to date with the event with Twitter.  It is a great way to get out and enjoy the day while helping to beautify our Earth.

Filed under Goal Updates, News

Goal #82) Visit Meteor Crater

June 2, 2009 2 Comments

Meteor Crater SuccessI’ve been fascinated with our solar system, planets, stars, comets and meteors for much of my life.  My goal of visiting Meteor Crater in Arizona is a direct result of my interest in the cosmos.  A hole in the middle of the desert may not interest many people, but for me the thought of being at the site of impact seemed incredible.

With my recent trip to the Las Vegas area I was fortunate enough to be able to take a trip to Meteor Crater and complete my goal.  I enjoyed the museum which they had at the Visitor Center and found it to be very interesting and informative.

The crater itself was impressive.  It is hard to imagine how large it is until you are actually standing on the rim looking down.  Even then it is difficult to get a sense of scale until you find a model of a 6 foot tall astronaut standing at the bottom.

I am happy that I was finally able to visit Meteor Crater.  It was a great experience and an interesting place to see.  If you are ever in the Eastern Arizona area I recommend checking it out.

Filed under Accomplishments, Goal Updates

Goal #62) Finish Associate Degree

May 20, 2009 9 Comments

"The Graduate" by hungrytiger @ FlickrFor the last 4 years of my life I have been attending classes at a community college in order to earn my Associate of Arts & Science Degree.  After joining the “real world” I realized that I wanted to do more with my life.  I wasn’t happy working in retail even though I seemed to be getting promoted to positions of higher responsibility regularly.  I started my job gathering shopping carts from the parking lot and by the time I decided to move on I had worked my way up to being a Department Manager.

I enrolled in classes and began my education.  Soon after beginning classes I found a new job working at a local factory where I earned significantly more money and worked more hours.  I had to cut down on how many credits I was taking as I was working so many hours.  Quitting my job in order to focus on school was not an option as I had buried myself in consumer debt.  I needed to earn money to pay the bills.  As a result of having to continue my job it took me twice as long as it should have for me to finish my classes.

I stuck with it for 4 years and this week I finished my last classes and have earned my Associate Degree.  I set out this semester with the goal of passing my classes with an A average and was able to maintain an A- in both of my classes all the way until the final exam.  I worked hard to accomplish this and I was worried what would happen with the final exams.  Would I be able to keep my A- average or would I mess it up at the very end?

I studied hard for my Algebra final and managed to earn a B+.  My average for the class was high enough that I was able to pass with an A-.  A huge accomplishment for me considering I had given up and dropped out of the introduction course to this class.  With a lot of hard work and determination I exceeded my own expectations of my abilities.

My next final exam was in Environmental Geology.  This has been an easy class for me and I never really needed to study much.  The information which was presented made sense and it was enough for me to attend class and listen to the lecture.  As a result of the ease of information I didn’t study for the final as I felt I knew and understood the information.  Now I wish I had studied as I didn’t do as well as I had hoped to and my A- average ended up as a B+.  I don’t think it wasn’t that I didn’t know the material but rather that the questions were worded in a way which was intended to confuse.  I spoke with my professor after receiving my grade and she said that a lot of people didn’t do well but she chalked it up to end of semester laziness.

Today I have officially completed my Associate Degree!

What have I learned through this experience?  In addition to all of the course materials, I learned a few important lessons:

1) Don’t take more student loans than necessary-  I took out much more money than I actually needed in order to fund a lifestyle which I couldn’t afford.  Even though I had a full-time job the entire time I was attending classes, I was spending money like crazy.  I was loaded with debt and kept taking out more and more loans in order to afford to live.  I didn’t realize it then that the only way to solve the problem was to stop spending.

2) Don’t take unnecessary courses- I took a lot of classes that I didn’t need simply because they were interesting to me.  I think we should pursue our interests, but when it is costing a lot of money, it may be better to limit yourself to required courses and those which apply directly to your major.  I “wasted” a lot of time, money & energy by taking courses I didn’t need.

3) Figure out your intended major early- When you know what you want to be when you grow up it makes it much easier to map out a path.  You can avoid taking unnecessary courses and save yourself a lot of time if you know where you want to go instead of repeatedly changing directions.

4) Work hard, even if it is easy-  I thought that I would never be able to pass my Algebra course, but I worked hard and struggled at times, but I never gave up and passed it with a grade far beyond my expectations.  On the other side of the spectrum is my class where it was easy for me & I didn’t study.  Even though I had carried an A- average the entire semester, I didn’t study for the final and messed up my goal of earning an A.  Don’t take things for granted just because they are easy.

Filed under Accomplishments, Education, Goal Updates

Goal Update May 11, 2009

May 11, 2009 2 Comments

"Two New Buds on a Branch" by paulwyw @ FlickrIt has been a while since my last Goal Update.  Actually, it has been nearly 2 months since I have checked in on my progress so I am long overdue.  Last time I wrote I was tracking my academic progress, my exercise routine & my diet.  How have I done with these for the past couple months, and what am I looking at in the near future?

I am nearly finished with my last semester of classes to complete my Associate Degree.  Our graduation ceremony was last Friday, though we don’t have our finals until this week.  I am in a great position to finish out the semester on a strong note, though I slipped up on my last Geology exam, which will drop my grade from an A-.  I was really hoping to be able to get A’s in all my classes, but it doesn’t look like that will be happening anymore.  I am still carrying an A- in Algebra, which is a huge surprise for me.  Each exam I take my scores keep getting better.  I hope that I can continue this pattern through the final.  It would be a wonderful feeling of accomplishment to pass my most dreaded class with an A.

My exercise routine is going well.  I haven’t stuck to my schedule as I had it laid out, but I have still been exercising regularly.  I still go to the gym frequently, more often than I was before, and I have been cycling as well.  Overall, even though I am not keeping a regular schedule I would say that I am doing good or better than I was before.

My diet of eating healthy had been going well up until about a week ago when I had a sugar craving and I went overboard for a couple of days.  I had been doing great up until that point, but for some reason my body craved sugar and sweets, so I gave in to my temptations and had more ice cream than I should have.  I spoiled myself with strawberry shortcake daily.  Yesterday I had a cheeseburger & fries from Culver’s, which was the first time in months.  I didn’t finish it all, as it wasn’t too appealing.

It has been almost 5 months since I have drank a soda and yesterday I broke and had a Wild Cherry Pepsi.  I was on a bike ride and we stopped for lunch (after 45 miles), which is when I had my cheeseburger.  A soda sounded delicious, so I made the choice to indulge myself.  It was really good I have to say.

I completed some goals since the last time I wrote an update.  I ate sushi & adopted a highway.  I am pretty excited about completing both of these goals.

Looking forward I am facing some major life decisions, some that run contrary to some of my goals, but will work directly towards others.  I will follow-up with more details in the coming days about what this is as I think it warrants its own post.

My last update I thought that I might be able to go whitewater rafting in the Grand Canyon, but after researching the cost of such an adventure, will likely be putting that on hold until I have a stable income.  It would be foolish to squander so much money when I am in a precarious financial position.  There are times when it is important to prioritize, and this is one of those times.

Overall, the past couple of months have been great.  This past week is when I had a moment of weakness and compromised some of my goals.  Maybe there is a lesson to be learned from all of this.  It would be nice to think that we can control every aspect of our lives at once and make changes without facing challenges.  That obviously isn’t true, otherwise we wouldn’t struggle with alcohol addiction or quitting smoking.  Though there is a difference in breaking a substance addiction, I think the same principles apply when breaking habits.

It was challenging for me last week, but I hope to turn that around and implement some self-control going forward.  I still believe it is important to allow some leeway for reward, but not an entire week of gratification.  I look forward with hope of doing better and accomplishing some more of my goals soon.

***Update*** After attending classes today, I was informed that I am still earning an A- in Geology and am 1% away from an A.  I hope that I will do well on the final and bump my grade to a solid A.

Filed under Goal Updates

“Thank You” for Drinking & Driving

May 6, 2009 3 Comments

"Pushing up Daisies" by The Wilderness Family @ FlickrLast weekend was the first Adopt a Highway cleanup and, in my opinion, was a great moment for those of us who were involved.  We cleaned both sides of the highway along a 2 mile stretch and managed to fill all of the garbage bags that we brought with us.  It is amazing just how much trash we picked up on what appeared to be a relatively clean highway.

We separated all of the aluminum cans in order to recycle them and about a mile down the road my friend Noah commented that he was surprised just how many of the cans were beer cans which had been thrown out of car windows while driving down the highway.

For a while I had been considering to which charitable organization I would donate the profits of our recycling and this observation made me realize that the only appropriate solution would be to use the money from the beer cans to help support Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Here is their Mission Statement:

To aid the victims of crimes performed by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, to aid the families of such victims and to increase public awareness of the problem of drinking and drugged driving.”

That seems like the perfect organization to donate this money to.  It makes me feel that every time a person throws a beer can out of their window, it is another couple of pennies towards getting themselves off of the road.

In order to help make a greater impact, I decided to match the money we earned from recycling.  It is a small start, but a beginning to something powerful.  If you’d like to help support MADD, click here to make a donation.

Filed under Goal Updates

Goal #53) Adopt a Highway

April 20, 2009 3 Comments

"Historic Highway, Autumn Study #1" by LiefPhotos.com @ FlickrI have been working on finalizing my application for the Adopt a Highway Program for about 2 months.  I finally have good news; my application has been accepted and I am now responsible for a 2 mile stretch on one of the busiest highways in the area.  While there is still no sign in the ground staking my claim, I did receive notification of where my area of responsibility is.  My basic responsibility is to keep the highway clean and organize a minimum of 3 clean-up dates throughout the summer.

The first of these clean-ups will be taking place Sunday,  April 26 at 12:00 pm.  Anyone who is interested in participating in the clean-up should feel free to contact me.  An alternate date will be scheduled if the weather turns out to be bad.

Adopting a highway may seem like an odd goal to accomplish, but it is my small way of contributing to my community and to the health of our planet.  I think it is important that we all play our part in making this world a better place to live, and if that means picking trash up on the side of the road, then so be it and all the better.

Expect an update about how our first clean-up goes.  Even though we are picking up trash, I expect it to be a fun and productive event.

Filed under Accomplishments, Environment, Goal Updates

Algebra Update

April 14, 2009 Leave a comment

"Lineare Algebra" by boba! @ FlickrLast Friday was our third major test in Algebra.  For much of my life, mathematics has been a weakness of mine.  Last year I felt as though I would never make it through my Introduction to College Algebra class, and subsequently dropped the course halfway through the semester.

In order to graduate with my Associate Degree, not only would I need to pass my Intro class, but also College Algebra.  At the point when I dropped the Intro course I felt as though I would never have any chance of passing College Algebra.

I enrolled in the Intro class again to give it another shot.  I ended up with a brand new professor, one who had never taught at a college level.  I thought I was doomed.  I quickly learned that my professor was actually quite good at explaining the material he presented and things began to make sense for me.  Instead of wondering what in the world was going on, I was able to understand.  I passed my Intro class with a B-.  A huge improvement over my previous attempt.

At the end of the semester our professor informed us that he may not be teaching at our campus any longer because he didn’t have a Master’s Degree.  Once again I felt as though my chances of succeeding in Algebra had been dashed.  I felt as though my only real chance at understanding Algebra lied entirely in the hands of my professor and his ability to explain the material in a way which I could comprehend.

I enrolled in College Algebra and hoped that with some luck I would somehow be fortunate enough to have the same professor once again.  A week before the semester began I found out who my professor was going to be and as luck would have it, my professor would be teaching my class.  I felt as though I had a chance at success once again.

Today, after our third major test, I am managing to be doing better than I ever would have dreamed.  I passed this test with the third highest grade out of 54 students.  My current overall grade is an A-.  If someone would have said to me that I could earn even a C in Algebra I would have called them a liar.

I have been working hard and still struggle with the material from time to time, but I finally have hope of succeeding in Algebra and look forward to taking other mathematics courses in the future such as Trigonometry and Calculus.  I have never been a fan of classes like these, but as with anything, the more I practice, the better I become.  I hope to finish out the semester with at least a B, though it would be incredible to be able to get an A.

Filed under Education, Goal Updates

Goal #49) Eat Sushi

April 1, 2009 4 Comments

"Chopsticks Are One Of The Reasons The Chinese Never Invented Custard" by JourneyToNoWhere @ FlickrQuite possibly the easiest goal on my list is to eat sushi.  All it requires is putting an object in my mouth, chewing it followed by a swallow.  Simple.  Why, then, would I put something which is done every day by hoards of people around the world?  I chose to make eating sushi a goal in order to encourage myself to try new things that I wouldn’t otherwise do.  To many people, eating sushi seems like a silly thing to put on a list of “life goals” but for me, growing up in a small Midwestern town, eating sushi is pretty exotic.

Yesterday I traveled to Chicago with a school group.  During our journey I happened across a restaurant which prepared fresh sushi.  I was about to pass up the opportunity when my girlfriend politely reminded me that eating sushi was on my list and now was the perfect time to cross that goal off of my list.  She was right, and I was nervous.

I didn’t know what to expect.  There was a wide variety to choose from and I didn’t know where to begin.  Luckily I had reinforcement, experienced sushi eaters, who recommended California Sushi; crab with avocado wrapped in (I think) seaweed, then covered in white rice.  It seemed perfect.  I like crab, avocado and rice.  I wasn’t sure what to expect of the seaweed, but I wasn’t too concerned with that.

I placed my order and watched it be made right before my eyes.  When I received my dish it looked good enough and I tried a small sample of some unknown object off to the side.  It turned out to be very sour and spicy all at the same time.  Intriguing.  Then it was time for the sushi.  I grabbed my chopsticks and picked up the small circle of food, smelled it, hesitated, then put it in my mouth and began chewing.

My first impression was one of uncertainty.  It didn’t seem bad, but it wasn’t good either.  I chewed some more and suddenly I thought I wasn’t going to be able to swallow it.  My mind was playing games on me.  I kept chewing and finally managed to swallow a small piece.  Some more chewing and I thought I was going to have to spit it out, but I persisted.  I fought my irrationality and finally swallowed the rest of the sushi.  Then I took a long drink of water for good measure.

I wouldn’t say that the flavor of the sushi was bad or even that anything about it was bad.  I just think my mind was rejecting the food out of some subconscious fear or thought that what I was eating was gross.  I’m glad that I finally ate sushi, even though it didn’t turn out to be my favorite thing.  I’m sure that I will try it again, possibly another type or style.  I have been informed that there are a variety of ways to prepare sushi, not simply as a roll.

It is important to always keep an open mind and try new things.  If you don’t put yourself outside of your comfort zone occasionally you will miss out on many great opportunities.  Telling yourself “no” or limiting yourself can have serious consequences on your life and your success.  You should know when to say “no”, but also when to say “yes”.

Filed under Accomplishments, Goal Updates

Goal Update March 20, 2009

March 20, 2009 Leave a comment

Next week is Spring Break which officially marks the half-way point of the semester.  Mid-term grades have been posted and so far everything is going very well.  My main concern is with passing Algebra and though some of the material so far has been challenging I am currently earning an A-.  If I continue to work hard I know that no matter how difficult the curriculum becomes I can learn the material and pass this class without any problem.  I will earn my Associate Degree in 2 more months.  My girlfriend is already arranging a graduation party, so I would feel rather silly having a graduation party without graduating.

I emailed the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to inquire about the status of my application for the Adopt-a-Highway program and was delighted with the response I recieved.  I will be getting my highway!  I’m not exactly sure which section yet, but no matter where it is I am excited to be nearing completion of this goal.  I’m not going to mark it as an accomplishment until my sign is in the ground and I am able to build a “road crew” to help me get the job done.  I am supposed to be recieving more information in the mail in about a month.

I took advantage of a great sale in order to complete my goal of purchasing a bike.  I have wanted a bike for a long time so it is nice to finally have one.  I am experiencing some “technical issues” with it and as a result will have to take it in for adjustments and repairs this weekend.  It is somewhat disappointing that I need to do this, but I’m sure that once the bugs are worked out that it will be something which I find myself utilizing frequently for daily needs as well as for recreation.  I’ve already put on nearly 50 miles in 2 days of riding.

My exercise routine has been suffering lately as I’ve not stuck to my schedule.  “Life” seems to be taking over and my time at the gym is getting overshadowed.  I have been trying to make up for it as best as possible by taking bike rides, so I have not stopped exercising entirely.  I have just been doing it in a different way as of late.  This is fine, so long as I still get out and exercise 3 days a week.  It doesn’t really matter if I am in the gym on the eliptical or out on a bike ride.  As a matter of fact, I think I’m working harder on the bike than in the gym.

I have managed to eat healthier by preparing meals at home instead of buying fast food.  I did eat at Culver’s one day about 2 weeks ago and it was just okay.  Usually I love to eat there, but I wasn’t impressed.  Maybe my taste buds are adjusting back to home cooking rather than greasy, salty and just plain unhealthy foods.  I still think that a person can eat junk food once in a while and still be healthy but eating it everyday like I was is not good at all.

Kayaking class is coming up.  I’m looking forward to that.  A friend of mine and his wife also signed up to take the class so it will be fun having someone we know along for the experience.  Hopefully it will be a good class and I learn a lot.

That about covers it.  Things around here have settled down and it seems like I am riding on a flat plane, not much going on but still making progress towards some of my goals.  I hope that this summer will allow for some great opportunities to accomplish some of my more “outlandish” goals, like whitewater rafting in the Grand Canyon.  The plane tickets are already paid for!

Filed under Goal Updates

Goal #47) Buy a Bike

March 17, 2009 1 Comment

"The old bicycle and the field of wheat" by Bern@t @ FlickrFor over a year I’ve wanted to buy a bike.  Last summer I spent a fair amount of time researching different types of bikes trying to decide which model would be best for my needs.  I decided that a road bike would be ideal for my future goals as well as my short term needs as  I have been looking for something that I would be able to ride long distances in a short amount of time.

I continued to put off making my purchase because the cost of the bikes I was interested in were out of my desired price range.  I wasn’t interested in spending over $1,000 on a bike so I waited.  Then I waited some more.  Before I knew it, summer was over and I still didn’t have a bicycle.

As winter approached my goal of purchasing a bike lost importance and soon I lost interest in buying a bike.  Afterall, it was winter and I wouldn’t be able to use it until Spring.  Like all seasons, winter came and now is nearly a memory and my desire to purchase a bike returned.

On Saturday I went to a bicycle sale to see what sort of deals they were offering.  If I was able to find what I wanted at a fair price I would buy my bike.  After looking around I found the same type of bike which I was looking at the summer before.  It was no longer priced over $1,000 and was marked down significantly.  I took it for a test ride and was very satisfied with the quality of the ride. 

I spent some time considering the purchase and how it would affect my financial situation.  I had the money saved so I wouldn’t need to place the purchase on my credit card.  I have some money saved in an Emergency Fund so I wouldn’t be placing myself in a vulnerable situation if something bad happened.  Then I considered whether or not a bike was something which I needed, which it wasn’t.  It was something I wanted but did not need.  I also considered how the purchase would change my life.  If I bought a bike I wouldn’t need to use my car as often.  Riding a bike is a good way to get exercise.  It is also a good way to spend time with friends.

I decided that I should purchase the bike.  It was somewhat difficult knowing that this money wouldn’t be in my bank account anymore, but was a trade I was willing to make.  Knowing that I wouldn’t need to go into debt and that I had the money to pay for the purchase up front made the choice a little bit easier.  I will be able to rebuild my savings in a short amount of time and I will now have a bicycle in order to begin preparing for my goal of bicycling the west coast. 

It would be difficult to accomplish that goal without a bike.

Filed under Accomplishments, Goal Updates

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