Today's task is to write a short message of thanks for some of the negative things in your life. Well, this gratitude thing must already be working, because I can barely think of anything to write about... at least not that's really current. Oh well, here goes:

Thanks for pulled teeth, headgear, spacers, braces, and retainers. I hated all those years without Blow-Pops, but my smile is way better than it used to be.

Thanks Dr. Bowe, for making me wear that back brace for 16 hours a day during the first few years of high school. Being awkward makes you realize who your real friends are, and keeps you from picking on others. And you stopped the scoliosis from getting worse, so that someday I can have kids without complications.

Thanks E-Mech, Physics and Chem for teaching me that I should've been an art major from the start. (Mom and Dad, I'm still sorry you paid all that money to send me to an out of state school. If I ever win the lotto, you are totally getting the first presents.)

Thanks for deadlines... otherwise shit wouldn't get done on time. Even if I get stressed, at least I'm productive.

And, that's all I've got for now.

Day 3

Today I’m grateful for Skype. I could probably be grateful for a few more important things like my health, or tuition reimbursement policies, or the ability to walk… but I’m going to stick with Skype. I had a 2 hour Skype call with my brother yesterday. For those of you who don’t know, he’s currently living in Holland, pursing his MBA. And if you don’t know that, you probably don’t know that we’re superbestfriends. And being away from your superbestfriend totally sucks. But Skype lets us talk for hours for free, and see each other. You’d think that since my brother and I are such good friends the few conversations we have would be about life, stress, news updates, and other important things. But they’re not. Our conversations always devolve into the little stuff; sending links and pictures, and both intently playing online games and checking in with, “What level are you on?” Yesterday was no different. It was dinner time here, and 11 PM there. We were both in our hoodies, hanging out at home. And we spent two hours debating superhero and villain battles. Tim came up with seeding and brackets and we debated our winners and compared results. We had 32 heroes, and 32 villains (originally in their own brackets). Then the winning hero would battle the winning villain. It was totally pointless, but fun (we’re thinking of making these brackets available for public voting so check back next week after our next chat). But I like Skype for allowing us to have these little pointless chats. It’s almost as good as our taco bell movie nights. Almost...

Now I know my ABCs

So, day 2 of the challenge says to use the alphabet to start a list of things you're grateful for. This could be fun.

A: Apples? Aquatic centers? I loved working at TCNJ's aquatic center. I have some hilarious memories from that place. Art. "Art is a guarantee of sanity."

B: Boys... brothers and friends. I love the sense of humor of all the guys I know, and I know I can count on them. I'm also grateful for Bagel Day (Friday) at work. Yum! Oh and I also like babysitting... best job ever.

C: Cellphones, Calendars, and Candy. Three things I couldn't live without.

D: Dad. I can't say enough about my dad. I don't want to write a whole sappy thing out here... but he is an amazing man, and I wouldn't be who I am without all the sacrifices he's made.

E: Earth. Earrings. Elephants? This answer is weak. I should probably be more serious. Eye surgery! (I'm adding this like 15 minutes later... hopefully that counts without the laser before it. Anyway, it was money well spent.)

F: Friends. Fireworks. Fondue.

G: The Goddess Lounge. It's changing us for the better Y

H: Hot tubs (wish I actually had one). Heroes. Houses and homes... I like living in my own place, but I love knowing that there's more than one place I can call home. Holland (my first international adventure).

I: Ice cream. Ice cream cake (we should eat it more often). White Cherry Icees at the movies.

J: Jill. Jessie. Jess. Justin. All people who inspire me in different ways, and who each bring something special to my life.

K: Krist. Karen. These two just kick-ass at life, and I love them for it.

L: Love. I think there are like a billion different kinds of love, and that's a good thing.

M: Mom. I'm grateful for everything she ever gave me when I was living under her roof. Now I'm grateful that she surprises me with little things like throw pillows or Halloween themed dish towels, and is the kind of woman who will tell you to come over for breakfast when your toaster oven breaks and you're so stressed out that you're just standing in the kitchen crying about it.

N: NYU.

O: Oatmeal. Oreos (and the "bring on the fat" joke that will never get old). Oceans... they make for the best times, and the greatest naps.

P: Pasta. Mom's homemade pasta sauce to be specific. I'll eat it without pasta... so maybe it shouldn't count for P. Oh well... Purple. I love the color purple.

Q: Quilts. My Aunt Ma made me the most beautiful quilt ever and sent it to me as a surprise. She died two years later. It will become a family heirloom, and I'd like to learn to quilt someday so that I can make something beautiful for someone that I love.

R: Rock Band. Greatest video game ever. And I love my band mates, and all of our different bands and hilarious adventures.

S: Smallville. Supernatural. No one can say I don't appreciate the little things... I've been watching these shows since the beginning, and I like having those few hours to myself to indulge in my guilty pleasures. Sci-fi. Sugar. Softball. Socks. S is a good letter.

T: Tea. I have it almost every morning, and it's delicious. I also like TV. A lot.

U: Umbrellas. They are wonderful for use in the rain.

V: Volleyball. Go Barracudas!

W: Water. Winter. Wind. Watermelon. Good stuff... and so natural.

X: X-Files. David Duchovny was like one of my first crushes (besides Jerry O'Connell and Dean Cain).

Y: Yearbooks? The end of the alphabet was much harder than the beginning.

Z: Zoos. I haven't been in a while, but they're cool.

Other things that I'm just now thinking of: hot showers, electricity, laptops, the internet, Chinese food, frosty & fry nights with the girls, sparkle punch, and the list goes on.

Gratitude

"You cannot give somebody joy
But you can find it by trying
You cannot save someone from death
But you can love them while they're dying"

Today I'm starting the Gratitude Challenge with two of my greatest friends. It's a 21 day challenge to take note of relationships, experiences and opportunities that make your life great. Day 1 says to sign the pledge and explain why you've accepted the challenge, and what you want to achieve.

I signed the pledge with Jill and Jess, and we spent the afternoon talking about why we're doing it. (We also had lunch together and went shopping for new bracelets.) I'm doing it simply to be grateful, and to bring a little bit of happiness to myself and the other people in my life. There's one person I know who always finds the silver-lining in life, and he's awesome. I haven't had to face as many hardships as he has, and yet whenever I need it, he's always the one cheering me up. It'd be great to be more like him. And it will be good to just put more positive energy and love into the world... and hopefully this will help me find more of my own joy. Y

Lyrics from Gratitude's "The Greatest Wonder"

Song of the Day

I love music mostly for the lyrics. Songs can hit you hard, and they can grow on you. Sometimes music gets overplayed, but when you find a song you connect with, it doesn't get old. I like when you hear something new, and when a song makes you feel something. I heard this song on the radio tonight and I connected with it right away. I don't know the artist, and I'm not in love with the video, but these few words just made me feel something:

When a heart breaks, no it don't break even...

What am I supposed to do, when the best part of me was always you?

What am I supposed to say, when I'm all choked up and you're ok?

Turns out the song is called "Break Even" and it's sung by The Script. I love it right now. You can listen here and tell me what you think. <3

Blisters Don't Need Chemo

I am giving up on managing more than one blog. I can barely keep up with one. So I'm going to migrate some of the 3Day blog posts over to my regular blog. This is originally from January 20, 2009, right after I signed up for the event. Read on.

So, a lot of people ask why we walk, and I don't always have a prepared answer. I walk for a lot of reasons: it's fun, it feels good to give back, and to protect the people I love. The walk is really inspirational, which is why I chose to talk about it for my inspirational thought at a recent Toastmasters meeting. Since I got some good feedback (several of the women said I almost made them cry, and one guy said my passion really came through) I figured I would share. Here it is:

"The battle against breast cancer seems like a personal battle; something you have to fight alone. There’s the physical fight, against the bad cells. Then there’s the fight against your self-image after hair-loss or a mastectomy. And finally, there’s the fight for hope. The hope that you’ll get through it, that it will all be gone after one round of treatment; the hope that it wont come back…

Watching someone you love go through this fight can make you feel helpless. And since I hate that feeling, I decided to do something. I started walking in the Breast Cancer 3Day. For three years now, I’ve participated in the Breast Cancer 3Day in Philadelphia. The event is a three day, 60 mile walk throughout the city. It’s held in 13 cities across the United States, and it raises money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust. Every participant has to raise a minimum of $2,200. Aside from the donations we got from our friends and family, my team had a Cheeburger Cheeburger dinner fundraiser, and a car wash. We spend almost a year fundraising, and about six months in training. During the event we camp out at night in pink tents, sing karaoke after dinner, and during the day we walk… and walk… and walk.

The walk itself is organized very well, and every two or three miles there are pit stops with food, bathrooms, and medical stations to make sure that everyone is being taken care of. Still, three days of walking and camping and fighting can offer a rollercoaster of emotions. At one point, I was standing in line to use the port-a-potty, and the woman in front of me had a dozen ribbons streaming down from her hat – each with a heart at the end, and the name of someone she loved who had been touched by breast cancer. I was tired, sore, freezing cold… and moved to tears. Even with the cheering stations and the support of the crew, sometime around the 40th mile, your spirits start to dip. The walk is exhausting, and there are times when you want to give up. You think you may not be able to finish. Your knees are sore, and you’ve probably got a blister or two. But then you see a sign that says “Blisters don’t need chemo.” It’s just printed on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of pink paper and taped to a street sign. But it renews your spirit. It reminds you how much harder the fight could be. It reminds you why you’re walking, and now you KNOW that you can finish the walk.

You’ll finish it for your mom, or sister, your father, your aunts. You’ll finish it for the daughter you may have one day. You’ll finish it for friends and strangers. You’ll finish it for the woman walking next to you. You won’t feel helpless anymore. You’ll know that you’re fighting for the future, and you’ll feel strong. And you’ll look around at all the other people fighting with you, and you’ll feel the hope…. because no one is fighting breast cancer alone. We are all fighting together, and that’s a good thing... because none of us is as powerful as all of us."

Live from Seattle

So here I am, sitting on the 27th floor of the Microsoft offices, overlooking Lake Washington. I can see the Space Needle in the distance. It’s fuzzy because it’s a grey day here (which I guess is usual for Seattle). But it’s taunting me all the same. I thought I was going to get to skip being interview-support today, and run around the city. I have 3 maps in my bag, and a list of all the places I wanted to see:

• Space Needle: http://www.spaceneedle.com/
• EMP: http://www.empsfm.org/
• Sci-fi Museum: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/14809227 (I'm currently reading Ubik, by one of the Hall of Fame members, Philip K. Dick)
• Fran’s Chocolates: http://www.franschocolates.com/ What would a trip anywhere be if I didn't stop for candy... This shop has a 7 foot tall portrait of the owner's daughter made entirely of sweets!
• The first Starbucks
• Pike Place Market
• The Gum Wall: http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g60878-d1179066Seattle_Bites_Food_Tours-Seattle_Washington.html It might be gross, but it would make for some good photos.

All of these places are located within a 20 minute walking radius of my hotel. I could have spent the day wandering and taking interesting photos of homeless musician kids (which apparently Seattle is known for and sort of reminds me of Brooklyn). But I am here instead, standing by to help our team update their presentation if we need to change slides for the afternoon portion of our interview. And I’m not so mad. I met a great bunch of people, had some delicious dinners, and got to wander a bit of the city. Now I have a great view, a few hours to spare, and I know I want to come back here sometime for a vacation. And even though I can’t make it to the museum today, at least I have a sci-fi book to read.