2010 - The Year of 101 New Adventures

The new year is upon us, and 2009 and all its ups and downs are now officially in the past. Looking forward, it's always good to have a plan, and my friend Julie helped me do just that: Below is a list of 101 things I will accomplish in 2010.

1. Create a list of 100 Things that make me happy/I’m thankful for (0/100)
2. Create a list of 100 Things about me (0/100)
3. Start training martial arts.
4. Get re-certified as an EMT.
5. Go on ambulance calls as an EMT.
6. Visit a museum.
7. See an actual live play in a theater.
8. Work out every day consecutively for 30 days.
9. Learn to play either guitar or piano.
10. Attend a surprise party (or throw one).
11. Make at least 1 movie with After Effects, the special effects program.
12. Go on a camping trip to the remote wilderness with friends for more than 3 days.
13. Go to Vegas, Hangover style!
14. Attain that elusive sixpack.
15. Attend summer school in a place other than Sioux Falls.
16. Write a book (must be more than 50 pages).
17. Transfer colleges; go to a big state university for educational diversity.
18. Have a TV-show marathon with at least 2 friends (any good show).
19. Visit Norway and family there.
20. Get a visit from someone from Norway (family or friend).
21. Go on a real Spring Break to Mexico with friends.
22. Embark on at least 3 road trips per semester (must be more than 80 miles or 1.5 hour long).
23. Walk through the streets of Sioux Falls in the spring and take pictures of anything never seen before.
24. Visit my newborn ‘nephew’ in Arizona.
25. Try out a new hair style or color that I’ve never tried, for more than a week.
26. Have a night of outrageous pickup-lines with a buddy in bars, just for fun.
27. Celebrate May 17th in style (or at least traditionally).
28. Have sushi at least twice.
29. Sing karaoke in a bar/at a party, and for at least one full song.
30. Lose the caffeine habit, for good.
31. Experiment in the kitchen, discover a new dish to make others.
32. Keep in touch with Julie and Thomas over Skype – set up weekly/bi-weekly time.
33. Get 8 hours of real sleep per night for a full month.
34. Drink a gallon of water per day for a month.
35. Visit the dentist.
36. On the preceding note: floss every day.
37. No eating after 9 pm.
38. Take a multivitamin once a day the whole year.
39. Get a WoW-character to level 40. At least.
40. Get four As in the same semester.
41. Go on 10 random dates. Without care.
42. Print Norway photos for Mike, and give them while he’s still here.
43. Finish Adobe After Effects training (DVD).
44. Attend a theme party.
45. Read 4 books for fun (1/4)
46. Go to 2 live concerts.
47. Rosetta Stone: learn Spanish to level 3.
48. Rosetta Stone: re-learn French to level 3 (minimum).
49. Rosetta Stone: Learn some Japanese (min. level 2).
50. Get all episodes of Heroes on DVD.
51. Order the cologne I used to wear from Europe.
52. Get 10 random girls’ number.
53. Try to have three real days as a Yes Man.
54. Send two handwritten letters, to anyone back home.
55. Fix up my car: floor mats, wash and scrub rugs, vacuum and wash the car. Buy a spare.
56. Develop a system of healthy foods and snacks to eat, and only stray once a week.
57. Visit a city I’ve never been to, by myself or with friends. Stay for at least a day.
58. Manage to save money: $300 per semester.
59. Watch movies I missed: The Star Wars saga, and at least 5 more (0/6).
60. Get a medically relevant job (i.e. ambulance, hospital, nursing home).
61. Back up all music and pictures on DVD storage in addition to the external hard drive.
62. Donate blood (in Norway or the US).
63. Clear out my wardrobe and give leftovers to charity.
64. Volunteer at a hospital, with hands-on patient care.
65. Delete all non-friend friends from Facebook.
66. Skydive.
67. Surprise someone in my life with a random act of kindness.
68. Learn to dance (ballroom, Latino, and club style).
69. Ask for help, and stand by it.
70. Admit being wrong, without reserve.
71. Sleep under the stars.
72. Keep working on the family tree, genealogy, with grandma.
73. Learn how to make 3 great drinks by heart.
74. Learn how to master either Rock Band or Guitar Hero.
75. Go rock climbing outdoors.
76. Learn 2 cool magic tricks.
77. Become really good at Blackjack or poker.
78. Study and take the MCAT.
79. Make a loan through kiva.com.
80. Watch 10 oldies-but-goodies:

A. Citizen Kane
B. Casablanca
C. The Godfather
D. Gone with the Wind
E. Lawrence of Arabia
F. The Wizard of Oz
G. The Graduate
H. On the Waterfront
I. Schindler's List
J. Singin' in the Rain

81. Spend a day only reading magazines. Because I can.
82. Take up yoga, as well as meditation.
83. Buy stocks. Maybe just a few, but try it.
84. Phone prank someone. I’ll never be too old.
85. Work on sensitivity training.
86. Try to regain self-control when inebriated, eliminating douchiness.
87. Buy a new phone, preferably the Google Nexus One.
88. Successfully manage an extracurricular organization on campus.
89. Stay up to date on my top 3 favorite TV shows every week.
90. See if a philosophy or psychology major or minor would fit me.
91. Make sure my carnivorous plant "Nibbler" doesn't die.
92. Keep in touch with TK.
93. Retake any previously failed classes, this time with an A.
94. Become able to do 10 pull-ups.
95. Do P90X to improve all other personal bests (pushups, running time, pulse).
96. Cultivate the ability to forgive and forget.
97. Tan twice a month.
98. Read at least 5 classics, including the Art of War.
99. Attain people mastery through Neil Strauss' literature.
100. Play more board games with friends.
101. Always put the needs of friends and family first.

That's the list. Now comes the hard part of living by it.

Labels: College Stuff, Lists, Movies, Special Events, Television

posted by CK @ 06:37

The South Dakotan Return

Not long to go now. A month, actually. A single month before I once again pack up my entire life, furniture, books, DVDs and all, and ship myself off to a familiar, yet unfamiliar, place. For the third time in my life I’ll fit my life into 2 overstuffed suitcases and hope that the US of A becomes my home away from home. I might not be going to the hub of civilization (or the hub of much other than corn and good manners), but South Dakota has more to offer me than you might (in your presumptive and assumptive head) think. Up until now I’ve felt that every time I answer the geographical enquiry of my destination, I’ve had to add in some form of apologetic modifier to not let the stigma of the quaint, land-locked state label me. But I’m not sorry anymore, and actually, I’m thrilled.

I have seen the scale of life play out in more than one way recently. Weighing out advantages versus disadvantages, facts versus imagination, and taking part in the decision making process that goes into making crucial life choices. Yes, I know I live in one of the richest, safest, prettiest countries in the world, and that leaving might sound as smart as the Adam and Eve exodus from Eden back in the day (which was a Wednesday, by the way. Never mind). But, just like that untimely (or maybe very timely) exit, my own sortie serves a much higher purpose. The goal justifies the means, kind of thing. No one wants to leave their comfortable lair for the vast world waiting outside, but to find food and survive, it’s necessary. My reasoning goes like this: I will be a doctor some day. To get there, I have to go to school. To go to school, I have to find an educational path that I can live with for the next (6-7) few years. I have never been as bored with school as I have been the past 2 years in Norway, and continuing here will then, of course, not be happening. This is where the life quality argument comes in. Some people are fine with being so bored with life for their entire college period that carving out their eyes with a rusty spoon sounds like a welcome and fun endeavour, since hey: you’re supposedly not meant to enjoy going to school. I have objected to this, sometimes attracting scrutiny from the Incomprehensibles, seeing as my life philosophy does not allow me to waste even a single year of living being dead inside. If you still don’t understand, take the movie “Click” (Adam Sandler) as an example. The main character uses his life remote to put his brain on pause while fast forwarding over the boring parts of life, suddenly finding himself at the end of it wondering where it all went and why his life didn’t contain more living. I couldn’t (and I refuse to) do that, and that’s why I’m willing to leave everything I know behind to pursue a more viable way of attaining my ultimate medical goal.

When life gives you lemons, you have to choice of doing that same ol’ lemonade thing, or open up your cook book on the ‘desserts’ section and get creative. Sioux Falls, South Dakota might not sound as an exciting place on paper, but the truth would surprise you. Without going into details (except for within these parentheses, where I’ll mention scenic bike trails surrounding the entire city, 3 movie theatres including one $3 one, bowling alleys, great restaurants like the HuHot Mongolian grill, the actual Sioux Falls water falls, the joyous Wal*Mart Super Center, plenty of malls for shopping, 24-hour coffee shops, and proximity to other neat cities), I can tell you it won’t be a very bohemian thing I’ll do by moving there to finish my studies. The college holds close to 2,000 students, just got a brand new library, offers plenty of on-campus dorms for that special college-life feeling, and is renowned for its science department (enter pre-med Christian). A host of appropriate and accommodating clubs, unions and other extra-curricular venues provides everything a yearning pre-med resumé might need. Next to the college two huge regional hospitals call SooFoo home, giving me exactly the range of possibilities I need. And yes, that’s what my allotted 2 years in SD is all about: possibilities. I’ll leave there well prepared for med school in some other (hopefully seaside) state, with a long list of incredible, long-lasting college memories.

So no, I’m not making a mistake. Yes, I did say I’m leaving Norway for South Dakota, USA, and yes, I’ll stay for 2 whole years. I’ll enjoy every minute, because life is too short to not make the most of your own time and place.

And no, you can’t come.

Labels: College Stuff, Philosophy, Ponderings, Special Events

posted by CK @ 02:21

The Big 2-0

The dreaded day came and passed, and what's changed is merely my age. That's what I keep telling myself anyways, that all that changed was a number and that my level of responsibility and maturity is still totally dependent on my internal workings. My mental processes, the demands put upon me by society, and so on, will always be the most important factors in deciding my "real" age, if you will, and I still decide exactly how old I am. Take my dad, for example. He turned 46 today, two days after my birthday, and in that occasion shared his philosophies about age. He explained how he as a teenager had thought of 46-year-olds as only one step away from the grave, and how he had perceived even his own parents as old when they crossed their mid-forties. Now, he continued, he was feeling totally different, he felt in good shape, and mentally he would have had no problem believing he was still 30. The future, though, was more uncertain. He's nearing 50, which he now knew to be an age of great vigor and even physical fitness, so that wasn't a major point of concern. The 60s were a little more uncertain, and the 70s he still thought of as pretty old. It's interesting how our perceptions change as we gain life experiences and wisdom, and we all seem to come to the conclusion after a while that age is merely an illusion. Which I find solace in, which makes me able to tell myself I'm still the 'reckless' teenager, still my parents' young, protected son. Anything else would still be too scary and overwhelming.

To the point of my post this time, the birthday celebration this Saturday. The day was a very quiet, easygoing one to begin with, and I woke to the loud ringing of my phone. It was my mom, who had been trying to reach me since that special 9:03 time, the exact time I was born, and she finally reached me at 9:18am. It's the thought that counts, and I thinks it's so incredibly cool that she remembers every year, and even to call on the time of birth. Nice. We talked for a while, and I went back to sleep (hey, waking up before noon on a Saturday? Not likely). My dad called around 12, and after talking to him I got out of bed and spent the afternoon having lunch (I actually cooked myself a fantastic Mexican tomato soup from Guerrero with chili, jalapeno, and paprika), eating a whole bag of my favorite nuts in this entire world, Norwegian chili nuts, discovering that Norway was winning the Olympics by a lot of points combined, feeling the national pride make me happy, and having a 20-minute nap.

The 'party' (hullabaloo/shindig/clambake/gathering/shabang) itself was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m., and all the guests had shown up promptly then at T.G.I. Friday's, but even with reservations we had to wait for 25 minutes. That was fine, I was having fun talking to everyone and being sociable, so time went by quickly. The dinner itself for me and most of the other 11 people, consisted of 3 courses, and I had 'Cheese covered potato skins', a fantastic 12 ounce "New York Strip' steak, and a cheese cake to go. We had a great time, I think, and it was a lot of fun. Marianne gave me some interesting gifts, including a Swiss army knife and a night light, but it was all good.

So, the embarrassing part of birthdays. Towards the middle of the dinner Denise had the brilliant idea to tell the waiter it was my birthday. The inevitable snowball. "Happy birthday" wishes from him turned in to something much bigger as soon as I had started relaxing again and thinking that would be it. Suddenly another waiter pops up behind me, and immediately tells me that my chair was broken (original!) and that I would have to stand up. Oh, great. My initial response was "Ha, I'm not falling for that," but when he kept insisting I decided to play along. Up I stood, and immediately he started shouting to the whole restaurant. "Attention, everybody, we have an emergency in the restaurant; This young guy has a birthday today, and that's why I want absolutely everybody to join me in singing Happy Birthday". Uhm, splendid. "Even you guys in the back, sing along! His name is Christian! Come on, sing! Happy birthday to you..."

I was standing there all the time, not blushing according to my friends, listening to the birthday tribute. Even for the "how old is he?" from somewhere in the restaurant, and then I could sit down again. Pheeew. The remaining time all the passing waiters brought a balloon that they tied to my wrist, of course, and wishing me a happy birthday. We left around 10-ish, so I'd deem the evening a rewarding, fun celebration, despite the embarrassing moments inbetween.

That night, around 12, Markus decided to let me drive his car around town, before ending up at the 24/7 coffee shop Sonkofa. I never knew driving was so much fun! I did well, stopping at the correct times, going the correct speeds, overall doing a good job. I recently go my instruction permit, which is a 10-minute driving test away from a driver's license. Some practice, now, and I'll have it. For the great price of $2... Imagine what I save from the $2000-$3000 in Norway..

Anyhow, that was my b-day, I had a blast and got a couple of neat gift cards (one for HuHot, great place, and another for calling minutes to Norway). A good day, and now (the gray Monday) I have more homework than at all desirable. But fine, I can surely tackle 2 essays, 2 book readings and 2 pages of chem chapter problems. I hope. (Taking deep breath.)

Pics can be found further down in this post.

Labels: Episode Accounts, Pictures, Special Events

posted by CK @ 22:04