7) "A picture of something/someone who has the biggest impact on you", or, Impact is indubitably influential. Indeed.

This is a difficult one because it says "someone" (singular).  Instead, I'll mention the most significant "someones" in my life.  My parents.

My parents have had the biggest impact on my life.  They created me and cared for me and significantly shaped me into who I am today.  I'm very grateful for the way they went about it.  I'm grateful for the values they taught me and the skills they helped me develop.

One of those skills is reading.  Literacy is one of the greatest gifts and perhaps the 'something' that has had the biggest impact on me.  Because of its connection and use in so many areas of life, reading easily climbs high on the list of influential somethings in my life.

Think of how often you use your skills of reading or writing - obviously we use them for reading books and writing research papers, but we also use those skills when shopping and reading labels or when we write to-do lists and brainstorm ideas.  Even searching for an entertaining video on youtube would be difficult without knowing how to read and write.  You're using your blessed literacy skills right at this very moment.  As am I…isn't that interesting?  I'm sitting here writing…I'm writing this blog post right now.  And you, when you're reading it, you're reading it right now.  But those two 'nows' are different.  Even though now means…now.  …hmmm

My mom and dad have taught me so much.  They've taught me to be kind and respectful, to be industrious, to love.  They've taught me to learn and to value learning.  They've taught me to love good music and they've taught me how to create music.  They've helped me emotionally, socially, mentally, spiritually, physically, academically, and always lovingly.  All these things they've taught me by example.  They have shown me how to live and how to appreciate life.

I'm very grateful for my parents.  They have, without a doubt, had the biggest impact on me.  I love them very much!

[This is post 7 of 30 blog writing prompts.  To see the entire list with links to the individual posts, click here.]

6) "Favorite super hero and why", or, Super heroes soar high, share hopes, save humanity

I've never been into the standard superhero scene too much.  Batman's pretty cool; I like all the cool gadgets he has.  Spider-Man is pretty awesome, too; his acrobatics and mode of transportation speak to my own love of jumping and climbing (trees, rocks, buildings, anything) :)

Really, though, my favorite superhero is this guy:

Wishbone was one of my favorite shows as a kid.  Wishbone was a very honorable and moral dog and had grand adventures both at home with Joe, David, and Sam, as well as in his recreations of the stories of classic literature.

One definition of super hero is, "a benevolent fictional character with superhuman powers, such as Superman."  Wishbone is practically a paragon of benevolence and his superhuman powers include his polymathic repertoire of detective (Sherlock Holmes), explorer (Odysseus and many others), scientist (Frankenstein), spirit (Ariel), and god (Hercules).  That's one awesome superhero!

[This is post 6 of 30 blog writing prompts.  To see the entire list with links to the individual posts, click here.]

5b) "A Pic of Somewhere I Have Been", or, Why We Wander When We Want Wide World Windows [Part the Second]

This is the second part of my blog post about the countries I have visited.  In the first part I wrote about my home country, the United States, as well as Canada, France, Italy, and Guatemala.  This post has some awesome pictures and stories from the next 5: Greece, Turkey, Germany, Cambodia, and Taiwan.  Enjoy!


Greece
Population: 10,815,197
Area: 50,949 square miles

My brother and I decided to take a trip on short notice, deciding a couple of weeks in advance.  We made a list of possible fun locations and examined the timing, climate, desirability, need for visas/vaccinations, etc.  Using these criteria we narrowed down a list that also contained India, South Africa, and Nepal and decided to take a trip to Greece and Turkey.

Greece was an incredible place to visit!  It was awe-inspiring to see the stunning monuments from ancient times and to stand in places like the Agora of Athens, Mars Hill, the Temple of Zeus (one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World), and Mycenae.  It was fun to have our own contests in the original Olympic stadium with no one else around.  It was thought-provoking to visit the site of the Oracle at Delphi.  It was enriching to stop at a mountain monastery, the abandoned Larissa Castle, and beautiful Peloponnesian towns, and it was downright frightening to happen upon a storage site for giant parade float statues of people, animals, and things straight out of an Alice in Wonderland/Little Nemo-type nightmare.  It was a blast to practice (essentially learning) driving a manual transmission in a Fiat Panda on the raucous yet flowing roads of Greece and it was a thrill to spend a windy day racing around the island of Santorini on a 4-wheeler and scooter despite becoming separated for almost an hour and fearing that my brother had been blow off a cliff.

A week or so before our departure I was talking with my friend Jacob Booher and invited him along.  He met us in Athens and it was a lot of fun traveling with him.  I don't know how long it would've taken us to maneuver our rental car through the intensity of Athens to the highways outside if it weren't for Jacob's driving skills.  It was insightful to listen to him and my brother respectfully debating their sometimes differing views on politics and the like.

Greece is a wonderful place.  The food is delicious, the landscape (both earthen and human) is beautiful, the history is inspiring and fascinating, and the people are friendly and inviting (like they are everywhere, as I'm continually reminded).  I would love to return there someday.

[I'm returning to write more of this blog post and I wanted to add that I've been craving Greece a lot lately!  It's such a cool place!]


Turkey
Population: 75,627,384
Area: 302,535 square miles

We traveled to Turkey via the Greek island of Chios.  Perhaps we ought to have planned this better because we woke on the morning of Greek Independence Day to catch an early ferry out of the country.  Funny that we moved to another country, Turkey, on the very day Greece was celebrating their independence from the Ottomans.  Perhaps we missed some fun parties and interesting celebrations, it's true, but Turkey certainly didn't disappoint.  That being said, next time I'll make a point to change the schedule if it means being at the right place for an important event.

Traveling to Turkey was like taking another cultural step eastward.  Already, in Greece, I had felt the influence of the east and the blending of its styles and feelings with those of the west.  Traveling to Turkey was like riding this cultural pendulum further east, even to the point of passing the point of equilibrium and beginning the arc upward, now undoubtedly in the east.  It was a very exciting feeling!

We traveled by bus (Turkey's bus system is awesome – modern, clean, reliable, plentiful) to the ruins of Ephesus (site of the Temple of Artemis, another of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, though we didn't visit it, specifically).  Tyler tested the acoustics of the nearly 2000-year old odeon by cranking out a cowboy yodel, much to the delight of the other tourists, who applauded his anachronistic performance.

Back in the nearby town of Selçuk, we purchased tickets for an overnight bus to Istanbul and passed the time before its departure by getting impromptu haircuts from a local barber, complete with a flaming q-tip used to singe unwanted hairs from the ears and face.  We also indulged in multiple varieties of baklava, a common practice of ours throughout both Greece and Turkey.

Istanbul is a beautiful, enchanting city.  It is very clean, modern and friendly.  Though we had heard it before, in Selçuk, it was quite an experience to hear the call to prayer originating from multiple points all around us.  The gorgeous and huge mosques, as well as the Hagia Sophia, were breathtaking.  It is difficult to grasp the size and grandeur of these buildings without standing beneath the towering domes.  To give you an idea, imagine the Statue of Liberty standing in the Hagia Sophia.  From toe to tip of torch, she wouldn't be able to touch the ceiling.  In fact, she'd need to balance a two-story building on her torch to reach the top of the mosaiced dome!

Our time in Istanbul was spent sightseeing, visiting the bazaars, wandering the streets, and eating more baklava.  The night before we were to fly home we visited a hamam, or Turkish bath.  This was an experience, indeed!  It was simultaneously invigorating, cleansing, painful, hilarious, relaxing, and a fine test of our ability to not feel uncomfortable or awkward.  The mix of sauna, bath, exfoliation, massage, and chiropractic visit had me feeling cleaner and more refreshed than any other time I can recall.



Here's a glamorous look at our guilty pleasure during this trip – baklava!  Featured here is the chocolate baklava.




Visiting Turkey was an absolute delight!  There are treasures to be discovered, both tangible and otherwise, in this region's wide-ranging history as well as its exciting present.  The people are pleasant and helpful; clerks and salespeople are friendly and the continuous calls from restaurant concierges were entertaining and welcoming.  I would be very happy returning to Turkey!

Germany
Population: 81,799,600
Area: 137,847 square miles

The flight home from Turkey included a stopover in Frankfurt am Main.  The layover was 4-6 hours and we decided to leave the airport for a quick stop in town.

We took a rail line into the city and went to the MyZeil shopping center, which has one of the largest escalators in Europe.  The architecture of this building is amazing and impressive!  At one area, the glass panels forming the exterior turned in on themselves, funneling back into the building and up above it before crashing back through the center of the mall.  It was like some complex, inside-out, glass-whirlpool-tornado.  It’s difficult to explain; you’d need to see it.  Then again, it was difficult to comprehend even when standing right next to it.

We visited the Eurotower, which is the seat of the European Central Bank, and we took pictures beneath the giant Euro symbol.  My brother and I talked about the impressive German people who, despite going through so many difficulties during the early 20th century, have managed to create one of the five largest economies in the world.

On our way back to the airport we bought a couple items for a lunch at a small bakery/pastry booth.  I thought it all out beforehand and was successful and thrilled to be able to complete the entire transaction in German!  (Thanks to my dad and mom for the German influence over the years, including all-night German tutoring sessions while driving down to Lake Powell :) )


Cambodia
Population: 14,952,665
Area: 69,898 square miles

In early 2012 I learned that my brother was going to Cambodia in approximately a month.  Though I wanted to go, it didn’t seem feasible at the time.  I decided not to go.  One Sunday, while reading Kevin Sites’ book about his travels and reporting, I felt that now-familiar strong desire to go somewhere.  I decided to see if I could make the Cambodia trip happen.  I asked my brother if I could still come along.  He said yes, and that they were leaving that Thursday.  Four days away!  I was a little disheartened, feeling like I wouldn’t be able to make it happen after all, but I decided to look into it, nonetheless.  I found a flight for (relatively) cheap, and decided to take up the matter with my boss, who sells video footage from around the world, thinking I may be able to subsidize the trip by filming while I was away.

Eventually, enough things came together that I decided and purchased my plane ticket late on Tuesday night (technically wednesday morning).  I would be flying out Thursday night, less than 48 hours away! :D  It was wonderfully exciting.  I’m very glad I made the decision to act on the opportunity to do something I love instead of letting the occasion pass by without my trying to make it a possibility.

Cambodia is a beautiful country with an awe-inspiring history, tragic recent past, and promising future.  The trip was filled with fun adventures, delicious food, awesome people, new experiences, difficulties, and opportunities to learn – both about the people and their history as well as about myself.

This trip could certainly have its own extensive blog post detailing the experiences I’ve had (as could all of these journeys I’ve written about), but for now I’ll briefly mention some of the standout moments and the people I met.

+Being greeted at the airport by a man with a sign that said "Mr. Conlin." :)  My brother and our friend Adam had arrived before me and paid the guy to greet me as they hid around the corner :)
+Eating frog legs, beef with ants, tarantula legs (I couldn’t bring myself to take a bite of the whole body), crickets, and my very first Coke.  Of course there were other delicious things, too, like noodles, fried rice, curry, pancake/crepes, and the most incredible fruit shakes!
+Learning of the traumatic recent history in places like the Tuol Sleng prison (which was formerly a high school) and the mass graves of the Killing Fields.
+Meeting Sam, our incredible guide to the wonders of Angkor.  Though Angkor Wat is the most famous, there are tons of impressive, awesome, and huge temples scattered all around the area.
+Spending time talking with two young shopkeepers in Siem Reap while I waited for an overnight bus.
+The kind tuk-tuk driver who rushed me to catch the bus when I realized they weren’t, in fact, coming to the location where I had been waiting.
+Being directly propositioned by a prostitute, not to mention seeing the industry blatantly active and available all around. (I declined, just so you know :) )
+Sailing in a catamaran in the Gulf of Thailand with new friends.
+Meeting awesome fellow travelers, including a man who had crossed the Atlantic in a solar-powered boat and many photographers with whom I was able to connect due to our common interest and pursuit of photography of the amazing places we saw.


Here's a fun and goofy video we made at an awesome tree at the Ta Prohm temple at Angkor:



Cambodia felt like the wild west of the travel beat.  There are places that are "off the beaten track" but Cambodia felt even more so.  It probably doesn't compare to places like Myanmar or Chad or Kyrgyzstan in terms of "off-the-beaten-track-ness", but there was something about it.  It seemed like if you ever wanted to just up and leave a place and live like an outlaw, Cambodia would be the place to do it.  That being said, it wasn't too much a rough-and-tumble place.  It may not be as "developed" as some European countries, but most anyone would be totally happy, safe, and successful traveling there.  If you ever choose to do so, you will be greatly rewarded with magnificent sights, matchless experiences, and memorable people.


To get a feel for the feelings of this trip, check out this video that I made:





Taiwan
Population: 23,315,822
Area: 13,974 square miles

While selecting my flight to Cambodia, I had the opportunity to take advantage of a layover in Taiwan.  I happily picked the itinerary with a 12-hour layover.  During my brief stay in Taipei I enjoyed a number of things, including getting lost :)  I had a map with me, but at some point I lost track of where I was (don't tell my Map Reading/Navigation instructor :) ).  It was confusing trying to get reoriented, but eventually I knew (kind of) where I was.  There was a night market where I found something to eat.  Wandering through the stalls and carts I eventually picked one and pointed to an item.  It was a type of stuffed pastry.  I don't recall seeing (or recognizing, at least) any tourists while I was in Taiwan.

Taipei has really cool street crossing signals!  When it's time to walk it has a normal looking stick person, except that it walks!  And it speeds up as it gets closer to turning red.  It's really cool.

At one point I walked past a piano shop.  I went inside and asked if I could play one of the pianos and they said it was ok.  A lot of this happened without actual words; cool how that happens :)  I played some songs and a couple minutes later, out of the blue, a bunch of little kids were in the store and watching me.  I think they must have just got done with lessons or a recital in a back room or something.  I wish now that I would've asked some of them to play, it would've been fun to have an impromptu concert.  Now I'll know what to do next time there's a similar situation :)

Before catching the bus back to the airport I found my way to where I could get a view of Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world pre-Burj Khalifa.  I tried a couple of timelapses and then headed back to the bus station, the airport and eventually back home.

While passing through customs I had some thoughts that I put together in my head and later revised to make this poem:

Welcome Home
An astronaut, upon safely landing back on Earth, is greeted with, "Welcome home."
A returning traveler, upon passing through customs and border security, is greeted with, "Welcome home."
Arriving in my hometown again, I feel at home
But it is upon rejoining my family that I am most truly greeted with, "Welcome home!"



It's fun and exciting to travel and be in new places, but it's also a wonderful feeling to be somewhere familiar and comfortable.

Cheerio!

+Andy




P.S.  If you want to know some of the destinations high on my list of next places to travel to, check out this video I made about a year ago for a travel contest:
http://youtu.be/FeO33IN93QE

5a) "A Pic of Somewhere I Have Been", or, Why We Wander When We Want Wide World Windows [Part the First]

This is is blog post 5 of 30 from a list of writing prompts.  So far, I've blogged about these things:
1.  A recent pic of me and 15 interesting facts about me
2.  The meaning behind my blog name
3.  A picture of me and my friends, and,
4.  A habit I wish I didn't have

Now, "A pic of somewhere you have been."  This post will feature a handful of pictures and short memories from international trips I have taken, and probably a bit about places I'd like to go in the future, as well.  I am choosing to highlight the international trips I've been on to give myself a limit.  It would be long (albeit fun) to go through pictures of fun times spent in various states with family, camp staffs, friends, and by myself.  I value these trips and vacations very much and I'm very grateful for all the opportunities I've had to travel and see this wonderful world, both in this country and out.  Again, for the sake of establishing a limit, I'll only be featuring international visits here.  Also, it's no secret that the ship I'm on tends to list towards the exotic.  In fact, right now I'm listening to an African/Asian chill out music mix.  If you feel so inclined, feel free to put on your own favorite international/ethnic/exotic music while you read.

Also, here's a cool jacket.  This was in an awesome store near my metro stop in D.C.  I just read that it's unfortunately gone out of business.  This store was awesome!

And so we begin.

I have been to 10 different countries in my life.

First, the United States of America.
Population: 314,913,000
Area: 3,794,101 square miles

I looked at pictures from my time spent in Washington, D.C., thinking that showcasing this country's capital would be apropos for this post, but decided instead on a photo from where I call home.  My parents and I (and perhaps others?) were greeted one early morning, pre-boating trip, with this beautiful, fiery sky.

Everywhere you go is beautiful, just like everyone you meet.  I don't think I fully recognized or appreciated all the cool things about my own home state until I lived across the country and missed being back out in my homeland, not to mention how everyone mentioned how cool it would be to live in Utah.  People can be a lot like places.

"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone."

It seems like a good time to mention this quote, as well. From The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner:

"We can't love a place, or a person, if we always have one foot out the door."

Onward to the next stop on our journey, Canada.
Population: 35,003,000
Area: 3,854,085 square miles

I don't have a picture of my time in Canada (at least not here on my computer).  It was during a trip back east with my parents, sister, and grandma that I went to Canada.  We spent time just over the border viewing Niagara Falls and exploring the surrounding areas.  The Falls are very impressive.  It's cool to stand so close to where the water roars over the edge, and learning of legends explaining the existence of the falls was interesting.  After our time at Niagara we traveled through many states to various Mormon history sites.  It was my first experience in another country and my first experience flying in an airplane.

I'm very grateful for this and the many other trips that my family went on.  Perhaps this should've gone in the first section, but here it will stay.  My parents did very well at showing and teaching us kids an appreciation for the world around us.  I was lucky to spend many nights camping and many days hiking in this beautiful corner of the Earth.  Thanks mom and dad!



The summer after graduating high school I went to France and Italy with my brother Tyler.
France
Population: 65,350,000
Area: 260,558 square miles

Italy
Population: 60,813,326
Area: 116,346 square miles

This picture is from when we were goofing around and "climbing" the Eiffel Tower.  It would be fun to take this picture and superimpose it on another to make it look like we were really climbing it :)

France was a lot of fun.  I had taken French in Junior High and it was neat to go there and hear the language being used and see the places and culture I had learned about in class.  I remember on the first day we were looking for a church.  After going through the sentence over and over in my head I went up to someone at a booth and spoke it as fluidly as I possibly could (it was something like "Est-ce que vous savez où se trouve la rue (something)?").  The guy replied with an answer speaking full speed ahead.  I tried hard to hear and remember any words I'd recognize and I watched where he was pointing, hoping to glean the desired information.  I thanked him and walked back, proudly informing my brother that I had no idea where we were going (ok, I did have the general idea...kind of).


Another cool moment was when we were wandering around Paris just after arriving and we were looking at the side of a church.  We turned around, and right in front of us, was the Centre Pompidou, which houses one of the most famous modern art museums in the world (second in collection size after New York's MOMA).  It's such an exciting feeling to actually be at a place that you've seen and learned about in books and movies.  Plus, the Centre Pompidou is a pretty cool looking building.

After traveling from France to Italy via the gondolas and trams at Chamonix, we asked for directions from an older lady in a shop.  The language we had in common was French, not English.  This is one of my favorite things about traveling (literally, in the top 3) – trying to communicate in another language.  Any communication difficulty in these situations is easily overshadowed by the enjoyment and the challenge.

We carried on to Milan, where we witnessed very young people smoking (apparently more common in Europe than the US) and ate a pizza that, frankly, I expected to be better as we were in Italy, after all!  To be fair, I only had one pizza.  At one restaurant.  In one city.  However, it did help me to realize that when I say, for instance, that I like spaghetti, I'm referring to the spaghetti that I know and love.  The spaghetti that I ate growing up.  The spaghetti that is my favorite food and that my mother always made, and sometimes will still make, for me on my birthday.

We rode a train across Italy to Venice.  Ahh, Venice!  What a rad city, where everything your average city has an automobile for, you'll find the marine counterpart.  The gondola ride was definitely a highlight.  The fact that it's cliché didn't detract at all from an enlightening and fun experience.  Our gondolier taught us about the history of the city and the workings of the gondolier's trade.  A knowledgable guide can give such value and insight into any visit.  Hiring a good one is well worth the cost.

Since this romantic picture was taken 7 years ago my brother has returned with his wife.  Someday I will do the same...with my wife, that is.  Sorry, Ber :)





After a handful of years at school and an internship at my dream job, I was again out exploring the world.  This would be a good time to mention that I studied Geography in college.  What an awesome thing to spend your time reading and learning about!  I had many awesome professors (both in the geography department and elsewhere) that helped me increase my knowledge, appreciation, and love of the world and the people on it.

During these years I also spent an incredible amount of time researching travel.  I read about places, possibilites and potential adventures online and in the many, MANY books I'd check out from the library.  I spent nights watching travel shows, my favorites being Rick Steves and Globe Trekker (both likely available at your city library).  It is my belief that I spent more time researching travel than I did doing my homework proper.  Luckily for me, the two overlapped quite nicely :)


The next overseas trip for me was to Guatemala.
Population: 13,824,463
Area: 42,042 square miles

This trip was different from all the others I have yet been on.  Tyler and I went to Guatemala with Hug it Forward, an organization that teams up with communities to build bottle schools.  That's right, schools made out of bottles.  It's a really interesting premise that seems to be going really well.  If you want to see and learn more, check out these links as well as this video from a different (but similar) trip.

Spending over a week in one place and getting to know the kids at the school was a lot of fun.  I still remember many of their names.  The picture above is from when Christian and I had matching injuries. Mine was from playing soccer in sandals; I'm not sure what his was from, perhaps the same.

There are so many good memories from this trip!  I remember having a relatively lengthy conversation with one boy and afterwards wondering and marveling at what we even talked about, and how; our language overlap was quite slim.  This trip was an excellent opportunity to learn and practice spanish, especially words like basura, botella, and tenazas :)

Tyler developed the nickname, "Gringo Loco."  I'm very glad we have a video of him teaching the kids how to yodel!  I went by the much more respectable epithet, "Gringo Contento."  I was also known as "Guapo," of course :)  Somehow I became the heartthrob of most grade school girls in the town.  It must have been those luscious locks I was sporting! (which, for those of you who haven't seen me lately, are returning!)  Still in my possession are the bilingual love notes I received.

Simple and consistent, I still crave the food we ate there and from time to time will recreate the feeling with beans, scrambled eggs and a bit of 'crema' to mix in.

We met some great people on this trip, both the Guatemalans and our fellow travel pals, and I'm very grateful to have had this experience.



I didn't anticipate making this such an extensive post but I'm glad of what it has become.  These memories ought to be recorded and this is a fine way to do it.  It seems most prudent to divide this into two parts and, as it happens, make this the conclusion of Part the First.

Tune in next time for notes and pics from the other 5 countries and the places at the top of my list for future trips!


Cheerio!

+Andy


P.S. This is cool, especially this.

4) "A Habit I Wish I Didn't Have", or, Finally Finishing Feats Feels Fine

About a year ago I started a blog challenge to write on 30 different prompts.  I did three of them and really enjoyed the writing, but then I quit.  Since then there have been times when I've wanted to start up again but haven't.  A couple of days ago I told a friend that I would be posting a blog post soon and we made a deal to both post something by the end of today.  I was thinking of it today then totally forgot after getting home from the Thanksgiving break.  Thankfully, she messaged me reminding me of the approaching deadline.

And so it is that I'm again writing in this blog and working on this blog challenge.  And what an apropos item to have as the vessel of my renaissance; I am to write about "A habit you wish you didn't have."  I have a habit of beginning things and not finishing them, not seeing them through to their full potential.  I feel that in so doing I am not completely pursuing my own full potential.  Like this blog challenge, there have been many things that have gone from ideas to brainstorming, development, and even through the completion of some first steps before falling by the wayside, inadvertent casualties of fresh and exciting new ideas.  This is a habit I wish I didn't have.

What's the point in writing this sort of confession if not to serve as a reminder of an opportunity to improve?  So, how should one/I/you go about finishing things that we start?  I welcome any comments on ideas that you have.  Here are some of my ideas that, while perhaps basic and seemingly obvious, I plan to use to help:

Make a habit of completion
The more we are able to complete tasks, challenges, etc. the more we will...be able to complete tasks, challenges, etc.  Perhaps it will be by seeing how relatively easy and exceptionally rewarding it is to complete something and see it through to its finish, or, at the very least, its maturity.  I feel that this would especially be the case for those, like me, who feel as though there are more instances of unfinished undertakings than completed projects.  This may seem like a catch-22; if you're having trouble finishing tasks, how do you finish tasks in order to become better at finishing tasks?  That is a great question.  However it happens, once it does, I feel that it will get easier and easier with repetition.

Dedicate time to the tasks at hand

Blocking off an hour a day, 30 min. every Saturday, or whatever you choose will help in making the project more of a reality, an actual part of your life.  This can make a great test–if you're willing to dedicate some of the limited time available to you, it's obviously important to you and deserves some allotment of dedication.  If not, this may be a project that it's ok to leave unfinished.

Focus
Much has been written debating multi-tasking vs. single-tasking.  For some, multitasking is the way to go.  Tristan Higbee, author/creator of The Backlight as well as multiple other blogs, etc., finds that the variety provided by multitasking allows him to shift between projects with a net result of being more productive (read it here).  Zenhabits makes a great argument for single-tasking.  I can understand both views and it probably simply comes down to personal preference.  Regardless of your preference, there is a certain point where having too many things going at once will keep any of them from getting finished.  Focus on the one (or two, or three) most important, valued, or urgent projects until they are complete.  Rinse and repeat.

Set deadlines
Setting deadlines (and sticking to them) can also help in following through on ideas.  No elaboration needed here.

Be wary of perfection (at first)
This is an interesting idea (and perhaps deserving of its own post(s)).  I have found that my desire for perfection in a project, design, or plan has kept me from making any real progress.  I deliberate and wait to make the first move until I'm sure I have the best plan.  This is at risk of becoming trite in certain areas of the blogosphere but, nevertheless, I will say it here: the most important thing to do is simply to start.  If you want to write a book, limit (or stop) deliberating over the title and the cover and the PR.  Sit down and write.  If you want to read more, limit (or stop) creating your reading list, reading book reviews and shopping around.  Pick up a book and read.  I fully support the pursuit of perfection (if you, too, like this idea, read Jonathan Livingston Seagull).  Perfection comes with time.  Don't be afraid to begin before you have the ideal idea, the model model :)

I should note that I am by no means an expert (or even a practitioner, in some cases) of the ideas I suggested above.  I have no proof of their efficacy.  They are simply ideas that I have (not entirely my own) that I think will help.  I am writing them for my own benefit as much as for the benefit of a reader.  When all is said and done, the goal is to finish more of the projects that I start.  Again, feel free to share your ideas and comments.

On that note, I will be continuing with this blog challenge.  I plan to write somewhere between once a day and once every year :)  Wait, what was that about setting deadlines?  Alright, I plan to finish this blog challenge before my birthday (about three months away).  I may really get going and finish sooner.  That's fine.  But I will finish before my next birthday.  Oh, hey, that's another great thing to do–share your goals and deadlines so your friends can hold you accountable :)

Cheerio!

+Andy

3) "A Picture of Me and My Friends", or, A Scrollable Slideshow of Superb Sidekicks. Seriously.

A picture of me and my friends.  This would be hard to do in one picture.  Luckily, I read this blog post, by the venerable "Brit", the other day and in it found a fine format to follow.  Now, 

A Scrollable Slideshow of Superb Sidekicks. Seriously.

My friends from scout camp!  I have made many wonderful friends from
working at scout camp.  Being with people all day, every day for an entire
summer can certainly bring you together.  This picture is meant to represent
 all of the great people I've worked with over the years.

This picture is not just for the two lovely folks you see but also
 for all camp friends in the off-season.  I love that we can be
grown-up (the jury is still out on this) but still crazy.

This one as well.  This is from a photo shoot with some more wonderful camp
friends.  It is one of the few shots that doesn't look like a
polygamist wedding announcement waiting to happen :)

This picture will represent a lot.  The wonderful individual seen
has been a friend for many years.  Come to think of it, I believe
it was reading his blog many years ago that made me want to start
one myself.  This picture also represents friends from high school
and the friends I made in Washington, D.C. (where this photo was taken).

This dapper shot is meant to represent my friends from the Folk Dancing
Team.  The bulk of my college social life involved these wonderful friends.
By extension, this shall represent the friends from the WSU Chamber Choir and other
extracurricular activities over the years.

Okay, here's the polygamist wedding announcement :)

This fine picture is to represent the many great friends at the apartments
where I live now.  I love how there is often something fun happening (like
the waterfall rappelling adventure shown above) and if there's not, you
can make it happen with the fun and adventurous people (as long as they're
not too busy with school).

And now, my greatest friends of all, my wonderful family.  I am so
grateful and blessed to have a family who also make up the group
of my best friends.  I love them and I love spending time with them
as I would with any of the friends shown above.  And this goes for my
siblings' spouses (who are just as much sisters and brother to me) and
my nieces and nephews as well.  I love my family!


Cheerio!
Andy

2) "The Meaning Behind My Blog Name", or, A Tale of a Tune

I'm liking this already!  I am now on the second of thirty blog post prompts (see here for the the list and first entry).

Today's topic: the meaning behind my blog name.

Alright, to begin go here and push play right now.  Let the music play while you come back to continue reading.  It's the backdrop music for the post.

My Blog name, "the joy of life," is the title of the Kenny G song you are listening to right now.

I love the happy feeling of this song.  When it gets going I love grooving to the rhythm and melody of it.  It makes me happy :)  Life can be joyful.  Think of something today that made you happy.  Really think of something, don't just read over this and move on.

Now think of something you can do tomorrow to make someone happy.  Remember these things; I'm going to ask you about them later.


Now stop reading and just listen to the music for a while; I hope it makes you smile and feel good.



Did you like that grooving part?  :)  I did

I think that on my old computer this was my top played song.  Writing this post makes me want to encourage it up to that area on "Top 25 Most Played" again.  It's a good song--and it's the meaning, or inspiration, behind my blog name.

As for the url, nilnoca, that's aconlin backwards.

Will you post in the comments something today that made you happy and something you can do tomorrow to make someone happy?  I'll post my thoughts as a comment to get it going.
Thanks!

Cheerio!
-Andy

1) "Interesting Facts About Me", or, How I Started a Blog Challenge to Prime the Writing Pump Within

This will be the first post of many in a list of blog post ideas (blog challenge).  I got the list from the Grange's blog.

As you can see from the title of this post, one reason for doing this challenge is to get the writing pump primed.  I want to develop a skill for using language and this challenge will give me practice and direction for doing so in writing.

The first topic is discussed below but first here's a teaser of what I'll be writing about.  Try it yourself.  You'll have to write, think, and you may even learn something about yourself in the process.

1. A recent pic of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself [this post]

2. The meaning behind your blog name

3. A picture of you and your friends

4. A habit you wish you didn't have

5. A pic of somewhere you have been (and part two)

6. Favorite super hero and why

7. A picture of something/someone who has the biggest impact on you

8. Short term goals for this month and why

9. Something you are proud of in the last few days

10. Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad

11. Another pic of you and your friends

12. How you found out about blogs and why you made one

13. A letter to someone who hurt you recently

14. A pic of you and your family

15. Put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play

16. Another pic of yourself

17. Someone you would want to switch lives with for 1 day and why

18. Plans/dreams/goals you have

19. Nicknames you have, why

20. Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future

21. A pic of something that makes you happy

22. What make you different from everyone else

23. Something you crave

24. A letter to your parents

25. What I would find in your blog

26. What you think about your friends

27. Why are you doing this 30 day challenge

28. A pic of you last year and now, how have you changed

29. In the past month what have you learned

30. Who are you?

Alright, for the first topic.

1. A recent pic of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

I opted for two pictures.  The first one looks really cool and the second one's all adventurous (Mt. Nebo in the background).

And now for 15 interesting things about me:  (not numbered because they are in no specific order.  If I change my mind and decide to order them for a reason, this message would be edited out and you can see that that is not the case)

--There are some things that I enjoy doing that are not too common (some specifically because I'm a male).  They include: crocheting, tap dancing, and yodeling.  These are not my only hobbies but they are some that are among the more obscure.

--I have two sprigs of bamboo as pets: Kawayan and Maiksi (meaning "Bamboo" and "Shorter" in Tagalog; thanks to Britney for the name suggestions).  I talk to them (or think at them) on occasion (ideally daily).  I enjoy having plants in my house.  Feng shui all the way!

--I love looking at maps and knowing where things are.  I graduated from Weber State University with a Bachelor's degree in Geography.

--I really like making lists (currently using Evernote as well as various text editing).  One of my lists is a reading list.  It is currently in various forms waiting to be compiled and condensed.  I will be making my own "essential reading list" based on famous lists of classics/essentials as well as others' lists of recommended reading and my own list of books I want to read.

--I was an intern at the National Geographic Society in the Education Department.  It was a wonderful experience, not only the intern part but also the opportunities from working at NGS and living in Washington, DC.  [S.S. (side script) This week is Geography Awareness Week! Celebrate The Adventure in Your Community!]

--I started wearing eyeglasses when I was 22.

--When I was young my trademark haircut was the buzz.  Juxtapositionally (I wanted to try that word. It says it's spelled wrong, I think it's juust right, and perhaps new), I grew out my hair for almost 17 months and can now sympathize with those with long hair; I've experienced it! I kind of want to grow it out again...

--I've been skiing since before I could walk.  According to my mom, I was 11 months old the first time I went skiing.  Thanks to the sacrifices of my mom and dad, me (and my siblings) grew up skiing almost every week in the winter. Thank you to my wonderful parents!!

--I really like dancing.  I enjoy ballroom dancing, swing dancing, folk dancing, tap dancing, and clogging.  However, put me in a contemporary dance scene and it will be quite a while, if ever, before I feel comfortable moving about (by contemporary I'm referring to the type of dancing done in various social settings found among people my age, not the style of dance sometimes called modern dance).

--I love playing the piano and singing.  It can be a great way to express feelings and even vent emotions at times.  I also really enjoy accompanying others as they sing.  Once I played the piano until my finger bled on the keyboard.  I have a picture to prove it.

--I have a profound proclivity for libraries as well as their used book sales (and buying books at the D.I.).  I like the smell of university libraries when back amid rows of books.

--I'm pretty good at drawing the world, freehand and without looking at a map. It's all up here.

--I haven't used deodorant in about 18 months.  I ran out right when going on a camping trip so I didn't take any with me, someone mentioned there could be negative things about deodorant, I was (am) a hippie, so I stopped using it.  I count myself blessed that my body doesn't require it as much as others.  S.S. (side script, remember?) Lots of people are taken aback when I tell them I don't use deodorant, which is understandable, but I think it's just the thought of it that gets them at first.  It's like someone not worrying about getting hurt 'til they realize there's blood, then they freak out.  I have asked multiple people who I trust to tell me honestly and they have told me that I am doing fine without it.

--Whenever I go somewhere, even if just a short distance or for a short while, I will frequently take plenty of things to do (usually in the form of lots of books).  These are often carried in one of two purses (or both).  And yes, I did just infer that I use not only one, but multiple purses.  One is a small satchel from Guatemala and the other is a Mountainsmith lumbar bag.  It's easiest to just call them purses myself.  I don't mind calling them that and people then get halted in their attempts to make fun of me :)

--My family and I like to sing.  On significant occasions (weddings, birthdays, Christmas parties) we will come together and plan a musical number to perform (often put together quickly but with quality).  I love my family!

Well, that's 15 interesting facts about me.  And the completion of the first blog challenge item!  I'm looking forward to these writing prompts.  I hope you'll find them interesting or that they will prompt you to think about yourself.  When that happens, I recommend that you record it in a journal or a blog.

Cheerio!

-Andy