#140 - From 25.0 to 25.5 Video

Motto: We're Going Through Changes

One week ago was 2/1/2014, my half birthday. In the week since, some intense snow has given me the opportunity to sit down and put together the first half of the video that will eventually be "My 25th Year".

Because I can't think of a better title, I now present to you - "From 25.0 to 25.5":

So, that's that.

I have two other things to share with you today, though.

After having it on my list of goals for probably half a year, I finally sat down and made a complete Life Reference using a highly portable, open-source encryption method. I no longer will be without the extremely important private personal information. The list contains (among other things) a list of account names and passwords, a list of policy or account numbers, a list of phone numbers for insurance or financial agencies, a list of my most valuable personal possessions, and living, education, medical, and employment histories.

It's pretty boss.

Lastly, my 30 Day Challenge for this month is going to have to change. 

As it turns out, "No screens after 9pm" takes a bit more planning and foresight than we originally thought. Melissa and I have broken that rule more often than not over the past 8 days. Now, while that might seem sad and pathetic, it's actually been because of our wild productivity.

In the past 8 days:
1. We made, largely from scratch, our wedding invitations, RSVPs, and all that stuff.
2. We've put together a website (blog) for the wedding. 
3. We've collaborated on my Life Reference project. 
4. We (well, I) have read 2/3rds of an e-book.
5. I put together the video featured earlier.

It seemed silly to stop working on these really important, huge goals in the name of a smaller, 30 day goal. Rather than give up on doing a 30 day challenge this month, we are going to attempt to read 5 books this month.

I'm 2/3rds the way through Dan Brown's "Inferno" (the 4th book of the series that started with "The Da Vinci Code"). While it's not entirely original, it's still highly entertaining. Next up, a book about happy marriages that our officiant wants us to read. After that: Who knows. All I know is, I've gotta go so I can get some reading done.

The picture to go out on is a random pick from my surprisingly long list of "Pictures to eventually feature in the Column":

Careful, it's cold out there.

Top 5: Words I've Learned Thanks to Books

5. Luddite - a person who fears that a machine will take his job
4. Oculus - a round (or eyelike) opening or design
3. I haven't been keeping track of words very well and just realized I forgot to mention in the column up there that I hurt my shoulder playing basketball. I should be fine, but I'm going to have to take it easy for a while.
2. Avarice - extreme greed for wealth
1. Dilettante - a person who essentially fakes an interest or expertise in a given area

Quote:
“Why is 'no screens after 9' more difficult than 'remove everything you normally eat from your diet'?”
- Me, to her -