30 Before I'm 30

I was reading a blog the other day that talked about 40 things the author wanted to do before he was 40. It inspired me to do the same. Truth be told, it was kind of difficult. Maybe it was difficult because I'm afraid of commitment, and putting 30 things that I want to do in writing seems like a lot of pressure. All the same, my friend and I sat down, and here is the list of the first 30 (rather superficial) things that came to mind:

1. Be on Cash Cab (NY or Chicago... I won't be picky)
2. Ride a double-decker bus in London
3. Run a 1/2 marathon
4. Become advanced/fluent in two foreign languages
5. Try rakı (a Turkish liqueur)
6. See a camel in the flesh
7. Swim in the Mediterranean
8. Make a scrapbook
9. Volunteer with a charity on a regular basis
10. Go to the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC
11. Get engaged
12. Go to a Needtobreathe concert
13. Attend a World Cup game
14. Visit the San Diego Zoo
15. Try sushi
16. Attend a live taping of any show (SNL, Ellen, Oprah, Price is Right, etc...)
17. Own a dog
18. Go to NYC at Christmas time
19. Take a road-trip coast to coast in the U.S.
20. Make a pumpkin pie from scratch
21. Have zero credit card debt
22. Get a second tattoo (don't read this one, mom!)
23. See Les Misérables on Broadway
24. Watch an entire television series in one weekend
25. Learn to play the violin (well)
26. Go parasailing
27. See the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade live (maybe even walk a balloon!)
28. Start my PhD
29. Go to Mexico
30. --- (Free space)

The 30th one is blank because as previously mentioned, I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe. I'm all but positive that there's some other goal I want to accomplish before I'm 30, and when I think of it, I want to have room for it on my list. :o)

What are your top bucket list picks?

Another reason to hate Dave Matthews' Band

I've never been a big fan of DMB. It's not that I think they're terrible. Back when they were popular, I simply found his whiny voice to be ridiculously overrated. Regardless, in the past few months of living abroad, I've found another reason to dislike the band aside from their poor sound quality and egotistical name.

There is a quote of theirs that I really liked in college. It went like this:

"Turns out, not where but who you're with that really matters."

I used to like that quote...until I found myself on a plane heading 20 hours away from all of the people that mattered most to me. If it's who you're with that matters most, then I was about to have the worst year imaginable. As I was flying from Munich to Izmir on that last flight, all I could think of was that stupid quote, and moreover, what a mistake I had made. I would have given anything for the flight attendant to be selling airplane tickets from her little beverage cart so that I could just stay on the plane and return home to my 'who'.

Luckily for me, she was not offering tickets with the drinks, or I would have never had the fantastic five months that I have had. While I have missed being with my loved ones so much, I have also been able to grow and experience amazing things I would never have done otherwise. Which leads me to resent Dave Mathews a little for his misleading quote, because I think he's got it partially wrong. It's not that the 'who' in your life isn't important; of course, people are important. Relationships are what make our lives bearable. But, I think there's a better 'wh-' question word that encompasses both 'where' and 'who' --- 'why.' If I were Dave Matthews, I would have written the line something like this:

"Turns out, it's not where you are or who you're with that matters, it's why you're doing what you're doing."

It might be a bit wordy for a melody, but to me, the most important factor is why are you living your life the way you are. Maybe your 'why' is because of the 'where.' Maybe it's because of the 'who.' Or maybe it's because you're fulfilling some purpose for a period of time. To me, if you can justify 'why,' that's what really matters. It's too easy to make decisions based on 'where' and 'who' alone. Making a big life decision based on 'why' requires that you have done some sort of examination of your life; you know where you've been and you know where you want to go.

It's with that thought in my head that I start to plan what comes next. Somehow, when I was finishing college, I thought by the age of 26 I wouldn't have to keep planning my future year after year. Yet, I don't think I'd have it any other way. I'm happy with my 'why,' and it's only a matter of time before I figure out what the next stage looks like. Maybe it's Turkey for another year. Maybe it's going back to school in the Midwest. Maybe it's teaching again South Carolina. At this point, selling seashells on the beach is also a viable option.

All I know for certain is that, at this moment, I'm where I am supposed to be... and that I still hate Dave Matthews' Band.

November Holiday : Redux

Hi friends! I promised this ages ago, but I finally got around to putting all of the pictures I took when I went on my vacation in November, including the ones I did not put on facebook. These photos include: Germany, Plzen, Prague, Krakow, and Auschwitz.

Just click on the picture above, and it will take you to my Picasa photo album online. Enjoy :)

Happy 2011 !!

As is customary around this time of year, I made a few new year’s resolutions. One of which was to update my blog more regularly. Seeing as how it is now January 25, you now know why I don’t typically make resolutions… Regardless – here’s what I’ve been up to!

Christmas came and went. I celebrated a few times with friends from work and friends from church. It was sad not being home with my family, but being able to open presents on skype and see everyone at home made it a lot easier!

January has been rather boring. I haven’t taken any trips or done anything exciting. The first semester of school has officially finished, and I now have a four week break. By ‘break’, I mean I don’t have any students to teach, but I still have to go to my office to do work. By ‘work’, I mean try to break my record of beating Spider Solitaire with 4 suits twice in a row.

Lucky for me, I only have to do this laborious work for two weeks and then my family comes! My mom, dad, grandmother, and brother are coming to visit, and I couldn't be more excited! Our itinerary includes: Izmir (5 days), Istanbul (1 day), Athens (2 days), and Paris (3 days). My family will then continue on to visit my grandmother's family in the south of France, but sadly, I have to return here to teach. It'll be a jam-packed 10 days - but I can't wait! If you want to check out our adventure, I made a little wiki to outline some of the things we plan to do. It's not much, but it's a neat little website. The Biler European Adventure

I fully intend on having a new post within a week. If not, feel free to send guilt e-mails until I do :)

My roommate, Jessie, and I with our Christmas cookies!