Twenty-four: In which I reluctantly behave like a responsible adult

I admit it — this is probably one of the two most boring things on the list, but I'm happy to announce I paid off my car yesterday, 9 months early. Of course the only thing I can think about now is buying a new car, but that's the emotional response. The more rational part of my brain is reminding me that now that it's paid off, it's time to drive the Corolla into the ground (please feel free to express your jealousy in the comments).  Let's just hope this goes better than the last time I paid off a vehicle. When I finally paid off the world's most oxidized Honda Civic back at the end of college, it was stolen a month later. Fingers crossed!

And while we're talking about the car, I'll be taking it on a roadtrip in a few days to check another thing off by getting myself to the bay area for some fun times with some of my favorite people! Can't wait for that.

Five: Book Report

One of the first books I read after turning 30 was The Magicians, by Lev Grossman. This book was fantastic, and I could hardly set it down. It’s a darker, more realistic Harry Potter — as realistic as a normal guy getting accepted to a school of magic can be.  This was a very dark story about magic, power and corruption. I can’t wait for the sequel, and am hoping it comes out before I hit my next birthday.

Another book from last fall was the sci-fi classic Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. I’ve heard the sequels aren’t worth reading, which is hard to believe because I really enjoyed this book.  I am surprised I never read it in high school when it would have been right up my alley. Ender is a young boy who is sent to a military training school in space. He is training to defend Earth against alien invaders. The book ended with a twist I’m embarrassed I didn’t see coming. I read online that a movie version is in the works and for a change I’m excited to see the film adaptation of a book. 

The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman was the first non-fiction book I read this year. Weisman details what would happen to the planet if people suddenly and permanently disappeared. It was fascinating to think about how nature would reclaim roads, building and cities, and horrifying to think of the pollution and waste that will be here for thousands of years. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something other than a novel to read. 

COMPLETED BOOKS

1. The Fixer Upper - Mary Kay Andrews

2. Deep Dish - Mary Kay Andrews

3. The Magicians - Lev Grossman

4. Ender’s Game - Orson Scott Card

5. The World Without Us - Alan Weisman

Twenty-three: Sensory Deprivation

The idea to try a sensory deprivation tank came to me when Groupon offered a deal on it. I wish I’d snapped it up then, but at the time I just kind of laughed about it. But later I really thought about it, and did some research. There are all kinds of benefits to sensory deprivation, or floating. You can read about them at www.floathq.com, the site of the flotation center I visited. It was an interesting place, with just a whiff of hippie in the air. 

The owner introduced himself as soon as I walked in. He showed me how to work the tank. I’d chosen one of their larger ones for my first experience. I’ve never been claustrophobic, but didn’t want to take any chances. The tank was about six and a half feet tall, eight feet long and four feet wide.

I sat down in the tank, hit the button for the light and laid back to start floating. Instead of drifting into peaceful meditation, I started giggling uncontrollably. Being in the tank seemed hilarious — what was I thinking? 

It took a few minutes to calm down. I started doing some yoga breathing and eventually realized how quiet it was. I could hear the water sloshing around me, but when I laid still I could hear my heartbeat. I focused on that and tried to get comfortable. The water and air in the tank were both heated to 94 degrees, which is supposed to make it hard to tell where the water ends and air begins. 

As I floated, all the sore muscles in my back and neck started to relax. The water had 800 pounds of magnesium salt dissolved in it, to help increase buoyancy. The owner had warned me not to get any in my eyes, and I managed not to. I wish he’d mentioned it would be a bad idea to get any on my lips (which I figured out for myself when they felt like they were burning off my face.Next time, chapstick). 

I got more relaxed, and my mind started to drift. I realized I had my eyes closed and tried to keep them open, even though it didn’t make a bit of difference (just like being at work). Eventually, I lost track of whether or not I was actually awake (which was also just like being at work). 

I had read that a lot of people see things in the tank. I was hoping to see some lights or colors or that I’d have some deep revelation while I was in there, but the closest I came was having an interesting sense of movement in the darkness. Looking up, I felt like the blackness was swirling around me and that I was perfectly still. Every time I would drift up against the side of the tank was like a jolt reminding me where my body ended and the water began. 

Toward the end I started to get disoriented and had no idea how much time had passed. I started stretching and felt my joints pop from head to toe. I was pressing my hands to the sides of the tank to orient myself and was just starting to feel like I was ready to get out when classical music started playing in the tank, signaling the end of my time.  I found the light switch and turned it on. Even the single blue bulb seems incredibly bright. I was moving pretty slowly on my way back to reality. 

I will definitely be giving this another try. Now that I know what to expect, I should be able to relax into it a little more and maybe have a more intense experience. For the rest of the day, I felt completely relaxed and at peace. It was a great feeling. 

Five: Read 30 books

I used to be a voracious reader, but somehow got out of the habit over the last few years. Since I miss the feel of a good book in my hands, I decided that I’d read 30 books this year.  I’m well on my way through this part of the project, but since nobody wants to read 30 book reports at once and I definitely don’t want to write them, I’ll be posting a few blurbs at a time. 

The first book I read as a 30-year old was “The Fixer Upper” by Mary Kay Andrews. It was recommended by a friends, and I burned through it in a few days. It wasn’t great, but it would be a good book to read on a plane or at the beach. It’s the story of a woman who moves to the South to fix up an old family house when her life in Washington, DC falls apart.  If HGTV was publishing chick lit, this would be exactly what they’d come up with. 

I also read Andrews’ “Deep Dish,” which was basically the same characters with different names, having an adventure while trying to win their own cooking show. I actually liked this one a little less than the first one. It’s definitely the Food Network version of the HGTV publishing company. 

COMPLETED BOOKS:

1. The Fixer Upper - Mary Kay Andrews

2. Deep Dish - Mary Kay Andrews

Half Birthday

Talk about dropping the ball. I've been chipping away at my list, but not blogging about it. I'll do better on the back half of the year. Stay tuned!

One: The first thing on the my list

Despite the fact that it's taken me nearly two months to start writing about this project, I have been working on my list since right after my birthday in September. My first weekend as a 30 year old, I woke up to a beautiful, sunny fall day. I decided to drive to Eugene, Oregon and finally hike to the top of Spencer Butte, one of the highest points in the southern Willamette Valley..  

I lived in Eugene for almost six years, and never got around to climbing this thing. My friend Derek, who lives in Eugene, agreed to come with me. We got to the parking lot and had our choice of trails. We opted for the one that was slightly longer, but supposedly an easier hike. Yes, I said "supposedly."  It started off with a nice gentle trail and quickly became a heart attack inducing rock climb.

Near the bottom of the trail

There were lots of places to stop for a photo; this was near the top

The view looking west

The south view

Me, feeling pretty damned accomplished and a little worried about rattlesnakes

The view from the top was spectacular. If I had known what I was missing, I would have done this a long time ago. Despite a difficult (for me) climb up the rocks at the end of the trail, it was a lot of fun getting up on the mountain and looking down at Eugene, Autzen Stadium, the campus and the valley. Not wanting to climb back down the way we came, we spent some time wandering around trying to pick up another trail before giving up and slowly picking our way back down the rocks. 

Not only was this the first thing from my list that I actually did, it was really number one on the list itself. It was a great way to start. 

The Thirty-30 Project

What is the Thirty-30 Project?

Welcome to my blog! In true Eric fashion, I’m coming late to the blog party in general, but I didn’t think that Facebook was the right venue for this project. This blog is about a list of 30 things I’m going to do while I’m 30 years old. 

What’s on the list?

I’m not going to share the whole list until everything is completed or until I turn 31. The theory is this will keep me from getting overwhelmed with the tasks ahead. Some of things on the list are serious, some are more lighthearted and a few are just for fun. As I start working on a goal, I’ll let you know what number it is on the list, and every time I meet another goal, I’ll update the list. 

Why are you doing this? 

Why not?  As my 30^th birthday was getting closer, I was doing a lot of thinking about the things I wanted to accomplish this year. This seemed like a fun way to stay motivated. I hope this is a fun read for anyone who stops by to check it out!