On the Seventh Day

Museum Week

2009-11-07T13:50:00.002-05:00

Okay, sorry, I did not even finish my last challenge. I got distracted by flying to Miami and then getting drunk. I will now finish the challenge:

Day two: did some stuff and then got drunk. Day three: flew to Miami and then got drunk. Day four: went to the Everglades, saw alligators, and then got drunk. Day five: went to the Florida Keys and then got drunk. Day six: went to the beach and then got drunk. Day seven: watched people get tattooed and stayed sober.

Seven Days - Seven Museums (then I am broke)
I have been sober for seven days now, not for a challenge, but just for myself. To some this seems like a short amount of time, as I have a few straightedge friends, Mormon friends and a roommate who is almost at ten years. However, to some (sadly which includes me) this seems like a long time. How did I survive through kickball night without drinking? What do I do on the weekend?

This week, I am becoming an art snob. I will be as pretentious as possible and always have a quick quip on some amateurs attempt of art. I will throw millions at the greatest paint on canvas, to hang in my loft.

That or try and get into as many museums (many equals seven in seven days) for the least amount of money (I am unemployed and some museums have a "suggested donation," which is basically a nice way to say, "bums do not pay").

I am starting this today, on a Saturday (breaking my rules), because there is free entrance at the Brooklyn Museum on the first Saturday of the month.

Have a good weekend, in a few days I will be snobbing all over the place.

Daily Journal: Day One - I Hate Allergies

2009-10-06T00:22:00.003-04:00

I...

Awoke.

Ate breakfast;
soy yogurt,
strawberries,
shredded wheat,
orange juice,
allergy pills.

Showered.

Surfed the Web,
chatted,
facebooked.

Ate lunch:
Indian,
chana poori,
aloo gobi matar.

Biked to Manhattan,
biked to Brooklyn,
biked to Gotham Bikes,
biked to Brooklyn Bicycles.

Brought forms to bank,
frame to Tony,
wheels to home.

Got paid.

Worked on my bike.

Watched Family Guy.

Ate dinner,
bean and rice tacos.

Cleaned room,
thoroughly.

Listened to music.

Called Kramer,
got answering machine,
said birthday wishes.

Slept.

Daily Journal

2009-10-06T00:18:00.002-04:00

Write It Down
Yesterday, I had an amazing day and wanted to document what I did. I did not.

Today, I will.

Tomorrow, I will.

I will until Sunday.

Seven days, seven journal entries. I am going to write one or more word for each activity I do. Yes, only one word for some activities. You will see.

I am going to document my day now. And wish my BFF Kramer a happy birthday. You will see this in my next post.

Jesus Phone Revived

2009-09-28T16:34:00.002-04:00

The iPhone Is Restored
I made it a week and then some without my phone.

The One Time I Wish I Really Had My Phone To Twitter
I was in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn turning left at an intersection on my bike. There was a woman in the crosswalk and an ambulette turning left with me. The woman was screaming, "DON'T HIT ME!" Then the ambulette hit her. It was crazy. It made one of those loud car crunching sounds, like something truly out of a movie or Grand Theft Auto. The woman then yelled at everyone who approached her not to touch her. She then stood up and hobbled away yelling.

New York City is crazy. I wish I had my phone to document that. Oh well, there is always next time New York...

Technology is Crap

2009-09-27T21:44:00.002-04:00

Shitty Technology
My iPhone has been dead for a week. I have an appointment with the genius bar tomorrow. Back to the world of people contacting me. Back to the world of text messages, phone calls, voicemail, and email on my phone.

I will also be joining the millions of people with MMS texting when my phone powers up. I can get awesome picture texts of a large shit, like the first MMS text my roommate received.

I was going to upload a picture of pool, but I will refrain.

I hope Apple is able to get my phone working. If not I will have to teach them a lesson and take a dump on their carpet.

Becoming a Luddite

2009-09-25T01:21:00.002-04:00

Technology is Whack
After four days without an iPhone I am questioning how useful technology is in my life.

Technology that could have possibly been a little useful during this week:

On Monday, I was going to a bar that I had been to before and knew where it was in a relative 10 by 3 block radius. I found it after 15 minutes of riding down wrong streets. The problem was that I trust my iPhone too much and don't care to actually check where I am going anymore until I am halfway there.

and...

That is it for times when my iPhone would have come in handy. I am doing quite well. Mostly because other technologies have kept me sane:

Instant Messengers - I only used it a few times to text and only one person texted back to it, but it is useful to know that it was there and that if people were not bums and texted back it really would have worked.

E-Mail - I think I used e-mail like five times to tell someone something. It might have been like once or twice instead, but still useful.

The Internet - Mostly for occupying my time that I could spend doing interesting things.

Hulu - The part of the Internet that is the most useful.

Big Screen TV (that is hooked up to the computer which is hooked up to the Internet) - My TV is wonderful, especially when it is playing The Biggest Loser in HD on Hulu. It is crazy how many fat rolls you can see so clearly at the beginning of the season and wondering where that fat will go in the next couple of months.

Food - Most of food is not technology based, but a) I just wanted to say food is awesome and b) I had some soy cheese that was super melty and I don't think that would be possible without some technology advances.

Speedos - Although the Olympics, being the haters they are, decided to ban technologically advanced Speedos, they are awesome and make life easier.

Skirts - For some reason, since I lost my iPhone I spent one night in a skirt. It was actually really comfortable and kept my body cool during a strenuous sport event called kickball. After the game, the skirt made it easy to show off battle wounds on the upper leg below the buttock without having to pull down my pants like Forest Gump.

Microwaves - I do not actually own a microwave and did not use one this week, but if I had one it would have come in handy. Microwaves are very useful.

Technology that failed me and is useless:

Hybrid Bicycles - These bastard children that came from road bikes and mountain bikes are my new nemesis. At the beginning of summer I would have said the complete opposite. Now I realize what they truly are - bikes that get their parts stolen while parked on the street and bikes that break and almost kill you while riding in the street. They also waste my locks by having their carcasses locked in the street rotting.

I now have two days left. I should probably work on getting my phone fixed, as my roommate says it is not a challenge if it is not working; but eh what is the use? MMS text messaging? Oh yeah, thanks AT&T... you wait for my phone to break and then allow me to receive all those cool text pictures I have been missing out on, like the fat naked women. Real awesome.

No iPhone Week

2009-09-21T02:45:00.004-04:00

Another Rebirth
Jesus resurrected himself once. This is the second resurrection of this blog.

Then God Said, "your blog is better than my book."

The Jesus Phone Dies
My iPhone decided to not turn on tonight. I plugged it in to revive it, but it just pretends to charge.

iPhone Pretending to Charge

My phone is dead, my blog is dying, I have no job; therefore I will start a challenge.

No iPhone (Cell Phone) Week
This week I will live without my iPhone. I will probably get it fixed and then just watch it sit in a corner collecting dust. As for now, I can't use it anyway.

P.S. - Run to Work Week
I made it. Then my body crashed and my brain malfunctioned and this blog went down in flame, but I am back and refreshed without a job!

Run To Work Week

2009-05-17T23:52:00.002-04:00

Bike To Work Day
Last Friday, May 15th, was one of my sister's birthdays and it was also Bike To Work Day. There were people with free food being handed out in the morning to bicycle commuters. The weather was beautiful. I slept while all these people brought out their bikes and rode to work. I did not ride my bike to work on Bike To Work Day (I had the day off and did call my sister to say, "Happy Birthday!").

Anyway, I may have missed Bike To Work Day, but May is still Bike Month here in NYC (and my birthday month which I celebrate year round). In honor of Bike Month and missing Bike To Work Day, I am going to run to work everyday this week. Not take the subway, not drive a car, not ride a bus, and definitely not ride a bicycle. Something much simpler and even more environmentally safe.

No blood for oil!
Hey bike idiots, rubber is made from petroleum which is from oil and bicycle tires are made from rubber. However, my shoes are made from bamboo or something and definitely do not have a rubber sole, because I am super environmentally sustainable (even if my shoes were made with rubber, they have less rubber than tires and people who ride bikes have both tires, tubes, and shoes made with rubber... therefore I win).

Seven days (five workdays) of running three miles each way. When I am done I will have run 30 miles.

Maybe this is a bad idea.

Bless The Yes

2009-05-08T14:23:00.002-04:00

Am I enjoying yes week? YES.

The first day of saying yes, I forgot I was saying yes. Luckily, it was unnecessary and I attempted to say yes, but the person later turned down my yes response.

The second day was a little more fulfilling. At work I was asked if I would transfer stores.

Actually, I will just do a list of things I said yes to and if it worked out for better or worse:

Tuesday
Moving stores for work and getting demoted: worse.
Buying drinks for Jeff: good, except economically.
Giving wet willies to girls for Matt: good for entertainment and I received one back which helped clean my ear.
Buying a random girl a drink because Jeff told her the secret: okay, she gave me $5 for feeling bad.
Asked to buy a sandwich: failed, too drunk.

Wednesday
Being asked to stay at my store and keeping my job: good, plus my boss now actually knows I am good at what I do.
Being invited to a grilled cheese party: awesome.
Being invited to a bar while watching Back to the Future: okay, but I was a little hungover from Jeff making me buy him drinks the night before.

Thursday
Asked to get coffee from the store up the street: good, because I got cinnabuns out of it.
Offered beer and pizza after work: amazing.
Offered beer in exchange for helping out at a friend's store: good.

Friday
Invited to go to a bank and eat breakfast on the way: good food and a beautiful day to be outside.
Invited to see Star Trek: AWESOME. Star Trek > Star Wars.

That about sums my week thus far. I must say saying yes seems to be a highly winning situation. Especially when you say yes to something you want to say no to, but then the person changes their mind.

Only two more days of saying yes. Do I want to have a party in my backyard tomorrow? YES.

YES MA'AM

2009-05-04T00:01:00.002-04:00

A Challenge Involving Jim Carey? YES!
YES, YES, YES, and YES! My friends, Harjit and Andy suggested that I do a challenged based on the movie YES MAN starring Jim Carey. At first I was hesitant to this challenge, but then I started watching the movie and I wanted to say YES to life (I did make a few suggestions about saying yes to everything before saying yes to the challenge, because at that time I had the option)!

Just Say NO!
Usually I have a challenge where I say no to something, but this week is very much the opposite. I say yes to almost everything. My obvious objections will be giving away free stuff at work (SPOILER ALERT! although in the movie Carl gave his customers everything they asked for) or anything that will potentially get me fired at work. Then, there were my personal objections of not eating meat or taking unwanted drugs (mostly stuff like dieting pills that can kill me or VIAGRA that will give me even more raging boners than I get without the drug). If you see me during this week, please do not make a fool of yourself and offer me dumb things that break my first rule of challenges which states I will not do anything that can do serious harm or kill me.

Yes And...
I am almost hesitant to post that I am going to do this for a week, because in the movie (SPOILER ALERT!) Carl gets into trouble when that girl (I already forgot her name) finds out that he was just saying yes to everything including doing stuff with her. I fear that posting it will give people the option to use and abuse me (but who am I kidding, nobody really reads this blog). Will I have one more drink? Yes. Will I make you a sandwich? Yes. Will I let you borrow $5? Yes. Will I allow you to give me a blowjob? Yes. Will I move in with you? Eh... Yes. Will I let you move in with me? Yes. Will I take heroine? NO. Will I be your best friend in the whole wide world? Yes. Will I lie? Yes. Will I make it seven days with only (except the exceptions) saying yes? YES!

In seven days I will have become a Yes Men. Then I will travel the world pretending to be someone I am not and give grand speeches about McDonald's reusing human waste to feed people in third world countries. Oops, wrong movie.

Tacos Son De Españoles

2009-04-26T23:59:00.000-04:00

Mi Español Está Perfecto
Mi challenge está done. I pratico(ed) mi español y come(ed) tacos.

Practicing Spanish in your apartment is awkward. You sit on your computer speaking a non-native language and it pretends it cannot understand you, so you repeat and repeat and repeat words. My computer thinks I cannot say Hola o Adiós. I think my computer is dumb. I sometimes change the tone of my voice and try to sound like a girl (since my voice is so manly and deep); this sometimes pleases my stupid computer.

Another downfall to my RosettaStone is that they forgot to put in a question mark that is upside down, which are one of my favorite parts to Español (¡!¡!¡the other being upside down exclamation marks!¡!¡!).

Español A Mi Trabajo
The two weeks I spent practicing Spanish on my computer mounted to a handful of hours, but this barely explains my Spanish studies. At work, I think I have become el gringo que habla español, because I have Spanish speakers ignore my co-workers and point that they want me to help them. They wait patiently while I finish dealing with whatever I am dealing with and then they say one word in Spanish, like gommas o camara (camera?). Very difficult stuff that is not for the faint of heart. I then proceed to explain prices and always mention "más tax," because they always pretend that their former country has nothing remotely similar to tax and I am obviously running a scam by "charging" them tax. Oh well, this is the price I get for being famous in the Spanish speaking bike delivery guy world.

Tacos
I made seven days with tacos easily. I believe I averaged 4-5 tacos daily. I could probably last another 357 days of eating tacos before I felt I needed a break (yes, just one day short of a year).

Here are some examples of my tacos:

Tacos Buenos

Salsa Picante

Tortilla, Frijoles, Arroz, y Salsa Picante = Taco

¡Taco Más Grande Con Aguacate!

I think my next dinner is going to seem bland and boring. Eating tacos every night just makes me want to eat more of them. I am probably going to start Tacos Anonymous next week after I begin overdosing.

If you wish to contribute to my taco addiction, my birthday is Saturday May 2nd. Please ask for my address to send me tacos by mail, thanks!

Tacos Tuesday Times Ten (Minus Three)

2009-04-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

I FAILED!

It was bound to happen at some point. I was so busy with my promotion at work and the weather getting warmer (and drinking for 9 hours straight... two days in a row). In honor of my failure, I have decided to double the pleasure and double the fun. I am not only redoing Spanish speaking week, but I will also be starting eating tacos week (since taco night was what started the whole Spanish thing in the first place and I had eaten tacos for three days in a row).

Seven days, at least seven tacos and at least seven hours of Spanish (or something like that).

Quiero tacos. Estoy comiendo tacos. Yum.

Ahora necesito estudiar español. Adíos.

Tacos, Tecate, Tequilla, Telemundo, y Tetas

2009-04-14T00:40:00.003-04:00

Para siete diás, yo hablo y escribo español. I will also speak and write in English, so I do not get fired from work (las otras personas might not compredenme as well).

Tacos, Telemundo, y Tetas
Tonight rocked it. I solamente called my food Spanish names. Nosotros comimos tacos. Yo miré television con mujeres bonitas, pero los hombres were creepy (there were many rape scenes and a few scenes with old men with two or three younger mujeres around them and besé-ing).

Esa Semana
Mañana y toda la semana, I am going to work on mi español con Rosetta Stone. I am almost done with my first "lesson." My real challenge is going to be doing at least one hour a day or equivalent to seven hours this week of pratico mi español. Entonces, a mi trabajo, yo hablo con mis mechanicos y mis customers quien hablan español.

Siete diás of Spanish speaking and maybe swearing...

"¡Mama yema!"

Master of Temptation

2009-04-04T23:59:00.002-04:00

I Am Too Good For This
Either my challenges are too easy for me or I have become the ultimate master at sacrifice and perseverance. Probably my challenges are too easy, but I can dream.

Eating In With Food Brought From Outside
On Thursday, my roommates went driving to "the best" pizza in the world. Some old man and his daughter hand-make some crazy pizza with super fresh ingredients. I believe he cuts the basil that is growing in the window and puts it right on your pizza. I was invited, but with my strong will I declined (that or I had to work too late and they went without me).

Friday morning, I woke up and was told that they brought me a piece. I ate the slice with the logic that it was in my house, paid for by someone else, and I was hungry. The hungry thing did not really do anything with me eating it, just the other two facts.

The Real Battle
Friday night, I went to help some friends do some unnameable work. I was supposed to eat before I left so I would not get hungry, but I forgot. I helped out anyway and started getting hungry. After a while, they asked me if I wanted a PB&J. Score! I made two and we finished up.

PB&J is always good, but not always filling. After the work was done, we headed next door to the bar restaurant. We sit and order beer. I look at the menu. It looks good. I feel hungry. The server comes and my friends order hamburgers. I order nothing.

I had one more beer and then headed home before I starved. Victory was mine and I did not need to eat deep-fried mac and cheese.

24 hours remain. Time to go out and test my powers.

Beans Beans the Magical Fruit

2009-04-02T22:27:00.002-04:00

Rice and Beans, originally uploaded by alandicksonslife.

Lately, I have been having some problems with dietary substances. What I have been eating has been overloading my systems ability to properly dispose waste. The weird thing is that my diet has not really changed in the last month, so I do not know what is going on.

Magical Fruits
My first day with the challenge was interesting. Like all work days, I woke up late and was really lazy about making food. I usually just shower and eat at work. I had stocked up on some oatmeal to make at work like I sometimes do, so I was fine for breakfast. For lunch, I remembered that I had brought in some beans and rice on Saturday that I had not finished and then I had some bread and PB&J to make sandwiches if I am still hungry.

This seemed like a good plan until I arrived at work and was going to make some oatmeal and saw my beans and rice sitting out unrefrigerated. Sometimes food is okay when left out over night, so I put it in the fridge for later. Later rolled around and I went to open the beans and wow, the mechanics were not happy about the smell. After having the toots without magical fruits, I decided against eating extra-power magical fruits.

Stuck Inside
On a more mature (pronounced ma-tur for those uncivilized) note, I miss my fellow workers at Morgan's Deli, Taco Bell, and the wonderful women at Chinared (I was told by a friend that the sign does not have a space, so it is not China Red). If you did not include my friends and co-workers at the bicycle shop, I would be able to count the number of people I interact with each week (besides customers at the bicycle shop as well) on two hands. Now, I interact with about six, including my two roommates and two ex-co-workers. Basically, I have no friends and these food servers are nice to talk to.

Well enough about how cool I am. I am hungry. Time to make some beans and rice.

Eating In

2009-03-31T20:42:00.002-04:00

As it turns out nobody knows anything about pagers and one week is not enough time to impulsively buy something that you cannot impulsively buy. Using a pager is on the short list with other things like Karaoke for a week (which I doubt will happen anytime soon, unless I feel like binge drinking for a week).

This week is even more exciting! Exciting for my wallet, so I can buy cool things later.

I am going to go seven days without eating out. I shall be preparing food at home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No being lazy and buying delicious food from places like Taco Bell and the Chinese buffet.

I was told that the best way to bring food to work was to get a sweet lunch box, so if anyone can find me this lunch box please tell me:

143 Pagers 823

2009-03-26T22:03:00.002-04:00

Mobile technology has been stampeding through our lives, leaving nothing sacred. The technology on my cell phone shows me the weather and makes me bring a jacket for when it is going to rain. It also can be used to transfer money to different accounts so I do not get ridiculous fees. It gives me locations, directions, photos, music, a flashlight, and dice.

There comes a time in every person's life when they must say, "this is my life and I want to live it!" I have reached this point. I want to get caught in the rain. I want to overdraw my account. I want to get lost. I want to wander in the dark. And when it comes to making a hard decision, I want to act on a whim and not ask the dice gods their opinion.

In order for me to get my life back, I must say no to my iPhone and yes to a pager. The only problem is that finding information about pagers seems to be near impossible.

Does anyone have information on how I can obtain a pager for a week and actually be able to live?

Gratuitous "Artsy" Shot

2009-03-23T00:39:00.002-04:00

Gratuitous "Artsy" Shot, originally uploaded by alandicksonslife.

We should probably buy more than one pot and one pan, because our sink looks like this a lot.

On Adelphi St in Fort Greene

2009-03-21T21:37:00.002-04:00

On Adelphi St in Fort Greene, originally uploaded by alandicksonslife.

Who would I be if I did not represent my block in my photos?

Adelphi St in Fort Greene! Brooklyn!

Copyrights and Ownership

2009-03-19T15:46:00.003-04:00

Here is "my" photograph for today. I made it with seven photographs from my camera. However, I did not push the trigger on the camera. I simply owned the camera and the memory card, so when I returned home the photographs loaded onto my computer.

Who Owns The Rights?
My friend Henry snapped the photos, but I owned the media. Does he have copyright protection? Does my ownership of the media override his copyright? At what point is something you created yours and when point can it become mine? Had I never uploaded this picture, could he still come and claim that it is his? In other words, do you own copyright protections for things you do not know exist?

There is probably some legal jargon out there explaining the technicalities, but I just thought it was worth noting. Perhaps, I should look into it and keep you updated.

[I think John's anger in the animation was caused by this conundrum.]

advertising v. graffiti

2009-03-18T00:22:00.002-04:00

advertising, originally uploaded by alandicksonslife.

I was going to go out for a run tonight and bring my camera with me. Instead, I ate too much Chinese food and watched the Biggest Loser.

Here is my photo. I took it two weeks ago or so in the Fulton stop on the G line in NYC.

What do you think about graffiti v. advertising?
How about ugly grammar and misspelled words?

Chris In Bed

2009-03-16T22:37:00.003-04:00

Chris In Bed, originally uploaded by alandicksonslife.

First photo for the week. My roommate offers his skills. In this photo he is watching some TV through SlingBox on his computer.

Photo Challenge

2009-03-16T01:09:00.004-04:00

I got a new camera this week, a Nikon D200. Since I have been really lazy about typing out posts, I am just going to take a new picture to post everyday this week. Maybe I will even take more, but let's not get carried away. If I do not post a picture everyday, somebody please yell at me.

Challenge
One Day, One Photograph
Seven Days, Seven Photographs

Let The Sunshine In

2009-03-03T23:31:00.003-05:00

Nothing can brighten a week like going to work and receiving a superhero picture of yourself made by co-workers (friends).

Enjoy your week!

Love,
"Sunshine" Dickson

Yay Snow! Yay Cold Weather! (No Complaints Here)

2009-03-02T13:02:00.003-05:00

Today, I woke up to a phone call from a friend's friend who I believe is a rental agent in Miami. We briefly discussed what my plans are for moving to the subtropical paradise. Then, I got out of bed and looked outside to see seven inches of snow covering my backyard. The weather here is currently 24 degrees, but feels like 6. In Miami, the weather is currently 62 degrees and feels like 62 degrees. It is winter, so I do not expect it to be warm; I am simply just stating facts (and for my family, no I am not using tone while doing so).

Yesterday, I watched a video, posted by a friend, of Louis CK joking (explaining life, but since he is a comedian I think it is joking) about how we have a better life, but we are not happy and in fact more ungrateful. Here is the clip:

HAPPY TIMES!
I am going to be happy in honor of Louis CK, my flight to California this week, watching the Watchmen, a big influx of money, snow days, and Catholics giving up something to understand how grateful they are to have it.* Not just happy, but I am going to not be negative. This is not saying I will be super positive like self-help books, but I will be in a positive/neutral non-negative mood. I am not called "Sunshine" Dickson at work for nothing, so this should not be too hard for me (even though it is below freezing half this week and I hate being cold**).

Enjoy your week! I am going to really enjoy mine.

For more information about being happy, please check out this, this, and this.

*Except those Catholics who use lent as a second New Year's Resolution. They give up cigarettes or something that is bad for them. They give up something that they want to quit forever and not just be without for 40 days. I do not think this was the original plan of lent, but whatever it is not my loss of life that spurred it all.

**Sorry that was my last hate reference this week. I will now only state facts. It is cold. The cold makes me not want to go outside. There is not much to do inside. I am so happy thinking about warm weather. YAY!

Ash Wednesday And 40 Lazy Days Of Change

2009-02-25T20:10:00.003-05:00

Today, I saw a woman walking down the street with the cross on her forehead and remembered it was Ash Wednesday. The day when Catholics come out and decide they are going to change their life... for forty days. Forty days a year is nothing. I spend 182 days a year changing things in my life (that is if I lasted doing a challenge every other week for an entire year).

Forty Days... Try One Year
With my competitive nature and challenging spirits I want to announce that Catholics have nothing on me. I am going to give something up, but not for forty days. Oh no, I will give it up for an entire year. Yes, one whole year I will spend not doing something I do so regularly.

I will give up the Internet for one year.

I am not going to start this challenge yet, because I do not want to run into interference with the Lenters.* I shall start on 09/09/09, because that number looks better than some Wednesday that has to do with someone dying, but not really, because he comes back to life, only to die again, and not come back to life again even though he obviously has the powers to do so (sorry this sentence is probably confusing, but so is the logic behind a human god).

*If I start today, then I will have discussions with people that I am not doing it for Lent. Then, it will move into a discussion about religion and blah blah blah. Plus, the real problem will be that if I start today and go for an entire year, I will end on Ash Wednesday and people will think I am a slacker for not giving anything up next year. Does that make any sense? If not, please refer to the logic of a human god who can rise from the dead, but chooses not to, even though he did once just to prove he could.

Are You In A Band? YES!

2009-02-25T19:53:00.002-05:00

There was one situation all week that gave me the opportunity to lie and it was not even a complete lie. It was just one of those white lies or whatever they are called.

Are You In A Band?
After work my manager and I went to a bar to meet up with two other guys and drink some beer. We are all bikers (bicyclists not motorcycle bikers, although I guess two have motorcycles) and maybe a little grungy after work. Grungy or we looked super rad. I will pick the latter, because that is what I am. While being super rad, some girl at the bar comes up to my manager and I.

She asks us, "are you in a band?"

My manager replies, "yes."

She states, "I do not want to bother you, I just had to ask, because we (her friends at a table who were not super rad) had a bet that you were in a band and I just won a beer. Thanks."

"Cool," we respond, while thinking of how much she is bothering us (from being non-super rad).

She then walks away because she actually thought we were busy or something (if we were a band and were at a bar drinking, I doubt we would be busy, but she can think what she wants).

I Did Not Lie
I did not lie; I just did not tell the truth. The truth being, I am in a band, but just not with these guys. That and the fact that my band has never rehearsed or written anything, but we did drink once or twice together and discuss how cool our band will be and that is all that matters.

Alan Dickson is in a band and he is also super rad.

What A Crazy Week!

2009-02-21T00:20:00.003-05:00

Leaving The Suburbs
While I am taking the train back to NYC from the Jersey suburbs, a hot albeit older woman sits next to me. The first thing I do is check her hand, no ring (just kidding! about the checking, not the no ring). Anyway, I do what I do with everyone on public transportation (including the guy watching a Madonna live performance on the subway), I pretend that I am so cool that nobody catches my attention.

She Caught My Attention
Then she pulls out some information about Miami Fashion Week and starts doing some work involving some show. Now she has my attention (New York Fashion Week just ended, time to get with the program and move onto the next, duh!). Modeling is what brought me to New York in the first place and Miami is where it is going to take me, hopefully.

Time To Act Cool, But Not Too Cool (Think Miami Cool Like Don Johnson)
The expression breaking the ice could be used in my next move.

I lean over to her and said, "Miami, eh?"

Breaking the ice would be the correct expression for what I did, if I was breaking the winter ice on a lake with my face. Luckily, after I smashed my teeth into this sheet and was bleeding everywhere, some natural hot spring turned on beneath me and melted the ice. Unfortunately, this made me fall into the lake which still had plenty of cold water (I would say freezing, but that is not scientifically possible) and there I was shivering trying to pretend that I was cool, but not too cool.

I Will Stop The Metaphor Because This Gets Crazy!
The conversation matured and we talked about Miami, how it is my next big move and she so happens to have a condo near the beach. There was some talk about her kids, which was a little weird, but I do like kids so not a big deal. As it turns out, she was looking for someone to take care of her kids the week she was in Miami. Now she is not.

I bought my plane tickets today. Bring on the beach!

Challenge: How Am I Not Myself?

2009-02-16T12:05:00.003-05:00

After living in the suburbs of New Jersey for a week, I am ready to really get into the life. Last night, after watching my roommates comedy show, people were talking in front of the theater asking me what I do.
"I work at a bike shop," was my response.
Then they would ask, "Do you do anything else?"
"No," I would state back (maybe I should have said I have a blog and do challenges...).
After this happened a few times, I decided to spruce up my life and with a business card my roommate found for a Dickson Haircut place on Allen street (for those you who do not know my first name is Alan and my last name is Dickson). I became a hair stylist. Then, I added in my house in New Jersey with the wife and kids, who I sometimes stay with, but sometimes I retreat to my apartment in Brooklyn to get away.

Making up the fake life was fun, except I do not envy it at all. I do not want to have a wife and kids in Jersey and do not care for cutting hair (although I am quite the stylist and have cut hair, including my own).

Walking to the train from the bar I realized it was almost midnight and new challenge time. I had no ideas at all, but wanted something to tie in with my new New Jersey life. That is when I decided I will create a new life. A life where I am not a college dropout. A life without bicycles. A life where I do things that are strange and normal at the same time (like living in New Jersey).

For seven days, if someone asks me what I do, I will lie.

Early Bedtime Breakdown: In The Suburbs > City

2009-02-13T18:27:00.000-05:00

Early Bedtime In The Suburbs Is Easy
I have spent two nights in Short Hills, New Jersey and both times I have been in bed before 11 PM. This worked really well as I was tired and needed to wake up early in the morning.

Early Bedtime In The City Is Terrible
Trying to go to bed before midnight in New York City is almost a crime. I felt like I was doing something illegal by telling friends I had to go home, especially when I had the next day off and had no plans on waking up early. This however, was not the terrible part.

The thing about going to bed early in this city is that you are one of the few actually doing so. This seems to be a big problem when you have been sleeping for a few hours and then a noisy neighbor (who happens to be a neighbor that likes to watch movies like the Wrestler at full blast around midnight, posted about here) comes home with a girl. It is 5:33 AM and I am awoken to some creaking coming from the ceiling. That creaking also involves some grunting. Then I hear a woman yell, "give it to me!" This is then followed by what sounds like my neighbors bed crashing through the floor and falling into my room (if this had happened then I could have at least watched the performance, but no I was just left with loud noises keeping me awake). There are sometimes when you pretend not to hear these things and try not to pay attention to them, but this was not that time. I listened until it was over then tried falling back to sleep, which I believe took another hour.

Next time I decide to go to bed early I am going to chug a bunch of alcohol and make sure I sleep through everything.

I Woke Up Today At 7:37 AM

2009-02-06T14:23:00.002-05:00

I might have slipped up and stayed out til 12:30 Wednesday night for a friend's birthday, but last night I was in bed by 10:45. I then woke up at 7:37 to hear my cousins shouting.

Even though I have been up for seven hours I do not think I have done much with my daylight. I have been in two states and taken a train and six subway trains, but I do not think of this as much of an accomplishment. Oh well, on to an exciting rest of the day.

I have just over nine hours left, time to get busy (or watch Fringe).

Not Enough Time

2009-02-04T00:09:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay... I know I am supposed to be in bed right now, but this just is not fair. Going to bed at midnight does not leave enough time in the day to do the things I need to do. I had to quit watching Biggest Loser when they were going to vote someone out. Do not tell me who got voted out, hopefully I will have enough time to watch it tomorrow. I only have like 500 other things that I wanted to do today that are also put off until tomorrow.

On that note, goodnight.

My Midnight Curfew's First Battle In The Ring

2009-02-02T15:32:00.003-05:00

So here I am lying bed shortly after midnight. I figured I would read a book (I co-founded a book club, you should join Dude, Let's Read Books), because reading usually makes me fall asleep. While I am reading, I start hearing a crystal clear conversation:

Man's voice - "You look good."
Woman's voice - "Hey. Hey..."
Woman's voice - "You buying?"

[Okay, so maybe it wasn't crystal clear. The guy was a mumbler and it was not much of a conversation, because it ended abruptly with blaring club music.]

Woman's voice - "Hairband party."

::Woman aaaahhhhing:: (not seeing this led me to either believe she was getting attacked or having an orgasm)

At this point, it was obvious the sound was coming from my neighbor's TV directly above me. Some how from only hearing this much I knew he was watching The Wrestler (if you have not seen it you should, especially if you like movies with boobs... which I am not saying I do, but just in case)... or I was almost sure and was then convinced when I heard a woman yell, "you are a living breathing fuck-up."

I want to thank my neighbor for inviting me to listen to the movie, but I was in bed and not being able to see Marisa Tomei naked really makes the strip club music incredibly annoying when pounding on your sub-woofer.

[I eventually fell asleep after (SPOILER WARNING!!!) the wrestler gets really injured in one of his matches and I ended up sleeping for eleven and a half hours; there is something about my internal clock that does not like to wake up before noon.]

Challenge: Be a Good Boy and Go to Sleep!

2009-02-02T00:01:00.002-05:00

This weeks challenge is similar to coffee and will hopefully promote more energy in the morning. I will fight to be in bed by midnight every night. That means I need to get in bed right now...

I Don't Want To Grow Up

2009-01-26T16:15:00.001-05:00

The final drops off coffee are now exiting my body. The twitching is slowing down. My stomach is settling.

Not So Bad
This week definitely had surprises. Coffee was not the demon I made it out to be. It did have negative side effects like weird pooping and some insanity, but I was surprised I did not hate the taste. I thought drinking coffee would be like taking a shot of plastic bottle vodka and not having a chaser. Coffee just tastes like coffee.

I Got Skills
Before this week I had zero skills when it came to coffee. When I had guests visiting I left them to suffer while I offered no coffee in the morning. My roommate was nice enough to teach me how to make coffee: shell the beans, roast them in the oven, grind them by hand with a mortar and pestle, then I started a fire with a flaming arrow that was shot at me by some unknown people on the Lost island and brewed a cup of coffee. That or I learned to grind the beans with an electric grinder and then brewed the coffee in a French press. I am so grown up.

Coffee Highlights From The Week
-Wearing only short shorts in the snow.
-Feeling like I was in some foreign place while waiting in Starbucks.
-Brewing coffee all by myself.
-Forgetting what training wheels are called and telling the customer the bike has "you know, um, those things... um."
-Spending more money on coffee than alcohol.
-Ruining my sleep schedule (although that could have been the Internets fault).

My Coffee Checklist
X Black
O Espresso
X Latte
X Irish Coffee
X Americano
O Iced Coffee
X Cappuccino
O Frappaccino (I attempted ordering one with soy, but Starbucks does not do that)
X Mocha (White Chocolate)
O Diner Coffee (my dreams of bottomless coffee at midnight did not come true)
O Decaf (I was never going to attempt this, decaf is for wimps)

AmericaNo More Coffee

2009-01-23T13:03:00.002-05:00

I had coffee black, I had coffee with sugar, I had coffee with cream, I had coffee from pre-ground beans, I had coffee from fresh beans, I had drip coffee, I had espresso with water, and I have had coffee from Starbucks. I have only completed about half the types of coffee I want to try on my checklist and I am tired.

I'm Tired, Soy Tired
I got a soy latte from Starbucks and after 30 minutes I wanted to take a nap. That has been the least of my worries. The Starbucks was a block away from work, so it was easy to get to and they made the coffee for me. My days off have been troublesome. I wake up and the first thing I think about is how I am going to get coffee (not because I am craving it, but because it is my challenge). I am very lazy and often spend my days off at my apartment and do not leave until late in the afternoon or evening, and this makes going to get coffee too much of a chore. Of course, many people (or maybe just a few, because I doubt Starbucks would be on every corner if people made their own coffee) start their mornings off making a pot of coffee at home, but my previous 25 years have left me absolutely no skills with making coffee.

Maybe today is the day I become an adult and learn how to brew my own coffee.

Eh, On Second Thought Coffee Is Just Okay

2009-01-20T23:28:00.003-05:00

The Good
-The gitters
-Being hyper
-Weird cravings like a tofu sandwich with pea soup poured inside (on second thought, that does not seem possible)
-Pretending I am on a tropical island eating fresh fruit instead of sitting in the snow drinking coffee
-PARTY PARTY PARTY my body is energized

The Bad
-Pooping (if that is what you really want to call it)
-Not knowing if I am tired or awake
-Thinking it would be a good idea to relax in the snow
-The feeling when the body's party stops

I LOVE COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-19T19:10:00.004-05:00

How I have never had coffee before is beyond me. This stuff is heaven.

COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE!!!! CAFFEINE!!! WOOO!!!!

2009-01-18T20:05:00.003-05:00

At midnight, I shall join the mature citizens of the world and enjoy a nice cup of coffee.

Coffee
As I have stated before, I have never had coffee. I don't think I have even had a sip of coffee. For the next seven days, I shall be like normal people and have a cup in the morning and then maybe a few more after. Maybe finish off each night with a nightcap.

I do not have many other details. I do not know what will happen. I rarely drink soda, so the caffeine might be fun.

No Pants 2k9 (First Challenges Accomplished)

2009-01-15T17:33:00.004-05:00

Going vegan was easy. I had been vegan for two years before, so I just had to take the plunge and once I started I had no problems.

Giving up alcohol was a little harder. I went out twice that week where my friends were drinking. I went bowling and would not have minded having a drink, but I didn't.

Wearing no pants was the hardest. Improv Everywhere only lasted a few hours on subways with no pants...

I bike to work. Actually, I bike everywhere. The week started off warm, but then towards the end there was freezing rain... Biking in 20 degree weather with no pants is not the same as riding a subway. I had a few chunks of ice on my leg hairs due to rain freezing on my legs. That was not too fun, but I survived and not once put on pants.

Playing God or Living Like Jesus?

2009-01-11T20:10:00.005-05:00

Playing God
Frankenstein, medicine, cloning, genetic engineering, etc. blame humans of playing God. The first Designer Babies have been created and once again humans are up in arms.

What Would Jesus Do?
Would Jesus create Designer Babies? Do we really care what Jesus would do? If Jesus is the Lord (a.k.a. God) in the form of man and acting or playing like God is wrong, then asking "What Would Jesus Do?" is a rhetorical question, no? If it is not, are we not supposed to do what Jesus would do, because that is wrong?

Playing Jesus
What needs to be understood is that we are approaching abilities similar to Jesus. Jesus is adored for healing the sick. We soon (or already) will be able to give vision to the blind, feed many with nothing (or give them diet pills so they are no longer hungry), fix ears (especially when crazy boxers bite them off), and many more. Yet, people consider this to be a bad thing?

Creating Jesus
Frankenstein was able to create a man in fiction, but we can almost create a new Jesus. If time travel becomes real, we can give the past two Jesus Christs (that is if there ever was a real mangod who performed miracles, that is not my new Jesus from the future). Basically, we take a virgin, get a clone embryo from God (myself), put the embryo in the virgin, put the virgin in the time machine, and send her to the year 1 BC.

Bingo, Jesus Christ Superstar!

Of Mice And Men (Literally)

2009-01-04T03:43:00.004-05:00

Five years ago, I read an article explaining that scientists are trying to genetically modify chimpanzees with human characteristics. At that moment, I decided to go vegetarian. Why? Over the years, I could not really explain my decision, until I read Richard Dawkins Answer To What Will Change Everything in 2009.

When Animals Become Human-like
Mice are becoming men. What happens should animals ever speak? Will it still be okay to kill them, because they were taught Spanish and we cannot converse with them (like we treat citizens who speak another language)?

Utter Pops
Those who think cows will still offer up their utters to humans may be shocked. They should be shocked, as shocked as I was to find how many female Homo-sapiens would offer me their milk.

Waiting For Change
Some may say it has not happened yet. We have no passed the threshold for this to affect us. For me it did not have to happen. Other questions came to my mind: why are certain animals given special treatment while others are slaughtered? Why are dogs and cats considered disgusting to eat, but a pig (which is smarter than both) is treated as a joke in the name of bacon?

Humans For All Their Smarts Are Dumb
Maybe we should not turn animals into human-like creatures, in fear they become illogical and the world collapses into absurdity.

Change, Resolutions, and Wimps

2009-01-03T19:37:00.003-05:00

People Are Wimps
I read the article, Why is change so hard?, and it made me feel awesome.

Do people who make resolutions really want to change that aspect of their life? 87% of people who make a resolution on New Year's Day do not want that resolution to come true.* Is it really that hard to change something you want to change?

Shorting Yourself of Life
Wearing shorts in the dead of winter is hard, but it is not the hardest part of the challenge. Explaining to people why I am wearing shorts is harder. Trust me, you do not want to explain to ten people a day why you are wearing shorts when it is below freezing. [I challenge people to not ask so many mundane questions.]

Image Resolutions
Maybe people are just picking resolutions to portray an image. Or maybe it gives you a topic to discuss for three minutes after you run out of ways to express it is cold outside and you have nothing going on it your life. Then, the conversations end and the resolution has no tangible effect on anyone, so it is dropped and forgotten (much like my Marriage Challenge).

Ending Marriage Resolution Sparks Resolution Success!
Getting married would be a severe challenge, but it also seems boring and useless to me, so I never officially started the challenge. Why do gay people even want to get married? Half the population that gets married and then changes their mind (maybe people should make their resolution to get divorced, there might be more success stories for resolutions). The only group that quits something that often are visitors to my blog.*

*This is not a fact. [89% of people who come to my website immediately close the page (that is a fact).]

"You Are Not Wearing Pants"

2009-01-02T20:55:00.003-05:00

The following events are in chronological order:

12:01 AM, my post is posted. My pants are still on. I drink champagne. I am not wearing yellow. However, I am not eating food, so I have gone vegan.

12:17 AM, some guy is puking so I let him go into the bathroom ahead of me. Guy exits and I enter. Pants come off. Shorts go on. Drinking Pabst occurs. I am no longer wearing pants and have not eaten anything, but I am not paying any attention to color and am still drinking.

3:39 AM, dancing in short shorts drinking Jameson and water. I have not eaten still, so I have a full three hours of veganism.

2:01 PM, lying in bed, hating 2009 and not wanting to get up. It is freezing in my room, but I put on shorts.

3:15 PM, I go to brunch with a friend. Some girl says, "you are not wearing pants." It sounds weird when someone says you are not wearing pants in public. It sounds like I am a pervert walking around half naked, but this is not true. I am wearing shorts.

4:30 PM, my food finally comes and even though I ordered a tofu scramble breakfast burrito it comes with cheese. Vegan failure. I do order a virgin Bloody Mary, so I am fighting some challenges while losing others. I will get better at this.

5:30 PM, get home and do nothing the rest of the day.

[Whomever decided to put a lot of partying during one night and life changes the next day were idiots.]

Happy New Year! Crazy Special Challenge Time!

2009-01-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

It is midnight right now and I am celebrating the New Year blogging...

...or I made it post at midnight to make you think I was a loser, while I actually party.

Being the new year it is time to make resolutions. I am not going to. I think resolutions are bound for failure. I would much rather make goals. Goals give you something to work towards. Resolutions are like going cold turkey and are too much of a challenge. Oh wait, I do challenges...

Here are my impromptu, special edition challenges for the new year:

Colors: A friend of mine wants me to look very carefully at colors. She is way into design and I learned we get a new color of the year. Mimosa (yellow) is totally in. I will be watching out for it (possibly getting into it).

Going Vegan (again): I was vegan for two years about two years ago. I eat about a 95% vegan diet, but that 5% bumps me down to a lowly vegetarian. This week I will claim being a vegan once again and be shunned by real vegans and every other food eater who thinks vegans are crazy.

No Pants: Shorts only this week. Do not fear, it is only supposed to be 20 degrees tonight... Luckily, I am starting off the new year with some new sweat cutoffs from a New Year's party.

No Drinking Alcohol: While I am killing myself riding my bike in short shorts, why not take whiskey out of the situation. The old wives' tale about how whiskey keeps you warm will not be helping me, whether it is true or not. [I have done this before in the past; Alcohol Free Week]

I should start drinking coffee too, so I can get hopped up on caffeine and fight the cold in shorts, but I think that is overkill. I will stick to these four and leave myself a few challenges to come in the new year. Plus coffee is gross, right?

Time to party in style.
No pants... check.
Yellow shirt... check.
Sparkling grape juice... check.
Awesome party time... achieved.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

George W. Bush Changed the World

2008-12-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

Many look at George W. Bush as a failure; I do not (and Condoleezza Rice does not). During George W. Bush's terms, these amazing things happened:

The First Gay Marriage in the USA. Although, George W. Bush wanted to stop it with a Constitutional Amendment (then again President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which stated marriage is between one man and one woman).

Americans become more environmentally friendly. The first hybrid car is sold in the US. Al Gore campaigns to instill fear in each American about global warming. However, George W. Bush figured that the US did not need to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Global Warming and other science was a joke to George W. Bush.

America became intelligent (well, it liked to pretend it did). Intelligent Design tried to combat science and take down the theory of evolution. Thanks to the battle against evolution, the Flying Spaghetti Monster made its first appearance in 2005. Pastafarians everywhere rejoiced.

House prices drop drastically. Some people are having trouble selling houses they do not want, but this could be because everyone now owns a house due to low prices, right?

Lots of people now have more free time (they also have a little less money). How would you like a day off? How about a month? Maybe a year might be a good amount to get your life situated. Many employers are giving their workers time off (forever).

Truth is replaced by truthiness. Thanks to George W., Stephen Colbert created the term truthiness:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - Truthiness

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Thank you George W. Bush for CHANGE!

The Internet Was Made For Losers (I Need To Get Out)

2008-12-29T00:36:00.003-05:00

It is over. At midnight I signed back on to Facebook. I am done. I do not really care.

On Christmas Day, I was enjoying my bike ride up 1st ave. in Manhattan and decided I want to take a year off the internet. Not a year off of Facebook or away from AIM, but a year away from any net connected to another net. No webs. No tubes.

I will plan it out of course, but I am serious about it. This will make some things painfully difficult: airline tickets, getting directions, learning stuff, googling, porn, talking to friends who are too far away to talk to in person, pretending I have a life, making my life seem interesting to people who do not see me, and paying my credit card bills. Stuff like that will be annoying, but so is the rest of the internet. The waste of space and time and energy.

Many think that the internet is something that just exists, but in reality, downloading a movie is a lump of coal. Yes, one lump of coal is equivalent to a gigabyte of memory.

I am not saying the internet is useless and bad, but I am just ready for a break. I have lived online for the last decade and more. I need a break. Not right now, but in the near future. This week without Facebook at first left me thinking I was missing something, but when I sign back on I see there was nothing happening. Now you are reading this and realizing I am not saying anything, so um have a good day?

Dear Internet: I Want Your Help

2008-12-26T08:59:00.004-05:00

I need your help finding a picture of myself...

After being hit by a pedestrian on the Brooklyn Bridge, I should have avoided the bridge forever, but I did not. When I saw a huge crowd on Christmas Day, I should have turned around, but I did not.

In fact, I went home after dodging tourists and put on my Santa suit. Then returned to do it again.

How You Can Help
Many people had their cameras ready and a few took pictures of me. All I want is a picture of myself dressed up as Santa, riding over the Brooklyn Bridge on my tandem. Is that really too much to ask for? Can one Christmas wish come true? Here is my video of you, what do you have for me?

SANTA GOES FOR A RIDE

Any information is helpful. Thank you internet, you rule!

Contact: alan.m.dickson@gmail.com

Life Without Texting, Chatting, Facebook, and Fucking

2008-12-26T00:27:00.003-05:00

Spending Christmas alone without texting, chatting, facebooking, and fucking does not help (not that fucking was an option). As of now, I have gotten 17 text messages that I could not text back. Even my roommate, who gave me this challenge, texted me after I called him (asshole).

Anyway, I also had a semi-productive day without Facebook. I went for a bike ride through Manhattan. I saw the big Christmas tree at Rockefeller, which actually looked small and wimpy. When I got home, I started on my tofurkey Christmas dinner for one.

[Santa enjoys his Tofurkey all alone, but where are the cookies?]

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T00:10:00.001-05:00

It is Christmas day. I am in my apartment. I cannot text, chat, facebook, or fuck. I might have to pick up the phone and say Merry Christmas with my voice or make a blog post...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I Want a Twin

2008-12-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

When are people going to start cloning themselves? Will the clone ever be the same age as the original or will I be stuck with a 5 year old clone when I am 30?

Twins Are All the Rage
MTV has a show with twins that are looking for love. Twins can play the same guitar at the same time. I think there are even twin pornstars (not that I know this for sure, but I have heard rumors).

Having a Twin Would be Awesome
This week, I was talking with some friends about twins. I mentioned that I would love to have a twin. Having a twin would be like having two of me (which is what the world needs). [update: this is the awesomeness of twins]

I imagine my twin and I sleep in bunk beds. I go through my twin's clothes to find what I am going to wear for the day. We jump on our tandem and go for a ride. When we pick up girls we can ride separate tandems (nothing like tandems in tandem).

It Is NOT Cheaing If...
Speaking of girls, most twins say they do not even think about playing tricks on their twin's significant others (the MTV twins at least say they do not). I hope my twin would, because if we pulled the switch and hooked up with the wrong girlfriend, we could not get in trouble for cheating. If I cheat with my twin's girlfriend and he cheats with my girlfriend, then my girlfriend cheats with my twin and his girlfriend cheats with me. Everyone cheats, so nobody can get in trouble! Having a clone might be slightly better, because when you hook up with your clone's girlfriend you are hooking up with your own girlfriend (at least that is what the DNA would show, right?).

Twins Rule! I should just pretend I have a twin.

No Texting, Chatting, Facebooking, or... Fucking

2008-12-21T22:59:00.007-05:00

"You don't drink coffee and your challenge should be no texting, chatting, facebooking, or fucking." - a text from my roommate. [I understand I don't drink coffee... that is why it would be a challenge to start.]

I was debating going sans pants for a week, but seeing the temperature below freezing all tomorrow, plus having a room that is not insulated or warm, I decided against it. Maybe in the dead of winter, when I really want it to be spring, I will drop the pants and put on the short shorts.

I should hold a poll the week before my challenge, so I do not have to debate last minute on what I am going to do, instead leaving it up to the masses (or the 2 of you who vote and use different computers to tally up multiple votes). I did not poll and I do not want to take off my pants or start drinking coffee the week of Christmas, so I will not be texting, chatting, facebooking, or... fucking (who knows how this got thrown into that group of things, but oh well, that will be the easy part).

No Texting, Chatting, Facebooking, or Fucking Challenge
No texting is pretty explanatory. If I do get texted (which is rare, but I might get some mass Christmas texts), I can call them back.
No chatting will free up my time on my computer and let me focus. Can I have my buddy list open even if I am not chatting? Okay fine, I will just keep it closed.
No Facebooking means I will not get your Christmas wall post. I know everyone is waiting for Christmas day to tell me, "to me, you are perfect" (just because it's Christmas and on Christmas you tell the truth). If you really need to tell me (which you do), then just come to my apartment where I will be alone and not with my husband (because unlike Keira, I do not have a husband). [That was enough parentheses, I am going to wrap this up now.]
No Fucking: I am sorry for the language, it was not my choice of wording. I will be having my first Christmas alone, so that part of the challenge is done (unless Keira comes to my door and tells me I am perfect, then I am quitting this blog and challenges forever).

It is midnight already. I closed my AIM and Facebook, now I just need to stop fucking...

Text me and I will call you back. Or you can twitter me or e-mail me. HA, stupid roommate did not stop me from having next to zero interaction conversations!

Twitter Is Connecting Everything!

2008-12-16T20:02:00.006-05:00

I have just remembered something I wanted to do during my Twitter Week. I certainly barely scratched the surface of what Twitter is capable of.

Anything can have a twitter account.
Devices are hooked up to household objects so they can send tweets. Some examples:

Baby Linked to Twitter in the Womb
Tweeting Toaster
Twittering Cats. [Humans fake this; stupid humans.]
Plants Twitter

Albert Markovski: Nobody sits like this rock sits. You rock, rock. The rock just sits and is. You show us how to just sit here and that's what we need.

I need a Twitter device connected to my stomach, like the pregnant lady. Except mine will take note when my stomach growls, then send a tweet. Also, when my stomach expands to a certain amount it will tweet again to tell me to stop eating. Without this I will always be hungry or full, but never just right.

Twitter would also be handy with my bikes. I could have a device with GPS twittering so I can see where I went, or if someone steals my bike I can see where they go. While I am at it, I can put on a motion sensor, so my bike can tell me when I am treating it poorly. That will be the day objects can complain that they are getting treated like women, man.

Chip Douglas: The future is now! Soon every American home will integrate their television, phone and computer. You'll be able to visit the Louvre on one channel, or watch female wrestling on another. You can do your shopping at home, or play Mortal Kombat with a friend from Vietnam. There's no end to the possibilities!

Twitter allows everything to connect to everything else.
Once we get everything twittering, then all we have to do is connect all the tweets. Pretty soon, my stomach will tweet to my refrigerator to see what is in it. The refrigerator will tell the stove to preheat itself, while the robot is told to start chopping vegetables. The vegetables will tweet to RADICAL (robots against destructive internal consumption of anything living). RADICAL will announce that another living being has been killed by the human race and that humans must die. Robots kill humans. Robots tweet about death of humans. Twitter rules the world.
[I have been told that you do not need Twitter to set up a system like this, but my question is, if you do not use Twitter how will things be able to comment on what other things are doing? How will vegetables be able to send out a mass "LOL" when the humans get killed? Vegetables certainly are not allowed on Facebook.]

Albert Markovski: The interconnection thing is definitely for real.
Tommy Corn: It is! I didn't think it wasn't! It is!
Albert Markovski: I know, I can't believe it, it's so fantastic!
Tommy Corn: It's amazing!
Albert Markovski: I know.
Tommy Corn: But it's also nothing special.

The nice thing about Twitter is that you do not have to join. If you do join, you can also ignore 100% of the tweets. However, do not be surprised when a robot shows up to your door to kill you. You have been warned.

[I think I am going to go twitter about this blog. Here is My Twitter, if you care to follow. What do you want to twitter?]

Privacy, Nudes, and Being Yourself on the Internet

2008-12-15T12:57:00.005-05:00

My Twitter Week has ended. I can return to a normal level of privacy and not have my life broadcast onto the Internet, except I want to say that this level of privacy is a sham:

Privacy
Definition of Privacy:
1 a: the quality or state of being apart from company or observation : seclusion b: freedom from unauthorized intrusion [one's right to privacy]
2 archaic : a place of seclusion
3 a: secrecy b: a private matter : secret

The definition of privacy that I am discussing pertains to secrecy (obviously the Internet is not coming into your bedroom and punching you when you are sleeping).

Many think the Internet is taking away your privacy, but in reality it is giving you the freedom to be yourself in public.

There is a lot of fear that the Internet is documenting your every move. You search for something on Google and it remembers. You post something on Facebook and it remembers. You buy something on Amazon and it remembers. All these sites have information about you. With all this information, these websites may know you better than your friends, but this is not a bad thing (except that your friends do not know you well enough). All these websites know is who you really are.

Being Who you Really Are and the Internet
On the Internet, people do not have to hide their true self. They can be who they want. Even if you are an outcast from a small town, you can find support on the Internet through social networks, blogs, websites, and forums. People use this support to be more confident with themselves and then they add to the community of support for others, creating a ripple effect. However, there are draw backs with the Internet communities. Many forums online have far worse things said on them compared to what gets said face to face off the Internet. This will happen less and less as we lose our anonymity with things like Facebook Connect and Open ID, which let people post as themselves on websites (unless they create fake accounts to hide behind). In general, the Internet is opening up freedom for people to be themselves.

Nudes
Even sex, the unnamed taboo to talk about, has become more open. In a recent study, 20% of teens say they have posted nude (or semi-nude, which most articles about this study accidentally left out) photos or videos on the Internet. This has come as a shock to many, but it is nothing to be concerned about. There is a fear that from these pictures that more kids are getting pregnant and spreading STDs, but this is bogus. When you think about it, these pictures are just people's bodies, their skin. Teens and young adults are flowing with hormones, causing them to have natural sexual urges. Repressing and ignoring their urges is not the answer. Educating and being open about sex will lead to less teen pregnancies and less STDs, not shaming people about their bodies.

Who cares about privacy if it is hindering them from being free? So, enjoy the Internet. Post what you want. Post it as yourself. Do not hide yourself from the world any longer. Unless, you want to post another "spankwire" video, because then you are crazy and you should stay locked in your basement (just kidding, be yourself... if that is what the people in that video are doing).

Well, maybe the Internet is not really helping you be you. Maybe, the only way to be yourself is to not care about being judged and just do what you want. Personally, I just want to live in my speedo. What do you want to do?

Let America Purge

2008-12-11T16:32:00.005-05:00

This has been a week of me opening up my daily life on My Twitter Feed, I thought I should open up a little on here.

Purge America, Purge!
Stocks, homes, cars, entire industries are drying up. Unemployment levels are rising. People fear what the future is going to bring, but I do not. To me this all signifies a time for great change. We can rid ourselves of our glutinous lifestyles and enjoy life for its true pleasures, hopefully.

Just for fun, here are some lists to help you sort through the economic madness:

5 Easy Steps to Avoiding a Depression
1. Do not inflate markets with false means.
2. Do not use inflated markets as means to produce more.
3. Do not use inflated markets to buy products produced by inflated markets.
4. Do not sell products produced by inflated markets in inflated markets.
5. Do not ignore when the above happens.

3 Easy Steps to Get out of a Depression
1. Accept depression.
2. Research what happened to get into the depression.
3. Stop doing what happened to get into the depression.

3 Easy Steps to Help You Get Through a Depression
1. Figure out your means for living.
2. Live within your means.
3. Repeat as necessary.

How are you doing with the current economy?

In the Groove

2008-12-10T19:52:00.003-05:00

It is day three of my Twitter Week. I cannot really say I am feeling different from this challenge. It is not physically or mentally challenging. However, there has been a change and it is something that is new to me; I am on a strict set schedule (well strict in my book, which is not saying anything at all).

Every hour, I have a timer count down and notify me it is time to tweet. I post and reset the alarm. It is like clockwork, once I got it started, it just goes. I should look to applying this system to aspects of my life that are more productive. Maybe for push-ups or even something really helpful, like waking up to have breakfast before work. I do think waking up in time to cook a warm breakfast would be amazing, except the whole waking up early to do it. I could even mix some pancake batter the night before to get things started.

Wow, now I am getting ahead of myself. I am going to stick with twittering every hour for now. I will let the real change happen later. That is the way to get things done, right?

To check out my tweets, click here: Alan Dickson's Twitter

Digg Needs A New System To Classify Submissions

2008-12-08T13:40:00.012-05:00

It is Twitter Week for me, so I am discussing other new Internet stuff.

Submitting a Link
Digg is a fun way to see what is happening in the world. It is supposed to be the new way to get your News, however it falls into the classic News platform of classifying news. When you submit a link, you to choose the media: news article, video, or picture. Luckily, nobody makes web pages with more than one of these options. All real web masters know pictures stay on picture pages, videos are on video pages, and written word is not disturbed by either videos or pictures relating to the topic (I have made this mistake in the past, but I have learned my lesson and this article will only contain words). [For this article I choose News Article, obviously.]

Title and Description
Next, it asks for the title of the Submission and a description in less than 350 characters. This is easy. [I will title this Digg Needs A New System To Classify Submissions and explain it is about how Digg needs to find a new way to process the next step when submitting a link (not as in choosing the thumbnail, but as in choosing the topic, even though choosing a thumbnail is annoying, too*).]

Choosing a Topic
This is the part I fear when submitting a link. Digg has stuck with an outdated categorizing system. You choose one topic, just like a newspaper. Library card catalogs (a system that was used over 1,000 years ago) have more ways to categorize a book. Let us take the Prop 8 - The Musical as an example. It was submitted under the Offbeat (comedy) topic, a place where it should be. However, to only show up in the Offbeat section is a huge mistake by Digg. This video is more than comedy, as most comedy is more than simply getting a few laughs. The video is political and is about a lifestyle, both which are separate topics on Digg, but which cannot be chosen to label the video.

Multiple Topics, Please?
Is posting links into multiple topics impossible? No, websites have been using tags or labels to categorize individual pages into a multiple sections (just like the Library Card Catalog used author names, book titles, and the subject of the book). Digg why will you not use this technological advancement (once again it has been used for over 1,000 years and is much easier to use now)? This is about open social media, so let us not keep the outdated one link in one topic and move into the future (past and present) with multiple topicss for one link.

*Digg only allows the choice of thumbnail pictures that it pulls from the page. This usually includes pictures of ads or other crap.

[This page was submitted to the Technology (industry news) section, because I do not know where it should go.
Digg it here: Digg Needs A New System To Classify Submissions.
It was also submitted to reddit: reddit needs one as well.]

No Biking: I Missed the Bus

2008-12-08T13:25:00.000-05:00

[art at a bus stop. the L train is bad]

Riding the Bus

Did I mention I rode the bus? I forgot to, but it is worth mentioning. Half the time I looked up subway routes on my iPhone and it would say to take a bus to the subway. I would always skip those directions and look for a route without a bus. However, one time I was only given bus options and I decided to try it out. I actually knew what subways to take and they were the G and L train (two highly hated subway routes).

Anyway, the bus was on time, but I was not. I missed the bus, jumped into the street, and waved to the driver. He pulled over and I got on. I then enjoyed a quick bus ride (about the amount of time it would take me to walk to the subway station). Mass Transit may not be the evil I thought it was.

I HATE ALL MASS TRANSIT INCLUDING THE BUS SYSTEM!

On my trip back home the bus was late. Buses suck as well.

Facebook Connect is Going to Get You Laid More Often

2008-12-08T02:09:00.008-05:00

In solidarity of my week of Twitter, I bring you joy about other new Internet revolutions:

Some people are scared of the way the Internet is changing. What once was personal is now public information. Facebook has been watching what its users are doing outside of Facebook and reporting some of it back to the user’s News Feed. Facebook Connect is going to step this up another level. You can now log into other websites using your Facebook account and gives Facebook access to more information about what you do on the web. I know this sounds terribly intrusive, but it will add more freedom to your life and I will explain how.

At some point you may dabble in a video that is a bit risqué or possibly accidentally visit a website that has a different meaning than you thought (e.g. the old Whitehouse.com) and Facebook posts a story on your behalf. This will lead you to an “oh shit” moment and your heart will start beating rapidly. You scramble to erase your deed, but it is too late. When this happens, do not panic. Calm yourself down and get ready for the aftermath from your finger clicking error.

Congratulations! With that click, you just made yourself and others one-step closer to sexual freedom. Remember all those times when you were jealous of the "sluts” in school, because they did what they want and you held everything inside, because you did not want to be labeled a slut? These times will soon come to an end, when more and more people realize that they have been ignoring their desires and hiding their true sexual emotions. When a critical mass has accepted their desires, the taboo and name-calling will be washed away.

You are probably reading this and thinking, “so what, how this is going to get me laid more often? Who cares about my sexual freedom, I need help getting some in the first place.” Fear not, I have not come close to explaining the true powers of Facebook Connect.

With the mass acceptance of social sites, many people can now see you as you really are. This helps some people, but ruins chances for others. If you lie about being a doctor and bringing home half a million a year, most people will check your profile and see you are lying. You may think Facebook Connect is going to end your ability of lying to get laid, once and for all; however it can help. For example, you can go to a music website, click on a band that your crush loves, mute your speakers, and let Facebook Connect announce to the world how much you listen to (a.k.a. love) that band. Then you go to Obama’s website (Microsoft Word wants me to change this to Osama’s, but I feel that is not going to help you get laid), go to the donation section, drop $.53 into his fund with a note that says, “I hear you love change.” Now sit back and let Facebook do its magic. If your pants are still on, hold tight, I have one last feature to get excited for.

Ever had Facebook announce that you went from being engaged to single? Ever watch someone else’s relationship status change to something that gives you a better chance of scoring? Facebook Connect will soon offer awesome powers to help you achieve a blissful union. Here is an example: your crush’s relationship status changes to single, they change their current status to “going clubbing,” and then Facebook Connect announces that their credit card just bought 5 shots of Jack Daniels at the Towne Inn. You are stuck at work thinking, “crap this is my chance, but if I go to the bar I will be fired.” Never fear, Facebook Connect allows you to buy a drink remotely and add a note for the bartender to drop your number with a message exclaiming, "you are sorry about the news and are available for support." Even if the bartender does not give the note, it will all be posted to Facebook Connect. In the event (most likely) your dream lover wakes up the next morning still drunk and in the arms of the wrong person, they will be notified once again of your kindness when they log onto Facebook.

[example screenshot of Facebook Connect at work]

Of course, there are a few situations where Facebook Connect can destroy your newly energized sexual liberation. Let's say, you go get tested for STDs and before you know it, your results are posted to Facebook telling everyone you have herpes (even though this might not help you get laid, it will stop others from getting herpes… hopefully).

[The irony is that by posting this, I will probably look like an asshole and get laid less. Oh well.]

Twitter Gives You 140 Characters

2008-12-08T00:01:00.000-05:00

I already used fifty-six.

Twitter Challenge
alandickson is tweeting every waking hour for seven days straight.

Ideas For Challenges

2008-12-04T15:27:00.005-05:00

Taking every other week off from challenges is probably a good idea, but it is a little boring. I have had time to reflect and think of challenges I want to do.

Coffee
I was looking at this Timeline of a Coffee Drinker and started to think about having a cup. Having never had a sip of real coffee, it would be a good challenge to start off everyday with a full cup of the black liquid. In doing this, I might become more of a grown-up. It also could lead to a terrible unneeded addiction that will drain my pocketbook.

Karaoke
Last night I witnessed one of the greatest feats ever done by human beings. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists played a karaoke set with Andrew W.K. hosting. Karaoke is one of those strange supernatural forces. It is imitating classic music in a cheap way, yet it takes courage to perform. Andrew W.K. said, you have to let go of your dignity and just dive into it. I want to dive in and make a fool of myself (for only seven days).

[Andrew W.K. performing "Louie Louie" with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists]

Vegan
I just celebrated my fifth Thanksgiving as a vegetarian. Becoming vegetarian has been a very positive choice in my life. It was the start of doing what I want to do, no matter what the norm was. I went vegan for two years, but then got drunk and ate some cheese. Since then cheese and I have had a love/hate relationship that I am on the verge to drop. I will start with a week and see what happens.

Bring My Computer to the Coffee Shop
Mac users show off their coolness by using their computer at coffee shops. Being a new Mac user, I feel I don't get the potential out of my computer. I need to break it out of my room and get some work done in front of others. The only downside is that I have a desktop. [This idea was given to me by a friend who likes to remain anonymous, so I will just say he is good at noodling on the guitar.]

Twitter
I am a new Twitter user and am skeptical about its uses, but I think it has its useful applications. I am bad at inviting people to things, so I do most things alone. Twitter allows people to see what I am doing and jump in. Some are scared of Twitter, because they want to keep their life personal. I do not have this fear, so I will Tweet every hour of my awake hours. If there was a way to connect Twitter to my mind while sleeping, I would do it, but I will just enjoy my hours of rest in peace. Alan Dickson's Twitter Feed

Suggestions and Comments
As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.
E-mail: alan.m.dickson@gmail.com
AIM: sternmboy

Will You Marry Me?

2008-12-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

No Biking Week is over, so now I rest and get ready for another challenge next week. I am having a poll to see if I should get married or not. Vote or forever hold your peace.

No Biking: Day 7

2008-12-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Day 7: The End

The my final day without my bike, everyone rode the subway to work. All four of us decided today was not a day to ride a bike. Almost all of Manhattan realized it was day not to ride bikes in solidarity of my final day without a bike (it could also have been the rain).

Another subway ride, another delayed train. Paying $2 to be late to work is not worth the pain. I think I wasted $16 taking that wretched, ancient, slow system. Two or three times it was delayed. At least once it did not go where the conductor said it was going. I could not imagine spending that amount up every week to suffer.

Enough of this writing. My seven days are up. I want to ride my bicycle!

[want a ride?]

No Biking: Days 5 and 6

2008-11-30T18:18:00.006-05:00

Day 5: Black Friday

No work, no bike, no problem (except that it was Black Friday and how was I to get to all the hot deals?).

No shopping for me; all I really did was my laundry, which is a block and a half away. However, in the final walk from the laundromat I lost my headphones. This is not good for long distance walks.

Day 6: Long Walks, No Headphones

Nothing like waking up early on a Saturday morning to go for a 45 minute walk to work without headphones. I brought my camera along to take some pictures of my crash site and the wonderful tourists on the Brooklyn Bridge. I missed a shot of a biker coming down the bridge and yelling at a tourist, who was standing in the middle of the bike lane. Here is what I did get:

[the yellow pole I hit]

I should count how many signs there are to tell people that bikes stay on the right and pedestrians stay on the left (there must only be about 25). I have often wondered if people get confused from the picture of the biker, which looks more like some body with a disconnected head floating between two hula hoops.

That about did it for Saturday. I finished my walk to work and eventually made it back to my apartment. Only one more day without riding my bike.

No Biking: Days 3 and 4

2008-11-28T12:44:00.006-05:00

Day 3: I HATE THE SUBWAY

Wednesday, I wake up and decide to take the subway. I check my fastest route and see when the train is leaving. All sources tell me it will be a 33 minute trip including walking to the subway (I walk faster than average people so it will probably take less time).

Walking to the subway is easy. I pay my $2 and enter the station. The display says the next train will arrive in two minutes. I start thinking maybe this is not as bad as I make it out to be. Two minutes pass and no train arrives. Five minutes pass and no train arrives. Eight minutes pass, another train is schedule to arrive, but still nothing. I am starting to remember why I do not like to rely on others to get me places. Ten minutes have passed and the train arrives.

Everything is okay, I am only going to be ten minutes late. When taking the subway are you supposed to schedule your trip with the intent that trains could be delayed? I would hate to waste so much of my life planning for others flakiness. The train is moving and starting to fill up as we continue on down the tracks.

The train becomes a packed house before we dive under the river into Manhattan. I now remember another reason I do not like the subway. I don't like being shoulder to shoulder with other commuters, especially early in the morning when I am half asleep. Lucky for me I have my back against the door so I only have one person inches from me. The downside is this person is watching some Madonna live concert on his iPod nano and dancing. Yes, dancing.

I cannot even describe how I felt at this moment, but I will try. There is a packed train where most people have all filed front to back (to reduce the chances of accidentally making out). Everyone is standing still hating the fact that they are crammed on the subway. Everyone except the one guy dancing to Madonna. He is face to face with another rider. He is dancing like he is on the grind and it is still 1999. And he is two inches away from me. Face to face.

Then the train stops. We are under the East River. There is no announcement. There is a guy dancing to Madonna at 9:30 A.M. I am trapped and I am officially late for work. I hate the subway!

I think I blacked out after all this and the next thing I remember was showing up at work 30 minutes late. Needless to say, I walked home from work and did not take the subway.

Day Four

Happy Thanksgiving! I took the subway again. It only took me three trains to get to Queens. Everything was on time, so I only spent a little over an hour in the death machine. The ride home was much the same, but I am still scarred.

I HATE THE SUBWAY!

No Biking: Days 1 and 2

2008-11-28T11:56:00.006-05:00

Day One

Starting out on a Monday is easy for me now; I don't work on Mondays so I usually have little to do (as opposed to last year when I was doing challenges while being unemployed). That being said I only left my house to go to the bar a few blocks from my apartment. Not biking is easy. Day one complete.

Day Two

Day two was the real beginning of the challenge. I actually had stuff to do (work). Biking is the fastest way for me to commute. Biking takes about 15 minutes, while walking would take just under an hour. The subway would be in between walking and biking, but the subway is a terrible terrible place (I have mentioned this before and I will mention it again and again). I have to wake up much earlier to walk to work.

My walk is dull, however I did pass by the scene of my accident that spurred this challenge. Walking 3.2 miles is no problem for me. Working around lots of bikes with nothing to do, is a problem.

I might have jumped on a bike and took it for a spin around the store (the store is tiny and I had my feet on the ground most of the time). First failure of the week. My punishment was walking another 3.3 miles to kickball after standing for nine and a half hours.

Riding my bike would be nice, but this is not too bad. As long as I avoid the train, this will be easy.

No Biking: The Challenge

2008-11-24T16:08:00.000-05:00

I have been sitting idly thinking of a new challenge while I wait for my marriage to be finalized. Then, an idea hit me… or a pedestrian hit me… and I hit a railing… and I almost fell off the pedestrian part of the Brooklyn Bridge.

[yellow marks from the Brooklyn Bridge railing on my handlebars and glove]
There is something about riding a bicycle when it is five degrees below freezing and dodging tourists taking pictures in the bike lane; and that something is not pleasant. By the time I got to work the swelling was beefing up my arm and I had some thoughts. Biking is convenient to me about 90% of the time. Not riding my bike would probably make my life a living hell. The nearest subway is a 15-minute walk. Plus, I hate the subway. These things probably mean that not biking would be a perfect challenge. So...

The Challenge
No bike riding for seven days.
Not for transportation.
Not for entertainment.
Not for exercise.
None.

This week will hopefully be good to help me calm down about idiotic pedestrians who have no sense of where they are. In fact, I might even become one of these reckless pedestrians and teach others than riding a bike is something that should only be done in spin class.

Time to hang up my bikes and put away my gear for a week.

It's On!

2008-11-24T16:07:00.000-05:00

New challenges are on their way (by the time you read this I will have already started my next challenge).

Update
I just wanted to change a few things before this next round of challenges starts. For the new readers out there, in the beginning I made a post to explain what I was doing. The change I want to make is from doing a challenge every week to every other week. This will allow me to look back on the previous week more clearly and also give me a break.

That is it. On with the challenges.

Marriage: Update

2008-11-20T16:31:00.000-05:00

A quick update on the whole marriage thing.
I have had some suitors, some haters (well not official haters, but people who laughed at me), and some people who thought I was super awesome for doing this (this might be untrue, but some responses were vague).

I had one person comment that my bed is not suitable. I, however, argue that my bed is very practical and economical when you live in a room that is 11 ft x 8 ft and has a 37" TV. Just in case, I have posted this picture, so others can come to their own conclusions (I do own sheets, but they have never been used).

With that all said, as of now I have two options. One option is 3,000 miles away. The other wishes to elope. I am taking my time to decide, because obviously this is a huge step for my life.

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Maybe other challenges? Feel free to contact me like the others to say I am an idiot: alan.m.dickson@gmail.com.

Marriage: The Challenge

2008-11-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

As of yesterday, the Pastor's Seven Day Sex Challenge is on. Today, I realized what my challenge would be, as his challenge was for married people and excluded myself.

My Challenge
To be married for seven days.

(sorry gay people around the world, I know you are fighting for your own marriages now, but this isn't to rub it in your face. This is an experiment to see what it is all about. Is it even worth fighting for? If I made any money from this I would donate to help you out, but sadly I don't.)

[Don't worry I clean up well.]

Married? Married? Married? Yeah, married. (oh Dong)

This could quite possibly be the hardest of my challenges. So crazy that it might not even happen. Anyway, here is my brainstorming for how it will get going, since I cannot just launch into this immediately:

I don't know if it should be an official on the books marriage. This would probably take a month or so to get the paper work and be more expensive when it comes to the ceremony.

Although the marriage will most likely be unofficial, there will still be a wedding ceremony. How grand it is will be determined on everything else.

There is only one small tiny bump after all this other stuff is sorted. That bump is that I cannot marry alone. Marriage is about two people.

The Request
I need a wife.

The Rules
My wife would have to live with me for seven days. This does not mean we have to have sex, because most married people do not. You do not have to cook for me. You do not have to sleep in my bed. You do have to come home every night. I have no clue what else happens in marriage but it will be pretty traditional. No cheating (if you cheat in a week of being married you are a very sad person).

Warning
I am not the best relationship man. I am probably one of the worst. I am extremely happy on my own. I do not need a lot of attention. In return this is generally how I treat other people.

With that said, if you are interested in being my wife e-mail me at alan.m.dickson@gmail.com and we can see if this can work. Or you can also e-mail me to tell me how stupid I am, but that is already a given.

P.S. Even though these challenges are created for seven days, that does not mean they cannot alter my life and become an ongoing part of it.

a pastor's seven day challenege: sex

2008-11-13T14:33:00.000-05:00

I believe my blog has finally hit the masses. I thought after not posting for 6 months that it would go away, but it has persisted. The end of this month marks the one year anniversary for this blog. A whopping 22 posts in a year... Well this one makes it 23.

Anyway, I was on Digg today and ran into something that caught my eye.

Call to action: Pastor issuing 7 -day sex challenge

I don't know what to say. Not only did someone copy my seven day challenges, they took it somewhere I can't even fathom. A sex challenge? Thanks, trying to make my challenges look like kid's play. The worst part is that the challenge came from a Pastor during his sermon. How do I compete with that?

I don't. You win this time Rev. Ed Young. Good luck. If any Viagra is involved, then you are a wimp.

I may start a challenge for myself as well. Sex with seven people in seven days... or maybe no sex or any sexual activity for seven days. I cannot think right now. This is too much.

I will leave you with the his challenge.

Lust Vegas Week 2 Promo from Fellowship Church on Vimeo.

PS Sex for seven days probably means one minute each day... married people, ha.

500 Mile Bike Ride Wrap-Up

2008-04-14T03:46:00.001-04:00

Pictures from the trip

All is said and done. The miles are totaled. The damage is healed.

Thumbs Up Tour 08 Stats
Miles from SF to LA - 511.5
Fastest Speed - 45 MPH
Showers taken - Four for me including final shower in LA (I believe Caitlin took three... gross)
Bike problems - I had none (Caitlin had two mechanical problems and one seat problem)
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I consumed - 17.5 (I did not finish one in San Luis. When we returned from the destroyed tire day, it was waiting on the counter where I left it)
Most expensive gas - $4.849 premium (we didn't buy any there)
U-Turns - Three (but they were only like two miles each and all happened right after another...)
Patches on one tube - Six (tube was never repaired to working condition)

Day 1 SF to Santa Cruz
Miles 89.54
Time Riding 7:34:39
Max Speed 37.5 MPH
Avg Speed 11.8

Day 2 Santa Cruz to Big Sur (I deleted my actual counts)
Miles 86.7

Day 3 Big Sur to San Luis Obispo
Miles 110.28
Time 8:35:27
Max Speed 38 MPH
Avg Speed 12.8 MPH

Day 4 San Luis Obispo to San Luis Obispo
Miles 19.61
Time 1:37:07
Max Speed 30 MPH
Avg Speed 12.1 MPH

Day 5 San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara
Miles 112.95
Time 8:23:54
Max Speed 45 MPH
Avg Speed 13.4 MPH

Day 6 Santa Barbara to Los Angeles (Venice Beach)
Miles 92.40
Time 6:58:03
Max Speed 37.5 MPH
Avg Speed 13.3 MPH

My Extra Rides
Moraga to SF (I also rode BART)
Miles 9.1

Oakland Airport to Moraga
Miles 23.49
Time 2:10:34
Max Speed 24 MPH
Avg Speed 10.7 MPH

LAX to OAK Airports
Miles ~400
Time ~1 hour
Max Speed ~500 MPH

That is it. Biking 500+ miles was successfully completed.

500 Mile Bike Ride: Day 7

2008-04-10T14:24:00.002-04:00

I bikes over 500 miles in 6 days, enjoying the beautiful view of the California coast. I got to see friends along the way and had a blast. Then, I got on a plane and traveled 400 miles in one hour.

However, riding in cars and flying in a plane did not mean I was done biking. When I arrived at the Oakland airport I got my bike box and began to assemble it outside. Due to Bart having jerk policies, I rode to my old house in Oakland and visited more friends. After visiting, I was able to get on Bart and finish my last leg of my ride from Orinda to Moraga. Thus, adding another 20 miles onto my ride (but I won't really count these miles in the ride log, as they were commuter miles outside of the SF to LA ride.

That is it. I will compile everything and give a quick overview with the fun facts and a couple more pictures, but I am going to relax now. Enjoy your day! Spring is here and the weather is beautiful, so I am going back outside.

500 Mile Bike Ride: Day 6

2008-04-09T00:23:00.002-04:00

We made it! Sitting in LA traffic never felt so good.

500 Mile Bike Ride: Day 5

2008-04-08T00:21:00.001-04:00

Today, Caitlin and I started where we started day 4. We had a 20 mile déjà vu ride. Then Caitlin rode by our dumpster and did not get a flat. Yay!

The ride was long, windy, and dirty. It had its ups and downs. On one of the downs, I broke my land speed record for a non motorized vehicle. Going down a 7% grade for 2 miles is intense and awesome (Caitlin did not like it and was scared).

Lompoc is the winner for friendliest people, but this could have been from being the only place we loittered in front of a busy grocery store.

Santa Barbara did not start off so well. On our one block walk to get burritos I got hit with some fruity, slurpee smelling drink. I had maybe walked 50 ft and was halfway through the first and only crosswalk, when I see a kid look right at me and throw his drinking from the passing car. Oh well, now my one and only sweatshirt smells like juice.

One last thing... not only did Caitlin get a flat. She lost her wallet walking from downtown San Luis Obispo to Jes's home. I saved the night and found it.

Less than 100 miles until the end of our ride at the fabulously famous Venice Beach (not the Venice Beach we passed in the middle of nowhere).

500 Mile Bike Ride: Day 4

2008-04-06T18:10:00.001-04:00

After 20 miles and riding through Pismo Beach, Caitlin found a nail (more like Caitlin got a flat and I found a nail in it).

I tried and tried to patch it up. First we fixed the huge hole from the nail. Then, there was a hole from the tire levers. Then, there was a smsller hole by the nail hole. After a while, I looked at the rim and saw it was damaged and causing more holes. Fixed that, but 5 patches in one spot is a bit more than I like to use (3 is usually my max before the tire is retired).

All in all, day 4 is cancelled. Day 5 and 6 will be joys of fun; we thought the last 3 days would be nice, but now it will be a double century finish. I think it is time for the beach...

500 Mile Bike Ride: Day 3

2008-04-06T02:06:00.001-04:00

Party at the pump!

Woo hoo! I am glad that my bike doesn't use gas because $4.69 is ridiculous. That picture was taken halfway through day 3, but first I want to explain day 2.

Day 2, left Santa Cruz. Lost the ocean. Rode through farm land. Saw artichokes. Saw a sign for deep-fried artichokes and really wanted to stop. Did not stop.

That was pretty much day 2 (there might have been a few u-turns, but that is just standard). We set up camp in Big Sur and passed out by 10.

Day 3 was insane compared to day 2. I don't really remember everything. We rode out of Big Sur at 8 am and arrived in San Luis Obispo around 8 pm. The first 50 miles were a lot of hills. Hills are no to fun going up, but awesome going down.

After the hills we got burgers at Ragged Point and some bikers laughed at me. I guess there isn't a lot of comradery between guys pedaling bikes and guys with motors on their bikes. But some guys with sexy, tight leather were definitely checking out my spandex.

There was a 10 Ferrari salute as we passed by Hearst Castle. The rest was just making Caitlin go as her knees were grinding into her leg bone. I don't know how we made it all the way. We now are sore and have some pretty awesome sunburns... I post some pictures later. I think I have the new trend in tanning; maybe I can get on that tanning show when we get to LA.

That about sums it up. I need to pass out.

500 Mile Bike Ride: Day 1

2008-04-04T12:00:00.001-04:00

We made it!!!! (well we made it to the coast... then passed Venice Beach... I don't know what Venice Beach was doing in Northern California, but I almost took a picture and declared victory... and we really made it to Santa Cruz)

Stories from the Road
Before the ride started Caitlin's roommate asked for rent (which was already late), but Caitlin doesn't believe in checks so she tried sending money online. Caitlin also doesn't believe in computers. Long story short, Caitlin needed to find a B of A in the morning. She got tricked in Daly City by a B of A sign that led her to two ATMs. I looked up the next bank on my phone. We arrive in Pacifica, find the bank, and Caitlin finally pays her rent. Back on the road!

We then start a climb on highway where there are no shoulders and construction... I look back to see how Caitlin is doing and she is off her bike waving her arms. Her rack fell off. Thanks to REI, the rack came with bolts that did not fit the mounts on the frame. Anyway, as I am looking at the problem and thinking how screwed we are 20 miles into our ride, a construction worker came to see what is wrong. We decided that we could fix it with a longer bolt and a nut to hold it on (the original bolt fell out and is gone forever). Now, all we need is a harware store. The construction worker points and says, "ACE is right there." The saying within a stones throw doesn't do this situation any justice. I could have thrown a boulder or at least rolled it the 30 ft to ACE's front door.

All said and done, Caitlin and I were back on the road after enjoying a nice hour in Pacifica. Note: the next five or so miles had no shoulder and there was something people call Devil's Slide...

Caitlin and I then enjoyed lunch in Half Moon Bay (picture below or above? I don't know where Google puts it). Watched the surfers in the water and I called my dad to tell him we survived riding on the edge of cliffs. My dad had some sad news, but had a good attitude. My Uncle died in the night. My dad said, he was glad to have someone out in the world with the wind in their face at a time like this. He mentioned my Uncle would want the same thing, so now I will continue the ride in the honor of my Uncle; his spirit will fly down the hills with me.

On a lighter note, I will be releasing fun facts at the end of the trip for everyone to bet on. Here is what you can place your bets on:

Number of miles biked.
Fastest speed.
Showers taken.
Bike problems.
And how many peanut butter sandwiches I eat.

Hints:
I would bet more than 89 miles 100% of the time.
Two cars honked.
We passed some motorcycle guys, then they passed us and honked, and then they passed us again and honked (I guess that means we passed them again).
Tomorrow I will be wearing neon clothes as we ride off from Santa Cruz.
Our ride is officially the Thumbs Up Tour 08.

And last but not least, big thumbs up to Greg Rijavec for a place to stay in Santa Cruz.

Riding in memory of John Dickson the third,
Alan Dickson

500 Mile Bike Ride: The Set Up

2008-04-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Challenge
500 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than seven days.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

I, Alan Dickson, have set out on a bike ride that will challenge my body and my mind on a test into the unknown. Luckily, I am not alone. I will be riding with Caitlin Kelly and there will be many other supporting people along the way.

I am not afraid that my body will not be able to handle the ride. Two years ago, I was riding around San Francisco delivering packages without lunch or breaks for over eight hours. A few snacks, a little water, some good tunes, and a great view will be all that I need (sunshine would be a bonus). Hopefully, Caitlin is ready as well.

My mind is working through possible unknown situations that could occur. My Uncle is in the hospital with a small chance of survival. Knowing what his state will be this week is not possible. I will ride knowing that he supported my trip wholeheartedly. If I make it to LA, then I know that my uncle and I have used the same spirit to face our challenges --- the spirit to live. If anything changes, then I shall face it as it comes.

Right now, Caitlin and I are on the road facing the challenges that come our way, remembering those challenges of the past, and are excited for the challenges in the future. Enough about me, go out there and give me something to read about! I need to focus on pedaling, cars, and potholes.

Gearing Up

2008-04-02T18:22:00.001-04:00

Setting up for the come back. Tomorrow is the official launch, right now is just preparation.

I am currently packing and testing my mobile blogging; be ready for instant information about my challenges.

Is It Really The End?

2008-03-29T15:30:00.000-04:00

Last week, millions of people celebrated the anniversary of their spiritual leader's rise from the dead. Today, I sit contemplating reviving the seven day challenges.

I have a week bike ride planned for this coming week. The ride consists of 500+ miles from S.F. to L.A. and will take just under seven days.

However, the planned is not always what happens. My Uncle, who has been facing his own challenges in life, is in the hospital. He has been battling cancer in his body for the past few years. Last week, he was stung by a bee and went into anaphylactic shock. This led to cardiac arrest. He is currently unconscious in the hospital. He has been unconscious a few days and is said to be this way for a week. The outlook on his recovery is not good.

I would not wish to face the challenges that my Uncle has faced. He has been challenged by death and did not step down. The fear that cancer would bring him to his end did not affect the way he lived his life. He was not going to give up the things he loved or the things he lived for in order to have a mere physical presence.

You can choose to live in a padded room all day with the chance of surviving longer, but is this to truly live? Possibly, but for myself I say no and I believe my Uncle would agree with me. Life is not just about survival, but about getting out there and enjoying those things you do.

As for what is next, that is not yet written. All I wish is for everyone to have the bravery to fight the fear, face the challenge, and to live.

This is not the end.

The End

2008-03-27T23:07:00.000-04:00

No Sitting Week: Day 1 (the end is near

2008-03-27T23:03:00.001-04:00

Alcohol Free Week: Day 7

2008-03-27T18:06:00.001-04:00

Alcohol alcohol everywhere but not a drop to drink

2007-12-11T16:30:00.000-05:00

Alcohol Free Week: Day 3
Friday, November 30, 2007

The beginning of the week started out as any "normal" week. On Monday, I went out with friends to dinner and then some bars. I played kickball on Tuesday. After the kickball game things changed.

I did not go to the post game celebration (we always celebrate, even a loss*). There were attempts to get me to drink, but I am pretty stubborn when I put my mind to something. Plus, if I drank on Tuesday then not drinking Monday would have been a waste. I would have to start the week over and redo seven days without alcohol. This would give me eight days without alcohol.

OK, that last statement makes me seem like an alcoholic. I mean to say eight days of self-imposed not drinking, instead of a day of not drinking because I don't have the option. I guess I just proved I am an alcoholic.

No, wait. I have given up drinking for five days even facing peer pressure. Not an alcoholic. Final answer. That breaks the addiction definition. I think.

Moving on. Wednesday, I slept til about 2:30 PM. Stayed in bed an hour or so. Finally got up and had breakfast around 4. At 7 PM, a friend invited me over for dinner. This was a saving grace, as I probably was not going to feed myself. Instead I would just sit around my apartment doing nothing**. I had dinner, then read the Fountainhead. All of it (the last 100 pages I had left).

Thursday was similar to Wednesday. I slept in. Stayed in bed even longer. Barely ate breakfast before most people eat dinner. I never left my apartment.

Which brings us to today. It started the same as Wednesday and Thursday, except I ate breakfast and then ate lunch before leaving the kitchen. Eating a lot of food got me energized (I actually posted something in my blog and then started writing this). So energized, I feel like going out, getting drunk, and dancing! Just kidding, I am not drinking. I have something better to do tonight.

Midnight showing of Jurassic Park on the big screen! Best documentary ever! Who needs bars when you've got "Bingo! Dino DNA!"

*We have won one game. Lost many.

**I was actually writing my last entry and that is why it just ends abruptly. Sometimes ADD wins.

Alcohol Free Week: Day 3

2007-12-04T19:22:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Day three...

People on the Internet are dumb (I would provide some reference, but I don't think it is necessary). People on Internet are people in real life. Therefore, people in real life are...

Bad logic runs rampant in our society. I am part of this problem, but I am trying to change this. It would be helpful if good logic was rewarded (it isn't).

I just read an article, in the Guardian, titled Ethical shopping is just another way of showing how rich you are. Some is truthful. I agree that rich people act green to show off (definitely not all rich people, most don't care at all). However, there seems to be a huge flaw in the part where buying "green" options is no different than continuing with the harmful status quo. "Green consumerism is another atomisation - a substitute for collective action. No political challenge can be met by shopping."

Sorry. I stopped writing abruptly and left my apartment.

Alcohol Free Week: Day 2

2007-12-04T18:50:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Second day without alcohol...

Last night was rough. I got home at 12:50 AM, after making three pointless transfers on a subway that was never going to get me home (isn't this what drunk people do?). When I realized this, I decided to walk two miles. Now, most people would probably think that walking two miles and not drinking is a giant leap in the right direction. I disagree.

I got home and went on the Internet (yay for using the Internet after a week in the dark!). At 3:30 AM, I made my way to my bed. When I got into bed, I was not tired so I decided to read. Reading usually makes me sleepy. However, last night, reading made my brain race around. I had an orgy of ideas flying around in my brain. I should have gotten up and written everything in my notebook, but I figured if I fought this urge that I would sleep (wrong).

I have already realized the saving grace of alcohol. Alcohol clears my mind. Alcohol does not allow me to think (well I do think about boobs and more alcohol, but it does not let me think rationally). Alcohol does keep me saner. At least it makes me act and think normally (it allows me to think irrationally).

I need a drink. I don't want to think about what is going to happen in the next six days.

I survived day one... onto day two. Don't worry, day two is only kickball day*.

*Kickball involves two things: kickball and alcohol. Alcohol is the more important of the two.

Alcohol Free Week: Day 1

2007-12-04T18:41:00.001-05:00

The Challenge
Seven days without consuming alcohol (not much to say, the rules are simple).

Monday, November 26, 2007

I finished the end of No Internet Week by drinking a 40 oz. and a bloody mary. It is now 1 AM and starting now I am not drinking for seven days. This should be easy...

No Internet Week: Day 7

2007-12-01T20:00:00.001-05:00

Sunday, November 25, 2007
Last Day Without Internet...

The week without a computer has come crawling to an end. There have been many times when I wished I could do something real quick on the computer. Download a CD, check out places to go, check prices for things and then save money buying them online (my plane ticket back to California).

The Internet has become a necessity in our world or at least it has become a huge convenience. Fast information, cheap prices, and all while you sit around wearing nothing (I have clothes on while typing this, I cannot promise this at all times). Half the things on my to-do list can be done within minutes on a computer, which could take twice as long in real life (not including time for transportation). Sometimes the Internets* (happy Chin?) just make sense.

I realize I have an addiction to the Internet, but it is weak (ha). I am only addicted while I am using. I get stuck behind the computer. It is not the computer that sucks me in, but the lack of other things to do. I have realized this before and it has been my downfall while living in New York. I wish to play piano and drums. I want to take up skateboarding and surfing. I would like to go swimming everyday or at least a few times a week. I have bikes, books, stuff to write, and a video camera, although if I filmed anything I cannot edit it. I don't have a good excuse as to why I don't write more often. Well, there is a writer strike going on... and I should stop writing in solidarity (I am showing solidarity by striking from work or in being unemployed, whatever you want to call it).

Since taking a week off of the Internet, I decided it would be fun to keep doing weekly challenges. Some can be fun and others can be helpful. Some may push me forward and some will make me regress. That is part of the fun. I was not even sure if I would come out of this week sane, but I did. I think.

OK blah blah blah, in my writing this is where I realized I would do a challenge every week and blogging it... The next challenge will start when this ends.

I shall stop drinking alcohol for a week. This idea has been in my head all week, because the main thing that helped me stay away from the computer at night was getting drunk. I did spend a night or two reading a book, but then I finished it and alcohol took up the slack.

I would like to write more, however I am going to take a break and enjoy the last of my no Internet week by getting drunk with friends. Bring on Alcohol Free Week!

Oh I wish it was a FREE alcohol week...

*THERE ARE RUMORS ON THE INTERNETS! George W. got something right.

No Internet Week: Day 5

2007-12-01T19:03:00.001-05:00

Black Friday, November 23, 2007

This is day five without the "Internet." I have used the Internet and I definitely have watched TV. My streak away from my computer lasted until I woke up on day one (I lasted about 9 hours, which coincidentally is the amount of time I was asleep).

I went to find the number for the unemployment office (this should explain this blog) and they had cleared my original claim, that was not finished. Filing for unemployment was the number one thing on my to-do list, and my to-do list was a major reason for turning off the computer. I wanted to get this done, so I turned on my computer and restarted my claim. I finished my claim, shut down my computer, and walked away.

On Tuesday, day two, I paid a bill online for my apartments energy. I also transferred money from different bank accounts so I would not overdraft. 36 hours into not using a computer and I have failed, not once, but three times (although I vaguely made it so that these uses would be exempted).

For those of you who are thinking that these uses are acceptable, I have a confession to make. Before I tell you what I have done, I want to state, I feel a little guilty as to breaking the rules. I also feel like it made me fight harder inside to battle the urge to use the computer for mindless activities.

Anyway, here it goes, I have this thing called an iPhone (are you done with your side comments? I am making a confession here, if you want the explanation on why I have an iPhone ask me another time). So yeah, I have an iPhone, I opened it up... and I clicked on the mail button. I know I wrote that I could do stuff on the computer or Internet with "time restraints," but this is inexcusable. I had one e-mail that I responded to. It was not completely necessary. I wrote back to one of my kickball team captains to say, I was coming to the game that night. Now this seems like a one time isolated event, but I pushed that mail button the rest of the week. Every time I opened it there was some new email about something that happened on facebook or myspace. When I did not follow through and see what had been posted on those sites I felt good for my rule breaking. I felt I had the power to see I was missing things on the Internet, but could control myself not to see what it was.

Moving on, I actually became quite productive throughout the week. Not having a computer standing by has made me just simply start things and finish them. No more procrastinating until the last minute (or if there is no last minute, not doing anything at all). Well, stating I was quite productive is a lie, but not procrastinating is true (except the bathroom would probably not be what it is today*). I have not done more work, I just did it sooner. I run out of things that I need to do and am left with "free" time. This weekend may pass slowly without things to do, but hopefully I will get creative and fill in the mindless Internet surfing time (with drinking, wooooooo!).

*Go to the average male college house and look at the bathroom. That was my bathroom. Six months without cleaning the shower or sink. The toilet bowl was slightly cleaned with the toilet brush and some chemicals, but some how the tank was disgusting. The bathroom after I quit the Internet was spotless (in male bathroom terms). I wish I took before and after pictures.

No Internet Week: Day 1

2007-12-01T18:35:00.001-05:00

The Challenge
No use of a computer(the Internet) for 7 days.

Monday, November 19th, 2007

At 4:30 AM, I turned off my computer (It should have been 12 AM, but I could not stop the beast). I had decided to not use it for one week.

This is a bad idea and will not work. I wish I could say I will not use the Internet or television as well, but I will. My only exception for using the Interne is for e-mail to get stuff done (stuff with time restraints). I will try to keep track of these to keep myself in check.

In the beginning.

2007-11-30T17:32:00.000-05:00

What I am doing
Seven day challenges.

The Reason
Some say God created the world in six days. Since I am human, I am giving myself an extra day to see what I can do.
In other words, this is for fun and maybe to learn something along the way.

The Rules
On monday of every week, I will start a new challenge that will last seven days.
The only challenge I will not do is one that will kill me, do lasting damage to my health, etc., because then I can't finish the challenge or write about the outcome.

The Blog
At the beginning of the week, I will make an entry describing the challenge.
During the week, anything can happen and be written.
At the end of the week, I will try and sum up the week best as I can. Sometimes I will not see all the outcomes of the week immediately... actually most often I will not. In this case, I will post the information somewhere.

The Outcome
I have no idea. That is part of the fun in doing this. I will probably break rules and change all this around anyway.

The Challenges
Now to begin the fun. Give me ideas for challenges!