Museum Week

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.

Happy New Year! Crazy Special Challenge Time!

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!

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

"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 Gives You 140 Characters

I already used fifty-six.

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

No Biking: The Challenge

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.

Marriage: The Challenge

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.

500 Mile Bike Ride: The Set Up

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.

Alcohol Free Week: Day 1

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...