Day Twelve

Day 12: What's your type? Tick it here today as a reminder at drunken parties; beefcake, mr. nice guy, loaded, married with kids, sleazeball, handsome prince.

Well, consider what I have. I'd like to think I've scored "my type".
Nick: Mr. Nice Guy + Handsome Prince = man of my dreams
:)

Day Eleven

Today, introduce yourself to someone you know but never speak to.

The transcript of this conversation between me and a woman from the office next door, as it occured in the copy room in the afternoon.

Me: Hello, I'm Jami.
Her: Hi.
Me: Making copies, huh?
Her: Yes.
Me: How's that working out for you?
Her: What?
Me: The copies.
Her: What about it?
Me: It never stops.
Her: What?
Me: Work. What if it did?
Her: Well, I suppose that would be pretty bad...(starting to back away)
Me: As bad as madcow?
Her: What are you talking about?
Me: Work. Madcow disease.
Her: Okay, I'm going to leave.
Me: But you didn't answer my question.
Her: What was that?
Me: How's that working out for you?
Her: What!?
Me: The copies.
Her: Fine. (Turns and walks away)
Me: Glad to hear it.

Day Ten

Meet Jonas Day! This is Jonas Jansson, a courageous fellow who has agreed to follow The Book's injunctions to the letter. In this, his first week, he has already been arrested once and lost his girlfriend. Go Jonas!

Day 10 is just a ploy to draw visitors to the Benrik website, which I am not going to link because (a) I was disappointed by this day's task, and (b) I am lazy.

Day Nine

Do something before breakfast today.

I am not a morning person. I have no problem getting up on time, but I require certain specific arrangements and a strict routine each morning to avoid aggravation. I require the near complete absence of light. I need just enough to turn on the television. That's why I love fall and winter; the sun doesn't rise until I am leaving the house. Anyway, I was not feeling terrifically creative this morning, and today is a Saturday...so I decided to find out what's on TV at this hour. (which mind you is noon....and yes, I have breakfast at noon on Saturdays)

I flipped to TBS. It was the Saved by the Bell where Zack sets it up so Slater gets caught joyriding in the driver's ed. car but Kelly is implicated and Zack has to take the blame or else driver's ed. will be cancelled by Belding and he fears Kelly will leave him for Slater because he has to take an F and retake the class next year but she is touched by his martyrdom and stays by his side.
Oh how I loooooooved Saved By the Bell in the 90's.
How could you not love this face:


Anyways, I reminisced for a while then got on with my day of lounging...

Day Eight

Addiction free day. Your body is your temple. Cut out addictive substances for the day and see how much purer you feel.

I will admit, in my "born to be mild" weekday existence, my body is already pretty pure, sustancewise. I don't smoke, and I don't drink coffee an it wasn't hard to avoid alcohol at work. I normally spend my weekend ingesting mass quantities of red bull and add a few beers here or there, so I use the first few days of the week to "purge toxins" in a very pseudo-zen manner that basically involves a lot of fiber and cleanses.

With that being said...I abstained from the few "addictions" I do have (caffine, chocolate, red bull, bad reality shows), and I don't feel like a better person.

Oh well....

Day Seven

I choose not to participate today...just won't.

Day Six

Today write the opening sentence to your debut novel.

"I woke up one day thinking who I am meant to be is greater than who I think I'd like to be."

Day Five

Mass social experiment. Cut out and stick this sign:


on any item of public infrastructure you might encounter today, including but not limited to: elevators, garbage trucks, cranes, phone booths, toilets, ventilation units, escalators, entrances to subway stations. The aim is to achieve comprehensive social breakdown across the US.

I placed this sign on three different places:
1) My computer at work...NO MORE WORKING!!! (a-ha-ha!)


2) Blue...a fellow employee at work...NO MORE WORKING FOR BLUE!!!


and finally, 3) the toilet in the women's bathroom...NO MORE WOMEN IN THERE!


Social breakdown...look out...

Day Four

Today's task asks me to color in a map of the world based on where I have or would like to visit.
Green = Been there, done that.
Blue = Intend to go there this year.
Yellow = Intend to go there before I die.
Red = Happy never to set foot there in my whole life.


Green: US of A, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, England, Ireland, Senegal, South Africa.

Blue: Sadly, no countries make this list, unless you count the US. I would like to say that I will be going to China or Romania next year, but I just don't think I can swing it...not yet

Yellow: Germany (because of my heritage), Scotland, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Switzerland...Actually, you might as well include all of Europe, but the aforementioned places are the only essential ones. China, Japan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, India, Czech Republic, Israel, Moracco, Egypt, Kenya, Congo, Russia, Brazil, Chile. Definitely Cuba, and I might as well throw in some other Caribbean island. You go ahead and pick one, they all seem the same to me.

Red: This list isn't very long. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TRAVELING, so there aren't many place I don't want to see. However, I will definitely never see: anywhere in the Middle East (with the exception of Egypt, Isreal and Dubai) or the middle of Asia (ie Mongolia, etc).

Day Three

"Throw away something you like."

This wasn't too bad...ever since moving around so much all over the US, I have learned to throw things away if they aren't continually used for months at a time.

When it came right down to it, I managed to rid myself of some old photographs. This part was hard for me...because I am very sentimental and keep EVERY picture, no matter what or who I was involved with. So I did it. I purged and threw out every picture of a certain 2.5 years of my life...every physical photo and even the digital ones on my laptop. I want to leave that piece of my past where it belongs, in the past.

This is my new life...and I don't plan on looking back.

Day Two

"Gaze at everyone wondering whether they might be the one true love of your life, the one destined for you and you alone, and whether you might be passing them by forever...Act in consequence."

I spent the better part of my day at a trade-show for work (ick) or napping on my couch...the following resulted from the limited glance-exchanging I managed to fit into my schedule ...

*The nice boy working the Starbucks drive through: Asks, "where you off to so early?" (i had to leave for the trade show at 6 am...ick)

*The disgruntled middle-aged man who works for a random client of mine: Quickly glanced away with an uncomfortable look.

*My boss: Asked me "is that what you are wearing today?"

*The cheesy attorney at the trade show: Winked.

*Nick: always looks amazing, and yes...I contimplated love at that moment...the forever kind, and yes. He is my one true love.

To Be Continued...tomorrow...

Day One

As this was the first day, the authors suggested I "warm up with an easy task that will only change your life a little bit." I found several suggestions, along with the idea that if I wanted to really dive in headfirst I should turn to a random page and do what it says. In the interest of keeping each of the 365 days of this program original but not easing too slowly into my new life, I accomplished several of the tasks on this list. The tasks I completed, in no particular order...

-Do one press-up: I am assuming this means push-up. Done.
-Jaywalk in a pedestrian zone: Color me bad, as in badass!
-Whisper a white lie when no one's listening: Hint-it rhymes with stethoscope.
-Fantasize about your partner: Oh yeah...
-Say "Yo" instead of "hello": I do this regularly anyway, to keep people on their toes.
-Bookmark a new website: Here it is.
-Go on a one minute hunger strike: I went on strike to protest the lack of snack packs in my office. Lame.
-Choose which of your toes is the prettiest: Left foot, fourth toe.

See you tomorrow...

This Blog Will Change Your Life

A few years ago I had something traumatic happen to me and a friend gave me this book.


I tried to go through this book at the time, but ended up failing.
I recently stumbled upon this book again while going through boxes from my past that were lost in storage.

I have decided to try again.

Boasting to be "part instruction manual, part therapy, part cult, part sheer anarchy" this book offers 365 days worth of instructions for hysterical living. It just so happens my life can use a little hysteria. What will follow starting today, Friday November 7, 2008, will be a record of my daily attempts to base my life on this book. We'll see what happens...

***

In preparation to begin my journey, there are a few things to mention:

-in the front cover of this book, there is a note. it reads: "Jami- Here's to the first day of your second life. See you in Paris. I love you."

-I am so excited!

"your dreams have come true"

Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:09:21 -0600
From: joshbrage@gmail.com
To: jamikylene@hotmail.com
Subject: your dreams have come true


DEPP IN ALICE AND WONDERLAND, add a soundtrack by jack white and you would explode.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20080924/122231030000.html


- hosh


************

this is what greeted me this morning when i opened my email at work...
I was grumpy, I was tired, I was feeling a little icky...
But now my day seems a little bit brighter.
Thanks Hosh.

Politics Explained

FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.

PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need.

BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and put them in a barn with everyone else's cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you need.

FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk.

PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk.

RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the government takes all the milk.

CAMBODIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. The government takes both of them and shoots you.

DICTATORSHIP: You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.

PURE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors decide who gets the milk.

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: You have two cows. Your neighbors pick someone to tell you who gets the milk.

BUREAUCRACY: You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.

PURE ANARCHY: You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbors try to take the cows and kill you.

LIBERTARIAN/ANARCHO-CAPITALISM: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

SURREALISM: You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

"breaking dawn"

New phenomenon (well I guess not BRAND new), but new in my life, is the "twilight saga". I have been enthralled for the past week by this series and cannot get enough of Edward >sigh<.

After much anticipation the final installment, fourth book "Breaking Dawn" will be released Saturday August 2nd.

...I think I'm in love with a vampire...

Harrismith, South Africa

Hey everyone,
As promised...here are some pics from Africa!
I'll have more up when I get home!

Base in Harrismith ("Harry - smith")


"AFRICA POSE!!"


Team on day one
(it's so beautiful here!)


Village of Qwa Qwa


Mount Everst Game Reserve


Beautiful village children!

AFRICA!

Hello HELLO from Africa!!
I finally stole a minute to use the internet here in the middle of God's creation!!
I so wanted to post a few pictures for you all to see...but the computer if circa 1980 or something...

ANYWAYS! It is AH-MA-ZING here! I arrived in Joberg (Johannasberg) on Thursday evening (Thursday morning in the states) and have been running ever since! I can't believe that I'm here....today finally sunk in for me.

I am about to run to dinner (yes it is night here).

More to come...

xoxo
-jami

behold THE LIST!

* I’m 24 years old and my birthday is on December 19th.
* I share the same birthday as Alyssa Milano, Jennifer Beals, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
* I can get pretty bitter over how my birthday gets lost in the holiday season.
* I’m the youngest child with a older sister and an older brother.
* Being the youngest has warped my persona. I’m extremely spoiled and I always get what I want!
* I love to create art. Sadly I haven’t figured out how to that passion it properly to make money.
* My dream job would be to be the owner of a dessert shop. I’d spend my downtime sampling the inventory and painting.
* I still haven’t decided what I want to do with my life.
* At one point I wanted to be an teacher. One semester of student teaching and observing the third grade made me realize I would never survive in an enviroment made to stifle kid’s imaginations.
* During my younger, “I Like school” days, I wanted to do something with math. I interned with an accountant for a few months after school. I realized I could never do that!
* If I could live in any time period, I would travel back to the late ’50s, early ’60s and live a Beatnik, Tiki-cultured existence.
* I’ve gone by many nicknames in my life: James, Jame, J, Shoe-ie, Piglet, AJ (just to name a few).
* In order to set myself apart from the crowd, I intentionally go against "the grain".
* For some reason people have a hard time with my name. After they see it, they seem to want to insist I wrote/said it wrong. They continue the conversation calling me Jammie (as in pajamas).
* I have an unhealthy obsession with baseball.
* I have an even more unhealthy obsession with baseball players.
* Even though on the most basic terms, I am a Christian I find that I have no where near the same principles as other people that use the same label. That fact scares me. I really don’t know what book these people are reading sometimes.
* My Music taste is pretty ecletic. I’ve asked my friends to describe what I listen to and they classify it as, “Wacky Crap”. Take from that what you will.
* This List is only a brief smattering of facts, and I’m actually happy that I can’t break down every aspect of my life into bullet points!

in honor

to celebrate the birthday of the late, great Nick Drake...
I plan on downloading "pink moon" today.

having it on vinyl just isn't enough...i need some ipod-age.

:)