Thursday, April 30, 2015

Day 280: Feed a Baby


365 Firsts/Day 280: FEED A BABY. I've done the bottle thing but not solid food. Chloe is my date this V day. A lot of feeding and crying, ya know, typical date stuff. #365firsts #babystuff #uncletrav #vday #singleforlife

Day 279: Upside Down Pull-ups


365 Firsts/Day 279: UPSIDE DOWN PULL-UPS. So it's pretty much impossible to do these in my house because there isn't a doorway suitable and it's pretty much impossible to do when I have to angle myself this way anyway, BUT, I tried. A lot. #365firsts #fitness #pullups #kanye #stayfit

Day 278: Paleobar


365 Firsts/Day 278: PALEOBAR. So I picked the weirdest flavor I could find. I'm sorry Paleobar, I could barely choke this down. It tastes like if your spice cupboard got in a car crash with the dumpster of the worst breakfast diner in the universe and then a semi full of fruitcake and taxidermied cats from 1908 also crashed into the dumpster and then someone picked it up and dragged it through a field of Brussels sprouts that was planted in hell. Or something similar to that. #365firsts #notforme #paleo

Day 277: Donate to Conservation International


365 Firsts/Day 277: DONATE TO CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL. This charity is amazing. Donating $15 protects an acre of tropical rainforest... you know, that place that is being destroyed every second of the day so we can have paper and other stuff we don't need anymore. Yay paper. 1.3 million square miles of rainforest, ocean and other land sources have been protected to date by this site. Check it out @ conservation.org. #365firsts #donate #conservation.org #conservation #rainforest #oceans #protect

Day 276: Blender Bottle


365 Firsts/Day 276: BLENDER BOTTLE. NOW I know what lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins meant after all of these years. Finally. #365firsts #blenderbottle #liljon #yingyangtwins #shakeitlikeasaltshaker

Day 275: Donate to the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event



365 Firsts/Day 275: DONATE TO THE WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES EVENT. This is an event that raises money and awareness about sexual assault against women. Sexual assault, domestic violence and inequality against women pisses me off. A lot. I'll have to look more into this event. #365firsts #donate #walkamileinhershoes

Day 274: Make Saltwater Taffy


365 Firsts/Day 274: MAKE SALTWATER TAFFY. This got a little screwed up because I didn't have enough corn syrup so I used some honey to replace the rest. Tastes good buuuut it's hard as a rock. Oh well, it's just a bunch of sugar that I won't eat anyway. #365firsts #candy #saltwatertaffy

Day 273: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stopped Worrying and Love the Bomb


365 Firsts/Day 273: DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB. I love the history of the nuclear bomb. I have ever since I wrote a paper on it about 10 years ago and with my slight fascination with Albert Einstein and his involvement. It's so interesting to me. I've also always loved movies and Stanley Kubrick, so I can't believe I've never seen this movie. I've been thinking about watching it for years on and off and just never did until now. Great movie. Funny. Terrifying to think about. I can see why it's a classic. #365firsts #kubrick #drstrangelove

Day 272: Re-Edit a Firsts Video


365 Firsts/Day 272: RE-EDIT A FIRSTS VIDEO. If you do editing, you'll get it. If not, well, then you won't. #365firsts #editing

Day 271: Boiled Snow Cocktail


365 Firsts/Day 271: BOILED SNOW COCKTAIL. Delicious. Video is on my Facebook link in my blog bio. #365firsts #dranks #cocktails #snow

Day 270: Cast a Spell


365 Firsts/Day 270: CAST A SPELL. I casted so hard. I used a spell that was supposed to help me win at my next endeavor. We'll see! Video is on my Facebook. #365firsts #spells #witchcraft #harrypotter

Day 270: Cast a Spell


365 Firsts/Day 270: CAST A SPELL. I casted so hard. I used a spell that was supposed to help me win at my next endeavor. We'll see! Video is on my Facebook. #365firsts #spells #witchcraft #harrypotter

Day 269: Adobe Speed Grade


365 Firsts/Day 269: SPEEDGRADE. This one might be for the nerdier people following along, but it's a pretty cool app. It lets you correct color in your videos to put it in simple terms but it does a lot of really cool things. Professional movies use this. #365firsts #adobe #speedgrade

Day 268: Prairie Archives


365 Firsts/Day 268: PRAIRIE ARCHIVES. Growing up around Springfield, I can't believe I've never been in this place before. Very cool used book store. It has pretty much everything you could think of and it was cool to check out. I recommend it. #springfieldil #books #prairiearchives

Day 267: Ancestry.com


365 Firsts/Day 267: ANCESTRY.COM. I have the smallest family I've ever heard of. I mean really. I never met my dad's parents. His father passed 24 years before I was even born and my mother's parents died when I was a little kid. Time to do some digging. #365firsts #ancestry.com #family

Day 266: Donate to the World Wildlife Fund


365 Firsts/Day 266: DONATE TO THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND. This is one of the great organizations in the world and I'm happy to make a donation for their cause. #365firsts #wwf #donate

Day 265: Driftwood Restaurant


365 Firsts/Day 265: DRIFT WOOD RESTAURANT. I wanted to make this a first because it's awesome that a place like this is in Springfield, IL. It's a farm-to-table restaurant with locally grown food and free-range meat. Really cool atmosphere and a menu that's a lot different and better than any of the chains you're going to find. If you live here, go here. It's great. Hey, only 100 days left! #365firsts #driftwood #springfieldil #goodeats #food #drinks

Day 264: GoPro


365 Firsts/Day 264: GOPRO CAMERA. Quuuiieeetttlllyyyy building something and this is a tiny part of it. #365firsts #gopro

Day 263: Make a Rice Bottle


365 Firsts/Day 263: MAKE A RICE BOTTLE. Chloe was hungry so I made my first bottle of formula and rice powder stuff, baby stuff things and stuff. She's downing it, so it was a success. #uncletrav #babystuff

Day 262: Homemade Camera Dollie


365 Firsts/Day 262: HOMEMADE CAMERA DOLLIE: Did someone say, "innovator?" Or, "former Babies R Us badass?" Yeah I thought I heard those šŸ˜ #365firsts #genius #innovator #cuttingedge #thefuture #space #importantstuff #theyseemerollin

Day 261: Buffalo Milk Cheese


365 Firsts/Day 261: BUFFALO MILK CHEESE. It smells exactly like feet and dirty socks. I mean exactly. But it tastes much better. Don't ask me how I know I just do. #365firsts #cheese #buffalocheese

Day 260: Science Project Volcano


365 Firsts/Day 260: SCIENCE PROJECT VOLCANO. Even though I've seen it in a million movies and TV shows, I never did one of these. It's a weak little volcano but it's still a volcano, dammit. #365firsts #yeahscience #sciencebitch #volcanos

Day 259: JalapeƱo Beer


365 Firsts/Day 259: JALAPEƑO BEER. Tried some early in the am today and wooo it was spicy. Good, but if I would of had a whole bottle, my esophagus would've ruptured. #365firsts #jalapeno #bentriver

Day 258: Donate to Help Build a School


Day 257: First Slow-Motion Video


365 Firsts/Day 257: FIRST SLOW-MOTION VIDEO. Nothing a big red ball and some slow motion can't cure. Except physical pain. It doesn't cure physical pain. #365firsts #slowmotion #iphone #apple #iphone6


Day 256: Eat Larb



365 Firsts/Day 256: EAT LARB. Larb or Larp or Laap, depending on where you're located, is the national dish of Laos. This particular one is from the Magic Kitchen in Springfield. It's pretty good. Spicy and salty with a lot of cilantro. #365firsts #larb #laos

Day 255: Read Tea Leaves - Tasseography


365 Firsts/Day 255: READ TEA LEAVES - TASSEOGRAPHY. I obviously have no idea what I'm doing, but I gave it a shot lol What I gathered from the research I did is that there is trouble of my making on the way, according to the leaves. Well, that's nothing new. Thanks for the idea, @knerq! #365firsts #tealeaves #tasseography

Day 254: Trivia Crack


Had to see what all the fuss was about.

Day 253: Burn Incense


365 Firsts/Day 253: BURN INCENSE. Been around it before, never burned it myself. Pretty nice. Honeymusk scent. #365firsts #incense #burn

Day 252: Donate to Firstbook.org


365 Firsts/Day 252: DONATE TO FIRSTBOOK.ORG. It's donating books to children. Come on. It's important. #365firsts #firstbook #donate

Day 251: Completely Bust my ass on Ice and end up Halfway Under my Car


365 Firsts/Day 251: COMPLETELY BUST MY ASS ON ICE AND END UP HALFWAY UNDER MY CAR. Hahahaha ohhhh. I did one of those full on slips and slammed onto my back and ended up with my entire lower body under my car, looking up at the stars and listening to my water bottle roll away. It's dark out here, ok? #365firsts #bustmyass #wintersucks #ice #ihatejanuary

Day 250: Pay for a Stranger's Gas


I got a $30 gift card from across the street at a gas station and then went to the Panera Bread drive-thru and gave it to the nice lady that was serving me. She seemed very pleasantly surprised. I liked this one. 

Day 249: Intuos Creative Pad


365 Firsts/Day 249: INTUOS CREATIVE PAD. Using this along with Adobe Illustrator is pretty awesome. If you don't know what the hell this is, it's essentially a drawing pad that allows you to make vector art on a computer program. What you do on it transfers to the program. Pretty cool. #365firsts #intuos #creative #art

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Day 248: Accidentally Stumble Across Myself on Google


365 Firsts/Day 248: ACCIDENTALLY STUMBLE ACROSS MYSELF ON GOOGLE. I've been really busy today so I Googled, "new things to try", to figure out what to do for a first and I saw 365 Firsts on the bottom of the first page, ha. Pretty cool. #365firsts #google

Day 247: Crowdrise - The Posing Cyclist


365 Firsts/Day 247: CROWDRISE: THE POSING CYCLIST. This guy is awesome. He biked over 15,000km to raise money for the Acumen Fund which helps to eliminate poverty. His original goal was to raise over $25,000 and he's 40% of the way there. Thought I would give him a tiny boost. If you're interested in donating to this great cause, here's the link http://bit.ly/1A9Xkik #365firsts #crowdrise #theposingcyclist

Day 246: Officially Moved Out


365 Firsts/Day 245: HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE. Easy to make, tastes like death. It's been a long day of moving and the insomnia has been crazy lately, so these are the days I make toothpaste. #365firsts #homemade #toothpaste #cleanyomouth

Day 245: Homemade Toothpaste


365 Firsts/Day 245: HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE. Easy to make, tastes like death. It's been a long day of moving and the insomnia has been crazy lately, so these are the days I make toothpaste. #365firsts #homemade #toothpaste #cleanyomouth

Day 244: Drive a Moving Truck


Getting ready for the big move tomorrow. 

Day 243: First Professional Camera


365 Firsts/Day 242: IQ STEPS. Still barely moving around from recovering from the flu, so this is all I've got today. #365firsts #iqsteps #flu

Day 242: IQ Steps


365 Firsts/Day 242: IQ STEPS. Still barely moving around from recovering from the flu, so this is all I've got today. #365firsts #iqsteps #flu

Day 241: Catch the 2015 Flu


365 Firsts/Day 241: CATCH THE 2015 FLU. It's a good one. Vomiting, chilling, sweating, shaking, aching. I didn't get the flu last winter so this is revenge. On the upside, I've gotten pretty close with this bucket. If I ever need another bucket, I'm looking at you, Menards (please pay me money for saying that). #flu #2015 #menards #menardsbemysponsor

Day 240: Photo Doggies for Anthony


365 Firsts/Day 240: PHOTO DOGGIES FOR ANTHONY. There is a Facebook Invite that anyone can join for 16-year-old Anthony Lyons from Phoenix, Arizona. Anthony has lymphoblastic leukemia. The visits Anthony receives from dogs during pet therapy sessions are what make him happy and keep him going. You're welcome to join the event, "Photo Doggies for Anthony" and post a picture of your dogs to lift his spirits. This is my dog Maddie. She's a character. It's gone viral and is a great example of the power of social media. #365firsts #dogs #photodoggiesforanthony

Day 239: Write a Letter to Myself to Read One Year from Today


365 Firsts/Day 239: WRITE A LETTER TO MYSELF TO OPEN 1 YEAR FROM TODAY. @knerq gave me the brilliant idea to do this. It's perfect because of all of the things that are going on in my life right now. So many things are ending or coming to a conclusion and even though a lot of it sucks, it's nothing to complain about and I'm excited for what's ahead. I have some big plans. It's more of just a major life shift than anything and writing this right now is perfect timing. I could open it in a year and read it and laugh so hard. Or say to myself, "hey, you're pretty insightful" and give myself a high five for where I'm at in a year. Even though this is small, it felt really great to do this and honestly has been one of my favorite firsts so far. Everyone should try this. There's a lot more to it than what it sounds like. Thanks a lot for the idea, knerq! #365firsts #futureself #1year

Day 238: Everything is Boxed Up


365 Firsts/Day 238: EVERYTHING IS BOXED UP. Hasn't been the best day today. These are the kind of days where 365 Firsts sucks. Sitting here for over an hour trying to decide what to do for a first when it's the last thing on my mind. BUT, I knew there'd be days like this and that's all part of the experience and the growth I'll have from it. I'm busy moving out of my apartment so I'm making this is my first. I've lived here for almost 7 years. It's weird to sit here with everything bare for the first time since I moved in. Next weekend is the official move date. Not too excited. #365firsts

Day 237: Recess Brewery - Edwardsville, IL


365 Firsts/Day 237: RECESS BREWERY - EDWARDSVILLE IL. First microbrewery in Edwardsville! Right when I'm moving. This place is great. Check it out. #365firsts #beer #edwardsvilleil #recessbrewing

Day 236: Crowdrise - Donate so a Kid can have Access to Dance



365 Firsts/Day 236: CROWDRISE - DONATE SO A KID CAN HAVE ACCESS TO DANCE. The arts are important and always have had a special place in my heart. So have kids. If I can donate a little bit to help an underprivileged kid somewhere pursue their passion, in this case dance, then that's great and I'll always do this whenever I have the opportunity to. Happy New Year's Day, everyone! #365firsts #donate #crowdrise #dance

Day 235: OLD IRISH NEW YEAR TRADITION


365 Firsts/Day 235: OLD IRISH NEW YEAR TRADITION. Happy New Year! Being Irish myself, I thought it would be appropriate to practice an old Irish New Year tradition: banging a loaf of bread against the doors and walls of your house to chase off the bad luck of a house and invite good spirits in. Hey, maybe it'll work. I hope everyone has a very happy and safe New Year's Eve and that the new year is better in every way than last year! Thanks so much for following along with 365 Firsts this year if you have. It's been an insane year and I'm sure next year won't slow down by much. #365firsts #happynewyear #irish #bread #newbegginings


Day 234: Eat Tongue


365 Firsts/Day 234: EAT TONGUE. Beef tongue gnocchi to be exact at Cleveland Heath in Edwardsville. Super good! #365firsts #tongue #clevelandheath

Day 233: iMOVIE


365 Firsts/Day 233: iMOVIE. I can see this coming in handy later on for sure. I like making videos and editing them, I just always do it with a very limited iPhone app except for in school. Could be cool. @ftworthferguson you're everywhere. #apple #imovie #mac

Day 232: Selfie Stick


Ft. Worth Ferguson graced us with his presence and then gave us the honor of wearing some of his hat replacements and taking a selfie with his selfie stick. No autograph though. He's kind of jerk, actually. @ftworthferguson #365firsts #diphop #bootsandhats #selfie #selfiestick