Pie chart... mmmm

Because I have nothing of substance to say today, I have decided to draw you a pie chart of my challenges according to what kind of time and/or effort is required of them.


My categories are:
1) Postcard not received. Self explanatory (you slack so-and-sos).

2) One off task. A slightly misleading title, as this doesn't necessarily mean that I can just do it in one go. The bike ride is a good example of this: the task itself, being a charity ride from Sydney to Wollongong, will only take a few hours. But I still had to register, do the fundraising, do enough training that I don't collapse in a heap before I've even made it to Cooks River... you get the gist.

3) Ongoing - small tasks. This means things like the meditation, the songwriting and the make-people-laugh-ing. Small, but somehow still big.

4) Ongoing - commitment to task. This means the task involves a dedicated length of time to complete, such as joining a choir or learning to breakdance. It's not something I can just knock out in a weekend, I have to make the effort to work at this over weeks or months...

5) Requires multiple weekends. Things like walking around Sydney Harbour will take a while, but I'm not restricted to a specific time frame as I would be if I was attending classes or something. The horseriding looks like it will take 3 weekends, for example.

6) Gradual process. Like learning to drive, or learning to cook.

7) HELP! The stuff that I couldn't fit in any of those other categories and can't figure out how to achieve (So basically, the fundraising ball).


I'm glad they're spread out like this, because it has been almost a full month since I started and while I'm definitely making progress, I can't say I've actually completed any one thing yet. The small ongoings will technically never have a completion date, I just have to continue them for the whole year. The large ongoings I'll have to space out. The one offs I just need to lock in dates for, and I've just got to chip away at everything else.

End of month summary (corresponding to challenges):
#1 - Brain. Stalling.
#2 - Not sure what to do about this one.
#3 - I am crap at making strangers laugh. But I'm working on it.
#4 - I am meditating (almost) every day with increasing success.
#5 - I have completed Song 1 of my 12 months worth of songs-about-challenges (to be posted over the weekend depending on severity of my headcold)
#6 - Did some basic research on gig opportunities in Bathurst (the area that Jason now lives with his family) AND saw them for the first time in about 8 years when they happened to be passing through Sydney.
#7 - Looked into local gospel choirs. Many don't take newcomers but one looked particularly good, and said they would be recruiting for a musical later in the year. BAM! That's 2 of Ros's suggested challenges in one hit. Just waiting for the callback...
#8 - Heather's postcard actually asked to volunteer at the school, but I have asked permission to take up the second challenge, which is to sing at a hospital. I would actually love to help a kinder reading group but the fact is I have a 9 to 5 office job which may not be so supportive of me taking a few hours off every week to read to five year olds. Heather has yet to respond...
#9 - I really am going to do the Manly to Spit walk this weekend.
#10 - My first driving lesson is next Wednesday.
#11 - We have negotiated the date for Tasmania and it currently looks like the first weekend in February 2011. We want it to be hot enough to jump into the lagoon. However we're on the lookout for cheap flights and we'll go when it is opportunistic for us to do so.
#12 - I am going back to my parents' home in September and plan to raid their photo collection then. Since they live in the country and there isn't much to do there, I thought that would be a great place to start scrapbooking.
#13 - I have cooked one mostly-successful meal so far, sans recipe. I'm also cooking dinner for Carla & Jeremy next Friday, but am undecided on what will be on the menu yet.
#14 - Have nervously applied for numerous game shows.
#15 - Haven't set aside a time for horseriding, but it is on the cards.
#16 - Have both registered and hit my minimum donation target for the Sydney to Gong bike ride. Wowee zowee!
#17 - I am trying to find out exactly who was at this mysterious dinner. I've contacted a couple of people I know were there. They were surprisingly accommodating. It's so crazy it might just work.
#18 - I asked Cassie if she would join me in my breakdancing adventures. She has ignored my requests...
#19 - Purchased 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter' and am a couple of chapters into it. I like John Singer. He's a good guy.
#20 - Haven't even looked into local theatre groups... may end up taking the multi-media option due to time and energy restraints.
#21 - I'm trying to negotiate a film crew so my band can make a video clip. We've already written and storyboarded the whole thing, we just need someone to make it real...
#22 - Haven't thought too much about busking, except that I may need a licence for certain cities. And that I may need to learn a few Oasis songs.
#23 - #29 are empty boxes.

Ok, well for a short post this has become exceptionally long. Still, seeing it all written out like that makes me feel a little less like a loser. F*ck the what! (a joke only Bart will understand)