https://www.micah.soy/tags/day-zero/ Recent content in Day Zero on Micah Henning Hugo en-us Mon, 24 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-day-of-surprises/ Mon, 24 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-day-of-surprises/ Extravagant Trek to Alaska and Thereabouts: Day 9 Link to heading I planned two surprises for Veronika for today. They didn’t have to be surprises, but I like surprising, and she gets appropriately worried about what I have planned (for good reason!), which is particularly entertaining to me. We left early in the morning and drove from Fairbanks south to Healy, which resides just north of world-famous Denali National Park. https://www.micah.soy/posts/weve-made-it-to-alaska/ Sun, 23 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/weve-made-it-to-alaska/ Extravagant Trek to Alaska and Thereabouts: Day 8 Link to heading As though I didn’t feel on top of the world already, having seen and done so many new and beautiful things on our roadtrip to Alaska, we were about to take the world- famous Top of the World Highway. From the campground on the other side of the Yukon River from Dawson City, we headed west on this poorly-maintained, mostly dirt road to the Yukon-Alaska border. https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-yukon/ Sat, 22 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-yukon/ Extravagant Trek to Alaska and Thereabouts: Day 7 Link to heading We awoke at the Watson Lake campground in Yukon, made breakfast, and enjoyed the natural beauty that surrounded us. There were a few very friendly birds joining us for some grub. They were picking up our food droppings quickly and opportunistically. So I wondered just how friendly they really were. I left the last nibble of my english muffin on my hand and stuck it straight out. https://www.micah.soy/posts/bears-hotsprings-and-the-yukon/ Fri, 21 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/bears-hotsprings-and-the-yukon/ Extravagant Trek to Alaska and Thereabouts: Day 6 Link to heading Franziskaner beat us to the road, even though we awoke early. We packed up and stopped at the Triple G Hideway campsite’s restaurant for breakfast. The restaurant has a very western, wilderness feel to it, and the food was pretty good. The seats at the bar were horse saddles on wooden stools, and there were taxidermy of local game that littered the walls. https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-alaskan-highway/ Thu, 20 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-alaskan-highway/ Extravagant Trek to Alaska and Thereabouts: Day 5 Link to heading Surprise! We survived black bear infested Pocahontas. Although, I think I could hear them walking around last night… I didn’t sleep all that well, and I clutched tightly onto my whistle the entire time. We keep a clean campsite. All of our food is stored in proper containers and left inside the car at night. We wash dishes immediately after every meal, and we don’t burn or bury food. https://www.micah.soy/posts/jasper/ Wed, 19 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/jasper/ Extravagant Trek to Alaska and Thereabouts: Day 4 Link to heading We awoke unscathed and groggy from our late night, washed ourselves with baby wipes since this campsite lacked showers, made breakfast, then departed toward Jasper National Park of Canada. On the way we stopped at Lake Louise, since it was “highly recommended” by every human imagineable. Well, everybody got the memo. There were more tourists here snapping photos of the lake than there are people tanning on Miami beach during Spring Break. https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-great-sandhills-alberta-and-banff-national-park/ Tue, 18 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-great-sandhills-alberta-and-banff-national-park/ Extravagant Trek to Alaska and Thereabouts: Day 3 Link to heading This morning we awoke early and made our way south to the Great Sandhills. What a bizarre sight! While much of the sand dunes (many of which were at least ten meters in height) were grass-stabilized, there were several very sandy regions that made me question whether I was truly in Canada. The photos we took could appear to be from the Sahara, at least as far as I would assume since I haven’t been there…yet. https://www.micah.soy/posts/saskatchewan/ Mon, 17 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/saskatchewan/ Extravagant Trek to Alaska and Thereabouts: Day 2 Link to heading We awoke in Riding Mountain National Park of Canada alive and unscathed by the 1000 bears that thrive in the park, (as we learned after we left.) We showered and got ready for the day in the park’s extraordinarily nice facilities. The bathrooms were heated and the showers were hot. Vee used the potatoes she made the night before and made a breakfast skillet for the both of us, which we washed down with some Earl Gray. https://www.micah.soy/posts/ccna-security-easy-peasy/ Mon, 17 Aug 2015 02:06:21 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/ccna-security-easy-peasy/ I recently obtained my CCNA Security certification after passing exam 640-554. I studied for about two months straight after earning the CCNA, so switching and routing concepts were still fresh in my mind, making it quite a bit easier to connect security concepts to networking components. I found the exam to be orders of magnitude easier than the CCNA. I think that’s because many of the concepts are not very technical. https://www.micah.soy/posts/mardi-gras/ Mon, 17 Aug 2015 01:37:22 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/mardi-gras/ When trying to decide how I would visit Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, I realized that Mardi Gras was coming up quickly. What an adventure that would be to road trip to New Orleans for one of the largest French festivals in the world! (And to kick off Lent, which, for me, is exciting only because I love the Friday night fish fries common in the midwest during Lent.) Veronika and I began in Milwaukee, WI to pick up our extraordinarily fancy friend, Bryan. https://www.micah.soy/posts/manitoba/ Sun, 16 Aug 2015 04:00:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/manitoba/ Extravagant Trek to Alaska and Thereabouts: Day 1 Link to heading My girlfriend, Veronika, and I spent the night at my sister’s house in Wausau, WI yesterday, which was just a short, two-hour trek north of our home in Madison. We arrived later than expected because we didn’t anticipate how long being blessed for safe travels would take (her mother is just the wee bit nervous of our adventure.) Nevertheless, we made it and spent the rest of the evening listening to rap songs from the 90s and 2000s and watching the movie Hook. https://www.micah.soy/posts/laser-tag-is-fun/ Fri, 14 Aug 2015 18:55:00 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/laser-tag-is-fun/ As a belated birthday gift, Veronika took me out for dinner at this nice restaurant downtown Madison called Hamilton on the Square. They specialize in well-made drinks and specialty plates meant for sharing among multiple people, as opposed to the traditional entreé. Consequently, the portions were small, but were priced slightly above the average dinner with adequate portions. The food was good, however. I ordered the octopus and Vee ordered the cheese balls in garlic sauce (I can no longer remember the fancy name for them. https://www.micah.soy/posts/in-pursuit-of-the-ccna/ Mon, 23 Feb 2015 05:20:07 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/in-pursuit-of-the-ccna/ Last week, after months of studying, I passed exam 200-101: Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2 to earn my CCNA credential. It was a very tough exam, certainly, and more difficult than the fifteen other certifications I’ve earned combined. If you are preparing for the ICND1 or ICND2 exams, or if you are brave and experienced enough to attempt the combined 200-120 CCNA exam, make sure you know the material backwards and forwards, and then after that review it all again. https://www.micah.soy/posts/let-there-be-beer/ Mon, 23 Feb 2015 03:26:53 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/let-there-be-beer/ Three weeks ago my buddy Dave and I capped the final bottle of our first batch of Wheat beer–a total yield of 49 bottles. We used the Afternoon Deelite Wheat recipe from Madison’s Wine and Hop Shop. Here’s a list of the ingredients we used: 2.5 lbs 2-Row malt 3 lbs Red Wheat malt 8 oz Acidulated malt 3 lbs wheat liquid malt extract 1 lb pilsen dry malt extract 2 oz Sorachi Ace hop pellets 1 oz Perle hop pellets Wyeast 1010 In the light of full disclosure, this was the third time I’ve made beer. https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-the-film-the-birth-of-a-nation/ Wed, 07 Jan 2015 05:52:20 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-the-film-the-birth-of-a-nation/ Recently, Netflix added “The Birth of a Nation,” a 1915 silent film about the Civil War and the dramatized reconstruction thereafter. The film is known for many innovative film techniques that undoubtedly inspired many producers for years to come. However, that is about all the good I have to say regarding this film, for it is obscenely racist. Any black character not involved in a crowd or backdrop is represented by a white person in blackface, and the film sympathizes with the creation of the Ku Klux Klan as being necessary to restore order after freedmen apparently ran amok, raping and pillaging. https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-the-book-of-job/ Wed, 07 Jan 2015 02:54:22 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-the-book-of-job/ In the Harvard Classics reading list for the history of the world, there exists just one work categorized as belonging to the East in patriarchal times–that is, during times when men held predominant power over women. That work is the Hebrew parable of Job, which is found both in the Ketuvim of the Tanakh and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Patriarchal assuredly it is, and arguably also dystopian, but poetic nonetheless. https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-ancient-egypt/ Tue, 06 Jan 2015 03:31:59 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-ancient-egypt/ I finished today the account of Herodotus, a Greek writer from the fifth century B.C.E., of the land and people of Egypt as he travelled about the ancient world in search of history and culture. I found his account to be a delightful read because of his keen interest in how things come to be, not just politically and culturally, but also geologically and architecturally. This is evident immediately as he postulates that Egypt must have been largely or completely under water long ago, for the land at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea slopes upward toward the coast, and because seashells have been found on mountain tops far from any coast. https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-race-and-language/ Sat, 03 Jan 2015 23:28:50 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-race-and-language/ Recently, I read the first few articles in the Harvard Classics reading list. The first was a nice introduction to the history of the world by one Professor Robert Johnston, and the second a brief introduction to ancient history by Professor William Ferguson. They were well-written works that were reasonably easy to follow, despite them having been written more than one hundred years ago. What I want to talk about, however, is the extraordinary article titled Race and Language by Oxford history professor Edward Freeman. https://www.micah.soy/posts/day-zero-was-yesterday/ Fri, 02 Jan 2015 05:00:33 +0000 https://www.micah.soy/posts/day-zero-was-yesterday/ Today is the first day of 2015 and also happens to be when the tertiary iteration of my Day Zero Project begins. I’ve already made headway in one of my personal project goals: this website. I hated my old blog and sought to make one that I would enjoy using. This is it! But as to why I could love something so plain and simple is a post for another time. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-13/ Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-13/ It seems I am developing a nasty little habit of posting my weekly goals list at the end of the week when there is but one or two days left to allocate things to do. I always seem to find some reason for waiting, too. This week, for example, I had my wisdom teeth removed, so I was recovering from oral surgery. That was on Wednesday. On Sunday and Monday, I worked from 7pm to 7am, and then from 3p to 12a on Tuesday. https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-virtue-and-conscience/ Sun, 04 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/on-virtue-and-conscience/ In response to reading Journal by John Woolman, I write this post in confusion, and probably ignorance, for which I fear one day may cause me some embarrassment to myself if I would become capable of understanding said writings and then reread this post. In reading about John Woolman, I have come to learn about an extraordinarily humble and pious Quaker, who would undoubtedly, if such records of Quakers were kept, be among the list of saints. https://www.micah.soy/posts/productivity-audit-for-month-3/ Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/productivity-audit-for-month-3/ Wait a minute… What happened to Productivity Audit for Month 2?! Well, I have no idea. Anyway, I have been very happy with my productivity over the last few months. The only reason I am behind in my goals is because I perhaps made my list a little too audacious! :-/ Even during the week and a half that I was sick, I still worked and learned. And now I am revamping my diet in high hopes to mitigate any future ailments my body may encounter. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-12/ Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-12/ Yes, I know. Week 12 is already more than half over. But this isn’t to say that I didn’t set goals for this week; I just didn’t have the time to blog them on account of having quite a bit of overtime for work. In regard to my language studies, I am still working away diligently on my Russian learnings. I am almost done with Unit 2 of Level 1. Per my calendar however, I should be completing level 1 next Friday! https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-11/ Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-11/ Alright. It is now time to get back on track. Wednesday is closer to Monday than Friday is and there are still several days left in the week to accomplish some goals. Complete Unit 2 in Rosetta Stone Catch up in work logs Run a 5k That’s it for now! Stay classy, fellow bloggers. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-10/ Sat, 19 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-10/ This is just terrible. I’m going to do another one of these tomorrow. I need to get back on my feet here. I had a bad cold this entire week and didn’t really accomplish anything goal-related. Goals for the rest of this week (aka the next twelve hours sigh): Run a foot race Stay classy, fellow bloggers. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-9/ Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-9/ I can’t believe it has already been another week! I’m still trying to get back to posting my weekly goals lists on Sunday or Monday and am evidently doing a horrible job. I took the SAT on Saturday and I am not so sure I did well enough to reach my goal of getting a 700. I had a horrible night’s sleep and as a result had worse memory recollection and processing speed, as was evident in my Lumosity training I took in the morning before the SAT. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-8/ Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-8/ Blech. Another late weekly. My SAT is tomorrow and I’m doing some last minute studying (all day, of course). Per Goal 010, I need to score at least a 700. The higher the score, the better off I will be. In preparation for this important exam, I answered the Official SAT Question of the Day daily for three months, took the official SAT online course, and read through the official SAT study guide. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-7/ Thu, 27 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-7/ Yes, today is not Monday. It is Thursday and I am very tardy in posting my weekly goals list on account of working an unusually large number of hours this week (~80). Because of that, I am setting just one goal for this week: Complete at least one practice SAT test Here is a quick update on my Day Zero progress: I watched another movie on AFI’s list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, but I am not sure how I feel about it or how I want to write about it. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-6/ Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-6/ On to week six already! Time is just flying by! My SAT is in less than three weeks, I planned to have Russian Level 1 Unit 2 completed two weeks from today, and I expected to be done reading the book of Exodus by Wednesday (so far I read only part of Genesis and part of Job! :-/). So here is what I need to do: Complete Lessons 1 and 2 on Russian Level 1 Unit 2 Take at least one practice test for the SAT Finish reading the book of Job Catch up in work logs Clean my car (I’ve needed to for at least three weeks! https://www.micah.soy/posts/movie-97-bringing-up-baby-1938/ Wed, 12 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/movie-97-bringing-up-baby-1938/ Have you ever had one of those days where no matter what you do, you do it wrong? You tear your coat. You lose the back of your dress. You steal a car. You cause the skeleton of a very large prehistoric dinosaur to fall to its second doom. Yes, yes, we all have those days. All we need to do is remember that it could be worse! For example, you could be chased by an untamed leopard in Connecticut on the day of your wedding. https://www.micah.soy/posts/movie-98-unforgiven-1992/ Mon, 10 May 2010 01:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/movie-98-unforgiven-1992/ You open your eyes. Your mind recollects the image of your dear, departed wife with her face covered in worms. And the Angel of Death hovers over the waters. “This is what happens to assassins in the town of Little Whiskey!” The effulgent moonlight peering through the window dims as your pupils adjust to the surroundings. You receive another blow to the ribs by the foot of the notorious Little Bill, a brilliant carpenter with a dim-witted pistol. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-5/ Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-5/ Well… It seems to me that I complete less with more to do. The only goal I completed last week was to watch a movie. And that even took me three tries on account of exhaustion and falling asleep in the middle of the movie. Blegh. Two camels in a tiny car. Goals for this week: Watch the 97th Greatest Movie of All Time (Bringing Up Baby [1938]) Finish Rosetta Stone Russian Level 1 Unit 1 Complete 1 more ITIL course Finish the book of Job Clean my car Catch up on work logs Run at least one 5k Stay classy, fellow bloggers. https://www.micah.soy/posts/volunteering-for-the-girl-scouts/ Sat, 08 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/volunteering-for-the-girl-scouts/ On Wednesday I spent the morning and afternoon volunteering at the Girl Scout camp near my apartment to help the camp become prepared for the up-and-coming summer programs. I went with over a hundred other people from work. We teamed up and painted, cleaned, cleared brush, felled dead trees, filled potholes, dug fire pits, planted, moved fire wood, and made gravel landings for eight cabins. Gorgeous property! That entire lake belongs to the Girl Scouts. https://www.micah.soy/posts/productivity-audit-for-month-1/ Tue, 04 May 2010 01:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/productivity-audit-for-month-1/ Per goal 055, I am to evaluate my productivity and security on a monthly basis. Hmm…. Let’s see here… I’ve noticed that I am having an increasing dependence on Google services. I find that I very frequently use Gmail, Voice, Docs, Maps, Search, Reader, Analytics, Calendar, Contacts, Adsense, Goog-411, and of course, Blogger. Naturally, one set of account credentials is used across the board. While I do change my password every few months to a computer-generated series of capitalized and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols; I feel as though having two-factor authentication would make me feel more at-ease with having all this information floating around in the cloud. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-4/ Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-4/ Wow. Time flies by! It feels like I just started this program last week. I’m about to approach a full month already! So far, I’ve accomplished quite a bit. I’ve completed three goals, watched two of 100 movies, and ran one of ten foot races. I’m scheduled to work my first volunteer project tomorrow as well. On the other hand, I’m falling behind in other areas. For example, yesterday I was hoping to have reached the second unit in my Russian studies, but I am only half way through the first unit. https://www.micah.soy/posts/movie-99-guess-whos-coming-to-dinner-1967/ Sun, 02 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/movie-99-guess-whos-coming-to-dinner-1967/ Guess who’s coming to dinner! The local meat delivery man? Nope. The manager of your mom’s San Fransisco art gallery? Guess again. How about the President of the United States and his colorful administration? Well, you’re getting warmer… We’ll settle for Secretary of State. This movie depicted a black man and a white woman who fell in love in just ten days. Mind you, this is happening during some particularly uncertain times for racial integration. https://www.micah.soy/posts/063-donate-all-the-clothes-that-i-dont-wear/ Sat, 01 May 2010 01:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/063-donate-all-the-clothes-that-i-dont-wear/ Once I finished moving, I tossed all the clothes I don’t need into two big garbage bags and took them to those big red boxes often seen in this area that distribute the clothes to charities and the homeless. (It would be fantastic to see a homeless guy wearing a trendy Abercrombie Henley.) While I already did not have many clothes, I’m down to a few whole suits, several dress shirts and dress pants, three pairs of jeans, two pairs of shorts, several shirts, and a week’s worth of underwear and socks. https://www.micah.soy/posts/homerun-for-foster-care/ Sat, 01 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/homerun-for-foster-care/ In accordance to Goal 033, I ran my first foot race today. It was a 5k (3.1 miles) race to support Foster Care in the Milwaukee area. My time was a not-so-impressive 27 minutes. Regardless, this was my first run since January 4 and I didn’t injure myself, incur any cramps, or throw up. So I consider it a success. :-) There were a few instances during the race where I picked up my pace and started “picking people off,” as I worked to pass people one by one. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-3/ Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-3/ Well… I felt like I accomplished a lot. I went through five years worth of paperwork, cleaned up the apartment, and caught up with work. But I only managed to complete one of my weekly goals–and it was watching a movie. Now that I can see that my priorities are in order, I am going to be making some changes that will help to achieve my goals. Firstly, I am going to push my SAT to June, since I don’t think I am prepared enough to take it by May 1. https://www.micah.soy/posts/movie-100-yankee-doodle-dandy-1942/ Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/movie-100-yankee-doodle-dandy-1942/ My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you. What a fantastic flick! I find I am not at all surprised to see this movie on AFI’s list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. This movie is about the life of actor, dancer, songwriter, and director George M Cohan, from birth until he received the Congressional Gold Medal late in his life. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-2/ Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-2/ Blegh. Last week I only completed three of my weekly goals! What a week it was, too. I only had 4 hours of billable time at MOST, so I just missed that goal. I didn’t start my Rosetta Stone studying until this week. I accidentally left my SAT practice book more than 100 miles away so I couldn’t do those practice tests either… I am having it shipped back to me so I should get it in the mail this week. https://www.micah.soy/posts/098-write-a-letter-to-myself-to-be-opened-on-the-last-day-of-the-project/ Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/098-write-a-letter-to-myself-to-be-opened-on-the-last-day-of-the-project/ Albeit later than I originally anticipated when I appended this goal to the Day Zero list, today I wrote a letter to myself to be opened on the last day of the project. Now, I’m sure you are pacing back and forth and pulling out your hair as your blood pressure rises in anticipation to know what it was, exactly I wrote, but…. You’ll just have to wait until 2013 when I open the letter. https://www.micah.soy/posts/046-start-a-401k/ Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/046-start-a-401k/ When my employment officially moved from a contracting agency to my employer after 90 days on the job, I began receiving benefits, including a 401k through Fidelity Investments. I set 10% of my income to go to my 401k and I selected a plan based on which year I would like to retire. The longer I work for my employer, the more is matched. Of my total balance, 66% is invested in domestic equity funds, 19% in international equity funds, and 15% in bonds. https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-great-flood/ Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/the-great-flood/ Day 2: Genesis 4-7 Genesis chapter four talks about Cain killing Abel over jealousy. God favored fat portions from Abel’s livestock over the fruits of the earth brought forth by Cain. One day Cain put his foot down and said, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Then he murdered his brother. God tried to trick Cain into confessing his sin, but Cain played stupid and God cursed him. https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-1/ Mon, 12 Apr 2010 01:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/goals-for-week-1/ This is the beginning of my first week of the Day Zero project. I’m starting the week sick and exhausted, unfortunately. Hopefully, this won’t greatly hinder my progress on completing the following goals: Achieve 100% of my SLAs at work Get 5 hours of billable time at MOST Complete Rosetta Stone Russian Level 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1 Move 50% of the remaining crap from my parents’ house to my apartment Take 2 SAT practice tests Complete my 5 hours of training for work Fax in the four missing time logs for job 3 Ship the two packages that have been sitting in my car for three weeks Cancel my YMCA membership (haven’t been using it and I moved) Watch the 100th Greatest Movie of All Time This is going to be a good week. https://www.micah.soy/posts/in-the-beginning-god-created-the-heavens-and-the-earth/ Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/in-the-beginning-god-created-the-heavens-and-the-earth/ Day 1: Genesis 1-3 When I originally decided to read the Bible in a year, I never thought I would have so many questions, especially on the very first verse of the first chapter of the first book on the first day. 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Is the ‘beginning’ defined as being the absolute beginning of everything in existence or is the ‘beginning’ defined as the beginning of everything in existence as it pertains to our curiosity of how we came to be? https://www.micah.soy/posts/journal-for-11-april-2010/ Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/journal-for-11-april-2010/ The biggest negative act I did today was actually pretty serious. At work I created a ticket for an incident without adding any useful information, causing the next shift to pick up the pieces. I don’t know what I was thinking and I had no excuse for doing so. This can’t happen again. In wanting to place excellence in everything I do, I failed big time. The biggest positive act I did today was talking with and consoling an old friend of mine who has been experiencing a lot of uncertainty as of late. https://www.micah.soy/posts/and-so-it-begins/ Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:01:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/and-so-it-begins/ I’m one hour into the project and am both excited and intimidated. I’ve created the savings account for the charity funds (all interest earned also goes to the charity of your choice) and am ready to start making progress! I’m not very good at writing regularly, but I hope the reason for that is lack of content. In having so much to talk about, I’m sure I’ll be blogging at least once per day. https://www.micah.soy/posts/list-of-goals/ Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/list-of-goals/ Quest for Knowledge (12) Link to heading Japanese: Complete all 3 Rosetta Stone levels and read 1 book written in Japanese Russian: Complete all 3 Rosetta Stone levels and read 1 book written in Russian I love to learn languages and I would love to learn many of them. I studied some Spanish and German in high school and college. I would really like to learn Japanese and Russian, too. https://www.micah.soy/posts/today-is-day-zero/ Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/today-is-day-zero/ Finally, after much delay, the Day Zero Project is about to begin. For the next 1001 days, I will be engaged in a lifestyle designed to drastically improve myself as a person and the way I live my life. I will indulge in new experiences and germinate my success. I will try new things and break free from my comfort zones. I will travel. I will fly. I will cry. (Well, maybe not, but it rhymed. https://www.micah.soy/posts/website-updates/ Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/website-updates/ It sure has been a while since I’ve last posted! I have been working on my blog through the two week hiatus, however. As you can see, there is a new theme and layout which should help to separate all of the different content on my blog. I’ve added a page that lists my goals for my Day Zero project, though I still need another 15 goals or so. If you have any ideas, feel free to comment! https://www.micah.soy/posts/day-zero-project/ Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.micah.soy/posts/day-zero-project/ In 2006, I created a list of 101 preset goals to complete in 1001 days. This project is known as Day Zero. I completed the project in August 2009, but was far from accomplishing all of those goals. I was not able to complete many of these goals because they were not designed to be accomplish-able. Good goals must be specific. I had a goal to work at a bank. When writing the goals list initially, I was assuming I would be working as a teller or some other position within the bank.