43 Things...

When my good friend Rachel and I were living in NYC, she turned me on to a website called 43things.com. Here, you can add a to-do list of 43 things that you want to do before you die, and can receive support from this goal-oriented community to achieve it. When you accomplish one of your goals, you check it off, and offer advice to others who wish to do the same thing in the future. Most importantly, you can add another goal. You get weekly/monthly/quarterly emails checking your status and motivating you to reach some of your goals.

I receive a weekly email for: "Find a balance between the things I want to do and the things I need to do," knowing that I likely would need a daily reminder for something as simple as this, but the website doesn't offer a "daily" reminder as a feature. I would rather only receive a quarterly email for "Have children" or "Visit Australia" knowing these goals are in my more distant future (sorry Oz loves). I laugh at myself every month when I receive the email saying "Stop Procrastinating" knowing that it'll take a miracle to check off this goal, especially after years of successful procrastination on academic assignments (not to mention receiving better grades on the assignments I put off than the ones I do in advance).

Unfortunately, I have not been able to check off many of these goals. Yesterday I received my quarterly email of "Run a Marathon." After creating this website three years ago, I really cannot believe that in April I'll be able to check off what I think is probably the most lofty goal on my list of 43things to do. Running the marathon is something I always wanted to do, and many, including myself, thought that it was something that I could never accomplish. Now, if only I can check off: "Wake up when my alarm goes off...the first time."

My 1st Donation is from...

....Andrew Apjohn! Thank you so much Apjohn for your generous donation! Andrew is one of my favorite law school buddies. Although I still am a bit upset with his "Hail to the Victors...You $uck!" voicemail after Michigan lost to Oregon this year, I am totally grateful for his donation, and won't hold his rude voicemail against him any longer. :)

What a way to start Thanksgiving week. THANKS AGAIN Andrew!!

Why I'm Running 26.2 Miles

I am running in memory of my Aunt Nancy Wolfson who lost her five-year long battle with ovarian and endometrial cancer in February 2007. My Auntie Nancy never married. She never had kids. But she treated me, my sister Ashley, and my cousins Sara and Amanda, like her own daughters. In response, we treated her like a second mom. Our Auntie Nancy taught us to value family and friendship. She inspired us to strive to overcome any obstacle, no matter how tough the battle really was. As apparent from the photo above, our Auntie Nancy encouraged us to always do all this with the largest smile on our faces at all times.

My Auntie Nancy fought her battle with cancer til the very end. I am running in her memory, but I cannot run for her. She has since passed away. If it wasn't for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, I do not know if I would have had as much time with my Auntie Nancy after her diagnosis. Today, unfortunately, everyone is affected by cancer. For this reason, I am running with the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team, raising money for the Claudia Adams Barr Program for Innovative Cancer Research, the same research that led to experimental treatments that helped my Auntie Nancy throughout her battle with her disease. I am running in hopes of bringing us closer to the day when cancer can be eradicated.

So when my weekly mileage reaches 45 miles, or I slip on black ice when a Nor'easter hits during a long Saturday morning run, or when April 21st arrives with hurricane-like or heatwave conditions, you will all continue to call me crazy. But, I'll just keep reminding myself what brought me to this point - my Auntie Nancy's smile and determination, and my hopes for us all to reach the ultimate finish line: A World Without Cancer.

Becoming Computer Savvy...

I'm computer illiterate. I know how to turn my computer on, type class notes and papers, poke people on facebook, gchat and read Simmons. The rest of my computer and internet using abilities are...just horrible. But, I am fortunate to have always had a "computer person" throughout my life. I had my dad's computer guy in his office throughout my high school years, and my summers home from college. I had my friend Eric all throughout college. My "buttercup girls" and I would cook him dinner (which was already a mistake on our parts because his parents own my favorite Chinese restaurant ever), in exchange for him fixing whatever unknown viruses we would get on our computers. Now, I am lucky to have someone in the computer lab at school and then when it comes to my wireless internet problems, my friend Jamie down the street.

But as I embark on this marathoning feat, I will learn how to use computers. I will learn what it means to buy domain names and have to have another site "host" my website. I will have to learn how to set my profiles so that the spaming and stalking internet world cannot learn all of my information. And, I will have to learn how to raise money through a blog (with humor lacking during exam crunch time), and through a kintera website.

Let the games begin everyone. I am going to be computer literate by April 21st. While I am at it, I'll raise $7, 500 for Innovative Cancer Research and Run 26.2 Miles.