Random Fodder

I'm going to find my 43 Things to do in 2006.

When the new year of 2006 hits, my list will be published. Yes, at midnight, EST. As I am a procrastinator, I will hopefully have this list finished by then. (Don't be surprised if you see "Stop Procrastinating" on the list.)

43 Things first caught my eye because its name was somewhat similar to the blog's former name of "Fifty-three More Things to Do in Zero Gravity." I finally looked into the site, and here's its self-explanation:

. . . getting your goals in writing can help you clarify what you really want to do. You might find you have some important and some frivolous goals. That is OK. You’ve got space for 43 Things on your list. Not every one of them has to change the world (but save room for the ones that might).

Not only can you create your own list, but you can also see profiles for people who share your goals. You can use these groups however you like, but in theory, you could quickly join a group of people trying to quit smoking or visit all seven continents. Alternately, you could grumble and complain alongside a group of people trying to become more cheerful.

After starting this task, I have realized that 43 things is a lot to come up with. Up to this moment, I have written down 18 items, and that's not even halfway. Partially, this is annoying because when you're publically posting your list at "43 Things," you kind of like to have . . . you guessed it! 43 Things. In addition to being annoying, it is also a relief, because I can include silly entries as well, though I hope that it will be about a 50/50 mix between serious and silly. We'll see on 1 January how it has worked itself out.

In the meantime, I will work on a separate page devoted solely to my 43 Things, and I invite you to head to 43 Things and create a list of your own! We can compare our lists at the end of 2006.

This post was originally posted at The Smarmy Carny, Novac's general blog.

When you receive the bulletin at church, it's a simple format: Several pieces of 8 1/2 x 10 pieces of paper folded and stapled to make a little 5 x 8 1/2 booklet.

Over the years, I have seen plenty of people open these booklets up and fold them backwards so that one of the inside pages is then the "cover." Apparently this is useful for paying attention to the order of service (if your church has one) or a particular announcement. I have even seen people fold the bulletins in half horizontally in order to drape them over the pew in front of them, for the purpose of reading the chorus/hymn lyrics.

When it comes to books (and, yes, booklets), I'm very particular. I don't like messing with the spine on books particularly, but this preference translates to booklets as well. I avoid folding my bulleting incorrectly at all costs. In fact, I'm one of those people who, when folding pieces of papers in half, takes the time to very carefully make sure that each set of corners matches up perfectly, and I cringe when I receive a folded paper that is clearly asymmetrical.

So, on Sunday, when I showed the order of service to someone, they folded my bulletin backwards and handed it back to me. Of course, I gasped — not because it bothered me, but because I knew that this person was also the type of person who had to have everything just so . . . but apparently, he either let loose this day or his anal retentiveness doesn't translate to church bulletins.

I can hear you asking, "Why are you ranting about this? Are you really this petty?" To answer your second question: Yes, I am that petty, but that's not why I'm "ranting" about this. I really don't care, except for the fact that this person followed his action up with "I'm sure I'll read all about it on your blog." I assured them that they would. Mission accomplished.

Some stories don't have a moral, or even a purpose.

This post was originally posted at The Smarmy Carny, Novac's general blog.