Task #46: Bouldering (Kim)

46.  Try Bouldering - Indoor Rock Climbing Without a Harness

I headed to Caribiner's, an indoor rock climbing facility in Fairfield, this past week to try bouldering.  Well, I didn't last very long on the bouldering part, but I attempted it a few times and took pictures of my friends' attempts.  The facility was an interesting place.  We stayed mostly on the lower levels - V0 and V1 - because those were tough enough for us as inexperienced rock wall-ers.  Anything that involved a jump from one part to another was risky because you don't wear a harness, so if you fall, you fall to the ground.  

Pieces of tape designated each path on the wall.  We purchased one chalk bag and had our first experience wearing rock climbing shoes.

Since the facility was practically empty when we went, the instructors helped us figure out how to maneuver different paths.  

My friends are considering returning again because it wasn't a very expensive adventure.  I would come again but mostly to witness their progress - it is fun to watch but I would rather just watch.  

Task #43: Be in a School Production (Rachael)

43. Be in a School Production

Ever since I was in elementary school I had always looked up to the magnificent performances the Norwalk High School Music Department put on. This year I made it my goal to try out and participate in the show! Come see Norwalk High's Production of Annie this weekend!

Task #42: Accumulate Over 1000 Page Views!

42.  Accumulate 1000 Page Views

When we first started the blog, we had no understanding of Blogger.  We slowly began to use "labels", which are tags that allow your blog to come up in a search engine, and we advertised our blog to friends and family.  Because of this, we started getting a few page views.  It was nice to have even one a day.  Of course, we always get the highest number of views on days that we post and use labels.  We were shocked when we got even 100 views, but over time, we realized more people would look at our blog than we originally thought.  Hitting 1000 views is a big milestone for us; we can see that even if people have stumbled on our website by accident, we may have impacted them or sparked their curiosity in some way.  This means that we are doing what we intended to do with this project: impact other people and inspire them to try new things rather than become warped in a mundane routine.

So, thank you to all our friends and family who regularly read this blog and to anyone else who may be reading.

Task #41: Run a 5k - Whittingham Cancer Center Walk/Run (Kim)

41.  Run a 5k

My family has participated in Norwalk Hospital's Whittingham Cancer Center Walk/Run for years in honor of my Uncle Tex, who passed away from lung cancer when I was very young.

I usually am with the walkers who walk about a mile.  This year, I signed up as runner and ran a 5k at Calf Pasture Beach this morning.  To provide some back story, I am not a completely new runner.  I run Outdoor Track, which is only one season, each year.  I focus only on mid-distance events, specifically the half mile, so doing a 5k as a race and not a practice was new to me and slightly intimidating.

My brother Rob ended up winning the entire race for all age divisions, my mom won her age category, and I won the female 14-18 age group!

I actually really enjoyed the race (as much as you can enjoy running a 5k).  My entire family was there and had worked so hard to raise nearly $3,000 for this event.  So, despite the cold weather this morning, we all got up and ended up having a great time together.

Our team was called Tex's Rangers in honor of my uncle Timothy, nicknamed Tex.  It was made up of not only our family but many friends of the family who participated, came to support, and fundraised with us.

We love and miss you, Tex.

Task #40: Wake Up and Watch the Sun Rise (Rachael)

40. Watch the sunrise

While brainstorming the final tasks, I realized I had never watched the sunrise so being the wonderful friend that I am, I forced my friends to wake up with me at 6:45. They definitely appreciated it no matter what they said.

Task #36: Meet an Optimist/Hear Tracie's Story (Kim)

36.  Meet an optimist and hear her story.

As Rachael and I stressed throughout this project, not all of our tasks had to be planned.  We expected the unexpected - for people to suggest a few tasks that could become vital to our project And that's how I found myself interviewing Tracie this afternoon at Norwalk Community College.

My mom works at NCC teaching students how to become medical assistants.  She knew all of the obstacles Tracie has recently faced, and she suggested that I interview Tracie as part of my Project Explore.  Because teenagers are considered the most self-absorbed generation, my mom believed Tracie had valuable advice and experiences to share for my project.  And she was absolutely right.

Though this is the only part of Tracie's life that I learned about and this was the first time I had met her, I could see how amazing she is.  My mom told me how great she would be to interview, but I had no idea what to expect.  Since I didn't know her, I didn't have a lot of specific questions to ask.  Luckily, Tracie knew exactly what to address, and I could form questions as the interview went along.  She was very open about all of her experiences.

This interview was an incredible experience for me.  Her grateful attitude despite the hardships she has faced was refreshing.  I am often surrounded by people complaining about how tired they are or how unfair life can be, but Tracie was not at all bitter even though she faced a cancer typically associated with people over the age of 50.  Tracie was only 37 when she was diagnosed.  Her advice about being able to push past anything with a good attitude was invaluable.

A huge thank you to Tracie for being so open and willing to share your story.  I loved creating this video.

Task #30: Instructional Paint Session (Kim)

30.  Art Task:  Attend an art class and learn how to paint a painting.

As I have reiterated many times in this project, art is not my thing.  Project 52 has motivated me to attempt one art project, but I decided to further expand my art horizons and attend a painting session.  I went to a class at Muse Paint Bar in South Norwalk.  They host painting sessions with snacks and drinks, and an artist stands at the front of the room and teaches everyone how to create a specific painting.  We were given blank canvases, paint, and paint brushes.  Some people to chose to use different colors or designs from the artist, but my friend Olivia and I decided to follow the artist's instructions since this was our first time really painting. 

My blank canvas

The paint provided before all of the color mixing

Our pre-painting selfie

The painting being taught at this lesson was an ocean sunset.  It was completed in layers on the canvas.  An artist taught it in the front of the room, and this example was hanging on the brick wall behind her.

Artist's example hung up in the front of the room.

We started about one-third of the way up on the canvas with the yellow.  We then would paint layers of a darker color working up to a light red.

The sky came next.  The painting looked like stripes before we blended it together and added the clouds.

Clouds added in the sky.

Olivia's painting, the artist' painting, and the example on the wall.

Touching up the clouds.

Adding the reflections of the sun.

Finished product after adding reeds.

Finished products with the artists' example displayed behind us.

Going to Muse was an entirely new experience for me, but not only because I have no idea how to paint or draw.  It was also because it had a very different atmosphere than what I am used to in a regular class.  Talking, conferring, and even singing along with the music playing was encouraged. Making a complete mess was practically encouraged, too; as you can tell from my pictures, paint is on everything at Muse, and that isn't considered a problem. Though the instructors wanted you to concentrate and be proud of your painting, they really wanted you to have a great time.  My painting turned out okay, but I found the black reeds very difficult to get the hang of.  And, as you can tell, they are prominent in the painting so those mistakes are obviously on display.  However, it was a great experience overall, and I would definitely consider returning to Muse for another session.  It is much harder to find things to do for Project 52 because the weather has been so awful, but this was an enjoyable activity to do indoors on a freezing winter night.

Task #23: Writing Experience (Rachael)

23. Writing Experience 

Kim and I are reaching the mid point of our project as we are coming up on our twenty third idea. Project explore had been pretty slow over the break, and we started to brain storm another batch of ideas in choir when we reached the conclusion that not every blog post had to be planned. This notion sparked when I began to tell Kim about what I had done the previous weekend. I babysat for an Orthodox Jewish Family and being the curious critter that I am, I bombarded the little rascals with questions regarding their faith and way of life.

When I walked in all of the children were cleaning up from what seemed to be the evening prayer. They were putting away the "Gartel" which Ellie explained to me as a mini Torah or a Prayer tool similar to a Mazuzah. It is used during the ritual of night time prayer. This was intriguing because I have never experienced anything like that.

It was also very obvious that God has a major presence in these children's lives.  When I asked the boys to sleep, Ellie remarked "But Hashem's not sleeping right?" This comment took me back in two regards. First of all, I did not realize that the word Hashem was a reference to God. I was also very shaken that this little boy had expected me to know the answer to a religion specific question. All though I do not remember what I responded I do remember that this comment put me very off guard.

It is very important to note the fact that even though there is such a difference in culture the children I babysat were very much children indeed! They begged to play games on my phone, asked me to read them books and fought with me when I asked them to go to bed up to the very moment their mom got home! The experience as a whole was very eye opening and interesting to be able to look at a home so rich with culture and religion.

Task #21 Completed: What Advice Would You Give to a Large Group of People? (Humans of New York Inspired)

The Humans of New York blog was a big inspiration for our project.  As part of Brandon Stanton's posts, he often asks people: "What piece of advice would you give to a large group of people?" because his blog has such a large following and impact.  Brandon Stanton's page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork.  (Note:  He has recently raised over $700,000 for an underprivileged school in Brownsville, New York after interviewing one of the students for Humans of New York.  The campaign is still going on and a link to donate can be found on his page.)

Our project will be seen by many Norwalk High students and teachers, and we want them to take away something from it.  At the end of our project, we plan to share our advice from completing 52 new tasks.  But on the journey, we wanted to take advice from others.  We planned to only ask ten people this question.  However, after answers ranging from comical to profound, we continued to ask other students and teachers because it was simply interesting.  (side note: these pictures were taken with an iPhone and the glare was pretty terrible as I'm sure you'll notice, so the black and white edits are an attempt to mask the glare)

What advice would you give to a large group of people?

Michael: Everyday is a challenge, but if you look at life with the glass half full instead of empty, you realize the beauty of it.  Because in the end...there is still something in the cup.

Olivia: Don't poke the sleeping bear.  Watch as it naps cutely and pretend that it won't bite your head off and then leave before it wakes up and everyone is good.

Mr. Foldeak: Remember that everyone sees the world a little differently and that doesn't mean your way is the right way.

Madame Graf: Never give up.

Catherine Robinson:
See things from other people's perspective.

Cara decided to write out a quote on her cell phone, which is next to her portrait and reads: "Never hide your scars because they show that you are stronger than whatever decided to hurt you."

Madison Pia: "Don't screw with Mr. Couture!"

Mr. Couture: "To Madison, I concur.  But as for the piece of advice, I say never settle for mediocrity."

Rimon (left): Don't do drugs.
Amanda: Eat green olives.
Jacob: Join Seniors Helping Seniors and help the elderly.

Izzy (left): Don't park next to white vans.
Sabrina: You get out what you put in.

Lindsey: Live life better than its fullest.

Janique: The grass is always greener on the other side.

Emily (left): Everything happens for a reason.
Alyssa: Don't talk to strangers.

Liza (provided photo): Gym is like prison, and you're a delinquent: it's mandated, and you have to undress.

Mr. Von Arter: Never settle for less than your best.

Janai: It's okay to let people go.

Mr. O'Shaughnessy could not produce one phrase as a piece of advice.  When I initially asked him, he asked me for a specific audience to address because he had so many pieces of advice to provide.  Although Brandon Stanton keeps his question vague and simply asks for a "large group of people", I told him the audience would be high school students.  We are hoping this project will have an impact on high school students.  When I returned, Mr. O' Shaughnessy had generalized and printed out a letter he wrote to a student preparing to enter teaching.  Mr. O'Shaughnessy's thoughtful response and very intellectual and well written letter reminds me why I care about this project.  I want to not only have unforgettable experiences myself but to be able to use them for good in the future.  Mr. O' Shaughnessy advised the student to connect love with wisdom, "establish and maintain such personal relationships because [the students] are ever-changing and enduring."  He reminds this student never to forget the passion that brought him to teaching and to admire and "seek counsel" from "people who excel in other professions and colleagues in other academic disciplines".  I find Mr. O's letter to be practically a guidebook for becoming a great teacher.  But it is also a reminder to us working on Project Explore to be diligent and precise because we want our 52 things to make a difference in other people's lives.

Maria: Don't dwell on the past and live for the future.

Mariah Smalls:
If you're going through something, this too shall pass.

Our Project Explore mentor, Ms. Morris:
Take one day at a time, and make sure to really live that day.

Angela: Stay strong and believe in yourself.

Gracie Bradley: Carpe diem!

Hannah: Do what makes you happiest.  And don't eat yellow snow.

This was one of my favorite tasks so far because it not only raised awareness for our project but got people involved and made them really think about this weighty question.  It also got us thinking about what our answers will be after we finish this project.

We will share our pieces of advice at our Project Explore presentation in May, after we have had 52 new experiences.

-Rachael and Kim