my 30 day project

day 18: musical traditions #30day #fb

Music is pretty transcendental. 

day 10: the master pianist #30day #fb

day 9: bored games and family fun #30day #fb

My family has always leaned on board games to avoid boredom. It seems like we bust out a board game nearly every time we are together. Sunday afternoons are often spent eating, conversing, and gaming.

We played a lot of Settlers of Catan for a few years. We also mixed in some others - Risk, Bunsies (Runs and Bunches/Phase 10) - but Settlers was our 'go-to' game. Lately we've diversified a little bit. Pirate's Dice, Acquire, Blokus, Shadows Over Camelot (okay, we haven't really played this, but Johnny always wants to), and Dominion.

Spent a few hours playing Dominion with Steve and @beccahicks today. Dominion is a card game, looks incredibly dorky, is incredibly addicting. I love it because it is just as fun with 2 people as it is with 4+ people, and the game moves quickly, often lasting less than 25 minutes.
Simple relaxation.

day 8: thanks for family and food

I'm gonna keep it short today. Thanksgiving with family.

Today also happens to be my birthday.
I have a great family, and much to be thankful for.
day 8: family + food = awesome. Hope you're having as great of a day as me.

day 7: new media, new friends #30day #fb

Media. Television, magazines, newspapers, books.

New media. Internet, social networking, blogs, tweets, and ebooks.

One thing I love about the new media is the new relationships you can make with people across the world. But sometimes I wonder what value the relationships have. For instance, I have a friend that I truly respect, and we write back and forth often. This is a true friendship from social networking. What I don't quite understand yet is the affinity I feel for bloggers that I have never met, spoken to, or even emailed. People like Adam Baker (manvsdebt.com) or Chris Guillebeau (chrisguillebeau.com ). I haven't met either one, but I feel a connection to them. Does that make me a shameless fan? A loyal reader? An actual friend?

Either way, I'm grateful for some aspects of social media. I get to interact with incredible people, with people interested in what I am. Whether it makes for true friendships, or not, the people I meet and follow are often interesting, inspiring.

What is your experience with social media? Do you interact with others? Are you a follower, or are you followed?

day 7, in the books. get social.

If you love social media, check me out on twitter (@calebhicks) or Facebook (/calebhicks). If you're reading along, feel free to e-mail me at calebhicks [at] gmail dot com. 

day 6: king of the mountain #30day #fb

I love the mountains.

I lived in Uruguay, between Brazil and Argentina, for two years. When I arrived, I kept trying to pinpoint what seemed to be missing. I couldn't figure out why the sky looked so big, or why I felt like I could see for miles and miles. I brought it up with one of my friends, who reminded me that there are no mountains in Uruguay. Hills, yes, but mountains? No.

I saw a picture of a snow capped Timpanogos about halfway through my stay there. I was mesmerized. I thought to myself... "Did I really see that out of my window every day, and not notice how incredible it is?"

Yeah. I did.

I moved back in January 2008, and the first thing I noticed was how big the mountains looked. They were everywhere. I felt so small, insignificant. The beauty outstanding, the strength menacing, the might encouraging. Mixed with emotions, I was glad to be back.

Mountains are like a compass. I grew up with a very strong sense of direction. Yet, when I was away in Uruguay, I could hardly tell left from right. When I got back, I felt like I knew where I was for the first time in 22 months. I knew which way was North.
I've always liked climbing mountains, too. I remember on a Church youth group activity, me and a couple of friends broke away from the group and climbed to the top of Devil's Gate in Wyoming. We got in plenty of trouble, but the view was fantastic, and worth it. I remember a campout in the Uinta mountains. Once again, a group of friends and I started a short hike up the hill behind our campground. Once we got to the top, we saw another peak a short way off in the distance. We decided to climb that too. Five hours later, we arrived back to camp as a quick storm was just moving in.

Adventurous. Exciting. Encouraging. Inspiring.
Anyone want to climb? E-mail me (caleb hicks [at] gmail dot com), or shoot me a message on twitter (@calebhicks). Let's take a trip.
hope you have a great day 6.

day 5: shattered glass, journalism #30day #fb

I've been down with a strained back. Can't even sit up to use my laptop. I was spending some time laying flat on the floor to stretch it, and decided to watch Shattered Glass, a recommendation from my Dad.

The story covers the inside workings of writing for a big time magazine, The New Republic. The writers take pride that they work for the 'in-flight magazine of Air Force One', and that their writing can truly make a difference in powerful places.

One writer, Glass, is a charismatic prodigy gets caught faking a story. He falsifies notes, invents sources, and imagines entire stories. He stands by his lies through the bitter, ugly end.

I loved the movie, and the message. Lying kills. A brilliant writer on top of his game loses his career after basing it on an imagined foundation.

I also loved the inside look at journalism careers. Even though it is an industry that is quickly becoming obsolete, it reinforced my desire to create a space for myself in the writing field.

My Dad has a quote on his screensaver. It says "[a]nyone can make history, but it takes a genius to write it."

I want to be that genius.

day 4: the day of rest #30day #fb

Sunday is my favorite day of most weeks.

Whether you are religious or not (I am), taking a 'day of rest' once a week will do wonders for life. For me personally, I need that day to wind down and rest; physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is refreshing to be able to put aside the worries and stresses of daily life, and focus on #whatmatters.

Despite a sore back, I was able to enjoy the day with family. I did some writing, my #gtd weekly review, got creamed in fantasy football, and had family over for cake and ice cream to celebrate the November birthdays.

I am not a huge proponent of sports on Sundays, but today brought something particularly exciting for any Utah sports fan. Real Salt Lake brought home the first league championship for a professional sports team in Utah. The game came down to a shootout in overtime. I only got to watch the final minutes, but it was definitely a historic moment.

Some say that Sunday is the first day of the week, others consider it the last. I know what the calendar says, and I tend to agree with it. I feel like Sunday is a great way to start the week, as opposed to close out what's already been done. It's a day to look ahead and be ready for the upcoming week. I hope you have a great one.

day 4, have a good one.

I'm about to round out week one of the #30day project. Have you been noticing any small details that make you smile? Are you paying attention to the daily occurrences that make life great? Start noticing by writing it down. Posterous is a great tool, as is a journal. T ake a #30day project, and be happy.

day 3: november, the best month in sports #30day #fb

I am a sports fanatic. From basketball as a kid, to my addiction to football today, little excites me more than watching athletes perform.

I prefer professional sports to college. The only real college team I follow is BYU football. I've been going to Lavell Edwards Stadium (formerly Cougar Stadium) since I would go with the Marchants and eat polish dogs at half time.

Today, I went to the game against Air Force. As usual, I went with Becca (@beccahicks), my sister Rachel, and brother in law Aaron.

The Jazz also played tonight against the Pistons. For those who don't know, I'm also writing at Jazzbots.com for the Utah Jazz.

With the NFL and college football seasons in full swing, and the NBA season just budding with potential, November is my favorite month in sports.

day 3, have a good one.

I'm just getting started here on the #30day project. Join me if you'd like. I use posterous.com, a super simple way to update. Say hi on Twitter (@calebhicks).

day 2: smiles, and chocolate cake #30days #fb

I saw a lot of smiles today. There is always a story behind every one.

Months of hard work turned into smiles as my entire 3900 class finished the final this morning.

My good friend Brandon beamed like a lighthouse as he was married to his now wife, Jess, after nearly 18 months of courtship.

A young child smiled as he stuffed an entire handfull of cake into his mouth.

Keep smilin'.

happy day 3.

Notice the details in your life. Join me on my #30day project to appreciate the beauty of everyday life. Hit me up on Twitter (@calebhicks), or email (calebhicks [at] gmail dot com) to find out how to set up a posterous account in under 5 minutes.