#3 - Go To a Haunted House

SPOILER ALERT:
We survived.

I've had several people ask me, "You've seriously never been to a haunted house?"  So... yes, but not many.  This is the only one I remember.  But that was just a over a year ago.  So I suppose maybe not a haunted house but a "haunted" thing, for sure.  But with this list item, I didn't mean scary.  I meant haunted.

A few years back I was pretty obsessed with ghost shows.  I watched them all the time.  All of them.

Do I believe in ghosts?

No.

However, I do believe in things that can't be easily explained, like quantum mechanics and memetics.  There are all kinds of things that science can't explain that still exist and happen at macro, meso, micro, nano levels.

Does that mean I'm "spiritual?"

No.

The courtroom.
Because obviously every haunted house has a court room.

I just believe that we'll never understand everything.  So I also believe that it's possible that there's something about spaces.  Some may carry a good energy and give way to love and happiness.  Others may carry the opposite.  And, more likely, every space carries both.

So when a place has seen a lot of bad things, I wonder what that energy does to that place.  Or if it's the place that already holds the bad energy and then bad things happen there.

I don't know.

Regardless, a little over a year ago I was walking through Old Town to meet some friends for Taco Tuesday, and I passed a dark, quiet house on an otherwise touristy, gimmicky street.  And I recognized it.  Then I read the sign, which said, "The Whaley House."  I thought to myself, I think I know that name and this house.  So I later looked it up on my phone, and I did.  Several articles and shows have listed the Whaley House as the most haunted house in the United States.

Very scientific.

The next year, 2014, I put it on my list to go.  But then I didn't.  Even though it was super simple and really close to my school.

This year, I had the fortune of having two of my very favorite people, Chris and Holly Zann visit me in January.  They are Top Ten'ers on the list, and they were determined to scratch a few more off with me during their visit.  Most of the items required a little more planning, but the Whaley House did not.

After a lovely hike of Torrey Pines on a beautiful day, we battled the crowds of tourists in Old Town on a Saturday, bought some tickets, did some brief reading, and toured the house.

The downstairs was full of old stuff.  I'm not that into old stuff.  But there was a courtroom.  That was random.

Then we went upstairs.  Again, I don't believe in ghosts or paranormal activity, at all, but standing on the landing at the top of the stairs felt heavy or gross or off-balance or something.  I just felt out of it and lost the hunger that had been sitting in my stomach in anticipation of our lunch at In and Out.  Then in one of the bedrooms, another tourist had an EMF detector  that was kinda going a little wacky.  However, EMF detectors weren't created to detect ghosts, so I still believe that maybe it's the electro-magnetic fields that are weird in a place that can make people then report the symptoms associated with the presence of the paranormal.  Also, he was using a cell phone.  Not an actual EMF detector.

Zann listened.

Then we listened to one of the staff's stories.  She told us of her own experiences, experiences of visitors, experiences of investigators.  She told us to be aware in case the child ghost held our hands or another ghost played with our hair.

Holly judged.

The other rooms upstairs weren't as heavy as the stairwell, but I felt uncomfortable upstairs.  And that feeling left when I went downstairs.  Everything felt incredibly light when we walked out.  But we also walked out to a 74 degree, sunny San Diego afternoon.  I'm pretty sure I feel that same lightness when I walk out of my own house into that weather.

I didn't "like" it in there.  I probably won't pursue visiting other haunted spaces.  I do hope the energy of spaces means something and can be carried with a person, but in hoping that, I'd rather pursue visiting happy, healthy, light places and hope the good energy there is contagious than to risk the heaviness of sad, tragic places.  I do believe in recognizing both the light and the dark, but I just don't want to dwell in the dark.  I want to dwell in the light.

I assume this door under the stairs hides the bedroom of their secret wizard nephew.

#33 - Do Yoga Every Day for 7 Days

This year had a pretty rough start.

I flew home to San Diego from Michigan on 12/30/14.  I had picked up a nasty cold and the air pressure during the flight was extremely painful, particularly during take off and landing, and I wasn't so lucky this trip to have a nonstop flight.  My ears hurt so badly that it gave me a headache.  Plus I was snotty and coughing and gross.  I was thankful that my Dad paid for me to upgrade my boarding position on Southwest, so I did have a good seat to pass out, but I kept waking myself up coughing.

On top of the sickness, I recently developed a slight flying anxiety that really flares during turbulence.  The flight to Michigan was probably the bumpiest I had ever been on, just constant shaking and large jumps for the first hour or two.  I was so anxious I couldn't do anything.  Then, for the flight back, I was remembering the flight there and having even more anxiety just worrying that every bump was signalling a series of turbulence, which was sometimes the case and sometimes not.  Then I overheard the flight attendant say that because of the extreme winds out of San Diego, our landing was going to be "fun."

Here's Kyle a few months ago playing by himself.

I was happy to land and my roommate kindly picked me up.  Once I got home, he mentioned how one of my cats (Kyle) hadn't left his favorite cardboard box all day.  Then I saw him get up, limp a few steps, and lie down again.  So I called the vet and B Street Vet, right around the corner, let me walk in.  The vet did some x-rays and told me he has arthritis in both hips.  I spent close to $400 on the x-rays and medication and was told we'd have to figure out a long-term solution with medication and I should buy him a heating pad.  They had also given him a sedative because he was so squirmy during the x-ray.  When I got him home, he was so drugged out and kept trying to walk but just looked drunk.

The next day was NYE.  Kyle spent the whole day looking miserable and exhausted.  He wouldn't move.  He wouldn't eat.  He wouldn't sleep.  I checked the medication and it also contains a sedative.  So I went out to dinner with some friends.  The next day I got up and he still wouldn't move and looked worse.  I took him back in and the vet's assistant looked panicked.  She had him see the vet right away and they soon told me he was in heart failure.  The poor thing spent the next 24 hours at the vet, spending the night in the emergency room, and I was out several hundred more dollars without any way of knowing what his chances really were.  He responded positively to everything they did for him, but he was recovering very, very slowly.

Finally the night of the 2nd, I took him home, and he popped out of his carrier, started purring, walked around, rubbed against my roommate, ate some food, drank some water, used the litter... like all within 15 minutes.  He was clearly not back to his normal self, but I was so relieved that a lot of his apathetic behavior at the vet was due to being at the vet for so long and being miserable.

Here's Kyle with his Get Well Soon flowers.
He really loves flowers.

So now I've taken him to a cardiologist and he has a genetic heart condition that requires me to give him pills twice a day, but he acts more like himself every day.  His prognosis isn't good, but besides the seconds it takes to give him the pills each day, he seems happy and painfree.

With all of the the tears and snot and sickness sweat in those few days, I couldn't believe I had any liquids left in my body.

So obviously, I went to a heated yoga class.

Last January, I took a trip to Sri Lanka for a course.  The focus on mindfulness was such a beautiful way to start my year that I decided that this year, I would put a mindfulness practice on my to do list every day, and that I would start my year with this list item specifically (do yoga every day for 7 days).  I decided to alternate between studio yoga and shorter sessions at home with a youtube channel called "DoYouYoga.com."  I'd been using the "30 Day Challenge" videos to guide my home practice for a couple months, so I decided to keep using those during this week because they tend to be 10-20 minutes of gentle yoga that would nicely complement the tougher days in the studio.

I knew lots of studios in San Diego, so I Googled yoga Groupons, and the universe was kind and there was a current deal for Mosaic.  (There is still a deal as of this moment here.)  I've been wanting to try Mosaic for awhile.  It's literally 2 blocks from my house, I've heard great things, and a few of the staff are graduates of or connected to the USD leadership program, where I am working on my PhD.  Even better, Jessica Williams and Kari Szakal also bought the Groupon, so we all got a $16 refund from the already low $45 we paid for 10 classes.

I started my week with a Tuesday night Yoga 2 class led by Kevin with, and at the recommendation of, my friend Kassi Grunder.  I struggled to start because my cold was still very present and a running, stuffy, sticky nose really makes it tough to have fluid, mindful breathing.  I decided to dedicate that week's practice to my breath and the meaning of having my breath feel out of control, stuck, or stopped.  The theme resonated with me because of poor Kyle at home, working so hard, with doctor's help, to get the fluid out of his lungs that had accumulated during his heart failure.  I adjusted my breath as needed and simultaneously fell in love with Kevin's class.

Kevin had a nearly perfect pace.  There were moments when I felt like I couldn't do any more and I would need to take a break, and as soon as I had made that decision, he would transition to something else.  That with 20 or so of us in the room, all at different levels.  There were students less experienced than me, concentrating on the words as well as the poses.  Then there were students light years ahead of me, seemingly easily moving to each pose, including graceful balances and inversions.   By the end of class, sweat was pouring from my pores, and I was thankful to have such a wonderful holding environment for cleansing myself and building my strength.

In the next 7 days I also attended 2 classes led by Sophie, a Yoga 1 and a Yoga 2.  I loved the Yoga 1 because I am always so inspired when I see people trying yoga for the first time, because I love when an instructor includes time to assist in bettering my poses, and because Sophie included a crystal singing bowl at the end.  I loved Yoga 2 because it fits my level a little better.

While I have now given myself a nearly 7 day break from yoga, I really loved developing my practice.  I hope that between Mosaic and the ARC I'll find myself doing yoga at least once a week.  I love the sweat that pours in heated yoga and I felt a lot more coordinated and strong during volleyball.

Namaste.

#36 - Read 30 Books

On 11/11/14, I thought I had finished this item because in my head it was 20 books.  So I had to fit in 10 more.  Special thanks to Evelyn Sommariva for some last-minute loans.  Where I took notes, I have included a favorite quote.  Where I did not, I included the first line so I wouldn't spoil anything.  Funny, the books I finished were mostly school-related (though mostly still very enjoyable) or pretty...  well, easy, popular reads.  I guess that's what I needed.  I had hoped to finish Confederacy of Dunces, The Book Thief, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and Mockingjay, but I just couldn't keep the pages turning during the turbulence of my last cross-country flight.  They'll be at the top of the list in 2015.  I also think I finished The Location of Culture and Communicating in the Third Space, but somehow I didn't record those, and I suppose it doesn't actually matter because either way I reached my goal!

My year in books... minus 2 that I couldn't find...

1.  Darkness Visible by William Styron

1/4/14, gifted to me by Kathy Krone & Jerry Krone
Currently misplaced

2.  Dharma and Development by Joanna Macy

1/5/14, assigned to me by Cheryl Getz

"Even if, after it is all over, the village seems to revert to business-as-usual, it is never quite the same; for the experience of sharing and working together is not forgotten, nor are the skills acquired in organizing the event erased." (p. 52)

3.  Tea Time with Terrorists by Mark Stephen Meadows

1/10/14, assigned to me by Cheryl Getz
"If terrorists were dangerous enough to provoke sweeping changes in our federal laws, I felt, then they were dangerous enough for me to try to understand them." (p. 29)

4.  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

1/25/14, loaned to me by Kathy Krone & Jerry Krone

"An estimated 600 women served during the American Civil War." (p. 3)

5.  Buddhism at Work by George D. Bond

2/1/14, assigned to me by Cheryl Getz

"The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement represents one of the earliest expressions of what has come to be known as socially engaged Buddhism." (p. 1)

6.  Suckers Portfolio by Kurt Vonnegut

2/1/14

Current misplaced

7.  Divergent by Veronica Roth

2/18/14

"There is one mirror in my house." (p. 1)

8.  Presence by Peter Senge, Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty Sue Flowers

3/10/14, assigned to the class I TA'ed by Zachary Green

"'I worry much more today about unquestioned answers than about unanswered questions.'"

9.  Insurgent by Veronica Roth
3/18/14

"I wake with his name in my mouth." (p. 1)

10.  Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge

?, assigned to the class I TA'ed by Zachary Green

"Colleagueship does not mean that you need to agree or share the same views.  On the contrary, the real power of seeing each other as colleagues comes into play when there are differences of view." (p. 228)

11.  Allegiant by Veronica Roth

?

"I pace in our cell in Erudite headquarters, her works echoing in my mind: My name is Edith Prior, and there is so much I am happy to regret."  (p. 1)

12.  Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

4/29/14, assigned to me by Fred Galloway

"People tend to assess the relative importance of issues by the ease with which they are retrieved from memory -- and this is largely determined by the extent of coverage in the media." (p. 8)

13.  Outdoor Leadership 

5/14/14, assigned to the class I TA'ed by Mark Ceder

"This text takes a core-competencies approach to understanding the practice of outdoor leadership" (p. xiv).

14.  127 Hours by Aron Ralston

5/15/13
"He was a better boatman than a cowboy, a better cook than a train robber, but John Griffith, with the distinguishing mark of one blue eye and one brown eye, became a favored extra hand with the Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy's gang, during his time in the Robbers Roost country of eastern Utah." (p. xi)

15.  Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

5/18/14, reread after being assigned to me by Zachary Green
"This is as obvious as affirming that a person learns to swim in water, not in a library." (p. 137)

16.  Looking for Alaska by John Green

6/7/14

"'...Takumi, you gotta stop stealing other people's problems and get some of your own.'"  (p. 43)

17.  Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

8/4/14, loaned to me by Kevin Robitaille

"'We should start back,' Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them."  (p.1).

18.  InterViews

9/14/14, assigned to me by Paula Cordeiro and Lea Hubbard
"Give your whole attention to the person interviewed, and make it evident you are doing so" (p. 45).

19.  Paris Was Ours, edited by Penelope Rowlands

11/7/14, gifted to me by Kathy Krone

"We had passionate, terrible arguments, about time and space and other Kantian issues, until finally it became unbearable to stay."  (p. 237)

20.  A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

11/12/14, loaned to me by Kevin Robitaille

"The comet's tail spread across the dawn, a red slash that bled above the crags of Dragonstone like a wound in the pink and purple sky."  (p. 1)

21.  Hunger Games by Suzette Collins
12/8/14 (for the 3rd time)
"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold" (p. 3).

22.  Leadership and the New Science by Margaret Wheatley
12/21/14, mentioned enough by Zachary Green that I couldn't resist anymore
"What if we slip out quietly along the curvature of space, out into its far reaches?  What if, once there, we adjust our eyes to the invisible?  There, instead of emptiness, we will see a richness of organizing energies.  We once were made secure by things visible, by structures we could see.  Now it is time to embrace the invisible.  In a world where matter can be immaterial, where influences move among us unseen, why not contemplate the influence of fields?  For such a little act of faith, space awaits, filled with possibilities" (p. 58).

23.  Catching Fire by Suzette Collins
12/25/14 (for the 3rd time)
"I clasp the flask between my hands even though the warmth from the tea has long since leached into the frozen air" (p. 3).

24.  Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson
12/28/14, loaned to me by Evelyn Sommariva from the collection of Leo & Garrett Sommariva

25.  Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
12/28/14, loaned to me by Evelyn Sommariva from the collection of Leo & Garrett Sommariva
"One day, Little Sal went with her mother to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries."

26.  Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
12/29/14, loaned to me by Evelyn Sommariva from the collection of Leo & Garrett Sommariva
"In the great green room there was a telephone and a red balloon and a picture of --"

27.  Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling by Edgar Schein
12/31/14
"Here I also have a choice.  I can either not commit to tasks that make me dependent on others, or I can deny the dependency, avoid feeling humble, fail to get what I need, and, thereby, fail to accomplish the task or unwittingly sabotage it.  Unfortunately people often would rather fail than to admit their dependency on someone else" (p. 12).

28.  Excuse Me: A Little Book of Manners by Karen Katz
12/31/14, loaned to me by Evelyn Sommariva from the collection of Leo & Garrett Sommariva
"Mommy says, 'Do you want peas for breakfast?'"

29.  All by Myself by Mercer Mayer
12/31/14, loaned to me by Evelyn Sommariva from the collection of Leo & Garrett Sommariva
"I can get out of bed all by myself."

30.  Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
12/31/14, loaned to me by Kevin Robitaille
"The day was grey and bitter cold, and the dogs would not take the scent" (p. 1),

#66 - Help Someone with Her List of Goals

Well, this was convenient.  Casey Jordan had "shoot a gun" on her list of goals too, so that last one was a two-fer!  I finally got to help someone else with their list.  I'm looking forward to checking more things off with Casey next year!  (And I'm also hoping to meeting up with Sarah and Molly!)

#25 - Shoot a Gun

Getting some instruction

I sneaked a few extra list items in the last few days of the year just for good measure.

When I posted a draft of my new list, my brother said I was welcome to come over and shoot a gun while I was back visiting Michigan.

So...  I drove the 10 minutes over to the other Krone house in Ann Arbor.  We walked a few dozen yards back into the property.  And we shot cans off a bucket.

I nailed a can on my first try but after that was fairly inconsistent.  I could at least consistently hit the bucket.

It was fun but not so crazy fun that the pacifist in me will probably override any long-term hobby.

It was a quick trip and activity, so I'll keep this post short too.

The can I killed.

Thanks, Chris & Casey!