100 novel things for 2024

One of my goals this year is to have more novelty in my life. This is not a response to life being boring or routine as it is (I actually really like routine), but more that life is short and there are so many things out there to experience.

Could be trying a new type of coffee at a new shop rather than cold brew at the same old haunts. Or doing some writing or art instead of video games every night. Or learning a new skill.

I'm aiming for 100 novel things in 2024 which averages to about 2 per week. Very doable. Ideally, the novel things should be one of the following:

• A completely new experience.
• Something familiar but in a very novel way.
• Something I haven't done for a very long time (at least 5 years) with some twist to it.

I will post these as they come.

1. Went ice skating with the family (1/3). Though I have done this one other time, it was over 10 years ago and I did not push a little kid in a Zamboni that time!

Good job!

2. First time rollerblading. I only fell once! I can make myself go but not really stop. (1/6)

oh, I'm so here for this

3. Tried the Jewish deli Wise Sons. The pastrami on rye was good. I regret not going for the full Rueben. I was too chicken. Will need to do that next time. (1/8)

I would offer suggestions but they might not be appropriate for this family friendly site.

^ No comment there. :love:

4. Went on a 2 mile walk to a part of the neighborhood I have never been. It is surprising how hilly most of the houses are in our neighborhood. We are lucky to be on relatively flat ground! (1/11)

5. Walked to Starbucks from my kids’ school then walked back to pick them up (about 2 miles). (1/12)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Miriel

I would offer suggestions but they might not be appropriate for this family friendly site.

---

You should *snip* him.

6. Did a midday 2.5 mile run. (1/17)

7. Attended a poetry reading. Even more important is that it was at the release of the first published poetry book of our very own member Calliope! (1/18)

8. Tried a hard boiled quail egg. It was good. Tasted like a chicken egg, just smaller. (1/18)

9. Did a 5K run in the rain. (1/19)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

9. Did a 5K run in the rain. (1/19)

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Nicely done. I've never liked rain running but living in the UK it's not really optional! When I did my first ever parkrun 5k a few years ago it was in the pouring rain and part of the course was actually flooded with knee high water. It was a smurfing experience for a total novice runner.

That is an experience! Not just a run, but a swim.

10. Took the kids to see circ dis ole. It was very impressive! (1/21)

11. Got the house latte with ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom from a Turkish coffee shop. (1/22)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

10. Took the kids to see circ dis ole. It was very impressive! (1/21)

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Ahahahahahahaha you weirdo. ����

Ahahaha I must have wrote that when my sweater was on backwards. I'm leaving it. :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

7. Attended a poetry reading. Even more important is that it was at the release of the first published poetry book of our very own member Calliope! (1/18)

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This was a very thoughtful gesture, even though this was supposed to be 100 novel things and not 100 poem things.

:rimshot:

Nice to see you too, Romeo.

12. Tried grilled unagi. Not bad, needed to be mixed with rice and salad though. (1/25)

I love unagi!

13. ;) (1/26)
14. Took a walk during a work meeting and ended up walking four miles. (1/26)
15. Tried a vegetarian pizza place on a whim and it turned out to be very good. (1/27)
16. Had a double date with a couple that I had never met (one was Miriel’s friend). Very fun and the food was great. (1/27)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Psychotic

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

9. Did a 5K run in the rain. (1/19)

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Nicely done. I've never liked rain running but living in the UK it's not really optional! When I did my first ever parkrun 5k a few years ago it was in the pouring rain and part of the course was actually flooded with knee high water. It was a smurfing experience for a total novice runner.

---

When I did distance running I always got excited for rain. I think some of my best times were in the rain or sleet. I think it was my body staying nice and cool. Congrats on the run Del! I always really liked the 5k

I am pretty solid on the 5K now. Working on the 10K. For that one, it is more about will than anything.

17. Woke up very early to call into a 5 hour East Coast work meeting. I made it through the whole thing. Not my favorite item on the list but there it is. (1/31)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

9. Did a 5K run in the rain. (1/19)

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Hardcore, boss.

18. Tried a French donut. Tasted a bit more eggy. (2/4)

19. Did a 1000 piece circular puzzle. It was challenging. (2/8)

20. Did my first official 5k run with Miriel. (2/10)

21. I ran 4 miles, no stopping, the longest I have ever run in my life. I promise not to keep adding to this every time I do a little more distance. (2/13)

waiting for everyone else to also realize "running" is just an allegory for some freaky tantric sex stuff

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shoeberto

waiting for everyone else to also realize "running" is just an allegory for some freaky tantric sex stuff

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I bought a special fingerless glove to run.

22. Took a long walk around the residential neighborhood and got coffee at a local shop during my offsite manager’s meeting. (2/21)

23. Went to a client’s offices to do a panel discussion with some of the executives. (2/27)

24. Took my kids to Universal Studios on a random Friday. (3/1)
25. Bought some cute socks on a whim at Citywalk. (3/1)

26. On a long car ride home I memorized the order of all 46 US presidents and looked up fun facts about Chester A Arthur. (3/3)

This thread in itself is novel for everyone. <3

It's been four days now, can you still remember the presidents!? I always find the hardest part is remembering days and weeks later for stuff like that.

I do still remember the presidents. I’ll post my method for remembering them later. :D

27. Tried fried broccoli tacos and potato tacos at place that was on our list for years. (3/8)
28. Went to a grownup pre-party before the school gala fundraiser. (3/9)
29. Got some fried tacos from a street food place near my old work. (3/11)

30. I did the Oakland Marathon 10K. I did it in 1:19:00 which is not a fast pace. However, (1) it was my first one, (2) I had bad knees, and (3) I am getting over a flu. So just finishing is an accomplishment.

Even starting is an accomplishment.

31. Tried a coconut pineapple bubbly sparkling water. Was not good. (3/21)
32. Tried a coffee milkshake from Coffee Cultures. Was very good! (3/23)

33. Participated in my first Holi festival party. Fun! (3/24)

34. Took a virtual meeting at a coffee shop and tried a tonic espresso. (3/28)
35. Stopped at an organic fuel station and got a coffee with their local honey. (3/30)

36. Climbed the sand dunes of Death Valley. (4/2)
37. Hiked across the fire wave rocks of Valley of Fire. (4/4)
38. Tried boba in a sea salt coffee. Yum! (4/5)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

34. Took a virtual meeting at a coffee shop and tried a tonic espresso. (3/28)
35. Stopped at an organic fuel station and got a coffee with their local honey. (3/30)

---

What is an "organic fuel station"?

It’s a biofuel station but also like farm too. It had honey and chickens. I didn’t know what else to call it!

39. Tried the feta tomato avocado toast at a new juice bar. (4/9)
40. Attended a Fellowship of the Ring showing with a live orchestra. (4/11)

I don't have anything generally to say about the individual moments, but I just want to say that I love this thread and always enjoy every update.

41. Got a mushroom melt from a bread shop. Pretty good, and the coffee there was great. (4/16)
42. Took a walk in my local neighborhood shopping area. I have driven through it and gone to many places there but never walked through it. I picked up a coffee and a donut. (4/18)

43. Tried a toffee mocha latte. (I do not usually get mocha.) (4/20)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

43. Tried a toffee mocha latte. (I do not usually get mocha.) (4/20)

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Oh wow, that sounds like the best thing on the whole dang planet! I tend to get mochas when I go out for coffee but I've never seen one with toffee and I live in a city that's like 50% cafes. What was it like? Cause it sounds insanely good.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

43. Tried a toffee mocha latte. (I do not usually get mocha.) (4/20)

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As i get older, plain water seems to be the best. :(

The drink was very good. I opted for the dark chocolate as, maybe similar to Christmas and the rest of us, as I get older I am less partial to sweetness. But the toffee syrup gave it enough sweetness. My typical coffee drink just has half and half in it.

Speaking of coffee:

44. I bought the beans from my favorite coffee shop near my work. I have been going here for years and love their cold brew. Will try it at home! (4/22)

45. Spent the work day at a standing desk. (4/30)

46. Had a mushroom taco for lunch. (5/2)

47. Planted poppy seeds all over our yard. (5/6)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

2. First time rollerblading. I only fell once! I can make myself go but not really stop. (1/6)

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I used to love rollerblading as a kid. I really want to find a good rink to go do it again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KentaRawr!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

2. First time rollerblading. I only fell once! I can make myself go but not really stop. (1/6)

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I used to love rollerblading as a kid. I really want to find a good rink to go do it again.

---

As kids me and my best friend used to rollerblade everywhere. One time we rollerbladed from one end of town to the other. Took us about 2 hours and we got in trouble from his mum, but we felt like absolute gods having achieved such a feat! :lol:

I'd totally be keen to try rollerblading again one day. I kind of get the feeling it's similar to riding a bike where you don't truly forget how to do it.

U all learned rollerblading this fast!??

48. Joined an actuary writing subgroup. (5/16)

I've slowed down a bit on this, but luckily I set a good pace early on.

As for rollerblading, it doesn't take much to learn how to do it but it takes a long time to be good at it. I would not say I am good at it by any means. I haven't been out to do it in a while due to weather, timing, and some knee problems.

49. Tried a lavender vanilla cold brew. (5/20)
50. Started a course on R programming. (5/20)

Halfway there!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Del Murder

50. Started a course on R programming. (5/20)

Halfway there!

---

NO DON'T DO IT IT'S A TRAP!!!!!!

51. Got a Marvel Unlimited subscription to blitz through the Chris Claremont X-Men run. I have only read it in bits and pieces before. (5/23)

Been away for a couple weeks so a few things to update here:

52. Did a laser maze. (5/28)
53. Tried pistachio coffee. (5/29)
54. Drove on a dock. (5/30)
55. Tried watermelon bingsoo. (6/1)
56. Went to a Dodgers game. (6/2)
57. Did an evening beer run. (6/2)
58. Visited Joshua Tree National Park and did star gazing. (6/6)
59. Visited a random little town called Tehachapi and had sandwiches and a blended latte. (6/7)
60. Tried Thai ramen curry. (6/11)

What is a laser maze?

Like in a bank heist movie where the hallway is filled with laser trip wires that will set off the alarm. Or in Metal Gear Solid where you need to equip the cigarettes so Snake can crawl under the right spot. Just those everywhere in a dark room with some “loot” at the end.

I did it because my youngest kid didn’t want to take his turn and I already paid. :)

61. Went to a meat carnival. (6/15)
62. Tried tempura corn. (6/18)
63. Tried uni pasta. (6/19)
64. Started building a garden arbor. (6/21)
65. Started a new yoga routine to take care of love handles. (6/25)
66. Took the kids to an SF Giants game. (6/26)

2/3 of the way there, you're doing great!

Gonna have to slow down if you're only allowed 100 novel things a year.

He's saving the difficult, time-consuming ones for last.


It's like eating rocks for desert.

There is one I have been saving. It is walk up the 17 flights of stairs to work. I need someone to let me in at the top. :)

67. Got the kids a puppy then slept on the couch to keep it company. (7/12)
68. Built an arbor swing in the yard which included using a material lifter for the beams. (7/14)
69. Tried an intense leg workout with lots of squats. (7/21)
70. Tried kimchi hot sauce. (7/22)
71. Went to a puppy social meetup. (7/31)
72. Built a hammock oasis in my yard. (8/1)
73. Put up a sun sail for shade in the yard. (8/1)
74. Did a class to become a soccer referee. (8/3)
75. Took the ferry into SF. (8/8)
76. Met up with an EoFF muse in the city for coffee and lunch. (8/8)
77. Tried a "snowy plover" coffee drink that had soda water. (8/8)
78. Tried a tiramisu latte. (8/9)

79. Tried yogurt flavored soju. Actually dangerously yummy. (8/17)
80. Tried a strawberry cold brew coffee. Better than it sounds. (8/20)
81. Tried pho. (8/24)
82. Went to an Oakland Ballers baseball game. (8/31)

Save the best for the last pls, it has been inspiring reading this thread.

You're 3/4th of the way there now.

I love every part of all of this~

OK, I got really lax on the updates. And also the novelty items too. The holiday months are a blitz. But I think I got it. Let me tally up what I have here. More to come...

September:

83. Went to a dog beach. (9/2)
84. Took a promotion at work with a big change in responsibility. (9/5)
85. Tried a tropical agua fresca (not good). (9/9)
86. Fixed a door that would not close. (9/23)
87. Had dinner and drinks at a tiki bar. (9/28)
88. Went to the SF Aquarium. (9/30)

12 to go! I will do October tomorrow.

October:

89. Tried a honeycomb latte. (10/6)
90. Dressed up and went to ren faire where I had mead. (10/13)
91. Went to an Imagine Dragons concert. (10/20)
92. Tried Japanese udon soup. (10/27)
93. Hosted a Halloween party at our house. (10/31)

November:

94. Went to a local networking meeting for my profession. (11/12)
95. Had seolleongtang for breakfast. (11/25)

Not the best month for novelty. Too busy, and had a lot of headaches that month. Only 5 to go though, so should be possible!

December through 12/21:

96. Hosted a team building gaming event with sushi platters. (12/12)
97. Had after work drinks with coworkers at a bar. (12/16)
98. Did a big round of Yelp reviews. (12/20)

I have nine days to get two more!

Nice! You're almost done!

99. Tried soba noodles. (12/27)

One to go!

Attachment 78279

100. Wrote a new Eyes on FF rap parody

oh damn can't wait to read it Murd!!!!

Attachment 78280

Attachment 78281

100. Did a cold plunge in an ice bath with my son. (12/31)

I did it!

This had been the best consistent thread all year.

Honestly it was therapeutic just reading the updates as they came in.

Well done, Murd!

:cheer:

I take credit for at least 25% of these novel things happening.

My six year old son said that I’ve never done 100 novel things and that itself is a novel thing, which counts as 101. Just sayin.

I did the novel things! It was a lot of fun along the way. Although I am not going to track this by 100s anymore, I do plan to keep that novel mindset when choosing how to spend my time and what to consume.

Stay tuned for my 2025 100 list. :)

Here they are all at once:

1. Went ice skating with the family (1/3). Though I have done this one other time, it was over 10 years ago and I did not push a little kid in a Zamboni that time!
2. First time rollerblading. I only fell once! I can make myself go but not really stop. (1/6)
3. Tried the Jewish deli Wise Sons. The pastrami on rye was good. I regret not going for the full Rueben. I was too chicken. Will need to do that next time. (1/8)
4. Went on a 2 mile walk to a part of the neighborhood I have never been. It is surprising how hilly most of the houses are in our neighborhood. We are lucky to be on relatively flat ground! (1/11)
5. Walked to Starbucks from my kids’ school then walked back to pick them up (about 2 miles). (1/12)
6. Did a midday 2.5 mile run. (1/17)
7. Attended a poetry reading. Even more important is that it was at the release of the first published poetry book of our very own member Calliope! (1/18)
8. Tried a hard boiled quail egg. It was good. Tasted like a chicken egg, just smaller. (1/18)
9. Did a 5K run in the rain. (1/19)
10. Took the kids to see circ dis ole. It was very impressive! (1/21)
11. Got the house latte with ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom from a Turkish coffee shop. (1/22)
12. Tried grilled unagi. Not bad, needed to be mixed with rice and salad though. (1/25)
13. ;) (1/26)
14. Took a walk during a work meeting and ended up walking four miles. (1/26)
15. Tried a vegetarian pizza place on a whim and it turned out to be very good. (1/27)
16. Had a double date with a couple that I had never met (one was Miriel’s friend). Very fun and the food was great. (1/27)
17. Woke up very early to call into a 5 hour East Coast work meeting. I made it through the whole thing. Not my favorite item on the list but there it is. (1/31)
18. Tried a French donut. Tasted a bit more eggy. (2/4)
19. Did a 1000 piece circular puzzle. It was challenging. (2/8)
20. Did my first official 5k run with Miriel. (2/10)
21. I ran 4 miles, no stopping, the longest I have ever run in my life. I promise not to keep adding to this every time I do a little more distance. (2/13)
22. Took a long walk around the residential neighborhood and got coffee at a local shop during my offsite manager’s meeting. (2/21)
23. Went to a client’s offices to do a panel discussion with some of the executives. (2/27)
24. Took my kids to Universal Studios on a random Friday. (3/1)
25. Bought some cute socks on a whim at Citywalk. (3/1)
26. On a long car ride home I memorized the order of all 46 US presidents and looked up fun facts about Chester A Arthur. (3/3)
27. Tried fried broccoli tacos and potato tacos at place that was on our list for years. (3/8)
28. Went to a grownup pre-party before the school gala fundraiser. (3/9)
29. Got some fried tacos from a street food place near my old work. (3/11)
30. I did the Oakland Marathon 10K. I did it in 1:19:00 which is not a fast pace. However, (1) it was my first one, (2) I had bad knees, and (3) I am getting over a flu. So just finishing is an accomplishment.
31. Tried a coconut pineapple bubbly sparkling water. Was not good. (3/21)
32. Tried a coffee milkshake from Coffee Cultures. Was very good! (3/23)
33. Participated in my first Holi festival party. Fun! (3/24)
34. Took a virtual meeting at a coffee shop and tried a tonic espresso. (3/28)
35. Stopped at an organic fuel station and got a coffee with their local honey. (3/30)
36. Climbed the sand dunes of Death Valley. (4/2)
37. Hiked across the fire wave rocks of Valley of Fire. (4/4)
38. Tried boba in a sea salt coffee. Yum! (4/5)
39. Tried the feta tomato avocado toast at a new juice bar. (4/9)
40. Attended a Fellowship of the Ring showing with a live orchestra. (4/11)
41. Got a mushroom melt from a bread shop. Pretty good, and the coffee there was great. (4/16)
42. Took a walk in my local neighborhood shopping area. I have driven through it and gone to many places there but never walked through it. I picked up a coffee and a donut. (4/18)
43. Tried a toffee mocha latte. (I do not usually get mocha.) (4/20)
44. I bought the beans from my favorite coffee shop near my work. I have been going here for years and love their cold brew. Will try it at home! (4/22)
45. Spent the work day at a standing desk. (4/30)
46. Had a mushroom taco for lunch. (5/2)
47. Planted poppy seeds all over our yard. (5/6)
48. Joined an actuary writing subgroup. (5/16)
49. Tried a lavender vanilla cold brew. (5/20)
50. Started a course on R programming. (5/20)
51. Got a Marvel Unlimited subscription to blitz through the Chris Claremont X-Men run. I have only read it in bits and pieces before. (5/23)
52. Did a laser maze. (5/28)
53. Tried pistachio coffee. (5/29)
54. Drove on a dock. (5/30)
55. Tried watermelon bingsoo. (6/1)
56. Went to a Dodgers game. (6/2)
57. Did an evening beer run. (6/2)
58. Visited Joshua Tree National Park and did star gazing. (6/6)
59. Visited a random little town called Tehachapi and had sandwiches and a blended latte. (6/7)
60. Tried Thai ramen curry. (6/11)
61. Went to a meat carnival. (6/15)
62. Tried tempura corn. (6/18)
63. Tried uni pasta. (6/19)
64. Started building a garden arbor. (6/21)
65. Started a new yoga routine to take care of love handles. (6/25)
66. Took the kids to an SF Giants game. (6/26)
67. Got the kids a puppy then slept on the couch to keep it company. (7/12)
68. Built an arbor swing in the yard which included using a material lifter for the beams. (7/14)
69. Tried an intense leg workout with lots of squats. (7/21)
70. Tried kimchi hot sauce. (7/22)
71. Went to a puppy social meetup. (7/31)
72. Built a hammock oasis in my yard. (8/1)
73. Put up a sun sail for shade in the yard. (8/1)
74. Did a class to become a soccer referee. (8/3)
75. Took the ferry into SF. (8/8)
76. Met up with an EoFF muse in the city for coffee and lunch. (8/8)
77. Tried a "snowy plover" coffee drink that had soda water. (8/8)
78. Tried a tiramisu latte. (8/9)
79. Tried yogurt flavored soju. Actually dangerously yummy. (8/17)
80. Tried a strawberry cold brew coffee. Better than it sounds. (8/20)
81. Tried pho. (8/24)
82. Went to an Oakland Ballers baseball game. (8/31)
83. Went to a dog beach. (9/2)
84. Took a promotion at work with a big change in responsibility. (9/5)
85. Tried a tropical agua fresca (not good). (9/9)
86. Fixed a door that would not close. (9/23)
87. Had dinner and drinks at a tiki bar. (9/28)
88. Went to the SF Aquarium. (9/30)
89. Tried a honeycomb latte. (10/6)
90. Dressed up and went to ren faire where I had mead. (10/13)
91. Went to an Imagine Dragons concert. (10/20)
92. Tried Japanese udon soup. (10/27)
93. Hosted a Halloween party at our house. (10/31)
94. Went to a local networking meeting for my profession. (11/12)
95. Had seolleongtang for breakfast. (11/25)
96. Hosted a team building gaming event with sushi platters. (12/12)
97. Had after work drinks with coworkers at a bar. (12/16)
98. Did a big round of Yelp reviews. (12/20)
99. Tried soba noodles. (12/27)
100. Did a cold plunge in an ice bath with my son. (12/31)

Breakout by month:

January - 17
February - 6
March - 12
April - 10
May - 9
June - 12
July - 5
August - 11
September - 6
October - 5
November - 2
December - 5

It got harder to find new things near the end of the year. Partly due to some of the things I had already tried. Others due to weather or other obligations.

Breakout by type:

New food - 20
New drink - 15
New skill - 9
Exercise related - 12
Social experiences - 11
Family time - 18
Other - 15

Food/drink is really the easiest, since in Oakland and Los Angeles there are many options. At a point I consciously tried to not go the easy path with too many new coffee drinks and make it more of a novel experience. I'd say my favorites were trying the new skills and family experiences.

Any particular favourite(s) from the entire year?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Loony BoB

Any particular favourite(s) from the entire year?

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The cold plunge was definitely a favorite as I did that with my son and it was a great way to cap it off.

Learning to ice skate/rollerblade was an accomplishment. I am not that good at it yet but at least I can stay upright and move/turn at a decent pace.

All the running/walking leading up to the 10K I am particularly proud of. The walking has been a lifestyle change for me. I now try and walk during work phone meetings when ever I can. I am probably in the best shape of my life.

A couple on there are related to meetups with Nicky in SF. I rarely ever go out on my own to meet a friend, and even more rare for an outside of work friend. It's great to keep those connections alive.

Building the arbor and hammock in the backyard was quite an accomplishment. That thing is like 10 feet tall and solid as a rock. The kids use the swing and hammock all the time.

And any time I get to go on a date with Miriel is special. The tiki bar was very cool, but then it closed!