Vicki's 30 Before 30

It seems all over the TV this week are lots of end of year reviews, so it seemed like a good point to have a little review of the list progress!

Another task was ticked off on Christmas Day - nothing extreme like the bungee jump! - Mum and Dad kindly bought me a pair of GHD's for my Christmas present so task 20 is complete! :o)

Their support so far has been really invaluable - it must be pretty boring for them having me chat incessantly about list-related things, not to mention dragging them along to various events and demanding that they take holidays from work to watch me do stupid things!! Next year they are coming with me to London to support me in the Moonwalk - afterwards we will all be having afternoon tea at the Ritz, a little thank you from me to them for their support and another task to tick off!

Speaking of the Moonwalk, the training plan arrived on Christmas Eve, I now feel guilty about all the excess food I've eaten over the past few days! Today I decided to bite the bullet and finally fork out for my new trainers...the staff at Run 4 It were really helpful and very knowledgable.  After walking a few laps of the shop to assess my walking technique they got me kitted out with a lovely new pair of trainers and some fancy socks to go with them.  I'm looking forward to starting the new training plan, but it's slightly daunting as well!  There are many miles to get through before the main event.  A task for the Christmas holidays will be working out an iPod playlist to keep me going throughout my training.  Anything with an up tempo beat should be a good start! I'll keep a log of my training and hopefully update on here as I go along.

I'll be starting my new Spanish course on the 1st of February!  I'm really looking forward to getting back to Spanish.  It's been a little while, so I've been trying to review some of the work I've done previously (always a swot, lol!). I'm hopeful it will all come flooding back. If I don't remember the basics I'm sure I never will! I've done more beginners courses than I'd like to remember!  I need to get past the beginner level though!

I've still to book my scuba course, I might save it until after the Moonwalk as the training is going to take up quite a lot of time!

Still going with the books - I've just finished "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.  Such a fantastic read, I can't recommend it highly enough! The next one on the list is "Frankenstein" which I'm quite looking forward to!

I seem to have stalled a little on the film watching, but I'm recording a few from the Christmas TV schedule so hope to get back on track with that task soon!

I've started saving my £100 a month which is already building up nicely!  I'm not particularly good at saving money - much better at spending it!! I'm feeling quite smug seeing the small amount that is there already.  At the same time I'm trying to forget that it's there so I'm not tempted to use it!

Think that's all to update for now.  Hope everyone is enjoying the festive season so far! Merry Christmas ad Happy New Year from me!

One year on from the beginning of the list, another year older, six tasks completed, many books read, many films watched, lots more to come!  And so the best way to celebrate was to complete another task :o)

Task nine - Put a £100 bet on the table at the casino

After a few (too many?!) drinks for some dutch courage I dragged my girls along to the casino last night to watch this task in action.  I had convinced myself for some time that I would be playing Blackjack, but someone pointed out to me last week that the numbers 4, 10 and 26 are all black on the Roulette wheel.  As yesterday (04/10) I turned 26 (shhhhhh!) I decided that black was the way to go. 

I promptly picked up my £100 chip at the casino and watched the roulette table for a while.  A fairly obvious pattern was on the board - black, black, black, red, black, black, black, red, black, red, black, black, red.  In short, no two reds had been drawn in a row on the whole board.  Feeling confident after a red number came out I promptly put my £100 chip confidently on the black marker....and just as promptly and confidently a red number came out.  Gutted!!

Albert Einstein once said "You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it."  I believe him to be a very wise man!

Big thank you to all my lovely girlies who came along to join in (and ended up making some smaller bets of their own!) - Looby, Michelle, Kristina, Katie, Amye, Sam, Lyn and Jac - thanks so much for making my birthday one to remember!  Maybe we'll have better luck next time! 

Looking back over the things that I've achieved this year I felt rather proud.  I've faced some fears, I've seen and done some great things, I've treated myself and I've possibly saved someone's life!  All in all a very successful start to my list and a great year!  Let's hope I can keep it going next year as well!

Today brought some welcome list progress.  I've booked to do two more tasks in 2012 - a little while away in May, but the confirmation emails are in - I'll be tackling the London MoonWalk on the 12th of May next  year.  Just to be clear, this is not a mass Michael Jackson tribute dance but a marathon power-walked overnight!  I've signed up for the full thing, 26.2 miles (the 0.2 is very important!). I'm really looking forward to starting the training - hopefully getting a few walks in before the winter weather sets in.  I really enjoyed my training for the Great Glen Way, setting off with the iPod and the water and walking for miles and miles.  I have a few good routes worked out so will be starting the training once I've treated myself to a fancy new pair of trainers!

Of course, a girl completing such a mammoth task is in need of a reward.  And the reward has also been booked!  Perhaps a little premature, but may as well score off two tasks in one trip!  I've booked afternoon tea at the Ritz hotel as a little celebration (or perhaps commiseration!) a couple of days after the event.  Really looking forward to this task - a little luxury never hurt anyone!

Next week on my birthday I'm dragging the nearest and dearest to the casino to watch as I win big! (ahem - nothing like positive thoughts!) I'm feeling a little nervous at the prospect of losing £100, but that's the point of the list, getting out of the "comfort zone" and challenging myself to try something new!  I'll let you know how I get on.  Presumably I'll be getting the drinks in if I win!

Only half a book to finish before Tuesday to be on track with the books for this year - better get reading then instead of updating this blog eh!

I can't quite believe that it's nearly a year since I started my list!!  I'm on track for the year with 6 tasks completed so far!

I have some plans under way to start working on a few more tasks in the next few weeks.  The plan is to celebrate my 26th birthday and 1 year anniversary of the list by completing a task....the £100 bet in the casino!  A few weeks ago I won £100 on a lottery bonus ball at work, so I figured - there's my casino money!  Now, I'm not sure whether it's wise to bet money that has already been won - is there some old wives tale that the money will have used up all its luck?!  Well, I think I'll take the risk!  Now I just have to decide between Blackjack or Roulette....  It could be an incredibly happy birthday, or my friends might just get to witness me lose a lot of cash!! Maybe I'll get a consolatory drink out of it though.

I've now got my Friday nights back after working in a pub every Friday and Saturday for a year.  So, I think I'll put my new found time to good use and book myself onto the scuba diving lesson one week!

After the disappointment of my last Spanish class being cancelled, I have grand plans to start another course in January at the local college.  I'm hopeful that this will keep running and that I'll get some sort of certificate once I reach a certain level!!

I'm waiting on information about next year's Moonwalk in London.  I'll need to be on the ball and get signed up ASAP as it's an incredibly popular event.  Then the serious training will need to start!  26.3 miles will be tough going I'm sure!

Still going with the movies and books - I have 2 more books to read before my birthday to stay on track and I've already made the target for the movies for this year!

Here's hoping the next year will be just as productive!

Well it's been a little while since my last post, and another 2 tasks have been completed since I last wrote.

Task eleven - Walk the Great Glen Way


I decided to walk the Great Glen Way in June after some short practice walks.  The full length of the Way is 79 miles and can take between 4 and 8 days to complete.  I decided to complete the walk in 6 days and booked the appropriate travel and accommodation.  Although a lot of people have said that walking the Way would be similar to the Duke of Edinburgh expeditions that I took part in when I was at school, I was not prepared to carry my pack and camp out every night.  Instead I booked myself in a mixture of hostels and guest houses.  Mum and Dad kindly arranged for a company to pick up my rucksack every day and transport it from place to place to allow me to enjoy the walk a little more (very much appreciated!!).

The weather during the week was not fantastic, but it made good walking weather - not too hot or sunny, nor too rainy.  My journey took me from home in Aberdeen to Fort William (via Glasgow) and I had overnight stops in Gairlochy, South Laggan, Fort Augustus, Altsigh, Drumnadrochit and Inverness.  Mum and Dad joined me on my second last day walking into Drumnadrochit.  It was lovely to have their company.  I met some lovely people whilst walking - we all seemed to be looking out for each other and it was very friendly.  So many people really put me to shame - I thought doing this walk was a great achievement - when you meet someone who is nearing the end of a Land's End to John O'Groats journey you really feel humbled!

I really enjoyed the walk, even though it was quite tiring.  Definitely think I'll try another long distance walk in the future, perhaps the West Highland Way.  My boots and socks certainly were up to the job - no real blisters to speak of, and generally it was my leg muscles that were complaining more than my feet!

Below are a couple of select photos from the walk - I took rather a lot as the scenery is just breathtaking.  Even if you are not necessarily interested in walking I would suggest people visit the Highlands just to see the wonderful views.  Being dwarfed by the mountains makes you feel rather small and insignificant!!

Thanks to everyone who supported me through training and on the walk itself - a special thanks to Mum and Dad for their support on this one :o)

Task twelve - Buy myself a MacBook


This blog post is in fact being written on my lovely new MacBook Pro which arrived a week or so after I finished my walk - a very nice reward indeed!  It has taken me a while to come up with a name for it....definitely a boy!  Finally I have come up with....Beth, Mac...Beth!!

Still a little clueless as to how everything works, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon :o)

As far as other list tasks are going, I'm still trying to finish Moby Dick - I now have it as an audio book as well, however the guy reading it sounds just as bored as I am :o/  At least he was probably getting paid to read it!  Maybe this is a novel idea to raise some money for charity (pun intended!!) - a sponsored read-a-thon.  People could sponsor me to finish Moby Dick by a certain date or even sponsor me to start reading Ulysses at any point during this list!

I'm going to try planning other list tasks for next year as I have already exceeded this year's quota!  Next planned task is the casino on my birthday - could be the best or worst birthday ever.  I'll keep you posted :o)

4 down 26 to go!!

Task number 27 - Take part in an abseil

Sunday was the day of the abseil of doom!!  Before hand I wasn't feeling too nervous - heights don't bother me too much, however I'm normally quite secure at the top of a structure and not thinking of going over the side....bit of a difference this time :o\

Luckily I had some excellent support in the form of Mum and Helen - so happy that they both came along to make sure I was OK and to take some photos of the event!

The first big challenge came as we arrived at the car park for the crane.  They provide a little mini-bus for visitors to take you round to the crane itself.  As we waited to get our bus tickets I was kindly advised by Mum not to look round at the mini bus.  I casually enquired why not, but already knew what was there.  Many people like to dress up for their charity abseil, in fact you are almost encouraged to do so.  Someone had decided to dress up as a (and I struggle to type this word, let alone deal with the reality of being confronted by one!) cl*wn.  :o\  I have a terrible fear of clowns, I have been known to have mild panic attacks in the past when "surprised" by them in the street.  As everyone knows - nothing is scarier than a cl*wn.

After the costumed one went away to the crane I managed to drum up the courage to go round there myself - hoping that I wouldn't have to see it, or spend too much time near it.  Luckily I scarcely saw it for the rest of the day!  I signed in and was given my Enable t-shirt and then had to wait to be called forward.  I was abseiler 101 of the day.  Looking up the crane seemed quite high, but not too scary.  Everyone coming down was smiling and seemed to be enjoying themselves.  Although I felt a little nervous I was confident I could manage it.

Finally after a long wait I was called forward to get harnassed up.  Once I had all the gear on we made our way up to the top of the crane in the glass lift.  The weather wasn't great, and it was fairly windy.  I was fine at the top of the crane, they had excellent views all across Glasgow and there were plenty of binoculars to distract me from the fact that I would soon be abseiling back down to the ground.

Eventually it was my turn...they put the ropes on me, I walked round the edge of the crane and then felt rather frightened.  Once I was all strapped in it was time to lower myself off the edge.  Unfortunately, every single ounce of your being tells you that it's neither natural or in any way safe to be supported by a couple of ropes and some metal, with only a hard hat to protect you!  After a few moments of uncertaintly, I finally managed to prise myself off the side of the crane and I was off!!

Once I got going and was into the swing of it, there was nothing to it!  My fear melted away, the adrenaline rush took over and the abseil itself was over far too soon.

All too soon I was back on solid ground and being unhooked from all the safety gear.  I was a bit shaky and very much deserving of a large drink(!) but the overwhelming feeling was one of achievement!

To each and every person that supported me along the way I want to say a huge thank you!  Everyone at the event was so lovely and patient, even though I was one of the last people to abseil that day.  All the staff from Enable, the Co-operative Group, Glasgow Climbing Centre and the Titan Crane were lovely and really helped me conquer my fears!

A huge thank you also to everyone who sponsored me to take part - I raised a massive £300 in total (which also means I'm 10% of the way through task 2!) and the money is going to a hugely worthwhile cause.

If anyone else would like to donate my Just Giving page is still open at www.justgiving.com/vickitodd

In other list-related news, the next task to be attempted will be....Walking the Great Glen Way, task 11.  I set off on the 6th of June and will be walking for 6 days.  Fingers crossed that I dont get any blisters and manage to complete it!!  Training has been going fairly well and I plan to try a long walk on Sunday to really test out the walking boots!  All good practice for (fingers crossed!) the Moonwalk in 2012!

Movies and books are still being worked through, getting a bit stuck with Moby Dick though...greatest work of American fiction eh?!  Can't say much for the rest of them then....

So it's finally happening....I've signed myself up for the abseil!  All 150ft of the Titan Crane (even the name of it sounds intimidating!) in Clydebank on Sunday 15th May.

When I first thought of the abseil I thought it would be nice to do it in Glasgow if I could, to reflect the 3 and a half years I spent there as a student.  Glasgow will always have a dear place in my heart - I miss it a lot and would love to live there again at some point (but then I say I'd like to live most places other than Aberdeen!). 

I also wanted to use the abseil as a way to raise some money for charity.  The charity that I am fundraising for is Enable Scotland, who provide support and assistance to children and adults with learning disabilities, and their families.  Enable is a charity that has always been close to my family as my Uncle Angus has Down's Syndrome and Enable have assisted him throughout his life.  I'm really looking forward to being able to say thank you to them in my own way. 

If you would like to sponsor me to complete the abseil (of doom, lol!) you can do so by visiting my Just Giving page at http://www.justgiving.com/VickiTodd

Yes, it's that dreaded time of year when people ask you that awful question - "So, what's your New Year's Resolution then?"  Normally I come up with some line about not having made any, not believing in them, etc, but this year I actually have a resolution that I can hopefully stick to!!  Keep making progress on my list.  I have done some ear marking of tasks that I could possibly make a start on, or hopefully finish this year.

There are a couple of list items that have time limits on them, so what better time to start than January.  It's very easily measurable, and at least in my mind seems to make some sense.  The big one that I'm currently concentrating on is task 13 - Eat 5 portions of fruit and veg every day for a year.  4 days in and things are going surprisingly well!  There are now 2 fruit bowls in my kitchen, positively groaning with an array of fruits, both familiar and exotic.  Now fruit I've always felt quite comfortable with - apples and oranges don't really offend me greatly - but veg is another kettle of fish entirely!  I suppose I didn't like many vegetables growing up - sweetcorn and raw carrots (never cooked!) were about all I would actually enjoy.  Anything green was immediately discarded and we won't even begin to talk about the time when I resolutely refused potatoes for a few months!!  Over the last few years I have got better when it comes to veg, and I quite enjoy eating a variety of produce, even greens!! This is probably due to my parents growing veg in their garden at home.  Nothing is better than eating something that you have grown from a tiny seed in your own garden.  Unfortunately my flat is lacking outside space that is not in the form of a car park, so I'll have to rely on Morrisons for my veg supplies.

In an effort to ensure that the 5 a day was achieved I went looking for a cook book along the lines of "vegetarian meals for one", but instead stumbled across a wonderful find - a book entitled "The Great Big Vegetable Challenge".  The book works through an A-Z of vegetables and one woman's journey to persuade her young son to eat new kinds of vegetables.  I thought the idea was fantastic, and a great way to make my 5 a day task a bit more fun!  You can look at her blog following their progress at greatbigvegchallenge.blogspot.com I won't promise to eat a vegetable from every letter of the alphabet, but I'm going to try some new (and hopefully seasonal!) veg throughout the year.  So far I have faced my fear of celery, tried a new (and delicious) way of cooking brussel's sprouts and tried artichokes for the first time.  I'm looking forward to trying other things like celeriac, nori and plantain over the next few months.

I would also like to attempt task 3 - Go to the gym at least 3 times per week for a year.  Literally living next door to the gym and having a free membership through work should make this a fairly simple thing to achieve.  I'm going to take a wild guess that it will not be as easy as it sounds though!  I've booked myself on to a couple of exercise classes this week and I'll hopefully manage to squeeze in a session in the gym itself as well. There's time yet for me to turn into a gym obsessive - although to be quite honest I find it a little boring!

Spanish will hopefully be ongoing, although there's a possible question of class amalgamation to contend with. The tattoo could be done, but I'll need to decide on what I'm going to get done first! The saving will be started this year, the casino bet will be done soon - I've saved up the £100 from my bar tips (that way it's not like proper money, ahem), skin care products are ordered and I think if I can last 6 months then I'll tick that one off.  I'm ever hopeful of an abseil in May and I'll do the scuba diving lesson when I can arrange for a Friday night off work.  The books and movies are ongoing, although I've ground to a bit of a halt with James Joyce, and there's another, longer one of his "masterpieces" later in the list, urgh.  I also can't bring myself to send Up back to blockbuster, and I don't know when I'll have 4 spare hours to watch Once Upon A Time In America, maybe a lazy Sunday afternoon... I'll get them done soon!!

Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year!