A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

my day zero project

Day Zero Project: Completed No. 68

A Day Zero Project goal of P.J.’s has been completed!

Goal completed: Eat at 10 new restaurants

Date completed: January 2, 2015

Creme brûlée in Seattle!

Creme brûlée in Seattle!

Number: 68

Description: I always like to explore food, so I figured setting myself up to visit 10 new restaurants would be kind of cool.

Why I wanted to do it: Why not? Food is one of the greatest things out there. Besides needing it, it’s nice to try new things and to expand your horizons. I have found, as I’ve gotten older, my tastes change a bit. It’s nice in that regard because I’m willing to try more. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t!

How I did it: I decided to make this 20 (though the original plan is 10, which is how I’ve left it) and I know I’ve eaten at more than 20 new places since I started this rendition of the Day Zero Project. Thankfully, I tend to take photos of my food when out, so I could go back and look at the places I’ve been and figured it out. Though I did it just recently, hence the big gap between when I finished it and am now posting. Not all of these places were amazing, but most were pretty solid, which made it pretty cool.

Those that I visited and remember are listed below, with the city/town they are in.

1. Tinker’s Seafood (Manchester, NH)
2. Red Arrow Diner (Manchester, NH)
3. Vermont Pub and Brewery (Burlington, VT)
4. Prohibition Pig (Waterbury, VT)
5. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (Wilkes-Barre, PA)
6. The Red Caboose (Oneonta, NY)
7. Council Rock Brewery (Cooperstown, NY)
8. Steak ‘n Shake (New York, NY)
9. Bohemian Moon (Norwich, NY)
10. Blue Bee Café (Delhi, NY)
11. Kitty Hoynes Irish Pub (Syracuse, NY)
12. Bob’s Diner (Philadelphia, PA)
13. Pickles Pub (Baltimore, MD)
14. The Carver Hanger (Damascus, Oregon)
15. Brouwer’s Café (Seattle, Wash)
16. Ivar’s (Seattle, Wash)
17. T.S. McHugh’s Irish Pub (Seattle, Wash)
18. Dave’s Diner and Brews (Seattle, Wash)
19. Blue Moon Burger (Seattle, Wash)
20. Bahama Breeze (Toms River, NJ)

About P.J.’s Day Zero Project: Day Zero is a project where people come up with 101 things to do over 1001 days. I started the project on August 1, 2014 with an anticipated finish date of April 28, 2017. Goals will not be revealed until they are completed. A private list is at the Day Zero website and the list will be made public upon completion of the project. It’s my thoughts that if things are kept private, should I not do them, change or find a way around it, I’d only be cheating myself.

Day Zero Project: Completed No. 20

A Day Zero Project goal of P.J.’s has been completed!

Goal completed: Tweak my blog in some way (look, design, social media icons etc.)

Date completed: October 15, 2015

Number: 20

Description: I liked the look of my website and blog before, but I thought it needed some “sprucing” up. I had wanted to do this for a while, but I didn’t know what to do. Maybe just a logo? Some new icons. Turns out I had the chance to do even more. See below.

Why I wanted to do it: Though I liked the simple look of the last theme, the reality is this — if you never change, it gets boring. I liked the look, but I thought it needed something more. I have been going back and forth for several years about things. I actually always wanted a custom theme, but it’s hard to justify spending upward of $400 or more on a custom theme when you don’t make any money off your blog. So it was back to deciding some small things instead.

How I did it: I had some issues with my web host (eventually, a blog post detailing that two-week span of hell will be coming). When things seemed to get back to normal, I got a white screen for my blog. Then they restored from a day earlier and the site was fine. Twenty minutes later, it was back to being white. Apparently, the theme I had was all of a sudden causing problems. Mind you it never had before, but they moved me to a new server and such and all of a sudden, issues. Probably my fault (that’s what I would figure… because that’s the way they make it sound. Remember, when companies tout their own customer service, then basically ignore your tickets and make it sound like it’s your fault… well, maybe it’s time to start wondering), but either way, I needed to do something.

So, with a basic WordPress theme in place, I went searching to see what I could find. What you see here is what I came up with. A relatively inexpensive theme (it was less than $40) with a lot of options I’ve wanted, yet it still keeps that “blog” feel. I love the look. It’s a little more “whimsical” than my last one and I really like the feel. There’s a lot more to it and after November (work and a major personal project), I plan to look at it a lot closer and see about making it a little more “me.”

In the end, things worked out so that I got a new look that I like. I wish this goal had been completed a little bit on my own accord, rather than kind of having my “hand forced.” Still, it ended up working out well and I’m quite happy with how it looks.

About P.J.’s Day Zero Project: Day Zero is a project where people come up with 101 things to do over 1001 days. I started the project on August 1, 2014 with an anticipated finish date of April 28, 2017. Goals will not be revealed until they are completed. A private list is at the Day Zero website and the list will be made public upon completion of the project. It’s my thoughts that if things are kept private, should I not do them, change or find a way around it, I’d only be cheating myself.

Day Zero Project update

A little more than a year ago (August 1, 2014), I started a second attempt at the Day Zero Project. I had done it once before without the success I had hoped, though defining success in challenges like this is relative.

It seemed like a good time for an update.

First, for those who don’t know, the Day Zero Project is a goal-setting setup where you give yourself 1,001 days to complete 101 tasks of your choosing. The tasks can be anything.

With mine, I choose to leave them private until I complete the actual task.

dayzerologo2014_280w

The first time, I completed 38 of the items, so 37.6 percent. While I didn’t complete the list, I did cross off some things I really wanted to accomplish, so parts of it would be successful.

When I constructed the test for the current challenge, which ends April 28, 2017, I tried to make things a little more achievable, though there were still some that were longshots.

Truth be told, I didn’t figure I’d finish this list as it would be quite hard. The reality is, as I looked over this list during the weekend, there’s a good dozen or so on this list that I feel like it would be really difficult to complete, but at the same time It’s nice to have something to aim for.

As of this weekend, I had completed 17 of the items (well, I am pretty sure 18 are done, but I need to make the list for the 18th), and then make sure it’s all set.

I might have to revisit a few of these based on changes in life/interest and maybe try and put something else on there that I could complete. We’ll see.

Of the remaining tasks, 16 are in progress. That means I’ve started doing something in regard to the goal in hopes of finishing.

When I first started this go-around, I had a small book with all the tasks in it. The idea was to give me something I could carry and check off things as I go (especially ones that require me to do several things to complete on task). That hasn’t worked out as well as I hoped, so I need to go back and think about several things I’ve finished.

That being said, I also looked over things and have an idea moving forward – and that’s trying to tackle one task at a time (again, especially the ones that are multi-level).

And as much as I want to complete the full list, the reality is that might be a stretch. But my goal is to check off as many as I can so it can be a success in different ways.

With just over a year down, I need to now pick it up a little bit and see if I can cross off a bunch more on the list. Of course, as I go, I’ll be blogging about each one.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Day Zero Project: Completed No. 44

A Day Zero Project goal of P.J.’s has been completed!

Goal completed: Leave 100 percent tip

Date completed: July 2015

Number: 44

Description: How cool would it be to be able to leave 100 percent tip and make the server that much happier? Now for me to do this, I’d need amazing service AND have a check that isn’t too expensive. Let’s be honest … tipping $100 on a $100 deal would be tough. But for a smaller bill, why not?

Why I wanted to do it: To pay it forward and to hopefully help somebody out with a few extra bucks. I have friends who have been servers and it’s not really the easiest gig in the world. So if you get some great service, it’s well worth doing.

How I did it: It’s not really cheating here, but … well, it was earned. My softball team is sponsored by a bar. After games, we go out and eat etc. They have good food and the bartenders also work as servers. They work hard and treat us very well. One night it was busy as heck and I … well, walked out. Terrible, right? I get a text from one of the other guys noting I ditched the bill. Obviously I felt terrible about it. I was told the bartender covered it for me and I could get it next time I was there. We had a couple of rainouts to make it a longer wait, but when I got back to the place, I gave slightly more than a 100 percent tip on the bill. I will do it again at some point, without a doubt, but this time it was fully earned (if not just because I know she wanted to do it to give me a little grief, too!)

About P.J.’s Day Zero Project: Day Zero is a project where people come up with 101 things to do over 1001 days. I started the project on August 1, 2014 with an anticipated finish date of April 28, 2017. Goals will not be revealed until they are completed. A private list is at the Day Zero website and the list will be made public upon completion of the project. It’s my thoughts that if things are kept private, should I not do them, change or find a way around it, I’d only be cheating myself.

Day Zero Project: Completed No. 83

A Day Zero Project goal of P.J.’s has been completed!

Goal completed: Have a day with 25,000 steps

Date completed: August 15, 2015

Number: 83

Description: I wanted to challenge myself to walk 25,000 steps in one day.

Why I wanted to do it: Why not? If one walks 25,000 steps in one day, it means they’ve done something extremely active. Plus, Fitbit gives out badges for milestones.

25000

How I did it: I had been without a Fitbit for a while, ever since my Flex seemed to die and wouldn’t charge anymore. For the better part of this summer, I just didn’t have one to see how I was doing etc. Then I figured out that my phone would do things and also sync to my Fitbit account. However, knowing I had a trip to Seattle coming up, I wanted to be able to track things. So I got a new Fitbit (I probably should have returned the old one to see if they would replace it. I still have it!) and took it with me to Seattle.

I’m glad I did, too, as we walked many, many steps. In fact, I broke this goal twice over the time in Seattle, with the first (26,048) coming on August 15. The following day, which included a more than 5-mile hike through an old rail tunnel and back, I recorded 32,779 steps. That’s pretty awesome.

I don’t think I’ll get to this level all the time, but it did show that one can walk a ton of miles and still feel ok. The 32,000+ day was a little tougher as the feet were barking. But in the end, it seemed ok. I’ll keep adding up the steps on the Fitbit and see if I can complete the other Fitbit goal I have with the Day Zero Project.

About P.J.’s Day Zero Project: Day Zero is a project where people come up with 101 things to do over 1001 days. I started the project on August 1, 2014 with an anticipated finish date of April 28, 2017. Goals will not be revealed until they are completed. A private list is at the Day Zero website and the list will be made public upon completion of the project. It’s my thoughts that if things are kept private, should I not do them, change or find a way around it, I’d only be cheating myself.