In Boulder we just woke up to approx. 3″ of snow this morning, freezing temperatures and more snow to come. Even so, summer is on it’s way. It is. I know it.
Summer-Is-On-The-Way!
I typically shoot for 3-months as a sweet-spot for working on important existing projects or beginning some new endeavor at which point I’ll evaluate progress, refine objectives, and continue from there. I like to publicize projects when I’m personally excited, feel comfortable sharing and/or want to solicit other participants. In this case, all three. Here are a few of the major goals and projects I’m spending time on over the next couple of months.
Running and Charity: Miyoko and I are planning to run our first Bolder Boulder 10k this Memorial Day and are using it as a means to raise money for a charitable donation. See: “The Bouldest Mile” post and donate if you’d like to help us out!
Cycling: I’ve had a 2+ year love-hate relationship with my road bike and a desire to actually become a consistent, mile-logging cyclist. Until now I’ve put it off. Well, excuses begone!
I’ve created a 1,000 Mile Challenge on DailyBurn.com that runs from the beginning of May to the beginning of August (Yes, it’s already underway). DailyBurn is an awesome fitness tracking site that I encourage you to use if you have trouble getting on top of your fitness goals (They even offer an iPhone app that allows you to scan food into your account for nutrition tracking). Both this site and this challenge (not the phone app) are free for anyone who wants to participate.
So, Get To It!
Language Learning: An entirely new endeavor for me – over the next three months I plan to learn Koine (Biblical) Greek. Koine Greek (the first or second language of the Roman Empire) is a dead language as far as speaking goes, so don’t count on it to get you around the Mediterranean shores this summer (Actually, Greece’s current economic woes present some interesting challenges and and opportunities [?] for American travelers, and the question, could modern-Greek soon be extinct as well? I certainly hope not!), however there are many ancient documents which a basic understanding of the ‘common-man’s’ Greek would allow you to read in their original form. Mainly, the Septuagint and the New Testament, but there are others.
[Greek Online Resources:
For New Testament studies - NTGreek.net
Greek Bible - greekbible.com
General (I won't say simple) Hellenistic Greek Grammar Lessons - greek-language.com/grammar
Books in Greek - books. phigita.net/ (Note: Need to be able to translate this page into English. Google Chrome allows this, but not sure about other browsers)]
I’m looking for one or two dedicated partners to do this with me. My goal is to read the Gospel of John (most basic structure of all the NT writings) by the end of this experiment, but obviously you can set your own.
Read either of these two articles on rapid language-learning and get back to me with a comment on this post if you’re interested:
“How to Learn Any Language in 3-Months”
“How to Learn (But Not Master) Any Language in 1-Hour”
ὁ κλέπτης οὐκ ἔρχεται εἰ μὴ ἵνα κλέψῃ καὶ θύσῃ καὶ ἀπολέσῃ: ἐγὼ ἦλθον ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχωσιν καὶπερισσὸν ἔχωσιν.
John 10:10
And what post would be complete without a couple of Summer Reading Picks?
Two knowledge-based/inspirational, and one for pleasure:
The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE
All entries are short, blog-like, but packed full of application. Easy to pick up for a few minutes and get on to pursuing Excellence.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
Classic. Written 15 years ago and still worth every word. If you have aspirations to start your own business, or already do, this is a must read.
Desert Solitaire
An inspiring read in the vein of Walden or things by Kerouc. Makes you want to pack up and head for the Southwest. For practicals, see Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel
Feel free to add what you’d like below. Questions and comments are always appreciated.
