I have been alive for 9,355 days. When I was first processing that information earlier this morning, I thought to myself, "Too bad that's not years. I kind of want to be a Time Lord." Then I thought, "Ugh, what have I been doing with myself? I don't read as much as I'd like to, and yet I'm watching shows on Netflix that don't even really appeal to me* just because they're nice distractions from reality. Pathetic. I should tweet this."

So I did. I posted it to my private Twitter account, where I've been stashing most of my updates lately. (More on that next time.) Chris wrote back with a Time Lord reference, and gRegor made a terrible-ish joke about lighting candles. And then I sneezed on my cat.

(Wanted: professional editor to force me to delete the embarrassing sentences I can't help but include in my blog entries.)

Thinking about my age in days helped put things in a new perspective, though, and I don't want to lose that. I'm going to try to get back in the habit of writing in a journal every day, and I'd like to number each entry accordingly.

Also, I'd like to do something fun for my 10,000 day, assuming I make it that long. (I had a small bump on the roof of my mouth the other day, and WebMD diagnosed me with mouth cancer. Not surprising, since their unofficial tagline is "The Answer Is Always Cancerâ„¢," but still disconcerting in the "Gah, I am mortal!" sort of way. The small bump is now gone, though, so DIE IN A FIRE, WebMD!) Obviously, Giordano's pizza will be involved, but that's as far as I've gotten in the planning process. Suggestions are most definitely welcome.

In the spirit of embracing my mortality and becoming more intentional in how I use my time, I'm also going to finish writing my bucket list and post it here. Y'all can help keep me accountable. I am also going to go ahead and purchase tickets for a few extra shows at Ravinia for this summer, since that is the kind of entertainment that is satisfying both in the moment and in beloved memories in the years to follow.

So if you catch me whining about a really boring show on Netflix, please yell at me to go find something better to do with my time. Or just throw a book at my 9,355-day-old head.

*To clarify, I am definitely not talking about Doctor Who when I say that, okay? Okay.

If you own a copy of the Lord of the Rings trilogy on Blu-ray, you might have a set of discs labeled "digital content." These discs come with special codes that allow you to upload high-def versions of the movies (still just the theatrical versions) to your computer, either via iTunes or Windows Media Player. By choosing the iTunes route, I am now able to carry itty bitty hobbits on my iPhone wherever I go. Is this the best use of an iPhone ever? Yes, it most certainly is.

Anyway, the PSA here is that those codes that allow you to upload the digital content expire on April 4, 2011. The promotion was meant to be a bonus for people who hopped on the Blu-ray bandwagon early, so don't miss out!

I know for a fact that I've titled a blog post "Ch-ch-ch-changes" at least once in my life. In fact, I probably thought that was a clever way to introduce a new blog design.

[Checks archives.]

Nope. I used it as the subject line of an email I sent in 2008, which announced to my coworkers that I was back in school and cutting back my hours.

Regardless, much bigger changes have been rolling out since the start of 2011. For one thing, we're three years into the future and have finally conquered all our "its/it's" mix-ups. Also, we elected Bill Watterson as President of the United States, made the tiger our national mascot, and executed all those people with "Calvin peeing on something or other" window decals.

In less riveting and fictional news, I got a promotion of sorts. (Yay!) The gal who took care of our graphic design and promotion and web presence and all that other cool stuff accepted a management position at a health club, and her job at the church was offered to me on a trial basis to see if I would like it. Yes, it comes with an office and a pay raise. Yes, it involves designing pretty things for print and web use. Yes, it is a bit of a dream come true.

Alas, I was sent home on the first day.

Because of the impending blizzard.

Woo, snow day!

The changes to the church staff don't end there, and the summary of the whole mess is that I'm training myself for my new job while training a new boss (for my old job) and a new replacement (who has yet to be hired). The amount of teaching and learning that needs to occur over the next few months is dizzying, so if you see me crying on a street corner, take a picture. We'll have a giant scrapbooking party at the end of the year and drunkenly giggle about how pretty I am with mascara running down my cheeks. (And since 2011 is also the year in which my mother and I conquer our fear of the kitchen, I might even be able to feed you something other than Pop-Tarts at this shindig.)

Other items of note from January 2011:

• I started counting calories a week ago and have already lost five pounds. I will fit in my high school cheerleading outfit before my next birthday, gosh dang it.
• I went to a BEN FOLDS! concert with gRegor and Erica. Street Corner Symphony rocked my socks off as the opening act, and I forgot how to breathe when BEN FOLDS! took to the piano. (We also got to park in the same scary parking garage that almost scraped the top off my family's van when we were last in MIlwaukee.)
• Not only did I discover a spider running along the top of the Keurig, I later uncovered a spider nest UNDER THE LID OF THE KEURIG. Since then, I haven't been able to make coffee without first disassembling and reassembling the whole machine to check for spidery grossness.
• My love of British television continued to grow, although I still can't embrace their version of The Office.
• Someone poisoned the waterhole! Or maybe not.