It’s hard to believe that another year has come and passed. One this is certain: 2012 has some big shoes to fill.

You see, 2011 was an epic year for me. I left the safety net of my full-time job and endured unemployment for a couple of months. I began a new career and started side work as a freelance graphic designer. I traveled to San Francisco and took a road trip to New York City. My brother moved back to the United States after spending 3.5 years in Japan. I co-founded a new photography project with my friend Lara. I managed to maintain my 4.0 GPA in graduate school despite taking difficult courses. I began writing a novel. I knocked some key items off my bucket list. I heard amazing musicians perform. I met people who I can’t picture my life without.

Most importantly, I truly enjoyed myself.

Each year, I reevaluate a list of short and long-term goals. This list below includes a few of my 1, 5, and 10-year goals:

1-year

1. Obtain a passport
2.  Have a photograph published
3. Give up meat for a month
4. Visit a city I’ve never been to before
5. Read at least 1 book each month

5-year

1. Backpack through Europe
2. Own a dog
3. Publish my novel
4. Live in a city where I don’t need to own a car
5. Learn how to play the guitar

10-year

1. Start my Doctoral program
2. Settle down (hopefully)

I fully understand that life is unpredictable. These goals serve as a outline, not an itinerary.

Do you have a list of goals that you revisit periodically?

If you had the opportunity to take off and go anywhere in the world, how far would you travel?

For me, the answer is easy: Europe.

While there are certain circumstances such as personal finance and health that hold us back, the biggest factor keeping us grounded is ourselves.

Backpacking through Europe has always been a dream of mine. It firmly holds a place on my bucket list. Since I have never been outside of the United States, I am itching to get away and experience various cultures. I will have the opportunity to absorb as much European culture as possible.

Even though I am in the initial stages of planning, I have laid out a rough itinerary of the trip. I will fly in and out of Germany (Berlin, Munich), making my way around Europe over a 4-week period. My trip will look something like this:

1. Berlin

2. Frankfurt

3. Amsterdam

4. Brussel

5. Paris

6. Lyon

7. Rome

8. Florence

9. Salzburg

10. Munich

Most of my travel between cities will be made possible through trains. I want the trip to be a true back door experience. No tours. No hotels. My days will be spent exploring cities by foot and my evenings filled conversing with other travelers in hostels.

There is still plenty of research to be done and checklists to be made. One thing is certain. I’m excited.

Any of you looking to travel around Europe?

Music is my escape. It has had a significant impact on my life and remains my favorite form of self expression. What we listen to depends, largely, on our mood. We have the tendency to associate certain songs with specific emotions or events.

How many times have you heard a song and the lyrics speak to you? Do you ever feel as though songs were written just for you? Music connects us in that way.

The best part of music is that you don’t need to be a musician to appreciate it.

Despite listening to a wide variety of music, I have a list of “go-to” songs. They serve as the foundation of my music collection. I can listen to these songs over and over and never grow tired of hearing their beautiful melodies and strings of lyrics. As I evolve, the list evolves.

In no particular order, the following songs are my current Top 20:

1. Poison & Wine – The Civil Wars

2. The Minstrel’s Prayer – Cartel

3. Stop This Train – John Mayer

4. Hazy – Rosi Golan featuring William Fitzsimmons

5. Kids – MGMT

6. Blue Skies – Noah & The Whale

7. Not That Cool – Will Hoge

8. Science Of Fear – The Temper Trap

9. After The Storm – Mumford & Sons

10. More Time – Needtobreathe

11. Close Your Eyes – Jump, Little Children

12. Transatlantique – Beirut

13. The Girl – City and Colour

14. Nineteen – Tegan and Sara

15. Evening Kitchen – Band of Horses

16. Follow – Brandi Carlile

17. Way Away – Yellowcard

18. Sleep – Copeland

19. Hide and Seek – Imogen Heap

20. Drive – Incubus

There is a story behind each of these 20 songs.

If your life had a soundtrack, what would it sound like?

Developed by writers Kyle Humphrey and Graydon Sheppard, Shit Girls Say is both eerily true and wildly humorous.

Go ahead. Laugh at yourself.

If you are on Twitter and not following Shit Girls Say, shame on you.

Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR).

Plaid, Flannel…Plaid Flannel.

Road Bikes.

Thrift Shopping (“Thrifting”).

Vinyl Records.

Local Coffee Shops.

Brunch.

Thick rimmed glasses.

*Note: If you take offense to this post, we probably shouldn’t be friends.

The goal of the project is to string together the lives of people from various backgrounds and geographic locations. Every story begins exactly the same – with one disposable film camera.

Put your thinking caps on for the next few minutes. Picture the Disposable Film Project as one large umbrella housing various components. Each component is a unique method for capturing and sharing stories.

Currently, the Disposable Film Project is comprised of 3 pieces:

1. Disposable Film Project Packages:

A disposable film camera is mailed in a Disposable Film Project package to a designated initiator. The reusable packages are heavily padded to ensure the cameras remain protected. Each box also contains a loose set of guidelines and plenty of shipping labels.

Each initiator kicks off their chapter by taking two photographs before mailing the camera/package to a participant of their choice. The next participant takes two photographs and mails the camera/package to a participant of their choice. The process continues until the camera reaches its final exposure.

The last person to take a photograph will mail the camera/package back to one of the project founders (Lara Eucalano or Jennifer Stevens). Once the project founders receive a camera, they will develop the film and post the photographs to the Disposable Film Project blog.

Viewers will have the opportunity to study each chapter and discover where the cameras traveled. No two stories will be the same.

2. Disposable Film Camera Launches:

A disposable film camera will be launched in a public park or place. Each camera will remain in the designated location for 2 hours, or until all exposures have been used.

A poster containing guidelines and stack of Disposable Film Project business cards will accompany all launched cameras, regardless of location. Launchers will check in on the cameras to ensure against theft or sudden inclement weather.

Once the camera has been used, a project founder will develop the film and post the photographs to the Disposable Film Project blog. Participants will be directed to the Disposable Film Project blog in order to view the photographs.

3. Disposable Film Camera Hand Off:

A disposable film camera will be given to a selected participant. The participant will use all 27 exposures. Once the participant has captured life from his/her perspective, the camera will be collected by a project founder.

The film will be developed and the photographs will be published to the Disposable Film Project blog.

At this time, Lara and I are awaiting the first round of Disposable Film Project packages, mailed in early November. I am gearing up to send out a second round of packages. I also plan to conduct my first camera launch before the end of the year.

Want to receive updates about the Disposable Film Project blog? Become an email follower by selecting the “Follow” option on the project home page.

This dynamic group is comprised of Jen Curran, Clayton Early, Faryn Einhorn, Katie Larsen, Adam Lustick, Billy Scafuri, Chris Smith, Rebecca Delgado Smith and Sara Taylor.

Based out of New York City, the group claims no affiliation with Harvard University or its sailing team. Instead, they are comedians, dancers, choreographers, and singers.

Watch the video below for a good laugh. If you’re hungry for more, check out their YouTube channel.

Dialect is a broad term that refers to a variety of a language that is characterized by a particular group of speakers. A dialect is distinguished by its vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. When a difference can be discerned only by pronunciation, the term accent is used. An accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular person, location, or nation. Many people consider accents to be a subset of dialect.

Are you bored yet? You shouldn’t be.

Regardless of your beliefs, we all possess a unique accent. As human beings spread out (geographically) and settle, variations develop. Over time, these variations form identifiable accents.

Take the United States, for example. The original 13 colonies housed inhabitants from England and other parts of Europe. Over the years, those accents were dropped and a unique American English accent was adopted. As Americans settled across North America, variations in accents also claimed certain regions. Southerners don’t sound like Northerners. People on the West Coast don’t sound like people from the East Coast. Even within the Northern region, certain cities and states are home to unique accents.

The study of accents is fascinating. Do you want to know what else is neat? Accents from all over the world.

The Worldwide Accent Project began over a year ago, featuring video entries from people across the world. Each participant records themselves reading a specific passage. Entries are posted to YouTube to maximize access and exposure. Listening to participants speak, one point becomes clear – there is no such thing as being accent-less.

Having lived in the South for most of my life, I claim to have a mild case of the Southern drawl. Despite elongating my vowels (specifically the O’s), I consider myself relatively accent free. Of course, that is an incorrect statement.  If someone living in Japan heard me speak, I would be found guilty of possessing an American accent.

Still think you have don’t have an accent?

In 1983, 19-year-old Jimmy John Liautaud sought to create the world’s greatest gourmet sandwich. After studying cookbooks and perfecting his award-winning bread, Jimmy created four signature sandwiches. With the approval from his family and friends, Jimmy opened for business out of a  garage in Charleston, Illinois. The menu? Four kinds of sandwiches and 25-cent Cokes.

With no money for advertising, Jimmy took to the streets. He sampled whole sandwiches to area residents. Business quickly picked up as college kids and other locals caught on to the inexpensive and delicious option Jimmy John’s provided.

Jimmy opened his second store in Macomb, Illinois in 1985. Several more stores were opened before Jimmy developed a prototype to franchise the business in 1993.

Since then, Jimmy John’s has grown up. The franchise currently has over 1,200 stores across the United States. The restaurant is known for serving affordable sandwiches, providing fast delivery, and leaving out unnecessary frills. The sandwiches speak for themselves.

Want to know what Jimmy John’s is serving these days? Check out the menu on their web site. A personal favorite of mine is the Vito (number 5).

If you’re looking for a Jimmy John’s near you, check out their restaurant locator. Don’t forget to grab a bag of Jimmy Chips or one of their delicious cookies on your way out.

Besides serving up delicious sandwiches, the Jimmy John’s culture deserves recognition. The Golden Rule of the company is, “Make a deal, keep a deal.” Walking into any location, you get a sense of this concept in action. The attitude is in the demeanor of every employee. They hustle to deliver on their “freaky fast” slogan inside and outside of the restaurant. This “subculture” has allowed Jimmy John’s to cultivate a loyal base of patrons.

The next time you’re in the mood for a sandwich, pay a visit to your local Jimmy John’s. Don’t freak when service is faster than you’re used to.