I’m 28, I’m not *old*…
Woe is me. It’s my 28th birthday today and, for the third year running I’m ill. Last year I still went out for a meal, could taste nothing, and had a thoroughly miserable time. This year I’m staying in bed. 🙁
To add to my woes, I’ve been re-reading what certain characters from history managed to achieve in their 28th year of existence. Here’s a flavour:
- Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space.
- Jimi Hendrix died after a short but influential career.
- Ernest Hemingway published his first novel, The Sun Also Rises.
What have I done? Nothing quite so illustrious:
- Spoke at BETT 2008 with Dan Sutch of Futurelab about barriers and resistances to change and at the TeachMeet.
- Presented at the Schools History Project Conference alongside Nick Dennis.
- Became E-Learning Staff Tutor at my school.
- Completed two CD-ROMs of interactive whiteboard resources (History) for Folens publishers (Invasion, Plague & Murder and Renaissance, Revolution & Reformation)
- Passed my Ed.D. thesis proposal and gained a new supervisor.
- Joined a gym and got myself (slightly) fitter.
- Sold our house just before the full effects of the eceonomic slowdown hit home and moved into a rented property on a farm in semi-rural isolation.
Not quite in the same league! I am, however, considering writing a book. It won’t be ‘available in all good bookshops’. In fact, it won’t be available in bad ones either! Like Doug Johnson and others have done, I’m considering using Lulu.com to make my proposed book freely downloadable and available to purchase in paper format for a reasonable fee.
Technology wise, I upgraded in the last few weeks from a Macbook to a Macbook Pro, went through several netbooks (Asus Eee 701 -> modded OSX-powered Advent 4211 -> Asus Eee 1000), bought an iPhone, returned it, and then finally changed my Nokia N95 for an iPhone 3G 16GB, and bought a wonderful digital SLR camera in the shape of the Canon EOS 1000D.
What are my plans for my 29th year on earth? Hmmm… I’ll limit myself to three:
- Apply for and obtain a job that means my wife, Hannah, doesn’t have to work.
- Write half my Ed.D. thesis around the concept of digital literacies.
- Start a new project – either through Folens or independently that brings together some of the ideas Nick Dennis and I have been discussing. 🙂
What are YOUR plans for 2009?
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Wow – what an inspiring post. I am hitting the big 28 in a couple of months!
I realised I was getting old when I started getting excited about buying a new frying pan or looking for curtains for our house…
What an impressive list of achievements you have made so far – I can only begin to imagine what your list is going to look like at 38.
My goals for 2009… wait for my husband to get a job that means his wife doesn’t have to work (hehehe)
No actually;
Complete my Post Graduate Diploma in Education and Begin my Masters – focus on Assessment and ICT (I don’t believe we should be teaching our kids using one way of teaching and assessing using another – here in NZ we have a large component of internal assessment and a brand new competencies based curriculum)
I have just left my teaching job to begin working with two local schools supporting their teachers in their ICT use. By the end of 2009 I hope to be able to move to a consultancy role working with a large number of schools and commercial organisations.
I have others as well – but they can wait!
Thanks for inspiring me to write these two down though!
All the best for a very happy Christmas and new year!
http://www.tonitwiss.com/mobile
Thanks Toni, and for making me aware of your blog. Good stuff! :-)
Sounds like you have fitted a lot in to me! Happy Birthday Doug and I hope you feel better soon. OB
Thanks Ollie!
Thanks Toni, and for making me aware of your blog. Good stuff! :-)
My plan is to turn 28. ;-)
You’re 28 and you think you’re old! Ha-ha-ha!!!!
Funniest post in ages, Doug.
My plan is to turn 28. ;-) You're 28 and you think you're old! Ha-ha-ha!!!!Funniest post in ages, Doug.
@ Doug
I think you’ve accomplished quite a bit. Happy Birthday and I hope you feel better. I know I’m getting old when the ice on the driveway actually scares me. I’m only 31. My goals for 2009: 1. Keep losing weight and stay fit (battling the diabetes) 2. Grow my blog readership 3. Have a 15% growth in revenue in the commodity fund i manage and 4. Help my wife through her final semester of Grad school.
Happy Birthday Doug and here is to a great 28th year! Make it a goal to be healthy for the 29th celebration, eh?
Wow – what an inspiring post. I am hitting the big 28 in a couple of months!I realised I was getting old when I started getting excited about buying a new frying pan or looking for curtains for our house…What an impressive list of achievements you have made so far – I can only begin to imagine what your list is going to look like at 38.My goals for 2009… wait for my husband to get a job that means his wife doesn't have to work (hehehe)No actually;Complete my Post Graduate Diploma in Education and Begin my Masters – focus on Assessment and ICT (I don't believe we should be teaching our kids using one way of teaching and assessing using another – here in NZ we have a large component of internal assessment and a brand new competencies based curriculum)I have just left my teaching job to begin working with two local schools supporting their teachers in their ICT use. By the end of 2009 I hope to be able to move to a consultancy role working with a large number of schools and commercial organisations.I have others as well – but they can wait!Thanks for inspiring me to write these two down though! All the best for a very happy Christmas and new year!http://www.tonitwiss.com/mobile
Sounds like you have fitted a lot in to me! Happy Birthday Doug and I hope you feel better soon. OB
Happy Birthday Doug and here is to a great 28th year! Make it a goal to be healthy for the 29th celebration, eh?
Happy Birthday
@ DougI think you've accomplished quite a bit. Happy Birthday and I hope you feel better. I know I'm getting old when the ice on the driveway actually scares me. I'm only 31. My goals for 2009: 1. Keep losing weight and stay fit (battling the diabetes) 2. Grow my blog readership 3. Have a 15% growth in revenue in the commodity fund i manage and 4. Help my wife through her final semester of Grad school.
Happy Birthday
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/12/22/cisco-digital-cribs/
Something to aim at in 2009 :-)
I don’t mean the home (tho that too, of course, if you like), but the video. I reckon you’re a contender. Might inspire you.
Happy Christmas.
Happy Birthday,
Congratulations. You have accomplished a lot!
Don’t forget to make time to smell the roses. :)
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/12/22…..Something to aim at in 2009 :-)I don't mean the home (tho that too, of course, if you like), but the video. I reckon you're a contender. Might inspire you.Happy Christmas.
Happy Birthday,Congratulations. You have accomplished a lot!Don't forget to make time to smell the roses. 🙂
Happy belated birthday, Doug. Welcome to the party for 28 year-old, Mac-and-football-loving educators. I concur with others that you seem to have put together a fine year. For the record, my main accomplishment in this last year was bringing our first son home. He’s awesome.
I’m going take a rain check on goals for ’09. Maybe stop procrastinating should be on there.
Happy belated birthday, Doug. Welcome to the party for 28 year-old, Mac-and-football-loving educators. I concur with others that you seem to have put together a fine year. For the record, my main accomplishment in this last year was bringing our first son home. He's awesome.I'm going take a rain check on goals for '09. Maybe stop procrastinating should be on there.
Belated Happy Birthday to you Doug, I guess you are feeling better now? An excellent post for such a young man ( as someone nearly, but not quite double your age with a adughter of 22 is allowed to say!)
As you reflect on these achievements don’t forget also the influence and respect that you have from teaching colleagues somewhat older than yourself……..It lloks like a seriously good life so far, may it continue for many many more years……..Don’t forget you’ll be 30 before you realsie it (lol)
Best wishes
Paul