One Month In

The first month was really fun. I wrote a letter home to family and friends every day for 31 days, from 15 May to 14 June. Thanks to everyone who was generous enough to share their address with me...made it much easier to complete the challenge. If you want in on the fun, send me your address, and I'll keep it going :)

There were a few times when it was kinda like cooking dinner: I don't mind cooking as long as I don't have to figure out *what* to cook. I didn't mind writing the letters; that part was super easy. The very hard part was coming up with someone to write to. I went through most of my family, which is not very large. I asked my peer group if anyone wanted to exchange letters, and had a couple of wonderful women to write to. I even trolled Facebook to remind myself of good friends that, honestly, I couldn't believe I didn't think of on my own.

And the other hard part was my handwriting. I sorta felt like I was back in 3rd grade, when my very worst grade ever was a C in handwriting. Let's just say it hasn't gotten any better in the intervening 36 years. I really did try to be neat too. My hand just can't keep up with my brain, no matter how hard it tries. So, thanks also to everyone for bearing with and through my chicken scratch.

Just when I was starting to lose a little bit of enthusiasm for the challenge, I started getting return letters in the mail, or FB messages that people had gotten their notes, and enjoyed them. Never mind that I had talked or corresponded with them in the interim...somehow I didn't run out of things to write in the letters. Little details about living in Bahrain, my flat, my job. Plenty of stuff to natter on about.

So, one challenge done. Time for the next one. Warning: foul language alert...

Oof. No cussing for 30 days, from 15 June to 14 July. Good thing this one isn't in a 31-day month. And I need rules this time. Real rules. Written rules. Rules I can't sea-lawyer my way out of.

Here goes:
-- Using cuss words while I'm writing the rules doesn't count against me, so that I can have a very clearly defined list of what is unacceptable.
-- Unacceptable words are: f*ck (which will be the hardest one ever for me to not use, so it comes first), sh*t, damn, piss, bitch (eek, another tough one), ass, the c-word, christ, d*ck, c*ck.
-- I may add to this list, but not take any off of it during the course of the month.
-- Derivatives of the above words are also unacceptable: pisser, mutherf*cker, sunovabitch, asshat, asshole, jackass, asswipe (what is it about ass that it lends itself to so many combinations?), g*ddamn, d*ckwad, c*cksucker, and so on. (Yes, I have used each of these in the past, so this is a fairly onerous requirement)
-- Other, less offensive or like-sounding combinations that don't actually use the unacceptable words are allowed: sunovabiscuit, jackhole, patootie, mutherclucker, sugar, shinola...feel free to add more suggestions to build my repertoire in the comments.
-- I must keep a running total of how many times I slip and do use the unacceptable words over the course of the next 30 days, starting once this post is finished until 2359 on Friday, 14 July (I will probably go to bed early that night...either that, or I'll stay up and let loose a five minute string of foul-mouthed expletives that have built up over the previous 30 days...hahahaha).
-- Each time I use an unacceptable word, I will accrue charges on a Fibonacci scale, starting at $1 in full dollar-increments. At the end of the month, I will donate these accrued charges to a worthwhile, but frivolous-to-me charity. Any suggestions?

And away we go...Challenge starts...NOW, 0928, 15 June 2018.