Fifty Fifty Me

I started a new challenge! Well it isn’t very new, It is kind of tied to my current goals and that is why I think it is doable.

I joined Fifty fifty me. The purpose is to read 50 books and watch 50 movies this year. I need to figure out how I am doing with the movies, I watch about one a week in an effort to achieve my bucket list but now I suddenly need to keep track. Hmmm, If you saw a movie with me this year, please tell me what we saw!!!

I will set up a page called 5050me. You can find it on the left hand side of my blog along with all my other crazy challenges that I am doing. Can you say “Whoa there ET, Slow down?” Apparently not!

Being March, we are 13 weeks into the challenge. I have read 15 books that are not school related. I am sure I have seen at least 13 movies, but will need to reflect on that. I will commit to writing one blog post a week on books reviews and movies, part of the challenge is to keep it up on my blog. I expect YOU to help me. Share with me great reads and great movies!

Here are the Rules…well they are more like guidelines

Some Guidelines:

• Recognize you’re doing this for bragging rights (only); although we promise some fun along the way.
• Join anytime you like, but you only have til the end of 2012 to finish.
• Read and watch at your own pace, just get to 50/50 before 2013
• Finish that stack of half-read books, finally! We’ll let you count them.
• Read/watch in any language. 50/50 is global, yo.

Questions you are asking or should be!

1) Um…What happens if I don’t read 50 books and watch 50 movies this year?
Easy: we send a bounty hunter to your house.

Just kidding- this is for fun, remember? There is no punishment (not this year, anyhow) – it’s your personal challenge, so all we ask is that you try! We know it’s a lot of books, a lot of movies; the point is that it is probably more than you’ve ever consumed in a year. That’s why it’s a challenge and not “The 50/50 Usual”.

2) Do I have to read the books, or can I just skim?
I can see how this would be confusing. Oh wait, no, it’s a reading challenge. Same as fast-forwarding through a movie isn’t the same as really watching one, this is about taking the time to really enjoy. In short, yes, for the avoidance of doubt, please read the book for it count.

3) Do long books count as 2? What about movies?
If your book is over 500 pages, you can count it as 2 books if you like.

However, if the book is 2000 pages, it’s still just two books — not four! We want to encourage you to read longer pieces. This answer has been posted for the benefit of all you Game of Thrones fanatics out there. Go forth and prosper or whatever it is.

Note: A movie is still just a (one, 1, “ONE”) movie. (That said, installments in a series (example: the individual Godfather movies) would each snag an individual point.)

4) What if I’ve read a few pages or seen a few clips of a movie already?
We’re going with the 75% rule on this one. Honor system!

5) Do textbooks count?
You poor thing. Let’s see here: A book’s a book, but are you really reading all of it or just a chapter here or there? Be honest with yourself!

Books you read for school count as well, if you’ve read them in their entirety.

6) Can I rewatch/reread? 
Of course you can rewatch and reread… it just won’t count towards your 50/50 😉

We hope you will use FiftyFifty to inspire you to explore new stuff! Maybe next year we will include a “Reminiscing” theme, but this year around we’re asking you to go fresh.

7) Do I need a blog to do fiftyfifty.me?
You do not need a blog in order to do fiftyfifty.me! We suggest it on the website as an easy way to keep track online of what you’re up to (Blogger and Tumblr offer free blog services, for starters)

This year, we’re working on the honor system- just keep a list on your fridge or in a notebook if you aren’t interested in doing it online. The main focus is on participating- your free time is better spent on reading/watching.

8) What should I read/watch?
Anything you like! We have offered a lot of suggestions and will continue to, on our website; these are called Themes.

For example, one thing we have suggested is that you dive deeper into someone’s work and experience a few in a row (whether it’s an author, director, actor, etc.). What this does is allow you to justify why you stayed home all weekend watching Ryan Gosling’s filmography. It will also allow you to use “oeuvre” correctly in conversation with people (who rightfully probably won’t want to be your friends for long, but that is neither here nor that).

We call this “Majoring” in something (or minoring in it). You can read more about that on this post, and on any posts with the tags “Major” or “Minor”.

9) Can kids participate in fiftyfifty.me?
Yes, definitely! We encourage families and people of all ages to sign up for fiftyfifty.me, although you should prepare because the kids we know will double up and read more like 100 books in the year.

We just suggest you read age-appropriate(ish) material, and if you are under 18, have the oversight of a parent or guardian- get them to participate too.

10) How do I get my school/library involved?
Tell them about it! We are sure your school or library would encourage this adventure. If your library or school does decide to participate, let us know and we’ll be happy to post about it on our website.

While we do not offer prizes this year (other than our respect, membership in the cool kids club, etc etc). Schools or libraries may want to support the fiftyfifty.me with local awards for big achievers, or a ceremony to recognize those who accomplish this huge task.

You might also want to create a club to meet once in a while and discuss what you are reading/watching, and share recommendations in person. Libraries, local independent bookstores, and theaters would be great venues for these – get them involved!

11) How can I find people around me doing 50/50?
We do not yet ask people to identify where they are joining from, but we encourage you to set up a local gathering of 50/50 participants either by setting one up on Meetup or creating a club, etc., luring some of your friends.

12) Are there 50/50 events?
We are based out of San Diego and will be holding a launch event and occasional meetups. We hope to have other events nationwide, so stay tuned! We’ll keep you posted when/if those happen. Please be sure to sign up for our mailing list so we can reach out to you about relevant news and information.

I discovered this challenge from fellow blogger Sheila Hurst She just started too and is aiming for 30 books. Join the challenge!

Meanwhile…I need to go and do a NEW thing for my 52 new things challenge. I am going for contacts. 44 and never wore contacts. UnHEARD of in the 21st Century. I get around to everything eventually.