The musical

Done: 81!

On Thursday I went to see Avenue Q. I had first heard of Avenue Q when I was visiting New York a few years ago- probably when it first came out. I remember reading about it in some guide and thinking it would probably be interesting to see a musical with puppets, but that half of a musical is the music and the other half of a musical is the acting and dancing and wouldn't puppets be bad at that? 

Then, one night, Tim and I went out with a friend and the guy she was seeing at the time. There was a piano and people were coming up and singing show tunes (and some Sinatra, I think). I wasn't fully aware of the music because it wasn't all familiar to me. And then the song "The Internet is for Porn" was sung by someone, which was totally hilarious. Then "It Sucks To Be Me" was also sung and my friend's guy said that it was music from Avenue Q. I was now more certain that I wanted to see this show even if there was no dancing because the music was probably worth it. 

I don't know how I ended up on a mailing list for musicals coming to town, but I am. When I saw Avenue Q was coming, I tried to rally some people from work to go. Some were interested, but not sure. In the end one other person from work went, but it ended up being on a night different from me. I called up a friend who I was pretty sure liked performance that wasn't entirely standard and pitched the show to her. She said she was interested and we went to buy tickets- too late to get tickets seated together.

Not sitting together was OK- we couldn't talk during the performance anyway- although it would have been nice to be together. I admit that I laughed a lot. And the warning about full puppet nudity was totally necessary- Even if they don't have bottom halves.

The first musical I saw was A Chorus Line. I was a younger teenager and I went with my Dad. I seem to remember someone singing about thinking they had gonorrhea. I just would like to thank my Dad for not saying anything to me during that time in the show. I would have died of embarrassment. I'd also like to say even at this age, I don't think I would have wanted either of my parents sitting next to me during the puppet nudity. Call me uptight if you will, but it's true.

This has to be one of the best goals I made. Now it is almost too bad that I achieved it so quickly! I suppose I don't have to have it as an official goal to be able to go to another musical, though. The only sad thing about it was the price. I would be going much more often if the price was better.  I don't get much say in the matter, though. 

Here's to one more down!

New Glasses

Done: 45 (ongoing), 32

Worked on: 55

Done better: 79 

I have now achieved number 32: get new glasses. I already mentioned that I had them coming and they were on back order. I picked them up on Saturday and got a few compliments already this week. As I picked up the glasses, one of the opticians kept telling me how "European" they were and that they were very "fashion forward." I'm feeling very special right now.

I got glasses when I was in fifth grade. I honestly don't remember if I was unhappy or not about it. The first two pairs or so were made of glass. I do remember that much. Eventually, I was talked into plastic, but I continue to think of having real glass glasses, although the weight of them would make them impractical. My vision isn't horrible, but they can't minimize glass the way they can plastic.

Ever since I got glasses, I have had glasses. People frequently ask me if I ever wanted contact lenses. The truth is that the idea of sticking myself in the eye daily really creeps me out. I've never wanted them. Happily, when the opthalmologist tested my eye moisture to see if I was a candidate for contact lenses (even though I didn't ask), my eyes were too dry. Please note that this test involved him sticking some piece of paper in my eye. That was enough for me not to want contact lenses if I had known what the test was before he did it.

My first nephew was born when I was 10 and had glasses. One day, he kept grabbing for my glasses and I kept telling him to stop and fixing the glasses on my face. My mother (not a glasses wearer until her 50's I think- and not a glasses wearer at that time) told me to just give the kid my glasses if he wanted to play with them. I don't think I need to tell anyone how that turned out, but I will. Immediately upon receiving them, he broke one of the arms right off. Well, in my pre-teen bitterness, I thought, that should show my mom, right? Now I need new glasses. Unfortunately for me, though, my mother and father went to Sears on their own and chose three pairs of glasses for me to choose from as a replacement. None of these were what I wanted. I am certain that my dislike of them all was apparent to the salesperson who offered to try to make them look a little more stylish. Perhaps it was around this time that I became a little less concerned with my appearance, at least the parts that I can't see readily myself. Bad haircut? It will grow out- besides I don't see it most of the day anyway. Oh wait, no- that wasn't until after Junior High at least.

I think I kept plastic frames all the way through college and then switched to metal. The health plan/eye plan at grad school was not that bad. Of course, my eyes got 20% worse the year I studied for my qualifying exams, but at least they've been stable ever since. In the wild, I may have been one of the first eaten, but then again, I wouldn't have spent hours every day trying to read all of German literature in a year. seriously. Just ask me about Barock- then again, please don't.

Hooray for new glasses! Now I am old enough and make my own money so that I don't have to pick from glasses someone else picks for me. I can also be fashion forward if I like. The only time I wish I didn't have glasses is when I exercise. On the whole, they don't end up being a problem, but still, it'd be nice. And then I have a weird geek desire to have prescription goggles. Mind you, I don't swim with any regularity, but I'm sure I could come up with a reason or two to wear them- perhaps while mixing hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, or something. I don't think that will ever officially go on a to-do list, though, the goggles- I don't know if the need to mix hydrogen peroxide and baking soda will arise and so don't want to count it out. I just hope I haven't been so fashion forward that I overshot the mark and will have to buy new glasses in a year.

Ongoing completion and a secret goal

I tried a new recipe- actually half of a new recipe. It was spinach crepes with curried crab salad. I made the curried crab salad part and it was really good. I have all the ingredients to make the crepes, so I'll try those on a night where I have more time. For the people invited over on Saturday, I'll make the same salad, but with chicken (crab is kind of pricey) and a new vegetable soup recipe. I feel like I might be on a roll.

Today I went back for a full tae kwon do class. I walked in thinking I could step out if I needed to. I think if I knew I was going in for the full hour, I might not have actually gone. There is a new instructor, who helped me toward the end, but the main instructor came over before we started and asked me, "Are you taking a class?" "Yes!" I said. How could I slink out after such enthusiasm? Luckily, it wasn't cardio for the first half of class (that can be pretty brutal), so I stayed in and was partners with a guy who started after me and is now one level higher than me- actually, the level that it is my goal to achieve in this list. For some reason, I felt particularly good. We did some spinning stuff and usually I lose my balance at least once fairly spectacularly, but it didn't happen this time. I know I have a lot to work on with my balance, but I felt like progress was made.

I started taking these classes as a means of exercise. For a long time I went to the gym and lifted weights and rode the bike (and read while riding the bike). I liked keeping track of how much I could lift and pushing myself just a bit more. My shoulders always seemed particularly weak and, now after physical therapy, I understand why. Anyway, years ago, I started having some ankle pain and began cutting down on walking and just about anything that might aggravate it. I used to go to a gym downtown that was small, but seemed to attract more serious people. I was told the Bruins used that gym. I don't really know, but I loved that place. I had a personal trainer at least twice. When I told my boyfriend at the time what exercises I was doing, he was surprised I was doing such serious weightlifting.  Being able to pick up heavy things and seeing my muscles change appearance were great motivators to me. But once I began sitting on my butt more due to my ankle, that motivation began to waver and the gyms I had been  a member of were not inspiring me in the least. 

Eventually, after gaining enough weight, I realized I better deal with my ankle problem. After not getting an answer from medical doctors, I went to an acupuncturist, who cured it. It took a year to be pain free, but as it gradually got better, I was more and more encouraged. Now, I can say that my ankle may act up every once in a while, but doesn't hold me back. Early in my relationship with Tim, I had some pretty severe pain at times, although I never wanted to really admit how bad it was. Tim is a fast walker and I couldn't keep up. I think he was frustrated by this at times and my complaints about my ankle probably didn't sink in with him fully. The day I finally decided I needed to try fixing my ankle again was when he was walking behind me after getting out of the car and he commented on how I was limping. I denied I was limping (of course) while realizing as I said it that I was limping more than my usual. Limping was usual for me!? 

Once the acupuncturist had worked her magic and I could no longer blame the ankle for my acceptance of a more sedentary lifestyle, I tried to figure out what to do. The gym didn't cut it for me anymore, so maybe classes would. There is a ridiculous amount of yoga studios around here. I thought I would do that, but there is just something about it that really doesn't appeal. Do I really want to be able to pick my foot off of the ground when contorted into some pose? I met someone who had extremely good posture and who stood a little too close to me while talking who told me all about her dedication to yoga. I determined I would probably never be like this person and that I should find something else. 

Tim recommended martial arts. I am not one for confrontation on a regular basis. So, naturally, I went to a pilates class instead. I liked it, but it was expensive. Would I really go regularly? Was it really worth it? I visited a few martial arts studios and decided that steel fan form would kick ass. Well, not literally in my case, although it could. The studio was out of the way and, at first, I wouldn't have been able to make the beginner class, so I went with tae kwon do. As I threatened friends at work regularly that I would soon be able to kick them in the head (literally), I started to realize that if I am learning how to kick, maybe I would want to kick someone in the head. I watched a couple Olympic matches online and thought, maybe I could try fighting with a real person. Suddenly, my motivation was up. Yes, kicking someone (with a lot of padding) might really be fun. 

I had a hard time imagining myself as a black belt. I wasn't sure (and still am not sure) that I really have the dedication to get that far. The belt that is my goal now was the belt I had first wanted to get to. It is the end of beginner/beginning of intermediate level. In order to get it, I do have to spar. Sparring at this level is pretty much hopping around and getting in position to kick someone. At the higher levels, there is some more serious contact. If I hadn't stopped for physical therapy, I might be at that belt now, but I stopped and it was smart to do it. I am just getting back in and today at class I started to think harder about how far I would really want to go with this.

Now, my secret goal has to do with flexibility. Tied to the other high-section kick (that would be a kick to the head) goal is an increase in flexibility, balance, and strength to keep myself together through that. With help (i.e. the instructor holding on to my shoulder) I can do it, but I can't do it confidently or consistently alone. So, my secret goal is being able to touch my elbows to the floor during a particular stretch. This would indicate to me that I am getting closer. I know that I have gotten closer and closer over these past months and today I was so close, I was really excited. The instructors are really good. They take time with me and are very encouraging. Somehow, that isn't enough. Hearkening back to my desire to surpass myself, I think I needed an easily measurable goal to know that my body was changing (since I haven't lost enough weight to notice any change). I latched onto this one at some point without realizing how much it meant until tonight when I thought I would actually make it. I've also begun lifting weights there and I'm starting to feel that same spark as before. It is a small free weight room, but I like it because I am usually the only one there. I don't know how long it will take me to achieve the goals I officially set, but I have to say that I am feeling quite encouraged no matter what now.

March Roundup

Items in progress: 1, 2, 4, 6*, 10, 13, 24*, 25*, 26*, 28*, 29, 30, 39*, 59, 101

Items Completed: 6*, 24*, 25*, 26*, 28* , 34, 39*, 73, 86, 90

(* = ongoing)

Welcome to the post wherein I singlewhitefemale Anne's February round up. Here it is March already. Not having updated my list recently, I thought it might be a good time to do a little round up and report on my progress:

1-Pay off my car
In progress
2-Pay off the rest of my credit card debt
In progress - A couple more payments and I will have paid off my Visa!
3-Create a budget
4-Lose weight (I'll keep the actual amount to myself for now)
In progress, but not exactly quite as successful as I'd hoped. I've lost 3 pounds.
5-Join a gym & set up an exercise program
For now, I think this goal might actually be just to get into the habit of going walking regularly, before I invest more money into paying for a gym I'm not going to attend.
6-Collaborate with someone on a creative project
Ok, how could I forget this? I actually had to come back and update after this post was saved. I am collaborating with someone in even keeping this blog!!!
7-Exercise at least 3x a week (will be considered complete after 3 months of steady commitment to this)
8-Make an appointment with a personal trainer
9-Make a quilt
10-Complete January blogstravaganza
Not sure if I can legitimately call this one complete or not. I did try posting once a day for the month of January, howevever it did not quite pan out. I did, however, write just about every day, so from that standpoint it was a success.
11-Write 12 short stories, essays or poems in the next year (I.e. 1/month)
12-Finish the first draft of my mystery novel
13-Learn another language
I found an evening Spanish class that would fit the bill. Now I just need to get over my fear of being the only geezer and register.
14-Take a class
15-Join/start a writing group or take a writing class
16-Make something with my own hands once a month (craft project)
17-Join a choir or that music thingy from the "Keep PDX Weird" event
18-Learn 12 new songs on my violin in the next year (I.e. 1/month)
19-Get my bow rehaired
20-Clean out/organize my books
21-Make curtains for my bedroom
22-Go for a walk in a new park/trail at least once a month
23-Learn about wines
24-Try a new recipe once a month - Jan 08: Thai Pizza; Feb 08: West African Ground Nut Stew; Carribbean Black Beans with Orange Juice and Candied Ginger; March 08: Ziti with Sund-dried Tomato Cream
25 - Invite friends over for dinner once a month - Jan 08: Jenny & Jesus; Feb 08: - ; March 08: Paula (kinda - we ended up eating out)
26-Try a new restaurant once a month - Jan 08: Jim Dandy; Feb 08: Van Hanh; Mexican Restaurant on 122nd...can't remember the name, but it was good; March 08:
27-Make Stollen
28-Once a month, pick someone and buy them a gift/do something to make them happy for no reason at all: Jan 08 no one; Feb 08 - sent flowers to my mom; March 08 - Cadbury eggs for Mary (b/c they're her favorite and she was having a bad day)
29-Moisturize every day
This has, as usual, been kind of hit and miss.
30-Organize my recipes
In progress - Went through the biggest part of the mess yesterday and threw out the things I was never going to make and put the rest in binders. Need to buy some nicer binders and also go through magazines and pull out only the recipes I'm going to try and throw the rest away.
31-Study a new Tarot card each month
32-Go on a real vacation
Have no clue yet what I'm going to do with it, but I did ask for time off in May and September
33-Resume Wednesday activity schedule with Jen
Discussed doing something this week, then got sick. Will try to get back on track next week.
34-Spend a month as a vegetarian (in progress Feb08)
Successfully completed a month of meat free living. It worked out so well that I am continuing on.
35-Play my guitar more than once a year
36-Cut my diet coke consumption down to 1 a day (or better - none a day) and drink more water
37-Sign up for organic grocery delivery or foodshare
38-Study a new artist/composer each month
39-Go to a concert/play once a month
Jan 08: The Devil and Daniel Webster; Feb 08: Sweet Honey in the Rock; March 08: Corteo, Ladysmith Black Mambazo
40-Go to the Shakespeare festival in Ashland
41-Host a summer barbeque
42-Plan a trip to Europe
43-Renew my passport
44-Go through and get rid of CD's that need to be released into the wild
45-Go on another retreat
46-Visit the Oregon Trail museums I haven't yet visited
47-Read a poem each week
48-Read something in another language each week
49-Visit the East Coast
50-Write a handwritten letter to someone once a month
51-Meet a friend for coffee/drinks/whatever once a month
52-Regularly deposit money into savings
53-Take control of my 401k investments by taking a class/reading a book on investing
54-Call or e-mail friends at least once a week
55-Finish the photo wall
56-Take (or procure) a flattering picture of each of my friends for the wall 57-Attend a pow-wow
58-Make a dress
59-Clean out my closet (clothes AND shoes)
In progress - but barely
60-Buy new underthings and get rid of the old
61-Clean out the garage
62-Attend a pagan festival (Beltaine and/or some other)
63-Update my birthday list
64-Take pictures at events, gatherings, etc.
65-Go to the beach once a month in the sunny months
66-Visit Leavenworth
67-Paint my bedroom
68-Pull up the carpet in my bedroom
69-Paint the deck
70-Paint the front porch
71-Go on a road trip during the summer
72-Use my Entertainment book regularly, keep track of the savings & put them in a fun money jar
73-Buy and TAKE a daily vitamin
Purchased in Feb - have been taking for about two weeks
74-Learn to knit
75-Go camping
76-Get and update a new address book
77-Learn enough about photography to make my good pictures more than happy accidents
78-Go to a reading or lecture at least once a month
79-Participate in NaNoWriMo for real and following their rules
80-Join Amnesty International
81-Join The Humane Society (or some other animal organization)
82-Learn to make an origami crane
83-Run the whole way around the track
84-Go on December pilgrimage with Jenny R. and her family
85-Write something (journal, blog, whatever) every day
86-Buy a new ring as a reminder
Bought butterfly ring in Jan 08
87-Get a manicure
88-Treat myself to a spa day
89-Create an enticing reward system for every 10 pounds I lose
90-Get tickets for my mom to be able to see Cirque du Soleil
Saw Corteo with my mom on March 1
91-Read the Bible, Koran, Baghavad Gita
92-Buy a pair of comfortable athletic shoes
93-Visit a Buddhist temple
94-Learn yoga/take an exercise class
95-Plant a vegetable/herb garden
96-Make preserves
97-Research and make a list of fun summer festival outings
98-Make stepping stones for the garden
99-Go berry picking on Sauvie Island
100-Buy fresh cherries from the fruit loop when they are in season
101-Plan something fabulous for my birthday this year
In progress, but not feeling very motivated

The (not so) New Car

Things left to do: 94

Things worked on: 4,14,25,27

Things completed: 8

I am now the official owner of a car. Maybe it is a truck. An SUV. I can admit that, I think. 

I contacted someone about a class I'd like to take and found out, according to the public transportation website, that it would take me 2 hours from work to the class location. I said I'm planning on getting a car soon, so I'll be back in touch. Well, it turns out she was selling her car. I said I'd take a look because it was so cheap and then I decided it was a deal I couldn't really pass up. She sold it for less than its blue book value- so I am hoping that when I trade it in (when I am ready to take on a monthly payment), I will kind of be making money on the whole deal. In the meantime, I am the owner of a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Having waited until my mid-thirties to even own a car at all, I think I may be forgiven for a couple months of gas inefficiency.  The whole deal went so quickly and I am really just trusting her a lot on how good the jeep is- I'll take it in for a once over in the next week or so with a mechanic, but I saw the repair records and she did put a lot of money into it. I feel pretty confident it will be OK. Perhaps not perfect, but good for what I paid at least.

Of course I now have a car of my own for the first time ever. I got the insurance on Thursday and the plates on Friday- now what? I went for a massage on Saturday morning and it was great not to have to factor in 45 minutes to an hour for public transportation each way since I wouldn't be certain when the bus might come. It paid for itself then (OK- not quite). Saturday rained like crazy, so I didn't do any other driving until today, Sunday. I just came back from a shopping trip to get (as I told everyone I would do) a huge amount of kitty litter. How nice not to keep buying the expensive and packaging-wasteful small packages. Plus, I don't have to worry about this for two months or so now. In the glory of having so much space in the car, I decided to get my cat an inclined cardboard scratcher with a little dangly thing on the underside. Brilliant, I think. I made sure this was one of the first things I carried upstairs and laid before her. Of course, with cat nip on it, she began licking it. No scratching. I left the room and when I came back she had rolled herself all over this thing and was covered in brown dust- cardboard shards or cat nip- I'm not certain. I told her it was for scratching and she seemed to not care.

So, that is the completion of one more goal. It isn't anything like I expected it to be. I imagined getting a brand new gas efficient, zippy little car. In the end, it is much closer to the pick-up trucks I rode in as a kid (my dad's car was always a pick-up) and driving around, I imagined getting a pick-up truck instead of the zippy car. Nostalgia can be a powerful force- perhaps my time in the giant jeep will help me get over that for the sake of the environment.

The Big February Roundup

I've been slacking on posting, so here is the big roundup. Short information on all those goals.

1. I've been trying to use up supplies I already have, so I haven't started the afghan. I did source yarn and know how I can get 100% wool yarn that I can afford to use and give away.

2. Now that my current company is doing automatic 401k enrollment (no match!), I will have yet another account. I've talked a lot about moving my finances and taking control of everything in a way that makes me happy. Nothing has moved on this, since I'm still dealing with my decision on moving my normal banking and how to achieve it with the least amount of confusion.

3. No research done.

4. I have confirmed a couple addresses, but have quite a few to go. Deciding on whether I will delete some is surprisingly difficult. It's held me back from advancing.

5. I began my calls and stalled out. I had a phone tag game going with one person and momentum cooled. I will be picking it up soon.

6. I have sold no books and have added to the pile of books to sell. This may count as a backslide.

7. No new winter boots. I am wearing out shoes this winter that need to be thrown away, which should not be too long. This may need to wait until the appropriate shopping season occurs.

8. A new development in the "get a car" goal- a spontaneous offer to sell a car to me cheap. It isn't the car I dreamed of, but I wouldn't need a car loan and I can always get rid of it later if I hate it. We'll see how this one goes.

9. I watched The Tick DVD instead.

10. I made headway and hit my January goal weight, but with Tim leaving on an extended trip soon, we've been going out, eating and, of course, when we go to a microbrewery I need to try more than one, right? So, I'm dropping the February goal and forging ahead with the March goal.

11. After putting a hold on taekwondo due to my need for physical therapy (nothing serious, just painful), I finally went back tonight! I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow, but I hope all looks good and I can resume my trip to the green stripe.

12. As regards high section roundhouse- not yet.

13. Obviously I wasn't going to class 3 times/week. I am hoping to make this easier by beginning a Sunday class once I can return to a full schedule.

14. I've been working on one book in particular, but distracted by other books, including powering through a couple Orson Scott Card books. 

15. No plans for this visit yet.

16. With Tim going away, no plans for this visit either.

17. Another visit with no current plans. *sigh*

18. Grave visitation goes along with some other trips that haven't happened yet. I'd also like to wait for the weather to be nice and bring along some flowers. I'm afraid I wouldn't use the visit time for really reflecting and communing if I can't sit or don't want to stand out in the cold too long.

19. Nope, no Christmas spreadsheet, but I have kept myself busy with other computer activities.

20. The current couch I have was bought when I was moving in with two male roommates. I bought something sturdy, not knowing what their friends were like or how much abuse it would get over the course of our time together. Now that couch has literally fallen apart. I have looked into a new piece of furniture, but may wait to replace it for a little until other purchases and plans have played out.

21. DONE.

22. After believing I had lost the amber ring, I found it. I need to figure out where I can take it. I don't know jewelers at all.

23. I have a few wii games to choose from. I made it 1/3 of the way through Super Mario Galaxy, which is very fun. I also thought I would get through Rayman Raving Rabbids (my favorite fact from that game). We'll see which one wins.

24. My ebay obsession with pikmin has been greater than my playing time. I am more than halfway through and know if I have a quiet weekend with my beanbag- I will be finishing this one.

25. Brain Age will be the DS game I finish first. I only have a couple of sudoku puzzles to go and then I can move onto the next one! (I have some great brains)

26. DONE

27. This month, I made a recipe that was a baked potato that was scooped out, the interior potato was then mixed with some other ingredients and then the potato was broiled. It wasn't bad, but the name had the word "spicy" in it and it wasn't hot. Perhaps "spiced" would have been better. In short, the date scones I made are fabulous and I will keep making those. That recipe can be found in The New Joy of Cooking. DONE but ongoing.

28. I haven't played this yet.

29. I am working through hard songs now and I mean I actually have to work at it. I've taken a break from it since my after work activities are leaning towards crafty stuff, but I'll be back in it soon.

30. Release date is in May- hooray!

31. DONE

32. Glasses have been ordered, but they are so cool, they are on backorder. They are Koali.

33. I bought the Hauschka mask. I need to use it!

34. The jeans are becoming more important as the current crop are really not staying up well. I know that in the end, I'll have to bite the bullet and pay big money for Ralph Lauren jeans- the only ones that have ever fit me right, but it is hard to do it when you know that you can get others easily for half the price.

35. No movement on the beatnik front.

36. I'm calling for an appointment in the next couple of weeks.

37. I am considering making one of those nice crochet needle holders that can wrap up and be tied. It would be nicer than the brown paper bag I currently use. In short, I haven't made anything yet

38. Going through jewelry is hard. I started with the easiest stuff and then even hit a little snag on that one. Now, I have a shoebox full of necklaces waiting for me and I just can't do it. I need the organizational part before I do the sorting. As it is now, I feel it is too much to deal with. Do you know how much jewelry boxes can cost? Let's say I was a bit surprised.

39. I haven't sold anything, but I gave away a couple things. My mom loved the roses I made for her from a kit I found in Chinatown. I just need to keep creating and trying things out. Eventually, the right thing will jump out.

40. I've worked on one, but haven't finished it yet.

41. I've been busy folding turtles instead of cranes lately. When I've drifted apart from someone, the last gift they give me is origami paper. Why? I don't know. OK- it has only happened twice, but that is because after the second time, I told my friends not to give me origami paper if they like me. So, I was cursed with 500 turtle specific origami papers. Forget the Korean stuff on the box that says it is good for my health and wisdom. This stupid paper has brought out whatever level of OCD I have and I feel compelled to complete them all in spite of not really knowing what to do with them when I am done. I've already given some away, but how many people can I really give paper turtles?

42. No advancement on a website product- wait... turtles?

43. Since I cleaned out the living room closet, I found all the candles I already own. Once I've gone through those, I will head in the beeswax direction.

44. No fairs yet.

45. This month, one of Tim's friends and his friend's wife came to visit. Due to some unforeseen vomiting, we ended up not going out as we had initially planned, but them's the breaks. We'll meet up again. I already have the March invite out and expect some people. I may finally learn how to play mahjong! DONE but ongoing.

46. No advancement in the front room closet cleaning. As a matter of fact, I think I threw a couple things into that closet. 

47. No change in the file cabinet, although I will be doing my income taxes soon, so that might follow naturally.

48. I need to get some fancy paper and ink to try to print my own photos. That can be pricey, so this will probably be on hold for a little while.

49. These files, like the front room closet, remain happily untouched.

50. Oh, the desk drawers. I forgot about this one.

51. DONE

52. The purchase that hinders beginning this one is the hard disk storage issue. Again- a pricey thing that may keep this one out for a while.

53. See, this is the one that has to be done before 52.

54. No work done on the Looney Tunes- please see reference to distraction by Tick DVD.

55. I have been listening to podcasts. Right now, I am listening through a J-Pop/J-Rock podcast that I like. Sure, some of the music isn't the best, but some makes me quite happy: for example finding Go!Go!7188.

56. The folders for iPod updating are halfway there. Once I've caught up on the podcasts, it will be easy.

57. Looks like I need to post tomorrow!

58. The guestbook on my website will need to come down. I'm getting a lot of spam comments, even though they don't show. I'll need to find another way to handle this.

59. The color scheme will work itself out in the next few months as I make a couple changes to the site. I have two colors on it that I like and I may just stick with that.

60. Nothing on my website looks nice now.

61.  Another website- let me fix the first one before moving on to the next one.

62. I haven't been translating lately. My goal is to devise a little schedule for myself regarding this translation. Goal date will be March 15 for devising that schedule.

63. Still figuring out that camera. I hate the red eye triple flash. I hate when people use it on me and so I don't want to use it on people. How do I get around that? That is the idea.

64. OH NO! The rat year has begun I am not wearing red daily. I must do this within the next month.

65. I am pretty sure the earrings I don't wear will become charms on a bracelet. 

66. Nope, haven't read Achim von Arnim yet.

67. The geek meeting. When will this happen? Will it happen? I don't know. I had a talk with the person who runs it who said it would start up again, so I wait.

68. Haven't tried Seashore yet. Since I plan on changing the picture page of my website, I think Seashore will get its try-out soon.

69. I have not created anything with my pictures this year.

70. The scanning of photos is tied to the incompletion of going through the files under the table here next to my desk. I don't have many left to do, but they are fairly time intensive. Let's hope we get a couple rainy days.

71. I looked into the crochet guild, because people actually meet near my house, but I am not crocheting right now. The decision must be made- do I wait until I crochet something, go to a meeting and join, or do I join a guild for what I've been doing lately?

72. Photo backup. What media? A separate hard drive? Burn them to disk? I haven't thought it through yet.

73. A new language? I've wanted to learn Korean (and NOT because of those turtles), but Tim is talking about maybe taking Arabic. That would be a totally different challenge and I think it would be cool as well, especially if we can take it together. This decision waits until the new school year.

74. I need to control my book buying. This one is a goal, but I already bought too many this past month. Once I get the book spending under control, I'll look into a Spanish one.

75. I've learned a few kanji, but I need to learn more.

76. Nope, reading everything but the stuff I have goals about.

77. I recently had to do a little work on a Vietnamese project and I was happy I remembered as much as I did, but sad that I forgot things, too. Before I begin another language, I want to achieve this goal if possible.

78. I haven't gone through with this one yet. I've seen one or two people I could compliment, but when I thought it, I thought of this list. I don't want to compliment someone just to scratch this off- and truthfully that wasn't the initial motivation, either, but I felt a little insincere when that was the thought that entered my mind. Honestly, I got a compliment from a total stranger on the ridiculous stocking cap I made for myself (and by ridiculous, I mean I love it) and it made me feel really good. So, I have to get over myself and not hold back a happy moment from someone else because I think of my to do list.

79. DONE

80. I am talking about going to NYC in the next two months. There is no urgency, so well see how it goes.

81. Avenue Q is coming to town!

82. I haven't bought anyone lunch. Lately, I've been eating mostly alone at work. I kind of like the solitude (mind you, I sometimes have people with me at lunch, but not all the time). I think when some of the appreciation of solitude passes, this will be easy to fulfill. I don't want to push it, though.

83. Too bad for this one, I've been grumpy at work. I believe this may truly be the hardest of all the tasks I set for myself. I'm not counting days where I am home on my own and don't really talk to anyone. That just doesn't seem fair. This will take training and time. So, I will begin to build up the ability of my heart to either see the positive or keep my mouth shut.

84. No resume translation yet.

85. I haven't even taken my downtown walk- it is cold.

86. No letter writing yet. I think one is coming soon- I feel it building inside me.

87. I need to investigate the selling of items on ebay. I feel like if I don't plan ahead and do a little research, then I'll just do something wrong.

88. I've creatively written something, but nowhere near done. I also came up with what is a brilliant idea that I have no possibility of bringing to fruition, but I'll try it.

89. I thought I paid off the Citibank card. Really. I paid the full amount due- and then I got a bill for $5 and change telling me it was interest that had accrued daily on the previous amount that I had paid off. I sent the check grumpily and feel about a thousand times reassured that this goal is a very good one.

90. Well, I've been buying too many books to have gone 4 days without spending money.

91. Since this restaurant only takes reservations at most 4 weeks in advance and basically they are gone almost as soon as they are available, I haven't gone yet.

92. I'll need to spread 91 and 92 apart in time since they'll be expensive.

93. Converting to digital tv will probably be a new tv. I am not a happy adapter for the most part, but I've done it before. I wanted a DVD player and found out the tv I had then was too old and didn't have the right connections for a DVD player. I upgraded the tv, but in my annoyance at the forced spending on the tv, I didn't buy a DVD player. I didn't get one until it was given to me as a present, as a matter of fact. This kind of technological upgrading happened when I bought a Palm Pilot and it turned out I didn't have a usb port on my computer (yes, it was quite old) and I obviously didn't know what I was doing at the time. 

94. Other crafty projects have not allowed me time to bind a book yet.

95. Those turtles are getting in the way of making boxes.

96. Those turtles keep me from making beautiful cherry blossoms (there aren't so many turtles left, at least).

97. I have requested two weeks off from work with the intention of using those two weeks to go to the Pacific Northwest. We'll see.

98. Since I haven't traveled lately, I haven't met Wendy's children yet. 

99. I was in a music store recently and didn't see any harmonicas! Honestly, I was a little distracted by dreams of a concertina and an electric drum kit, but still I didn't see any harmonicas.

100. A big decision must be made. The guitar I have is very sentimental since it was a present to me from my parents. The action is so high, though, that it is really painful to learn on. I've played around a little at music stores with other guitars and they can be so much easier to get clean sound out of (especially since my fingers aren't crying out in pain after the first couple chords). Do I continue on the painful, yet sentimental guitar or try to find one that suits me better? I'm just not sure.

That is it. That's the hundred. I thought I got a little more done than I thought, but I'm surprised how many I've actually had some movement on. Here we go into March! 

A new restaurant

Number of things still to do: 95

Things completed: 31, 57 (ongoing), 79

Things worked on: 14, 20, 23, 25, 27, 32, 33, 38, 40, 45, 55, 56, 89, 97

If nothing else, writing down a list and feeling like I need to report on progress has definitely improved my likelihood of getting things done. I am more completion oriented than process oriented, so crossing things off the list is very satisfying. Good thing I figured out how to tap into that.

Completion of 79 was actually motivated by Tim. He had some gift certificates he wanted to use and two of these were for a restaurant in Boston. It's a well-known restaurant with a special table that was used by a certain president with connections to Massachusetts, but I'll leave it nameless only because I found the food to be fairly unremarkable. I had been to the bar about 6 or so years ago on Patriots' Day (perhaps better known for the running of the Boston Marathon than for the regional holiday it is) and had a drink, but had never gone into the restaurant or had any food there. I honestly don't even remember if I really had a drink or just met up with people there now that I think about it more. It might have even been a bar a couple doors down from this place. In short, I considered this a new restaurant. 

Due to its notoriety and location, it is a pretty good bet that at a minimum half the people there were tourists. That doesn't really bother me although I know that some stay away from tourist areas as if they were radioactive. Nonetheless, we had a bit of a wait since we didn't make reservations and I drank what may be a girly beer, Sam's Cherry Wheat, which I like in spite of my familiarity with German beers in their native homeland. 

My dinner with Tim was really nice and I enjoyed my time with him very much. We had oysters to start. I didn't eat raw oysters prior to meeting Tim. I think it took a couple years of him saying how great they were before I even tried them. It turns out I like them better than I thought- as long as they don't really taste like the bottom of the ocean. I've developed a certain fondness for Prince Edward Island oysters in particular and now dream of a vacation filled with the possibility of eating raw shellfish in spite of my periodic paranoia about food poisoning on this Canadian paradise of oysters. Well, the oysters at this restaurant were not from PEI. And they didn't taste like ocean floor because they really didn't taste like much of anything. I appreciate now the option of paying a little more per oyster and choosing where they are from.

Of course, living large on gift certificate money, we ordered lobster: lazyman's lobster. Lazyman's lobster eliminates the need to wrestle with the shell and wear a bib. I'll admit, there is another restaurant in Boston that draws a lot of tourists and I enjoy the periodic encounter with someone who has never eaten a lobster before and looks dumbfounded at the whole creature on the plate while holding a nutcracker in their hand. A friend and I once coached someone through the initial steps before turning back to our mussels (no nutcracker needed). I went out with someone once who had brought along instructions on how to eat lobsters. Before coming to Boston, I figured a decent amount of the population had eaten whole lobster, but the percentage is obviously smaller than I thought. So, we had the lazyman's lobster, which wasn't bad, except when it wasn't particularly good. I had two pieces that were not particularly tasty, but in the end, the experience just reaffirmed my own opinion of lobster, which is that it is an over-rated food and is best considered a vehicle to get butter to your mouth.

And so, my official completion of trying a new restaurant in Boston is not as exciting as I had hoped. I have a feeling I'll be trying other restaurants before the 100 is over and anticipate finding a good one in the bunch.