Feeling all accomplishy.

Yeah, turns out that folding a fitted sheet is super easy.  I recommend this video, if you want to learn. #51 on my list, check.
***

#53 was learn more about world geography, until I changed it to learn all the world's countries because that's actually what I want to do. Europe and Asia - check. I've been taking quizzes that I'm pretty sure are meant for kids in elementary school. 

***

#79 is to complete 10 of the 52 projects. This weekend I finished Project 50:

"Go to the library. Find your favorite writer’s books. Then, see which writer comes next on the shelf. Someone you’ve never heard of before? Good. Check out the works of this newly discovered writer and start reading."

My favorite author is Anita Shreve. The next author after her was Porter Shreve. I brought home one of his books and read it in 2 sittings.

Also - the Berkeley library has self checkout, like it's a grocery store. Weird.

Kristin is...

...a super fast speed reader.
...surprisingly, almost alarmingly, careless about some things and incredibly rigid about other things.
...almost nocturnal, but fighting it.
...so emotional about animal cruelty that the sad ASPCA commercials are banned from our house.
...a Gleek.
...sometimes overly ambitious (see "100 Things, 1000 Days" list above).
...happy being domestic with Dan and two cats.
...happiest around her people (that would be you, CC).
...passionate about teaching women self defense.
...often lost in bookstores for hours at a time.
...daydreaming about where to travel next.
...? (for you to fill in. interactive!)

Progress Report: 8 Things Down

A little while ago, my mom asked me how I was doing on my list. And I felt like I had been doing OK, crossing some items off completely, and making some progress on others. But when I checked to see how many days I have left, I may or may not have freaked out. At that point, I should have had 16 items checked off (strictly going by 1 thing accomplished every 10 days) but I only had 6. And now, probably even more 'behind.' But, since it's my list, I'm going to stop freaking out about it and just keep plugging away.

Done!
#11 - Berry picking. It was hot.
#28 - Always take off my makeup before bed. Yep, I get back out of bed if I get in bed without doing it. That counts as done.
#34 - Transition from plastic to other materials in the kitchen - Done, and I'm so happy with it all. I thought it would be weird to use all glass storage because they're so heavy, but it feels totally natural now.
#80 - Find my professional organization home - Yes! I'm actually, finally, really getting involved with an association that I like. I went to a conference earlier this summer and had a bit of a revelation that this group was just my size. Because I'm a classic over achiever, I'm already on two different committees.
#97 - Dolores Heights stair walk. Reliving it makes me tired.

In Progress
#7 - Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras - planning has now stalled. I'm lazy.
#12 - Plan a trip with friends - Orlando. Space Shuttle Launch. We'll see.
#42 - Bake 5 new kinds of cupcakes - 1 down, I made the Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chambord Frosting. They were OK. Am taking suggestions for new recipes (no cream cheese frosting though).
#43 - Taste 50 things on the Big Eat lists - This is a most enjoyable goal. 30 items down, some new favorite foods discovered. (Secret Breakfast ice cream - vanilla ice cream with Jim Beam and cornflakes. wow.)
#46 - Learn to play chess - I have 1 game left to play! This has taken forever, I know, but I've found that I have to have a certain motivation to spend an hour racking my brain to play a game and then still get my ass handed to me by Dan. It doesn't come often. 

The thing we work the most on is #39 - Finish cooking our way through our seasonal cookbook. We make recipes from this one cookbook at least 2-3, usually 4, times a week. Since we've joined the CSA, we definitely have more reason to cook with vegetables, so that has really been helping. And honestly, I feel like we're learning how to really cook as we follow all the recipes, which is a nice skill to learn together. (cue: awwwwwwwwwwwwww).  But, even though this is one of my goals we focus on the most - we've only made 108 out of 308 recipes. So, this won't be checked off for awhile.

I'm curious what you all are working on as personal goals, regardless if you have any sort of list or not. Tell me, and I'll make them into a fun "let's celebrate each other's accomplishments" post next time around.

For starters, check out Ro's ultimate purse. 

On Standing...

Hi there. So, we were on the East Coast for a few days recently, so the blog has been a bit slow. I'm sure it didn't help that the last time I was here, I was a bit feisty. But, you should be happy to know that I have lots of ideas for upcoming blog posts, so hopefully things will pick up here for a bit.

Anyway, I saw this list on a blog I read, so I'm repeating the idea.

Places I have stood:
+Inside of a very large tree
+At weddings, watching friends and family walk down the aisle
+On the Golden Gate Bridge, in the Sydney opera house, and inside the Capitol Rotunda
+In a crowd of several thousand, listening to them sing me "Happy Birthday"
+At the edge of a doorway on a plane, right before jumping out of it
+On a water trampoline in Mexico, laughing my ass off with Dan, Missy and Franklin
+At the Flight 93 memorial
+On a fault line
+In a line waiting for the next Harry Potter book to be released

Now you go.

Progress Report

Happy Birthday Missy! :) 

Congratulations to Meghan and Jess on being gainfully employed! I'm so happy for both of you :)

Before my dad sends me another entry about his visit here, I just wanted to say that for maybe two days after finishing my 100 things list, I was a bit overwhelmed. But, since then, I've pulled myself together and some items are being knocked off my list, and others have been started, although I still have a long way to go.

One of the other blogs I read posts an update to her life list every Friday, and she's mentioned it helps keep her accountable to keep working on her goals, and also that it helps her feel supported.

I don't know about all that weekly update business, but I'll try to occasionally.

Monthly stuff
#10 - Go somewhere new and local once a month - haven't missed it yet. that's right, I'm 100% for 2 months in a row!
#78 - Write a letter to someone every month. This one actually started in April, so I'm doing awesome so far.

In Progress
#7 - Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras - planning has definitely begun!
#12 - Plan a trip with friends - Mardi Gras will be double counting it seems.
#18 - Figure out when it's necessary to make a will - Yes, it seems that it is in fact necessary, especially as Dan and I live together but are not married or partners in the eyes of the government
#34 - Transition from plastic to other materials in the kitchen - almost there with this one. Just have to get rid of some of our plastics, but we have replacements for them.
#46 - Learn to play chess - I have learned how, but I'm waiting to play 5 complete games with Dan before I count this as complete. We're currently 1.5 games in, played the first one with my dad!

The big news of today is that we have joined a CSA (#31). We picked up our first box today but I'll write more about that later.

See, writing that all down definitely feels like progress.

Updates

OK, so I made the list into its own page (see link above) so I can update and cross things off as I go. I also divided it up into different sections, added some of the items you suggested (thanks Ro, Franklin and Dana!), and crossed off one thing already.

Also - just for Rosa, I made two of my previously secret items public. But I'm not telling which ones they are. You've got to work that out on your own.

In other news, I'm on Spring Break now. THANK HEAVENS. Last week was particularly brutal, so I'm happy to be home doing nothing.

1000 Days

So the idea of creating a "to do before you die" list isn't new. Recently, one of the authors of a blog I read has been sponsored by both Intel and Verizon to complete hers - it's been crazy to read the adventures she has had. It's turned into a bit of a movement - she asked readers to put their life lists on their blogs and send the link to her and she would post them. So you know I read them all. Sometime in December, a reader submitted a link to their lists of 100 things they wanted to do in 1000 days, with the last day being an important milestone of some kind.

The idea was being appealing to me - especially when I realized that in about 1000 days, I would be turning 30. So, I spent a lot of January brainstorming and in early February, my 1000 day countdown to 30 began.

In talking to Rosa tonight, she wanted to read the list, so I'm going to put it up on the blog in hopes of being held more accountable but also because I need suggestions! I only have about 70 items so far - I'm hoping you all can help me out. They are in no particular order or categorization, just as they came into my head.

Onward!

100 things to do in 1000 Days
1. Get some "professional" pictures of me and Dan (Franklin - call me!)
2. Figure out when it is necessary to make a will. If it's now, then make one.
3. Look into life insurance
4. Look into pet insurance
5. Get James microchipped (Lily already has hers)
6. Start planning for retirement (eek!)
7. Finish the emergency kit
8. Buy more handmade, give more handmade gifts
9. Make an advent calendar
10. Do want/need/wear/read one year for gifts
11. Find out more about bartering websites
12. Get at least 6 massages
13. Get at least 2 henna designs
14. Join a CSA
15. Move away from using antibacterial products
16. Use homemade cleaning products
17. Transition from plastic to glass in the kitchen (storage containers, utensils, etc)
18. Have some concrete plans for world travel
19. Have some concrete plans for where we are living next
20. Have some concrete plans around buying a home
21. Buy some really nice bras
22. Stay in Vegas on the Strip
23. Read at least 120 books
24. Learn how to play chess (in progress)
25. Learn how to play pool
26. Learn how to knit
27. Learn how to can/preserve foods
28. Learn how to make piecrust
29. Learn how to crack a whip (literally, not figuratively)
30. Learn how to properly fold a fitted sheet
31. Learn how to poach an egg
32. Learn more about world geography
33. Learn ____________
34. Learn ____________
35. Learn ____________
36. Lose a couple of pant sizes
37. Find a physical activity I love to do
38. Find my professional organization home
39. **
40. **
41. **
42. Get CPR/First Aid certified (again)
43. Stop biting my nails
44. Always take off my makeup before I go to bed
45. Finish researching the "list of women I should really know"
46-60. Individual San Francisco stairwalks (they each get their own number because each one is really a whole day trip)
61. Make cupcake list
62. Make chocolate list
63. See the Grand Canyon
64. Be up to date on our scrapbook
65. Go dogsledding
66. Complete a triathlon
67. Finish cooking our way through our seasonal cookbook
68. Go to a Steelers game
69. Get a good skincare regimen
70. Stay overnight in a treehouse
71. Reopen doors with other student affairs people I've lost touch with
72. **
73. **
74. Relax in a natural hot spring
75. Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras
76. Visit 3 new states

(sidenote: the numbers with ** really do have items next to them, but they're secrets)

So there you have it. As you can see, I need 24 more things to do and 3 more things to learn. What would go on your before 30 list?

Songs of doom

The last five songs that have gotten stuck in my head for DAYS at a time. I now know all the words and I wish I didn't.

Tik Tok - Ke$ha

--WHAT IS WITH the money sign? And seriously, days and days and days. It will not go away. So, I play it over and over so that Dan can also experience the torture.

Meet Me Halfway - Black Eyed Peas

--Just a few lines from the chorus actually, which makes it even worse.

Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus

--I'm so ashamed.

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

--Paired with mental images of horrible outfits

Halo/Walkin on Sunshine mashup - Glee Cast

--The tempo is so frantic! I find myself rushing whenever it's bouncing around in my head.

Sweet Dreams - Beyonce

--Am I the only one who things Beyonce and Shakira look alike?

So what songs have been torturing you lately?

This Holiday Season = epic fail.

Since, three days in, I already failed at posting everyday, I thought I would list how else I mostly failed this holiday season.

These are all things I totally planned on doing and then I woke up and I was on a plane back to the East Coast, so didn't quite work out.

--No holiday cookie baking

--No advent calendar making

--Last minute Christmas shopping for family (hello, December 23)

--Cards sent out way late

--No cards for my staff and co-workers

*sigh* I feel much better after baring my soul to the interwebs. Thanks for listening.

Holiday favorite things

1. My aunt Janis being incredibly thrilled when she unwrapped a Hickory Farms summer sausage from Dan in her stocking (because, no lie, she loves encased meat)

2. Doing three puzzles at Missy and Franklin's while watching several Harry Potter movies

3. Talking with Josh on Skype and Ben on Gchat on New Years Eve, with their images on a huge TV, technology blowing everyone's minds

4. People loving the holiday gifts I chose for them (great feeling, for serious)

5. Josh Greenspan's mustache

6. Visiting our friends Chris and Holly (and their daughter Lily) and playing Catchphrase, finally looking at the clock and being shocked it's almost 4 AM, and we still have an hour drive home

7. Sneaking Dana out of her awful afternoon meeting

8. Visiting Dana and Larry's first home! It's pretty amazing. They're grown ups.

9. Making a fantastic, if not disfigured looking, chocolate mint 2 layer cake at 1:30 AM with Dana

10. Having our plane in Las Vegas (layover) smell like burning rubber right before we were supposed to leave the gate, all the flight attendants rushing to the front of the plane. (We got a new one)

Almost a month of silence.

Well, we almost reached the month mark without any blog posts. Because we're awesome. But, in our defense, most of that time we were away for holidays and furloughs and everything, so I don't feel that bad.

I've decided that we're going to try and focus less on what we're doing, and more on what we're thinking, reading, etc. Of course, if we travel, we'll talk about it, but that's all we've talked about since summer, and that gets boring to read I think. Hey look, someone we know went somewhere that we haven't been personally! Not exciting.

I'm also hoping Dan blogs more, because my spring semester is going to be some flat out crazy busy. Spring semester is always always faster paced than fall, but this spring I'm teaching again and have a 10 hour/week fellowship in another office in addition to my job. So, yeah. I'm going to be tired.

But, to ease myself back into blogging, I'm going to try to post every day for the rest of January and it will be the month of lists. Just because I like lists. I toyed with the idea of today's post being a list of the other lists I'll write, but decided that ventured too far into the bad place.

How about a general goal type list to go with the New Years Resolution feel to start us off.

Things I'm doing this year

-Visiting a new local attraction every month (January - local beer brewery)

-Learning something new every month (January - how to play chess!)

-Taking my makeup off every night before bed (don't judge - this is harder than it sounds)

-Not acquiring any books until June 1, possibly longer (my "to be read" pile is close to 150...)

-Eating vegetarian one entire week every month

-Ignoring frustration and trying out new ways to exercise until something works for me and doesn't feel like a punishment

-Reading at least 55 books (because last year I read 54)

-Going to the Gorge again if I can

-Continuing to be crunchy

-Video-chatting with Deborah in Australia, skype-ing with anyone who wants to

What are you doing this year?

Top 10 Books of 2009

These are the books I've read this year that I have enjoyed the most with a little bit about them (a teaser, if you will), because I just know that due to my recommendation you're going to run out and read all 10.

Get excited.

Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld

Girl goes to prep school, lots of teenage angst, a little bit of attitude towards her parents. Good writing, a little longer than your average novel.

A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson

Exactly what the title says - explained many things in science that I had never understood, usually in 3-5 pages per topic. Covers a LOT of ground. Easy to read a little bit and then pick up again later to read the next topic. Written by a travel/humor writer, so makes you laugh out loud.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Mark Haddon

Tells a story about a curious incident from the perspective of an autistic boy, who narrates the novel. I know I'm really behind on reading this, but I really loved it. Easy to read and super interesting.

You Suck, Christopher Moore

Nontraditional story about vampires (hence the title), which also makes you laugh out loud. Set in San Francisco which was fun for me. Author of lots of other popular books, so you may have read some of the others.

Stone Butch Blues, Leslie Feinberg

Semi-autobiographical story of a transgendered woman coming of age and coming out in the 1970s. Some parts are tough to read, especially when you realize they're based in truth. Made me want to be an advocate.

The Dogs of Babel, Carolyn Parkhurst

Story of a man looking for meaning in his dog (I know it sounds weird) after his wife dies, intermixed with chapters of the story of the couple meeting, dating, and falling in love. Super sad, but fantastic characters.

The Meaning of Wife, Anne Kingston

A historical perspective of how the meaning of a wife has changed over hundreds of years. Written from a smart-ass feminist perspective, so if that's not your thing, you won't enjoy it. Interesting take on things. Lots of writing in the margins.

Bee Season, Myra Goldberg

Story of a girl who has been completely uninteresting until she wins the school spelling bee. Family of characters who have dysfunctional relationships with each other, and separate lives that the rest of the family knows about.

Testimony, Anita Shreve

My favorite author! How a scandal at a New England boarding school changes the lives of everyone directly and indirectly involved. Heart wrenching at times. Definitely made me think.

The Devil in the White City, Eric Larson

Just finished this today, and have gushed about it all day. Intertwining true stories about the planning, and building of the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and a serial killer in Chicago at that same time. All derived from primary sources, it's a great read and even better when you take a second to remember that it's a true story.

What are your favorite reads from this year?

Her Birthday from Her POV

Well, Dan gave you the basic rundown of what he did for my birthday - it was amazing! Not only did we spend the whole day eating (but not overeating - which was impressive) but he planned out a really detail heavy experience. Considering that I'm most often the planner/details oriented/organized one of the two of us, I was happy to not have to do so for a day. Anyway, Dan mentioned the list of the 100 best things to eat in SF. The list can be found here if you really want to read it. Before my birthday food extravaganza, we had had 10 of the items already (#2, 6, 35, 40, 46, 49, 53, 63, 74 and 97 if you really care). The list hangs on our fridge, and I occasionally look at it, but it's not what we focus our trips to the city on. Besides, I have a long enough list of restaurants I'd like to try all around the Bay Area that list doesn't need to be any longer, thankyouverymuch.

Anyway, the morning of my birthday, we left the apartment about 50 minutes late, me already stressing out about ruining all the timing of Dan's elaborate plan. Seriously, all the way into the city I was worrying about it, and Dan was totally fine, of course. I felt better when we got to our first stop for brunch and we got seated after only a couple of minutes.

Brunch: Buckwheat crepes and French cider at Ti Couz (#88)

This is an amazing creperie in the heart of the Mission, that serves all sorts of sweet and savory crepes. I was a little hesitant to get a savory crepe, because most of the crepe places I've been, they use the same crepe recipe for both types of crepe, which really confuses my mouth. Eating eggs and whatever else rolled up in a thin, sweet pancake is weird - I don't like sweet and savory all at one time. Happily, their menu talked about the different types of crepes they make, so we ordered one of each - sausage, tomato, cheese (savory) and pear, chocolate nibs, and brown sugar (sweet). Also, they make AMAZING cocktails. The bloody marys the bartender was making were epic, and I had a Ti Couz cocktail which included blackberry puree, champagne and vodka. If you come visit us, we will probably bring you here.

After we left, we walked maybe five blocks until we hit our next stop, which was a bakery that has sort of a cult following in SF, and I'd actually been wanting to try it for awhile, so Dan already was doing really well.

Morning snack: Morning Bun at Tartine Bakery (#8)

The place was completely packed, which was to be expected for a Sunday at brunch time. Before we left that morning, Dan had told me that at one of the places, he was probably going to have to limit me to just a couple of choices and this was the place. I have no willpower in bakeries. I want to try everything! But, this time, knowing we would be eating more, I refrained from getting the bread pudding, or the croissants, or the everything else and settled for what we came for...and a couple of macaroons (they're little!) The morning buns are incredibly soft and flaky without tasting like straight butter, even though I know they use plenty, and then they top them with an orange flavored glaze. Droooool.

We walked a block over to Dolores Park to eat our pastry and generally people watch. It was a beautiful day and there was lots of SF "uniqueness" to watch. Afterwards, we hopped on bus and went North to...a bar. Confusion.

Pre-dinner cocktail: A Fernet at R Bar (#71)

I think the first time I read this on the list, I assumed it was a mixed drink. Wrong. It's actually just a shot of a type of liquor, fernet, which I had never heard of. And you probably haven't either, but it's an Italian liquor that for some reason, is super popular in SF. This particular bar, which is just your average non-descript bar, apparently pours about 25% of SF's total consumption of it! It tastes...completely different from everything else I've ever had. And I fail at words to describe it really, but a few days later, I saw this Boston Globe article on Fernet, which is a good quick read. The bartender told us a lot about it, and served it to us with a ginger ale chaser, and told us to just throw the first shot back to see if we liked it. Tasty! We each had two and then headed on, almost ready for dinner. This picture below isn't of the booze, because we didn't take one, but just of some of the bottles the bar goes through every month.

We walked another few blocks, and ended up outside what looked like a small, family run Thai restaurant. Dan told me he planned to order an item here to go, and then we could take it near where we would be eating dinner and eat it as an appetizer. Good planning.

Appetizer: Papaya salad with salty crab from Sai Jai Thai (#27)

Ok, when he told me what he was ordering, I was psyched. I love love love papaya salad, and I love crab. How could this possibly go wrong? Knowing that I like spicy, but simply can't usually handle it, Dan even ordered it medium spicy so I could enjoy it. And this is where things went wrong. We took the salad down to the waterfront, opened it up and...my eyes watered from smelling it. I had one bite, basically started crying from the spice and couldn't eat anymore. Dan had maybe 3 bites, and then had to go beg for water from a nearby restaurant, who totally turned him down. Seriously, I tasted spice anytime I coughed for the next half hour. We think we may try again, after telling them NO spice because I bet it is really good. (We did bring it home and Dan tried again a couple of days later...he got through half and then drank all the milk we had and 4 glasses of water)

So, Dan told me then that we had to get to our dinner reservation at 5:30, but that we had to hurry through because we had to be somewhere else at 7. I was starting to worry about getting way too full...but I shouldn't have worried.

Dinner: Shaking Beef from the Slanted Door (#7)

This restaurant is in the Ferry Building, right on the water by the Bay Bridge. It has been on my list of restaurants to try for a long time, and is currently one of the "places to go" in SF. Dan apparently had to call a few times and talk them into giving us a reservation, since they were all booked up, but he managed and we got one for right when they opened for dinner. We had a few different dishes but the highlights were the ones in the picture below - squash rice cakes and shaking beef. The squash was pureed, combined with rice, fried, covered with fresh coconut. Could have had them for dessert. The shaking beef was a beef and vegetables dish, in lime sauce with rice. Yummo.

So, because we had gotten there early, we were out of the restaurant in plenty of time, and we started walking a few blocks to wherever we had to be at 7 PM. Like I said, I was thinking we were off to eat still more, but I was wrong.

Dessert: "The Bathing Ritual"

Dan had found this awhile before my birthday and shown it to me, but I never thought we'd actually go do it. Basically, the spa is on the top floor of a hotel, and they have huge tubs that are outdoors on a balcony. There is plenty of cover, if you choose to undress to get in, but when you're in the tub, you can see the sky above you. The tubs are Infinity tubs, so you can completely fill them, and water just spills over the side, and refill on their own (like Infinity pools). oh. my. gawd. They are amazing. See picture in previous post.

Happy Birthday to me.

Take 5 Tuesday, KK and Dan edition

Just to get us back into the blogging spirit. Bonus edition, with answers from both of us! 5 of your favorite TV shows K - West Wing K - Queer as Folk K - Jon and Kate Plus 8 (so sad lately) K - Friends (love some syndication!) K - Whale Wars (a new favorite, it is CRAZY) D - Sportsnight D - Simpsons D - Family Guy D - Daily Show D - Fraggle Rock 5 things you did last weekend K - Costco run! K - Baked a pie (strawberry/blueberry) K - Lusted after some handmade purses K - Drank some mimosas K - Cuddled with James D - Went to a new farmer's market D - Baked a massive pork loin D - Watched people at a street festival walk by eating mango with cajun spices, and drooled. D - Bought 9 mangoes due to aforementioned craving D - Went to Whole Foods twice in one day 5 places you’ve been on vacation K - Deutschland K - Aruba (favorite!) K - Denver K - The thriving metropolis of York, PA K - Troy, NY D - Venice, Italy D - Budapest D - Ocean City, Maryland D - New York City D - Cuba 5 places you would like to go K - Ireland K - Machu Picchu, Peru K - Galapagos Islands K - Egypt K - Hawaii D - New Zealand D - Thailand D - Greece D - Brazil D - Spain 5 dream jobs you wanted to have as a kid. K - Supermarket cashier (haha seriously. I have grand aspirations) K - Vet K - Lawyer (for about 10 minutes) K - Teacher K - Crazy cat lady (it's TOTALLY a job) D - Marine biologist D - Archaeologist D - Pilot D - Rock star (lead guitar specifically) D - Jeweler If you made it all the way through that, you should be commended. We are boring. Feel free to mock us.

Hello? (echo, echo)

Well, I realize that it's been about a month and a half since we've written here, so who knows if anyone will actually read this. I'm not entirely sure why we haven't been updating, but we do feel pretty bad about it, and the stern talking to we've gotten from some folks has just heaped on the guilt. I doubt we're going to be able to catch up on individual posts from what has been happening in the past 5 or 6 weeks, which totally sucks because I was all ambitious with the East Coast trip series (Follow through needs work me thinks) but I think we'll just start looking forward.

However, here's a short list of what we've been doing since we last wrote:

~Finishing up the school year (Kristin)

~Meeting with potential clients (Dan)

~Traveling to Mendocino, CA and horseback riding on the beach

~Listening to Dave Matthews Band's new album (and loving it)

~Planning our trips this summer

~Going to the Farmer's Market every week and cooking locally based meals (Goal accomplished!)

~Seeing native African animal species in wine country, CA

~Backing up my computer

~Not hating Angels and Demons, surprisingly

~Pretty much avoiding the telephone (you may have noticed?)

~Spending a lot of time in our local sports bar watching the Penguins in the playoffs

~Anxiously awaiting Dana and Larry's visit

~Eating all vegetarian on Wednesdays

~Reading, although not as much as I'd like

~Switching to compostable cat litter (another goal from this post)

~Finishing the Six Feet Under series

~Paying off a loan, woot!

~Wishing we could get another cat

~Building a website (more on that later)

~Heavily sighing over the fact that it is never warm enough in the Bay Area

~Laying around in the park, people watching and drinking wine

And here's a photo from the time a student group from Hong Kong stacked all their luggage on our porch. They had arrived from the airport two hours before they could check into their rooms, so they put their luggage on our porch and just LEFT IT there for anyone to steal.

What have you been doing lately?

5 x 5

5 things you've made recently. 1. Quiche lorraine 2. Sauteed mushrooms (um, easiest dish ever) 3. Many a "To Do" list 4. A working BSpace site for my class 5. A monthly budget 5 things you've discovered recently. 1. It really irritates me when students I supervise tell me things that I feel like they should be asking. For example "I can't come to the meeting" vs. "Can I be excused from our staff meeting?" 2. I really don't bite my nails if they're painted. 3. I'm not that much of a movie person 4. I care quite a lot about doing my part to waste less, use less energy, etc. 5. When I really like something (books, wine, cats) I want as much and as many of those things as possible. Seriously. Books and bottles of wine are the things we have the most of in the house. Cats, not as much, but only because I'm not allowed to have more than two. 5 things on your "bucket list" 1. Travel! Esp: Greece, Ireland, the Galapagos Islands and Egypt 2. Be an EMT 3. Learn sign language 4. Live by the ocean 5. Do my job, but to be defined by the other things that I do 5 sounds you hear right now 1. Me typing 2. The vent over the stove 3. The front door of the next residence hall over slamming shut 4. Water from the cat fountain 5. Toilet flushing upstairs 5 things you did this morning. 1. Got up too early to let Lily out 2. Had trouble getting back to sleep 3. Forgot to make enough time for breakfast 4. Missed a meeting 5. Congratulated myself on remembering to schedule a haircut

Take five Wednesday.

Project go vegetarian for a week is complete. I stuck to it (although on Sunday, I got a soup with a base of chicken broth, which I felt bad about later) and had some brisket for lunch. Not really that exciting. I do think I'm going to be eating less meat for awhile. Wow, that is a completely uninteresting topic. 5 of your favorite blogs. 1. Amalah (yeah, I stalk them. she has beautiful kids.) 2. What I'm Seeing (daily photo blog in SF) 3. DC365 4. Line Cook 5. Laura Anne Benson's blog 5 things you bought recently. 1. Ski goggles. 2. McDonalds fries (this kind of grosses me out but we were in the middle of a 6 hour car trip. you do what you have to do) 3. Helium tanks (just two small ones) 4. 1000 cotton candy cones (#3 and #4 were for an event that we held in my unit this past weekend. i am now a master of making cotton candy) 5. Pita chips (so addictive!) 5 of your favorite words. 1. Waffle 2. Gymnastics (i like to write it in cursive) 3. Farfetched 4. Naptime (just becuase of what it implies) 5. Muffin (i've taken to calling my cats this) 5 of your favorite quotes (#4 and #5 are from the West Wing. I don't have 5 favorite quotes) 1. Your silence will not protect you - Audre Lorde 2. We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. - Obama 3. When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly. - Patrick Overton 4. "Anyway, Helena Hodworth Hooter-Tooter of Braintree wants to organize a boycott of the reception, and... Well, there it is. Yes, Mrs. Bartlet descends from quite the murderous band of ruffians, and her membership in the DAR is suspect on those grounds, or so believes the Boston Globe." - CJ 5."A little thing called team morale, Josh, you gotta make people feel good about themselves. All right, shut the hell up, everybody, I've fired more people than you before breakfast." - Leo **You get SO MANY bonus points if you can tell me what's going on in the episodes I quoted from** 5 things you like about blogging, (or the internet in general) 1. I get to write ridiculous things like this and people actually read it 2. For curious folk like myself, endless opportunities to learn false information 3. The stay connected with other people you love piece 4. It feels SO MUCH EASIER than writing a letter for some reason 5. It has the same mind numbing effect as TV, which you need sometimes

Take Five Tuesday

This week I'm trying to go vegetarian for a week, starting today. We shall see how it goes. So far, so good (considering I skipped breakfast so have only had two meals). There are a bunch of reasons why - none of which are super important to me, I'm just kind of trying it out. 5 snacks that you have stashed in your desk drawer. 1. Hershey Kisses 2. Smarties 3. Granola Bar 4. Fruit leather 5. Lollipops 5 things that people are always surprised to find out about you. 1. I've never broken a bone 2. I was born in the same hospital as my mom 3. I was named after a nun 4. I want to complete a triathalon by the time I'm 30 5. At one point I was in both orchestra AND band, and at another time, in choir and band. I'm a huge nerd. 5 new inventions you would like to see in the future 1. Planes that don't crash...and travel faster 2. Comfortable bras, for realz. 3. Something that makes people want to get back to reading newspapers, magazines and books again 4. A cure for cancer 5. An invisibility cloak 5 of your earliest memories 1. Thanksgiving with my mom's family at my grandparent's house in Johnstown, PA 2. Baseball games with my dad in Pittsburgh 3. Montessori school playground during preschool 4. My favorite teacher in preschool (Mrs. Ahmad) 5. Another student in my class puking under his desk in first grade (nice, right?) 5 things you would never do 1. Botox 2. Tell someone that they aren't good enough 3. Move back to the Midwest 4. Give up cheese 5. Stop reading

Take 5 Tuesday

5 things that have made you laugh lately 1. My cats being ridiculous 2. A student tonight at our Hall Association meeting - he wanted to be appointed a position and stood up and read a prepared speech and passed out his resume to everyone. It was adorable/awkward. Don't worry, I only laughed on the inside. 3. Many of the outfits I saw in Vegas 4. Cirque du Soleil clowns at "O" 5. Myself - I do stupid things 5 things you would do if you were fearless 1. Buy a house 2. Not wear a seatbelt 3. Go right up to the edge of a balcony/cliff/tall building 4. Snorkel in open water 5. Tornado chase 5 things you can’t replace 1. The feeling that my job is valuable 2. Memories 3. Family and friends (awwwwwwwwww) 4. The planet 5. My body. Guess I'm just going to have to love it how it is. 5 things you don’t like, that most people do. 1. Chocolate ice cream 2. Big, cuddly dogs (the drool is disgusting) 3. Las Vegas for more than 24 hours at a time 4. Cilantro 5. Guacamole 5 things you like, that most people don’t. 1. The idea of universal health care 2. Composting 3. Stinky cheese 4. Anything in miniature size (I don't think people DISlike these things, but I doubt that people have a great affection for them like I do) (4a. Dan says pickles, but I think most people actually do like pickles) 5. My job

Oh the injustice!

So here I am, in Buzz, which is the best bakery EVAR and one of my favorite spots in the DC area, where they have free wifi. I came partially to do work, which ain't gonna happen my friends, and partially to write a longggggggggggggg entry about everything I've been promising to write about and look at me taking the time to do this on my vacation!! Except, yeah, I don't have the pictures on my computer and Dan has the camera. Awesome. So, you're just going to have to deal with me delaying you for, oh, another month or two while I ramble about something else. Well, the holidays have kind of come and gone, but I personally had a wonderful time. My mom came out to Berkeley for the Christmas/Hanukkah time and we had a good time - lots of firsts! I cooked my first "traditional" Christmas dinner, my mom exchanged Hanukkah presents for the first time, and it was definitely the first time I got a vehicle towed in California, woot. Mom came in on Christmas eve, and so Christmas was spent cooking, opening gifts and doing some cat-sitting for a friend. Day after, we went into SF and took mom up the steps to Coit Tower (Ro, this should sound familiar) and then went to Chinatown. For the first time Dan and I were able to get someone to the SF fortune cookie factory! It was this tiny little doorway in an alley in Chinatown, it was awesome and the cookies are SO GOOD. My mom was impressed with our SF tour guide knowledge. The next day, we went up to Napa (...what else did you think we would do?). Went to 4 wineries, three of which we had never been to before, which was fun, and got mom a little tipsy before dinner. Dinner was lovely, and then the car wouldn't start. So, then there was waving down strangers to try and jump the battery, which didn't work, then a tow truck and then a $150 cab ride back to Berkeley (yes, Enterprise refunded us for the taxi) and, wow. Anyhow, as you can tell, my mom clearly got the highlights! Now I'm back in the 703/202/571 and I've been having a fantastic time. I feel like every bit of my time has been spent relaxing in places I love (like rightthissecond) or with the people I love the most, which is a pretty sweet way to spend a week. I'm not sure I really need to recount any of this week, because everyone who reads this are the folks who I've been spending all my time with, so... (I'm sitting across from a couple who rolled in, got comfy with their identical coffees, and pulled out identical macbooks. I love hipsters.) Anyway, some new years resolutions. 1 - Get a manicure because...damn. 2 - Remember birthdays. ALL of them. 3 - Get over the thing about calling people. 4 - Get lazy ass moving in some form of working out a couple times a week (I did actually find something that I think will work for me...but I won't be bragging until I actually, you know, try it) 5 - Stop buying things I don't need and donate more. 6 - All the environmentally good stuff I talked about a few posts ago. mmmmk thats a lot. lets not go crazy. I just re-found this picture from Fall 07 and kind of love it.