Saturday, September 29, 2007

#61 - Frame and hang my Jim Craig poster

Well, the last thing I did on this thing was to order the frame. And I have to give another major shout-out to http://wholesaleposterframes.com/. Excellent, excellent, excellent! Straight-forward directions, high quality product, and fast shipping on a custom order. I couldn't be more pleased. The frame arrived a little less than 2 weeks ago, but I hadn't really had the time to do anything with it until just now. I took it apart, put it back together, banged a hanger into the wall, and VOILA! All done! :-)



The Valley of the Dolls, by Jacquelin Susann

I occasionally have moments of panic - you might even say terror - when I hallucinate myself into a fantasy world. Not a world of wonderful things, mind you, but a world where those fleeting thoughts you've had over the past year... they all come true, all at once. Those thoughts born out of jealousy, rage, anger, and fear. A world where one minute your on cloud nine, and the next, you've been chewed up, spit out, and kicked to the ground with not even a hope or a dream to live for.

Perhaps this is what drew me the most to the world of "The Valley of the Dolls". A world where the problems of the moment can be drowned out by a little red pill and a gulp of scotch. An amazingly written book, with amazing characters that you fall in love with from the very start. Unfortunately, they love themselves more than you could ever love them. They never would be able to understand that you loved them even when they didn't. A pity, really.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

All this reading...

I'm already starting to think about how I am going to come up with 100 books to read (50 that I haven't read before)! It is a daunting thought. Especially when I haven't been reading like I used to. Anyway, came across this blog today and I decide that their "Super Ultra Amazing Must Read Book List" (which is only 2 books long at the moment) would be a good place to start. :-)

#93 - Obtain copies (1st edition, if possible) of the Harry Potter books I don't have. (2/4)

Last night after my tap class, I made a craigslist run. First Edition copies of both Goblet of Fire and Prisoner of Azkaban! Very excited. They are in very good condition - never read - but stamped with "Not for resale - Bookspan". I'm not sure what that means. Both are stamped on the top edge of the pages. GoF has a slight cut in the cover and PoA's jacket is slightly ripped, but has been taped. All in all, a good deal for $20.

Now I just need to find first editions of SS and CoS. We shall see...

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

#73 - Try 5 new non-chain restaurants. (1/5)

On Friday night, Mike and I went to Evergreen Chinese Buffet which is off of the Union Deposit Road exit on I-83. My co-workers had raved about the place, so I figured we should finally try it - especially since we were thinking Chinese for dinner already.

Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. It's not more special or better than any of the other Chinese buffet places in the area, and it's hard to get to and kinda run down. I'd rather just go to the place that is up on 22 or something. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't worth the extra trouble. It was $9.95 or something per person which is also normal for the area - especially for a weekend night (Although, JUMBO Buffet is more expensive... but they are JUMBO).

But, I completed a fifth of this "thing" and I didn't even do it on purpose!

#83 - Find a new pair of sneakers.

I "found" out that I had 2 perfect good and awesome and fitting and such pairs of sneakers at my parent's house. They are hand-me-downs from Albert. It is so strange to me that my little brother is growing out of his clothes and giving them to me. I think his feet grew a size the week after my mom bought these shoes for him, so they are barely even worn. I completely despise shopping for shoes, so it is awesome that they fit me so nicely. I even wore one of the pairs to Wegmans on Sunday. Very comfortable.

This is the first item that I completed! YAY!

Monday, September 17, 2007

#46 - Read 10 books recommended by friends, no questions asked.

This one is pretty straight forward, but first I need suggestions of books! I'd like to do one book, per person to start off, so comment with a book you would recommend I read.

1) Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn (Recommended by Jacquin)
2) Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, by Mil Millington (Recommended by Melissa)
3)The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin (Recommended by "Matthew") (I've read this before, but I never had a rule about reading books that I've read before, so it's in!)
4)The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, by Edward Tufte (Recommended by Adam)
5)The Lake of Dead Languages, by Carol Goodman (Recommended by Heather)
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Saturday, September 15, 2007

#61 - Frame and hang my Jim Craig poster

Well, framing a poster that is 12x18 is waaaaaay harder than it should be. I went to Michael's the other week and they said that it was an "irregular size" and that they only carried 1 frame - which was gold leaf and like $70. HAHA, no. I think my Jim Craig poster would take one look at it and say "WTF!?!". Anyway, I just ordered a custom frame from http://wholesaleposterframes.com. Once that comes in, I'll have to put it together, get the poster in the frame, and then decide where to hang it (although, I have a general idea). So, I'm 1/4 of the way finished with this one!

Friday, September 14, 2007

# 76 - Change the beneficiary on my 401k plan.

Well, I got the ball rolling on this one just now. I thought maybe I could update it from my fidelity account online, but it seems that we have NO FEATURES AT ALL on whatever plan my employer chose. It is really annoying. It makes me wish it was with Vanguard. *sigh*

The first post... what it's all about!

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.