The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is 509 pages long and I read it in 4 days flat.  Just like Angles and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol is definitely a page-turner.  The book focuses on the US this time (Washington, D.C.) which I found to be an intriguing element as his other Robert Langdon books have been set in Europe.  Because the book focuses on the emerging field of Noetic sciences as well as Freemasonery - two things I know nothing about - I found myself sitting in front of the computer poised to do a little research every once in a while as I read.  However, I really don't think it is necessary to do so.  The information provided in the book is plenty to go on as you follow the story - just try not to rip the pages as you turn them quickly!

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor

Mike got If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell for Christmas a while back from his sister.  He insisted that it was  "coffee table book" and that he would just look through at the pictures, but he wasn't planning on reading it.  It has been floating around in the living room ever since.

Let me tell you right now: READ THIS BOOK!  Bruce Campbell is definitely a B Movie actor (Army of Darkness and Evil Dead II certainly fall into the B Movie category), but he does an excellent job pulling you into the world of movie making where profits are not the first order of business.  With in depth descriptions of how to raise funds (and how not to raise funds) as well as descriptions of rigged devices they used to "get the shot" this book kept my attention.  He has a great way of telling a specific story about a person that makes you realize that he pays attention to everyone - not just his friends in the business. 

I'd love to see Bruce write another book now that he has more TV work under his belt with Burn Notice!

'Tis by Frank McCourt

I ended up borrowing 'Tis from my aunt, so I was able to go from reading Angela's Ashes straight into 'Tis.  The two books flowed extremely well into each other, but 'Tis also does well as a stand-alone book.  McCourt provides background information flawlessly without boring someone who has read Angela's Ashes. As with Angela's Ashes, the narrative of this book is smattered with dialects, euphemisms, the English of the day as well as the incorrect English of the day.  This approach really draws you in and immerses you in the world that Frank McCourt was faced with during his life.  The dialects come and go as does the slang used by his students indicating the passing of time.  In contrast with Angela's Ashes, most of this book takes place in New York City.  The City becomes a character in the story as it tends to when any story is set there.  The City influences people unlike any other and McCourt does a good job of allowing this to show through without pointing it out.  As I read 'Tis, I found myself drawn to find out more about the passing references to Stuyvesant High School, the schedule of the Staten Island Ferry and other "characters" of the story - thankfully I had Wikipedia to rescue me! 

Another 5/5 stars!

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

I really enjoyed Angela's Ashes - McCourt's writing style is easy to follow and really leads you into the streets of Limerick.  He skips through time and focuses on the stories that changed him and molded him and affected him the most.  It is interesting to see the most innocent (or not) small moments that end up meaning the world to little Frankie.  I also enjoyed the way that McCourt set the stage by referencing WWII events indirectly and letting the reader draw their own conclusions.  WWII is certainly not the main focus of the book, but it is something that affected everyone in the world and you can feel through the writing how it affected Frank and his family.  Definitely a well written piece that is also interesting and holds your attention.  Not very many critically acclaimed "instant classics" are also on the New York Times Best Seller list as long as this one was.  It definitely says something for the book.

5/5 stars - a must read. 

#57 - Reformat Laptop before 8/2010

Done!  I did this yesterday and it was way easier than I had hoped.  I'm not sure if it's running faster or not because I didn't get a chance to do anything but install the bare minimum, but I have to figure it would be an improvement.

Beginning again, the NEW 101 things!

It took me over a week to come up with a new list.  I think the amount spent this time (as opposed to the day and a half last time) will result in a set of goals that will be relevant, attainable, and interesting for the length of the journey.  For posterity, here's the full list:

Rollover Items

1. Take a class at HACC
2. Eat a meal outside - either in the courtyard or somewhere at Briarcrest
3. Visit Lindsay in Chicago (by myself or with someone).
4. Write and mail a letter to 2 elementary school teachers.
5. Go in one I.M. Pei building that I haven't been in before.
6. Learn one song on the piano by heart.
7. Frame and/or "finish" at least 3 cross stitch pieces (Pineapple, Christmas, and one other)
8. Complete this crafty meme.
9. Create a DVD of Mike's "Harvey" performance(s).
10. Put my family's home videos on DVD.
11. Create a new website that is relevant to my life
12. Organize my RIT memorabilia (shadow box, etc)
13. Obtain 1st edition copies of the Harry Potter books I don't have.

Home and Hershey

14. Participate in the Hershey Library Summer Reading Program 3 times (0/3)
15. Go to The Hershey Story
16. Go to Wamsutta Outlet in Lancaster
17. Go to the drive-in theatre
18. Use the Briarcrest Pool
19. Go for a walk around Briarcrest
20. Play Frisbee with Mike in the grassy area behind our townhouse
21. Weed the courtyard
22. Plant ground cover in the courtyard
23. Re-pot my pearl plant and get it a trellis
24. Utilize the storage space in the couch
25. Re-arrange living room furniture to better accommodate new computer
26. Frame at least one of Mike's posters
27. Frame as much of my poster collection as possible
28. Hang Billy Joel albums
29. Acquire plate hangers and hang plates in kitchen
30. Take care of my mending pile (with Mom's help)
31. Take our dress shoes to my parents to be polished
32. Create a new "Day in the Life" photo journey

Money and Finance

33. Invest $5k into my Roth IRA ever year until I turn 30.(0/4)
34. Research Auto Insurance and possibly combine plans
35. Research life insurance
36. Make a spreadsheet with 2 months worth of receipts to create a loose budget
37. Change over to a zero-balance budgeting mentality
38. Create a central location for all important financial information
39. Track Survey, etc revenue
40. Develop a low-maintenance, passive-income side-hustle
41. Finish consolidating half.com books
42. Obtain at least 1 box of books to sell on half.com

Kitchen and Food

43. Purge unused kitchen utensils and find alternate storage for ones that are used infrequently
44. Research and acquire a combination blender/food processor
45. Research and acquire a working immersion blender
46. Research and acquire a quality kitchen scale
47. Research and acquire a quality digital kitchen thermometer
48. Try 24 new recipes and blog about them (0/24)
49. Bake 1 loaf of bread a week for one month (0/4)
50. Buy The Bread Baker's Apprentice
51. ... and make at least 10 breads from it (0/10)
52. Menu plan every week for an entire month (0/4)
53. Take pictures of everything I eat for a week
54. Can a large batch of something other than jam or apple sauce/butter
55. Go to 5 new-to-me non-chain restaurants (0/5)
56. Do pick-your-own fruit

Entertainment, Media, and Electronics

57. Reformat Laptop before 8/2010
58. Quit Farmville
59. Get a Castle Age army of 200 people
60. Update & keep updated our DVD tracker spreadsheet up-to-date
61. Continue progress on Pop-pop's journals and research publishing options
62. Read 100 Books and blog about them (0/100)
63. Read 5,000 pages in one year
64. Put together a scrapbook/photo album for the Alaska 2009 trip
65. Put together a scrapbook/photo album for the Hawai'i 2005 trip
66. Do a complete organization on my gmail account (6500+ emails!)
67. Do a complete organization of my delicious account(153 tags, 600+ websites)
68. Buy a PS3 and Rock Band
69. Get a wireless or easy-to-set-up surround sound system
70. Organize my penny collection and get new books if necessary

Travel

71. Visit Heather in Boston
72. Take a trip to NYC
73. Use a week of my TAN plan
74. Take a day trip to DC to do museums and monuments with Mike

Personal and Self-Improvement

75. Keep my hair maintained (ie, 1/2 trim every 2 months)
76. Donate my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths
77. Donate blood at least once, if not more
78. Find out about plasma donation and donate if possible
79. Start and maintain a flossing routine (daily)
80. Start and maintain a skin oil-therapy routine (every-other month)
81. Carry and use a handkerchief for an entire month
82. Get a work-appropriate cardigan/sweater
83. Get a work-wardrobe of at least 14 tops
84. Get a new pair of work-wardrobe pants
85. Update Resume to reflect all projects so far at work
86. Do at least 1 tutorial for each Adobe software title except Photoshop and Video tools
87. Do at least 5 tutorials for Photoshop and Adobe Video tools

Communications

88. Write and send "snail mail" thank you notes for every gift I receive
89. Write and send one "snail mail" letter every month
90. Keep a list of special occasions and gifts given for future reference
91. Figure out the best layout for our family/friends contact spreadsheet and figure out mail-merging

Couponing and Misc

92. Teach 1 person how to coupon with blogs
93. Post 5 weeks of Karns Deals to my frugal cooking blog
94. Purge expired coupons from inserts every 3 months
95. Come up with 5 more medium-large things that I want to accomplish and add them to the list.
96. Thing #1 -
97. Thing #2 -
98. Thing #3 -
99. Thing #4 -
100. Thing #5 -
101. On Day 1001, review the previous 1,001 days and publish a new 101 Things in 1001 Days list.

The end of the FIRST 1,001 days, part 2

Here's the final list as it stands on the last days:

Life

1. Walk to work every day for a week. (10/2008)
2. Make my lunch the night before work every day for a week. (completed: 11/08/2007)
3. Get a file cabinet and move my files from my parent's house. (completed 10/2009)
4. Move all my clothing from my parent's house to my apartment. (completed 5/2010)
5. Hang posters in the office/guest room.
6. Figure out where to put all my plants and make sure they all have pots. (completed: 9/2007)
7. Write a letter to myself to read 10 years from now. (ongoing)
8. Tryout for a musical or a play.(completed: 5/12/08)
9. Organize my half.com stuff and KEEP IT THAT WAY. (Completed: 11/13/2007)
10. Play the lottery. (Completed: 10/06/2007)
11. When proposed to, say "Duh!""Yes!"
12. Get some bubbles and blow them in a public place(Completed: 4/25/2008)
13. Cover my outside door with wrapping paper at Christmas time(Completed: 12/11/07)
14. Take a class at HACC
15. Build a snowfort with some kids.
16. Figure out where to keep the Roomba and set up a schedule (N/A - Sold Roomba)
17. Find all my rechargable batteries and replace the ones that keep dying (completed 10/2009)

Neopets

18. Obtain the MSPP(TCG) avatar on neopets. (Completed: 10/6/2008)
19. Get a Dubloon Disaster Trophy on Neopets. (Completed: 10/2008)

Family/Friends

20. Develop an address spreadsheet for all family and good friends and keep updated. (Completed: 12/22/2009)
21. Write a "Christmas Letter" and send copies with my Christmas cards. (Completed: 12/21/2009)
22. Have my brother over for a sleep over.(completed: 11/18/2007)
23. Take my brother to the laserdome. (completed: 4/12/2008)
24. Visit Aunt Karin once a month.
25. Visit Cindi in VA.(completed: 3/2/2008)
26. Go to another Lo Cash Cowboys show. (completed: 11/16/2007)
27. Visit Heather in MD at least one more time before she moves(?).(completed: 10/13/2007)
28. Have a picnic in the park with someone.
29. Visit Lindsay in Chicago (by myself or with someone).
30. Send all college-going relatives a "care package" (including Cathy).(completed: 10/2008)
31. Have my family over for dinner. (completed: 5/11/2008)
32. Throw a Christmas party.
33. Sit down with Mike and come up with a list of our own
34. Write and mail a letter to 2 elementary school teachers.
35. Have photos of Mike and I taken

Travel

36. Take Mike to NYC
37. Get passports for myself. (completed: 4/2009)
38. Take Mike on public transportation.
39. Test-drive a car I would never buy. (Completed 10/2009)
40. Visit at least one state I’ve never been to. (Completed: 8/2009)
41. Go in one I.M. Pei building that I haven't been in before.
42. Ride in a limo.(Completed: 8/6/2009)
43. Stay at a bed and breakfast.

Entertainment

44. Read 100 books. (92/100)
45. Read at least 50 books I've never read before.(89/50) (completed 3/29/2010)
46. Read 10 books recommended by friends, no questions asked. (7/10)
47. Blog about each book read.(92/100)
48. Learn one song on the piano by heart.
49. Write a poem every week for a year (Failed)
50. Go to the drive-in theatre.(Completed 6/29/2008)
51. Do Karaoke. (Completed 8/2009)
52. Complete a 1000+ piece puzzle(completed: 7/21/2008)
53. Go bowling (completed: 10/07/2007)
54. Go miniature golfing (completed: 8/6/2008)
55. Take Mike to Indian Echo Caverns. (completed: 8/9/2008)
56. Go to see a stand-up comedian live. (Completed: 8/2009)
57. Watch all of the DVDs I own at least once, including watching all special features.
58. See a show at the Hershey Theatre (Completed: 2/14/2009)

Project Related

59. Finish at least one cross-stitch piece for myself.
60. Complete this crafty meme.
61. Frame and hang my Jim Craig poster (Completed 9/29/07)
62. Complete my bookshelf finishing project. (Completed: 5/2009)
63. Post a video of myself singing on YouTube.(Completed 12/13/07)
64. Create a DVD of Mike's "Harvey" performance(s).
65. Embroider a tablecloth and matching napkins.
66. Organize the cables for my entertainment unit. (Completed: 11/11/2007)
67. Put my family's home videos on DVD.
68. Turn at least 1 record into mp3 files.
69. Give partywithyoursocks.com a face lift & new content.
70. Organize my RIT memorbilia (shadow box, etc)
71. Learn to drive a stick shift.

Food

72. Try 12 new recipes (and actually use the recipe). (12/12)(Completed 11/2008)
73. Try 5 new non-chain restaurants. (5/5)(Completed 7/7/2008)
74. Use my fondue pot(Completed 12/31/2007)
75. Bake a cake in my cross pan.(Completed 2/2/2009)

Finance

76. Change the beneficiary on my 401k plan. (Completed: 3/20/2008)
77. Do my own taxes.(Completed 3/16/2008)
78. Create a will.
79. Start a 529 account or other education investment account. (Completed 11/2009)
80. Invest in at least one stock.
81. Obtain a GOOD cash-back credit card and make it work for me. (Canceled)

Material World

82. Set up my futon/daybed.(Completed 6/24/2009)
83. Find a new pair of sneakers. (Completed: 9/16/07)
84. Find a pair of shoes for work that I can walk distances in.
85. Take at least one item of clothing to the consignment shop.
86. Buy a new or used vehicle. (completed: 8/1/2008)
87. Learn how to parallel park it.
88. Buy a LCD HD TV. (3/2009)
89. Find pants that really fit me and are comfortable. (Completed 12/2007)
90. Buy a nice pair of binoculars/opera glasses (Completed 5/2009)
91. Go to Saturday's Market. (Completed 11/28/2009)
92. Sell Mike's VHS/DVDs for him (completed: 4/18/2009)
93. Obtain copies (1st edition, if possible) of the Harry Potter books I don't have. (2/4)
94. Book a night at the Inn of the Dove.

Community

95. Start recycling with the township. Failed.
96. Donate Blood at least once over the 1001 days.
97. Anonymously donate $1000 to my church for organ repair. Failed.
98. Pick up trash on my way to work. Failed.
99. On every grocery trip, buy 1 thing to donate to a good cause (Not my stomach).
100. Do 2 walks for good causes. (Replaced. Completed 4/2009)

Finish

101. On Day 1001, publish a new 101 Things in 1001 Days list that includes anything I haven't finished already.

The end of the FIRST 1,001 days.

Measuring life in increments of 1000 days is quite interesting.  When I look at my list I realize how much my life, my goals, my situation in general has changed over the course of 2+ years.  Right now I'm actually on day 999, but I do not forsee finishing any more items in the next 2 days, so this is my wrap-up post. I've counted 62/101 things complete which is over half!
Here's a review of the items that were not completed and a look at why.

#11 - When proposed to, say "Duh!""Yes!"
This should have been a list of goals for me - not things that rely on the actions of others.

#14 - Take a class at HACC
This is just one of those things that never happened.  However, I think it is a good goal - HACC offers a LOT of unique classes that I would be interested in - the stars just have to align on this one.  This will be added to the new list.

#15 - Build a snowfort with some kids.
First of all, I decided this would have been a little creepy.  Second of all, save the winter of 2010, there was little to no snow!  Sad.  Again, though, a goal that relies on others - I don't think I saw any kids building a fort this year. Sorry, but this one is dead.

#28 - Have a picnic in the park with someone.
I'm sensing a trend - another one that relies on others!  Although, I think this one is a little simpler, and with some modification, can be included in the new list.

#29 - Visit Lindsay in Chicago (by myself or with someone).
1,001 days is pretty short now that I think about it.  I'm still hoping to do this one while she still lives out there! New list candidate!

#32 - Throw a Christmas party.
I'm not sure what I was thinking with this one.  It would be cool, but even between Mike and I, we don't have enough local friends to constitute a "party".  This is out.

#33 - Sit down with Mike and come up with a list of our own
When I suggested this to Mike, he immediately thought it was stupid.  So much for that. :-P  I should have consulted him before I put this on MY list.

#34 - Write and mail a letter to 2 elementary school teachers.
This is something I NEED to do.  Definitely going on the list again.  And maybe at the top!

#35 - Have photos of Mike and I taken
In my mind, this one went along with #11.  Again, don't set goals for yourself that rely on others!


#36 - Take Mike to NYC
A) He doesn't want to go. B) There was no opportunity.  I think I will modify this one for myself: Go to NYC!

#38 - Take Mike on public transportation.
Again, what was I thinking? Who cares?

#41 - Go in one I.M. Pei building that I haven't been in before.
I attempted this one in Cleveland, but had no luck finding parking or the address, for that matter.  I would like to keep this one because it is more of a life-goal to visit as many of his buildings as I can.

#43 - Stay at a bed and breakfast.
Again, another one that is more of a life-goal.  We didn't travel THAT much in the last 999 days.

#44 - Read 100 books. (92/100)
I was really very close on this one.  I am not sure if I should set the goal at 100 books again or lower it to 75, after all a number of them were actually books of the bible.

#46 - Read 10 books recommended by friends, no questions asked. (7/10)
Close again!  But most books I read are recommended by friends, so I don't even think this needs to be here next time.  Just kind of redundant.

#47 - Blog about each book read.(92/100)
This one was kind of redundant, too.

#48 - Learn one song on the piano by heart.
This one is STAYING!  I need to play more often (and not use my keyboard as a shelf) and having this here at least gets me thinking about it.

#59 - Finish at least one cross-stitch piece for myself.
I have a piece (or two?) sitting around done, but they need to be framed.  I think that needs to be the new goal.  Frame stuff! OR at least finish it!

#60 - Complete this crafty meme.
Seriously, this needs to happen.  Seriously.

#64 - Create a DVD of Mike's "Harvey" performance(s).
I made some significant progress on this one, but in the end, fell short due to lack of the proper equipment/software.  I will finish this, though, once I have the appropriate Adobe software!

#65 - Embroider a tablecloth and matching napkins.
I think this one became a little too daunting to even think about.  If I can break it down into smaller goals, it can stay.

#67 - Put my family's home videos on DVD.
This one is right behind #64!  Figuring out the full process first will be helpful.

#68 - Turn at least 1 record into mp3 files.
I'm not even sure if this is worth it, even if my parents have an amazing record collection.

#69 - Give partywithyoursocks.com a face lift & new content.
Ugh, this one needs to be re-thought.  I'm hoping to make a new website and decommission pwys.

#70 - Organize my RIT memorbilia (shadow box, etc)
At least it's all in the same place.  I think this is still a worthy goal.

#99 - On every grocery trip, buy 1 thing to donate to a good cause (Not my stomach).

I have finished this one and gone above and beyond my initial expectations.  I started playing the pharmacy games and really getting a lot of great stuff for free - and donating them to either our local food pantry or to other organizations through my church.  This is something I'll definitely be continuing to do.

#57 - Watch all of the DVDs I own at least once, including watching all special features.

I'm sure I've completed this for all the DVDs that I had at the time of creating the list, but I certainly have not been able to keep up with it!  Mike and I have a pile of about 10 DVDs (with a few more on the way) that have yet to be watched along with about 7 more season of Stargate:SG-1 to watch as well.  However, the original intent of this one has been completed. 

#24 - Visit Aunt Karin once a month.

I don't know if I quite made this one.  But probably close!  Anyway, I'm going to mark this one as complete since I'll definitely be visiting her a few times in the next month to help her with some computer troubles and also with our latest project of transcribing all of my grandfather's journals.

#20 - Develop an address spreadsheet for all family and good friends and keep updated.

I have pretty much completed this one.  I have full information for my family, Mike's family, and most of our friends in a spreadsheet.  I'm still figuring out the best way to keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, and children in the same spreadsheet, but it is definitely past where I thought I'd ever get it.

Completed!

#7 - Write a letter to myself to read 10 years from now.

Unbeknownst to myself, I have been doing this all along.  My livejournal is in essence a letter to my future self.  I even went back and read my livejournal from the beginning and it was rather a out-of-body experience.  How much I have changed!

#4 - Move all my clothing from my parent's house to my apartment.

I've done this, rather involuntarily at that.  My sister moved back home after college in May and they needed room for all of her STUFF, so I moved almost all my clothes out (all that is left there is a few costumes and my prom dress).  I also organized said clothes and set some stuff aside to sell and/or donate.

Watership Down

In Watership Down, Richard Adams creates a rich world that could easily exist right under our noses.  The world that Adams' rabbits live in is full of dangers and is affected greatly by humans (who are constantly smoking!) as well as domesticated animals and wild ones alike.  Each rabbit in the story has a unique personality and as a whole, the rabbits interact much like you might expect humans to.  Some are leaders and some are followers.  Some are warriors and some are sages.  These characters are what drew me quickly into their world as I followed their adventures.