D is for Donnelly and F is for Ferris

I just finished listening to some good books.

The first is for my YA novel goal.  A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly.  I did not know at first that this was partially based on the true story of a murder case in Upstate New York.  It is the story of Mattie, a farm girl with big dreams of being a writer.  She lives with her father and sisters and is expected to help keep the farm running, especially now that her mother is dead.  She wants to go to college to learn to write, but between her father's objections and her growing feelings for a local boy, this seems like an unattainable dream.  As if that weren't enough, the dead body of a woman has just been brought to the hotel in which she works, and Mattie has evidence that the woman's death may not have been an accident.
I really enjoyed this story.  Mattie is a well developed and likable character.  It was also cool to hear the names of so many local towns in a book I was reading.

The second book is for my children's book list, although middle schoolers might like it too.  It is called Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris.  This is a funny, romantic tale about Christian, who grew up in the forest with his foster father, a troll named Ed.  He begins a long-distance friendship with Princess Marigold by using P-mail, mail delivered by pigeons.  Finally Chris decides to leave his sheltered forest life and go to the palace to get a job.  I loved this book.  The romance story was very touching, and the characters were very funny.  It had the elements of a fairy tale, with some more modern ideas and humor mixed in.

E is for Election

For my "E" movie I watched Election starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick.  The movie is about Tracy Flick, a straight-A ambitious student running for student council president.  She runs unopposed until her Teacher, Jim McAllister, encourages another student to oppose her.  The movie is hilarious, and Tracy Flick is an unforgettable character.  There are so many hilarious moments in this film, from Mr. McAllister's explanation democracy through the use of fruit, to Tammy Metzler's inspiring campaign speech declaring "Who cares about this stupid election?"  Very entertaining.

A is for Asher, and a new Gaiman novel

I've finished more books to add to my lists!

The first is another novel by Neil Gaiman for my adult novels goal.  I finally got around to reading American Gods.  It took me a while to get into this book.  At first I had no idea what was going on, and I wasn't sure if I liked the characters.  However, after a little while I finally really got into it and ended up loving the novel!  It tells the story of Shadow, who upon leaving jail is employed by the mysterious Wednesday.  He finds himself in the center of a nation-wide conflict between the old gods brought over by immigrants to America, and the new gods that many worship such as the media and technology.  The whole novel is very smart, and a great story.  It kept me surprised.  I didn't figure out the final revelation of the book until right before it was revealed, at about the same time Shadow figures it out.  I love when a book can make me gasp with surprise right up until the end.  Overall I liked Anansi Boys better for its story and characters, but American Gods was really fantastic.

My most recent YA novel is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.  I devoured this book because I was just dying to know what happened.  Clay goes home one day to find a set of 7 cassette tapes waiting for him.  They were recorded by Hannah, a girl from his school who killed herself two weeks previously.  She begins the tapes by saying that if you received the tapes, you are one of the reasons why she killed herself.  If that doesn't suck you in I don't know what will.  Clay spends the night listening to her story, walking all over town to various landmarks in her life.  While I sometimes got annoyed with her reasoning and tendency to blame, I think the character of Hannah was a strong narrator.  She takes the listener (and reader) on an interesting journey.  I strongly recommend this to anyone.

Final June Update

I made pretty good progress in June!

2.  Completed finding a geocache!

16. I only journaled 4/5 times this month.

22.  I recently finished reading Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Harmless and Boy Meets Boy


32. Went to a Mets game to complete this goal.

33. Went to a Rob Thomas concert to complete this goal

35.  I recently decided on a bunch of shows to drop next tv season.  I still need to decide what new shows to try.

40.  I succeeded in being tv free once a week

42.  I made two new recipies.  One was Wine chicken with Shallots, which was delicious.  The other was Phyllo-wrapped chicken, which was also very good.

44.  I continued to cook at home once a week

49.  The night at the Mets game was our date night for the month

50.  I am considering my goal to move out of my parents' house in progress because Justin and I just signed the lease for our own apartment!  We will be fully moved in by August.

70.  So far I am up to a total of 10 days doing something outside this summer, which is a good start.

78.  I went to a park one time, so I may do this goal this summer.

92.  I finished week 5 of my sit ups, and did my exhaustion test.  I was able to do 83 sit-ups in one go!

W is for Winters, R is for Reinhardt

I've recently finished another YA novel.  This one is Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters.  I enjoyed this reworking of Austen's novel even better than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  I thought the changes were very clever.  It was funny to see how the English might adapt when the sea life surrounding their island becomes hostile.  It almost felt like a new story, but with characters I already know and love, and it was hilarious!

I also finished Harmless by Dana Reinhardt.  This novel tells the story of three girls who tell a terrible lie in order to get out of trouble over being at a party at a senior boy's house.  Instead of admitting to the truth, they create a story that one of them was attacked, leading to the arrest of an innocent man.  It is an interesting look at why people lie, and how good kids can end up doing bad things.

Some new completed goals!

I was busy getting goals completed in June, which makes me feel good about my list progress.

The first is goal number 2: Find a geocache.
This was actually much harder than I thought it would be.  That might be because I was using my dad's old handheld GPS which I had never used before, but I think it was really due to inexperience.  Justin and I attempted to find two caches at Roundtop park.  The first one got us completely lost, off the path, and in fear of poison ivy and ticks.  The second one was off of a path, and we actually found something!  I'm not sure it is the thing we were looking for, but I'm going to count this as a successful completion.

The second complete goal is goal number 33: Go to a Concert

My sister, parents and I saw Rob Thomas perform at golf tournament held in our town.  There were so many people there and it was a really great show.  I have never been a big fan of Rob Thomas.  I enjoy his music and think he has a good voice, but I've never gone out of my way to listen to him.  However, it is very different to see someone perform live.  He was energetic and you could tell he loved making music.  It was a really fun night.



Finally, I completed goal number 32:  Go to a sporting event.

Justin and I went to a Binghamton Mets baseball game last Tuesday.  It was two-for-Tuesday, so beer was cheaper.  There were also fireworks at the end.  Best of all, the Mets won!  There was a grand slam in the third inning that put them way ahead of the other team.

L is for Levithan

I just finished reading Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.  I listened to it as an audio book.  My first impression was that the story was going to be annoying because the way it is read can be over the top sometimes.  However, once I settled in to the story and got to know the characters better I found it really enjoyable.  The story takes place in an idealized town where kids don't care about sexual or gender orientation.  The narrator is Paul, who has known he is gay since he was five.  The fact that he is gay is not the main point or a conflict in the book.  Rather, it is a story about him falling in love, and still struggling with feelings for a past boyfriend.  This is a refreshing read for teens that doesn't view being gay as being a problem.  After reading the whole book I will definitely recommend it to others.

Mid-June Update

16.  I have written in my journal 3 times so far this month, so I'm on track for that goal.


21.  I read The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, and A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin


22.  I read Goose Girl by Shannon Hale


41.  Amy, Justin and I had a game night on Saturday.  It was a lot of fun, and we got to play lots of board games.


42. I cooked two new recipes so far.  The firs twas BBQ beef sandwiches, which I made in a crock pot.  They were smoky and tasty.  The second was Mexican lasagna.  It was really easy and tasted pretty good!


44.  I cooked at home on the 9th and 16th, although I missed one week.


61.  I got my second HPV vaccine shot.  Only one more to go!


66.  I'm just about ready to say this one is complete.  I have almost fully converted to Curly Girl.  I wash my hair differently, and dry it differently.  It has gotten much curlier.  So far this month I tried two of the recipes.  I used lemon and baking soda in recipes to clean my hair.  I'm just waiting to see if I can get a Deva style hair cut before I call this one complete.


70.  So far I have done something outside 6 times this month.


75.  I went to another local event: the Apalachin Field Days.  My dad and I worked in the balloon dart booth to benefit challenger baseball.


92.  I am on week 5 out of 6 of my sit ups plan.  I think I may have to repeat the last two weeks a few times before I am ready to do 200 sit ups though.


94.  I finished week 6/12 of my walking.


Finally:  I decided to get rid of goals 38.  Make a list of 100 things I want to see, and 39.  See 20 of them.  I took this goal from someone else's list, and it isn't really resonating with me.  I still am doing the other goal of making a list of things I want to learn about.  I will update when I have replacements for these goals.

L is for LeGuin and W is for Wood

I recently finished two books for my children's book goals. Both of these would be enjoyable for older readers as well, but I am counting them as children's because they would probably be enjoyed by older elementary readers.

The first is The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling.  The School Library Journal review said that this book is like a mix between Jane Eyre and Lemony Snicket, and I see what they mean.  Penelope has just graduated from a boarding school for intelligent orphans.  At the age of 15, she is ready to enter the world as a governess for a rich family.  She responds to an ad and gets a job as the governess to three children.  However, she only finds out after she is hired that these children were raised by wolves, and recently discovered living in the woods.  Penelope does her best to overcome this obstacle, determined to teach the children Latin and French, as well as how to dress and eat properly.  I really enjoyed this story and will eagerly await its sequel.  Not only is the story  entertaining, but it is accompanies by lovely illustrations of the children and their antics.

The next book I finished was A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin.  I can see why this has become a classic fantasy book.  The story is quite different from other fantasy series I have read, and is very interesting.  However, during this read I finally admitted to myself that I don't enjoy high fantasy as much as I have always thought I would.  However, for readers that enjoy it, this is one of the better books I have read.  I made the choice not to continue the series though, as I have recently struggled to get through other long high fantasy series (The Dark is Rising Sequence, and Lloyd Alexander's books, for example).

H is for Shannon Hale

I just listened to a great YA audio book of The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale.  I shouldn't have been surprised that I loved it, because I tend to love stories that are retellings of fairy tales.  This novel tells the fairy tale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm.  It is about Ani, a princess who is betrayed by her guard and closest friend and must become a Goose Girl in a far away land before she can reclaim who she really is.  The characters are very well drawn, as is the plot.  There is always a sense of danger around Ani, and the reader feels that her peaceful life as a goose girl could be ended at any moment.

T is for Tolkien

I finished reading The Hobbit for goal 21, to read 26 children's novels.

I was actually surprised how entertaining this story of a 50-something year old hobbit could be.  I don't think I loved it as much as other people have, but I thought it was entertaining to see Bilbo get himself out of various scrapes, and surprise himself with his courage and adventurous spirit.

Z is for Zusak, and P is for Peck

For goal 22 I have recently read two more YA novels.

The first is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  What can I say?  This book was amazing.  It tells the story of Liesel, who has come to live with  a foster family, the Hubermanns in the early days of Nazi Germany.  The story is told from the point of view of Death, who views the war and the persecution of Jews from a very interesting perspective.  Liesel copes with the difficulties of her life and the war through developing a love of words and reading.  I have not cried reading a book in years, but I was sobbing during this one.  I really recommend the audio book version, which I thought was extremely well done.

The second book I recently finished is The River Between Us by Richard Peck.  This is a fairly short novel about Tilly Pruitt, who lives on the Mississippi River with her family in a town that borders the Union and Confederate territories.  Her life is changed forever when two mysterious women from the south show up on a steamboat, one glamorous and ladylike, and the other darker, perhaps a slave.  Peck's novel shows the beginnings of the Civil War from a perspective that I have never seen before.  It was interesting from a historical point of view, as well as a well-told story about family, love and friendship.

(Late) End of May Update.

Progress since the last update:

Complete!
45. Go to 10 new restaurants.  I finished this when Justin and I were in Corning.  We went to Thali of India for lunch.  It was great.  I hadn't had Indian food in a few years and was really craving it.

In progress:

16.  I journaled 5 times this month

20.  I finished The Kite Runner and Their Eyes Were Watching God


21.  I finished The Hobbit


22.  I finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and The River Between Us by Richard Peck


37.  I watched my S movie: Signs


40.  I had a tv free night in all but one week of May

42.  I cooked Jerk Chicken with Asparagus and Cauliflower, which I took a picture of:

44.  I cooked at home 3/4 weeks because I didn't cook this week.

49.  For our date Justin spent a day in Corning, NY.  We went shopping at all the local shops and had fabulous Indian food.

51.  I shopped at a few local businesses in Corning, including buying something from Market Street Coffee and Tea

92.  I am restarting my sit-ups at week 3 because I lapsed a little bit and want to build my strength up more before continuing.

94.  I've completely stopped walking the past few weeks so I'll have to get back into it

Reading like crazy

I've recently finished two wonderful novels for goal number 20.

The first is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.  This novel is a heartbreaking and touching story of family, regret, and redemption.  It is told from the point of view of Amir, who witnesses a tragedy committed against his childhood friend without doing anything to stop it.  He has to live with this decision for the rest of his life.  This novel was hard to read at points, but ultimately was worth it for its realism and the emotion it stirs.

T

The next is Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. This was one of those books that I had heard of, but I still had no idea what it is about.  It tells the story of a woman, Janie, growing up black in the 1930s.  Although she is technically 3/4ths white, and gets a lot of attention for her looks, ultimately she is considered a black woman.  Not only is this a novel about black people living in this time and place, it is truly a feminist novel in some ways.  Janie is not satisfied to always be second to the men she marries throughout her life, although it takes her some time to come to the realization that she can have some power over her own life and love.

S is for Signs, and C is for Cabot

I finally saw the movie Signs last Friday, and I really enjoyed it.  All the actors did a great job, and even though I knew what ultimately defeats the aliens I was still freaked out.  Aliens in general tend to scare me so my heart was pounding during certain points of the movie.

For my YA novels goal, I've just finished reading Jinx by Meg Cabot.  I always love a good Meg Cabot novel.  They are full of kick-ass heroines and cute guys.  Jinx is about Jean Honeychurch, called Jinx because of her perpetual bad luck.  When she moves in with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in New York she begins an adventure that pits her against her cousin Tory, who is a practicing witch.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

I just finished listening to the audio book of Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.  I loved this book.  It was the first solo adult book of his I've read. I've only previously read The Graveyard Book and Good Omens which he wrote with Terry Pratchett.  This book is about Fat Charlie, who finds out that his father is the god Anansi.  After his father's death he meets the brother he didn't know he had, and goes on a long journey towards discovering the truth about himself and about family.  Gaiman has a wonderful style of writing, and I really enjoyed the reading of the book given in the audio book version.  I highly recommend it.

Mid-May Update

First of all, I got hired as a school library media specialist for the 2010-2011 school year!  That means I have completed goal number 24, which is huge to me!

Other progress:
16.  A little behind on journaling this month so far. I've only done it once.

20.  I finished listening to Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, which was amazing.  I'll write a review next.

37.  I've watched another movie, Reign Over Me, which I have already created a post for.

42.  I've really been on top of cooking new recipes.  I've already tried four more from my Rocco Dispirito book:
1. Baked Onion Rings
2. Healthy Sloppy Joes, which were really good, made with turkey but still tasted just like a sloppy joe
3. Really good sweet potato fries, which had a good spicy-sweet flavor
4.  Healthy Philly Cheese Steak, which I really enjoyed

44.  I have been cooking at home once a week, which lets me try new recipes.

51.  I visited two local businesses.  I bought my mom's mothers day present from Tom's in Binghamton, and some hand lotion and candy from East of the Sun West of the Moon in Owego

66.  I have gone through the Curly Girl Book and have started my conversion.  I'm not going to shampoo anymore and I'm trying out a new conditioner.  I have ordered towels especially designed for getting the right amount of water from curly hair, and I'm going to try some of the home remedies in the book soon.

92.  I just finished week 3 of the 200 sit-up challenge

94.  I just finished week 5 of my 12 week walking program

R is for Reign Over Me

Last night I watched Reign Over Me starring Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler.  I didn't really want to watch the movie because I thought it might be too depressing.  Adam Sandler's character, Charlie, lost his wife and three children in the 9/11 attacks because they were on one of the planes that crashed into the twin towers.  It had more funny moments than I anticipated, and was really more about Don Cheadle's character, who tries to help Charlie and in the process examines his own life and marriage.  Overall I thought it was trying to do too many things and went on too long, but there were definitely some great moments and stellar acting by those involved.

End of April Update

April wasn't super productive for me, but I did make headway on some of my goals.

16.  I only journaled 2 times this month instead of five, so I'll have to try better next month.

20.  Finished two more books getting my total to 6/50

24.  I've been searching for jobs every week.  I had an interview this month but didn't get the job, and I'm still waiting to hear back from another school district.

37.  I saw a few new movies this month, which I blogged about already.  My total is up to 9/26

40.  I have managed to keep up with the goal of have a tv-free night once a week

42.  I cooked two new recipes this month, jalapeño poppers, and Chicken Marsala, bringing my total to 4/20

44.  I cooked once a week while I was at home.  I went away one week during April, but other than that I've been cooking away for my family.

49.  This month's date with Justin was pretty low key.  We went to a flea market and then out to lunch at the Skylark diner.

61.  I got the first of three shots for the HPV vaccine, so I'm on my way to completing this goal.

63.  I went to my two different doctors to discuss my current medical concerns.  I could check this off now, but I'm going to wait to see if I want to go back for bloodwork to see if I have rheumatoid arthritis, since I put that off at the last doctor's visit.

64.  I am doing very well with my goal to find techniques for managing anxiety.  I am in physical therapy for some of my physical symptoms.  I've been getting more into breathing exercises and meditation.  Also, the doctor gave me an herbal supplement to help.  I am not going to mark this complete yet, as I'm also working on a self-help program through the book When Panic Attacks that I think will help me.

72.  I recorded four more flip videos of the various birthday celebrations for my sister, bringing my total to

92.  I have finished week 2 of the 200 sit up challenge program.

94.  I've been doing well with walking, getting through week 4 of the 12 week program.

P is for the Princess and the Frog

I finally saw Disney's The Princess and the Frog the other night. I thought it was a really cute movie. Unlike other Disney movies there was some inclusion of real American culture, although I realize it tended to be a simplified view of New Orleans culture. It was nice to lose myself in a Disney musical again and just feel like a little girl mesmerized by a fairy tale.

Finishing the Han Solo Trilogy

I just finished the third book in the Han Solo Trilogy by A.C. Crispin: Rebel Dawn.  I enjoyed this trilogy as a whole, and the final book brought Han's narrative right up to where he meets a certain moisture farmer and an old man.  I think Crispin did a great job with his character and really explained where his character's mind set was in the first movie.  Of course, you know that Han isn't going to die, and he isn't going to live happily ever after with his love interest from the books.  Even so, I enjoyed this trilogy very much.  It provided good insight into the workings of Hutt society, as well as some interesting looks at Boba Fett.

Food in New Paltz

My boyfriend and I visited his sister in New Paltz, New York.  We had a lot of fun and got to visit some new restaurants while we were there.  The first we went to was the Moonlight Cafe.  Justin and I both had their falafel  wrap special.  It was my first time having falafel, and I loved it.  The wrap had falafel, hummus, eggplant, sprouts,   and tahini sauce.  So yummy!  I will definitely be making falafel in the near future.

We spent one day in Woodstock, NY, where we came across a little Mexican place called Taco Juan's.  We had a really yummy lunch there.  They had a good variety of dishes, and lots of sauces to add to your own food.  I had the baby burrito, so called because it was a mere half pound of food.  Justin had the full pound burrito.  I had mine with beef, and added guacamole for extra yumminess.  

C is for Charlie Bartlett

I saw the preview for this movie a long time ago and thought it looked really good.  I wasn't disappointed when I got to watch it this past week.  The movie is about Charlie, a rich kid who just got kicked out of a private school and is heading to public school.  He doesn't fit in at all at first, but eventually finds a niche for himself as the school psychologist/ prescription drug dealer.  I enjoyed the characters in this movie and thought the actors did a good job.  It was funny and had a lot of heart.

More Han Solo

One more book to add for goal number 20, read 50 adult books I've never read.  This is the second in the Han Solo Trilogy: The Hutt Gambit by A.C. Crispin.  I enjoyed the continuation of the story of Han, especially because in this book he finds the love of his life:  the Millenium Falcon.  Perhaps a little too much information about the inner workings of the Hutts, especially how they reproduce, but overall enjoyable.

U is for Up in the Air

I watched my "U" movie last night, Up in the Air starring George Clooney.  This is one of the only Oscar nominated movies from this year that I've seen, and overall I really enjoyed it.  I thought Clooney's character was realistic, and I was invested in his growth.  I also unexpectedly related with Natalie, because I too am a young woman out of college just starting to try and find a place for myself in the real world.  There is always that feeling that there is a lot to prove.  It brought up interesting questions about the choices we make in life and relationships.

Percy Jackson

My "R" book for Children's chapter books is the first book in the Percy Jackson series, The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan.  I'm in the middle of the second book now, and I'm really enjoying this series.  I think Riordan was genius to come up with the idea that the Greek gods move around the world to reside in the leading nations of Western civilization.  This allows the ancient mythology to take up a new more modern life in the United States.  As a long time fan of greek mythology, it's really enjoyable to see characters, from the greatest gods, to the more minor creatures and demigods in a new way.

Picture a Day

I've decided to start goal number 71 by taking a photo a day for six months.  I started a flickr account here where my pictures can be seen starting today.

Zombies and Space Pirates!

I've added two new books to my complete pile

The newest adult book I've read is The Han Solo Trilogy: The Paradise Snare by A. C. Crispin.  This is the first in a trilogy.  I'm reading the second book now.  It's interesting to see the character of Han Solo when he was younger and dreamed of being an officer in the Imperial Navy.  Like all good star wars books it involved a lot of deception, romance, politics, and fighting.  I enjoyed it enough to commit to reading the whole series.  It will be interesting to see how Han goes from an street kid who doesn't want to shoot anyone, to the hunted man who shoots Greedo in cold blood in A New Hope.

My newest YA book is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.  This is a fun book, which makes the Bennet girls into the bad-asses we all knew they were.  In between the romance and gossip of an English country town, we see zombie fights, and martial arts.  Can't wait to read Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters!

Final March update

I did pretty well getting through what I wanted to do this month. I haven't finished another goal completely yet, but I have good progress for some.

10. I've sorted through my pictures from England. I have about 200 I want to print, and it will probably cost at least $50.00 to do that, so I'm going to work on saving money.

16. I actually journaled five times this month! It didn't even seem that hard, so go me!

20. I finished another adult book: The Paradise Snare by A. C. Crispin.  I'll write an entry about it soon.

22.  I read another YA book which I'm counting as my "G" book:  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.  Again, I'll create a book entry soon.

24.  I kept up with my job searching.  I even went to a job fair for educators.  This past Monday I had a job interview, and I have another scheduled for mid-April

26.  I organized my professional development papers from grad school in a nice binder, separated by type of information.

35.  I ranked my tv shows by how much I like them so that when I start cutting them out it's easier

40.  I had a tv free night every week, which I always enjoy.

42.  I am going to cook a new recipe today, so I will probably post pictures later.  I am making meat pies, which are kind of like English pasties.

43. I bought binder sleeves for my recipes and organized my printed recipes in my binder

44.  Cook at home once a week.  I usually cook on Wednesdays, of which there were five in March.  I cooked on 4/5 of these weeks, which is still pretty good.

45.  Another restaurant that was new to me:  Carrabas Italian Grill.  I really enjoyed it.  We had Sangria to drink, which was yummy.  It was Friday in lent so I had spicy fish chowder and then manicotti.  Toped it all off with delicious tira mi su, a pick me up indeed!

46.  Justin and I also tried another beer.  We bought a six-pack of Saratoga Lager, which I thought was pretty good

49.  Justin and I had our date night to celebrate his 25th birthday.  We went out to TGI Friday's for dinner and drank girly drinks.  We then went to Barnes and Noble and wandered around a bit.

67.  I am not going to do my Wii fit or yoga goal yet, instead I've started to tackle some of the new goals I added on.

94.  I have started my new walking goal by completing week 1 of the 12-week program.  I am now in the middle of week 2.  For the most part I am walking 15 to 20 minutes a day.

94. Do 12 week beginners walking schedule

I consider this goal complete when/if: I have gotten to week twelve of the 12 week beginner walking program, in which I will be walking 60 minutes at a time.

Why this is on my list: I want to be healthier, this along with 92 and 93 is to help me start exercising.

This goal will be tracked by continuing to post on this blog

Goal Status: in progress (6/12)

93. Complete 100 push-ups

I consider this goal complete when/if: I have successfully completed the 100 push-up training program and done 100 push-ups in a row.

Why this is on my list: I can barely do 3 push-ups and would like to work on my upper-body strength

This goal will be tracked by continuing to post on this blog

Goal Status: to do

92. Complete the Two Hundred sit-ups challenge

I consider this goal complete when/if: I have successfully completed the two hundred sit-up training program and done 200 sit-ups in a row.

Why this is on my list: My body is pretty weak, and sit-ups will help with my core strength, which I really would like to work on right now.

This goal will be tracked by continuing to post on this blog

Goal Status: in progress (week 5/6 training)

First March Update

I don't have too much exciting to update yet this month.

11.  I ironed all of the seams on my quilt and it is ready to be cut into small squares

13.  I've been practicing "Zombie"

16.  I've already journaled three times this month, so this goal is getting on track

24.  I've been searching for jobs every day, and I've applied for two more.  I also updated my OLAS profile, and my wiki portfolio with my latests information.

40.  I missed doing a tv free night last week, but I did it in the first week of March

44.  I have cooked twice for my family.  I made parmesan dijon chicken one week, and stuffed shells this past week.

63.  I finally got insurance!  I went to one doctor today, and have two more appointments with other doctors I needed to see.

67.  I already messed up my exercising for this month.  I'm not sure how to motivate myself.

72.  I took one video with my flip camera at the St. Patrick's day parade after party.

75.  I went to one local event.  My family and I went to the Binghamton St. Patrick's day parade, as well as the after party at Seton school.  We had good food, beer, and lots of bagpipe music.

85.  I've been keeping up with collecting my change.  I try to use mostly my bills so that the change will add up faster.

Eating and Drinking Goals

Goal 46 is well underway because I tried the 6 beer sampler at the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery.  The beers I tried were:
Local Gold Ale.  This was my favorite.  It was a light gold ale, named in honor of the athletes from Lake Placid who were participating in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver that week.

Twice Bitten Barleywine.  A darker beer, with good flavor.

Fresh Powder Milk Stout.  This was a very dark beer, similar to Guiness.  It had a very strong flavor, but I really enjoyed it.

Moose Island Ale: Another lighter, pleasant ale.

Lake Placid IPA:  I love IPAs.  One of the more bitter beers in the sampler, but good taste.

Ubu Ale:  This is the pub's most famous beer, which is found around New York, especially in this area.  I learned that it was named after a chocolate lab.  It is a reddish beer with good strong flavor.  Justin and I got pint glasses from the pub with the Ubu logo on them.

Goal 45 has also gotten off to a good start.  I went to 5 restaurants this month.

Lake Placid Pub and Brewery: Besides the beer sampler, Justin and I also had lunch here.  It was Friday during Lent so we both had fish and chips.  Mine was really good, with a good beer batter, and lots of malt vinegar for the chips.  Justin got his fish with wing sauce on it, an option I'd never seen before.  It was also very good.

Christies Grill:  My family went here for my dad's birthday.  I had crab-stuffed fish, with a side of au gratin potatoes.  The potatoes were really bland so I didn't eat them.  The fish was pretty good.  My only issue is that they seem to like to put cream sauce on everything, and I'm not a huge fan of that.

The Silo Restaurant:  Justin and I went here for Valentine's day.  It is a very nice restaurant, and they even had a guitar player playing and singing for the Valentine's day diners.  We shared crab-stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer along with our salad bar.  For my dinner I had sea scallops.  They were pretty good, and the portion was huge.  We also had a nice bottle of white wine with our dinner.

Los Tapatios:  My parents have been telling me about this place for a while and I'm so happy Justin and I finally went.  It is a tiny Mexican restaurant in Endicott.  The food is cheap and delicious.  I had the tachitos lunch that comes with one chicken and one beef tachito.  I also had mexican rice and guacamole with tortilla chips.  I definitely want to go back.

Northwoods Inn Restaurant:  I wasn't sure how the food here would be since it was a hotel, but we all had really good meals.  This place in in Lake Placid, where I was with my family for the Empire State Games.  I had a really good crab cake special that was very flavorful.

I is for the Invention of Lying

I watched this rather silly movie last Friday.  I am a big fan of Ricky Gervais, and I wanted to like this movie more than I did.  I thought that, as usual, his character was funny and also a little sweet.  However, I had bigger issues with the movie.  I didn't expect it to be a masterpiece or anything, but I didn't fully understand why the inability to lie meant that everyone in the world had to say everything that was on their minds all of the time.  Even though I was rooting for Ricky's character to get the girl in the end, I didn't think he and Jennifer Garner had great chemistry.  I enjoyed it enough while watching, but have no desire to see this movie again.

Becoming Jane Eyre

Becoming Jane Eyre by Shiela Kohler.

I was very interested to read this book, because Jane Eyre has been one of my favorite novels for many years.  I did not know much about Charlotte Bronte and her sisters, so I was looking forward to reading more about their lives.

I am not sure how much of this book was hard fact.  I know that many details of the Brontes' lives are unknown, and in those cases Kohler did a good job imagining what might have happened.  I thought she did a good job capturing the struggles of the Brontes' lives.  All of the siblings died very young, and they were never very prosperous.  My favorite parts were when the three sisters were interacting and discussing their different novels.  Kohler captured the support as well as competition that I imagine was present in a family of such creative individuals. 

The only thing I didn't always like was how many points of view the novel tries to cover.  I liked hearing from the different sisters, but I'm not sure I would have chosen to write from their father's point of view.  I probably would have just preferred it from Charlotte's point of view.  Also, the book is written in present tense.  At first this bothered me because I wasn't used to it.  However, once I was used to it this style helped me feel like I was standing in the room with this family, observing their daily life.

End of February update

11.  I have sewn all of my quilt strips together and am 2/3 of the way through ironing the seams

13.  I've started learning my first bass guitar song.  "Zombie" by the Cranberries.  I picked it because I like it and it is not one note repeated over and over.  It also isn't too fast or wide-spread on the frets for my poor out of practice fingers.

16.  I still only wrote in my journal twice last month instead of the 5 I am supposed to.  I'll keep trying this goal though.  I need to make writing more interesting so that I'll want to do it.

20.  I finished another book!  Becoming Jane Eyre by Shiela Kohler.  I'll write a review here soon

24.  I kept up with my job search every week this month.  I did not find a job, although I am on a sub list for one school district now.

27.  Justin bought me a really nice new dress.  I wore it out for Valentine's day, but I've decided that with the right stockings, shoes, and sweater I would be appropriate for teaching.

37.  I have watched my "I" movie:  The Invention of Lying.  I will be updating shortly with a review.

40.  I was also able to have one day a week without watching tv after 7

44.  I've kept up with cooking for my family at home.  This past week I cooked sirloin tips with mashed potatoes.

45.  I did a lot of dining out this month.  Between Valentine's day, Justin having a job, my dad's birthday, and going to Lake Placid, I went to 5 Restaurants.  I'll write an update about this.

46.  I tried six new kinds of beer this month at the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery.  Justin and I got their six beer sampler.  I'll add a post with the beers.  My total is now 7/20

47.  I created a sign reminding me to "speak up" and posted it near my mirror in my bedroom

72.  The other night I created 2 more flip videos of Justin and his niece playing a wii dancing game

Ice Skating: My first complete goal!

My family and I went up to Lake Placid for the Empire State Games this past weekend.  My sister competes in monoskiing.  While we were there, Justin and I decided to skate around the Olympic Speed Skating Oval.  It was so much fun!

Me Skating towards Justin

Justin Skating to me

 

Trying to capture Justin "doing a move"

Whip it!

W is for Whip it!

This movie was really enjoyable and funny.  I loved watching a movie with mostly women in it, who were genuinely funny.  The plot was a bit predictable, but some things were pleasant surprises.  I don't really always want to watch movies to be shocked by plot twists, and Whip It provided just the kind of fun I was looking for.  I really want to try roller derby now!

Book updates

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper.

I have to admit, I have gotten sucked right in to this fantasy series.  The last children's fantasy series I read - Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles - were a little heavy-handed, so I wasn't expecting a lot here.  Now I can say I should not have lost faith is what has always been one of my favorite genres.

I'm not saying Cooper's stories are the most complex things I have ever read, although I felt a bit mind-blown during one reveal in this book's sequel, The Dark is Rising.  The story was a quick read, and exciting towards the end.  I still have many questions since I am just finishing up the second book of the five-book series.  I love the use of ancient English mythology in these books so far.  It isn't something I've been over-exposed to.  I feel like there are many legends I don't know, that I will happily discover through these books.  Looking forward to the rest of the series.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

When I was reading this book I was completely enthralled with the characters, and the voice of Suzie Salmon.  I thought using the voice of the dead Suzie was a very interesting way to learn about her family members in a very intimate way.  It was a good insight into a family's process of grieving and moving on with their lives.

Day 48 Update

Almost to the benchmark of 50 days, and I'm still working on my list a little bit each day!
Here is where I am on my progress in February:

8.  Go Ice Skating:  Complete!  I think this is the first goal that I have finished completely.  Justin and I went skating in the Olympic speed skating oval in Lake Placid, NY.  The oval is outdoors, which was really cool.  I will post pictures later.

16.  Journal 5 times a month.  So far I am behind again.  I've journalled twice so far, but I'll make it up before the month is out.

20.  I have finished another adult novel:  The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.  I'll post about it later

21. I've finished the first children's book for this goal by reading Over Sea and Under Stone, the first in The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper.  I've also just finished the second book, although that won't go on my list.  I'll be writing a post about this one as well.

24.  Get a job.  No luck, but I've been continuing my search every day.

37. I have my "W" movie for the list: Whip It,  I'll post about it later

40.  So far I have had one night a week in which I am tv-free after 7 pm

42. Make 20 New Recipes:  I haven't tried a new one recently, but I went through all of my cookbooks and put post-its on recipes I want to try.

43. Keep Recipes I like in one binder.  I made good progress on this one so far.  I typed all of the loose and hand-written recipes I had in my binder onto actual binder pages.  Next I need to make a system for keeping track of the rest of my recipes.

44. Cook at home once a week.  I have been keeping up with this.  So far this month I have made Shepherd's Pie, chicken pot pie, and potato leek soup.

49.  Justin and I had a date night on Valentine's day.  We got dressed up and went out to eat at a really nice restaurant.

67.  Wii fit or yoga 3 times a week.  This did not work out this month and I'm going to try again next month

68.  Emergency car kit:  I have created a list of what I want, but have not bought it yet

72.  I took three good videos on my flip last weekend at the Empire State Games.  I'm not sure if I want to post any here yet.

83.  This is my two-week review although it is a little late, and i'll do another before the month is over.

85.  I cashed in my first jar of change today.  It was mostly pennies so I just got $16.00, but at least it's something.

Finally introduced to Jason Bourne

I finally watched the Bourne Identity as one of my movies.  I've been meaning to watch this for a long time.  I really enjoyed it.  It was a good action movie and makes me want to see the next movies.  It definitely felt like the start of  a series, and that there was  more to tell.

Day 26 update

Here is what I am working on or have completed now:

11. I have been working on my quilt. So far I have cut out all of my strips, and sewn the green and yellow strips together. Next up I'll be adding red strips.

16. I failed to write in my journal at all in January, so I'm going to make more of an effort to get my five entries in February

24. I have not gotten a job yet, but I've created a schedule for myself to check ads in different places every day.

35. So far I have cut out a few shows. I am not watching Models of the Runway after Project Runway. After last week's episode proved the show is getting really stupid, I'm going to stop watching Private Practice. I'm also seriously considering dropping Heroes. I know I'm way behind on giving up on that one

37. I have another movie to add to the list. I've finally watched the Bourne Identity.

40. I have been keeping up with this goal to stop watching tv after 7 once a week

44. I have been cooking once a week for my family. This past week I cooked Macaroni and Cheese.

46. I started my beer drinking goal last night. I had double dog double pale ale at the Cyber Cafe. It was very strong in both flavor and alcohol content, but I liked it.

49. The above was also mine and Justin's January date night. We went out to the Cyber Cafe to see a funk band. It wasn't quite our type of music, but it was entertaining and the singer was very talented. We had a couple of beers, but decided to go out for desert after the show. We went out for ice cream.

Shiver: My first YA book for the list

I just finished Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater for task number 22. This is a young adult novel about Grace, a girl who has always been fascinated about the wolves that roam the woods near her house. She is particularly attracted to one wolf with yellow eyes who saved her from his fellow wolves in an attack when she was younger.

Grace eventually finds out that this wolf is Sam, a werewolf. Wolves in this book are human in the warm summer months, and become wolves when cold hits.
Unfortunately, their summers are limited, and this may be Sam's last one.

Sam and Grace meet and are instantly in love. The book was good, but a little disappointing. It was slow moving, and the two characters were immediately in love, even citing their time as two different species as part of their long relationship. Sometimes the voice of the characters was good, and they were compelling, but at other times the language was too flowery. Sam especially was a little too emo and poetic for my tastes. It was a quick read, and especially at the end I was hooked into the plot, wanting to know what happened. I just had higher expectations for this one.

Fun at an Irish Pub

I got off to a good start on goal 45 the other day when I took Justin out to lunch at McGirk's Irish pub. We were celebrating Justin getting hired for his first teaching position, and we both enjoy pubs, so we decided to try out this local restaurant we hadn't been to before.

It is a nice place, that often hosts music. We decided we would like to go back there for dinner or later when it is busier and there is entertainment.

Justin had a buffalo chicken sandwich, and I had a reuben, but instead of sauerkraut it had coleslaw. We also both had a cup of their daily soup -- twice baked potato-- Which was delicious. I would definitely go back again.

I, Claudius

I started working towards goal number twenty today: Read 50 adult books I’ve never read before. I finished the remarkable I, Claudius by Robert Graves. Not knowing much about the history of Ancient Rome, I wasn't sure if I would find the subject of this novel boring or difficult to relate to. It was quite the opposite. The book is a fictional autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, who was considered to be an idiot and an invalid by his family. He manages to survive several previous Emperor, all of his family to become emperor.

The book is fascinating because it is really less about Claudius than about his family members. We get his perspective on everyone from his manipulative grandmother Livia, his cruel uncle the Emperor Tiberius, and his nephew, the mad Caligula. I just found out there is a companion book that goes more into Claudius's reign, which I must read.

Another movie added to the list

An update on goal number 37

A for Adventureland. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. The humor relied less on gags and more on the awkward characters, which was nice. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but I really loved seeing Martin Starr again, and Kristen Wiig is becoming a favorite of mine.