Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
tow31: update
i'm seven weeks into my 31st year, and i'm feeling pretty successful so far. here's an update on the goals.
1. watch 31 johnny depp movies: finished! including Alice in Wonderland, i've seen 35 johnny depp movies this year. 35 movies in 25 days. slightly ridiculous, but a fabulously good time. :)
2. read 31 chapters: i'm currently 13 chapters in. after watching Alice in Wonderland, i sat down & read through the book. now i'm getting back into Eclipse. i'm hoping to get a good chunk of it read this week.
3. go 31 days without watching Friends: finished! i lined this one up with watching the johnny depp movies. so i basically traded one obsession for another. :) yesterday actually made day 32 without Friends. tonight i popped disc one of season one into the dvd player ... and all seems to be right with the world.
4. make 31 new recipes: eight tried so far. mostly good. i didn't really appreciate the crock pot squash, but it would work really well for squash soup.
5. prepare food for someone else 31 times: five so far.
6. take 31 photos a day for 31 consecutive days: i haven't started this one, yet.
7. send 31 pieces of mail: i've sent one so far.
8. blog 31 days in a row: i don't know, maybe i'll do this in may? i can't do everything at once, right?
9. watch 31 episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent: i'm 20 episodes in right now. i'd hoped to finish off season one today, but it turns out i got the wrong disc from netflix. the sleeve said L&O: CI, but it was regular L&O instead.
10. watch 31 Friends episodes in preparation: in honesty, even with my 31 day fast, i've probably already watching 31 episodes this year. but the 31 that accomplish this goal will be watched with purpose.
11. take 31 photos of the same object or scene: i haven't found the inspiration, yet, for this one.
12. do 31 things i've never done before: i've claimed four so far. i'm trying to be picky about what i choose. it'd be easy to come up with 31 if i claimed things like "watch 35 johnny depp movies in 25 days." i need to challenge myself. ;)
13. lose 31 pounds.: i'm down almost five pounds since my birthday.
14. drive 31 miles on US Route 31: i figure i'll take Route 31 down to indianapolis some time when i'm visiting marlana.
15. go 31 days without meat: two days so far. they were spread out, but still it's two days.
16. make 31 pieces of jerky: nothing, yet. but i did have some tasty homemade venison jerky this week. good stuff.
17. sew 31 seams on a quilt: i thought about quilting this week. and i did do some mending today. so that's something.
18. take at least 3100 photos: at last count (about a week ago), i was at 232.
19. play a 31-game series of Phase 10 with liz: we're currently 12 games into the series. i was on a winning streak at first, but liz is coming back with a vengeance. i'm only one phase ahead of her right now.
20. fill 31 holes: the weather's getting nicer, i'll be getting around to this one soon. once the holes are filled, i'll need to do some painting - so warmer weather for open windows will be good.
21. make use of 31 photos from Ireland: no plans, yet.
22: play 31 notes on a musical instrument: i've started coming up with a plan for this one. if i follow through, it'll be fun.
23. ride 31 miles on my bike: again, the weather's getting nicer. i'll pull the bike out soon.
24. scan 31 old photos: nothing, yet.
25. go 31 days without leaving dirty dishes in the sink for more than 31 hours: finished! and still going strong - today makes 39 days.
26. secret: i've made progress on this one. it's small, but that's okay. :)
27. give 31 handmade gifts: currently one, soon to be two.
28. finish Christmas presents at least 31 hours early: c'mon, it's march ... no way will i be THAT early!
29. print 31 photos for the photo album: finished!
30. print 31 more photos for the photo album: 18 done. then i ran out of magenta ink. :)
31. print another 31 photos for the photo album: and i misspoke about my photo albums. i was at the spring of 2007, not 2005. currently, i have 2008 finished.f
1. watch 31 johnny depp movies: finished! including Alice in Wonderland, i've seen 35 johnny depp movies this year. 35 movies in 25 days. slightly ridiculous, but a fabulously good time. :)
2. read 31 chapters: i'm currently 13 chapters in. after watching Alice in Wonderland, i sat down & read through the book. now i'm getting back into Eclipse. i'm hoping to get a good chunk of it read this week.
3. go 31 days without watching Friends: finished! i lined this one up with watching the johnny depp movies. so i basically traded one obsession for another. :) yesterday actually made day 32 without Friends. tonight i popped disc one of season one into the dvd player ... and all seems to be right with the world.
4. make 31 new recipes: eight tried so far. mostly good. i didn't really appreciate the crock pot squash, but it would work really well for squash soup.
5. prepare food for someone else 31 times: five so far.
6. take 31 photos a day for 31 consecutive days: i haven't started this one, yet.
7. send 31 pieces of mail: i've sent one so far.
8. blog 31 days in a row: i don't know, maybe i'll do this in may? i can't do everything at once, right?
9. watch 31 episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent: i'm 20 episodes in right now. i'd hoped to finish off season one today, but it turns out i got the wrong disc from netflix. the sleeve said L&O: CI, but it was regular L&O instead.
10. watch 31 Friends episodes in preparation: in honesty, even with my 31 day fast, i've probably already watching 31 episodes this year. but the 31 that accomplish this goal will be watched with purpose.
11. take 31 photos of the same object or scene: i haven't found the inspiration, yet, for this one.
12. do 31 things i've never done before: i've claimed four so far. i'm trying to be picky about what i choose. it'd be easy to come up with 31 if i claimed things like "watch 35 johnny depp movies in 25 days." i need to challenge myself. ;)
13. lose 31 pounds.: i'm down almost five pounds since my birthday.
14. drive 31 miles on US Route 31: i figure i'll take Route 31 down to indianapolis some time when i'm visiting marlana.
15. go 31 days without meat: two days so far. they were spread out, but still it's two days.
16. make 31 pieces of jerky: nothing, yet. but i did have some tasty homemade venison jerky this week. good stuff.
17. sew 31 seams on a quilt: i thought about quilting this week. and i did do some mending today. so that's something.
18. take at least 3100 photos: at last count (about a week ago), i was at 232.
19. play a 31-game series of Phase 10 with liz: we're currently 12 games into the series. i was on a winning streak at first, but liz is coming back with a vengeance. i'm only one phase ahead of her right now.
20. fill 31 holes: the weather's getting nicer, i'll be getting around to this one soon. once the holes are filled, i'll need to do some painting - so warmer weather for open windows will be good.
21. make use of 31 photos from Ireland: no plans, yet.
22: play 31 notes on a musical instrument: i've started coming up with a plan for this one. if i follow through, it'll be fun.
23. ride 31 miles on my bike: again, the weather's getting nicer. i'll pull the bike out soon.
24. scan 31 old photos: nothing, yet.
25. go 31 days without leaving dirty dishes in the sink for more than 31 hours: finished! and still going strong - today makes 39 days.
26. secret: i've made progress on this one. it's small, but that's okay. :)
27. give 31 handmade gifts: currently one, soon to be two.
28. finish Christmas presents at least 31 hours early: c'mon, it's march ... no way will i be THAT early!
29. print 31 photos for the photo album: finished!
30. print 31 more photos for the photo album: 18 done. then i ran out of magenta ink. :)
31. print another 31 photos for the photo album: and i misspoke about my photo albums. i was at the spring of 2007, not 2005. currently, i have 2008 finished.f
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Real-life "Frogger"
The Telegraph is reporting that animal rights groups in France are working hard to make crossing the road a lot easier for French frogs, toads and newts.
But why is it so important for the jumpy critters to get to the other side? According to the Association for the Protection of Wild Animals, the creatures are attempting "to reach the damp areas [where] they need to reproduce." Unfortunately, the number of drive-by squishings has risen to the millions, and the group is worried that the total frog/toad/newt population is being affected.
So, what can be done to help our hopping brothers? The Association has a two-fold plan. They're currently trying to have road signs put up to alert drivers of amphibian crossings. Their second idea is a little more ambitious: the group is lobbying local authorities to build little tunnels under the highway so that the frogs and toads can hop across safely.
this information brought to you courtesy of mental_floss watercooler ammo.
But why is it so important for the jumpy critters to get to the other side? According to the Association for the Protection of Wild Animals, the creatures are attempting "to reach the damp areas [where] they need to reproduce." Unfortunately, the number of drive-by squishings has risen to the millions, and the group is worried that the total frog/toad/newt population is being affected.
So, what can be done to help our hopping brothers? The Association has a two-fold plan. They're currently trying to have road signs put up to alert drivers of amphibian crossings. Their second idea is a little more ambitious: the group is lobbying local authorities to build little tunnels under the highway so that the frogs and toads can hop across safely.
this information brought to you courtesy of mental_floss watercooler ammo.
Monday, March 8, 2010
L&O: CI
so i've started watching Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Season One. i'm surprised that of the four episodes on disc one, i've seen at least two of them. i say "at least two" because the first episode felt very familiar, but i'm not quite certain i'd seen it before.
i don't expect you to find the above information interesting. i'm just writing it to keep you informed.
i don't expect you to find the above information interesting. i'm just writing it to keep you informed.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Oscar picks
last weekend i sat down with marlana, fred & liz to watch all the Oscar nominees. we had an agreement that if we got 20 minutes into a movie, and no one was enjoying it, we would turn it off. we took advantage of that agreement with two of them movies: District 9 and The Hurt Locker. fortunately, those were the two i'd gotten from NetFlix, so i was able to bring them home with me. i watched them in their entirety this afternoon. so i've seen all 10 nominees. my thoughts, in order of preference:
Avatar - my choice for Best Picture. absolutely amazing. and, it just got moved to the $5 kerasotes in merrillville, so i'm hoping to see it on the big screen. it has to be even better that way.
The Hurt Locker - i know, we turned this one off halfway through. but the last 45 minutes make this movie. i can not say i enjoyed this movie - but the timeliness and rawness of it are impossible to ignore. if it wins, i will not be surprised or disappointed.
Inglourious Basterds - this movie is fabulously funny. quentin tartentino did a marvelous job here. it's always good when the audience is cheering for the movie to defy historical facts & re-write the story.
The Blind Side - sandra bullock's performance was stellar. i know the movie won't win best picture, but i do hope she'll be properly acknowledged for her performance. best line in the movie? "who'd have thought we'd have a black son before we knew a democrat?"
Precious - again, it would be hard to say i enjoyed this movie. but it's very well made, and the honesty in it gives it power. perhaps it should be higher on my list. it's probably more likely to win than Inglourious or Blind Side.
District 9 - we turned this one off about as soon as we could after the 20 minute mark. it's bloody and science-fictiony ... but i really enjoyed it. the aliens are well made, and the storyline is intriguing. it interests me that they set it in South Africa, as many of the human attitudes struck me as american arrogance - but maybe i'm too hard on my own country. humans as a whole may simply be that arrogant.
Up In The Air - again, a timely movie. and good, though every one of us was mad when we guessed one of the twists at the end.
Up - this was really cute, but i thought it dragged in the middle. i'm hoping this doesn't mean i'm outgrowing Pixar movies.
An Education - not a bad movie, but nothing spectacular either. i wasn't pleased with the ending. they needed to cut it off earlier. it's almost like they gave too much follow through, not enough was left for the viewer to guess at.
A Serious Man - ugh, seriously? this one i did not understand. and i've spent a good chunk of time daydreaming at work trying to understand it. and i just can't. if it wins ... my brain may explode.
Avatar - my choice for Best Picture. absolutely amazing. and, it just got moved to the $5 kerasotes in merrillville, so i'm hoping to see it on the big screen. it has to be even better that way.
The Hurt Locker - i know, we turned this one off halfway through. but the last 45 minutes make this movie. i can not say i enjoyed this movie - but the timeliness and rawness of it are impossible to ignore. if it wins, i will not be surprised or disappointed.
Inglourious Basterds - this movie is fabulously funny. quentin tartentino did a marvelous job here. it's always good when the audience is cheering for the movie to defy historical facts & re-write the story.
The Blind Side - sandra bullock's performance was stellar. i know the movie won't win best picture, but i do hope she'll be properly acknowledged for her performance. best line in the movie? "who'd have thought we'd have a black son before we knew a democrat?"
Precious - again, it would be hard to say i enjoyed this movie. but it's very well made, and the honesty in it gives it power. perhaps it should be higher on my list. it's probably more likely to win than Inglourious or Blind Side.
District 9 - we turned this one off about as soon as we could after the 20 minute mark. it's bloody and science-fictiony ... but i really enjoyed it. the aliens are well made, and the storyline is intriguing. it interests me that they set it in South Africa, as many of the human attitudes struck me as american arrogance - but maybe i'm too hard on my own country. humans as a whole may simply be that arrogant.
Up In The Air - again, a timely movie. and good, though every one of us was mad when we guessed one of the twists at the end.
Up - this was really cute, but i thought it dragged in the middle. i'm hoping this doesn't mean i'm outgrowing Pixar movies.
An Education - not a bad movie, but nothing spectacular either. i wasn't pleased with the ending. they needed to cut it off earlier. it's almost like they gave too much follow through, not enough was left for the viewer to guess at.
A Serious Man - ugh, seriously? this one i did not understand. and i've spent a good chunk of time daydreaming at work trying to understand it. and i just can't. if it wins ... my brain may explode.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
april's owl
this morning, as i was watching Public Enemies, i crocheted a little owl for april. he stands about 1.5" tall.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
yarn art
meet my newest yarn creations. aren't they cute?
for reference: to the tops of their heads (no ears included) the white fellow is 3.5" tall, the gray fellow 3.25". the green bunny is 2.25" tall, and my favorite so far. the littlest fellow is about 1.5" tall, and i'm thinking of hitting his antennae with a little glue to help them stand up straighter.
brand new weekend
one of my goals this year is to do 31 things i've never done before. this past weekend i made a decent dent in that goal.
fred, liz and i headed down to marlana's for an oscar weekend. we went for sushi friday night - the first new thing.
we tried a variety of rolls. some cooked, some raw. some tuna, some salmon. some shrimp, some eel. yes, eel. it was fabulous. we had a great time.
over the course of the weekend we managed to watch every movie that's been nominated for this year's Best Picture award at the Oscars. or, at least, we tried to watch them all. we agreed that if we got 20 minutes in and no one was enjoying it, we would turn it off. we took advantage of that with two of the movies. the other 8 we watched in their entirety. i've certainly never watched that many oscar nominees before.
we headed home sunday afternoon, but traffic on 465 was terrible, so i took us on a little detour. undoubtedly we did not save any time by detouring. there were a lot of other people doing the same thing we were, so we still sat in traffic. we did, however, pass a Trader Joe's along the detour. and seeing as none of us had ever been to a Trader Joe's, we simply had to stop. :)
fred, liz and i headed down to marlana's for an oscar weekend. we went for sushi friday night - the first new thing.
we tried a variety of rolls. some cooked, some raw. some tuna, some salmon. some shrimp, some eel. yes, eel. it was fabulous. we had a great time.
over the course of the weekend we managed to watch every movie that's been nominated for this year's Best Picture award at the Oscars. or, at least, we tried to watch them all. we agreed that if we got 20 minutes in and no one was enjoying it, we would turn it off. we took advantage of that with two of the movies. the other 8 we watched in their entirety. i've certainly never watched that many oscar nominees before.
we headed home sunday afternoon, but traffic on 465 was terrible, so i took us on a little detour. undoubtedly we did not save any time by detouring. there were a lot of other people doing the same thing we were, so we still sat in traffic. we did, however, pass a Trader Joe's along the detour. and seeing as none of us had ever been to a Trader Joe's, we simply had to stop. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)