It's been a busy two weeks in non-101 world. Here's what little I managed to accomplish.
57. Clean out my anime collection: I sold two more listings. I also had a strange event take place.
I had sold a book back in February to a buyer in Houston. Everything in the transaction went smoothly, and the buyer left positive feedback. Well a couple of days ago, my doorbell rings, and when I look through the peephole, I see a guy getting into the passenger seat of a car, which then drives off. I open the door, and there is a packing envelope on the stoop. Upon looking at the package, I see that it has not been opened, has my original shipping info on the label, and when I open it, the item inside is the original packing condition.
Well, I tell my fiancee about the strange event, and she tells me that she knows the name of the person that had purchased the item. Apparently they were both in the same student organization in college. Very weird.
60. Install and maintain landscaping in the front and back yard: My dad came over on the 21st and helped in the yard. We finished installing one of the garden beds, prepped the other one, and planted a new tree in the back yard.
In the finished garden bed I planted four pepper plants of assorted types, and a watermelon plant. I planted two other pepper plants, a cucumber plant, and a tomato plant in already existing beds.
Finally, we transplanted a large rosemary bush into a large terracotta pot, and placed it in what will eventually become a curved bed that will be filled with lavender and wormwood plants.
98. Go to 5 concerts: I went to Edgefest 16 on the 15th of April. It was an all day festival, but Claudia (my fiancee) and her friend Colleen decided to show up around 4:00 PM. We ate pho at one of our favorite placed before we went to the Pizza Hut Park, a soccer stadium located in Frisco.
The first band we saw was Blue October. I had some impressions about this band before I arrived at the show, and I'm happy to say that I my impressions were changed for the better. I thought they put on a good show, put a lot of passion behind their music, and they sounded great live. I was suckered in to the point that I got their latest CD, "Foiled", a few days later.
The second band we saw was Muse. I was very exited about seeing Muse. I loved "Absolution", and their latest album "Black Holes and Revelations" is rather good too. The guys in the band are all extremely talented musicians, and I was very impressed with hwo the depth of their studio work translated to the stage.
The third band we saw was AFI. Actually, that's somewhat false. I had no interest in AFI, so we got up to look at merch and buy food. What little I saw did not impress me at all. AFI seemed like they were trying way to hard to fit their image, and it was not convincing in the least.
My Chemical Romance came on as the next to the last band and they were unbeliveable as usual. Say what you want about their music, play the part of "overly educated and high minded music critic", but until you see them live, you really can't judge how truly great they are. Like the show at Nokia that I saw a couple of years ago, this show was extremely high energy, with the crowd getting into each and every song. In fact, before the MCR performance began, I commented on how they would totally upstage the Killers, and they did it in spades.
Finally, the Killers came on. I felt kind of sorry for them, because 25-30% of the crowd left after the MCR set. But, I'm glad I stayed because the Killers put on a very good performance. The only slow part of their show were the gaps between songs, where their banter with the crowd was weak. Had they just rolled from song to song, I think it would have been flawless.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Day 40 progress
25. Listen to every one of my tracks on iTunes: My current total is 587 of 5818.
42. Read 50 books that I have not read before: I started Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.
62. Set up a wireless network (COMPLETED): I actually completed this item on 3/16/2007, but neglected to state that it was completed. I had lumped it in with item 22 and the studio project. It is now marked as completed.
42. Read 50 books that I have not read before: I started Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.
62. Set up a wireless network (COMPLETED): I actually completed this item on 3/16/2007, but neglected to state that it was completed. I had lumped it in with item 22 and the studio project. It is now marked as completed.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Day 39 progress
22. Build a home studio: I did a little more tidying up, but no significant work. I'm working several overnight shifts to do some infrastructure improvements at work, so I'll have my days free to finish moving the DVD shelves. I may also paint if I have to chance to talk with my design consultant, my mother's alter ego, about color choices.
Here are some pictures of things so far:
42. Read 50 books that I have not read before: I started Evelyn Waugh's The Loved One on the 2nd of April, and will finish it today. Like all good Waugh novels, this one is filled with absurdity and sarcasm, usually aimed at the cultural stereotypes of the British, and in the case of this novel, Americans too. A good quick read, it is entertaining without being boring.
51. Save $1 cash each day for 1001 days: I added $20 for a total of $60 saved.
57. Clean out my anime collection: I sold another listing over the past week. I'm having so much fun getting rid of all this stuff that I may start listing other junk like older but still functional electronics and non-anime DVDs.
Side note: I'm of the mind that I should redo a few of the items on the list for various reasons. In some cases, I chose to include things for the purpose of experiencing a new activity or place. In some cases, I included things that I wanted to achieve. However, some of these items rely on factors outside of my control, or express an intent to experience something without necessarily sticking to the specificity of the item as originally written.
So, I'll dispense with the internal dialog and make the adjustments where I see fit, but still retain the initial intent of the original goal.
6. Get into the ASTL program: My intent for this item was to set a forward thinking workplace goal. However, outside factors could possibly cause this goal to be unreached by the end of 1001 days. In reality, I feel that I will achieve this goal as written, but to be sure, I will be altering this goal to read: "Earn a promotion."
99. Go to the Velvet Hookah: My original intent was to experience a hookah bar. Of the ones in the area, the Velvet Hookah was the one that I was most readily aware of. It has since come to my attention that there are several in the area, many of which are more desirable for various reasons: they are owned and operated by small proprietors, they are less expensive, and they are not filled with douche-bags. I am altering this goal to read: "Go to a hookah bar."
Here are some pictures of things so far:
42. Read 50 books that I have not read before: I started Evelyn Waugh's The Loved One on the 2nd of April, and will finish it today. Like all good Waugh novels, this one is filled with absurdity and sarcasm, usually aimed at the cultural stereotypes of the British, and in the case of this novel, Americans too. A good quick read, it is entertaining without being boring.
51. Save $1 cash each day for 1001 days: I added $20 for a total of $60 saved.
57. Clean out my anime collection: I sold another listing over the past week. I'm having so much fun getting rid of all this stuff that I may start listing other junk like older but still functional electronics and non-anime DVDs.
Side note: I'm of the mind that I should redo a few of the items on the list for various reasons. In some cases, I chose to include things for the purpose of experiencing a new activity or place. In some cases, I included things that I wanted to achieve. However, some of these items rely on factors outside of my control, or express an intent to experience something without necessarily sticking to the specificity of the item as originally written.
So, I'll dispense with the internal dialog and make the adjustments where I see fit, but still retain the initial intent of the original goal.
6. Get into the ASTL program: My intent for this item was to set a forward thinking workplace goal. However, outside factors could possibly cause this goal to be unreached by the end of 1001 days. In reality, I feel that I will achieve this goal as written, but to be sure, I will be altering this goal to read: "Earn a promotion."
99. Go to the Velvet Hookah: My original intent was to experience a hookah bar. Of the ones in the area, the Velvet Hookah was the one that I was most readily aware of. It has since come to my attention that there are several in the area, many of which are more desirable for various reasons: they are owned and operated by small proprietors, they are less expensive, and they are not filled with douche-bags. I am altering this goal to read: "Go to a hookah bar."
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Day 33 progress
20. Walk in the 2007 Dallas MS walk (COMPLETED): Even though I had a been going for 20 hours the day before, and arrived home around midnight due to bad weather and delayed flights, I fought through the desire to sleep late and made it out to Addison for the walk.
The weather was really nice, especially given that we had a couple of days with severe storms previous to the Saturday of the walk. Conditions were really nice, and parking was a breeze. We started walking at 9:00 AM, and completed the 5k by 10:00 AM. I did get a little winded on the back end of the course, especially around the Arapaho bridge, but by the time I finished I felt fine.
25. Listen to every one of my tracks on iTunes: My current progress is 460 of 5818.
36. Eat at Bob's Steak and Chop House (COMPLETED): My fiancee and I went to dinner with my parents and sister last night. The official reason for the dinner was to celebrate the birthdays of myself (30) and my sister (26) if a bit later than planned. The real reason for going was to eat some fabulous food.
I started with a vodka tonic, then had the Blue Cheese Salad, the 12 ounce Fillet medium rare with Skillet Potatoes with Peppercorn Gravy, followed by the Wedge of Chocolate Cake. Mix in a little wine, a 2005 King Estate Oregon Pinot Noir, and I was happily miserable by the end of the night.
The cigar menu was intriguing, but we we're in the right room for that, and my parents aren't fans of cigar smoke. At least I have another reason for going back.
42. Read 50 books that I have not read before: I finished Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies. What an awesome book. Not only did I walk away with an even greater appreciation for the band, but I had a lot of my own questions answered in the process. If you love the Pixies you must read this book.
It's designed in an interview format, but rather than being several interviews compiled into one volume, the interviews are broken up by chronological setting. So, when discussing "Surfer Rosa", all the people involved that had things to say about the album are included in the chapter. Brilliant book.
57. Clean out my anime collection: I sold three more listings over the weekend. I'm very happy with the progress on this item, and if all goes well, I should have everything I sold off by May.
60. Install and maintain landscaping in the front and back yard: My fiancee and I put in two more 8'x4' planting beds for the vegetable garden. We're going to plan out tomatoes, peppers, okra, and other vegetables in the new beds. We currently have artichokes and lettuce planted in the beds that run along the house.
The weather was really nice, especially given that we had a couple of days with severe storms previous to the Saturday of the walk. Conditions were really nice, and parking was a breeze. We started walking at 9:00 AM, and completed the 5k by 10:00 AM. I did get a little winded on the back end of the course, especially around the Arapaho bridge, but by the time I finished I felt fine.
25. Listen to every one of my tracks on iTunes: My current progress is 460 of 5818.
36. Eat at Bob's Steak and Chop House (COMPLETED): My fiancee and I went to dinner with my parents and sister last night. The official reason for the dinner was to celebrate the birthdays of myself (30) and my sister (26) if a bit later than planned. The real reason for going was to eat some fabulous food.
I started with a vodka tonic, then had the Blue Cheese Salad, the 12 ounce Fillet medium rare with Skillet Potatoes with Peppercorn Gravy, followed by the Wedge of Chocolate Cake. Mix in a little wine, a 2005 King Estate Oregon Pinot Noir, and I was happily miserable by the end of the night.
The cigar menu was intriguing, but we we're in the right room for that, and my parents aren't fans of cigar smoke. At least I have another reason for going back.
42. Read 50 books that I have not read before: I finished Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies. What an awesome book. Not only did I walk away with an even greater appreciation for the band, but I had a lot of my own questions answered in the process. If you love the Pixies you must read this book.
It's designed in an interview format, but rather than being several interviews compiled into one volume, the interviews are broken up by chronological setting. So, when discussing "Surfer Rosa", all the people involved that had things to say about the album are included in the chapter. Brilliant book.
57. Clean out my anime collection: I sold three more listings over the weekend. I'm very happy with the progress on this item, and if all goes well, I should have everything I sold off by May.
60. Install and maintain landscaping in the front and back yard: My fiancee and I put in two more 8'x4' planting beds for the vegetable garden. We're going to plan out tomatoes, peppers, okra, and other vegetables in the new beds. We currently have artichokes and lettuce planted in the beds that run along the house.
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