Day 118 progress

22. Build a home studio: I spent a little time working on finishing this item. The plant I had bought for the studio wasn't doing so well, so I moved it into the bathroom where it will get more light. I didn't like having a huge blank space on the wall where the plant used to be, so I decided to keep the DVD shelves in the studio rather than moving them into the guest bedroom closet. Here's what it looks like:

By putting the shelf against this wall, I was able to use a small area of space that would have otherwise been wasted. Since I made space on the other side of the futon where the shelving used to be, I put my guitar rack over there:

You can see, from back left to front right:

- Michael Kelly Dragonfly IV acoustic electric 4 string bass

- Epiphone Korina Explorer

- Squier '51 (currently being upgraded)

- Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass

I don't think I posted pictures of my Ikea CD towers that Claudia and I installed a few months back. So, here they are:

I still need to get my posters, pictures, and those things on the walls, but functionally the studio is ready to use. Once I get the art on the walls, I'll consider this item complete.

25. Listen to every one of my tacks on iTunes: My current total is now 1178 of 5988. My total number of tracks increased because I found some CDs that I had not imported into iTunes, the addition of the Sweet Water album I got at the show in Seattle, and the new Marilyn Manson album and the new Queens of the Stone Age album.

39. No fast food for 90 days in a row: I'm doing well at 14 of 90 days completed. I've finished 15.56% of my time. Really, I have no craving for fast food, but the ability to pick it up on the way to work, while I'm on the way home, or while I'm out running errands make it an easy, almost give-up option at times.

51. Save $1 cash each day for 1001 days: I set aside $7 on 6/14, which brought my total to $117. Today I cashed a rebate check for $30 that I received in the mail for a new total of $147.

57. Clean out my anime collection: I sold 6 listings, but I also found 3 more items that I felt like listing. This item will be complete when I sell the last 6 currently running listings.

95. Complete 100 expert level Sudoku games without hints: I completed 2 more games bringing my total to 32 of 100.

Day 112 progress

It's been a very exciting and eventful week-and-a-half. Claudia and I took a vacation to Seattle, and I managed to finish off a few items on the list.

1. Buy a good quality camera (COMPLETED): I bought a Nikon CoolPix L11 digital camera. I had wanted an SLR camera, but they were out of my price range, and I realized that the purely digital camera would end up being easier to use in the long run. I decided to get it because I wanted to take pictures of my trip, and to use for work, both of which were happening sooner than later. With the 2 GB super SD card, I can hold over 8200 pictures of PC quality before I have to send the pictures to my computer.

39. No fast food for 90 days in a row: Because of the trip to Seattle, my access to fast food was seriously curtailed. My official start date is 6/12/2007 and the end of the window arrives on 9/9/2007. If I can make it for the whole 90 days, I expect that I won't be tempted to eat fast food after September 9th.

51. Save $1 cash each day for 1001 days: I set aside another $7, bringing my total to $107.

57. Clean out my anime collection: I listed the last 9 items from the pile of eBay candidates. If all 9 sell, then I will have completed this item.

81. Travel to Seattle (COMPLETED): Claudia and I spent 4 days in Seattle for vacation. The trip was amazing, and I took a large number of photos. I will cover this topic in a separate post.

95. Complete 100 expert level Sudoku games without hints: I completed 3 more games, bringing my total to 30 of 100.

101. Try 10 wines I have not had before: Claudia and I were killing time in the Seatac airport and we came upon a wine store that featured wines from Oregon and Washington. Since we had extra time, we tried two flights of wine. We ended up buying a bottle for my sister and her boyfriend, and a couple for ourselves based on the tastings.

- Van Duzer Pinot Gris, Oregon, Estate 2005

- Adelsheim Pinot Blanc, Oregon, Willamette Valley 2005

- Apolloni Pinot Noir, Oregon, Estate 2005

- Powers Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Champoux Vineyard 2004

- Fidelitas Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Estate 2004

- Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Artist Series #12 2003

We purchased a couple of bottles of the Van Duzer, and one bottle of the Apolloni.

Day 102 progress

I've had a busy couple of weeks, but I also managed to make some decent headway on my list.

22. Build a home studio: I removed what was left of my old desk. I also pulled the larger equipment boxes out of the closet for storage in the attic. I still need to cut the DVD storage shelves so I can move them into the spare bedroom, but I have all the measurements.

25. Listen to every one of my tracks on iTunes: My current total is now 833 of 5895. There are still a few CDs that I need to import, and there are a few CDs coming out soon that I have my eye on, so my total number of tracks will increase in the near future.

51. Save $1 cash each day for 1001 days: I set aside another $20. My total is now $100 of $1001.

57. Clean out my Anime collection: I posted 2 listings, and both of them sold. I have just a few more items to list and sell, and I will be done with this item!

95. Complete 100 expert level Sudoku games without hints: I completed 12 more games since my post of 5/28/07. My total is now 27 of 100 completed. If all goes well, I should have this item completed by the end of 2007, if not earlier.