Day 253 progress

6. Earn a promotion: I started work at my new location on 11/3/07. So far everything is going really well. The people in the store all seem to really enjoy being there, the overall vibe in the store is very upbeat and positive, and my fellow Team Members all seem really cool.

25. Listen to every one of my track on iTunes: So far I have listened to 2770 of 6003 tracks. I'm 46.14% of the way through this item, with the understanding that the total will fluctuate as the entire project progresses.

40. Refrain from ingesting alcohol for 90 days (COMPLETED): 11/5/07 was day 90 of 90. This item wasn't at all difficult, even though it was tempting to just start over a few times. There were days I really could have gone for a beer after work with some of the guys, and when we went to see "Glengarry Glen Ross" a few weeks ago, I could smell Claudia's wine and it was very tempting to get my own glass.

But I've made it 90 days, and I'm happy to have done so. I joked about getting unbelievably demolished to celebrate, but I really have no immediate inclination to drink anything. I may have a beer at the next band practice, and I do have to eventually finish item 101 (Try 10 wines I have not had before), but everything in due time.

51. Save $1 cash each day for 1001 days: I set aside $36 bringing my total to $300.

85. Attend 3 plays: Claudia, my parents, and I say the Dallas Theatre Center's production of David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross" on 10/26/07. I'm a huge fan of the movie (which you should see if you haven't done so already, if only for the cast), so I was very excited to see the stage production.

First, the negative aspects, of which there were only a few:

1. The actors played the parts as portrayed by the actors in the movie. While I wasn't totally annoyed by this, it would have been nice to see the interpretations of the characters as done by the actors on the stage.

2. The "Coffee for Closers" portion as seen in the movie was not part of the original stage script, and so it was not part of the performance. In the movie, it's a brilliant addition that helps to flesh out the conflict and the backstabbing between the characters.

3. The language was really salty, which wouldn't normally bug me, but when my mother is sitting 2 seats away from me and F-bombs and even a few C-bombs are exploding around us, it does get a bit tense.

Now the positive aspects:

1. Excellent acting that completely drew me into the action of the play. Even though I knew what was coming, the tension was palpable.

2. Moss was played by John Doman, who plays William Rawls on HBO's "The Wire", which is one of my favorite shows on TV.

3. There was absolutely no fluff or filler. It was a very short play which was perfectly paced.

All in all, it was a great way to start this item on my list. Claudia and I have our eyes on a couple more plays, this time at the Addison Theatre Center. They aren't until the start of next year, but they do look good.

As for upcoming items, 98 will be completed on 11/15/07 when Claudia, Colleen and I see Coheed and Cambria in concert at the House of Blues in Dallas. And it looks like I'll complete 83 when I travel to LaGrange, TX to visit family for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Items with less definite timetables include:

- 17 should see some action as the weather turns colder and bugs become less of an issue.

- 29 as the band gears up to record an album in the start of the new year.

- 99 should be completed as soon as Claudia and I find time, as we've found a nice little Mediterranean restaurant nearby that offers hookahs on their menu.

- 101 should be completed before the end of the year as holiday entertaining inevitably leads to the ingestion of wine.