Travel & exploration.

8. Read 50 books (3/50) - in progress

So the library in Columbia didn't have any copies of "New Moon" available, and in the spirit of not spending money, I decided to skip the second Twilight book and move on to the third & fourth. I was a little jolted for the beginning, but I think I picked up enough that I understood what had happened. In any case, I read "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn" this week, which were both pretty good. I also tend to now think every person I encounter might be a vampire.

12. Keep Flickr updated  - in progress

I put ten or fifteen images up from my trip to Savannah last Tuesday. Here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chainse

25. Learn to cook 52 recipes & organize them in one place (6/52) - in progress

I made tortellini with eggplant & red peppers last Monday, which was spicy but delicious, and then I made a vegetable / poached egg combination on Thursday, which was less delicious but really nutritious. You can shove a WHOLE lot of vegetables in a dish without even noticing.

42. Try 15 new restaurants (10/15) - in progress

While in Savannah, I ate lunch in the historic district at a place called Soho South Cafe. It was easily one of my favorite places I've ever been to. The cafe was a combined eatery / art gallery, and at first when I walked in, I thought they were separate parts of the building, but when I was seated I was surprised to see art everywhere. On partitions, on walls, hanging from the ceiling. And then the tables and chairs themselves were quirky. Nothing really matched, but everything came together. If I wasn't afraid of looking like a huge creeper, I would have walked around and photographed the entire dining area. Oh, and the food? Also delicious.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (6/143) - in progress

Used the gym downstairs twice last week, did a little elliptical and a little weight-lifting. I also will count walking around Savannah as a half, because I walked around for at least three hours total.

74. Do my laundry in cold water (3/3) - accomplished

I'm pretty set on using cold water now. I really don't see any difference. Honestly, I don't wash my clothes because they get dirty or soiled, I wash them because they get wrinkled and they smell. I believe detergent still works in cold water, and the heat from the dryer will kill any bacteria that are destined to kill me. In the end, I'll probably survive.

81. Visit Savannah - accomplished

I went down on Tuesday to visit the Georgia Historical Society for my honors thesis and see if I could find any newspaper references from 1803 to Ebo Landing, which is what my thesis is centered on. I also walked around the historic district for more than three hours taking pictures of the houses and buildings and trees and gardens. There is something inexplicably messy about Savannah in the way that nothing seems to match -- brick meets cobblestone meets cement meets pavement, wrought iron railings stand next to the curves of brick steps, and everything is overshadowed by these huge, gnarly trees with Spanish moss covering their branches and hanging down off their limbs. It is devastatingly, beautifully messy, and I loved all of it. I wanted to move there even more than I wanted to move to Charleston.

93. Acquire the basic spices - in progress

I bought red pepper flakes, tarragon leaves... and I feel like I am missing one other but I can't put my finger on it. In any case, I'm still making progress. I need some kosher salt though.

-Till next time

So much progress!

9. Read the first Twilight to see if it's any good - accomplished

I loved it. The way I'd heard it referred to, I thought the book was a tween love story. And a little bit of it is a love story, I suppose, but it's more Harry Potter than I thought it would be. More supernatural powers and battles between good and evil. I read my sister's copy, but she lent the second one to a friend and hasn't gotten it back, so I plan on going to the library today to see if I can snag a copy. It's addictive that way.

12. Keep Flickr updated - in progress

I went to Charleston this weekend, so I have a handful of pictures from there that I plan on posting when I'm done here. Here's the address again: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chainse

14. Do a creative writing prompt once a week, 52 times (6/52) - in progress

I wrote about my 19th birthday & the water park, the first times I remember seeing Adam laugh and cry, the adventures of babysitting kids with endless allergies, and the bluegrass concert I went to recently. 

25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes & organize them in one place (4/52) - in progress

I made chicken & peppers & onions & rice on Monday, which I don't use a recipe for, per se, but I think it counts. And I made turkey burgers and sweet potato fries on Wednesday. The fries weren't as crispy as I'd liked, and they took a lot longer than I'd planned, but good Lord they were delicious and I want to make them again soon.

42. Try 15 new restaurants (9/15) - in progress

We ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Charleston last night, which was pretty delicious. I just realized I didn't have shrimp though. We sat outside and the weather was nice, and we were right next to the duck race canal they have set up for little kids, so we people watched for most of the time.

When we got into Charleston we stopped at Bagel Nation for lunch, which was pretty delicious. I had an eggelwich -- I think that's what they're called -- and I inhaled it. Although I was running on three hours of sleep, and everything I put in my body that morning made my insides kind of flip out.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (5/143) - in progress 

I worked out FOUR times this week. Check it. My sister's apartment where I am staying has a "gym" on the first floor, with eight cardio machines and a few controlled weight machines and free weights. Which is convenient. And the second day, I even figured out how to turn on the TVs so I wasn't bored out of my mind for thirty minutes. 

82. Visit Charleston - accomplished

I went down yesterday morning with my sister and her two classmates, and I loved it. I've been to Charleston before, but only to tour a college, and I didn't have my camera then. So we went to Bagel Nation for lunch and then down to Folley beach and stayed there for the afternoon... and then hit the Battery & downtown for dinner and exploration. I loved it. I loved every part of it. I loved the houses and the architecture and the open air market and the river and I essentially wanted to quit school and move there. Forever.

93. Acquire the basic spices for my kitchen - in progress

I bought cumin last week for the fries. I'm getting there.

-Till next time

Food. Exercise. Entertainment.

7. Watch all movies on AFI's top 100 (15/100) - in progress

Kelly & I watched "King Kong," the 1933 version, which I had picked up at Ross (of all places) for $3.99. Which, by the way, was totally worth it. The special effects were so silly, and King Kong was very jolted in his movements--he reminded me of the abominable snowman in Rudolph. I had seen the newer King Kong, so I kept trying to figure out who corresponded to Jack Black, and who corresponded to Adrien Brody, etc. But all in all, it was a good movie and I enjoyed watching it. I just Netflixed "Rear Window," so that's next on my list.

8. Do a creative writing prompt, once a week, 52 times (2/52) - in progress

My time is South Carolina is planned out in this manner: Wake at 8:20 and say goodbye to Becca as she leaves for class, drink my coffee while I have my quiet time, do a prompt, exercise, shower, eat lunch & then read for my thesis or explore Cola in the afternoon before I get dinner ready for Becca when she comes home at 5. So, I will be doing a prompt a day while I'm here and adjusting the "task," if you will, by saying I just want to do 52 prompts. They can occur more than once within a given week. 

In any case, the one I am working on now is listing seven "remarkable" experiences in my life and writing about each experience in the next seven days. Today I wrote about Skyline, tomorrow is my 19th birthday... the list goes on.

25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes and organize them in one place (2/52) - in progress

On Saturday night I made pasta primavera, which I think was absolutely delicious. In fact, we had leftovers and that is what I am having today for lunch. I also made chicken pot pies again, so I am basically a pro at that. 

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (4/143) - in progress

OK, I will admit that I am not doing very well on this one. I packed last week to move my things, and I lifted a few more boxes of yearbooks, but I didn't really devote any time solely to exercising, and I should have. The good news is, I exercised today! But I suppose that counts for this week, not last.

93. Acquire the basic spices for my kitchen - in progress

Bought oregano on Saturday for the pasta. I'm getting there. Slowly but surely.

-Till next time.

Mostly food.

18. Attend a concert - accomplished.

On Friday night my friend Emily called me and invited me to a bluegrass concert. She leads a Wyldlife group and one of the girls' families was raising funds for their child's hospital costs. He has leukemia, and he has to spend 120 or 150 days at Duke University, I think they said. Anyhow, the concert was in a tiny church off Main Street and there were about 20 people who attended, so it was by no means a blowout. But I loved every minute of it.  I don't know how I grew up in Connecticut for 16 years and became such a lover of all things southern, but here I am. We missed most of the first group who played, but the second ground, Heartstrings, was two men who were very good, and very humble. I'd see them again.

42. Try 15 new restaurants (7/15) - in progress

I ate at the Earth & Tea Cafe downtown on Friday with a group of friends, and not only was I in love with the decor inside, the food was excellent. And I substituted an apple for chips on a healthy whim. Look at me go. I didn't get to try their tea, but half their menu listed the options, so I'll have to go back and try that. Mrs. Hardesty's may have a run for her money.

44. Bookmark heyitsfree.net and check it regularly - in progress

Haven't seen much of interest recently, but I did receive my two free issues of Redbook in the past two months, and I have to say, even if I find nothing else of interest on the site, that offer alone was worth it. I am a magazine fiend, so any free magazine is like Christmas for me.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (4/143) - in progress

This week was distribution for The Bluestone. Each book weighs about five pounds; each box holds 14 books. Each pallet holds 35 boxes. We unloaded 12 pallets. Essentially, I lifted about four tons worth of yearbooks over five days. I think it counts. My sore muscles will tell you it counts.

64. Learn to make a decent cup of coffee - in progress

I am SO CLOSE. I've been having great coffee recently. I think if I keep this up, by the end of the week I will consider the task accomplished. Also, I'd like to just say, for the record, that this is a legitimately difficult task for me, because I am the type of cook who half-measures. If there's a little less flour than a whole cup, eh. If it calls for a quarter-teaspoon of salt, I can guestimate. I don't need to really measure it. This mentality gets me in trouble with coffee making though, because on the days that it tastes good, I don't know what I did. I half-measure the scoops every day... I guess sometimes it just works out. So maybe this is really more of a game of luck.

69. Shop at the farmers' market during season for fruits & vegetables I buy - in progress

I stopped by on Saturday to see what was being sold, but I wasn't attracted fully to any particular vegetable. It was mostly radishes and lettuce, and then plants & baked goods & meat & eggs. So I just didn't buy any fruits or vegetables this past week... oops.

-Till next time.