Also known as: I didn't do much for the 101 this week.
3. Complete a 26 things challenge - in progress
My friend Kelly is trying to get me to do the February challenge, and despite everything else that is going on I think I might as well give it a go. I keep putting it off for when I have more "time." But let's be serious, I never have time. So here's the February list:
1. Structure
2. Follow
3. Covet
4. Triple
5. Hands
6. Eye
7. Fancy
8. Time
9. Rainbow
10. Sadness
11. Stack
12. Line up
13. Wheels
14. An insect
15. Into the air
16. Direction
17. New
18. Half
19. Set up
20. 10 minutes away
21. In my mailbox
22. Sometimes
23. Bottle
24. Behind the scenes
25. Corner
26. A door
I mean. Most of it sounds like it will be fun, and maybe I'll take my camera out & explore Hburg a little bit for the challenge. The only question I have is "insect." Really people? It's February. I do not see many insects buzzing around in the dead of winter.
8. Read 50 books (29/30) - in progress
I read "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next" this week for my film adaptations class. It was really difficult for me to get into -- it took me two hours to read the first 60 pages. But as it picked up and I got more used to the narration, I liked it a lot. Definitely not something I would have read on my own, but I did enjoy it.
25. Learn to cook 52 recipes and organize them in one place (23/52) - in progress
I made lasagna on Wednesday night, a broccoli and cheese combination. It was quick to prepare (and then an hour in the oven), and it smelled really good. But the ricotta cheese was a little gritty for me, and I'm not sure if that's how ricotta is, or if it was because I used part-skim, or neither. I mean, lasagna is lasagna, so it was still delicious. But not the best it could have been.
45. Keep a swear jar for two weeks - $0.25 per swear - accomplished
So I ended yesterday, and I counted 27 swears. Which I believe is probably inaccurate, because sometimes it really took a conscious effort to listen to myself speak. I typically curse without noticing it. Although, when I did pay attention, I noticed there are definitely certain people & certain situations when I swear more often. Oh well. $6.75 goes into my savings account.
56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (23/143) - in progress
So I did the treadmill on Sunday (ran for five minute intervals!), did yoga at home on Monday, did Step & Sculpt at UREC on Tuesday, and yoga at UREC on Wednesday. And walked to & from campus in the snow yesterday, which, by the way, is like walking through a sand dune.
66. Stop using plastic grocery bags - accomplished
I am going to go ahead & consider this done, because I've been pretty consistent the past few times I've gone to the grocery store. I just need to consciously remind myself that when I go to the grocery, I need a list & I need my bags.
-- Till next time.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Untitled?
I'm not a very original title creator, so there you have it.
8. Read 50 books (28/50) - in progress
I read "Code of the Woosters" by Wodehouse this week for my comedy fiction writing class. I don't think I would have picked it up myself, but it was a quick read and somewhat entertaining. A lot of the dialogue was funny, which I liked -- almost a sarcastic or ironic humor.
25. Learn to cook 52 recipes and organize them in one place (22/52) - in progress
I made fajitas yesterday, which are simple at heart but I really enjoy, and I liked following a recipe for them. Honestly, I love the meat / pepper / carb combination, whether it be in taco form or over rice. This recipe called for a bit of cumin, which I'm not sure I enjoyed so much, but it wasn't overpowering.
56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (22/143) - in progress
Accomplished again! I went to UREC with Amber on Monday and lifted weights & did the elliptical, and I was sore-city afterwards. I haven't done ab work in a while. Tuesday I did yoga at home, and then today I lifted & did the elliptical today in the Sunchase gym. I like to exercise, and I like to be sore, and this was a good week for that.
Progress on the swear jar -- I only have $0.75 worth at home, but I probably have about five dollars at the office. Guess that tells you what part of my life is more stressful.
-- Till next time.
8. Read 50 books (28/50) - in progress
I read "Code of the Woosters" by Wodehouse this week for my comedy fiction writing class. I don't think I would have picked it up myself, but it was a quick read and somewhat entertaining. A lot of the dialogue was funny, which I liked -- almost a sarcastic or ironic humor.
25. Learn to cook 52 recipes and organize them in one place (22/52) - in progress
I made fajitas yesterday, which are simple at heart but I really enjoy, and I liked following a recipe for them. Honestly, I love the meat / pepper / carb combination, whether it be in taco form or over rice. This recipe called for a bit of cumin, which I'm not sure I enjoyed so much, but it wasn't overpowering.
56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (22/143) - in progress
Accomplished again! I went to UREC with Amber on Monday and lifted weights & did the elliptical, and I was sore-city afterwards. I haven't done ab work in a while. Tuesday I did yoga at home, and then today I lifted & did the elliptical today in the Sunchase gym. I like to exercise, and I like to be sore, and this was a good week for that.
Progress on the swear jar -- I only have $0.75 worth at home, but I probably have about five dollars at the office. Guess that tells you what part of my life is more stressful.
-- Till next time.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The week I finally exercised.
7. Watch all movies on AFI's top 100 (23/100) - in progress
I watched Shawshank Redemption last Sunday, which I had started and not finished a few months ago... and by started I mean I think I only watched the opening credits or something. Not entirely sure what happened there. But I am really glad I chose to watch it this past week because it was incredible. I was drawn into the movie and shocked by the shocking parts and rooting for the main character and terrified for him when I thought he had killed himself. It was just a really well done movie and a well-told narrative. Morgan Freeman was great too. I think it's kind of cool that a movie I had no interest in seeing has easily become one of my favorites.
8. Read 50 books (27/50) - in progress
I just finished "The Help" this morning, which was an incredibly quick read. I'd only started it last night, and around 7:30 at that. I like books like that, ones that pull you along so you keep telling yourself you'll quit for the night on the next chapter and then forty pages later you realize you're still reading. I'd recommend this to anyone.
25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes and organize them in one place (21/52) - in progress
I made tacos on Thursday night, which I didn't use a recipe for but is nice to have in my repertoire. I thought I was being very clever too, by buying a block of cheese so I could cut it for cheese & crackers if I didn't use it all for taco toppings. I was too busy praising my intelligence to notice how close my hand was to the cheese grater (which I recently, and quite proudly, acquired). Cheese graters are fun until you accidentally grate half your knuckle off instead of the cheddar and bleed through two Band-Aids.
On Friday I made apricot chicken in the slow cooker. It was the first time I had used the slow cooker, but the cookbook I have keeps telling me the meat will be more tender if you put it on low rather than high, so I cooked the chicken for seven hours. Like the cookbook promised, it was incredible, and I liked the fact I kind of dumped everything in and then cooking the rice & broccoli at dinnertime only took ten minutes.
45. Keep a swear jar for two weeks at $0.25 per swear - in progress
I'm going to start this today, which means I'll end on Sunday, January 31st. Any swear I say out loud counts as a quarter, but I'm going to cut myself a break and not count swears that I think. Because let's be honest, telling yourself not to think something is a surefire way to start thinking about it all the time.
56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (21/143) - in progress
I was good this week -- treadmill on Monday, walked home & did yoga on Tuesday, walked home & lifted weights & did the elliptical on Wednesday, and walked home & did yoga on Thursday. I've noticed that I eat a lot better on the days that I exercise. I'll walk back over to the apartment from the gym & cut up an apple with peanut butter, or eat a banana & a handful of almonds. I also tend to drink a lot more water. But I'm still struggling with that balancing act of having no time to exercise, or so much time that I start being lazy and don't snap out of it. Still a work in progress.
93. Buy the basic spices for my kitchen - in progress
I thought this might have been done, but then I needed onion flakes & ginger for the apricot chicken, and I didn't have either. So I'm still missing a few, I guess.
-- Till next time.
I watched Shawshank Redemption last Sunday, which I had started and not finished a few months ago... and by started I mean I think I only watched the opening credits or something. Not entirely sure what happened there. But I am really glad I chose to watch it this past week because it was incredible. I was drawn into the movie and shocked by the shocking parts and rooting for the main character and terrified for him when I thought he had killed himself. It was just a really well done movie and a well-told narrative. Morgan Freeman was great too. I think it's kind of cool that a movie I had no interest in seeing has easily become one of my favorites.
8. Read 50 books (27/50) - in progress
I just finished "The Help" this morning, which was an incredibly quick read. I'd only started it last night, and around 7:30 at that. I like books like that, ones that pull you along so you keep telling yourself you'll quit for the night on the next chapter and then forty pages later you realize you're still reading. I'd recommend this to anyone.
25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes and organize them in one place (21/52) - in progress
I made tacos on Thursday night, which I didn't use a recipe for but is nice to have in my repertoire. I thought I was being very clever too, by buying a block of cheese so I could cut it for cheese & crackers if I didn't use it all for taco toppings. I was too busy praising my intelligence to notice how close my hand was to the cheese grater (which I recently, and quite proudly, acquired). Cheese graters are fun until you accidentally grate half your knuckle off instead of the cheddar and bleed through two Band-Aids.
On Friday I made apricot chicken in the slow cooker. It was the first time I had used the slow cooker, but the cookbook I have keeps telling me the meat will be more tender if you put it on low rather than high, so I cooked the chicken for seven hours. Like the cookbook promised, it was incredible, and I liked the fact I kind of dumped everything in and then cooking the rice & broccoli at dinnertime only took ten minutes.
45. Keep a swear jar for two weeks at $0.25 per swear - in progress
I'm going to start this today, which means I'll end on Sunday, January 31st. Any swear I say out loud counts as a quarter, but I'm going to cut myself a break and not count swears that I think. Because let's be honest, telling yourself not to think something is a surefire way to start thinking about it all the time.
56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (21/143) - in progress
I was good this week -- treadmill on Monday, walked home & did yoga on Tuesday, walked home & lifted weights & did the elliptical on Wednesday, and walked home & did yoga on Thursday. I've noticed that I eat a lot better on the days that I exercise. I'll walk back over to the apartment from the gym & cut up an apple with peanut butter, or eat a banana & a handful of almonds. I also tend to drink a lot more water. But I'm still struggling with that balancing act of having no time to exercise, or so much time that I start being lazy and don't snap out of it. Still a work in progress.
93. Buy the basic spices for my kitchen - in progress
I thought this might have been done, but then I needed onion flakes & ginger for the apricot chicken, and I didn't have either. So I'm still missing a few, I guess.
-- Till next time.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Whirlwind week of cooking
8. Read 50 books (26/50) - in progress
I read another Diane Chamberlain this week, "Breaking the Silence." It was probably my favorite of the three I've read, for its mystery and for the social issues it addressed about mental institutions in the 1950s. It had the elements of an emotional, Picoult-style read, but it was also riveting and unexpected, and I actually chose to finish reading it instead of going back to bed one morning... which is an anomaly in my lifestyle, to say the least.
25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes and organize them in one place (19/52) - in progress
I essentially cooked dinner all week for my family while I was home, which was surprisingly not stressful. Taking advantage of my parents' budget and much nicer kitchen than I have at my apartment took away the worry about do I have enough money for fancy cheese and do I have enough counter space to assemble a pan of enchiladas. And as an added bonus, I didn't have anything better to do, so it was absolutely fine for dinner to take an hour or even an hour & a half to make.
Stuffed Peppers -- Got the recipe from the Giada de Laurentiis book my aunt swapped me for Christmas, New Italian Favorites. The peppers took a while to cook (an hour), but I kind of liked it that way because it gave me time to get the pizza together & do the dishes so I didn't have to worry about them after dinner. Taste-wise, they were alright... and substance-wise, one pepper could have been a meal in itself.
Barbecue Pizza -- Found this recipe when leafing through one of my mom's magazines and didn't give it a second glance... until she told me to make something that would get rid of the leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge. Voila, barbecue pizza. I used a premade crust at home, but I have fresh pizza dough now and I'm going to make it again tomorrow... very simple, very delicious.
Enchiladas -- Recipe from the Pioneer Woman cookbook I got for Christmas. It's apparently been a best-selling cookbook for a bit, and I do have to give kudos to the woman who wrote it for laying out the steps very clearly and arranging them so I wasn't trying to do 20 things at once. For a somewhat complicated (in my opinion, I suppose) recipe, I was not stressed out about having to make three separate parts and then assemble them. And, they were delicious!
Fusilli Caprese -- OK, that's not technically what it's called, but it's something similar and my cookbook is packed away in a mess of belongings I have chosen not to unpack just yet. I've only been home for four hours though, so you can cut me a little slack. In any case, it's exactly how it sounds: pasta with mozzarella, tomatoes & basil. I think it needed more basil, or tomatoes, or garlic, or some Italian seasoning or something. The melted mozzarella was fabulous, but the overall taste was a little bland.
Bruschetta -- So ever since I saw Julie & Julia in the summer, I have wanted to make bruschetta. Desperately wanted to make bruschetta, in fact. So I snagged a simple recipe offline, and it was pretty good. In an ideal world I would have tossed some eggplant in there, beefed up the veggie count, etc. But I had leftover mix from the stuffed peppers, so I just added some more tomato & called it a day. In the end, it was as delicious as I expected and I could easily eat that for multiple nights' dinner.
27. Follow Virginia Tech & Steelers teams for a full football season - accomplished
Done! Steelers won last week but didn't have a good enough record / conference record / something to make it into the playoffs. Too many teams had to lose... and they won instead. Which is OK, I suppose. We deserve the outcome we got -- losing to Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland was not our hottest streak. I'm really glad I put this on my list, because I really like to watch football and I really like to learn about it too. I haven't picked a second choice team to cheer for in the playoffs, so we'll see what happens there.
56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (20/143) - in progress
Nope, didn't move my butt nearly at all this week. I keep coming up with different excuses. During the semester, it's because I'm on campus from 9 am to 9 pm: I'm too busy. Over break, if I didn't put on my sports bra & shorts before I came downstairs in the morning, I set up camp on the couch & couldn't motivate myself to move: I didn't have a structure and it was too easy to waste away the day. So. I'm not even really sure what to do about that.
73. Volunteer for 50 hours (8/50) - in progress
I went over to my elementary school this past Wednesday to help the second graders in Adam's class with Writer's Workshop. He really wanted me to go, and to be honest it really was exactly the same as helping Adam with his homework in the evenings because I only had him & one other girl in my group. But Adam was excited for me to come in, and apparently so was his friend Cooper, so I guess I am quite the popular coed in a classroom of seven year olds.
90. Use cards that have compiled in my home desk - in progress
I took these back to JMU with me today & I plan to use them to write thank-yous for my Christmas presents tonight while I watch the Law and Order: SVU marathon. My parents were talking about how it was really driven into their heads to write thank-you notes as kids, and it made me realize that it's really kind of rude if you don't. Plus, everyone loves getting real mail!
-- Till next time.
I read another Diane Chamberlain this week, "Breaking the Silence." It was probably my favorite of the three I've read, for its mystery and for the social issues it addressed about mental institutions in the 1950s. It had the elements of an emotional, Picoult-style read, but it was also riveting and unexpected, and I actually chose to finish reading it instead of going back to bed one morning... which is an anomaly in my lifestyle, to say the least.
25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes and organize them in one place (19/52) - in progress
I essentially cooked dinner all week for my family while I was home, which was surprisingly not stressful. Taking advantage of my parents' budget and much nicer kitchen than I have at my apartment took away the worry about do I have enough money for fancy cheese and do I have enough counter space to assemble a pan of enchiladas. And as an added bonus, I didn't have anything better to do, so it was absolutely fine for dinner to take an hour or even an hour & a half to make.
Stuffed Peppers -- Got the recipe from the Giada de Laurentiis book my aunt swapped me for Christmas, New Italian Favorites. The peppers took a while to cook (an hour), but I kind of liked it that way because it gave me time to get the pizza together & do the dishes so I didn't have to worry about them after dinner. Taste-wise, they were alright... and substance-wise, one pepper could have been a meal in itself.
Barbecue Pizza -- Found this recipe when leafing through one of my mom's magazines and didn't give it a second glance... until she told me to make something that would get rid of the leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge. Voila, barbecue pizza. I used a premade crust at home, but I have fresh pizza dough now and I'm going to make it again tomorrow... very simple, very delicious.
Enchiladas -- Recipe from the Pioneer Woman cookbook I got for Christmas. It's apparently been a best-selling cookbook for a bit, and I do have to give kudos to the woman who wrote it for laying out the steps very clearly and arranging them so I wasn't trying to do 20 things at once. For a somewhat complicated (in my opinion, I suppose) recipe, I was not stressed out about having to make three separate parts and then assemble them. And, they were delicious!
Fusilli Caprese -- OK, that's not technically what it's called, but it's something similar and my cookbook is packed away in a mess of belongings I have chosen not to unpack just yet. I've only been home for four hours though, so you can cut me a little slack. In any case, it's exactly how it sounds: pasta with mozzarella, tomatoes & basil. I think it needed more basil, or tomatoes, or garlic, or some Italian seasoning or something. The melted mozzarella was fabulous, but the overall taste was a little bland.
Bruschetta -- So ever since I saw Julie & Julia in the summer, I have wanted to make bruschetta. Desperately wanted to make bruschetta, in fact. So I snagged a simple recipe offline, and it was pretty good. In an ideal world I would have tossed some eggplant in there, beefed up the veggie count, etc. But I had leftover mix from the stuffed peppers, so I just added some more tomato & called it a day. In the end, it was as delicious as I expected and I could easily eat that for multiple nights' dinner.
27. Follow Virginia Tech & Steelers teams for a full football season - accomplished
Done! Steelers won last week but didn't have a good enough record / conference record / something to make it into the playoffs. Too many teams had to lose... and they won instead. Which is OK, I suppose. We deserve the outcome we got -- losing to Kansas City, Oakland and Cleveland was not our hottest streak. I'm really glad I put this on my list, because I really like to watch football and I really like to learn about it too. I haven't picked a second choice team to cheer for in the playoffs, so we'll see what happens there.
56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (20/143) - in progress
Nope, didn't move my butt nearly at all this week. I keep coming up with different excuses. During the semester, it's because I'm on campus from 9 am to 9 pm: I'm too busy. Over break, if I didn't put on my sports bra & shorts before I came downstairs in the morning, I set up camp on the couch & couldn't motivate myself to move: I didn't have a structure and it was too easy to waste away the day. So. I'm not even really sure what to do about that.
73. Volunteer for 50 hours (8/50) - in progress
I went over to my elementary school this past Wednesday to help the second graders in Adam's class with Writer's Workshop. He really wanted me to go, and to be honest it really was exactly the same as helping Adam with his homework in the evenings because I only had him & one other girl in my group. But Adam was excited for me to come in, and apparently so was his friend Cooper, so I guess I am quite the popular coed in a classroom of seven year olds.
90. Use cards that have compiled in my home desk - in progress
I took these back to JMU with me today & I plan to use them to write thank-yous for my Christmas presents tonight while I watch the Law and Order: SVU marathon. My parents were talking about how it was really driven into their heads to write thank-you notes as kids, and it made me realize that it's really kind of rude if you don't. Plus, everyone loves getting real mail!
-- Till next time.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Happy New Year!
8. Read 50 books (25/50) - in progress
I read "Julie and Julia" before Christmas, which I had bought for my mom for her birthday in October. She claimed it was whiny and she really didn't like it. I read it to prove her wrong, but as it turns out, she was kind of whiny in the book. I guess I didn't realize it during the movie because her story was interspersed with Julia Child's much more. Then I read "The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes" and "Secrets She Left Behind," both by Diane Chamberlin. A blurb on the front of SSLB claimed her to be the Jodi Picoult of the South, and I think that's a pretty accurate description. They were both fast, fun reads that kept me turning pages.
13. Complete a soundtrack to '09, '10, and '11 (1/3) - in progress
So I may end up adding a song at the end because I don't feel like I have a good one to sum up December or the year as a whole, but I'm going to count '09 as completed.
1. Falling By The Wayside xx People In Planes
2. Grace Is Gone xx Dave Matthews Band
3. U And Ur Hand 4eva xx Pink v. The Veronicas
4. Missy Higgins xx Where I Stood
5. Watching Airplanes xx Gary Allen
6. Let Her Cry xx Hootie & The Blowfish
7. Addiction xx Kanye West
8. School Night xx Ani DiFranco
9. Bedroom Talk xx The Starting Line
10. Absolutely Nothing xx Lily Allen
11. In Another Life xx The Veronicas
12. The More I Seek You xx Kari Jobe
13. Second Place Victory xx This Day And Age
14. Cupid Shuffle xx Cupid
15. I Can't Stay Away xx The Veronicas
16. Pretty Pathetic xx Smoking Popes
17. Maybe xx Ingrid Michaelson
18. Gravity xx Sara Bareilles
19. If It Kills Me xx Jason Mraz
20. Chainsaw xx Daniel Merriweather
21. Being Drunk's A Lot Like Loving You xx Kenny Chesney
25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes and organize them in one place (14/52) - in progress
I made Puppy Chow on New Year's Eve because I was craving something chocolate. I had it a lot when I was younger -- it's just Chex covered in melted peanut butter & chocolate and dusted in powdered sugar. It was much sweeter than I remember it being, but it definitely hit the spot.
27. Follow Virginia Tech and Steelers teams for a full football season - in progress
Steelers played last Sunday, which was a really fun game because I was in Pittsburgh with my aunts and uncles and cousins. It stinks sometimes watching games at school without any fellow fans. There were a lot of penalties against the Ravens and I think that helped us out with the win, but barring a handful of minor miracles I don't think we'll make the playoffs. We'll see. Then on New Year's Eve, Tech had its bowl game against Tennessee, which was fun to watch because Tech hasn't played since before Thanksgiving.
42. Try 15 new restaurants (15/15) - accomplished
We ate at Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh when we were home over break, and it was fun because my parents kept talking about how it used to be a dive joint that only served sandwiches and it was only open after 10 p.m. so all the drunk kids would come in and hang out there. And then my uncle chimed in and was talking about how you could never tell them your order was incorrectly made because they'd take it back and you'd never see it again... It just seemed like it carried a lot of history for them, which was cool. Although, the place is entirely different now. But still.
44. Bookmark heyitsfree.net and check it regularly - accomplished
So I ended up subscribing to the newsletter, which means I get it every day. So I will count this as accomplished. Other than the two magazine issues I got last spring, I've gotten a free box of Honey Nut Cheerios, a handful of free songs on Amazon.com, and a few coupon books. I feel like I could make better use out of the site if I had a printer for coupons, but I unhooked mine a while back because I print everything at the office.
56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (20/143) - in progress
Yeah. Not doing so hot here. I need to find a way to consistently motivate myself to exercise on a daily basis, and I'm having trouble just sucking it up and doing it. I used to get really into UREC classes last year, so I might try that again.
89. Camp outside in the backyard with Adam - accomplished
So we technically didn't camp outside, but Adam and I did pitch the tent in the room over our garage on New Year's Eve and "camp out" overnight. If I get the opportunity to really camp outside next summer, I will, but I am comfortable with this counting. My intention was to spend some time with Adam while I'm home, so that was still accomplished.
--Till next time.
I read "Julie and Julia" before Christmas, which I had bought for my mom for her birthday in October. She claimed it was whiny and she really didn't like it. I read it to prove her wrong, but as it turns out, she was kind of whiny in the book. I guess I didn't realize it during the movie because her story was interspersed with Julia Child's much more. Then I read "The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes" and "Secrets She Left Behind," both by Diane Chamberlin. A blurb on the front of SSLB claimed her to be the Jodi Picoult of the South, and I think that's a pretty accurate description. They were both fast, fun reads that kept me turning pages.
13. Complete a soundtrack to '09, '10, and '11 (1/3) - in progress
So I may end up adding a song at the end because I don't feel like I have a good one to sum up December or the year as a whole, but I'm going to count '09 as completed.
1. Falling By The Wayside xx People In Planes
2. Grace Is Gone xx Dave Matthews Band
3. U And Ur Hand 4eva xx Pink v. The Veronicas
4. Missy Higgins xx Where I Stood
5. Watching Airplanes xx Gary Allen
6. Let Her Cry xx Hootie & The Blowfish
7. Addiction xx Kanye West
8. School Night xx Ani DiFranco
9. Bedroom Talk xx The Starting Line
10. Absolutely Nothing xx Lily Allen
11. In Another Life xx The Veronicas
12. The More I Seek You xx Kari Jobe
13. Second Place Victory xx This Day And Age
14. Cupid Shuffle xx Cupid
15. I Can't Stay Away xx The Veronicas
16. Pretty Pathetic xx Smoking Popes
17. Maybe xx Ingrid Michaelson
18. Gravity xx Sara Bareilles
19. If It Kills Me xx Jason Mraz
20. Chainsaw xx Daniel Merriweather
21. Being Drunk's A Lot Like Loving You xx Kenny Chesney
25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes and organize them in one place (14/52) - in progress
I made Puppy Chow on New Year's Eve because I was craving something chocolate. I had it a lot when I was younger -- it's just Chex covered in melted peanut butter & chocolate and dusted in powdered sugar. It was much sweeter than I remember it being, but it definitely hit the spot.
27. Follow Virginia Tech and Steelers teams for a full football season - in progress
Steelers played last Sunday, which was a really fun game because I was in Pittsburgh with my aunts and uncles and cousins. It stinks sometimes watching games at school without any fellow fans. There were a lot of penalties against the Ravens and I think that helped us out with the win, but barring a handful of minor miracles I don't think we'll make the playoffs. We'll see. Then on New Year's Eve, Tech had its bowl game against Tennessee, which was fun to watch because Tech hasn't played since before Thanksgiving.
42. Try 15 new restaurants (15/15) - accomplished
We ate at Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh when we were home over break, and it was fun because my parents kept talking about how it used to be a dive joint that only served sandwiches and it was only open after 10 p.m. so all the drunk kids would come in and hang out there. And then my uncle chimed in and was talking about how you could never tell them your order was incorrectly made because they'd take it back and you'd never see it again... It just seemed like it carried a lot of history for them, which was cool. Although, the place is entirely different now. But still.
44. Bookmark heyitsfree.net and check it regularly - accomplished
So I ended up subscribing to the newsletter, which means I get it every day. So I will count this as accomplished. Other than the two magazine issues I got last spring, I've gotten a free box of Honey Nut Cheerios, a handful of free songs on Amazon.com, and a few coupon books. I feel like I could make better use out of the site if I had a printer for coupons, but I unhooked mine a while back because I print everything at the office.
56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (20/143) - in progress
Yeah. Not doing so hot here. I need to find a way to consistently motivate myself to exercise on a daily basis, and I'm having trouble just sucking it up and doing it. I used to get really into UREC classes last year, so I might try that again.
89. Camp outside in the backyard with Adam - accomplished
So we technically didn't camp outside, but Adam and I did pitch the tent in the room over our garage on New Year's Eve and "camp out" overnight. If I get the opportunity to really camp outside next summer, I will, but I am comfortable with this counting. My intention was to spend some time with Adam while I'm home, so that was still accomplished.
--Till next time.
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