Twelve days till graduation?

8. Read 50 books (33/50) - in progress

I just finished "Wild Trees" by Richard Preston. It was the book recommended to me by a ranger we worked with in the Redwoods in March. Some of it was very interesting, but I don't think it was terribly well-written or well-organized. It followed a handful of people, and it got confusing sometimes to remember who was who and what I'd previously learned about them. I also think, though, that I was expecting something different from the start. I'm still looking for a book that tells me about the Redwoods, how the National Park was created, and a bit about the local opinion.

51. Furnish my apartment solely through thrift stores and giveaways - in progress

My friend Andrea has decided she won't need her dresser once she moves home, and has graciously offered to me for the low low price of free :) So I'm up to a couch, my chair from my Grandma, a folding bookcase, a dresser and two lamps. Probably not enough to live on, per se, but I'm hoping I can somehow get my desk and my big bookcase (and maybe my small bookcase too) from home sometime soon after I move.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (28/143) - in progress

I had coffee with a friend Tuesday at Greenberry's, and I walked from Sunchase. I also walked home Tuesday. Then Wednesday I did yoga for the first time in a couple months, and I was sore-city the next day.

-- Till next time.

Employed :)

24. Get a job - accomplished (!)

So I had an interview with a daily newspaper in Carlisle, Pa., last Thursday. And then they offered me the job this past Wednesday :) So, pending a drug test, I am hired! It's a copy editing and page layout position. I work funny hours because the paper publishes in the morning, but it's exactly what I wanted to do and I am pumped.

51. Furnish my apartment solely through thrift stores and giveaways - in progress

I bought a couch yesterday, at a yard sale in Broadway. It's a baller couch -- very comfortable, a good price. So in the case I don't get my mattress right away, I can just sleep on my wonderful new couch. Right now it's being stored in my friend's garage, but I can go visit it whenever I'd like, which is nice.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (27/143) - in progress

Success for the week. I ran / walked intervals on Monday and Saturday, and I think I may have walked home twice? Maybe only once. My far-away, eventually-I'll-get-there goal is to be able to run a 5K, so I've been trying to run a few minutes, walk a few minutes, etc. We'll see how long it takes before I injure myself.

97. Add a new thing April 19, 2010:

My second "fill in the blank" is tomorrow, the 19th, so here's what I've decided for #97: the journaling prompt Web site I use has a prompt for 365 days, and they're split into Sunday, Monday, etc. So I'd like to do one a day, in order, for a year. Just make it a part of my morning, and not skip ones that don't strike me immediately. I think it would be really interesting to begin during my first year of work, and then to have to all in one place to look at later. I think I'd like to do it by hand too, rather than on the computer. So I'm looking at a June 1st start date, and we'll see.

-- Till next time.

Thesis complete. Best week ever.

But I'll go in order...

25. Learn to cook 52 recipes and organize them in one place (26/52) - in progress

Woo, halfway point on this one! I made burritos last weekend with sweet potatoes and black beans, and they were pretty good. The recipe made eight, I think -- and that was after I halved it. It was semi-complicated in terms of steps and time and pots to clean, but I was able to freeze five or so, which means I have an easy dinner for the next few weeks whenever I want it. I've been trying to find more meatless recipes that are still healthy & get me the protein I need.

31. Complete an senior honors project I am proud of - accomplished

Honestly wasn't sure I'd make it through this one. Actually, that's a lie -- I always knew I would finish it, because I would have seriously regretted devoting so much energy to something that I then quit. But the last month was draining, to say the least, and then the night it was due, I went to bed at 4 a.m. and woke up again at 6:15 a.m. But it's submitted, it was approved, and maybe in a few weeks I will look back and say, "That was a good decision." :) For now, I'm just glad to have it done & have a break before my adviser and I start working together again to make it publishable. Publishable? I wonder if that's a word.

I guess that's it for this past week, because I only exercised once. I had my first job interview last Thursday, so hopefully that means employment is in my near future... but we'll see.

-- Till next time.

Weekend update.

30. Use my library card to take out 25 books (8/25) - in progress

When I was in the Redwoods, I asked a ranger for her recommendation on a book to read about the National Parks, and she suggested "Wild Trees." So I saw it in a tourist shop, and I though to myself, I can find it cheaper on half.com or a similar site. And I got home, and didn't have time to read anything, so I put it off. Then I had time, but no money to spend on a book. And it suddenly occurred to me, this is why we have libraries. I honestly don't think about them for fiction books, especially at school where the library = schoolwork & death. But I picked up the Wild Trees and started reading it this weekend.

56. Exercise 2-3 times week - (26/143) - in progress

Accomplished for this week! For some inexplicable reason, on Tuesday I just decided I was going to start exercising again. And then... I did. Tuesday I walked home and lifted and did the elliptical. Wednesday I walked home and did the elliptical. Thursday I walked home and lifted. Friday I did the elliptical. And Saturday I did intervals on the treadmill. Go figure.

Guess that's it for this week though... four days till the thesis is done!

-- Till next time.