True life: I am still alive

I promise.

25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes & organize them in one place (48/52) -- in progress

I have been going buck wild with anti-recipe fury recently. Last week I was too lazy to properly measure things (dirtying all the measuring cups / spoons and then having to wash them seemed like a big deal at the time, OK) so I pulled out the steak marinade recipe and gathered the ingredients and then kind of eyeballed the measurements. It turned out totally fine, although I think I could've used less overall marinade. Perhaps a waste not to measure...

But then today I made some banana bread muffins with blueberries, and they called for applesauce but I didn't have it and then I briefly Internet-searched and AS is typically used in place of butter or oil but I just couldn't stomach a whole stick of butter in these muffins -- so I also kind of made up the muffin recipe as I went along -- omitted the AS / butter and only used about half the flour... and they turned out the bomb diggity. Which was a miracle, considering how exact baking is supposed to be -- and how straight awful I am in the kitchen. See here for multiple examples.

32. Attend at least one sports event a season (8/12) -- in progress

Since August, I've been to a Pirates game, a Harrisburg High football game and a Notre Dame football game. All three were fun -- ND probably the most. I've realized one a season is unlikely, because I am not a fan of basketball. But there have been plenty of opportunities in the summer to make up for that!

47. Save another $10,000 in my bank account -- accomplished

Not sure when this officially happened, but according to the numbers, it did. Turns out rarely buying things and freezing my booty off last winter turned into some sweet savings.

50. Put up curtains in Sunchase & next apartment -- accomplished

This is fudged, I admit. I never put up curtains in Sunchase or Carlisle and there were already curtains here. But: I have made a feeble attempt to decorate both this and the Carlisle apartment, so I am counting it as a win. I pretty much just need my friend Kelly to whip me into shape every so often and amp up my decorating motivation. A photo below of the fruits of my past visit to Winchester / a half-hour's worth of work yesterday:


56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (60/143) -- in progress

Yep. Every week since I last posted. I am in a good routine, even though some / most days I hate waking up at 7 a.m. and I've really not been feeling the locker room showers recently. They need fluffier towels.

72. Attend at least 10 free community events (6/10) -- in progress

Realized I forgot to blog about the Antique Baseball Tournament in Gettysburg in July. I took my mom and Adam down and we spent the afternoon there. It was hot as could be, but it was a lot of fun to watch them play in their 1865-era uniforms with those rules and no gloves. And Adam loved it -- he got a player's baseball card and his autograph, which was all he could talk about when he called my dad that night.

73. Volunteer for 50 hours (17/50) -- in progress

I got plugged in with a group called Healthy World Cafe, which is in the process of raising funds and support for a community kitchen in York. So we had a pop-up event at the Mother Earth Hands On Harvest Fair this weekend where we sold our (delicious, delicious) local food. So I spent four hours Friday night chopping veggies and fruits and tearing chicken from the bone... and then five hours Saturday serving food and hanging out. It was awesome. And I honestly can't get over how wildly delicious the food was.

80. Go to two alumni functions at JMU (2/2) -- accomplished

While I have not technically attended events planned for alumni, I have returned to JMU twice -- once last October and once last weekend. Last year was a very different experience because I still had friends in classes there. This year I just went down for breakfast at Little Grill and to see the campus. But I loved both trips -- and I still love JMU to death.

88. Make three new friends in Carlisle (2/3) -- in progress

It seems silly to list friends I now have, but I'd like to amend this to share the fact that I have been much better this year about expanding to circles outside of my work friends. With Healthy World Cafe and my membership at the gym and the church I've been to twice, I feel like a more well-rounded person -- not one who works and comes home and watches TV and sleeps and wakes up to do it again.

All in all, I am pumped for the month of October to see what else I can get in to.

It has been an eternity.

(Apparently, an eternity is four months in my now-23-year-old mind.)

I could make excuses for going four months without a single post -- and honestly, without too many accomplishments on the 101 list -- but the truth comes down to the fact I didn't look at the list very often, and I wasn't motivated to blog. Life is real, folks.

A lot of the things I intended to do are still things that attract my attention. Some are now constrained by time or money, factors I was less than concerned about when I first made this list more than two years ago. But for all the things I love about the 101 challenge, there is one I do not: Never in my life could I have predicted this is where I would be 2 1/2 years from when I started, and that means some goals changed.

In any case, I suppose, I'll try to pick up where I left off and see what I can accomplish before my December deadline.

25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes and organize them in one place (46/52) -- in progress

I left off with the fish tacos, but since I moved closer to work I've been cooking more often. I tried two muffin recipes (banana and carrot) and a banana bread, two steak marinades, one mini frittata recipe that uses a muffin tin, a green bean and tomato salad with a butter-basil sauce... I am having trouble remembering what else. I'll leave it at six.

32. Attend at least one sports event a season (5/12) -- in progress

I went to my first Revs game this weekend, which was fun because I got free tickets through work. And I liked the fact that the stadium is plopped down in the middle of the city, but you don't quite feel like you're still downtown.

55. Try six different workouts at home, at least twice each (4/6) -- in progress

Turns out I joined a gym again, so "workouts" became classes once again. I've settled into a routine of a cardio/strength class Mondays and Wednesdays, yoga Tuesdays and a "body blast" Fridays. I also tried a yoga studio in Camp Hill twice with April. Loved the class, not the drive.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (51/143) -- in progress

There was about a month around the time I moved that I did not work out regularly, but I've been going to the gym at least four days a week, and five when I've done the CH yoga class. Turns out having to move your car by 8 a.m. is a solid motivation to suck it up and go to the gym.

67. Replace light bulbs with CFLs when necessary -- accomplished

Pitched my last incandescent in the move, so all I have to replace any dead bulbs with are CFLs.

99. Added May 14, 2011 (Oops. Added Aug. 2, 2011): When the 101 ends, instead of creating an entire second 101, try a food blog a la "What I Wore." Perhaps "What I Ate"?

Just two things...

It's been two weeks since I updated and I've done... two things! Which are the same as my last post. But I also got a new job, so it's really like I accomplished No. 24 twice. High five, anyone?

25. Learn to cook 52 recipes and organize them in one place (40/52) - in progress

I made a pasta-related dish last week, with feta and basil and onions and red peppers. It was pretty delicious, although the feta threw me for a loop because it wasn't as cheesy as I expected. And then on Tuesday I made fish tacos, which were surprisingly one of the easiest recipes I've tried. The fish was a little more expensive than I expected, and there are a few things I would tweak with the recipe (actually, and some I did tweak) but I think I would make them again.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (39/143) - in progress

Let's see... last week I hiked and then I think made it to the gym twice. This past week I made it to the gym three times. It's been a super big adjustment moving into dayside work shifts. I'm finding that a lot of days I tell myself I'm too tired, or I don't want to get home at 830 and only have two hours to myself before I fall asleep. Tuesday I took a day off from the gym just so I had time to go to the library and then make dinner and eat it before 9 p.m... I feel like I finally entered the adult world.

-- Till next time.

Beautiful weather.

25. Learn to cook 52 recipes and organize them in one place (38/52) - in progress

I used a recipe from Cooking Light that was supposed to health-ify supreme pizza. Nothing beats the crispy crust of pizzeria pizza, but this pizza was pretty delicious. It was also the first time I've cooked using sausage, and because they come in bigger packs and I was unsure how to / if I could freeze the leftover links, I ended up using the leftover veggies and sausage to make a sausage and peppers (and onions and mushrooms) over rice combo, which was absolutely delicious once all the sausage fats cooked into the veggies and rice. Much better than boring chicken.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (37/143) - in progress

Made it last week and this past week. I've been going to the gym between two and five times a week, and I still like it sort of. I just edited a column for Monday's paper about how the key to staying involved in something is to connect with others, and it makes me a little sad that PF doesn't offer classes. Those were some of the best workouts I ever had at JMU -- mostly because you weren't left to your own motivation devices.

-- Till next time.

Three-day weekend!

Nothing like having an normal, Saturday-Sunday weekend off -- plus an extra day on Monday!

30. Use my library card to take out 25 books (25/25) - accomplished

When I was home last weekend, I was in the local bookstore downtown and I found four or five books that looked like ones I would love to read -- but in the spirit of not relying on my parents as much, I decided to write down the titles and check for them at the library instead of letting my mom buy me one. So I took out "You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know" by Heather Sellers, and then "The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food and Love" by Kristin Kimball. (Side note: Why yes I did just try to search for that second title on Amazon for a few minutes -- to no avail -- to avoid getting up and walking the ten feet around my bed to just look at the book. Lazy day much?) I started reading the Sellers book, which is about a rare neurological disorder called face blindness, where you don't recognize people by their facial features. It sounds interesting, but I've been less than impressed through it.

But I will say, I love the library! I am not really that surprised that I didn't take advantage of it while I was in Harrisonburg because I rarely read for pleasure, but I am sincerely glad I got a library card when I moved because I enjoy being able to try new books without having to commit to them -- like if I'd spent money on the Sellers book, I'd probably have regretted it.

32. Attend at least one sports event a season (4/12) - in progress

I feel like if this blog were under scrutiny, this would not count, but since it clearly is not: I went to Adam's third-grade basketball game when I was home last weekend. It was way too much fun to watch him play, and despite the fact I had to wake up at 7:30 a.m., I really did enjoy it. Kids' games are just fun to watch, I think. The parents around me probably enjoyed my running commentary less, but my mom thinks I'm funny. And what else is life about, really? That's right, moms know best.

55. Try six new workouts at home at least two times each (0/6) - in progress

This one has changed yet again because I finally joined a gym. But it doesn't have classes, so I went through the magazine workouts I'd saved and made myself a "Day Two" of weight-lifting exercises to do. My "Day One" is what I've always done, so the second option lets me try new things and work out different muscles. So that's workout No. 1, the first time.

56. Work out 2-3 times a week (35/143) - in progress

Made it last week -- only three times, but I was hurting from lifting my fun five-pound weights, which, by the way, might as well have Barbies on them for all the cred I have at the gym. Talk about starting slow...

-- Till next time.

Like a champ.

1. Redraft "Savannah" at least five times, at least one months apart (1/5) - in progress

Savannah is a short story I wrote in college that became strangely autobiographical soon after I wrote it. Despite the fact I was wildly proud of it when I first wrote it, when I re-read it now I can see clearly what everyone meant when they critiqued it. So I set up camp in Panera one Monday afternoon to work on it (finally). It's much harder than I expected it to be, but I suppose at least I started.

25. Learn to cook 52 new recipes and organize them in one place (37/52) - in progress

I made Buffalo Chicken Dip when I was home for the Super Bowl. It wasn't as good as I remember my aunt's being at Christmas, but then I brought some home and reheated it a few times for a snack and I think the secret is that it has to be very hot.

30. Use my library card to take out 25 books (24/25) - in progress

A copy of the third book in the Millennium trilogy, "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" became available, so I took that out -- and then I picked up a new nonfiction called "Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat," which was about relationships with animals and was surprisingly interesting.

56. Exercise 2-3 times a week (36/143) - in progress

Awww yeah, joined a gym. After approximately eight months of watching 900 hours of TV a week and sleeping till noon (and approximately three months of shivering under a heated blanket and starkly refusing to leave the warmth of my bed), I just committed to it. So I did the elliptical twice last week and then so far this week I did the elliptical once, treadmill twice and a yoga workout at home. Next week I might even venture out into weights. Look at me go, ya'll.

57. Get the HPV vaccine - completed

I got my last shot when I was home last weekend, so I'm three for three.

-- Till next time.

I am a delinquent.

There's something to be said for summer, despite the fact I refused to even barely use my air conditioning and thereby sweated through the whole season... and then discovered maggots in my trash can.

But summer sunshine and warm temperatures encourage me to be active, more social, more productive and, I think, altogether happier. I get stuck in winter, when it's too cold to do anything and nobody even wants to get in their icebox of a car to go anywhere. What's that, you say, would I like to stay in bed all day and read a book? Why yes I would. For three months in a row.

I also saw a commercial yesterday for an arthritis medicine that said an object that is still tends to stay still, while an object in motion tends to continue in motion. Well thank you, creators of that arthritis commercial. I am stuck in the standstills of winter. Hence the zeros posts in two months and the general lack of enthusiasm for some of the ideas on here.

Alas, I have accomplished a few things

7. Watch all movies on AFI's top 100 (37/100) - in progress

I watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid some time before Christmas. I apparently got pretty wrapped up in it, because when the ending finally came I was like a heartbroken hot mess. Well-played, director. Maybe not something I would watch again, but maybe it is.

13. Complete a soundtrack to '09, '10 and '11 (2/3) - in progress

Finished 2010, listed below:
1. So Far Away xx Carole King
2. When the Sun Goes Down in Georgia xx Corey Smith
3. Need You Now xx Lady Antebellum
4. Telephone xx Lady Gaga f. Beyonce
5. Cudderisback x Kid Cudi
6. Bulletproof xx La Roux
7. Chicks Dig It xx Chris Cagle (Exit 245!)
8. Airplanes xx B.o.B. f. Hayley Williams
9. Dynamite xx Taio Cruz
10. Let Her Cry xx Hootie and the Blowfish
11. Still Fighting It xx Ben Folds
12. Dog Days Are Over xx Florence and the Machine
13. Toxic xx Glee Cast
14. Just A Dream xx Nelly
15. Happy Frappy xx Guster
16. Marry You xx Glee Cast
17. Black and Yellow xx Wiz Khalifa
18. 99 Problems xx Hugo
19. Breakeven xx The Script

30. Use my library card to take out 25 books (22/25) - in progress

I finally got Charlie St. Cloud in English, and read that over Christmas. I was less than impressed with it, to be honest. It felt too short, or too rushed, or maybe both.

72. Attend at least 10 free community events (5/10) - in progress

A co-worker and I trekked up to Harrisburg on Sunday to see the farm show. It was an experience, to say the least. I've always thought of myself as a fairly country girl. Yes, I grew up in suburbia, but come on, I've eaten grits and been on a tractor like once. Well the farm show was a rude awakening, because I was not prepared for the livestock. I felt bad for the animals who were locked up in pens (like the newly shaven sheep that looked naked and the pigs squealing incessantly from their baths) but I was also wildly uncomfortable with the cows the size of Paul Bunyan's ox that were just loosely tethered with their behinds about a foot from where I was walking. Upside: I can say I went, and their milkshakes really are incredible.

87. Send Christmas cards at least one year - complete

I'm not entirely sure that they all made it to their intended recipients by Christmas, but I sent out thirty or so cards. As it turns out, postage is expensive. I think I will stick with Christmas e-mails for the next few years. Although it is fun to get them in the mail.

-- Till next time.