deadline and targets

Goals Set: 3/14/2010 Completion Date: 12/9/2012 Here are the new accomplishments! Academic/Knowledge 9) Read 10 of the National Book Award winners in fiction (5/10) 10) Read 10 of the Pulitzer Prize winners in fiction/Biography/History (7/10) 11) Read 10 of the Modern Library’s 100 Best Nonfiction/Fiction (16/10) Not perfect, but I've got 28 out of 30. I'll read Slaughterhouse 5 and perhaps Heart of Darkness and call it good. ------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm going to have to cram to meet these two 13) Be able to name all of the U.S. Presidents in order ... TARGET! 14) Become an architecture geek - TARGET! Diet/Food 21) Make crackers (via a Mark Bittman recipe) -TARGET Exercise 30) Run a 10K -CHECK! TIME: 58:31 - incredibly fast for me 31) Run a faster 10K -hmmm... spring! 36) Climb the ND library stairs -CHECK! Travel I really fell short with Travel, but then money + time is tough. 37) Visit Glacier National Park 40) Visit the U.P. of Michigan 45) Visit the Smoky Mountains 46) Visit three East Coast States: Maryland this spring... 50) Travel to Ohio 51) Visit a Mound site 52) Visit 10 Presidential Historic Sites -Wilson, Ford, Hoover, Eisenhower, Truman SINCE the list started. Before the list: Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, and Polk. Not perfect, but I'm working on it. 53) Go on vacation without a car - Does a work trip to Los Alamos for two weeks count? I think so! CHECK! Community 56) Canoe the St. Joseph River (starting from St. Patrick’s Park) -CHECK! 60) Volunteer for a South Bend community program -TARGET Household 70) Clean the oven twice (2/3) 75) Develop and maintain organization systems for all messy zones -check! I'm getting better! 76) Replace expensive cleaning products with homemade versions -nope... 77) Put in a path and stone patio -nope... 78) Buy a piece of art for the house -nope... 79) Decorate the living room -nope... Financial 84) Donate money to WWU -TARGET! Odie 88) Take Odie to 90% of the pet-friendly parks in the county -TARGET 90) Take Odie on a vacation -CHECK- FALL BREAK in Traverse City! Personal Challenges 91) Spend a week without the internet -TARGET! How about the week I have my wisdom tooth out. Miscellaneous 94) Celebrate 3 holidays I have never heard of... TARGET! 99) Have wisdom tooth removed -TARGET! If the insurance finally kicks in, this will be done by Christmas. 100) Give a thoughtful and random gift to a friend (5 times) -CHECK! FAILS: 2) Work through a first year Chemistry Text 25) Eat a meal made entirely of things grown in my own garden 34) Work down to 20% body fat (and maintain it for long enough to see if you like it) 57) Cross Country Ski the ND golf course 59) Bike to and around Saint Mary’s College -Too Cold! 65) Judge a science fair 86) Train Odie to look 89) Teach Odie to behave well at outdoor restaurants

deadline coming soon... and books, books, books

My deadline for 1001 days is in a few weeks, but I've decided to just keep plugging away at it. I went to a wonderful new park this morning with my dog and I'm making crackers soon, I swear! I assigned myself a reading list of 30 books from 3 lists and my definitions have gotten a tad loose with time. Here are books I have read that I count, even if the Pulitzer is in History instead of Fiction... I get a little extra credit for all of the great fiction I've read just since starting this list, even if it was a little off course. National Book Award Winners in Fiction: (5/10) 1973: Chimera by John Barth 1979: Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien 1980: The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe 1980: The World According to Garp by John Irving 2004: The News from Paraguay by Lily Tuck Pulitzer Winners in Fiction: (7/10) 2007 The Road by Cormac McCarthy 2006 March by Geraldine Brooks 2005 Gilead by Marilynne Robinson 2000 Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri Pulitzer Winners in Biography: 2009 American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham 2002 John Adams by David McCullough Pulitzer Winners in History: 2001 Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis Modern Library's 100 Best Nonfiction: (16/10) -THE ROAD TO SERFDOM by F. A. Hayek -UNDAUNTED COURAGE: MERIWETHER LEWIS, THOMAS JEFFERSON, AND THE OPENING OF THE -AMERICAN WEST by Stephen E. Ambrose -THE GREAT BRIDGE by David McCullough -THE RIGHT STUFF by Tom Wolfe Modern Library's 100 Best Fiction: -THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien -SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence -STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert Heinlein -THE STAND by Stephen King -ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac -THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret Atwood -STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert Heinlein -THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving -ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE by Robert Pirsig -ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST by Ken Kesey -MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather

checks...

56) Canoe the St. Joseph River (starting from St. Patrick’s Park) CHECK 63) Visit Benton Harbor and Traverse City TOMORROW 99) Have wisdom tooth removed -DECEMBER! yep, i only have a single wisdom tooth, but even it has to go... 100) Give a thoughtful and random gift to a friend (5 times) CHECK (I've gotten SO good at this again!!!) my 10K's did not work out... getting married was part of the trouble, but I went to sign up for one and it was CANCELLED! I plan to run one on Turkey day though!

The end of the list...

Goals Set: 3/14/2010 Completion Date: 12/9/2012 I am frightfully close the the end of my 1001 days and I know I won't complete this list. The point was always to keep striving for more than I would otherwise do, and yes, without a doubt, I've done that. On December 10th I will not be embarrassed by what decided wasn't so important after all, and what I didn't quite get to. I'll keep working on the important ones. Here is my update: Academic/Knowledge 1) Earn a Masters Degree - check 2) Work through a first year Chemistry Text - if this list can't make me do it, nothing can 3) Write and maintain a website -check 4) Learn to implement code using a header file -check 5) Compile code w/ a make file -check 6) Use multiple source code files compiled through a make file -check 7) Use a header to input source code from one file to another -check 8) Read and understand a complete work (of any length) by Faulkner -check ------------------------------------------------------------------ (tally later) 9) Read 10 of the National Book Award winners in fiction (0/10) 10) Read 10 of the Pulitzer Prize winners in fiction (0/10) 11) Read 10 of the Modern Library’s 100 Best Nonfiction (0/10) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 12) Have a conversation in Portuguese -check 13) Be able to name all of the U.S. Presidents in order ... TARGET! 14) Become an architecture geek - TARGET! 15) T.A. a graduate level class -check 16) Take a language class -check 17) Present at an academic conference -check Diet/Food 18) Make a batch of freezer jam -check 19) Make Fried Green Tomatoes -check 20) Make a habit of using coupons and planning meals w/ grocery circulars -check 21) Make crackers (via a Mark Bittman recipe) -TARGET 22) Eat a completely vegan diet for one week -check 23) Make baking bread a habit -check (pizza counts!) 24) Stay on calorie budget during one of the BF's trips -check 25) Eat a meal made entirely of things grown in my own garden -lost my chance to garden this summer... sigh... next year Exercise 26) Take a yoga class -check 27) Take an advanced pilates class -check 28) Run a 5K -check 29) Run a faster 5K -check 30) Run a 10K -two weeks! 31) Run a faster 10K -three weeks! 32) Master a tri-cep push-up -5 in a row... got it! 33) Go hiking in the North Cascades - check (if the Chuckanuts count) 34) Work down to 20% body fat (and maintain it for long enough to see if you like it) -wow this turned out to be a low priority for me... just when I feel like I'm making progress I start eating dessert and carbs again 35) Return from a vacation thinner than you left - CHECK! 36) Climb the ND library stairs -TARGET! Travel 37) Visit Glacier National Park - If I don't make it for fall break... it won't happen this year 38) Visit the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming -check 39) Visit Yellowstone National Park -check 40) Visit the U.P. of Michigan - see (37) 41) Travel to Iowa -check! 42) Visit the Field Museum -check! 43) Visit the Art Institute of Chicago -check! 44) Attend a Shakespeare production in Chicago -check! 45) Visit the Smoky Mountains - (see 37 and 40) 46) Visit three East Coast States -umm... 47) Sleep in a tent -check, check, and check 48) Visit a country whose primary language is not English -check 49) Attend a baseball game at Wrigley Field -check 50) Travel to Ohio -umm... 51) Visit a Mound site -nope 52) Visit 10 Presidential Historic Sites -I'm at about 5 since starting the list, I just added Hoover, Eisenhower, and Truman 53) Go on vacation without a car -only if Costa Rica counts (rode tourist shuttles and cabs) Community 54) Visit the Pizza restaurant near Lake Michigan -check and check 55) Visit the Snite Museum -check, but I want to go back 56) Canoe the St. Joseph River (starting from St. Patrick’s Park) -TARGET! 57) Cross Country Ski the ND golf course -nope, and it may not happen... I don't love XC enough 58) Take a local cooking class -check 59) Bike to and around Saint Mary’s College -TARGET 60) Volunteer for a South Bend community program -TARGET -SEVA!!!! 61) Volunteer for the ND Physics Department -check, check, check.... 62) Visit a local winery -check 63) Visit Benton Harbor and Traverse City -TARGET! 64) Make a point to use the local libraries -check (thank you book club!) 65) Judge a science fair -I missed the parade of fairs this spring... I was so busy I didn't push it... this spring for sure 66) Visit Amish Country -check (thanks Mom!) 67) Visit Fernwood Botanical Garden -check and check Household 68) Paint the bathroom -check 69) Develop a successful composting system -check 70) Clean the oven twice (2/3) 71) Grow a crop of corn -check 72) Buy a cactus or other succulent to raise in the house -not a cactus, but i've kept plants alive indoors! 73) Clean and organize the contents of both desks -check 74) Maintain organization of the desks -check 75) Develop and maintain organization systems for all messy zones -check (sorta...) 76) Replace expensive cleaning products with homemade versions -nope... 77) Put in a path and stone patio -nope... 78) Buy a piece of art for the house -nope... 79) Decorate the living room -nope... Financial 80) Pay off student loans -check! 81) Pay off my car loan -check! 82) Organize and fully document my financial information -check! 83) Have an emergency fund of at least two months wages ($3000) -check! 84) Donate money to WWU -TARGET! Odie 85) Train Odie to come when called -check 86) Train Odie to look -nope 87) Train Odie to stay at doorways -check 88) Take Odie to 90% of the pet-friendly parks in the county -TARGET 89) Teach Odie to behave well at outdoor restaurants -nope 90) Take Odie on a vacation -kinda... Personal Challenges 91) Spend a week without the internet -TARGET! 92) Watch no television for one month -check 93) Drive in downtown Chicago -check Miscellaneous 94) Celebrate 3 holidays I have never heard of -hmm... got one coming up... 95) Gather all possessions still at my parents homes -check! 96) Cook dinner for Randy and Peggy -check! 97) Have pants tailored -check! 98) Reconnect w/ an old friend -check! 99) Have wisdom tooth removed -TARGET! 100) Give a thoughtful and random gift to a friend (5 times) -I'm at roughly 3 101) Do not allow yourself to complain of boredom -CHECK Ignoring all of the travel (sigh...), this means I need to go canoeing, make crackers, take Odie to a bunch of parks, do some serious reading, learn those 19th century presidents, make a stab at learning some architecture (I know some...), climb some stairs, get my wisdom tooth pulled, and take Thanksgiving (or Fall) break completely off from the internet. That doesn't sound so bad.

Blogs, Privacy, Maples and Cottonwoods...

So I have a real blog now. That makes this the sad and neglected poor cousin blog. I use Maple Lane for my spouting about goals and little else. The thing is, back in Indiana, I lead a very wonderful life, and I don't care to spend the time to project it to the world. Not because I don't LOVE other people for doing that (I'm looking at you Joanne), but because I've always maintained a strong sense of personal privacy that felt violated by facebook (which I deleted years ago).

Fast forward to this blog:
corn2cottonwoods.wordpress.com
I just realized that both blogs have a tree in the title. I'm from Washington state and I'm a total tree junkie.

So what is the difference? I can't quite say, but I started corn2cottonwoods to share my summer adventures with friends and family. I left the privacy settings wide open (to my screaming sense of shock) with a shrug and a "why not?" I've found myself sharing with the internet world rather happily. I suppose because I feel so lucky to read what others do and say and feel, and I have something to give back.

I continue to use my "goals blog" to say very clearly "I'm not going to wimp out - see!" But I see no use or point in sharing it with anyone in particular. I am VERY grateful for those who have stumbled upon Maple Lane and said something nice and encouraging. I am going to update my list progress very soon. There has indeed been some incremental progress, but it is a tough list in many respects.

Settled in New Mexico for Summer!

Since I left South Bend on May 15th I've visited 5 National Parks/Monuments including Yellowstone.  If you can't tell by the giant grin on my face (and closed eyes!), it has been an amazing trip!  I plan to detail my travels and summer adventure in a real-life blog meant for friends and family.

If you're wondering what I mean by a real-life blog, I mean one for friends and family that I intend to encourage people to read.  In the mean time, I'm going to do a goal summary.  It has become increasingly obvious that I will not check every item of my 101 list off by December, but I'm living life and having an amazing time.  That is what the list is really about.

101 Things in 1001 Days

Goals Set: 3/14/2010
Completion Date: 12/9/2012

Academic/Knowledge
1) Earn a Masters Degree - CHECK!
2) Work through a first year Chemistry Text - ummm... I really thought I would do this????
(3-8) CHECK!
9) Read 10 of the National Book Award winners in fiction (2/10)
10) Read 10 of the Pulitzer Prize winners in fiction (4/10)
11) Read 10 of the Modern Library’s 100 Best Nonfiction (5/10)
Totals on these to come... I've probably added some
 
12) Have a conversation in Portuguese CHECK
13) Be able to name all of the U.S. Presidents in order:

Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, Jackson.... aack, those last couple are probably wrong!...

Then there is (in rough, but incorrect order):

Van Buren, Polk, Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Garfield, Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson

Modern presidents:
Coolidge, Hoover, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama


Lordy, I need to work on this one!


14) Become an architecture geek - sigh... neglected

15-19) CHECK
20) Make a habit of using coupons and planning meals w/ grocery circulars -Getting there
21) Make crackers (via a Mark Bittman recipe) - nope
22) Eat a completely vegan diet for one week - CHECK!
23) Make baking bread a habit - I've decided to count pizza making, and therefore, CHECK!
24) Stay on calorie budget during one of the BF's trips - I've gotten to a place where calorie counting is stupid.  I may go back there someday, but this one is off the list
25) Eat a meal made entirely of things grown in my own garden - sigh... unless a snack of spring radishes counts, I won't make this by December. 

Exercise
26-29) CHECK!
30) Run a 10K - sigh, I was too worn out to make it happen this spring... we'll see what happens this summer
31) Run a faster 10K - FALL, definitely
32) Master a tri-cep push-up - CHECK! 3 = mastered, but I'm working towards 5.
33) Go hiking in the North Cascades - Doubt I'll make it back this fall, so I'm counting the Chuckanuts (the foothills) for now. 
34) Work down to 20% body fat - I was there for a bit, but it seemed more like a fluctation.
35) Return from a vacation thinner than you left - CHECK!!!!!! I lost 4 lbs on this vacation.  My secret: lots of hiking, some yoga, splitting entrees at restaurants, taking leftovers back to the hotel for breakfast, and spending my last week with a friend who loves salty snacks and carbs.  I haven't had dessert in about 5 days and my sugar-fiendiness is gone!  I'm going to try to keep it that way!!!!  Excited about this one.
36) Climb the ND library stairs - WHY haven't I done this yet?

Travel
37) Visit Glacier National Park -nope
38) Visit the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming -CHECK!
39) Visit Yellowstone National Park -CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With my best friend!
40) Visit the U.P. of Michigan -nope
41) Travel to Iowa -CHECK - I stayed in Iowa City, had a wonderful evening with an old friend, and even visited Herbert Hoover's birthplace
42) Visit the Field Museum -CHECK
43) Visit the Art Institute of Chicago -nope
44) Attend a Shakespeare production in Chicago -CHECK!
45) Visit the Smoky Mountains -nope
46) Visit three East Coast States -nope
47) Sleep in a tent -CHECK! CHECK+PLUS (snow camping in Yellowstone)
48) Visit a country whose primary language is not English -COSTA RICA
49) Attend a baseball game at Wrigley Field -CHECK!
50) Travel to Ohio -nope
51) Visit a Mound site -nope
52) Visit 10 Presidential Historic Sites (3/10) Add Hoover's Birthplace
53) Go on vacation without a car -COSTA RICA

Community
54-55) CHECK
56) Canoe the St. Joseph River (starting from St. Patrick’s Park) -nope
57) Cross Country Ski the ND golf course -nope
58) Take a local cooking class -Chef Laurent's French/Italian masterpieces: Onion Tart, gnocchi (which I've since made myself)
59) Bike to and around Saint Mary’s College -nope
60) Volunteer for a South Bend community program -nope- I want to get involved with Dhanwantari's Seva Project.
61-62) CHECK
63) Visit Benton Harbor and Traverse City -nope
64) Make a point to use the local libraries -CHECK!  It turns out libraries have cookbooks!
65) Judge a science fair -nope
66-67) CHECK

Household
68-69) CHECK
70) Clean the oven twice (2/3)
71) Grow a crop of corn -CHECK
72) Buy a cactus or other succulent to raise in the house - I was given some tropical plants and they were alive when I left town.  I should ask Dan about those...
73-75) CHECK
76) Replace expensive cleaning products with homemade versions - working on this
77) Put in a path and stone patio - cross fingers, this year
78) Buy a piece of art for the house -nope
79) Decorate the living room -sorta

Financial
80-83) CHECK!
84) Donate money to WWU - this year

Odie
85) Train Odie to come when called - CHECK -mostly
86) Train Odie to look - work on this
87) Train Odie to stay at doorways -CHECK
88) Take Odie to 90% of the pet-friendly parks in the county - I've been working on that one, should total it
89) Teach Odie to behave well at outdoor restaurants - I haven't even tried
90) Take Odie on a vacation - short ones to Chicago

Personal Challenges
91) Spend a week without the internet - sigh... can that even be done?
92-93) CHECK!

Miscellaneous
94) Celebrate 3 holidays I have never heard of - Forefathers day and ummm...
95-98) CHECK
99) Have wisdom tooth removed -nope
100) Give a thoughtful and random gift to a friend (5 times) - I'm at 3 (at least)
101) Do not allow yourself to complain of boredom -CHECK

alive, happy, etc

1) Earn a Masters Degree - check

 And with that, I'm sure you understand why I've disappeared entirely.

Since 2012 began, I have, in stream of conciousness, no particular order fashion:

• started running 5.5 miles (up from about 3) on my "usual" run
• read several physics textbooks in their entirety
• received one a teaching award (and earned it)
• gotten a summer job at Los Alamos National Lab 
• learned to balance on my head in yoga class
• mastered the tricep push-up (I can do three!)
• gotten engaged to the man in my life (we're still grinning like idiots about it, even though we've been living in sin for 4 years)
• become a PhD candidate, read Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
• joined a book club - which is very distracting for my reading project
• visited several new parks with my dog
• volunteered for the ND physics department

i definitely haven't been bored, and i admit, i'm leaving a few things out.

New Year's Resolutions and overly ambitious goals

I hardly need New Year's resolutions when this is the year I finish the 101 list. THE LIST is a strange mix of overly ambitious and overly simple items that are meant to push me along through grad school while maintaining a sense of everything else. The most ambitious item is "Work your way down to 20% body fat and maintain it long enough to see if you like it."

Look at the following data from the American Council on Exercise

Percent Body Fat Norms for Men and Women

Description	Women	Men
Essential Fat	10-13%	2-5%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-31%	18-24%
Obesity	>32%	>25%

*Source: ACE Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach Manual

It is a ridiculous goal. To be fair, when I set that goal, my body fat percentage was 22-23% with an occasional dip to 21%. Then, I started running, stopped tracking calories, and the percentage shot up to 25-27%. I was upset at first, but hey, it meant I could still eat cookies and fit into my pants, so I ignored the problem. After a while, my pants stopped fitting so well and I was about 5 pounds heavier than I had been.

I admit, even this small amount of extra weight makes me feel pudgy. Over the holidays I took some real time for myself: I worked out at least an hour a day, bought some soy protein powder, tracked calories, and spent a week eating vegan. It felt amazing! So with that, I make some health related goals that seem laughingly simple:

1) I resolve NOT to touch the candy in the office candy jar or go to the vending machine (if I really want candy, I can walk to the student store and buy my own).
2) I resolve to save my morning snack for after I've finished my first mug of tea and 9:30AM has rolled around. I get bonus points if I can wait until ten.
3) I resolve to either (1) take a walk around the building or (2) practice office yoga when I get restless instead of reading food blogs.

Shifting optimism and reason.

I have slowly but surely been thinking about politics in the abstract since beginning my PhD program. I ignore the news almost entirely. I hate the dialog of politics in America today. It is a horrible mix of buzz, drone, mewling, and nothing. Instead I've been reading tough books that change the way that I think about the world. As a former anti-war demonstrator, green-party voter, and all-around utopia dreamer, this is a very frightening path I take.

I choose to read The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek merely because it is on the list of the Modern Library's 100 best non-fiction works AND it is on the BF's bookshelf. WOW! This is not a casual read: it will change the way you think about politics and power.

Most simply put, the kind of redistribution we modern liberals (yes, I still identify as a liberal) encourage by government planning has many unintended consequences. It isn't a simple matter of taking some of the excess and handing it to the needy (but I hope that sometimes it is still that simple). It is a matter of who should have the power to set the priorities and redistribute equity. The answer isn't pretty. A good example: George W. Bush. Yes, I hated him with a fiery passion. Yes, I think he deserved that.

Think about how much power that man had. Where did it come from? We have been consolidating power into the Executive branch for many reasons. Large scale centralized governing started around the time of FDR and the New Deal (NOTE: I'm NOT a history expert). At some point this allows for leadership that we simply don't approve. Fortunately for us we maintain our checks and balances (to some extent) and our election system. Full blown socialism (think 1920's Germany) leads to Totalitarianism. Wow! I can't say I've ever really been given that set of ideas so cleanly and clearly. Yet there it is.

I start off my new year with a whole new set of ideas buzzing in my head. It leads me farther down the road of libertarianism. This is simply a place I NEVER thought I would walk. Sadly for my young idealistic memories, applying logic to politics takes me here. I still can't face the newspapers, but I'll work on it.

The end of Vegan Week!

After seven straight days of vegan fun plus a vegan breakfast, I'm wondering when I'm going to add back in animal products to my diet. I enjoyed most of the food I ate and I rarely felt deprived, but I can't see myself adapting to veganism in the long term. I've been wondering about Mark Bittman's approach "Vegan until 6," but I'm afraid even that sounds too restrictive. Perhaps 2/3 meals of vegan fun is the right approach for me.

Recently I read a lovely post from Gena on Choosing Raw about how people often confuse health and restriction. She suggested that people find a healthy lifestyle that works for them on a daily basis. Daily = every day for the rest of your life. I admit that a careful, restrictive plant-based diet that prevents me from eating out almost entirely is not for me.

The low point of my vegan: going to a restaurant. My vegan entree was dry, boring, and a poor excuse for food. I actually contacted the owner of the restaurant and we've been passing messages back and forth about seitan. Know anything about it? My January project may turn out to be developing a decent seitan based reuben sandwich.

Okay, that looks... disgusting. But frankly, I think more for its resemblance to meat than a lack of said resemblance.