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.

Vegan Week!

I'm a long time vegetarian. Why am I not a vegan? I admit it, I like to have a little bit of normal left in my life. I mean that on both a personal and social level. I could probably learn to embrace a vegan lifestyle, but it would be a lonely battle for me.
Socially: It is important for me to be able to walk into a restaurant or party and find something to eat. Vegan in Indiana is a lonely state of being.
Personally: I love butter. I love eggs. I love cheese. I love all of the delicious things you can do with them. I admit it. I'm just as bad as the "I love bacon" crowd in my own way.

I'm a lover of nearly all foods. I regularly have a veggie-packed meal that happens to be vegan. I seriously doubt I've accidentally had an entire vegan day. For a time I practiced "Nearly-Vegan Mondays." Nearly-vegan because despite my efforts, I would inevitably drizzle with honey, sprinkle parmesan, or saute with butter. It just happens.

I set a goal for myself to explore an entire week of veganism, but I didn't go cold-turkey (ha!). Leading up to Christmas, I didn't buy yogurt or honey to replace the empties. I ate a lot of salads and tofu and pie. Oh yes, I'd made a decidedly non-vegan chocolate cranberry tart and ate a piece every day last week. If I was a food blogger, there would be some lovely red and chocolate photos of pie bliss. I had a delicious Christmas complete with deviled eggs and butternut squash lasagna (along with salad, sweet potatoes, green beans, and delicious snacks). Oh, and Italian fig cookies and dates (I was sick of pie). Why don't I have a food blog again? Oh right, because that would increase the food obsession.

Starting yesterday morning, vegan. Why the day after Christmas? No leftovers? Exactly. No glorious baking projects filled with pounds and pounds of butter? Exactly. No holiday weight-gain? Exactly. Diet girl set the week.
I'm working out like a fiend, tracking calories, and supplementing with protein powder. Fun? sorta. A permanent lifestyle? probably not. I keep thinking "When I'm NOT vegan, I'll cook that." I'd have to give away all of my cookbooks and half of my blog subscriptions to turn vegan. And I'd have to become a shut-in.
Tonight? Rockin' Flow Vinyasa. Tomorrow? I'm celebrating day four with french fries and beer.

Forefather's Day

Have you ever considered how to celebrate ANYTHING without food? It is my automatic response to everything. Christmas: "What kind of dessert will I make?" New Years: "What kind of Champagne will I drink?" Saturday: "What sort of pancakes do I want?", Friday night: "Is it time for wine yet?", Birthday: "How many different kinds of cake do I get to bake?" 411th anniversary of the landing at Plymouth by the Mayflower: "Can I make cornbread, or do I have to pretend I'm starving as the poor passengers and crew were?"

Neglected item #94 on my 101 things list is to celebrate holidays "I have never heard of." As you may have guessed, I'm reaching to celebrate an obscure holiday without my typical reliance on food.

Coincidentally, I finished a book about the voyage of the Mayflower and the beginnings of modern America just days before the anniversary of the landing in Plymouth on December 21st, 1620: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathanial Philbrick. While the book covers the story we know, it also delves into the richer history of how the colony survived through cooperation with the local tribes - and how that cooperation eroded over the years. We have forgotten most of the interesting parts of the story. And by we, I mean that 35 million - roughly 10% of the population of the United States can trace a part of their ancestry to a person who sailed on that ship. Amazing!

To observe Forefather's Day (celebrated annually in Plymouth, Massachusetts on December 22nd), I have read The Mayflower Compact which is said to have influenced the US Constitution. I may watch a movie about another first encounter Pocahontas (since I can't find a more appropriate film). I will also open my box of crayons to do a little coloring. Remember elementary school: we drew for every occasion!

Look at this amazing image of Pocahontas which I also remember from elementary school. It shocked me as a child - why would she wear clothes like that? Why would she hide her hair? Now I see it much differently: I imagine it a strange and great privilege for her. She may not have have wanted it, but she understood. While she had nothing to do with the Pilgrims, her dignity (beyond the clothes) reminds me of many of the stories I read in Mayflower about Pilgrims and Natives alike.

Finals Week Update

The BEST part about finals week in grad school = NO finals. I don't even have to grade anything this week. It has been lovely! Here is my update. Lordy, I have 48 uncompleted goals. It is a very ambitious list - I can't imagine completing all of the travel plans I made for myself.

I think I'll make crackers for the upcoming holiday parties.

101 Things in 1001 Days

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

Academic/Knowledge
1) Earn a Masters Degree - by spring break
2) Work through a first year Chemistry Text - sadly slow progress
3) Write and maintain a website - http://www.nd.edu/~dmcderm2/
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- how is this different than 6? I blame the BF...
8) Read and understand a complete work (of any length) by Faulkner -CHECK - understand? I believe so
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)
12) Have a conversation in Portuguese CHECK
13) Be able to name all of the U.S. Presidents in order - need to practice this one
14) Become an architecture geek - I did take a roadtrip with an architecture geek - does that count?
15) T.A. a graduate level class - DONE and DONE
16) Take a language class - Portuguese
17) Present at an academic conference - March Meeting '11

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 -SORTA
21) Make crackers (via a Mark Bittman recipe) - soon!
22) Eat a completely vegan diet for one week - Winter break plan
23) Make baking bread a habit - turns out I don't eat enough bread to follow through. Does frequent cookie making count?
24) Stay on calorie budget during one of the BF's trips - The BF stopped taking so many trips.
25) Eat a meal made entirely of things grown in my own garden - I am going to have to work at this one

Exercise
26) Take a yoga class - many many yoga classes later - LOVE IT
27) Take an advanced pilates class - I have reached a point in pilates where I need to start pushing myself more or find a harder teacher - sigh...
28) Run a 5K - DONE
29) Run a faster 5K -DONE
30) Run a 10K - Spring goal
31) Run a faster 10K - FALL?
32) Master a tri-cep push-up - I can do ONE and I feel so proud of myself
33) Go hiking in the North Cascades - Do the Chuckanuts count? Weather has been holding me back.
34) Work down to 20% body fat (and maintain it for long enough to see if you like it) - When I made this list I was around 22-23%, once I stopped tracking calories, I shot up. I just started tracking again - it is a little too soon to comment on the sanity of this goal.
35) Return from a vacation thinner than you left - last vacation I gained 7 lbs. I've got a few more chances, but dang this is a tough one.
36) Climb the ND library stairs - sounds like a good winter break activity.

Travel
37) Visit Glacier National Park -nope
38) Visit the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming -CHECK!
39) Visit Yellowstone National Park -nope
40) Visit the U.P. of Michigan -nope
41) Travel to Iowa -CHECK -if driving through and visiting the State Capitol building counts
42) Visit the Field Museum -CHECK
43) Visit the Art Institute of Chicago -nope
44) Attend a Shakespeare production in Chicago -nope
45) Visit the Smoky Mountains -nope
46) Visit three East Coast States -nope
47) Sleep in a tent -CHECK!
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 (2/10)
53) Go on vacation without a car -COSTA RICA

Community
54) Visit the Pizza restaurant near Lake Michigan -check
55) Visit the Snite Museum -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 -SATURDAY!
59) Bike to and around Saint Mary’s College -nope
60) Volunteer for a South Bend community program -nope
61) Volunteer for the ND Physics Department -definitely. i've been service mad this semester
62) Visit a local winery -CHECK, CHECK, CHECK... shall I go on?
63) Visit Benton Harbor and Traverse City -nope
64) Make a point to use the local libraries -nope- but I never lack for reading materials
65) Judge a science fair -nope
66) Visit Amish Country -CHECK - thanks Mom
67) Visit Fernwood Botanical Garden -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 -nope
73) Clean and organize the contents of both desks -CHECK
74) Maintain organization of the desks -CHECK (mostly)
75) Develop and maintain organization systems for all messy zones - a constant battle
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) 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) - about what my checking account is at these days - does that count?
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 - too cold!
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 - soon
92) Watch no television for one month - done
93) Drive in downtown Chicago - done

Miscellaneous
94) Celebrate 3 holidays I have never heard of - really need to get on this
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 -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

As October rolls into November

I have quite a bit of work to do on my little list. I have been working on the Odie park project. Last weekend I took her to the North Triangle neighborhood. We walked around gazing at old homes, smelling leaf piles, and visiting two parks: Nokomis and Parkovas. We also recently visited Coquillard Park. A good blogger would have taken some fabulous pictures of said parks. I however am simply a record keeper of my own list, and not a blogger. Since the following list is merely South Bend parks, it is clear I have a long way to go.

() Belleville Park Evergreen Ln. at Meadow Ln. 43.65
() Belleville Softball Complex In Belleville Park 0.00
(check) Boehm Park Edison Rd. at Rose St. 30.00
() Boland Park Corpus Christi Dr. at Tomahawk Trail. 21.03
() Brownfield Park Riverside Dr. at Angela Blvd. 2.70
(check) Coquillard Park Campeau St. at Arthur St. 7.16
() East Bank Trail Angela to Niles along Railway 1.10
(check) East Race Waterway Niles Ave. at Washington St. 5.10
() Elbel Park Auten Rd. at Quince Rd. 313.25
() Erskine Park Miami Rd. at Ireland Rd. 120.00
() Forestry 0.00
() Fredrickson Park South Bend Ave. at N. Jacob St. 14.24
() Fremont Park Fremont St. at W. Hamilton St. 2.00
() Gwen Stiver Park St. Joseph St. at Lasalle St. 0.38
(check) Howard Park Jefferson Blvd. at St. Louis Blvd. 11.49
() Keller Park Riverside Dr. near Sherman Ave. 16.91
() Kelly Park Howard St. at St. Peter St. 1.10
() Kennedy Park Olive St. at Westmoor St. 38.56
() LaSalle Memorial Park Portage Ave. near Ribourde Dr. 1.56
() LaSalle Park Washington St. at Camden St. 39.80
(check) Leeper Park Michigan St. at Park Ln. 25.72
() Lincoln Plaza Park N. Kenmore St. at W. Bulla St. 1.10
() Marshall Park Byron Dr. at Springbrook Dr. 9.00
() Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Linden Ave. at College St. 6.00
() McKinley Park Helmen Dr. near Manchester Dr. 1.10
() Morris Green Park St. Joseph St. at Colfax Ave. 0.70
() Muessel Grove Park Wilbur St. at Vassar Ave. 17.26
(check) Nokomis Park Lafayette Blvd. at Marquette Ave. 1.94
(check) Northside Blvd. Walkway Riverbank Sample to Greenlawn 32.50
() O'Brien Park Michigan St. at Walter St. 22.60
(check) Parkovash Park N. Lafayette Blvd. at Parkovash Ave. 1.65
() Pier Park Lafayette Blvd. at Parkovash Ave. 0.50
() Pinhook Park Boland Dr. at Riverside Dr. 42.69
() Plaza Park Jefferson Blvd. at Monroe St. 5.50
(check) Ponader Park Maple Lane Rd. at Douglas Rd. 10.38
(check) Potawatomi Park Mishawaka Ave. at Greenlawn Ave. 62.18
() Pulaski Park W. Western Ave. at S. Walnut St. 6.32
() Randolph Street Park Randolph St. at Sampson St. 2.00
() Ravina Park Indiana Ave. at Lebanon St. 0.40
() Riverside Manor Park Glenview Dr. near Viking Dr. 5.48
() Riverside Park Riverside Dr. near Darden Rd. 2.58
(check) Rum Village Park Ewing Ave. at Gertrude St. 160.00
(check) Seitz Park St. Joseph River at Washington St. 0.30
() Shetterley Park Riverside Dr. at Leland St. 2.66
() Sorin Park Sorin St. at Patterson Dr. 0.55
(check) South Bend River Walk 0.00
() Southeast Neighborhood Park Fellows St. at Keasey St. 9.50
() Studebaker Park Calvert St. at High St. 23.94
() Tarkington Park Hickory Rd. at Hepler St 10.96
(check) Veterans' Memorial Park Twyckenham at Northside Blvd. 16.11
(check) Viewing Park Northside Blvd. at Notre Dame Ave. 4.00
() Voorde Park Keller St. at Kenmore St. 14.00
() Westhaven Park Sussex Dr. at Grove St. 5.68
() Wheelock Park Between Laurel Rd. and Harvest Dr. on Darden Rd. 72.00
() Woodlawn Park Riverside Blvd. at Woodlawn Blvd. 16.56

Last night I began to read Mayflower which is a Pulitzer Prize winner. Nonfiction - but I've discovered to read what I'd like, I need a little more flexibility than I gave myself.

check

I made Randy and Peggy dinner last night. With busy schedules, it really has taken two years to make the dinner happen.

My last run was about 4 miles and it took me 38 minutes. 10K, I've got my mind set on you.

101 update

I've been quite and busy. I'm having so much fun though!

101 Things in 1001 Days - Completions

Academic/Knowledge
3) Write and maintain a website
4) Learn to implement code using a header file
5) Compile code w/ a make file
6) Use multiple source code files compiled through a make file
7) Use a header to input source code from one file to another
8) Read and understand a complete work (of any length) by Faulkner
12) Have a conversation in Portuguese
15) T.A. a graduate level class
16) Take a language class
17) Present at an academic conference

Diet/Food
19) Make Fried Green Tomatoes - TONIGHT!
23) Make baking bread a habit - I don't eat a lot of bread, but I regularly make pizza dough!

Exercise
26) Take a yoga class
27) Take an advanced pilates class
28) Run a 5K
29) Run a faster 5K! Today!!!! Go me! I don't have my official time yet though.
32) Master a tri-cep push-up -not mastered, but close - Thank You YOGA!
33) Go hiking in the North Cascades
35) Return from a vacation thinner than you left - I came back from my last roadtrip about right.

Travel
38) Visit the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming - went with my mom!
42) Visit the Field Museum
47) Sleep in a tent - boy, did my mom complain about this!
48) Visit a country whose primary language is not English - Costa Rica
49) Attend a baseball game at Wrigley Field - SO much fun!

Community
54) Visit the Pizza restaurant near Lake Michigan
55) Visit the Snite Museum
56) Canoe the St. Joseph River (starting from St. Patrick’s Park) - maybe tomorrow if it warms up
58) Take a local cooking class
60) Volunteer for a South Bend community program - want to help out the Dhan community service
61) Volunteer for the ND Physics Department - definitely on the small scale, working on the big scale
62) Visit a local winery
66) Visit Amish Country - Mom again
67) Visit Fernwood Botanical Garden - twice! once with Ma

Household
68) Paint the bathroom - a lovely blue!
69) Develop a successful composting system
70) Clean the oven twice (1/3)
71) Grow a crop of corn
73) Clean and organize the contents of both desks
74) Maintain organization of the desks - working to
75) Develop and maintain organization systems for all messy zones - getting better
76) Replace expensive cleaning products with homemade versions

Financial
80) Pay off student loans - really ready to do this
81) Pay off my car loan - DONE
82) Organize and fully document my financial information - kinda, sorta...

Odie
85) Train Odie to come when called - when she wants to...
86) Train Odie to look - maybe not in those words...
87) Train Odie to stay at doorways - DEFINITELY
88) Take Odie to 90% of the pet-friendly parks in the county - added a new one today
90) Take Odie on a vacation - weekend away + x-mas last year

Personal Challenges
92) Watch no television for one month
93) Drive in downtown Chicago - a bit, but could really solidify this

Miscellaneous
96) Cook dinner for Randy and Peggy - coming soon!
97) Have pants tailored
98) Reconnect w/ an old friend - Katy! Leah!
100) Give a thoughtful and random gift to a friend (5 times) Pokie - secret purple sparkly + chocolate, Cathy - madeline cookie pan, Mallory - gluten free goodies
101) Do not allow yourself to complain of boredom - boy NEVER!

Parks

A goal on my 101 list: to take my mutt Odie (affectionately known as Odoriferous) to as many parks as I can get her to. I believe I set the requirement at 70% of St. Joe County. While the county maintains a good website, I have never managed to find a good list of South Bend CITY parks. Finally today I found it.

http://sbpark.org/parks/parks.htm

From this list, I have visited the following parks:

Boehm, East Race Waterway, Howard, Leeper Park, Northside Blvd. Walkway, Ponader (on our own Maple Lane), Potawatomi, Rum Village, and Seitz.

This is a list item that must be worked on. Odie deserves as many new smells as I can give her.

A Flurry of Progress

I am proud to say I am the owner of a lovely blue bathroom!

Gilead wound its way to a fascinating and surprising ending. While the book was slow in spots, I am lucky to have read it.

I recently discovered the Modern Library's Fiction list, and WOW, I'm doing much better than I thought if I count those books. I know that I constantly loosen my standards with reading, but the idea is to push myself to read good books. This is grad school, so I can't spend the time and energy to read as I once did. Since starting this list, I have read:

Lord of the Rings, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE by Robert Pirsig, THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret Atwood

Including the Thomas Sowell book, I am up to 5/10 on the Modern Library list (ignoring the non-fiction requirement). I have plans to read several non-fiction:

THE ROAD TO SERFDOM by F. A. Hayek

THE GREAT BRIDGE by David McCullough

THE RIGHT STUFF by Tom Wolfe

IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote

I'm excited to read those books, I just need to find the time.

a general disinterest

in blogging that is.

i am currently reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. this may be my favorite of the National book award winners that i have read. generally i'm not finding the award a great compliment, but this is a worthwhile novel. it takes a meandering wander through a life that is somehow simple and complex all in one breath.

odie goes to lots of parks these days.

my website has been maintained recently.

9) Read 10 of the National Book Award winners in fiction (2/10).

1980 The World According to Garp by John Irving
2004 The News from Paraguay by Lily Tuck

10) Read 10 of the Pulitzer Prize winners in fiction (4/10).

Adams by McCullough (okay, not fiction, but I'm counting it)
2007 The Road by Cormac McCarthy
2006 March by Geraldine Brooks
2005 Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - currently reading

11) Read 10 of the Modern Library’s 100 Best Nonfiction (1/10).
Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell

I started this list a year ago, and I'm getting there. Here goes a count down of the dones and almost-dones:

3) Write and maintain a website - really ought to update it this week...
4) Learn to implement code using a header file - oh yeah, got it
5) Compile code w/ a make file - sorta, I understand them and when I have some spare time to dedicate, I'll do it..
6) Use multiple source code files compiled through a make file - 5 & 6 will happen at the same time
7) Use a header to input source code from one file to another - done
8) Read and understand a complete work (of any length) by Faulkner - read and understood!
9) Read 10 of the National Book Award winners in fiction (0/10) I'm not checking the tallies, but I'm doing okay on these
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 - much convo in Portuguese happened - mostly in class last semester
15) T.A. a graduate level class
16) Take a language class
17) Present at an academic conference - done as of Monday - aack!
(13 items)

Diet/Food
18) Make a batch of freezer jam -done
23) Make baking bread a habit - when i have time, absolutely, but I'm trying to eat less grain
24) Stay on calorie budget during one of the BF's trips
(16 items)

Exercise
27) Take an advanced pilates class
28) Run a 5K
32) Master a tri-cep push-up - close on this one
34) Work down to 20% body fat (and maintain it for long enough to see if you like it) - coming to the sad conclusion that this may never happen - my body fat shot up when i started running :(
(19 items)

Travel
42) Visit the Field Museum
48) Visit a country whose primary language is not English - Costa Rica
52) Visit 10 Presidential Historic Sites - i'm at about three
53) Go on vacation without a car - Costa Rica
(23 items)

Community
54) Visit the Pizza restaurant near Lake Michigan
55) Visit the Snite Museum
58) Take a local cooking class
62) Visit a local winery
67) Visit Fernwood Botanical Garden
(28 items)

Household
69) Develop a successful composting system
70) Clean the oven twice (1/3)
71) Grow a crop of corn
72) Buy a cactus or other succulent to raise in the house - rosemary plant survived the winter! yeah!
73) Clean and organize the contents of both desks
74) Maintain organization of the desks - i'm doing reasonably well with this
75) Develop and maintain organization systems for all messy zones
(35 items)

Financial
80) Pay off student loans - almost done
81) Pay off my car loan -DONE!!!!
82) Organize and fully document my financial information - umm, sorta
83) Have an emergency fund of at least two months wages ($3000) - getting there!
(38 items)

Odie
85) Train Odie to come when called - mostly!
87) Train Odie to stay at doorways - she is SO good at this
90) Take Odie on a vacation - Christmas in Chicago!
(41 items)

Personal Challenges
91) Spend a week without the internet - I should do this in May. Can't work with no internet!
92) Watch no television for one month - did this!
93) Drive in downtown Chicago - did this, but Sunday morning near the museums, not difficult.
(45 items)

Miscellaneous
97) Have pants tailored
98) Reconnect w/ an old friend
100) Give a thoughtful and random gift to a friend (3/5) - i've been surprise gifting people chocolate like mad recently, but i should step it up
101) Do not allow yourself to complain of boredom
(49 items)

These aren't all complete, but clearly I should step it up and work on the hard ones. And the easy ones. I am going to take Odie to a new park on Saturday.

The Best January of my life

Accomplished Goals:

4) Learn to implement code using a header file
7) Use a header to input source code from one file to another
8) Read and understand a complete work (of any length) by Faulkner (I've been reading excerpts/short stories... awesome!)
9) Read 10 of the National Book Award winners in fiction (0/10) I've read some of these, the counts are somewhere to be found
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
15) T.A. a graduate level class (I'm on my second)
16) Take a language class (Portuguese!)
17) Present at an academic conference (in March I can check this one off)
18) Make a batch of freezer jam
23) Make baking bread a habit
27) Take an advanced pilates class
28) Run a 5K
32) Master a tri-cep push-up (not quite, but i'm making considerable progress!)
42) Visit the Field Museum
48) Visit a country whose primary language is not English (Costa Rica!)
52) Visit 10 Presidential Historic Sites (since starting the list... Woodrow Wilson's house in D.C., Gerald Ford's Library) (2/10)
54) Visit the Pizza restaurant near Lake Michigan
55) Visit the Snite Museum
58) Take a local cooking class
61) Volunteer for the ND Physics Department
62) Visit a local winery
67) Visit Fernwood Botanical Garden
69) Develop a successful composting system
70) Clean the oven twice (1/3)
71) Grow a crop of corn
72) Buy a cactus or other succulent to raise in the house
73) Clean and organize the contents of both desks
74) Maintain organization of the desks
75) Develop and maintain organization systems for all messy zones
79) Decorate the living room
81) Pay off my car loan
85) Train Odie to come when called
87) Train Odie to stay at doorways
90) Take Odie on a vacation
92) Watch no television for one month
93) Drive in downtown Chicago
100) Give a thoughtful and random gift to a friend (5 times) (2/5)
101) Do not allow yourself to complain of boredom

some I'm roughly a 3rd of the way through the list and I made it less than a year ago. go me! it looks like i have a lot of travel to do!