July Update

20. Watch Roger Ebert’s 102 Films to See Before You Die
This month I saw two films on Ebert's list, The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Third Man. I have to step up the pace a little on this one--I have 19 months left and 63 left to see. I should be watching more than three a month, but not as many as four. Of course, I should also be reading two and a half Pulitzer winners a month, and right now I am in the middle of two (Gilead and March); which means I've still only read one.

2. Try 12 new-to-me restaurants
On Thursday, I met a friend for lunch in the city and we went to Bobby Flay's new restaurant, Bobby's Burger Palace. I had the Santa Fe burger with queso sauce, jalapenos, and corn chips. My friend had the Burger of the Month--arugula, basil ketchup, parmesan, and mozzarella. We split the sweet potato fries, which were outstanding. Next time, though, I am getting a plain cheeseburger because they make their own ketchup and other sauces, and I'd like to try some of those on an unadulterated burger. That brings me to seven. She and I also talked about going to the Han Dynasty special banquet, but they only do it once a month and the next time we can make it is October...

63. Make a piece of jewelry with the beads I bought two years ago in Oklahoma
I bought some beads to string with them, and I am working on the design.

77. Write a note to my grandmothers each month

I made little cards to send to my grandmothers--cute with flip flops and life preservers.

102 63 To See

Last night the dude and I went on a date to see The Third Man. Carol Reed's film was another on Roger Ebert's list that I had never seen...even though we own it, and it is one of the dude's favorites. (And yes, we paid $20 to see a movie we own. Big screen, people, makes so much difference.)

I think I could whiz my way through Ebert's list if all the movies were shown on the big screen, but even more if they were all this good. I can't believe I've never seen this, labeled a noir classic, without some of the elements that make noir noir. Though there's long shadows and hopelessness a plenty. And let's face it, there weren't many meaner streets than Austria after the war.

I can't believe that the dude told me how important the zither music was--Ebert asks, "Has there ever been a film where the music more perfectly suited the action than in Carol Reed's The Third Man?" And not only did I forget that, I have to admit, I found the jangle of the zither annoying. Does that mean I don't get into film school?

20

I've rearranged--or arranged--my days in order to get more stuff on this list done. In the afternoons, for a while anyway, I'll be spending time watching Roger Ebert's 102 Movies You Must See Before You Die*.

Today I watched Robert Wise's (1951) The Day the Earth Stood Still. About an hour into the movie, I thought to myself, "why is this on the list?" So I revisited the list, and here's what Ebert had to say about creating it, "These are the movies I just kind of figure everybody ought to have seen in order to have any sort of informed discussion about movies." That makes sense. These aren't great movies, but the kind of iconic movies that give us the sort of scenes that show up in genre films or don't, depending on what the director is aiming for. They're the kind of movies my students always hated because instead of seeing them as pioneering, they thought they were derivative. I love how backwards the young can see things.

I'm not much of a sci/fi person. But still I took away two things. Peace is good. (Give up the arms race!) (It was the Cold War.) And self-promotion at the expense of the entire world is bad. (No communism, but unfettered capitalism isn't all that great either, I guess.)

Helen: What about the rest of the world?
Tom, her fiance: I don't care about the rest of the world!
[Seeing her shocked expression]
Tom: You'll feel different when you read about me in the papers.
Helen: I feel different now.

* Or go to film school, either one.

84

84. Pick fruit at a UPick farm
Last Saturday the dude and I went to Linvilla Orchards and picked strawberries. It was fun. We picked the perfect day--sunny but not too hot--and the perfect time of day so the fields weren't crowded at all. We couldn't believe it was so close-by. Who knew we lived in the country? 8^P

We picked 14 pounds of the fruit so the dude could make strawberry jam (old fashioned, no pectin!) and strawberry sorbet, which got gobbled up in an instant. We had three pounds left over. We put two pounds in the freezer and are snacking on the other pound. I think we will be back this summer for raspberries and peaches. Maybe more especially since the picking didn't take nearly as long as the jam making!

Overdue Update

22. Take a cookbook out of the library every other month and make dishes from each
This month, I checked out Fresh Mexico. I made Chipotle Cream Shrimp for dinner last week. OMG! The shrimp was so delicious, we practically came to blows over who would eat the leftovers. Not really, but I could imagine it. Fortunately there was enough for two small servings the following day. I also made cucumbers and radishes as a side dish. Not much of a recipe, but it was very refreshing and a nice light side with the heavier main dish. I would definitely make this again. There are a few "small dishes" I would like to try as well.

23. Trace my ancestry back to the old country (not Canada)
It turns out that some branches of my family have been in Canada for yonks. I’m still working on confirming my connection to Isaac Bedard (paternal grandmother’s family) but it looks like my ancestors may have been among the first 3000 white settlers in New France (Canada). I am back to “the old country” in my mother’s paternal family. I found the ship her grandfather came over on. They self-identified as Poles from Vilni, (now Vilnius, Lithuania) but on the manifest they are listed as Russians from Vilna. One of the interesting things about family history is its relationship to world history and global politics. I am still trying to trace his wife. No one seems to know how to spell her last name.

Map of New France. Source: Charles Holme "Art in England During the Elizabethan and Stuart Periods, 1908. Map of “New France” (Canada). From the engraving by Benjamin Wright (circa 1608).

26. Fix couch in guest room
When we started to put our Ikea couch together a month after bringing it home, we discovered that the bolt holes on the arm were misaligned. Unfortunately, we tried to force it and we ended up stripping one of the bolts. We cut it with a hacksaw and just left the arm of the couch leaning in position. Unfortunately, Stella would occasionally lean up against it with her full weight, knock over the arm, and tumble off the couch. Of course, the bolt that was left sticking out of the arm was an (expensive) accident waiting to happen. Adrienne’s visit gave me the impetus to ask our neighbor for his engineering help. Pete and I had talked a good game including the phrase “liquid nails” but Mark actually took a look at the arm and came up with a proper fix. He opened the arm and replaced the internal workings. It’s perfect. He was impressed with my liquid nails fix, however; usually, he thinks we’re two of the biggest dufuses on earth. He’s not far wrong.

42. Finish current WIP—Spots II
Done! I’m bringing this to the framing sale, so it should be hanging in our bedroom soon.

77. Write a note to my grandmothers each month
In January I wrote some thank you notes. In March, my maternal grandmother celebrated a birthday and I sent a note to both of them. For mother’s day, I sent a note to both of them again. So three for five. Not bad.

79. Go OUT on a date once a month with the dude
We have occasionally gone out but I haven’t been keeping track. Last month we went to see Date Night, which we both recommend. Then to make it a real date we went for a drink afterwards.

80. Meet three new blogging friends IRL (2/3)
Adrienne’s visit is going a long way here. I really enjoyed meeting Adrienne. She’s a delight.

86. Try to be more positive-- At the end of each day, take five minutes to write down in a journal every good thing I did or experienced that day
Since our trip to England, when I lost track of the days, I have only written in this journal three times. I am going to start back on this tonight. Instead of keeping track by “day” (Day 203—of 1001, for example) I am going to mark the date. It will help me keep better track.

87. Take a Pilates class
Class finished last week. I wanted to continue, but for the next five weeks our class is being held at 6:00 instead of 7:20. Next fall, we’re going to reup. If I can, I’m going to schedule doing a Pilates DVD a few times a week over the summer. I really enjoyed it.

93. Create and practice my 3 minute elevator pitch for myself
I really really really need to make this a priority. I had an opportunity to sell myself to a head hunter that I met through my library volunteerism, but I was much more articulate talking about the dude’s job than my own capabilities! And this is a real gimme question on an interview. I need to take advantage. (Not thrilled with my answer at a recent interview.)

100. Talk to my mother on the phone—or in person—weekly
Is it very sad that I have to write this down in order to do it? Not if you knew my mother! Although I do have to say she has been much less critical since I lost my job. Coincidence? I think not.

101. Post updates about this list once per month
I have to avoid my avoidance when I am not actively working on the list. I have to be sure I revisit this just to keep myself on track.

18

I have finally finished one of the Pulitzer Prize winning novels: Empire Falls. I loved this book! I grew up in New Hampshire, the granddaughter of mill workers. The area I grew up in had a lot of old mills, I know this place. I thought Russo did a bang up job evoking the sense of place, the beliefs and feelings of the people. I raced right through it and loved every word. Great book.

November Update

35. Replaced the DVD player--I had a gift certificate to amazon, so I just went for it. I had to buy a craptastic one because our tv is so old and crappy.
64. Make all my Christmas presents for Christmas 09--I'm working on it. I have five done, and am in for a big push this month. Must make something nearly every day. Full report on Stitch Bitch. (At left is the felted wool pomander I made for my grandmother, directions here.)
79. Date night. Last night the dude and I went out to homemade spaghetti at the local dive (they only do it Sunday and Tuesday). I turned to the dude and said, "I guess this is our date this month." He said we could go home and watch a movie, but the Steelers/Ravens game was important in my pool. (I overtook the leader last night!) Not big and fancy but out and adult-like.
98. Help parents clear out NH house for sale. We worked on it again over Thanksgiving. I think we're really getting there. In fact, they are leaving soon for their house in Florida. I think there will only be one more trip--when they close.

And a fail
71. Purge five things from every room in the house on (each) November 22, National Declutter Day--oops! missed the deadline, but I will try to correct it this week.

#1

On November 1, the dude and I used our free tickets to see Capitol Steps. Everyone kept raving about it; we were really looking forward to it.

At the start of the show, theater management had everyone looking under their seats for tickets again. The couple sitting next to us said they thought it was a bunch of hooey, that they weren't really giving away tickets. So of course I had to tell them we had won tickets to that show.

Let me tell you, it was really...average. I think we may have perceived it as being worse than it was because the woman sitting directly behind the dude laughed hysterically at every single sketch, every song, every lame ass joke. Had she never watched The Daily Show? Had she never been out of the house at all? It was very Jay Leno, middle of the road, silly and inoffensive. It certainly wasn't the cutting-edge political humor that we were, perhaps rather naively expecting. We left at intermission.

I also got Pioneer Woman's new cookbook. I've made the enchiladas and I know I'll be making more things from it.

In my last update I reported that I was committed to spending 30 minutes in the craft room...well that didn't go anywhere. And I've just been in NH working on #98 and I've thrown more crap into the craft room. Sigh. That room might be destined to be a never-ending problem.

I've been keeping up with writing to my grandmothers (thank you notes this time), having a happier outlook (#86) and talking to my mother (#100).

I'm hoping the upcoming holidays provide the little push I need to get more things done around the house. We'll see.

#22 More Cooking

Last night's dinner was Texican Beef Stew, one of my all time favorite crock pot recipes. To accompany it, I decided to make Ina Garten's buttermilk cheddar biscuits from Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics.

Oh my achin' God. Those were awesome. I know I am not southern, but I try to live my dietary life as though I were. That is, I have eaten a lot of biscuits in my time all across this great land of ours. These were the best I have ever had. Best right out of the oven, best cooled down later in the evening, best the next day for breakfast.

Oh, and on Sunday, the dude, Sissy, my cousin and her husband and I went to see David Sedaris at the Keswick Theatre. He was hilarious reading essays he was working on for his next book. We all really enjoyed it. The theater had a giveaway of tickets for Capitol Steps. We had to look under our seats to see if we won. Four of us look under our seats...nothing. So I say to the dude, look under your seat to see if you won. (He hadn't heard the announcement, which to his credit, was very low and mumbly.) So he looks at the floor under his seat. I said, "No. Feel the bottom of your seat for an envelope or something." And he says, "For an envelope...like this?" as he whips out an envelope. He won tickets! Since the show is November 1, that will make three months of cultural events. (And since we went to see Lorrie Moore read in September it's really four events in three months.)

Monthly Update

I don't know why I have been neglecting this poor little blog. Maybe because I have been neglecting this poor little list. I did manage, perhaps accidentally, to do a few items on the list.

1. #1: We went to the Greek Fair on the 16th. For dinner, the dude and I shared a wonderful lamb shank, spanakopita and tyropita. You almost never find the latter--just cheese. Just wonderful. We bought four to take to Sunday dinner because it's my sister's favorite. We got to see some young people dance traditional dances wearing traditional clothes. Later, when we ate dessert--baklava sundae--we were entertained by a Greek singer.
2. #18: I started Marilynne Robinson's Gilead. It's pretty slow going. Of course, I saw Lorrie Moore read last week, so I started reading her new book instead. Perhaps this is why I haven't read all of the Pulitzer winners...
3. #24: I took out Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes and made a "coffee cabinet" that's Rhode Island for a coffee frappe. That's New England for a coffee milkshake. I didn't make any other shakes because so many of them ended up having half a pint of ice cream per serving. Interferes with #83.
4. #64: I have finished three--my mother's mermaid cross-stitch, my sister's "sisters" cross-stitch, and my grandmother's "martini" cross-stitch. You can find those on my other blog.
5. #70. We've actually been going great guns on this project. The dude and I alphabetized all our books, dividing them into five categories--fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays, and reference. Well, six if you count his shelf of chess theory books. I have entered all our fiction onto Library Thing (and all of the chess theory).
6. #72 Yesterday I put 30 minutes into organizing the craft room--you can hardly tell I was in there. But I'm committing to 30 minutes a day.
7. #98: I talked to my mother yesterday about various things she wants me to take from the house. I think I'm going to call this one done when they actually sell the place!

20. Watch Roger Ebert's 102 Films to See Before You Die

I've always been a fan of Roger Ebert. Our taste in movies runs parallel, we look for similar qualities in good films and are willing to put up with similar things in crap films. So it only makes sense to see the movies he thinks are most important to the viewing public.

I have already seen some of them. I am not counting movies that I have seen parts of, and I've seen parts of lots of these.

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Stanley Kubrick
2. The 400 Blows (1959) Francois Truffaut
3. 8 1/2 (1963) Federico Fellini
4. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) Werner Herzog
5. Alien (1979) Ridley Scott
6. All About Eve (1950) Joseph L. Mankiewicz
7. Annie Hall (1977) Woody Allen
8. Apocalypse Now (1979) Francis Ford Coppola
9. Bambi (1942) Disney
10. The Battleship Potemkin (1925) Sergei Eisenstein
11. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) William Wyler
12. The Big Red One (1980) Samuel Fuller
13. The Bicycle Thief (1949) Vittorio De Sica
14. The Big Sleep (1946) Howard Hawks
15. Blade Runner (1982) Ridley Scott
16. Blowup (1966) Michelangelo Antonioni
17. Blue Velvet (1986) David Lynch
18. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Arthur Penn
19. Breathless (1959 Jean-Luc Godard
20. Bringing Up Baby (1938) Howard Hawks
21. Carrie (1975) Brian DePalma
22. Casablanca (1942) Michael Curtiz
23. Un Chien Andalou (1928) Luis Bunuel & Salvador Dali
24. Children of Paradise Marcel Carne
25. Chinatown (1974) Roman Polanski
26. Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles
27. A Clockwork Orange (1971) Stanley Kubrick
28. The Crying Game (1992) Neil Jordan
29. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Robert Wise
30. Days of Heaven (1978) Terence Malick
31. Dirty Harry (1971) Don Siegel
32. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) Luis Bunuel
33. Do the Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee
34. La Dolce Vita (1960) Federico Fellini
35. Double Indemnity (1944) Billy Wilder
36. Dr. Strangelove (1964) Stanley Kubrick
37. Duck Soup (1933) Leo McCarey
38. E.T. -- The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Steven Spielberg
39. Easy Rider (1969) Dennis Hopper
40. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Irvin Kershner
41. The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin
42. Fargo (1995) Joel & Ethan Coen
43. Fight Club (1999) David Fincher
44. Frankenstein (1931) James Whale
45. The General (1927) Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman
46. The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II (1972, 1974) Francis Ford Coppola
47. Gone With the Wind (1939) Victor Fleming
48. GoodFellas (1990) Martin Scorsese
49. The Graduate (1967) Mike Nichols
50. Halloween (1978) John Carpenter
51. A Hard Day's Night (1964) Richard Lester
52. Intolerance (1916) D.W. Griffith
53. It's a Gift (1934) Norman Z. McLeod
54. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Frank Capra
55. Jaws (1975) Steven Spielberg
56. The Lady Eve (1941) Preston Sturges
57. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) David Lean
58. M (1931) Fritz Lang
59. Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior" (1981) George Miller
60. The Maltese Falcon (1941) John Huston
61. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) John Frankenheimer
62. Metropolis (1926) Fritz Lang
63. Modern Times (1936) Charles Chaplin
64. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Terry Jones & Terry Gilliam
65. Nashville (1975) Robert Altman
66. The Night of the Hunter (1955) Charles Laughton
67. Night of the Living Dead (1968) George Romero
68. North by Northwest (1959) Alfred Hitchcock
69. Nosferatu (1922) F.W. Murnau
70. On the Waterfront (1954) Elia Kazan
71. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Sergio Leone
72. Out of the Past (1947) Jacques Tournier
73. Persona (1966) Ingmar Bergman
74. Pink Flamingos (1972) John Waters
75. Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock
76. Pulp Fiction (1994) Quentin Tarantino
77. Rashomon (1950) Akira Kurosawa
78. Rear Window (1954) Alfred Hitchcock
79. Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Nicholas Ray
80. Red River (1948) Howard Hawks
81. Repulsion (1965) Roman Polanski
82. The Rules of the Game (1939) Jean Renoir
83. Scarface (1932) Howard Hawks
84. The Scarlet Empress (1934) Josef von Sternberg
85. Schindler's List (1993) Steven Spielberg
86. The Searchers (1956) John Ford
87. The Seven Samurai (1954) Akira Kurosawa
88. Singin' in the Rain (1952) Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly
89. Some Like It Hot (1959) Billy Wilder
90. A Star Is Born (1954) George Cukor
91. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) Elia Kazan
92. Sunset Boulevard (1950) Billy Wilder
93. Taxi Driver (1976) Martin Scorsese
94. The Third Man (1949) Carol Reed
95. Tokyo Story (1953) Yasujiro Ozu
96. Touch of Evil (1958) Orson Welles
97. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) John Huston
98. Trouble in Paradise (1932) Ernst Lubitsch
99. Vertigo (1958) Alfred Hitchcock
100. West Side Story (1961) Jerome Robbins/Robert Wise
101. The Wild Bunch (1969) Sam Peckinpah
102. The Wizard of Oz (1939) Victor Fleming

I've put the ones I need to see in the netflix cue.

Restaurants and other updates

This weekend was a bonanza of entertainment. On Friday night the dude and I went to his coworkers birthday party at Cuba Libre. Cuban food. It was pretty good. A lot more upscale than the Cuban we used to go to all the time in L.A. But not necessarily better. The tres leche cake was out of this world, though.

Then last night we went to Eulogy Belgian Tavern. They have an excellent selection of beers in bottles and on draught, and if when we go back, I'll have to try something other than the Saison Dupont. While I love me a bready beer, I think I might go with a dirty ho next time. Then we raced off to the movies to see In the Loop. Hilarious characters with an unfortunately depressing subject matter. We enjoyed it quite a bit. Gasp, does that sound like a ...date?

It seems like I am doing pretty well on the things that require eating, not so much on the rest of it...I'm sure I'll get into the swing!

# 83 Lose 50 Pounds

Since Stella arrived, I have been doing a lot of walking--3 or 4 walks of 30 to 40 minutes a day. (Except this week--this weekend, Stella hurt her paw and the vet said no walking. A puppy. The vet wants me to let a puppy store her energy. You know how they say a tired dog is a good dog? We are in hell.)

I've lost 13 pounds since the end of June.

I'm putting a ticker on the website.

#22 Cookbook Exploration

I took Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics out of the library. I had to; I actually have an aunt Ina. Not that I like my aunt or anything, it's just how many people do you know called Ina?

The other day, I made cold cucumber soup. Fortunately, it was one of the hottest days we've had this summer. The soup was even more refreshing. It was quite good and, Ina's right, the addition of the shrimp gives the soup the body that it usually lacks. I'd like to try a couple more recipes from this one, but it is overdue. Maybe I'll make some copies before I return it.

Oh, blogger! You're doing that cute rotate-the-picture thing!

July Review

I haven't been well so not much has gotten done. I have kept up with three ongoing items though.
77. Write a note to my grandmothers each month
86. Try to be more positive-- At the end of each day, take five minutes to write down in a journal every good thing I did or experienced that day.
100. Talk to my mother on the phone—or in person—weekly

For our anniversary on the 14th, the dude and I went to a new to us restaurant (#2). We had heard great things about the homemade spaghetti at this little pizza joint near us. They only serve it on Sundays and Tuesdays. So we popped over and tried it for ourselves. Oh, mama! Good stuff.

I did manage to get to the library for #22 Take a cookbook out of the library every other month and make two dishes from each
I checked out Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics. Unfortunately, because I have been sick, I haven't been cooking much. Now that I am on the mend, I'm looking for my dishes. I figure if I make them before it's time to take out the next book, I'm right on track.

Not a great month, but since it was more like two weeks, I'll take it.

Mid-month update

#19 Thank you Sporcle. I decided to start with Africa, and now I can regularly name the capitals of Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Namibia, Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. (Of course, I knew some of these starting out.) I get a bit confused by Uganda, Sudan, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. Still, I'm making progress.

#21 Bought the book. Now trying to decide which badges to earn. As it turns out, a number of the items on my list overlap with the book, and there are a bunch more I've already mastered. Still there's definitely five new ones. And the book will be useful to help me complete the other items on my list.

#23 I've joined ancestry.com and I've found an old book from when I started working on my family history as a teenager. As it turns out the idea of going back further than Canada (all the way to France) may be unreasonable. One branch was in Canada in the mid-1600s. How much do I need to know about these people? I also talked to one of my grandmothers, and during our conversation it became clear she'd like to know more about her mother's family. Unfortunately, her mother died in 1927 or so, when my grandmother was almost five. That's the line I have the least information about right now.

#68 I have stamped every stamp in one drawer of my stamp cabinet--about 40 stamps. If I do a drawer every now and again, I should finish before schedule.

#70 Yesterday, I cataloged one whole bookcase--a little under 200 books in librarything.

#77 Wrote to one grandmother for her birthday and called the other on the phone. Since the latter is going blind, this may be a better option.

#86 Yesterday was the two week mark and I have 14 entries in my journal. I had a hard time with last night's. But some days I could go on and on.

#93 Need to get going on this since I have an interview next week!

#98 Sissy and I are headed north this weekend.

#99 In that genealogy book, I also found a clean copy of the family cookbook. Unfortunately, I entered this onto a computer about 5 computers ago. We no longer use those cute little floppies. I figured I'd have to reenter it, but I had been using my other copy...not so clean. I have also researched book-making options.

#100 I'm two for two.

#2 New Restaurants

Last night the dude and I went out with another couple to Bistro Juliana in Fishtown. It was a small neighborhood BYOB and quite good. I started with the red and yellow beet salad which I really enjoyed. The dude had the grilled octopus started which was the best of all. Wallace had a starter special that I forget, and Gromit* had the calamari. The squid was good.

Gromit and the dude had orecchiette with shrimp for the entree; they both liked it thought they were disappointed that they didn't look more like ears. Wallace had the linguine special, which I can't remember, but I do remember that Gromit said she liked hers better. I had the ravioli special with shrimp and scallops in a vodka cream sauce. Wallace almost had that but Gromit reminded him that he didn't like ravioli or vodka cream sauce. Go ahead and laugh. Earlier, when the waiter was telling us the specials, I had to remind the dude he doesn't like gnocchi. (Gromit also orders gnocchi but doesn't like it.) I think they all want to like these dishes they keep ordering, but are always disappointed. Apparently I am the only person who orders food I like. That may go a long way in explaining why it takes me a million years to figure out what I want.

I didn't have dessert but the dude had the tiramisu, and Wallace had the chocolate mousse cake. Thumbs up all around.

I know I pretend to be misanthropic but I really enjoyed last night's dinner. I think we're going to do it again, but they want to try a restaurant we've already been to. No problem, I have two and a half years...

The dude hoped this counted for No. 79 but I told him it didn't. If Mr. Obama can make time for his Mrs. so can the dude.

*Not her real name.

65. Finish my purple felted bag

In an effort to do better than I did last time, I have started a notebook to help keep me focused. Okay, maybe I went over the top, but I needed to use up the purple scraps.

Just about each item on the list has its own page with ideas for getting the item done. So right now, #2 "try 12 new-to-me restaurants" has 12 lines numbered followed by a list of ideas including Everyday Good House (because you have to love that name), Kaffa Crossing, Bindi, Distrito, and Dim Sum Garden. To help complete #4 "attend a pow wow," I have researched events that take place in the northeast, so now I know that Schemitzun takes place in Connecticut the third week of August; the Baltimore Indian 35th Annual will be held in Timonium, MD July 17-19; and the 29th Annual Roasting Ears of Corn will take place mid-August in Allentown, PA. I know that I will have to postpone trips to the Isabella Stewart Gardner (#12) and Atwater Kent (#9) because some or all of their galleries are closed this summer. I know when the other museums are open, how much they cost, and which days free tours are offered. I have a list of CDs and books that are available at the public library to help me with my French (#17). I know I have to read 2 Pulitzer Prize (#18) winners a month (just about) to keep to the schedule, and I have the five we own resting on my nightstand. I've put Roger Ebert's 102 films (#20) on the Netflix list. I have a schedule of things I need to do this fall so we can landscape next spring (#30). I know that I need to finish an in-progress cross stitch project (#40-51) every 100 days; I know that these days are September 10, 2009; December 19, 2009; March 29, 2010; July 7, 2010; October 15, 2010; January 23, 2011; May 3, 2011; August 11, 2011; November 19, 2011; and the final day of this 1001. I know that I can attend an EGA meeting in July (#53) and relearn punchneedle (#69). I know the schedules at local U Pick farms (#84) near us and learned the exciting news that Linvilla is planting Seascape strawberries, my favorite. I know when the International Dragon Boat Festival is in Philadelphia and when the local women's boat practices (#88). I found stretching exercises to help me do a split (#90), and I've scheduled a time with my sister to help my mom clean out the attic (#98). I even talked to my mother on the phone yesterday (#100).

And that's not all.

I went to the basement, found my purple bag, and put the last stitches in. It's been through a couple of washes. Here it is drying. This has only taken me four years--three and a half to do the kitchener stitches (all six of them) and felt it. Looking on the bright side (#86), it's done. And it's fabulous!

before and after

New List

Start: June 2, 2009
End: February 28, 2012

1. Go to one cultural event per month for three months (0/3)
2. Try 12 new-to-me restaurants
3. Find out about three interesting foods, seek them out and try them
4. Attend a pow wow
5. Take nieces to NYC at Christmas time for a play and to see the store windows
6. Visit Elfreth's Alley in the winter
7. Visit the Rosenbach Museum
8. Visit the Morris Arboretum
9. Visit the Atwater Kent
10. Visit the Cloisters (NYC)
11. Visit Fallingwater
12. Go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
13. Visit Iceland
14. Visit three of the following states overnight: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wisconsin (0/3)
15. Visit the Biltmore Estate
16. Go to Paris for 10th anniversary (07-14-11)
17. Study French so I'll be more fluent when we go to Paris
18. Read the Pulitzer Prize Winners for Fiction that I've never read (0/53)
19. Learn all the capitals of the 192 UN recognized countries, that includes you, Honduras
20. Watch Roger Ebert's 102 Films to See Before You Die that I have never seen (0/64)
21. Earn Five Merit Badges from "You Can Do It!" (0/5)
22. Take a cookbook out of the library every other month and make two dishes from each (0/16)
23. Trace my ancestry back to the old country (not Canada)
24. Paint downstairs bathroom, including trim
25. Install blinds in bedroom
26. Fix couch in guest room
27. Hem curtains in guest room
28. Create a household inventory
29. Cut down the black cherry tree in the back yard, grind stump
30. Landscape backyard
31. Create raised vegetable gardens in the backyard
32. Take antenna off roof
33. Organize the basement
34. Convert all videos we own to DVD; get rid of VCR
35. Fix or replace DVD player
36. Build a Habitat for Humanity House
37. Volunteer walking shelter dogs
38. Go on a volunteering vacation
39. Volunteer with Philadelphia Cares four times annually (0/12)
40. Sort scrapbook supplies and donate the things I don't use preferably to an organization that does therapeutic scrapbooking with MR kids
41. Finish current WIP--Elizabethan Rose
42. Finish current WIP--Spots II
    
43. Finish current WIP--Treasured Tulips
    
44. Finish current WIP--Scared Silly
    
45. Finish current WIP--Watercolor Geraniums
    
46. Finish current WIP--Majestic Rooster
    
47. Finish current WIP--Knot Garden
    
48. Finish current WIP--Apple Sampler
    
49. Finish current WIP--Folk Art Thread Keep
    
50. Finish current WIP--Tree of Life Window
51. Finish 5 FUFOs as wall hangings
52. Send four needlework items to be professionally finished
53. Go to EGA meeting at least once
54. Finish scrapbooks currently in progress: 1999
55. Finish scrapbooks currently in progress:niece 1
    
56. Finish scrapbooks currently in progress:niece 2
    
57. Finish scrapbooks currently in progress:1998 Poland trip
58. Make album of nephews 1 and 2
59. Make album of nephews 3 and 4
60. Make a happiness album, an 8x8 album of things that make me happy
61. Make short digital videos of the girls
62. Finish my pinwheel charm quilt top
63. Make a piece of jewelry with the beads I bought two years ago in OK
64. Make all my Christmas presents for Christmas '09 (0/24)
65. Finish my purple felted bad
66. Make the Amy Butler Overnight Case
67. Finish felted wool blanket
68. Use every stamp Sissy and I have
69. (Re)learn punchneedle and complete three projects
70. Complete catalog of books
71. Purge five things from every room in the house on (each) November 22, National Declutter Day (0/3)
72. Organize craft room
73. Host an open house
74. Host three cocktail parties (0/3)
75. Host three dinner parties (0/3)
76. Go to pub quiz five tiems (0/5)
77. Write a note to my grandmothers monthly (0/33)
78. Host five game nights (0/5)
79. Go out on a date once a month with the dude (0/33)
80. Meet three blogging friends--ones I haven't met before--IRL
81. Exercise three days a week for three months (0/36)
82. Stretch every day for one month (0/31)
83. Lose 50 pounds
84. Pick fruit at a UPick farm
85. Eat five fruits and veggies every day for three months (0/90)
86. Try to be more positive--at the end of each day, take five minutes to write down in a journal every good thing I did or experienced that day
87. Take a Pilates class
88. Learn to row a Dragon Boat
89. Get a message, annually (0/3)
90. Become flexible enough to do splits again
91. Write a will, including all the attendant documents
92. Write and send off a book proposal
93. Create and practice my 3 minute elevator pitch for myself
94. Write and send a fan letter
95. watch an Eagles game at Lincoln Field
96. Pay off second mortgage
97. Put things from NH attic on ebay
98. Help parents clear out NH house; take my things out of their house and find places for them in my house (or give them away)
99. Finish the family cookbook
100. Talk to my mother--on the phone or in person--weekly (0/143)
101. Post updates about this list at least once per month
     

Round One Over

My 1001 days have expired. I did 51--haha! more than half--and partially completed 15 more. That's 2/3rds which is a lot farther than I thought I was going to get last time I calculated. I think I'm going to do this again. I'll be working on my new list for a little while. Thanks for reading!

Begin Date: June 16, 2006
End Date: Thursday, March 12, 2009

1. Go to one cultural event per month for three months--I didn't do this in three months, which is what I had planned, but I did do some things
   
2. Find my local library and get a library card (and get a Philadelphia library card) I never did manage to get a Philadelphia card. Now I don't work in Philadelphia any more.
   
3. See a Broadway play with the dude
4. Take nieces to New York City--I think Sissy and I are going to do this in the next couple of years. You know, before the elder one won't do things with us anymore...
5. Visit Elfreth's Alley once in the summer and once in the winter--I managed to get there once in the summer.
6. Visit the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
7. Visit the Rosenbach Museum
8. Visit the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Penn
9. Visit the Morris Arboretum
10. Visit the Athenaeum--you know, I think I meant the Atwater Kent, but I didn't get there either, and I should have. I mean, I've been out of work for a month! Nothing but time on my hands.
11. Visit the Frick and the Cloisters--we didn't get up to the cloisters but I know we'll be visiting again soon
12. Go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum--I still want to do this, but it's so hard to make plans when we're in New England; there's usually too much family stuff going on
13. Watch the 49 films on AFI's Top 100 films that I have not already seen--perhaps the problem is that there was a reason I haven't seen them (like no real interest)
14. Read 16 works of fiction
15. Read 16 works of nonfiction
16. Read Bill Bryson's work that I haven't read before--I think I only have two left: Troublesome Words and A Short History
17. Attend three ethnic celebrations in Philadelphia--only did one
18. Subscribe to the Atlantic Monthly and the New Yorker. Read them.
19. Go to Camden Yard
20. Watch an Eagles game at Lincoln Field
21. Ride in a hot air balloon
22. Contribute additional $$ to retirement--short lived though it was
23. Consult a financial advisor
24. Write a will, including all the attendant documents
25. Find out how much a combine costs
26. Be less bossy—so the dude notices; this item will be complete when he says something about it, without prompting
27. Make two new friends
28. Meet up with blogging stitching friends
29. Host an open house each December--I managed to do it once.
30. Catalog books--I started it, now to finish
31. Write to my grandmothers monthly--I can tell they appreciate the effort I made
    
32. Host a dinner party--I'm going to set my sights lower: a cocktail party first
33. Go one week without tv--in season. I think we learned a lesson about how we use TV to fill the silence
34. Finish current WIPS, including Elizabethan Rose, Toy Gatherer, Hardanger Napkins, Alpine Garden, Treasured Tulips, St. Basil's Cathedral, Watercolor Geraniums, majestic rooster, Dolly Mama's Freebie, Enchanted Alphabet, Anna's Bird.--I did finish some of these. Next time they each get their own number!
35. Finish 6 FUFOs as wall hangings--I did one, but I have a new relationship with my sewing machine, so I think the others should be a snap.
    
36. Finish 3 FUFOs as pillows--I can whip up a pillow with ease now. I even did one with welting!
37. Finish 2 FUFOs as flatfolds
38. Frame 10 FUFOs--I came really close. I think I did eight.
39. Send four needlework items to be professionally finished--I did one.
40. Take a sewing class
41. Take a finishing class--I didn't, but I do learn a new finishing technique every year at camp, does that count?
42. Go to the Main Line stitch n' bitch three times--I didn't because I'm a chicken
43. Go to EGA Meeting at least once--ditto
44. Finish 4 scrapbooks currently in progress: 1999, Alexa, Mackenzie, and the 1998 Poland trip--nope
45. Make albums of nephews--nope
46. make 8 more wreaths so I can change the front door wreath every month. Don't spend more than $75 on this project.--I have several wreaths for the door, but there are still a few I need to make
47. Create cards for each relative's birthday, a couple for the lesser holidays, and some sympathy cards.--I had a nice stock of cards
48. Get tested for celiac
49. Have bunions removed--I got part way there.
50. Exercise three days/week for 3 months--I made it two months at a time but never the whole three
51. Stretch every day for one month--you would have thought this would be easier
52. Lose 50 pounds
53. Learn CPR
54. Pick fruit at a UPick farm
55. Update my cv quarterly
56. Join a professional organization and attend three meetings
57. Have lunch at least once with each co-worker (41); group lunches count
58. Have lunch with three people outside my department
59. Get the Bulletin on schedule
60. Understand my job well enough to set significant goals
61. Visit Slovenia
62. Visit Iceland
63. Visit England just before Christmas
64. Visit four of the following states overnight: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, or Wisconsin--two out of four. I thought the dude was going to finish his library degree (WI) sooner...
65. Visit the Biltmore Estate
66. Visit Newport, RI
67. Attend the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness
68. Visit Acadia National Park
69. Go to the Rockland Maine Lobster Festival
70. Visit Chesapeake Bay
71. Go whale watching
72. Go on a picnic
73. Install toe molding in bedroom
74. Repaint brown bathroom
75. Paint downstairs bathroom, including trim
76. Remove downstairs carpeting--all but one room!
77. Replace kitchen counter
78. Replace kitchen floor
79. Buy and install blinds and curtains in dining room
80. Install blind upstairs bath
81. Buy and install blinds in bedroom--bought, sitting in giant boxes still
82. Find curtains for living room
83. Paint living room to match curtains
84. Paint guest room, including trim--still have to do the trim
85. Fix couch in guest room
86. Buy chairs for dining room
87. Fix and hang curtains in guest room--still need to be shortened!
88. Buy frames for and hang maps in guest room
89. Buy shelving and hang in dining room
90. Rip up carpet in craft room
91. Paint craft room
92. Buy filing cabinet and file patterns in craft room
93. Create a household inventory--I bought a book to put it in.
    
94. Plant blueberry bushes
95. Buy a new front door
96. Plant something in the pot by the front door
97. Paint shutters or buy new ones
98. Take the antenna off the roof--the dude is afraid of heights...
99. Hang the decorative bowl in the bedroom--you know, it makes such cool patterns on the ceiling in the morning...maybe we shouldn't
100. Clear of the top of the dresser and keep it that way
101. Buy grill and patio furniture--and use it!