Don't piss off the librarians. You don't want to see us when we're cranky.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Fandemonium.
When xkcd gets it right, they really get it right...
Last night, I was up until 2:30 a.m. seeking out any and all information on this story. Why?
Sigh.
It started with this book, which features a character called Keelin. That made me think of this actress, but I couldn't remember her name. So I trotted on over to imdb.com to find her. Well, it turns out that she guest starred on several episodes of Battlestar Galactica, so I surfed on over to the show's IMDB page, where I discovered a new feature called NewsDesk, which collates news stories about particular shows and people. Because one of the Battlestar Galactica actors has been very, very vocal on this story, there was a link to it.
So that explains how I heard about it in the first place. Why did I care about a sci-fi convention that I did not attend, did not desire to attend and had in fact never heard of before it imploded? Damned if I know.
Well, I sort of know. Situations like this piss me off--when someone has so clearly and blatantly done something wrong, I want justice whether or not I was the wronged party. It's kind of like how it's so satisfying to see the guy who was weaving in and out of traffic pulled over by the police--even if he didn't cut you off, he still deserves it.
Or maybe I just have anger issues. That could be it.
Last night, I was up until 2:30 a.m. seeking out any and all information on this story. Why?
Sigh.
It started with this book, which features a character called Keelin. That made me think of this actress, but I couldn't remember her name. So I trotted on over to imdb.com to find her. Well, it turns out that she guest starred on several episodes of Battlestar Galactica, so I surfed on over to the show's IMDB page, where I discovered a new feature called NewsDesk, which collates news stories about particular shows and people. Because one of the Battlestar Galactica actors has been very, very vocal on this story, there was a link to it.
So that explains how I heard about it in the first place. Why did I care about a sci-fi convention that I did not attend, did not desire to attend and had in fact never heard of before it imploded? Damned if I know.
Well, I sort of know. Situations like this piss me off--when someone has so clearly and blatantly done something wrong, I want justice whether or not I was the wronged party. It's kind of like how it's so satisfying to see the guy who was weaving in and out of traffic pulled over by the police--even if he didn't cut you off, he still deserves it.
Or maybe I just have anger issues. That could be it.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Meet me in St. Louis...
...well, maybe not. Not this version, anyway.
When I start reading a series, I usually use the devouring method. I read everything as quickly as possible and then wait impatiently for more. I worked my way through Janet Evanovich's entire Stephanie Plum series in two weeks*--that was eleven books at the time--and began haunting the library's New Arrivals section the day the next book came out.
Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series is different. Three years into reading them, I'm only on book eight. They're my guilty pleasure, my indulgence--but I can only read them when I'm in the right mood, and that mood only comes around three times a year or so. It's not that they're that good, because they're not. I mean, they're decent books, but Hamilton is a little bit of a hack, and Anita is a classic Mary Sue. No, I don't come for the writing, or for the characterization. I come for the sex. And there's plenty of that, even in the first several books where most of the main characters were celibate.
Actually, that's not even accurate. I come for the sexual tension and the supernatural aspects, although whichever critic at the New York Review of Science Fiction supplied the quote on the back of all of the books was clearly on drugs. R-rated Buffy my ass. The only thing the two have in common is the vampires. The writing on Buffy had subtlety. Hamilton prefers to hit you with an anvil.
As does Anita, actually. As a rule, I can't stand books with obnoxious main characters, and Anita is certainly that. But somehow it works, for now. I understand that the later books in the series are worse--like throw the book across the room worse. I've been told that at some point, Hamilton drops all pretense and begins shoehorning sex scenes in wherever she possibly can--there is a succubus subplot that seems to be universally reviled, but I haven't gotten there yet. They're not erotica, but I can't put my finger on why, exactly--perhaps they're not explicit enough?
But for now, for me, these books feel decadent. They're made to be read in the bathtub with a glass of wine and some sort of bath-related smelly thing. So that's where Blue Moon and I are headed right now.
* If you have not read these books, do it now. You'll die laughing.
When I start reading a series, I usually use the devouring method. I read everything as quickly as possible and then wait impatiently for more. I worked my way through Janet Evanovich's entire Stephanie Plum series in two weeks*--that was eleven books at the time--and began haunting the library's New Arrivals section the day the next book came out.
Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series is different. Three years into reading them, I'm only on book eight. They're my guilty pleasure, my indulgence--but I can only read them when I'm in the right mood, and that mood only comes around three times a year or so. It's not that they're that good, because they're not. I mean, they're decent books, but Hamilton is a little bit of a hack, and Anita is a classic Mary Sue. No, I don't come for the writing, or for the characterization. I come for the sex. And there's plenty of that, even in the first several books where most of the main characters were celibate.
Actually, that's not even accurate. I come for the sexual tension and the supernatural aspects, although whichever critic at the New York Review of Science Fiction supplied the quote on the back of all of the books was clearly on drugs. R-rated Buffy my ass. The only thing the two have in common is the vampires. The writing on Buffy had subtlety. Hamilton prefers to hit you with an anvil.
As does Anita, actually. As a rule, I can't stand books with obnoxious main characters, and Anita is certainly that. But somehow it works, for now. I understand that the later books in the series are worse--like throw the book across the room worse. I've been told that at some point, Hamilton drops all pretense and begins shoehorning sex scenes in wherever she possibly can--there is a succubus subplot that seems to be universally reviled, but I haven't gotten there yet. They're not erotica, but I can't put my finger on why, exactly--perhaps they're not explicit enough?
But for now, for me, these books feel decadent. They're made to be read in the bathtub with a glass of wine and some sort of bath-related smelly thing. So that's where Blue Moon and I are headed right now.
* If you have not read these books, do it now. You'll die laughing.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
2008: The Big List
Here we go again...Happy New Year, everyone.
Personal Care
1. Develop a skincare regimen
2. Wear a bikini
3. Learn how to apply makeup
4. Make a sincere effort to introduce more calm into my life
5. Walk a labyrinth
Environmental Goals
6. January - Use a reusable bag for all purchases
7. February - Stop drinking bottled water
8. March - Eat only organic meat
9. April - Take public transportation to work at least twice per week
10. May - Plant and harvest vegetables
11. June - Plant a tree
12. July - Develop a strategy for recycling more
13. August - Eat locally for one week
14. September - Buy as much as possible from farmers markets
15. October - Eliminate all single-serving food purchases
16. November - Use environmentally friendly cleaning products
17. December - Calculate my carbon footprint and develop a strategy for reducing it further
Career/Professional Development
18. Wake up at five a.m. on work days
19. Read one professional development book per month
20. Plan for the week each weekend
21. Do not leave work for the weekend with unshelved books
22. Complete my Masters degree as close to a 4.0 GPA as humanly possible
23. Attend ALA midwinter meeting
24. Attend ALA annual conference
25. Write three booktalks per week
Culture and Local Attractions
26. Go to the top of the Washington Monument
27. Take a tour of the White House
28. Tour the Holocaust Museum
29. Visit Haines Point before they move the statue
30. Visit Mount Vernon
31. Visit Harpers Ferry
32. Go to a movie at the AFI Silver Theatre
33. Take a duck tour
34. See the cherry blossoms in bloom
35. Attend an event at the Kennedy Center
36. Attend a formal gala
37. Go to a DC United game
38. Go to the National Arboretum
39. Try a new restaurant (January)
40. Try a new restaurant (February)
41. Try a new restaurant (March)
42. Try a new restaurant (April)
43. Try a new restaurant (May)
44. Try a new restaurant (June)
45. Try a new restaurant (July)
46. Try a new restaurant (August)
47. Try a new restaurant (September)
48. Try a new restaurant (October)
49. Try a new restaurant (November)
50. Try a new restaurant (December)
Health and Fitness
51. Do the Billy Goat Trail at least once
52. Go kayaking at least twice during the summer
53. Ride my bike twice a week during the months of May-September
54. Use the pool twice a week during the summer
55. Eat breakfast every morning
56. Drink 48 oz. of water every day
57. Take my lunch at least four days per week
58. Participate in the Patuxent River Rural Legacy Ride on June 7
59. Join Weight Watchers
60. Do yoga often enough for it to have a cumulative effect
61. Floss regularly enough that my dentist stops yelling at me
62. Ski at least once
63. Reduce my Diet Coke intake by half
64. Ride the Sligo Creek Trail
65. Learn to salsa
66. Play tennis three times
Household
67. Refinish coffee table
68. Refinish end tables
69. Cook at least once a week; actually use the cooking blog this time
70. Keep a clean house
71. Plant a flower garden
72. Tame the roses
73. Buy new curtains
74. Make sushi
75. Make salsa
76. Organize closets
Financial
77. Read Suze Orman's book and implement her strategies
78. Roll everything into AIG account
79. Do my taxes before March 1
80. Pay off two credit cards
81. Cut up all credit cards except one
82. Have $2000 in my savings account by the end of the year
83. Get a summer job that makes at least $300/week
84. Start a financial log
85. Beginning in April, put $50 away per month for holiday shopping
86. Do not eat out for one month. Each time I have the urge, put $5 into a "reward fund." At the end of the month, spend the money on whatever I want.
87. Write a will
88. Sell CDs
89. Get renters insurance
90. Sleep on any purchase over $20
91. Set up automatic deposits into my savings account
92. Begin making student loan payments no later than March
Travel
93. Take a vacation that requires a passport
94. Go camping
95. Go to the beach
96. Visit Rochester
97. Go away for the weekend by myself
98. Visit Chapel House at Colgate University
99. Visit the Thousand Islands
Reading
100. Read the entire Bible
101. Read a book on the beach
102. Read a book on the National Mall
103. Read all of my shelf-sitters
104. Keep up with my reading journal
Misc.
105. Work on a political campaign
106. Plot out a novel
107. Get my oil changed on time
108. Use my Palm Pilot to get organized, or develop another method
Personal Care
1. Develop a skincare regimen
2. Wear a bikini
3. Learn how to apply makeup
4. Make a sincere effort to introduce more calm into my life
5. Walk a labyrinth
Environmental Goals
6. January - Use a reusable bag for all purchases
7. February - Stop drinking bottled water
8. March - Eat only organic meat
9. April - Take public transportation to work at least twice per week
10. May - Plant and harvest vegetables
11. June - Plant a tree
12. July - Develop a strategy for recycling more
13. August - Eat locally for one week
14. September - Buy as much as possible from farmers markets
15. October - Eliminate all single-serving food purchases
16. November - Use environmentally friendly cleaning products
17. December - Calculate my carbon footprint and develop a strategy for reducing it further
Career/Professional Development
18. Wake up at five a.m. on work days
19. Read one professional development book per month
20. Plan for the week each weekend
21. Do not leave work for the weekend with unshelved books
22. Complete my Masters degree as close to a 4.0 GPA as humanly possible
23. Attend ALA midwinter meeting
24. Attend ALA annual conference
25. Write three booktalks per week
Culture and Local Attractions
26. Go to the top of the Washington Monument
27. Take a tour of the White House
28. Tour the Holocaust Museum
29. Visit Haines Point before they move the statue
30. Visit Mount Vernon
31. Visit Harpers Ferry
32. Go to a movie at the AFI Silver Theatre
33. Take a duck tour
34. See the cherry blossoms in bloom
35. Attend an event at the Kennedy Center
36. Attend a formal gala
37. Go to a DC United game
38. Go to the National Arboretum
39. Try a new restaurant (January)
40. Try a new restaurant (February)
41. Try a new restaurant (March)
42. Try a new restaurant (April)
43. Try a new restaurant (May)
44. Try a new restaurant (June)
45. Try a new restaurant (July)
46. Try a new restaurant (August)
47. Try a new restaurant (September)
48. Try a new restaurant (October)
49. Try a new restaurant (November)
50. Try a new restaurant (December)
Health and Fitness
51. Do the Billy Goat Trail at least once
52. Go kayaking at least twice during the summer
53. Ride my bike twice a week during the months of May-September
54. Use the pool twice a week during the summer
55. Eat breakfast every morning
56. Drink 48 oz. of water every day
57. Take my lunch at least four days per week
58. Participate in the Patuxent River Rural Legacy Ride on June 7
59. Join Weight Watchers
60. Do yoga often enough for it to have a cumulative effect
61. Floss regularly enough that my dentist stops yelling at me
62. Ski at least once
63. Reduce my Diet Coke intake by half
64. Ride the Sligo Creek Trail
65. Learn to salsa
66. Play tennis three times
Household
67. Refinish coffee table
68. Refinish end tables
69. Cook at least once a week; actually use the cooking blog this time
70. Keep a clean house
71. Plant a flower garden
72. Tame the roses
73. Buy new curtains
74. Make sushi
75. Make salsa
76. Organize closets
Financial
77. Read Suze Orman's book and implement her strategies
78. Roll everything into AIG account
79. Do my taxes before March 1
80. Pay off two credit cards
81. Cut up all credit cards except one
82. Have $2000 in my savings account by the end of the year
83. Get a summer job that makes at least $300/week
84. Start a financial log
85. Beginning in April, put $50 away per month for holiday shopping
86. Do not eat out for one month. Each time I have the urge, put $5 into a "reward fund." At the end of the month, spend the money on whatever I want.
87. Write a will
88. Sell CDs
89. Get renters insurance
90. Sleep on any purchase over $20
91. Set up automatic deposits into my savings account
92. Begin making student loan payments no later than March
Travel
93. Take a vacation that requires a passport
94. Go camping
95. Go to the beach
96. Visit Rochester
97. Go away for the weekend by myself
98. Visit Chapel House at Colgate University
99. Visit the Thousand Islands
Reading
100. Read the entire Bible
101. Read a book on the beach
102. Read a book on the National Mall
103. Read all of my shelf-sitters
104. Keep up with my reading journal
Misc.
105. Work on a political campaign
106. Plot out a novel
107. Get my oil changed on time
108. Use my Palm Pilot to get organized, or develop another method
Monday, December 31, 2007
2007: How I Did
This is how I did on my Annual Big List. Not great, but not terrible. I had a lot of trouble with momentum this year; for the first six months I was miserable because of my work situation, so I didn't do anything, for the next two months I was broke because I quit my job, and for the last four months I was exhausted because of my new job. There are a lot of things on this list that I should have done but didn't, and I'm trying to make next year's list more manageable.
Personal Development
1. Make a sincere effort to introduce more calm into my life Sort of. I think I'm calmer, but I can't point to a specific reason.
2. Find a church I like; attend as needed Nope.
3. Personal No, damnit.
4. See my work in print under my own name, either in hard copy or online No. I wrote this and this, among other things, but as you can see, I got none of the credit.
5. Personal No.
6. Write a first draft of a novel, no matter how much it sucks No.
7. Take public transportation as often as possible No.
8. Write a letter to someone No.
9. Sew something No.
Household
10. Find an apartment I truly like Not an apartment, per se, but I found an awesome living situation.
11. Cook one new thing each week; record in the cooking blog I set up and have hardly used No.
12. Cook one good thing from each cookbook, or throw it away No.
13. Make sushi No.
14. Give the FlyLady method a serious effort for at least one month No.
15. Do not leave dishes sitting in the sink overnight Hahahaha.
16. Have a completely clean house on the 1st of every month Um, no.
17. Personal Nope.
18. Have a completely clean car on the 1st of every month Yeah, right.
19. Get my car washed every other month Nope
20. Buy my produce at a farmers' market as often as possible No.
21. Buy local whenever possible I did ok with this, but not great. I tended to buy locally only when it was convenient instead of going out of my way to do it. I plan to do better next year.
22. Plant an herb garden Yes, but I need to choose my herbs more carefully next year. The basil was delicious, but who the hell needs that much parsley?
23. Go antiquing Yep. Didn't buy anything, though.
24. Make Christmas cookies Yes, three times.
25. Put up and decorate a Christmas tree Yes. The first project of the new year is to take said tree back down.
Career/Education
26. Find a new job or make peace with the one I've got Done, thank God.
27. Get organized at work and stay that way Yeah, right.
28. Re-join WIN Not yet, but I still plan to do this.
29. Go to bed by 11 p.m. on work nights This was marginal, at best.
30. Be on time to work every day I did terribly at this for the first half of the year, then I found a job where punctuality is mandatory. I've been late once or twice, but I've been doing really well on this one.
31. Take six classes and get As in at least four I took seven classes and got As in six.
32. Have all class assignments done two days before the due date Yeah, right.
33. Do all reading for every class Did I mention that a couple of those classes were pointless and stupid?
Culture
34. Try a new restaurant (January) Kelsey's Irish Pub
35. Try a new restaurant (February) Buca Di Beppo
36. Try a new restaurant (March) Asian Bistro
37. Try a new restaurant (April) No.
38. Try a new restaurant (May) Faryab
39. Try a new restaurant (June) Olney Grille
40. Try a new restaurant (July) No.
41. Try a new restaurant (August) Ardeo
42. Try a new restaurant (September) Pizzeria Paradiso
43. Try a new restaurant (October) No.
44. Try a new restaurant (November) No.
45. Try a new restaurant (December) Pho Real
46. Get my Netflix queue below 200 Not even close.
47. Go to a play I went to see Wicked at the Hippodrome as part of my Christmas present from my parents. I highly recommend it.
48. Go to an event at the Kennedy Center
49. Attend a formal gala I knocked out #s 48 and 49 at the same time by going to a formal gala at the Kennedy Center. Microsoft may be the evil empire, but they throw one hell of a party.
50. Go to an art museum I poked my head into one of the Smithsonian art museums, but I don't think you can really call this one done.
51. Attend a classical music concert I saw an awesome show at Strathmore; they played The Wizard of Oz on a screen above the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the orchestra played the entire score.
52. Join the Young Benefactors of the Smithsonian Not yet, but I do intend to do this.
53. Take a duck tour No, for like the fourth year in a row.
Financial
54. Pay off all of my credit cards I paid off one, and another is close.
55. Stick to a strict budget No.
56. Record all money spent No.
57. Roll my Fidelity plan over into the new IRA No, but I now have an actual financial advisor who is hounding me to do this, so it's on the menu for early next year.
58. Have my taxes done by March 1 Yep.
59. Deposit my tax refund directly into my IRA No. However, I did spend it wisely, splitting it between a financial cushion and credit cards.
60. Have $400 in my vacation fund by the end of the year I actually did away with the vacation fund altogether.
61. Withdraw money for the week on Mondays; do not use debit card No.
62. Personal No.
63. Continue to make regular payments on my student loans despite the deferral No.
64. Personal Yep.
65. Personal Yep.
66. Do not use my credit cards at all, except for automatic payments that must be paid off every month Oh, yeah right.
67. Make three charitable donations this year I think I made one.
68. Personal No.
69. Personal Not practical.
Reading
70. Read four short stories per week. No.
71. Read a book on the beach Yes.
72. Read the entire Bible No.
73. January/February Classic: Pride and Prejudice No.
74. March/April Classic: Vanity Fair No.
75. May/June Classic: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court No.
76. July/August Classic: Dubliners No.
77. September/October Classic: Frankenstein No.
78. November/December Classic: Don Quixote No. And this one pisses me off, because I was determined to finish it before the end of the year, it was really getting interesting...and I lost it. It's somewhere in my house and I can't for the life of me find it. How do you lose a book that size? It weighs as much as a brick!
79. Read the ALA's 2007 Notable Books Not a one. I did read several of the Notable Children's Books, however.
80. Read all of the Persephone books I own Not a one.
81. Buy four more Persephone books I told myself that I wasn't allowed to buy any more until I read the ones that I have, so...
Health/Fitness
82. Get dental insurance Yes.
83. Handle my most pressing dental issues Yes.
84. Take my lunch at least 4 days a week I had good weeks and bad weeks, but altogether I take my lunch far more often than I used to.
85. Limit eating out to once per week Not even close.
86. Go to the gym at least once a week No.
87. Kayak three times this summer O. and I went once.
88. Buy a bike Yep.
89. Personal No.
90. Wear a size 8 Not even close.
91. Ski at least once No, but this is in the plans for early next year, when I chaperone the ski club trip.
92. Play tennis three times No.
Personal Care
93. Learn how to apply makeup No, for at least the fourth year.
94. Wear a bikini I wish.
95. Personal No.
96. Find "my" perfume No.
97. Develop a skincare regimen that I stick to religiously No, but I need to do this next year, before I start looking like a wrinkly old woman.
98. Get a haircut at least every three months No.
99. Get professionally fitted for a bra Yes. I got poked and prodded by an old lady with a measuring tape, and I finally have one that fits.
100. Personal No.
101. Get a massage Yes, twice!
102. Get a facial Yes, twice!
Travel
103. Go away for the weekend by myself No.
104. Spend a weekend at the beach I spent a day at the beach...didn't quite make a weekend.
105. Visit two states I've never been to before I visited Ohio. And technically I visited Massachusetts, but I flew in, spent four hours in a meeting, and flew back out. I saw only what I could see between the airport and Cambridge from the window of the cab, so I'm not counting it.
106. Go camping No, but the number of people who have told me that they want to do this strongly suggests that it will be done next year.
107. Visit Rochester twice I made it once.
I'm looking forward to next year. I think it's going to be an awesome one.
Personal Development
1. Make a sincere effort to introduce more calm into my life Sort of. I think I'm calmer, but I can't point to a specific reason.
2. Find a church I like; attend as needed Nope.
3. Personal No, damnit.
4. See my work in print under my own name, either in hard copy or online No. I wrote this and this, among other things, but as you can see, I got none of the credit.
5. Personal No.
6. Write a first draft of a novel, no matter how much it sucks No.
7. Take public transportation as often as possible No.
8. Write a letter to someone No.
9. Sew something No.
Household
10. Find an apartment I truly like Not an apartment, per se, but I found an awesome living situation.
11. Cook one new thing each week; record in the cooking blog I set up and have hardly used No.
12. Cook one good thing from each cookbook, or throw it away No.
13. Make sushi No.
14. Give the FlyLady method a serious effort for at least one month No.
15. Do not leave dishes sitting in the sink overnight Hahahaha.
16. Have a completely clean house on the 1st of every month Um, no.
17. Personal Nope.
18. Have a completely clean car on the 1st of every month Yeah, right.
19. Get my car washed every other month Nope
20. Buy my produce at a farmers' market as often as possible No.
21. Buy local whenever possible I did ok with this, but not great. I tended to buy locally only when it was convenient instead of going out of my way to do it. I plan to do better next year.
22. Plant an herb garden Yes, but I need to choose my herbs more carefully next year. The basil was delicious, but who the hell needs that much parsley?
23. Go antiquing Yep. Didn't buy anything, though.
24. Make Christmas cookies Yes, three times.
25. Put up and decorate a Christmas tree Yes. The first project of the new year is to take said tree back down.
Career/Education
26. Find a new job or make peace with the one I've got Done, thank God.
27. Get organized at work and stay that way Yeah, right.
28. Re-join WIN Not yet, but I still plan to do this.
29. Go to bed by 11 p.m. on work nights This was marginal, at best.
30. Be on time to work every day I did terribly at this for the first half of the year, then I found a job where punctuality is mandatory. I've been late once or twice, but I've been doing really well on this one.
31. Take six classes and get As in at least four I took seven classes and got As in six.
32. Have all class assignments done two days before the due date Yeah, right.
33. Do all reading for every class Did I mention that a couple of those classes were pointless and stupid?
Culture
34. Try a new restaurant (January) Kelsey's Irish Pub
35. Try a new restaurant (February) Buca Di Beppo
36. Try a new restaurant (March) Asian Bistro
37. Try a new restaurant (April) No.
38. Try a new restaurant (May) Faryab
39. Try a new restaurant (June) Olney Grille
40. Try a new restaurant (July) No.
41. Try a new restaurant (August) Ardeo
42. Try a new restaurant (September) Pizzeria Paradiso
43. Try a new restaurant (October) No.
44. Try a new restaurant (November) No.
45. Try a new restaurant (December) Pho Real
46. Get my Netflix queue below 200 Not even close.
47. Go to a play I went to see Wicked at the Hippodrome as part of my Christmas present from my parents. I highly recommend it.
48. Go to an event at the Kennedy Center
49. Attend a formal gala I knocked out #s 48 and 49 at the same time by going to a formal gala at the Kennedy Center. Microsoft may be the evil empire, but they throw one hell of a party.
50. Go to an art museum I poked my head into one of the Smithsonian art museums, but I don't think you can really call this one done.
51. Attend a classical music concert I saw an awesome show at Strathmore; they played The Wizard of Oz on a screen above the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the orchestra played the entire score.
52. Join the Young Benefactors of the Smithsonian Not yet, but I do intend to do this.
53. Take a duck tour No, for like the fourth year in a row.
Financial
54. Pay off all of my credit cards I paid off one, and another is close.
55. Stick to a strict budget No.
56. Record all money spent No.
57. Roll my Fidelity plan over into the new IRA No, but I now have an actual financial advisor who is hounding me to do this, so it's on the menu for early next year.
58. Have my taxes done by March 1 Yep.
59. Deposit my tax refund directly into my IRA No. However, I did spend it wisely, splitting it between a financial cushion and credit cards.
60. Have $400 in my vacation fund by the end of the year I actually did away with the vacation fund altogether.
61. Withdraw money for the week on Mondays; do not use debit card No.
62. Personal No.
63. Continue to make regular payments on my student loans despite the deferral No.
64. Personal Yep.
65. Personal Yep.
66. Do not use my credit cards at all, except for automatic payments that must be paid off every month Oh, yeah right.
67. Make three charitable donations this year I think I made one.
68. Personal No.
69. Personal Not practical.
Reading
70. Read four short stories per week. No.
71. Read a book on the beach Yes.
72. Read the entire Bible No.
73. January/February Classic: Pride and Prejudice No.
74. March/April Classic: Vanity Fair No.
75. May/June Classic: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court No.
76. July/August Classic: Dubliners No.
77. September/October Classic: Frankenstein No.
78. November/December Classic: Don Quixote No. And this one pisses me off, because I was determined to finish it before the end of the year, it was really getting interesting...and I lost it. It's somewhere in my house and I can't for the life of me find it. How do you lose a book that size? It weighs as much as a brick!
79. Read the ALA's 2007 Notable Books Not a one. I did read several of the Notable Children's Books, however.
80. Read all of the Persephone books I own Not a one.
81. Buy four more Persephone books I told myself that I wasn't allowed to buy any more until I read the ones that I have, so...
Health/Fitness
82. Get dental insurance Yes.
83. Handle my most pressing dental issues Yes.
84. Take my lunch at least 4 days a week I had good weeks and bad weeks, but altogether I take my lunch far more often than I used to.
85. Limit eating out to once per week Not even close.
86. Go to the gym at least once a week No.
87. Kayak three times this summer O. and I went once.
88. Buy a bike Yep.
89. Personal No.
90. Wear a size 8 Not even close.
91. Ski at least once No, but this is in the plans for early next year, when I chaperone the ski club trip.
92. Play tennis three times No.
Personal Care
93. Learn how to apply makeup No, for at least the fourth year.
94. Wear a bikini I wish.
95. Personal No.
96. Find "my" perfume No.
97. Develop a skincare regimen that I stick to religiously No, but I need to do this next year, before I start looking like a wrinkly old woman.
98. Get a haircut at least every three months No.
99. Get professionally fitted for a bra Yes. I got poked and prodded by an old lady with a measuring tape, and I finally have one that fits.
100. Personal No.
101. Get a massage Yes, twice!
102. Get a facial Yes, twice!
Travel
103. Go away for the weekend by myself No.
104. Spend a weekend at the beach I spent a day at the beach...didn't quite make a weekend.
105. Visit two states I've never been to before I visited Ohio. And technically I visited Massachusetts, but I flew in, spent four hours in a meeting, and flew back out. I saw only what I could see between the airport and Cambridge from the window of the cab, so I'm not counting it.
106. Go camping No, but the number of people who have told me that they want to do this strongly suggests that it will be done next year.
107. Visit Rochester twice I made it once.
I'm looking forward to next year. I think it's going to be an awesome one.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Why is it...
...that even now, at 28 years old, there is nothing in the world more comfortable than my dad's pajamas?
I steal O.'s clothes all the time, but it's just not the same...
I steal O.'s clothes all the time, but it's just not the same...
Sunday, August 5, 2007
An interesting dichotomy...
t's weird how things progress in life. Today is yet one example.
I'm in Pennsylvania right now. When I got into Hanover, I stopped at a convenience store. The clerk who helped me was quite pleasant, but he was wearing a Confederate flag belt buckle. I found this offensive. I refrained from pointing out to him that, no matter how you slice it, Pennsylvania was never a part of the Confederacy. I was still offended. I pondered writing a note to the company suggesting that they revise their dress code guidelines.
Now, six hours later, I find myself in posession of interesting information. As many of you know, I am about halfway through a Masters program that is costing me a significant amount of money. A few hours ago, my mother handed me a family history document that proves that several of my ancestors fought for the Confederacy, to the point that their unit was called "The Osborne's Ford Independents." My grandfather's mother's maiden name was Osborne.
This does not come as a huge shock to me. While my father's family is from Iowa, and was notably absent during the Civil War (family history tells us that a distant Kelly ancestor hid in the barn to avoid being conscripted by the Union army), my mother's family is from southern Virginia. When I have visited the towns my grandparents came from, I have heard people--including my relatives--refer to the War. There is no doubt that this word is said with a capital letter, and there is no doubt to which war they are referring.
What is my point here?
The Daughters of the Confederacy offer a scholarship to those who can prove that a direct ancestor fought on the Confederate side during the Civil War. At this point, I don't know that I could prove that; from what I have in my hands it looks like my great-great-great uncles were the ones who fought, and my great-great-great grandfather was not involved. However, this family history covers only one branch of my family tree; I suspect that were I to investigate further I could find at least one direct ancestor who was a Confederate soldier. I don't know that I care to do that.
Were these two things to happen separately, I don't know that I would have taken much notice of either, but because both happened on the same day it's made me think. What would I do for money? If the document that I now hold in my hands definitively proved that one of my ancestors was a Confederate soldier, would I use that to get a scholarship? I certainly don't believe in their cause. While I've lived below the Mason-Dixon line for most of my life, I certainly don't consider myself a southerner (anyone who would like to hear my monologue on the fact that Maryland is NOT a Southern state is free to call me) but could I fake it?
Not sure. I'll get back to you.
I'm in Pennsylvania right now. When I got into Hanover, I stopped at a convenience store. The clerk who helped me was quite pleasant, but he was wearing a Confederate flag belt buckle. I found this offensive. I refrained from pointing out to him that, no matter how you slice it, Pennsylvania was never a part of the Confederacy. I was still offended. I pondered writing a note to the company suggesting that they revise their dress code guidelines.
Now, six hours later, I find myself in posession of interesting information. As many of you know, I am about halfway through a Masters program that is costing me a significant amount of money. A few hours ago, my mother handed me a family history document that proves that several of my ancestors fought for the Confederacy, to the point that their unit was called "The Osborne's Ford Independents." My grandfather's mother's maiden name was Osborne.
This does not come as a huge shock to me. While my father's family is from Iowa, and was notably absent during the Civil War (family history tells us that a distant Kelly ancestor hid in the barn to avoid being conscripted by the Union army), my mother's family is from southern Virginia. When I have visited the towns my grandparents came from, I have heard people--including my relatives--refer to the War. There is no doubt that this word is said with a capital letter, and there is no doubt to which war they are referring.
What is my point here?
The Daughters of the Confederacy offer a scholarship to those who can prove that a direct ancestor fought on the Confederate side during the Civil War. At this point, I don't know that I could prove that; from what I have in my hands it looks like my great-great-great uncles were the ones who fought, and my great-great-great grandfather was not involved. However, this family history covers only one branch of my family tree; I suspect that were I to investigate further I could find at least one direct ancestor who was a Confederate soldier. I don't know that I care to do that.
Were these two things to happen separately, I don't know that I would have taken much notice of either, but because both happened on the same day it's made me think. What would I do for money? If the document that I now hold in my hands definitively proved that one of my ancestors was a Confederate soldier, would I use that to get a scholarship? I certainly don't believe in their cause. While I've lived below the Mason-Dixon line for most of my life, I certainly don't consider myself a southerner (anyone who would like to hear my monologue on the fact that Maryland is NOT a Southern state is free to call me) but could I fake it?
Not sure. I'll get back to you.
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