Sep 1


photo credit

Because an unexamined life is not worth living, here is my progress report for this year’s resolutions.

Financial

* Rebuild year’s worth of emergency fund.
* Transfer over my 401K from my previous job to my Roth IRA.
* Do my own taxes.
* Keep outings with my little from Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America on a budget. (So far so good!)

Leisure/Cultural

* Continue doing 1 new thing a week. (So far so good!)
* Visit a new state from my list. (Hmm, it’s not looking good.)
* Read 40 books. (The count is at 24)
* Organize a book club. (If you’re in Austin, Texas and are interested email me. First meeting is scheduled for 1/31/2010.
* Be more or less abreast with updates on 202 things in 1001 days. FAIL.
* Leave the country. (Not looking good.)
* Write 15 letters.
* Try out 20 new recipes (15/20)

  1. sausage and rice
  2. beef stroganoff (fail)
  3. honey and garlic drumsticks
  4. lasagna
  5. Apple Dews
  6. new recipe for meatloaf
  7. marinara sauce
  8. spinach quiche
  9. bacon and cheese quiche
  10. coffee jello
  11. mango pork potstickers
  12. shrimp fried rice (new recipe)
  13. garlic noodles
  14. meringue cookies
  15. smashed avocados and potatoes

* Update movie, gratitude, quotations, and collage, and reading journal at least twice a month. (So far so good.)

Community

* Run a 5k for a charity. (November?)
* See my little from Big Brothers & Sisters 2-3 times a month. (Mostly good)
* Donate to every sponsorship for charity my friends take part in. (So far so good!)

Personal

* Try at least 3 times to mend a relationship with a family member.
* Not leave drawers and cabinet doors open. (I don’t know how this bad habit started!)
* Go to Houston ten times this year to visit friends and family. (4/10)
* Be more organized. (Blog post to come on how I’ve become more organized)


Question: How are you doing on your resolutions?

Aug 6


1.


So I mentioned my morning routine in yesterday’s VEDA video blog but I had originally planned on unveiling my new personal project as a Quick Take and link my friend Martin. So, as an excuse to plug a friend (haha!), I’ll mention it again anyway. In August I started a 10 week personal project called The Artist’s Way. As part of the Artist’s Way, I will be writing 3 stream of consciousness pages in my journal every morning before I go on with the day. I first read about it on Martin’s blog but though I was slightly intrigued, I was not motivated to follow suit. When Alex visited me a few weeks ago, she gave me The Artist’s Way as a birthday gift so I took it as a sign to go ahead and embark. So far, it’s painful. I won’t lie. Today’s morning pages I ran out of things to talk about and kept writing, “I’m sleepy. I don’t want to do this. I’m going to Houston!!” Over and over again.


2.

I haven’t danced or witness a dance circle since middle school. Dance circles were ALL the rage in middle school. Mainly because I went to a private Catholic school and the circle prevented the nuns from seeing the freaking going on in the middle of the circle. Not very wholesome, my middle school. However! I witnessed my first dance circle as an adult and it was pretty wholesome! I noted a fun phenomenon. If you build a decently sized dance circle, it will invite strangers to join your little dance party. If you build it, dancers will come. It’s true. Anyway, here’s my video proof. The preview screen shot is of my man, breaking it down.


Youtube Link


3.

Today is my third consecutive day of partaking in VEDA (Vlog Every Day in August), here’s my video for this morning. It was very very rushed. I did it in one take and did not bother editing even slightly. I talk about things I’m bad at.


Youtube Link


4.

I’m going to Houston for the weekend. I’m not quite sure how to pull off this VEDA thing without Internet access. I may rope Kim and Cindy into letting me use their Internet and also starring in a vlog! I haven’t told them yet…Hoping they won’t see this blog post til after I call them later today. I always love my weekends in Houston. Good food, good people, mommy hugs. Good for my soul. I also get to add to the 4 restaurants already backlogged for my food blog.


5.

Current book: A Man without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut.

Random excerpt: “The biggest truth to face now – what is probably making me unfunny now for the remainder of my life – is that I don’t think people give a damn whether the planet goes on or not. It seems to me as if everyone is living as members of Alcoholics Anonymous do, day by day. And a few more days will be enough. I know of very little people who are dreaming of a world for their grandchildren.”


6.


One of my 2010 resolutions is to read 40 books. Yesterday I finished Who Moved My Cheese?, bringing up my total finished books to 20. Yeah, I’m behind. I hope to finish A Man Without a Country and I’ll grab a couple of books off my bookshelf for Houston. Feeling the pressure!


7.


Man, the last really good year I had in terms of New Years Resolutions is 2008. I made 17 whopping goals and completed them all but 2 (the one about the passport isn’t crossed out but I did complete it!). In 2009 I made 17 resolutions and met only 3. This year, I’m on track to complete 13 (not counting the books) out of 20. I guess that’s not bad but being on track doesn’t quite mean I’ll make the cut.


Question: What’s going on with you?

Jul 16


1.

Harry Ransom Center

Throughout my life I’ve heard references to Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolfe? in pop culture. In TV shows, movies, and books, and each time I wondered, what is Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf? about? I received an email from the Harry Ransom Center (a museum on campus) and they’re screening (for free!) the film. So I invited Brittany, my movie buddy along to be my date last night. Neither of us did any research to see what we were in for. I knew that an emotionally abusive couple invites another couple over for drinks. Other than that, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The lady who sat next to me said she avoided watching this movie for years because she heard it was intense. Here, watch the trailer.

Needless to say, it quite a ride. The dialogue was biting and hilarious which is just as well since we needed the comic relief! I can see why it was such a sensation back in the day. I’m still processing the movie but for now, suffice to say it was pretty good and pretty disturbing.


2.

A few hours after Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf? let out, I embarked on my second movie of the evening. The midnight showing of Inception. I won’t torment you by posting the trailer. If you haven’t seen the trailer, you must be living underneath a rock. The trailer has been out for what seems like a full year!

Thoughts and reactions: Alan said this may be the most fun he’s had at a movie ever, he didn’t want it to end, and he thinks everyone should see Inception at least twice. I on the other hand barely made it through. I agree it was pretty original, intricate, well woven, LAYERS, literally LAYERS of realities and fantasies happening at once. I liked the concept and the plot but the pacing was too slow for me. However, when reviewing Sci-fi and fantasy books and movies, you should know I have a hard time suspending disbelief and it’s usually not my genre. I walk in with my walls up. The other couple we went with both thoroughly enjoyed it.

2 movies. 1 night. 2.5 hours of sleep. Today will be a long work day.


3.

letter from france

I checked my mail for the first time this week yesterday night. Am pleased to have gotten 2 real letters! One from France from Ms. Brenda.


4.

letter from madison

The second letter from Madison from Ms. Jen. This has now upped my letters owed to 4 letters. Writing these letters is on the weekend to do list! I’m guessing at this rate, I’ve either already reached and or will exceed one of my New Year’s Resolutions of sending out 15 letters.


5.

book shelf

I’m all unpacked and set up in my new one bedroom apartment. I built this bookshelf with my BARE HANDS. NO HELP FROM BOYS. I’m the least handy girl I know. Brandi (previous roommate) helped me screw in some screws and that’s about all the help I got. It took me three days but never mind that, I’m a (mostly) independent woman, what what? YEAH. Do you see the black things attaching the bookshelf to the wall (top shelves)? I actually used plastic anchors and screws. I’m most proud of that. I had no idea what plastic anchors were! They’re plastic screwy things that you push into your dry wall to help “anchor” your screws and not ruin your dry wall. Do you hear that? I actually have some sort of clue of what I’m talking about.

Okay. Calm. My point is, my apartment is now homey (I only have one box of shoes left) and I built a bookshelf.


6.

I miss Houston. I miss the food and I miss the people. I think maybe in August I need to go down there. Plan a few good meals, eat some momma food… Replenish.


7.

Weekend obligations/chores: hang out with the little from Big Bros Big Sis’s of America, grocery shopping for next week, return stupid Time Warner cable box, laundry, write zee letters, cook a meal, and crank out some blog entries.

Hopefully some fun and sleep will come my way too! Happy Friday peoples.

May 21


1.


I’m moving in less than a month and have not started to tackle the mountain of a challenge of packing and uncluttering. Every year, I move. Every year, I tell myself, “Linda, you must not buy so much stuff. Do you need all these miniskirts? You are a working woman and you can only wear these skirts two days a week!” Etc! The only good thing about moving is that it’s a good time to reminisce and take stock of your physical life and your emotional life. Letters from old friends surface. Sentimental keepsakes surface. Journals are opened and perused before stacked neatly in boxes. I’m looking forward to going down memory lane. It’s a moving tradition.


2.


One of my 2010 resolutions is to write 15 letters. I wrote a few for Valentine’s Day but I cannot for the life of me remember how many. I think 4 is lowballing. I forgot this was a resolution so I haven’t been keeping out. I think it’s safe I’ve sent at least 7 this year. I’ll start the count there. I’ve been meaning to write Suki of SuperDuperFantastic for what, a month now and that first letter to someone is always kind of intimidating.

I’m almost out of my Lisa Frank stickers circa SECOND GRADE. That’s 1990! I like to sticker bomb my correspondents with stickers from my massive childhood collection. See below, Kim’s facebook photo of a letter I sent her a few weeks ago.

letter

The sweet blurb she posted with picture:


one of the best qualities to find in people is their ability to remain young at heart. playing in the snow, getting excited about fireworks or making smores, water balloon fights, lisa frank sticker-bombing notes to your friends. i hope we never grow up.


3.

Curious, I did a search on zee blog and found a picture from this year of a batch of cards I sent out for Valentine’s day. I counted 5 in this picture. Booyah! I have adjusted my letter/correspondent count to 8.


Original Blog Post


4.

my first lasagna!

Alan just gave me a morning call to thank me for the serving of lasagna I dropped off last night. (I like early morning calls from him.) I made my first lasagna!! The excitement still hasn’t completely worn off. Made it for a mini potluck. Mini includes myself, Bing, Deesh, and Jesse in attendance. Here’s a picture of my plate pre baked beans. Kind of funny. Do you see any vegetables? Not pictured is Jesse’s cake.

Potluck

In our defense, we winged it. This potluck’s only stipulation was “bring what you want.”


5.

I had my first and hopefully my last Double Down this week. I give you permission to be disgusted at me. If I’m going down though, I’m taking my partners in crime with me. See photo of guilty partners in crime below.

partners in crime.


6.

Remember how I told you Brittany and I were making eyes at a real live camel? I have proof! This was taken at the Bob Bullock Museum after a free screening of Arabia (IMAX & 3D).

Camel? Camel!
Don’t be coy with me, Camel.


7.


I’ve sat and contemplated no. 7 for a while now. I give up and share with you another picture. A wipe board message from an undergraduate who left our lab. I never get used to that part of growing up, the goodbyes :(.

Goodbyes :(
Jan 14

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be more organized. Last night, after a nice dinner date with my sick boyfriend, I had a glamorous night in where I finally tackled my bookshelf. I bet you could hardly contain your excitement! I stopped buying books for a while now and just utilize the library and do swaps with friends. In fact, if you browse through the book reviews I’ve done in 2009, 9 out of the last 10 were books I borrowed. It was just becoming a pain trying to find space for them and then packing them up to move every year. One day I’ll have the extensive library I’ve always wanted and room to store these books. My childhood room in Houston has an entire wall full of books. I figure that’s a start.

In the meantime, here’s my humble little library here in Austin post organization.

I decided to organize by category. On the very top are my photo albums.

Next, my little collection of nonfiction. I think this is it for now too. My books in Houston are mostly classic novels and um, Babysitters Clubs.


Just a small bit of my fiction. I’ve expanded my horizons. For years in high school and most of college, I liked the older classics. The Jane Austens. Bronte’s, and LOVED Oscar Wilde. I kind of just stuck to those and it would take me forever to go through one book as the language is usually a little more dense. I’ve since expanded to include more chick lit, historical fiction, a tiny little bit fantasy (haha Twilight is as far as I went) Palanuiuk, Alain de Botton, Erica Jong. I learned I enjoy reading outside my comfort level.

Pictured above is my collection of books made into movies. I think Portrait of a Lady is a movie right? Next to it is Sense and Sensibility, both nestled next to Twilight. That cracks me up. Next to the movies are the little memoirs, three of which are David Sedaris’s.

My last shelf, I stacked the self help (Um, hello He’s just not that into you and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the references, and the “things to do” books.

P.S. I did some organizing of my journals too. Inspired by Kim’s library also pictured below, I organized my journals by color.

So there you have it. My newly organized bookshelf.

How do you organize your bookshelves?

P.P.S. Yes, those are snowflakes you see hanging around my bookshelf in the first picture. We’ve decorated our entire apartment with snowflakes. They kind of flutter and brush the top of your head sometimes. It’s a poor Texas girl’s way of having snowflakes.

Jan 2

I love making resolutions. I think it helps me to progress in life. I had a really good year in 2008 and completed almost ALL of my resolutions. In 2009, namely due to resigning my job as a research coordinator and being unemployed for 5 months, I didn’t do well keeping my resolutions. The only three resolutions I accomplished from my list was have a whole year’s worth of funds saved up as an emergency fund (it ended up being VERY useful during my stint with unemployment), write in my paper journal once a week, I reading 20 books in 2009 (I read between 24-30 books), and continue doing my new things of the week (going on 5 years now!).

I’m feel like I have better footing this year and here are my resolutions for 2010.

Financial

  • Rebuild year’s worth of emergency fund. (5.5K) I just transferred over 500 (1/11).
  • Transfer over my 401K from my previous job to my Roth IRA.
  • Do my own taxes.
  • Keep outings with my little from Big Brothers & Big Sisters of America on a budget.

Leisure/Cultural/Fun

Community

  • Run a 5k for a charity.
  • See my little from Big Brothers & Sisters 2-3 times a month
  • Donate to every sponsorship for charity my friends take part in.

Personal

  • Try at least 3 times to mend a relationship with a family member.
  • Not leave drawers and cabinet doors open. (I don’t know how this bad habit started!)
  • Go to Houston ten times this year to visit friends and family.
  • Be more organized.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions? Do you make them?