Time is running out...

I can't believe this year is almost over.  2010 has definitely been a year of major changes for me.  It also seems crazy that I have less than a year left to complete this project.  Who knew that 1001 days could go by so quickly?  With that in mind, I am going to have to tackle the remaining items on my list in an efficient manner.  Luckily, I love to make lists.  The planning part is easy; unfortunately, the execution of that plan isn't so simple.  Over the next few days, I hope to assess my project and tweak any tasks that no longer fit or could be improved upon.  It's amazing how interests, ideas, wants, and needs can change over the course of a few years; and in all honesty, some of my tasks were fluff from the beginning to fill space.  Anyways, you can expect a new plan of action to be posted soon (in addition to a wrap up of my year-long tasks from 2010).  I want to hit the ground running in the new year.  Fingers crossed.

A Very Bookish Update

Obviously, I have become very bad at posting on the blog.  So here are some updates... with pictures!

19. Read 5 biographies/memoirs. (3/5)
Yesterday, I finished Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun.  Rubin presented a lot of research concerning happiness, which I found very interesting.  Although I would not undertake every resolution that Rubin assigned herself if I were doing a happiness project, I greatly admired her drive and organization.


20. Read 10 classics. (4/10)
At the beginning of November, I finished my audiobook of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.  I had unsuccessfully tried to read this book before and I picked up the audiobook from the library on a whim one day.  I enjoyed it so much more as an audiobook.  Although, previously seeing the movies definitely helped me because I already knew the characters' names.


I also finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley in November.  One of my coworkers gave me a funny look when I said that I was reading this for fun.  I guess I'm just crazy like that.  Brave New World is probably the strangest dystopian work I have ever read. 






48. Make 10 pieces of jewelry. (6/10)
We did a Secret Santa at work this week.  I made a lanyard (for daily id wear) as part of my gift for my coworker.  I stuck with a classic red, white, and blue color scheme.  Now I just need to get around to making one for myself. 


49. Take a cake decorating class.
50. Bake and decorate a cake using fondant. 
I discovered that I can some fun classes at my local Michael's store.  I'm planning on signing up for the basic cake decorating class soon.  I'm excited that they also have a class specifically designated for fondant.

(all book cover photos from goodreads)

Updates...

Oh hey.  I'm still alive.  I've been doing bloggy things.  I promise.

62. Find a job. - COMPLETE!
So, basically this is the reason I've not posted anything.  I found out I got a job.  I found an apartment.  I moved.  And I started my job.  All in two weeks!  I've finished the fourth week of my job now and everything is going well.  The unpacking?  Not so much (as in, I still have a room full of boxes waiting to be unpacked...)

98. Read another 20 books. (17/20)
In September, I finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  I also read Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich the week before last.

22. Read/Reread all six Jane Austen novels. (1/6)

I finished reading Persuasion by Jane Austen this week.  This was a new read for me and I loved it.  If you asked me right now, I would probably say I like it more than Pride and Prejudice.  I'll have to wait for my reread of P&P to say definitively.

13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (49/100); 5. Gangster (4/10)

I'm proud to say that I sucked it up and finally watched The Godfather.  As in, the whole movie, not just the first twenty minutes or so.  This has been a struggle for me for quite some time.  I consider myself to be an avid movie watcher, so having not seen The Godfather created a bit of inner turmoil for me.  I've tried to watch this movie many times and I always failed.  I just couldn't get into it.  The opening wedding party scenes seemed to go on and on and on forever and I couldn't stand it.  I am shocked to say that I actually liked it this time!  Yes, I said like.  Maybe not in an "I want to own this movie and rewatch it soon" kind of like, but at least an "I don't feel like poking out my eyeballs" kind of like.  This is definitely a great example of how important it is to find the right time to watch a certain movie.  I never thought I would say I like The Godfather, but with the right timing, maybe you can like your personal "Godfather" too!

81. Donate blood three times. (1/3)

I donated blood through the American Red Cross earlier this week.  I had some bruising, but it's mostly gone now.

I believe that is everything.  I guess I'm up to date now!  As I get more settled in to my new life, I hope to pick up the pace and knock some of the biggies off my list.  (It's crazy to think about, but as of December 11 I will only have a year left....yikes!)

13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (48/100); 6. Science Fiction (5/10); 7. Western (4/10)

I watched The Searchers (1956) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) over the weekend.  I checked out both from my local library.  Somewhat surprisingly, I really liked both movies.  The Searchers is a western starring John Wayne as Ethan Edwards, a man searching for his kidnapped niece.  I didn't expect The Searchers to provide so many laughs considering how serious it was at times.  The Day the Earth Stood Still kept my interest with likable characters and a touch of mystery.  It was remade with Keanu Reeves in 2008, but I haven't seen it yet. 

98. Read another 20 books. (13/20)

I read Mockingjay last Tuesday.  It is the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  Although it wasn't quite as amazing as the first two books, I still enjoyed reading it.  These books are fantastic!  Go read them. 

64. Attend 5 community events. (3/5)

Saturday was our annual Community Festival in downtown Lexington.  I haven't been in several years since I'm usually back at college before it happens.  (Have I mentioned that it's weird not going back to college?  Because it is.  May graduation seems so long ago that I've practically forgotten.  Not really.)  Anyway, the festival runs all along Main Street.  With the street closed, vendors set up their booths and sell all sorts of unique crafts.  There is also food and music.  In the past, I've found some great jewelry.  This year I only made one purchase: a handcrafted Christmas tree ornament. 

19. Read 5 biographies/memoirs. (2/5)

I read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert a few weeks ago.  I enjoyed reading about a life so different from my own.  I also now wish to go eat pasta in Italy.  Yum.  As a side note, I have always loved the cover of this book.  Upon discovering the format of the book, I swooned a little more.

64. Attend 5 community events. (2/5)

Last weekend I attended a Renaissance Faire at the Natural Chimneys in Mt. Solon, Virginia.  I went with my friend Diana and her current roommates.  An event like this is not something that I would typically seek out, but it was certainly an interesting experience.  We originally thought that we were just going to watch a jousting tournament.  However, when we arrived, we realized that there was an actual Renaissance Faire as well.  The setting was absolutely perfect because the Natural Chimneys provided a beautiful backdrop reminiscent of a medieval castle.  We did watch some jousting, but modern jousting isn't anything like the kind of jousting I picture in my head.  These days people don't try to knock each other off their horses.  Instead, the riders go down the track and try to hook three rings on their lances.  Not quite as dramatic, but it definitely requires some skill.  

9. Mystery (5/10); 13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (47/100)

I watched North by Northwest yesterday.  It's a 1959 Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.  I think I spent most of the movie being as confused as Cary Grant's character.  I enjoyed the Mount Rushmore scenes near the end of the movie since I visited Mount Rushmore a few summers ago.  Although, the idea of people running around Mount Rushmore like they were seemed completely ludicrous and made me laugh a little.  Overall, not my favorite Hitchcock, but I'm glad to have seen another one of his movies. 

42. Project 365: Take a picture every day for a year.

I decided to add a page (to the right) for Project 365.  It seems strange to think that we are already eight months into this year!  Rather than post all of the pictures I have taken this year, I thought I would just share some of my favorites from each month. 

98. Read another 20 books. (12/20)

Oh hey, I finished two books this week.  It only took me six months to read A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.  Not at all embarrassing.  And not at all a reflection of the book, either.  It was actually a really fantastic book about science.  I enjoyed the humor and wit that Bryson injected into topics that sometimes seem boring in textbooks. 

I also finished Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2009.  Olive Kitteridge is not a typical novel in that it is told in a series of short stories centering around the people of Crosby, Maine.  Woven throughout the stories is Olive's story, which is rather sad.  Although the format of the book took some getting used to at first, I appreciated the dimensions it added to the story.  I would compare it to watching a television series rather than a single movie, which I sometimes prefer. 

89. Graduate from JMU in 2010.

I am finally finished!!  Having completed the last week of my internship with the fire department, I can finally get my diploma!  It seems weird not to be getting ready to go back to school right now.  Instead, I just moved back home.  I'll be here until I find a job and can afford my own place.  I have one job prospect that looks promising, but it may take a while before I know anything definitively.  So, I will be enjoying a little extra free time right now.  Maybe I will catch up on some of my tasks for this project (and probably definitely find at least a part-time job). 

71. Cook 25 new recipes. (3/25)

My final treat for the fire department last week was banana pudding.  It was delicious, if I do say so myself.  I have had it before, as it is my mom's recipe.  However, I had never made it myself.  It is surprisingly easy to make and basically foolproof to yield an extremely tasty dessert.

 

27. Create soundtracks that define each remaining semester/summer of college. (5/5)

Well, this is the last of the soundtracks that I had set out to make for this project.  It is interesting to go back and look at what songs I put on the first four.  This summer's soundtrack consists mostly of country music.  There is just something about summer that makes me want to listen to country music!  It seems like this has been a good year for fun, summer country songs on the radio, due in part to Zac Brown Band.  I wasn't a fan when I first heard "Toes," but I have grown to love a few of their other songs.  (What I'm really saying is that sometimes I listen to "Whatever It Is" on repeat for inappropriate amounts of time.  But it is so good!)  Without further ado, here is my summer 2010 soundtrack.

1. "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band
2. "Water" by Brad Paisley
3. "Rain Is A Good Thing" by Luke Bryan
4. "Our Kind of Love" by Lady Antebellum
5. "Gimmie That Girl" by Joe Nichols
6. "Whatever It Is" by Zac Brown Band
7. "Cowboy Take Me Away" by Dixie Chicks"
8. "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train
9."Heart of Glass" by Blondie
10. "Telephone" by Lady Gaga
11. "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz
12. "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille
13. "It's Five O' Clock Somewhere" by Alan Jackson feat. Jimmy Buffett
14. "Stay (Wasting Time)" by Dave Matthews Band
15. "Free" by Zac Brown Band
16. "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert
17. "What Can I Say" by Carrie Underwood feat. Sons of Sylvia
18. "Gotta Get To You" by George Strait
19. "Smile" by Uncle Kracker
20. "Alright" by Darius Rucker

71. Cook 25 new recipes. (2/25)

 I tried another recipe I saw on Bakerella for this past Friday's work treat: bananaberry muffins.  They are essentially a combination of banana bread and blueberry muffins.  Delicious!  And you don't feel too bad about eating them since they have two fruits!  Ha!  :)

7. Western (3/10)

I spontaneously watched Cat Ballou after I got home today and I enjoyed it immensely.  Cat Ballou is a western.  It is also a comedy, but not in a Blazing Saddles kind of way.  It is also part musical, with the vocal additions of Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye.  I swear I am not making this up.  Cat Ballou is the greatest western/comedy/musical you will ever watch!

Here is the description from Netflix (in case you think I'm joking):

Nat "King" Cole and Stubby Kaye provide a Greek chorus-style narrative in this tongue-in-cheek Western parody that's become a classic in its own right. In director Elliot Silverstein's Oscar-winning comedy, Cat's (Jane Fonda) father has been murdered by a gunslinger (Lee Marvin), and now, the schoolmarm-cum-outlaw must team with boozehound Kid Shelleen (also played by Marvin) to prevent her father's ranch from falling into the wrong hands.

71. Cook 25 new recipes. (1/25)

I needed another replacement task, so I thought this would be fun and practical.  In reality, I should have included something like this from the beginning, especially since I have tried several new recipes since I started this project.  Oh well.  Better late than never.

I made Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie the week before last.  Every Friday, I take a treat to the office and I thought I would try something new.  I saw this recipe on Bakerella a while ago and was enticed by the delicious pictures.  I don't know how often I will make Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie, but it was pretty tasty.  It definitely needs to be served warm and with vanilla ice cream.  Yummy. 

64. Attend 5 community events. (1/5)

Since I've now completed five weeks of my eight week internship with the Harrisonburg Fire Department, I have attended multiple events in the community.  While I intended for this task to be for events that I sought out in my free time, I do want to count one event that I attended because of my internship.  This past Wednesday was the seventh annual Free Pizza/Free Smoke Alarm for city of Harrisonburg residents, jointly sponsored by the Fire Department and CiCi's Pizza.  The Harrisonburg Fire Department delivered 461 pizzas in fire trucks during the four hour event!  More importantly, we know that those 461 homes and apartments now have working smoke alarms.  My job was to answer the phones at CiCi's and take the pizza orders.  The phones rang non-stop the entire time!  This was such a unique and beneficial event.  I'm so glad I got to be a part of it. 

9. Mystery (4/10)

Laura is a great mystery movie from 1944 starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney as Detective Mark McPherson and Laura Hunt.  Detective McPherson is assigned to investigate the murder of Laura Hunt after she is found shot to death in her apartment.  As Detective McPherson questions the people in Laura's life, he discovers that everyone was in love with her and begins to fall in love himself.  Full of interesting characters and suspenseful plot twists, Laura is an intriguing mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. 

98. Read another 20 books. (10/20)

I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately, but I have read two books so far this month.  Stephenie Meyer's The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner was a quick and easy read.  It was interesting to gain more insight into a character that is only briefly mentioned in Eclipse.  I liked Bree's story and was sad it had to end the way it did.  Last week, I read Janet Evanovich's new Stephenie Plum book, Sizzling Sixteen.  I love this series, but I only liked this book.  As usual, the characters were ridiculous.  (For example, this book introduces a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.)  Overall, a fun summer read. 

72. Do Wii Just Dance for 30 hours.

I decided to change number 72 from take a fitness class to do Wii Just Dance for 3o hours.  The chances of me taking a fitness class are pretty slim, but I love to do my Just Dance game.  I don't know how many hours I've already spent dancing on the Wii, but it's a lot.  This seems like a more than fair swap and I'll actually complete this task. 

Image from Amazon

32. Attempt to compile a list of every movie I have ever seen.

Complete!
I'm up to 855 movies!  I will continue to update my list of movies as I watch new ones or think of more old ones, but this is as complete as it is going to get for now. 

82. Switch to only using canvas bags instead of plastic grocery bags.

I'm going to finally call this complete since I haven't forgotten to take my reusable bags with me to the store for a couple of months now.  In all honesty, I love my reusable bags for a selfish reason.  It is so much easier to carry my groceries around in them.  I can usually make it into the house in one trip, as opposed to two or three with plastic bags.  I also use my reusable bags for other things besides groceries.  They are perfect for carrying stuff back and forth between school and home.  I have quite the collection of reusable bags now too.  It might seem ridiculous to have as many as I do, but it works out well since I don't just use them for shopping.  I guess I'm (selfishly) saving a little piece of the environment. 

(I got this bag for free from Target during Earth Week.  Awesome.)

19. Read 5 biographies/memoirs. (1/5)

I finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot last night.  It was an incredible book and a true story!  Here is the link to my post about it on my book blog.  I'm counting this in my biography category because I can because this book tells an amazingly personal story that has never been justly told until now.  Go read it.

14. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 25 Greatest Movie Musicals. (25/25)

Complete!

I just finished watching A Star Is Born (1954) featuring Judy Garland as Esther Blodgett, who becomes a star after meeting a famous actor, Norman Maine.  While Esther is on her way up, Norman is drinking his way down.  I had a really hard time getting into this musical.  It was actually kind of depressing.  None of the songs really stuck out to me either.  I'm glad I finally forced myself to watch it, though, because now I can cross another task off of my list!

98. Read another 20 books. (8/20)

I devoured The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.  They are the first two books of a young adult trilogy that takes place in the future North American country of Panem.  The two main characters, Katniss and Peeta, are sent to fight in the yearly Hunger Games, a fight to the death organized by the government to keep the districts under control.  I love the characters Katniss and Peeta.  I can't wait to finish reading their story.  The final book of the trilogy, Mockingjay, comes out on August 24, 2010.

89. Graduate from JMU in 2010.

Well, I sort of graduated on Saturday.  I walked in the ceremony, but I won't get my diploma until August, after I've completed my internships with the Alzheimer's Association and the Fire Department's Public Safety Program.  I'm not letting myself officially count this as complete yet, but I thought I should mention it for the record. 

98. Read another 20 books. (6/20)

Yesterday, I finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  It was fantastic!  I'd heard people raving about it for a while and I finally got a copy from the library last week.  I was hooked from the first few pages.  Go read this book right now!

27. Create soundtracks that define each remaining semester/summer of college. (4/5)

Let me be honest.  What I really wanted to do for this semester's soundtrack was list all the songs that have ever been on Glee.  I love Glee and have listened to its music more than anything else this semester.  However, that seemed a little ridiculous, so I allowed myself to use one of my favorite songs from Glee and came up with 19 other non-Glee songs that I have also enjoyed these past few months.

Spring 2010

1. "Don't Stop Believin'" performed by the Glee Cast
2. "Lean On Me" performed by Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, and Kid Rock
3. "Hallelujah" performed by Justin Timberlake and Charlie Sexton
4. "American Honey" performed by Lady Antebellum
5. "From Where You Are" performed by Lifehouse
6. "The Rain" performed by Vedera
7. "Something To Hope For" performed by Undeserving
8. "Live Forever" performed by Matt Morris
9. "Resistance" performed by Muse
10. "Kick Drum Heart" performed by The Avett Brothers
11. "Chances" performed by Five For Fighting
12. "Time After Time" performed by Matt Ketteman and Cameron Mizell
13. "Come Home" performed by OneRepublic
14. "Such Great Heights" performed by Iron & Wine
15. "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want" performed by Muse
16. "Wonderwall" performed by Ryan Adams
17. "I Try" performed by Ben Taylor
18. "Vanilla Twilight" performed by Owl City
19. "Cello Song" performed by The Books feat. Jose Gonzalez
20. "When I Get You Alone" performed by Thicke

70. Go to Reddish Knob with my Bible study girls.

Complete!  Originally, this task was to go to D.C. with my old Bible study.  That never worked out, so I was going to replace this task with something completely different.  Then, on Monday evening, the six of us went to Reddish Knob together.  So, I thought, why not substitute D.C. with Reddish Knob, making the essence of this task the same.  We had a great time taking pictures, eating, enjoying the beautiful view, and talking.  Some of us brought our caps and gowns to get some graduation pictures, too.  It's sad that this was probably the last time we will all be together here at JMU, but it was worth the drive and we have lots of pictures to remind us of our little adventure.

98. Read another 20 books. (5/20)

I also finished four other books within the last week, three of Anna Quindlen's short, nonfiction books and a novel by Samantha Harvey. 

Harvey's novel, The Wilderness, is about a man with Alzheimer's Disease.  Since I want to work with the older population, I'm trying to learn more about Alzheimer's Disease.  While I understand the basics as presented in my gerontology classes, I really want to gain a more in depth knowledge of the topic.  I'll soon be starting a four week internship with the Alzheimer's Association, which I will complete before starting my public health internship for the rest of the summer.  So, when I saw the description of this novel, I knew it was something I wanted to read.  The Wilderness was very moving and sometimes sad, but about as close as I can get to understanding what it might feel like to have Alzheimer's Disease.  More of my thoughts can be found here. 

The three Anna Quindlen books I read were A Short Guide to a Happy Life, Being Perfect, and How Reading Changed My Life.  I loved them all and my book blog post is located here. 

Since I'm trying to read more, I might increase this  book task to more than 20 books.  This is already an added task since I finished the first general book task.  I'll see how it goes. 

20. Read 10 classics. (2/10)

Now that I have my book blog to keep track of my reading, I sometimes forget to update my reading tasks here.  Oops.  I read Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll one day this week.  It's the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and was just as enjoyable as the original.  My full thoughts can be found here. 

13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (46/100)

I watched The General yesterday.  It is a silent film made in 1927.  I haven't been keeping track, but I feel confident saying this is now the oldest movie I have ever seen.  The General stars Buster Keaton as Johnnie Gray, an engineer (which is these circumstances means he drives a train) rejected for enlistment into the Confederate Army.  Of course, this prompts his lady love, Annabelle, to think him a coward and have nothing to do with him unless he returns in uniform.  Through a series of somewhat ridiculous and unfortunate events, Johnnie uses his locomotive to save the woman he loves and defeat the Union Army. 

I was prompted to go ahead and watch this movie because I saw that it will soon be leaving Netflix instant and I didn't want to have to get the dvd later.  It was also short, lasting little more than an hour.  I don't have much to compare it to as far as silent films go.  I recently watched Charlie Chaplin's City Lights and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Although The General was also billed as a comedy, I didn't always find it that funny.  Sometimes it felt like Buster Keaton was trying too hard to be funny.  Perhaps that is just a difference in silent films, where lack of speech requires exaggeration to ensure that the audience understands. 

54. Have friends over for dinner twice a semester. (6/6)

Complete!
I made dinner for some of my friends on Friday night before a few of us went to the Madison Project concert.  I had been wanting to try a new recipe I found on the back of a pack of Kraft cheese for an enchilada bake.  It ended up being pretty tasty, but I don't think it's something I will make often as I rarely get cravings for Mexican food.  I served it with a salad.  We had brownies (which Sarah kindly made) with ice cream for dessert. 

20. Read 10 classics. (1/10)

I read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland last week.  I really enjoyed its uniqueness and cleverness.  It was most refreshing.  More of my thoughts can be found here on my book blog. 

98. Read another 20 books. (1/20)

This is slightly delayed, but I read Nicholas Sparks' The Last Song on March 25.  I saw the movie when it came out the next Wednesday.  I liked both, despite the previous Nicholas Sparks ban I self imposed.  My thoughts on the book and movie can be found on my book blog: click here for the book and here for the movie. 

13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (45/100)

I watched Duck Soup last night.  It's a 1933 Marx Brothers political satire and it was hilarious!  For some reason, I was pretty convinced I wouldn't like it before I started watching.  I chose it because it's only an hour and eight minutes long and I've had an extremely short attention span lately.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed it right from the beginning.  It is completely ridiculous, but it works.  Groucho Marx plays Rufus T. Firefly, who becomes dictator of Freedonia at the request of the wealthy widow Mrs. Teasdale.  I highly recommend Duck Soup if you are in need of a laugh!

84. Finish my Honors Thesis.

Complete!  I cannot express how happy I am to have finished my thesis!  It was accepted on Wednesday by the honors program and then uploaded to the library.  I feel so free now!  Since I don't really have any work in any of my classes until finals, I'm looking forward to doing whatever I want in my free time for these next few weeks.  I think I've earned it!

13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (44/100)

Oh my goodness!  I loved Bringing Up Baby!  It's the 1938 comedy starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant as Susan Vance and Dr. David Huxley.  I loved these two together in The Philadelphia Story and their partnership here is equally entertaining, if not more so.   

Bringing Up Baby is fantastic and completely ridiculous, but not in a distracting kind of way.  The situations that these characters find themselves in could potentially happen I guess, but never in such a short time period and to the same people.  Nevertheless, Bringing Up Baby is absolutely hilarious!  I recommend that everyone see it at least once.  It is definitely something that I will rewatch and perhaps buy in the future. 

P.S. - Baby is a leopard and thus, a major source of the movie's shenanigans.  I didn't realize this until I started watching the movie.  It's good to know. 

14. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 25 Greatest Movie Musicals. (24/25)

I watched the 1951 version of Show Boat yesterday.  The 1936 version is actually the one on the list, but I have been unable to find a copy of it anywhere so this will have to do for now.  If I can find it later, I will watch it as well.  I've read that it is the better version. 

Th 1951 version features Ava Gardner, Kathryn Grayson, and Howard Keel.  Show Boat tells a story of love and misfortune, centering around the riverboat Cotton Blossom.  I recognized the song "Ol' Man River" and I really liked "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man."  This will sound weird, but I had some Gone with the Wind flashbacks while watching Show Boat.  I'm not exactly sure why, since the movies have nothing to do with each other.  I think that maybe it was the dynamics of the relationship between Magnolia and Gaylord.  Anyways, Show Boat was entertaining with a slice of human nature's dark side. 

One Year Progress Report

Happy 1 year project anniversary to me!  I can't believe a year has already gone by since I started!  I've had so much fun completing my tasks so far.  I have watched new movies and television shows, read new books, volunteered, worked towards graduating, eaten more fruits and vegetables, attended concerts and speaking engagements, baked cookies for my friends, and taken a lot of photographs, just to name a few things.

Here are some numbers for March 15, 2009 - March 14, 2010:

New Movies Watched: 147
New Books Read: 13
Tasks Completed: 24

By my calculations, I have completed 23.8 percent of my list.  I have 636 days, or 1.7 years, to finish the remaining 77 tasks.  Since I have already progressed pretty far with my movie watching, I'm planning on devoting more time to reading in the coming year.  I started my two year-long tasks in January, so they will be complete at the end of this year.  I have seven tasks that won't be completed until the very end of the project, even though I'm working on them now.  That leaves 68 other tasks to complete, several of which revolve around finishing school.  Thus, I think I'm alright with my pace right now.  I will definitely need to be thinking about the tasks listed under art though.  Some of those will take more time.

Overall, so far, so good.   Here's hoping the next year will be as productive!

21. Read 10 other books. (10/10)

Complete!
I finished reading Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke today.  It's the first book in the Hannah Swensen mystery series.  It was a fun read.  I liked that it had recipes throughout the book.  I plan on trying several of them!  I picked up this book because I saw on goodreads that it was similar to Janet Evanovich's Stephenie Plum series, which I adore.  While Janet remains superior, I am interested in continuing the series in the future. 

Since this little 10 book task is complete, I think I may add another reading task since I still have space to fill at the end of my list.  I have other reading to do, but it is all categorized.  I need another fun, fiction reading goal since that is what I'm most likely to read right now and I like checking things off my list!

14. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 25 Greatest Movie Musicals. (23/25)

I watched 42nd Street yesterday.  It's from 1933 and I read that its popularity rescued the movie musical, for which I am very grateful.  I am feeling indifferent to the movie itself, though.  I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it.  I liked the ending sequence best, but I don't see myself feeling the need to watch it again anytime soon. 

96. Read 10 books for spiritual growth. (3/10)

I finished reading Beth Moore's Breaking Free.  I started it with my last Bible study, but we never finished it.  So, I've sort of randomly been reading it since then and now it's done.  It would probably be more beneficial for me to read it completely though again in a more reasonable amount of time, but it was still a good study.  I know I identified with a lot of Moore's points throughout the book.  I'm looking forward to reading more Beth Moore in the future. 

I'm losing my mind or 21. Read 10 other books (9/10)

I'm losing my mind.  Here's the thing: I have been seeing previews for Dear John (the movie) for a while now and each time I see the preview I remember that I have read the book.  I know I have read the book because each time I see the preview I also think about how the book ends, which makes me want to give Nicholas Sparks a little shake and ask him why people can't just live happily ever after sometimes.

Anyways, last week I was making a list of all the books I have read during this project in preparation for my upcoming one year anniversary (yay!).  Dear John was not on my list.  That bugged me because I knew it had not been that long since I had read it and I was positive that I had checked it out from the library when I read it.  Since I checked it out from the library, I had to have read it at home, not when I was away at school.  So, after pondering this subject for a while, I finally decided (for peace of mind) that I must have read it before starting this project, even though I couldn't remember that.

Well, turns out my memory isn't quite as bad as I thought.  Fast forward to Saturday.  I'm home for spring break.  I see that I still have my library "receipts" from last summer tacked up on my bulletin board.  What do I find?  Proof.  I checked out Dear John last June.  On the same receipt are, in fact, two other books that I also read last summer AND listed on the blog.  For the life of me, I can not figure out why I did not post about Dear John, or at the very least, check off having read another book.  I LOVE checking things off lists.

The point of this story: I read Dear John last summer, so my progress for 21. Read 10 other books becomes 9 out of 10.  Better late than never.

10. Romantic Comedy (7/10); 13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (43/100)

As Charlie Chaplin's last silent film, I've heard City Lights called his best work.  If it weren't for watching AFI's movie lists, I probably would have never sought out this film.  I'm glad I did though, because it was funny and charming.  There is an innocence about City Lights that more recent romantic comedies lack.  I found it refreshing.  I will certainly be more open to watching silent films in the future. 

32. Attempt to compile a list of every movie I have ever seen.

A mini-update on this project: I'm up  to 811 movies on my list!

13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (42/100); 14. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 25 Greatest Movie Musicals. (22/25)

Well, I finished watching Cabaret.  I don't have much to say about it.  I had a hard time getting into it, so it's certainly not my favorite musical.  Mostly, I just thought about how ridiculously large Liza Minnelli's eyes looked.

41. Complete a 26 Things Challenge.

Complete!
I took my final two pictures this morning.  I had a lot of fun doing this project.  I had to get creative for some of the items on the list since it is winter (like 14. An insect, for which I used some fake butterflies I had).  I also got to go on a picture-taking adventure with my friend Sarah who has also been working on the list.  Some of the pictures I took I don't like as much, but some I like a lot.  I felt very clever arranging some of my books by color for 9. Rainbow.  I also really like my 7. Fancy.  Clearly, the overall theme of my pictures is winter/snow since we haven't had this much snow here since 1996.  You can see all 26 of my pictures by clicking here or by clicking on the link in the sidebar (I put the pictures on their own page).  Enjoy.

12. Epic (4/10); 13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (41/100)

I don't know how I've managed to never see the entirety of Schindler's List until now.  I do think I would not have been able to appreciate it as much as I can now.  I don't know that a person can say they "liked" Schindler's List.  Was I moved?  Deeply.  Was I horrified?  Immensely.  Am I glad this story is told?  Definitely.  It should never be forgotten. 

53. Bake cookies for someone twice a semester. (6/6)

Complete!  I actually baked cupcakes and brownies to celebrate three of my housemates' February birthdays.  Sure, that's technically not cookies, but it's my list and I think it counts.  :)

 

65. Attend 5 JMU events: speakers, concerts, art exhibits, etc. (5/5)

Complete! 
Last night, I attended a performance of Oklahoma! by students from JMU's School of Theatre and Dance and School of Music.  It was wonderful!  I love the movie version and seeing a performance in person just added new layers of meaning for me.  This performance was delightfully funny and captivating.  I did not want it to end.  The music of Oklahoma! is one of the big draws for me and these performers' music and voices did not disappoint.  I'm so glad I was able to go! 

Photo Credit

13. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 100 Years 100 Movies list. (40/100)

I watched The Shawshank Redemption today.  I was surprised by how much I liked it.  I love Morgan Freeman in pretty much everything and his performance in Shawshank was superb.  Tim Robbins was also great.  I felt so bad for Andy and his unjust treatment.  However, I loved the surprises revealed at the end of the movie.  Andy was so sneaky and clever.  He had me fooled, too.  Fantastic!  This is so much more than a prison or crime story.  Everyone who believes in friendship and hope should see The Shawshank Redemption. 

New Pages

Blogger finally created a pages option (yay!).  So, I have created pages for my movie lists, movie watching, and music listening.  From now on, I will update my progress on those lists in each page, rather than the original post.  It was getting pretty annoying to scroll down to those old, old posts.  Now, it's easy to click on each list from the sidebar!

41. Complete a 26 Things Challenge.

I am going to do the 26 Things Challenge this month.  26 Things is a photographic scavenger hunt that runs a couple of months each year.  Basically, you take a picture for each of the things on the list by the end of the month.  The creative possibilities are endless.  I think I will post my pictures as I take them, but I am not positive yet.  Click here to link to the project's main page.

Here is the list for February 2010:
1. Structure
2. Follow
3. Covet
4. Triple
5. Hands
6. Eye
7. Fancy
8. Time
9. Rainbow
10. Sadness
11. Stack
12. Line up
13. Wheels
14. An insect
15. Into the air
16. Direction
17. New
18. Half
19. Set up
20. 10 minutes away
21. In my mailbox
22. Sometimes
23. Bottle
24. Behind the scenes
25. Corner
26. A door

14. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 25 Greatest Movie Musicals. (21/25)

Well, in crossing The Band Wagon off my list just now, I noticed I had not crossed off On the Town, which I actually watched last week.  So I have actually watched 21 of 25.  Even better!  I loved On the Town.  From the beginning I was hooked because it has two of my favorites, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.  You can't go wrong with that.  Aside from that, the characters were intriguing and exciting.  The shenanigans they got themselves into were funny.  And if it couldn't get any better, the music was great, too. 

14. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 25 Greatest Movie Musicals. (20/25)

I watched The Band Wagon today, a Fred Astaire musical from 1953.  He plays Tony Hunter, a has-been actor who tries to revive his career in a Broadway show.  I enjoyed it, but it's not my favorite Fred Astaire performance.  I'm excited to have watched 20 of the 25 musicals now.  I'm almost done!

11. Courtroom Drama (2/10)

I watched A Few Good Men today.  I liked it, but it won't ever be my favorite movie.  There isn't much to say except it was nice to reminisce about a time when Tom Cruise was married to Nicole Kidman and wasn't jumping on couches...  Maybe he will make a comeback this year...

96. Read 10 books for spiritual growth. (2/10)

I read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers last week.  It is a retelling of the book of Hosea, set in the American gold rush.  I really liked it.  It helped me see things in a new light.  I definitely recommend Redeeming Love. 

Tasks for 2010

I've been working on two of the tasks from my list since January 1.  They will last the whole year and require a daily commitment from me.  Thus far, I've done well.  They actually don't take that much time to do each day.

18. Read the Bible in a year using a daily reading guide.  
I'm using a simple beginning to end guide for The Message, which is a translation in contemporary language.  I have liked all that I have previously read in it.  Sometimes the wording is just perfect for me.

42. Project 365: Take a picture every day for a year.  
This has proved to be challenging on some days because I don't always have something that stands out waiting to have its picture taken.  I think it will be more interesting for me if I come up with a theme for a certain period of time.  That will at least keep me focused and give me a direction with my camera. 

14. Watch all the movies in AFI’s 25 Greatest Movie Musicals. (19/25)

Well, that was different.  I watched All That Jazz today.  Not exactly the typical musical that I so love.  I can't imagine living that way.