Three Completed Weekly Projects

1. Watch a new movie every week. (143/143)

24. Listen to a song by a new (to me) band every week. (143/143)

28. Listen to at least one piece of classical music every week. (143/143)

I completed these three projects this week.  I know I stopped updating the lists on the blog, but I have actually kept up with these tasks.  Watching a new movie each week was not hard at all.   You wouldn't think that finding a new band would be difficult, but there were a few weeks that I had to search around a bit to find something I actually wanted to listen to and enjoyed.  I often listen to classical music at work in an attempt to make my brain focus on whatever I'm doing.  I won't stop listening to new bands or classical music, but now I don't have to listen every week or remember to do so.  I will probably continue to watch a new movie each week just because I like movies so much.

10. Romantic Comedy (10/10)

Complete!

I watched both Moonstruck (1987) and Annie Hall (1977) this week to finish up the Romantic Comedy category.  Moonstruck stars Cher and Nicolas Cage, which makes for an extremely bizarre pairing in my mind.  I'm not a fan.  Annie Hall is quirky, exactly what I would expect from a Woody Allen film.  I would have guessed that I would like Moonstruck better than Annie Hall.  I was clearly wrong. 

Updates from February

5. Gangster (5/10)
I watched Little Caesar.

10. Romantic Comedy (8/10); 13. Watch all the movies in AFI's 100 Years 100 Movies list. (50/100). 
I watched It Happened One Night and loved it!  I highly recommend it!

37. Learn to knit.
Complete!  I took a knitting class at a local yarn shop.  I haven't progressed to making anything fancy, but I believe I have mastered the basics.  I'm currently working on a scarf with some yarn that I love.

81. Donate blood three times. (2/3)
I gave blood through the American Red Cross at work again.  This time I got pretty woozy and had to lie down afterward, but I survived to donate another day.


98. Read another 20 books. (20/20)
Complete!  I recently read The Giver by Lois Lowry (loved it!), Juliet by Anne Fortier (also loved), and This Book Is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson (interesting to me, but probably not for everyone).

(all book cover photos from goodreads)

2010 Catch Up

I'm playing bloggy catch up with 2010.  I neglected/forgot to blog about some things I did (hence the pictures from Halloween in this post).  I also need to mention my two year-long tasks that I completed on December 31.

64. Attend 5 community events. (4/5)
Back in October, I returned to Harrisonburg to help with the Harrisonburg Fire Department's booth at the annual Trick-or-Treating on Court Square.  I brought the Safe Kids pumpkin I had carved earlier in the week (which, I am proud to say, was featured on the Safe Kids national website).  In addition to handing out candy, we passed out reflective bags and safety information.  Trick-or-treating was followed by a costume contest.  The kids were adorable and the some of the costumes were very impressive.

I also feel the need to share that this dog had on a squirrel costume!

18. Read the Bible in a year using a daily reading guide.
Complete!  I used The Message version of the Bible and a beginning to end reading guide.  It was sometimes hard to read beginning to end because the first nine months of the year are spent on the Old Testament.  To increase chances for success, I think I would recommend one of the other reading guides that provides passages from the Old and New Testaments each day.

34. Make a list of memorable events and favorites at the end of each year. (2/3)
For the most part, I added events as they happened last year, which saved me from my bad memory at the end of the year. 

42. Project 365: Take a picture every day for a year. 
Complete!  Honestly, this is much harder than it sounds.  The majority of my days are the same, so finding something new to take a picture of each day can be challenging (especially if you are feeling lazy or can't/won't leave your home).  Thus, I came to appreciate the days when I traveled somewhere new or the clouds were unique on my way home.  The bottom line is that I have some pictures from 2010 that I love, while most are nothing special or just plain bad.  I added my favorites from the rest of the year to my Project 365 page (located on the right sidebar). 

4. Fantasy (5/10)
I finally watched Miracle on 34th Street, which is clearly one of the classic Christmas movies.  Not sure how I managed to not watch it for approximately 23 years.  No worries though; I'm now a fan.

Next Up: A post with statistics from 2010 (cause I'm nerdy like that)

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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!

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. 

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!

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. 

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. 

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.

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.