#1 - Create a working book list

The obvious reason for this item is to simply get me to read a little bit more often. I really do enjoy reading things along a certain subject line, but i never give myself a chance really. this list will not contain any similar writing to what books i have chosen specifically for other items on the list, although those books could technically be considered. with that in mind, the term "working" will entail that there be between 15 and 20 books on the list at all times, and that at least one book is exchanged for another every 2/3 months.

the initial list will be provided with all exchanges listed separately and completion dates written. i will deem this item successfully completed if the list is still in "working" order come june of 2008.

edit: i decided to put the books i told myself to specifically read for other items on the list. i figure, this way i will feel like i am moving along on the list better if those get exchanged so that neither item gets completely ignored for a while.


the list:

• All Quiet on the Western Front - Remarque
  
• Invisible Man - Ellison
  
• One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - Kesey
  
• Doctor Zhivago - Pasternak
  
• Call of the Wild - London
  
• Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Adams
  
• On the Road - Kerouac
  
• 1984 - Orwell
  
• Deliverance - Dickey
  
• Utopia - More
  
• On the Origin of Species - Darwin
  
• Be Intolerant - Dobson
  
• The Book of Ratings - Sjoberg
  
• Killing Yourself to Live - Klosterman
  
• Guns, Germs, and Steel - Diamond
  
• 
  
• Watchmen - Moore
  
• The Killer Angels - Shaara
  
• The Fellowship of the Ring - Tolkien
  
• The Two Towers - Tolkien
  
• The Return of the King - Tolkien
  
• The Grapes of Wrath - Steinbeck
  
• Siddhartha - Hesse
  
• Slaughterhouse Five - Vonnegut
  
• Dracula - Stoker
  
  

#28 - Eat one meal in every restaurant in Oakland

So this goal was one that was started a long long time ago when i started to eat off of campus a lot more, and realized that i really like checking out all of the different places. So one day i dug up the pitt news dining guide to help me locate all of the lovely establishments in the area and i noted them all along with which street they were on. since then, a good portion of them have been removed from the list, but as of dec. 20, 2007, i have 12 locations remaining.

all locations will be listed and a date will be placed next to the name when i eat there.

• Fosters (Lytton)
  
• House of Chang (McKee)
  
• Orient Express (Forbes)
  
• Thai Place Cafe (Craig)
  
• Bombay Grill (Semple)
  
• India Palace (Centre)
  
• Natraj (Oakland)
  
• Star of India (Craig)
  
• Red Oak Cafe (Forbes)
  
• Food for Thought (Craig)
  
• Napoleans (Craig)
  
• Bahn Pho? (Atwood)
  
  

#30 - Try 5 new types of sushi

A small edit from the original goal since the term "outlandish" and food tend to go hand in hand with the way i eat. i've eaten sushi a few times before, but i always stuck to the basics. tuna, salmon, shrimp. so the idea behind this item was to get myself to try some new stuff, something that i really didn't think i would enjoy.

so trip 1 was to sushi kim in the strip, and man was it fantastic. along with my sushi listed below, i had a small bowl of miso soup, a salad with a phenomenal ginger dressing, and a small jug of warm sake. one of the best meals i have had, and by far the best sushi around!

so here are the types that i have tried:

• hokkigai(surf clam) - a bit tough comparatively, but full of flavorz
  
• unagi (eel) - i really never thought i would eat that, but it was really great
  
• spicy yellowtail maki - the spices were great because i would taste the fish and then the spice would kick in afterwards
  
• spicy tai maki - red snapper with a good spice to it
  
• hotategai (scallop) - this one was a little squishy with not a lot of flavor
  

finish date: 1/13/08

overall, i really enjoyed my items a whole lot. i don't think i'd do the scallops again, and the clams were hit or miss i think, but the rest i would definitely eat again. now the only thing i have to force myself into is the intimidating looking fish roe

#86 - Buy a car

So I officially will become the owner of my first car come this evening. Yesterday I went to the dealer and worked out all the paperwork, and would have taken the car with me had I not been forced to wait until this morning for my insurance policy to begin.

In any case, at around 5pm tonight I will arrive once again at the car dealership and drive away in my new vehicle. The car itself is a red 2008 Toyota Yaris. 2 door hatchback model, so it's a little thing, but it has excellent fuel efficiency which is much needed in the current times.


Pictures will be posted once i am able to upload them from the camera