#31 - Brew my own beer

The post is a bit late, as a prep for my second batch, but here are the details....

Style: American Amber Ale
Date: 3-22-09

Malt: 3.3# plain amber extract, 2# plain amber dry extract, 8oz. crushed crystal malt
Hops: 2oz. Willamette

OG: 1.034
FG: 1.010
ABV: 3.2%

Fermented 7 days in the primary, 11 days in the secondary. Conditioned in the keg for 8 days @ 10psi. Initial taste test occurred on 4/16/09.


The overall response to the brew was solid. Had a good flavor without a lot of bite to it. The alcohol percentage was a bit lower than expected, but that was the only thing that came out different.

The keg finally kicked on 7/11/09, just under 3 months after it was first tasted.

#71 - Organize and display hot sauce bottle collection

Well now that I finally have a place to show off all these bottles, i got them all logged and on display in my office area. At the time of this posting, i have 27 total empties, with more on the way at all times. they are as follows:

#90 - Get a professional massage

So I'm a little behind on posting this item, but I got it done, regardless...


I took the liberty when taking the day off from work to fit in a nice arm/shoulder/back massage. I got the first timer discount at a local version of a "massage envy". The service was good, and I came out of there feeling a lot better than when I started, the downside was the chain feel it had and the fact that a return visit would either be close to twice as much or require me to be a regular monthly customer sort of put me off.

If I look into getting another one, it will probably be me trying to arrange something with the guy I got my initial ones done to work on my shoulder. Either way, it was nice to have something like that done to just pamper myself a bit.

#18 - Run 25 miles in one week

I had forgotten about this item while I was completing it. While the marathon could technically count for this as well, I wanted to get this the old fashioned way. I go back to mid October in my training to reach this goal.

Tues. Oct 14 - 3 mi
Wed. Oct 15 - 4k (~2.5 mi)
Thurs. Oct 16 - 19 mi
Mon. Oct 20 - 2 mi

Total - 26.5 mi



Looking at the fact that I had to run my longest training run ever as part of it makes me wonder if I will be able to reach the 40 miles in a week goal. However, I think that if i continue to keep running, I could very well peak with a 40+ mile week if I pull regular runs that are of a longer distance (8 miles on each of 5 runs maybe?)

#20 - Run a Marathon

After spending two days in the city, the race finally arrived. I woke up around 6:15am, got myself changed into my race gear, grabbed a bagel and got in the car to head to the start area. By the time we got through the traffic, it was close to 8am, and i spent the next 90 minutes trying to keep warm in the enormous starting area and eating up as much as i could.

Finally it was time to get into the starting corrals and slowly moving to the start line. After about 20 minutes of meandering around the perimeter, I could hear Bruce Springsteen's "born to run" blasting from the speakers as i approached the starting gate around the corner.

Going over the bridge was fueled with adrenaline and some amazing sites with Manhattan and the statue of liberty quite a bit in the distance. Throughout Brooklyn, the streets were wide and straight, but crowds and bands lined the whole way bringing lots of excitement to all the runners.

At the halfway mark came the next bridge which took the route into Queens. I crossed the bridge feeling remarkably strong for being halfway in! The crowds here were a little spotty, but were really loud when they were there to push to the hardest bridge, the Queensboro bridge.

Now in Manhattan, the route went up first avenue all the way to the Bronx. About this point, near miles 17 and 18 is when i had to take some short breaks to walk. The bridge into the Bronx came just after the 20 mile mark. I got a little bit of a boost here, possibly due to all the bends and turns in the roads.

Turning back into Manhattan on 5th avenue now was close to the home stretch. Again a little bit of walking, but still moving fairly steady. After what seemed like an eternity, the route turned into Central Park at 90th street. Rolling hills up and down made for an interesting stretch here, but great crowd support helped keep ma and many others going.

At the bottom of the park, the route turned to the east to go along the front and to Columbus circle to turn into the finish. With about half mile to go, I spotted my sister jumping up and down with my dad and I knew the race was almost over. Adrenaline fueled my finish, and the last 400 meters back into the park felt completely amazing.

I finally reached the finish line after a journey of 5 hours, 6 minutes and 3 seconds. Crossing that line was one of the best feelings I have ever experienced. The months of preparation proved to be well worth the struggle to get through it all, and while I may never do it again, i will never forget that moment!

#61 - Spend a day at the waters of Ohiopyle

This one sort of came up without me realizing it was on my list. But either way, I spend Sunday June 29th on a day out with Kate going to Laurel Caverns and then over to Ohiopyle for the afternoon just enjoying the nature and (at least me) getting my feet wet in the Yough.

So as the reason for putting it on the list, enjoying nature, lived up to its full potential and it was a fantastic day! And of course, it was ended with ice cream at pages, which can't be beat.

#10 - Finish reading the rest of the Rolling Stone magazines

As stated in the previous post, i started to read quite a bit in broken pieces while at work, so naturally magazines were the best choice. A book would be a little more difficult since the lengths of time that i have to read often arent long enough to finish pages and such and i need to have the ability to just up and go when called upon to grab a sample.

So when i realized that i was going to be able to motor through magazines pretty quickly, i started packing up back issues in my bag along with my food. So after about 2/3 weeks of this, i have completed 4 issues back(including 1 double issue) and have alomst completed another double issue as well as kept up with other reading materials (like my new subscription to beer magazine).

While i technically have about two years worth of issues piled up in my room now, i will at some point choose a completion point. Most of the older issues have most of the shorter articles read, and only have the longer stories in the back to catch up on. many of the time dated articles and ones that i doubt i will get into will just be skipped over. hopefully this task will be completed before i make my next move so that i can trip down on the bulk and there is less to carry around.

#9 - Read the new Rolling Stone cover to cover within the week

So i've been a little too busy to update this immediately, but i completed this one last week over the course of two days. I took the latest issue (#1048) into work with me and started reading it during down time between tests and the more and more frequent breakdowns which left with an hour or more at a time to just sit there and read. Since i can't really go anywhere, i get through the articles a lot faster and i ended up finishing the whole thing with little effort.

#15 - Do push ups every other day for a month

So for this one, i realized that with the downtime i have at work right now, i should try to use it for something besides sitting and half sleeping in that uncomfortable chair. so i started to do pushups and situps, even though the space i am in is pretty dirty.

Today marks the start of this item, and I will make sure that i do at least 1 set of 20 push-ups every other day until the 11th of April. Right now i only require myself 1 set, but i'd like to be able to easily complete 2, or maybe even try and do 3 before i finish. my arms are weak and so that will be real hard for me to build up to.


Success! I did this item a lot easier than i thought i would. i never could really force myself to do pushups before, but i think the down time at work, especially over nights, was what got me to do it. many days i did them even if i didnt need to. since there would be days/nights of work with little to do, doing pushups and stretching out was one way to make sure i didnt get too crazy cooped up in that trailer. as with the situps, i hope that i can keep this one going for as long as i can manage, even if its more irregular.

#52 - Make someone else a mix CD

This item i thought would be a lot harder than it ended up being. I think part of it was the subject, but iwas definietly more free flowing when i put this together and it went real quick.

I started compiling some tracks to make this CD for Kels one night and by the next day, had 20-25 songs that i thought would work. i tried to pick songs that she would enjoy, but didnt know already. and since she admittingly didnt follow too deeply into alot of types of music, that made it a little easier for me. i think when i make mixes for people, i tend to try and stretch too exotic sometimes and thats what gets me into trouble.

after i paired it down to just 18 songs, i started to order them. the first and last songs were obvious for me, so getting the ones in the middle to flow nicely was the only difficult part. so i picked through the beginnings and ends of all the songs and sort of mixed it around and thats the part that went really unexpectedly well.

i just ripped the disc and will hopefully post it in the mail by monday. and then of course, i hope she enjoys the songs i picked! once it arrives, this item can officially be completed, but i deem it worthy enough to be done now.

#51 - Piece together a complete stereo system

This item i can tell will be a work in progress for a while form now. the benefit is that i really don't have the space to set something up until i have my own living room to have free reign over. So while at work today, i determined what components would be a part of this system, and sort of arranged them in a set up that i will eventually make for myself, probably once i have a few or all of the components to go with it. below is a list of each of the components and the ones with specific tpye/model listed are what have been acquired up to date.

• speakers - jbl 2600 bookshelf (2)
  
• receiver
  
• cd player
  
• dvd player
  
• record player
  
• playstation 2 - already owned
  
• flatscreen tv
  
• cable box (will come with service)
  
• equalizer (optional)
  

#97 - Donate some clothes to Goodwill

Since i seem to enjoy having lots of items listed as "in progress", I will make a post for this item now and update it once i actually take the clothes to the donation center.

I started a pile of clothing to toss aside for the time being to try and motivate me to actually do it, and since i didnt think i'd be willing to pull enough at once to be worth the goal, multiple additions to the pile will work best.

Here is a list of items being donated:

• Blue bonfire 2003 t-shirt, size large
  
• White womens b-ball t-shirt, size 2X
  
• tan denim looking button down short sleeves, size large
  
• grey denim looking button down long sleeves, size XL
  
• two more school related blue tee's, size large
  
• white patriot bowl 08 tee, size XL
  
• white labatt blue tee, size XL
  
• heavy white undershirt, size XL
  
• off white "leatherheads" tee, size large
  
• olive green colored slacks
  
  

Sunday, July 13th: The bag of clothes containing the listed items above, as well as another bag of some other folks' stuff was taken to the Goodwill donation box on the southside. Since the move date is quickly approaching, it feels good to get rid of a bunch of clothes to lighten the closet a bit, although I probably could fill another load from the old stuff i have been keeping at home for the very reason that i don't actually wear most of it now.

#88 - Have $1000 saved away for emergencies only

So this one will be done in installments. Whenever i figure myself to have enough extra cash, i will take a check and deposit some funds into my account at the credit union. Each transaction will be listed below with the date and amount.

2 months later to the day goes my second deposit. Hopefully the next one will be a little sooner than that since basiclaly all of this is being put in for the house fund coming this fall


1/24/08 - $200
3/24/08 - $200
6/10/08 - $300
8/14/08 - $500


TOTAL - $1200


So this item is finally complete as of August 14th. This is a great feeling, but the downside is that all of that money will more or less be completely used up for the house downpayment. So here's hoping that this account had a thousand in it come the time this whole list thing is completed.

#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

Progress Report!

Since I havent really been updating my progress on the main post because its too much of a hassle to format, I will update this way every couple months and see where I sit so far.

Completed Items: 9

In Progress: 7


Given that its been almost 7 months, if i were to be at the ideal pace, I would have around 20 items completed at this point. So with that being said, I am definitely a little behind schedule. However, if I really put my mind to it, there are 8 or 9 items on the list that i believe i could complete on top of some of the ones already in progress by the end of the year. If i could do that, that would just about pull me into the right spot to where i should be and allow for more time come the better weather and all of those outdoor items!

12/14 note: as of today, #54 is 89/150 completed, #55 is 45/100, and #56 is 286/400

#14 - Do crunches every other day for a month

I started with them yesterday, Tuesday the 27th of November. I completed 3 sets of 20 after a long run. Hopefully by the end of this month I will be able to just barely be able to complete 60 and reach 100 without so much problem. Each week I will add another set of 20.


edit 1: so i sucked and only got through a week before i missed a few days, and then tried again and still couldnt keep a schedule. i hope to start this weekend and maybe the down time over the holiday break will allow me to actually get into a routine for at least a little while.

edit 2: so as on 1/21/08, this item is officially completed. although a little unorthodox at times, i managed through it. for the first 2 weeks of the month i completed 3 sets of 20, and the second two weeks i completed 4 sets. i didnt jump up to 100 total like i had initially planned, but i think the general motivation to do them on a regular basis, and more often that my currently very infrequent running schedule.

#64 - Attend a KKY National convention

Some how I left this fantastic trip slip by during my last update, so I am only writing about it now. A group of 10 of us trekking down from Pittsburgh to Orlando, FL made the journey in a couple of rented mini vans and it was a great time all around.

I did a good portion of the driving, so once we arrived I was already somewhat tired. Once arrived, I got notified that I was charged with sitting in place of the absent Cal U chapter, so I took my place as there delegate and went with the flow. I also was involved in our big top chapter presentation, which went well although we didn't come out on top in the end.

I got to meet all sorts of people however, and have a great time the entire time i was there that I will certainly want to try and go back 2 years from now when it moves to the west in Phoenix, AZ.