#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.

#85 - Obtain a full time job that I enjoy

So I officially started my job on August 13, 2007. While its had its ups and downs like anything does, I think i can safely say that it is an enjoyable position that i am in right now.

Part of the satisfaction comes from the whole no income to substantial pay with what amounts to less rent/utility payments than the previous year. So that makes just about any job sound halfway decent.

While at times i get frustrated with how things are run in the office, or some of the goofy things that i can be required to do here, it really is a nice setting. The majority of the assignments that i do have, i realize that i enjoy to an extent. I can say that this was definitely the right choice as far as which field to specialize in within the whole expanse of civil/environmental engineering .

So it looks like i made the right choice, and I can consider myself satisfactorily employed for the current time and place.

#70 - Invest in a good set of headphones

So over the summer I realized that i didn't have anything worthy of delivering the sweet sounds of music to my ears personally. I despise the use of those pathetic earbuds, and anything else that i had besides them really didn't do the trick.

After perusing the web for reviews, and getting some tips from various audiophiles, i went with the Grado SR-60 model. The reviews mostly touted them as "the best low priced headphones" and said they were a great deal for the $70 price. Now, while most people may think that is a hefty sum for some head gear, realize that top of the line stuff can cost into the thousands of dollars. I knew i couldn't get anything truly worth it unless i spent at least $40 or 50.

So far after using them for a few months now, they really have been great. They bring out a solid sound through the entire spectrum (unlike those buds which miss out on the highs and lows) of sound and they certainly don't pain my ears like those little guys do either.

Worth the money!

#98 - Complete the daily news crossword without help

(first update in quite some time now)

So over the early parts of the summer (may-july) while working temporarily for the UPMC Surgical Oncology department as a file clerk/mailman/etc. I tended to work on the daily crossword with my coworkers during lunch. Usually I never finished, and some of us would work together to get all of the clues filled in, but one day i got lucky and did it all for myself.

as evidence, i photographed the sheet so nobody can deny my temporary greatness: