#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.