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Friday, January 25, 2008

25 resolutions

As I was thinking of a title for the post today, something with resolutions and 25 in it, I thought maybe I should come up with 25 "resolutions," so to speak, for the next year. The past several years, I have opted not to make resolutions at New Year's, but instead make them for my birthday. It seemed more logical to think in terms of "what do I want to have done by the time I'm (insert next year here)?" than "what will I do this year?"
And according to a friend of mine, apparently the year you turn your birth date, that's supposed to be a special year. So...today I reach a milestone year. I am 25 on the 25th. And by the way, I don't feel any different. Except that it struck me that I'm officially in my "mid-twenties." And my slightly younger friends, even by a few months, have liked to point out that I'm a quarter of a century old.
It does sound old when you put it that way.
But I am excited about 25. I think this will be a good year. So...below are 25 things I want to do before I'm 26. Granted...I may have to come back throughout the day because I'm not sure I can think of 25 things in one sitting. I was initially going to have 10, a good, round number. Any suggestions?
  1. Visit a new country (so far it's looking like a Canadian or Mexican trip is being planned, but we'll see)
  2. Be able to converse in Italian (I just started class last night)
  3. Go back to Montana (this doesn't happen every year)
  4. Visit my cousin in New York
  5. Decide if I really want to go to grad school and take my GREs and GMATs
  6. Buy a kitchen table and chairs for my apartment
  7. Visit a new city
  8. Go to the beach (missed that last summer)
  9. Return to California for a visit (already have tickets! but I felt it deserved a mention since it'll be three years since I've been)
  10. Take those dance classes I've wanted to take, get back into ballet
  11. Join a gym (this one keeps getting pushed back since the opening date of the gym next to me gets pushed back)
  12. I'd really like to pick up running again
  13. Finally get back down and "visit my roots" in Roanoke
  14. Pay off my credit card
  15. Really, really clean out and organize my closet
  16. Buy a bed (I'm 25! Should I still be sleeping on a futon?)
  17. Try a new recipe at least once or twice a month
  18. Get a new pair of glasses (this one I've put off, but I probably really should)
  19. Figure out what I'm doing with my Bali novel

**Ok...I'm running out of ideas! Open to suggestions for the last six!

mon dieu, c'est difficile!

So Carrie and I had our first Italian class this evening...and I foresee some difficulty and some humour. Probably more of the latter. And if you know what language the title of this post is, you'll understand.
It seems that, much like my attempts at speaking Spanish, I will probably end up sounding like a Frenchman learning Italian than an American. The humour will come when I leave off letters at the end of a word or with the "R" letter. It took me some time to learn how to "swallow" my Rs...and I've never been able to really roll them. Maybe occasionally if place around the right letters.
And of course growing up in Texas I did learn some Spanish. So...while learning how to count in Italian, some Spanish slipped in occasionally (and it didn't hurt that the person sitting me slipped in a little Spanish as well).
But it was fun, and I expect more amusement. And, as Carrie said, "we're speaking Italian."
Right now it's not much beyond introducing myself and saying I'm fine, but it'll get there.

Monday, January 21, 2008

work day

I had the day off today but I definitely planned on making it a work day. And not housework or organizing, or whatever else I usually try to get done on a day off. This was real work, so to speak.
I wanted to write today, and get a pretty sizable chunk done too. Lately I've been ecstatic if I could just get about 1,000 words a day written. But today I set my goal at 5,000. And I've nearly reached it. I'm headed out for a short break, which is probably needed, but when I get back I'll only have a few hundred to go, which is very manageable.
As some of you know, I'm starting a language class this week after it was postponed due to the weather, and so my free time to write is going to shrink even more because of class and studying. But this year I really want to see where I can go with this whole "writing thing," see if maybe it is viable.
Now, I didn't spend the whole day on my couch with my laptop in front of me. I did some yoga and did clean up a little. I got rid of some piles of junk and organized some other piles that I'll eventually get rid of.
I'm really looking forward to the next day off I have. I'll be in sunny California then! Looking forward to being back to my mountains, and sun and palm trees and of course those crazy kids I went to college with.
So...all in all...it was a very productive day. Honestly? Probably my most productive day off from work. How did you guys spend your days off?

Friday, January 18, 2008

snow=christmas (at least in my mind)

Some may find it surprising that with all my complaints about cold weather, I was apparently born in the middle of a blizzard, after the holiday season. And no, not in Texas (where a blizzard is about four inches). And even though said snowstorm happened after Christmas, I still associate snow with the holidays. Maybe this is because growing up in Texas, we usually got our ice, and the occasional snow, before Christmas and rarely after. And of course "White Christmas" songs and holiday movies only add to that.
When it snowed yesterday, for a few brief moments I thought it was still the holiday season. Especially sitting in my office and looking outside, seeing the snowflakes dance and whirl around and collect lightly on the ground. Maybe that's partly because this past holiday season happened too quickly for me. I didn't get a chance to go out and enjoy the holiday decorations as much as I've done in the past.
And even though I love snow, I don't enjoy it as much when it's after the holidays. Strange, maybe. But that's the way it is. I guess I could maybe still pretend the holidays were around. I did see two lit Christmas trees the other day when running errands...but it's not the same. The anticipation's gone.
Maybe next year there will be a white Christmas. It seems that it snows either too early or too late.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

atonement

I saw Atonement last night and will begin by saying that I recommend you go see this movie, if you haven't already. Starting from the outside in, I think the cinematography was brilliant. The way it was shot and edited, and set to the score, was very...poignant.
I found the story to be very unfair. But of course, that's what makes it dramatic. But the great thing about the way it was told was that it wasn't a tearjerker. I'm going to try to say this without giving anything away, but if you see it, you'll probably know what I mean. I'll admit that I'm a crier when it comes to movies. I'll cry in nearly everything, so I was expecting this movie to just wrench my heart.
But it didn't.
What happened was the end just sort of hit you in the gut. There wasn't a big lead up to it, and so there were only a few tears. But as I left the theatre, waited for the train and walked home from the metro, it kept coming back to me and I felt even more sad. And I think that ability to stay with a person like that is partly what makes it good storytelling. If it was something that walking out of the theatre made me cease thinking of it, well then it was a good two hours worth of entertainment and that's all.
I also bought the book last night. We ended up having to see a later showing since the one we were going to see was sold out, so we killed time at the Barnes & Noble across the street. I'd almost bought the book for my flight back to DC from Dallas, and after really looking forward to the movie, I decided to go ahead and buy it to read it. It was Nathan Bransford's post on the movie and book that also encouraged me to finally see the movie and buy the book. By mentioning that parts of the movie, that were great in the film but, as he says, not as intense, but were a little "hollow," and maybe just didn't translate well.
I am one of those of the school that the book is always better than the movie. Because there's so much the book can delve into that just either can't translate or is usually cut because of time (The Count of Monte Cristo is my best/favorite example). So those scenes that weren't as intense...well, since I still thought they were good they must be even more intense in the book.
I'll let you know what I think of the book when I get a chance to read it. And it is a bit of an incentive to get through the other ones I'm currently reading. But yes, I really liked the movie and suggest seeing it.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

produce guru

The other day I came across the Produce Guru website and thought I'd share. I like learning new and often times random facts about things, and this has the occasional random fact about produce. It also contains nutrition information, recipes, storage tips, and even tips on how to select fresh produce. Which can be handy, especially when trying something new.
What really interested me, besides the selection tips, was the "fun facts" part on each page. For instance, did you know that cantaloupe is in the gourd family? Or do you know how Passion Fruit got it's name? According to the site, "Catholic missionaries in South America gave the fruit its name because they thought the flowers of the plant looked like the crown of thorns that was placed on Christ's head."
And to possibly answer that age old question, the site has tomatoes listed as a vegetable.
So if you have some time to kill, or need to focus on something else during the week until the clock strikes five, check it out. Who knows, maybe that little bit of trivial will come up on a trivial pursuit game or Jeopardy.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

rediscovering my roots...musically

During my teenage years I listened to a lot of "alternative rock," and only a little of the trance/dance music that I listened to mostly in college, transitioning now into the lounge music that mostly occupies my stereo. But I've kept most of my CDs from that time, and rarely put them into my stereo, usually only for an afternoon.
Whenever I go to Dallas and have the opportunity to drive around and listen to my music, I'll usually bring a bunch of CDs with me, and only occasionally check out what's playing on the radio, especially The Edge, the station of my youth. In the past there wasn't much I listened to. But maybe I just miss that music or for whatever reason most of my favorite songs were being played, but I listened to the radio a lot in the car this time around.
I even started digging out some of those older CDs when I got home.
Some CDs I don't have, and kind of miss, like my Pearl Jam and yes, even some Nirvana (I admit I was Nirvanaed out in high school when people I knew were very obsessed with them). I think my Nine Inch Nails are around somewhere, and even before I went to Dallas I had, for some reason, started listening to Incubus again.
Now maybe it's all just cyclical and I managed to stumble upon my old radio stations at the right time when I wanted something "different" from my lounge music. I do tend to go through periods of my music preferences, from classical (usually when I'm doing a lot of writing), lounge, classic rock, dance, etc.
But then...it's just really good music. I slipped in my Oasis CD when I got home from the airport and prepared a quick dinner and just thought "wow...this is really good!" even thought this is of course not the first time I've listened to them. And I have to wonder why I ever stopped listening in the first place.
Sure, something new comes along and it's wonderful and great, but I can slip it in alongside an old U2 CD. And of course, looking back, those were good times. Like many other teenagers, I hated that period while living it, I wanted to grow up and, believe it or not, pay bills...be an adult. But now I can think back to hanging out in the neighborhood streets while my friends skateboarded and we planned to go see a movie or go back to my house to listen to music...since there wasn't much else to do until we were sixteen.
Good times and good music. I probably wouldn't have pulled out those CDs though had I not heard some of those older songs that I still love on the radio. It's good to listen to them again and I think that they'll slip into a fairly regular rotation with those other CDs, and even older ones (The Doors, Hendrix, The Beatles, etc.)
Anyone else ever rediscover an old CD and wonder why you ever stopped listening to it in the first place?

Saturday, January 05, 2008

there's something about dallas...

...and other people are noticing that too. I admit that I am a little biased, but there's definitely something going on with this place. One thing I've noticed in my trips back is the amount of building going on, and not just the urban sprawl that continues to creep North, but even closer to downtown. New high rises are going up in little communities with shops and restaurants, imitating urban life in other "tighter" big cities that maybe didn't have the space.
But this past week when I was back in "Big D" I flipped through some magazines, looking for some to take on the plane, and the first one I looked at had an article about why Fort Worth was such a great place to live (Dallas and Fort Worth are very often grouped together, so I'm counting that here). And then looking through Elle Decor, there was a lengthy article about Dallas.
I think it was that article that began with something along the lines that Dallas has never been a city to look backward. Maybe that means that it's a city that is always ready to change. And maybe part of that is because we don't have the history that New York, Boston, DC has, etc.
My point is Dallas can easily reinvent itself. And it's doing just that, and really has been doing that for a long time. The downtown area is being revitalized and I think people are discovering that there's more to Dallas than the shopping (but oh goodness is that wonderful too!) with the symphony and the Myerson, the Dallas Museum of Art and, heading up to Fort Worth, the Kimbell, the Stockyards and that feeling of the Old West that I think still manages to get inside all Texans, even us urban dwellers. Yes, I still consider myself a Texan. Maybe in another 18 years I'll finally consider myself a Washingtonian.
I was a little surprised at seeing the attention, which is why I'm noting it. And of course it was just wonderful being back in Dallas for a nice, long vacation. It wasn't as warm as it sometimes is, but there were days when the sun shone brilliantly and the sky was clear. And of course there's flying into D/FW when all you can see is land, as far as you can see, and it's all Texas.
And speaking of Dallas, for your listening/viewing pleasure: