Listmania

101 in 1001: Round 2

mig14 — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:26:00 GMT

Task: to complete 101 things in 1001 days

Start Date: January 2, 2010

End Date: September 28, 2012 (right before the world ends....)

Green is In Progress
Black is haven't started
Red is failed
Blue is completed

Because I’m almost a grownup

1. Buy a place to live with at least 2 bedrooms

2. Furnish said living space with NEW furniture (not Value Village used variety)

3. Buy adequate storage for my CDs/DVDs/books

4. Put at least 20% of each month’s paycheque into the bank (0/33)

5. Contribute the maximum allowable to RSP each year

6. Spend less than $100/month on entertainment (books, movies, music, concerts, etc) for 3 months

7. Contribute at least $150 per month to charities (Right to Play, Amnesty, Invisible Children)

8. Volunteer to serve a holiday dinner at a homeless shelter

9. Find an organizational system that actually works, and stick to it. (Especially in the classroom)

10. Write a will

11. Open up a trading account and invest in something

12. Contribute the maximum ($5000) to a TFSA every year (0/3)

13. Buy and actually use a planner for a year (not every day, but at least weekly)

14. Get rid of all the clothes and shoes I no longer wear; donate to charity (1x per year) (1/3)

15. Clean out closet over Spring Break every year (0/3)

16. Pay off car by April 2010

Because I like to travel

17. Take a road trip across North America (from coast to coast)

18. Visit the following states: North/South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North/South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, California, Oregon, Hawaii, Wyoming, New Mexico (0/30)

19. See NWT, NV, Yukon, PEI, NB, NFLD (maybe not all at once) (0/6)

20. Travel to Europe

21. See the Statue of St. Kevin at Glendalough; meditate for a while

22. Travel somewhere over Spring Break each year (0/3)

23. Go to NYC; see a Broadway show

24. Vegas, baby!

25. Go to another city for a concert

26. Go to Australia again

27. Drive to the farm for a few days; take lots of pictures

28. Send mom and dad on a trip to the East Coast

Because I need to reconnect

29. Limit online “browsing” time to 1 hr per day, every day (5/1001)

30. Turn the TV off one day per week for all 143 weeks (1/143)

31. Keep the computer off one day per week at home for all 143 weeks (1/143)

32. Eat dinner with Mom and Dad one day per week, every week I’m in town (2/143)

33. Learn to play chess with Dad; play at least every 2 weeks

34. Find an activity to share with Mom; do it at least every two weeks

35. Have coffee with a friend twice per month for 8 months (1/8)

36. Read the (real) newspaper every day for 3 months (not just the sports)

37. Write 4 letters (by hand) per year to different people

38. Spend less than 2 hours per day marking; plan assignments better so that my job does not take over my life.

39. Go to Vancouver to see Kelsey (not attached to a conference)

40. Travel to Toronto for a visit with Kara (with no other reason to go)

41. Post photos of events to both Flickr and Facebook within 1 week of event

42. When living on my own, buy all produce at a Farmer’s Market for 3 months

43. See the sun rise one day per month, each month (2/33)

44. Take at least one picture of a sunrise or sunset each week (weather permitting) (1/143)

45. Camp in the mountains for a week; take no technology

Because I need to stay entertained

46. Create a list of every single book I own, and maintain as new books come in

47. Read every book I own at least once before buying new books

48. Re-read the Lord of the Rings trilogy

49. Read the WHOLE Harry Potter Series (0/7) - I'm feeling that this will be the LAST thing completed....

50. Read all of Bernard Cornwell’s books (18/49)

51. Read all of Philip Roth’s novels (4/26)

52. Read every Booker Prize Winner (10/46)

53. Read the Twilight series. Try not to laugh.

54. Keep a log of every movie I see, plus post a brief review on the blog for one year

55. Watch the top 25 films on the AFI 100 Years…100 Films list from 2007 (10/25)

56. Watch all of the Oscar “Best Picture” nominees for 2010, 2011, 2012 (6/30)

57. Watch every episode of The X-Files in order, including the movies (0/204)

58. Keep a record of every DVD I own

59. Keep a record of every CD I own

60. Watch all DVDs I currently own before buying anything new

61. See at least 5 films per year at the Princess or the Garneau

62. Buy an XBOX 360 and play the heck out of it

63. See at least 9 live theatre productions each year

64. ALWAYS see the movie first (where applicable)

Because I need to do things for my health

65. Fit into “those jeans” again

66. Swim at least 4x per week for 6 months (0/6)

67. Do a triathlon-length swim (1.5k) in less than 20 minutes

68. When living on my own, eat organic for 1 month

69. Do not eat after 8pm on weekdays for 3 months (0/3)

70. Do not eat after 8pm on any day of the week for 3 months (0/3)

71. Sleep at least 7 hours a night during the week for 6 months (0/6)

72. Be in bed with the lights out by 11 pm on weeknights for 3 months (0/3)

73. Drink nothing but milk, water, green tea and white tea for 1 month

74. Consume no more than 3 alcoholic beverages per week for 6 months

75. Floss my teeth every day for 3 months (0/3)

76. Spend no more than 9 hours at work on any weekday

77. Take a “mental health day” from work when I’m stressed to the max

78. Spend 5 minutes every day in my own quiet time (54/1001)

Because I like sports

79. Go to the Super Bowl

80. See the Packers at Lambeau; try to get in on a Lambeau Leap

81. Go to see the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal with Dad

82. See a baseball game in Fenway Park

83. See a baseball game at Wrigley Field

84. See a high school football game in West Texas

85. Go to the World Junior Hockey Championships

86. See a college football game (Div 1)

87. See a college basketball game (Div 1)

88. Watch at least one game for every team at my school in one school year

Because I like to use my brain

89. Get into graduate school (part-time)

90. Complete half of a Master of War Studies degree at the Royal Military College

91. Get published (somewhere other than my blog or in a letter to the editor)

92. Blog at least 2x per week, every week (2/143)

93. Start writing the book

94. Learn how to play the guitar (and sing at the same time)

95. Buy a telescope

96. Read each future issue of Foreign Affairs magazine from cover to cover

Miscellaneous

97. Try one new restaurant a month or a brand new dish at a favourite restaurant (1/33)

98. Say the words that have been rolling around in my head for the last 10 (!) years to JW.

99. Tweet about each of these as I complete, with the hashtag #101in1001

100. Sum up each month with a blog post (does not count towards the 2/week)

101. For every incomplete task after 1001 days, donate $10 to Right to Play

Well, I tried this last year. Then life got a little crazy.

This year I'm trying to declutter my mind, my spirit and my life. I think that if I can complete all of these, I'll feel like I've actually changed my life (and myself) for the better.

I've challenged a friend of mine to try it out too, because I think it'll be easier for me to finish if there's someone to “compete“ with. But I'm going to do this. I WILL NOT FAIL.

2009 In Retrospect

mig14 — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 13:30:00 GMT

A couple of years ago, Meg Fowler posted this. Despite my lack of posting this year, I was looking for something to fill out that could quickly recap my favourite whatever from 2009. So I'm using it again. Here's my 2007-in-review version.

Movie of Love: District 9. Or Star Trek. Or even The Blind Side.

Song of Love: I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers. Go now and listen. it's Spectacular.

Book of Love: I can't. I tried to keep track of the books I read this year, and I failed miserably, losing count around 75 (I'm sure that I read at least 150 books last year). If I had to pick (and this is not necessarily the best book I've read, it's the one I remember best) I'd say People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

Album of Love: The Circle by Bon Jovi. Or I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers. Or Veneer by Jose Gonzalez

Place of Love: My car. I drive a lot to clear my head, and I especially enjoy driving at sunset.

Month of Love: Oddly enough, December (see Scrooge for further clarification)

Best Day of Love: My birthday. Because Riva and I went to see The New Kids on the Block in Saskatoon. And I touched Jonathan Knight. And we were both fangirl retardo that day. And it was beautiful.

Best Moment of Love: When I said I wanted to quit my job (on FB), and one of the boys I taught last year came right out and said that I shouldn't. I cried, but it made me realize that I have lots left to do at this here teaching thing..

Word of Love: Clever

Purchase of Love: Xbox 360. Now I can play Madden '09. Finally.

City of Love: E-Town in summer. And Seattle (especially when it wasn't snowing this year!)

Food of Love: Butter Chicken, because I only ever have it with Kate. And that's special.

Beverage of Love: Oddly enough, water. Plain old tap water.

Person of Love (someone who made a difference for you this year): Justin, despite the circumstances that brought us back together. I'm rather grateful that we're reconnecting.

Spot of Love (the best place to go to just be): Still Starbucks. Good for so many things.

Clothing Item of Love: New coat! And new mitts! And new sweater!

Random Thing of Love (anything you want):

Back Into The Swing?

mig14 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:08:00 GMT

I'm finding it very difficult to muster the strength to write. Not that there's anything wrong with me, but I am finding it really tough to sit down for long enough to put something together.

Some things have changed; other's haven't:

I'm still a huge football fan, and my Packers are not disappointing so far. Except for that loss to Tampa Bay. But other than that, it's been a good year, so far.
The Oilers are not as promising, but they're still my team and I still enjoy watching. Except when they're really bad.
School has mostly been kicking my ass this year. I'm really busy, and there was a time when I thought I'd quit. I've never wanted to before, but some friends (and former students) helped me to see that quitting was a bad idea.
I joined a choir this year, with Riva, Aimee and Lindsey. It's fun to sing again, and it's really fun to sing with my friends again. We even got told that we weren't allowed to drink before our last concert. The conductor knows us well.
I've been spending some time recently reconnecting with old friends. And it's been great. It reminds me of how lucky I really am to have some of these people in my life.

I could write more, but I'm going to stop, and formulate something meaningful to put up here. How about that?

Monday Morning Love List

mig14 — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:03:00 GMT

Because I'm about ready to crawl under a rock and die from sheer exhaustion, I thought I should put something up here about what I do love and am grateful for.

My job (despite it being the main source of my problem....)
Being done work at 115
Summer in Edmonton for all of the following reasons:
1. Warm weather
2. River City Shakespeare Festival
3. Street Performers Festival
4. CapitalEx (though I still call it K-Days)
5. Fringe Festival
6. Heritage Days
7. Folk Fest
8. Patio lunches
9. Concerts
10. Farmers Markets
11. Whyte Ave

Temperatures pushing 30
Having seen every “big“ movie so far this summer
Planning a trip to KC for some football with Ed
NFL Preseason coming soon
Green Bay Packers
Brett Favre (despite his waffling on the whole retirement thing)
The Oilers (even though they couldn't land a marquis player if they tried)
“Lay it Down Slow“ by Spiritualized
Russell Howard (Find “Mock The Week Newspapers“ on YouTube)
Good friends who listen when I need to talk
Former students who are genuinely nice people, and are sincere
Pearls Before Swine
Book Sales
Rediscovering the music of my junior high years (Soul Asylum, anyone?)
Friends who make me belly-laugh on a regular basis
Tucker Max (despite his mostly mysoginistic outlook on life, he's a brilliant writer)

And you? (If anyone still actually reads this......)

My Life in Tens

mig14 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:47:00 GMT

One of my favourite book series is the “For Dummies” series, especially the history books. One of the things that I really like about them is that the authors use language that is much easier to understand, especially in a hurry. There are also attempts made to make light of certain situations, so that the details do not become cumbersome.

Another feature of the books that I love is “The Part of Tens” at the end. Each book includes a series of lists (all in 10 parts) regarding the subject matter. For example, in U.S. History for Dummies, the lists are:

1. The 10 Best – and 10 Worst – Presidents

2. Ten Historical Events That Probably Never Happened

3. Ten Inventions That Changed Life as We Know It

4. Ten Events That Defined American Culture

Often times, the lists contain items that don’t easily fit in the rest of the book, and are often funny.

I got to thinking the other say that it would be interesting to do a series of posts called “The Part of Tens” about things that I’m interested in, or really enjoy.

I made a list of 11 topics to explore, and have made lists for most of them. There will be more topics added as I see fit, but here is the initial list:

1. Fiction Books

2. Non-Fiction Books

3. Movies

4. Albums

5. Concerts

6. TV Shows

7. Favourite Places in Canada

8. Athletes

9. Sports Teams

10. Musicians

This might seem a bit mundane, and perhaps even self-indulgent, but I hope that I will find more “Top Ten” lists to write about as I go through this adventure.

My real hope is to find things to write about on a regular basis. I like lists. I like to write. It would make sense, then, that I’d write about lists.

tags: Dummies biography Part of Tens

I Am....

mig14 — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:45:00 GMT

I enjoy this. It makes me happy, because I can keep track of how I'm feeling at different times.

I am thinking about...how badly I want to say something....
I said...that I'd post 2x per week and I'm failing miserably
I wish...I had better organizational abilities
I miss...my grade 12s from the school year

I hear...sighing because my students don't know the answers on the test
I wonder...if this job will ever get easier
I regret...going to bed so late
I am...really enjoying my work
I dance...rarely

I laugh...when I am stressed out, which is often
I sing...All the time
I cry...When I'm mad.
I am not always...in a great mood
I write...to express myself
I confuse...my passions with other people's passions.
I need...to grow up
I should try...to be more social
I finish...this course on July 24th

Movies: Top 10

mig14 — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:07:00 GMT

I've been rattling this list around in my head for the last little while, trying to figure out where or if the last movies I saw should go on the list. Now that I have it settled in my head, here goes. My Top 10 of all time.....

1) Braveheart (1995)
2) Saving Private Ryan (1998)
3) The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
4) The Dark Knight (2008)
5) Blood Diamond (2006)
6) Memento (2000)
7) Gladiator (2000)
8) Beauty And The Beast (1991)
9) Black Hawk Down (2001)
10) We Were Soldiers (2002)/Jarhead (2005)

Big change from last time....

Mid-Week Love List

mig14 — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:00:00 GMT

I've been jotting things down on Post-It notes, things that I want to address on here. But then I get distracted by something shiny, and tend not to write. (Well, that and I never have time when I haven inspiration, or inspiration when I have time.)

So here's a list of all of the things that I'm loving right now (in no particular order, and for no particular reason)

Star Trek
Detroit Red Wings
Twitter

The NHL

Chicago Blackhawks

Wolverine

Guns n Roses

Metallica

Jeremy Fisher

The song ‘Graduation’ by Vitamin C (because the jokes we told in high school really are kind of funny now)

Bob Dylan

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The impending long weekend

Next weekend (grad banquet and Karen’s wedding)

When my kids come to class on time, with all their stuff

Crush Cream Soda

Dr Pepper

Kraft Caramels

Spinach

Mangoes

Burt’s Bees lip balm

Burt’s Bees Citrus Facial Scrub (it’s like a lemon On my face!)

Rediscovering The Offspring

Ace of Base

Winning my work hockey pool

My students – they are fantastic

The ridiculous twists on Prison Break

The upcoming dynamic changing events on Bones

The fact that there are 5 movies in 5 weekends that I’m going to see (Wolverine, Star Trek, Angels and Demons, Terminator, Up)

Tiger Pops

“Set the Fire to the Third Bar” by Snow Patrol/Martha Wainwright

This picture

My Green Bay Packers

The Oilers, even if they disappoint me

People who make me laugh

My job

Gerbera Daisies (have some in my classroom)

The card my grade 12s made me

Fresh cut grass

The after-rain smell

Bodycology “Fresh Waters” smelling stuff

Candles

The smell of new books

Books I can’t put down

And…

…being able to laugh daily at my job, either at my kids for being ridiculous, or with them for being so clever.

Music of a Lifetime

mig14 — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:18:00 GMT

I generally do not participate in memes, because I usually find them pointless. I got sucked into the Facebook 25 Things meme by being tagged by more than 10 people to do it. I came across this one on Facebook as well, and posted a note about it, but then decided to expand it.

I have already posted a list of my Top 10 albums of all time. A couple of those are not on this list. Those are my favourites. These are what I consider as being the most influential. There's a big difference.

1. Moist - Creature
I’ve listened to this album hundreds of times, and I’m still constantly entertained. The tracks are very purposefully ordered It’s like they created a concept album (like American Idiot) well before Green Day ever did.

2. Our Lady Peace – Clumsy
The first time I ever saw these guys was at the Alanis Morissette concert in 1996. I enjoyed the opening act way more than I enjoyed the main show. I bought the album, and a love affair was born.

3. Crossroad – Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi was my first music crush. The video for “Always” used to be on MuchMusic dozens of times a week, and I remember having to stop what I was doing any time it came on. The tracks on this album do this to me.

4. Matthew Good Band – Beautiful Midnight
This is another concept album. The song titles all start with a time of day after 5pm. It’s quite brilliant, actually. You should check it out.

5. Eagle-Eye Cherry – Desireless
The first time I ever heard Eric Cheng really sing was in grade 10, with Mi5, and they performed a cover of “Save Tonight”. I loved the song, and had to get the album. It reminds me of being in high school, and how much music was (and still is) a very important part of my life.

6. Red Hot Chili Peppers – By The Way
I own all of the studio albums these guys put out, and I think this is the best. It tells a story, and after having read Anthony Kiedis’ autobiography over the holidays, I have a new appreciation for the journey these guys took to get where they are.

7. Matthew Good Band – The Audio of Being
This is another life-changer because of one song – Tripoli. I don’t think I can really explain it. I’ve heard that song played live exactly once, and it’s an experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

8. Amanda Marshall – Amanda Marshall
This woman has an amazing voice. She can write amazing songs. And she puts them together with such care that the whole album tells a story.

9. Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
One of my first loves in music. I started listening to them because the boys I was in school with always talked about them, so I figured there must be some merit to it. There was. I’m not usually a fan of double albums, but this one, with its ridiculous parallel structure, is mesmerising.

10. Goo Goo Dolls – Dizzy Up The Girl
One of my favourite songs ever is on this album (Iris) is on this album. It’s very poignant, when all the tracks are taken together.

11. Matchbox Twenty – More Than You Think You Are
Nick gave this to me for Christmas one year, and the more I listen to it, the more I realize that Rob Thomas is not only an exceptional songwriter, but he’s also a pretty good storyteller.

12. Nirvana – Nevermind
One of my timetravel wishes is to go back to see these guys play live. I was a little young when they released the album to really appreciate its genius, but looking at it through my 25 year old eyes, I can see how this album really did define a generation. And for that, we should all be grateful.

13. Pearl Jam – Ten
One of the best bands of my lifetime, and one of the best albums. “Jeremy” is definitely one of the better rock songs of the last 20 years. Altogether, this album is fantastic.

14. Skid Row – Skid Row
I gained a new appreciation for this album after seeing Sebastian Bach (lead singer) in concert in 2007. On hearing all the hits from this album, and having vague recollections of hearing them in high school, I realized that Skid Row’s self-titled album was definitely something that spoke for a large segment of the population.

15. Sugar Ray – Floored
Jane and I used to listen to this all the time. One of the funniest songs I’ve ever heard is “Stand and Deliver”. But it introduced me to a whole new style of music (though I’m not sure what you’d classify it as, since it’s kind of all over the map. And it led me back to bands like The Offspring.

So there you have it. What are your most influential albums?

Notes for 03/05/2009

mig14 — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:14:00 GMT

I've been super delinquent. And super busy.

School is trucking along. Kids generally baffle me. Can't really get into any details here, but there are things I've heard that I would NEVER have dreamed of saying in the presence of a teacher, never mind TO a teacher.
Oilers! Really? Pride people, pride. Although, I do like how Steve Tambellini does math. 1 + 0 = 2. I wish math could always be that easy.
MacT ACTUALLY showed some emotion in his post-game tonight. I enjoyed that.
Been listening to a lot of 90s music lately. Lots of people says that the 90s was a lost decade in terms of music. I beg to differ. Moist's Creature album is one of my favourite of all time.
I've seen Saving Private Ryan at least a dozen times, and it wrecks me every time. My Social 30 kids want to watch it. I told them we couldn't because I didn't want them to see me cry. They told me not to worry because they're “going to get Brett Favre to come to our class“. If only....
I have a term paper to write. Fun.
One of my boys thinks that Risk would make a good drinking game. He's totally right. It does.

I think that's it for now. I'm losing the battle for posting twice a week. I even have things to write about, but I have NO time to do it. It's already after midnight, and I'm working on 4 hours sleep and I still have other things to do. Soon, I promise.