Wednesday, March 31, 2010

And the first quarter results are in...

So, how are things going with my foolish predictions for 2010?

(I have at least signed up for things future-dated here).

-Finish the bathroom remodel. The hard stuff is done (other than the shower tile, I guess).

TODO: finish, grout, seal baseboard tile, install medicine cabinet, finish painting, finish, grout, seal shower tile, paint and install furnace vent, do the glass block replacement window, put in final shower plumbing, fix gouge in bathtub, trim work around door. Believe it or not, this actually represents some progress on the project.


-Release Stress Test. Give 100% of sales to United Way of Kansas City.
Done. No one bought it, though. It's the thought that counts...?



-Volunteer 10 times in 2010
1. KCUR spring funding drive
2. Bridging the Gap Arbor Day tree planting 4/24
3. Fringe Fest Artopia setup 4/2
4. Pilgrim Chapel easter egg hunt 4/3

-Paint the porch and deck
Nada so far.



-Get involved in the KC Fringe Fest


The Artopia thing counts, I think. The wider Fringe Fest is this summer sometime.

-Read at least 25 books

1. Haruki Murakami - Sputnik Sweetheart
2. Chuck Klosterman - Fargo Rock City
3. Benjamin Wallace - The Billionaire's Vinegar
4. Chuck Palahniuk - Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk In Portland, OR
5. Sarah Vowell - The Wordy Shipmates
6. Banana Yoshimoto - Kitchen
7. Jake Adelstein - Tokyo Vice
8. Guy P. Harrison - 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
9. Michael Largo - Genius and Heroin
10. Bret Easton Ellis - The Rules of Attraction
11. Lydia Peelle - Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing
12. Stig Saeterbakken - Siamese
13. Jack Kerouac and William S Burroughs - And The Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks
14. Sam Tanenhaus - The Death of Conservatism (in progress)
15. Alfredo Vea - Gods Go Begging (in progress)


-Run at least 7 races
1. 3/14 St. Patrick's Day Run
2. 4/11 Brew to Brew
3. 4/17 Race for the Cure
4. 4/25 Trolley Run
5. 6/5 Hospital Hill 10K


-Build a linen closet at the end of the second floor hallway


Nada so far.

-Either substantially complete my thesis or switch to a non-thesis degree for the sake of getting it done.
Switched to ME. Taking classes this summer and fall. Graduating in Spring next year.



-Take the bus or carpool for at least 50% of my commutes
This has not gone well so far. Lofty goal, indeed.


-Pay of Rikki's low student loan and substantially pay off my student loan
Solid progress made here. This may slow down a bit with impending grad school for the both of us.

-Expand my musical tastes beyond what Pitchfork sells me. Listen to more Jazz, Neoclassical, and Soul music.
This is admittedly an ambiguous goal, but I'm striving to try out new music.