101 Goals in 1001 Days

Blog is moving.....

2010-08-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

Blog is now being updated at this site on wordpress.com

Finished: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

2010-08-29T23:30:00.002-05:00

Just completed Lord of the Flies by William Golding which I vaguely remember reading when I was in high school. My recollection was that I had found the book interesting, but not wildly so, and that I was a bit startled by the idea that supposedly civilized human beings would devolve into an anarchist, thrill-for-the moment state.

Now in my early 40s, I'm not quite so naive.

The theme itself was still fascinating. I thought perhaps the execution was a bit heavy-handed, though. Golding tries too hard to include symbols and metaphors rather than allowing them to more naturally and more subtly unfold.

I found the reading to be rather a difficult slog, perhaps due to my own reading laziness. Too much description for me. I also had a hard time trying to determine who was speaking in much of the dialogue.

While I'll never forget the last two or three pages, I found it strange that I completely mis-remember most of the events in the last half of the book. I didn't recall Simon as a character at all and I seemed to have merged Simon's and Piggy's fate in my memory.

One poignant comment was made at the end of the novel where the naval officer mistakes the paint and the hunt for the more idyllic life in The Coral Island, a 19th Century novel by R.M. Ballantyne, which I loved as a kid. (Ah, the breadfruit tree!)

I know. Jolly good show. Like The Coral Island.

2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Finished: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

2010-08-26T23:45:00.004-05:00

Benjamin Franklin's autobiography was an unusual treat; I really didn't know what to expect when I chose to read it next from the Essential Man's Library listing.

I found much of the work to be surprisingly folksy and witty in tone. And, it is certainly different from biographies written today both in its relative informality and its more episodic nature, rather than attempting to fill in periods of Franklin's entire life. In fact, some of the most "famous" stories today, such as flying the kite in a thunderstorm are merely glossed over. Franklin's work on the formative documents of the American founding and the Revolution aren't even mentioned (it appears that the autobiographical work was left uncompleted).

Franklin was certainly a charismatic, creative, and energetic man. In spite of his forethought (lending libraries, firefighter unions, scientific method, etc), he was also a product of his time. For example, although he argues that women should be educated, he asserts that this would permit a widow to keep her husband's business running until her son could take over. Becoming an abolitionist later in life, he repeats a bawdy joke about slavery and "blacking" the Quakers.

Perhaps the most insightful quote I read was:

"If you wish information and improvement from the knowledge of others, and yet at the same time express yourself as firmly fix'd in your present opinions, modest, sensible men, who do not love disputation, will probably leave you undisturbed in the possession of your error."

I am considering having this quotation printed up and posted near my computer at work to remind me not to be inflexible, but to consider openly and fully what others tell me, and then make an informed decision.

For me, the earlier portions of the book were more interesting than the rather tedious legislative machinations and the building of a militia stockade in the third and fourth sections.

3 1/2 stars out of 5

Finished: The Odyssey by Homer

2010-08-15T23:00:00.006-05:00

I thought I had read The Odyssey when I was in high school. Having just finished it, I realize that I knew the plot and the various exciting adventures of Odysseus from reading tons of mythology when I was a kid, but I had never actually read the epic itself.

The version I listened to was translated by Robert Fagles (who was the translator for the Aeneid we used in my Latin language class) and was read by Ian McKellen. The translation was smooth and very readable, but yet still seemed to have the classical verse feel. I generally dislike reading these classics in verse form since the line breaks interrupt the flow of the thought for me; it is intensely worse if in rhyming verse (which this was not). But having GANDALF read the lines, easily tripping from his tongue, was wonderful.

Back to the content, a few thoughts:

The Telemachus' frame story was much more rich and lengthy than I had imagined.
Many times, Homer alludes to the actions of the gods and goddesses in ways that could easily be attributed to chance, to natural events, and to "inspiration". I found this to be very charming. I was also intrigued by the repeated references to Athena transforming Odysseus, Laertes, and Telemachus into taller, more robust, more noble men.
One tiresome image was the repetition the break of day as "Dawn with her rosy fingers". I suppose that this might be a literary devise when reciting the epic, but its unvarying wording became grating a bit.
The actual adventures were rather short episodes in the story: Calypso, Circe, the Lotus-Eaters, the Cyclops Polyphemus, the winds of Aeolus, the Sirens, and Scylla and Charybdis. The vast share of the story is about Telemachus's search for news of his father and the events after Odysseus lands on his home shores of Ithaca.
My image of Odysseus' vaunted loyalty to his wife and his neverending desire to return to her was a bit tarnished, since he clearly has a physical relationship with Calypso and Circe (albeit pressed to it by the power of these women) and his untrusting testing of Penelope.
I was enthralled by the cast of commoners (the pig herder, the housekeeper) who truly exemplify some of the most noble character in the book. I wonder if this was unusual for the time period?

Complete: Build a regular team meeting schedule (6 months)

2010-07-05T14:40:00.001-05:00

As of the end of June, we've had a weekly standing meeting for more than 6 months, although I've had to cancel a few here and there. Now just to make them even more effective!

Complete: Connect iPod directly to car stereo rather than FM frequency

2010-06-29T18:00:00.001-05:00

I love to listen to audio books in the car, even if it is just a short trip across town. In the long ago past, I listened to audio cassettes and CD's which gave good quality through the stereo system. With the advent of the iPod, I had a better method for transporting the audios, but the quality deteriorated. Although I eventually found a good FM Transmitter, it was still a pain to have to constantly change the station even just driving across town.

So, I left this project rather vague, because there were a number of ways to handle it: some new technology, replacing the stereo in my car, or buying a new car.

The latter turned out to happen first. I purchased a new-to-me car that has an auxiliary output for the iPod. Obviously didn't replace my car for the iPod, but it knocks off another item from my list. Sweet!

Complete: Work as poll worker in an election

2010-06-19T17:30:00.017-05:00

This project turned out to be surprisingly easy, particularly since it seems that volunteers in my county are actively sought. I think one of the largest drawbacks for getting volunteers is that it would require younger members of the electorate to take an entire day off work -- who wants to use up a vacation day to participate in the election process? Um, me.

My first opportunity was the primary held on June 8th, 2010 which for my precinct had two major races: the Republican selection for the gubernatorial candidate and the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Charles Grassley.

Some random comments about my experience:

Found it quite interesting (and gratifying) to find out that US election rules require precinct election officials (PEOs) to have training before each election. I found that the two most important items were that (1) no person can be turned away if they insist on voting -- there's always the option to cast a provisional ballot which can be reviewed later by the county auditor's office and (2) once a ballot is in the hands of the voter, a PEO must avoid looking at or even touching it to preserve the privacy and validity of the vote.

The other PEOs were fun to work with, especially over the long day. We were at the site at 6am and left about 10pm.

The election computer application was a new feature for a primary/general election. I'm not sure how the precinct workers were able to effectively work through complicated registrations and check enrollment in the past.

The program was apparently designed by programmers in Cerro Gordo county and was built with every possible scenario. This was key since we actually had virtually every scenario at our polling place: inactive voter where we needed to validate residency, new voter registration, address changes, name changes, wrong polling locations, voter living in a car, etc. Each situation was presented step-by-step to ensure that the proper procedures were followed, the right documentation was received and recorded, and that the voter him/herself was respected throughout. The only situation that did not occur at our site was a convicted felon who had lost his/her voting rights.

Associated with the computer program was a labeler which printed out the required information which could be attached the various forms (voter registration, voter attestation, etc.) for record keeping and so that the voter did not have to write out the information themselves. Very slick.

Poll watchers -- this was a new concept for me, one which seemed a little...um...questionable in some of their possible roles, but apparently normal and legal.

So apparently poll watchers can be appointed by a party or candidate to observe the election process (OK), challenge a voter's qualifications (OK), and look at eligibility slips and write down names of people who have or have not voted (Hmmm). They can't interfere, provide candidate information, touch ballots, etc, which makes sense.

As described to me, in our county, especially in the more rural areas for close elections, these poll watchers may want to get-out-the-vote for close elections.

A new feature enabled by the computers this year was the ability for the county auditor to collect counts of registered voters who had and had not voted via a thumb-drive at each polling place (securely) and then provide that information to the poll workers back at the county auditor's office. Providing this information in this fashion would limit the amount of "annoyance factor" of the poll watcher (who could legally be there) and, in fact, they wouldn't need to be at the polling place at all, unless challenges or general observation was required.

It was amazing to me how many voters were registering to vote that day, had name changes, had just moved into the precinct, or had moved within the precinct.

I was surprised that several people really didn't understand the concept of the primary. Yes, you only get a ballot for the party you declared. Yes, you can declare a different party on the day of the primary. No, you can't vote for both Republican and Democratic candidates on the same ballot.

I was extremely disappointed in my precinct's turnout. Only 234 registered voters out of approximately 3,300 voted. Sigh.

I plan to work the general election in the fall. Look forward to seeing the turnout.

Finished: The Stranger by Albert Camus

2010-05-19T23:30:00.003-05:00

I listened to Albert Camus's The Stranger (L'Etranger) as part of my reading of books on the Essential Man's Library list. Although I read Camus's The Plague in French in college, I had never read this book. The translation was done by Matthew Ward.

Strangely, however, I have a very vivid recollection of one of the key scenes in the book -- Merseult kills a man as he is affected by a knife-sharp brightness of the sun and the heat. I think I must have either heard a lecture about Camus or existentialism, or I had perhaps read an excerpt as part of a French readings class.

I think that I likely was impacted more by this novel now than I would have been as a college student merely due to age and additional experiences. I also think that listening to the book dramatically demonstrated Mereseult's unique detachment. The narrator of this performance, Jonathan Davies, provided a flat, matter-of-fact voice.

If I were to try to categorize this novel, I'd define it as a "tone novel":

short staccato sentences reminiscent of Faulkner or Hemingway
the preciseness of tangible details in the "now"
Merseult's utter detachment, particularly to events occurring in the past
Merseult's resignation of the consequences of his actions
repeated references to the oppressive heat throughout the novel

It seems odd to me that I didn't find it a depressing work, merely an account sapped of its emotion, relationships, and a sense of underlying depth.

Complete: Get 1,000 achievement points on a single game

2010-04-29T23:00:00.004-05:00

Finished Assassin's Creed II on the Xbox getting all 1,000 achievement points. Most of the points I was able to get just by playing through the game to its conclusion. Some of the more specialized achievements, not so much.

The thing that took the longest was gathering the 100 feathers that were strewn across the Italian Renaissance cities. Eventually, I had to break down and cheat by finding an online guide for all of their locations. Fortunately for me, the game gives a separate total for each city and district (for example, "collected 5/9 in the San Marco district of Venice") so I had smaller areas to work through.

I originally attempted to use the guides on GameFAQs which is usually an excellent site. But there weren't any maps, just text descriptions of the feather locations. I then looked on YouTube and found a very helpful series by NextGenWalkthroughs. This link is for the Cannaregio district of Venice.

Not a camera-picture, but here's a screen shot of the achievements met

Update -- April 23, 2010

2010-04-23T20:00:00.002-05:00

After a number of months of relative inactivity, I was re-energized this week and spent some time creating a plan of action for a number of items. So here goes:

Return to tracking spending through Quicken

I've mentally resolved to start up officially on May 1, 2010, so I'll have some re-setup to do and some household discussions on what we want to track and how/whether we want to create a budget or just re-start tracking spending for now. Gotta know what you spend first to determine what makes sense budget-wise....

Transfer physical savings bonds online

I have all of the transmittal forms created, just need to mail the bonds. I hope to stop by the post office next week to get this all packaged up. I also took the time to switch current purchases to I-bonds which should greatly increase the interest payment on this investment.

Attend / join a church

Although we haven't officially started looking, we did do some reading about a local church. Who knows?

Build a regular team meeting schedule (6 months)

At the end of this month, I should be able to mark this as complete. Yay!

Be part of the political process as a poll worker in one election

I sent an application to become a Precinct Election Official (PEO) for Dallas county on Monday. I also did a quick survey of the PEO guidebook on the Iowa Secretary of State site. I'm really curious whether there will be enough time to participate in the June primary or if my application would be accepted for the general one. I also fervently hope that if approved there are experienced PEO's at my location -- there are a lot of rules!

Complete: Get paperwork together for car

2010-01-31T22:00:00.001-06:00

Always been nervous that I didn't have the required paperwork (registration and insurance card) easily accessible in the car, without having to fumble through expired versions. Resolved that this evening.

Complete: Keep Netflix under $1 per item

2010-01-17T23:00:00.000-06:00

I think Netflix is a wonderful service, especially with the "instant" movies. I used to watch movies and episodes through my PC, but once it was available through the X-box, I never looked back.

If you use the Netflix service, consider using Feedfliks, another service which takes a feed from your Netflix accounts and spits out data in usable chunks: how quickly you return movies, average cost of each movie, etc. That's how I was able to easily calculate how much each movie cost me -- I've averaged 47 cents per item.

In the last 6 months, I've watched

a number of original Star Trek episodes from the first season, including several which I had never seen before
all of the original Battlestar Galactica episodes which I vaguely remember from my younger days, but never actually watched.
several of the Keeping Up Appearances episodes
the entire first season of The Legend of the Seeker
all of the episodes of Red Dwarf
season 1 and 2 of The Tudors
plus, numerous movies and comedy specials

Weekly update -- January 15, 2010

2010-01-15T21:00:00.001-06:00

Just a few updates:

I enjoyed my Latin language class so much that I enrolled in a course which continues the grammar, plus introduces Virgil's Aeneid in both English and Latin.

"Santa Claus" brought a video camera for Christmas. Janet and I have both played around with it, but we haven't yet taken a class to use it correctly.

Janet and I hosted a game night in December where we played some card games. We hosted two good friends (one from our high school / college days and another from our swing group). We had a second game day on New Year's day where the Xbox and the Wii were the highlights. Good times!

25 training documents -- I think I'm going to create an on-site wiki to begin passing on my ERP knowledge to my staff and to document things better for my company.

Finished: Three Against the Witch World

2010-01-01T09:00:00.002-06:00

Three Against the Witch World by Andre Norton continues the Estcarp Witch World saga with the next generation: Kemoc, Kyllan, and Kaththea, the three children of Simon Tregarth and his wife Jaelithe, a sorceress.

Surprisingly Andre Norton conveniently does away with the previous generation rather quickly at the start of the novel. She then expands the world by revealing another land to the east of Escarp called Escore. The triplets discover that knowledge of this land has been almost genetically blocked from the west.

Once Escarp becomes unbearable to the triplets, they escape to Escore and inadvertently wake up an aeon's long war between those beings who want to live with Nature and those who want to rule it.

This book was more readable that the previous one's because it was written in the 1st person.

Finished The Picture of Dorian Gray

2009-12-25T15:00:00.000-06:00

I finished The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde over the Christmas holiday (12/24/2009) after watching the 1945 Warner movie version (George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed, Angela Lansbury) a week or so earlier.

I'm glad I finally read the book, but I didn't really like it or any of the characters in it. I suppose knowing how the plot would end which removed the gothic conclusion took some of the wide-eyed wonder from the book.

To be honest I enjoyed the melodramatic movie version better.

Finished Witch World and Web of the Witch World

2009-12-13T19:00:00.003-06:00

Finished Andre Norton's Witch World (actually re-read this book) on December 8th and Web of the Witch World on December 13th.

Witch World was a stronger book than I recalled. It's interesting, however, how writing styles have changed since the 60s. These books are much more compact, much more description oriented rather than dialogue oriented, and character development is minimal. Moving through the plot quickly, keeping the action moving, and more episodic storytelling seems to be king in these books. I had to catch myself skipping over a descriptive sentence and completely missing a key point.

I also wonder if the first book was originally serialized since there were very distinct mini-stories for each section.

Complete: Take a beginning Latin language class

2009-11-16T16:45:00.000-06:00

Janet found that an 8-week "Introduction to Latin" course was being held via Des Moines Community Education this fall. I very much enjoyed the class; I'm not sure that had I tried to begin to learn Latin on my own that I would have gotten very far.

We used a very well-known Latin text, Wheelock's Latin, and covered 6 chapters which included the first 2 conjugations and 2 noun declensions. Toward the end of the class, we moved beyond the present tense to include the imperfect past and future.

I am continually fascinated by Latin: it is so compact, it is so visually pleasing and logical. It's interesting that the study of a foreign language has helped me to understand English better (vocabulary and grammar) and made me understand where many tenses and conjugations in French came from.

I was amused by the written structure of Latin with the verb invariably positioned at the end of a phrase: I joked that it often looked like Yoda-speak. I was also surprised that certain letters were pronounced differently in the classical period ('v' was like our 'w', 'c' like 'k'). The best examples of this are the words caesar and the name Cicero which should more properly be pronounced 'kaisar' and 'Kikero', and the phrase Veni, Vidi, Vici which is best pronounced 'waynee, weedee, weekee'.

The instructor was very passionate about the language and classics in general.

If there is enough participation, there should be a continuation of the class in February. I'm looking forward to it.

Finished Tarzan of the Apes

2009-11-16T16:00:00.003-06:00

I finished Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs today. Once again, popular culture (TV shows, movies, merchandise) really didn't prepare me for the actual plot of the novel.

What is clear is that the book is a product of its time: pseudo scientific babble, views about the superiority of certain races and nations, and mores of an older, aristocratic time (women are weak, women can be essentially sold by her parents into marriage, noble lineage automatically instills nobility of spirit).

I was fascinated by little discussed portions of the novel:

how Tarzan was able to teach himself to read English from child primers and his parents' books left behind.
how savage Tarzan was prior to his civilizing -- hunts of wild animals, eating raw flesh of his kills, attacking and killing tribe members of native peoples, fighting for dominance among his people.
the incredible coincidences that occurred
the ending with Jane

Interesting read.

Complete: Buy a Snow Blower

2009-11-08T19:00:00.001-06:00

Ever since we moved into our house, we knew we needed a snow blower. We bought our house in March, and the snow blower season at the main chain box stores was long over, so we shoveled...and shoveled.

The following years, we just never got it done. I have to admit, to a degree it was rewarding to shovel the driveway and our walks, especially on those days when it was cold but not utterly cold.

The real pain was those cases where I couldn't get the snow moved fast enough, and then it froze. Or, the eastern sidewalk where the snow drifted from the hill in our front yard -- sometimes up to 2 feet or more high. On several occasions my neighbors took pity on me and brought their 'blowers over.

So, now we have a snow blower....I hope we never have to use it.

Finished A Separate Peace

2009-11-07T23:00:00.001-06:00

I finished my second Essential Man's Library book, A Separate Peace by John Knowles several nights ago in a single reading session when I couldn't sleep. I'd never seen the movie, so was uncertain what to expect.

The book's themes and plot seemed oddly familiar to me even though I'd never read it before. Perhaps it was merely the setting: a boy's prep school. It reminded me a bit of one of my favorite novels I was compelled to read in high school, Beneath the Wheel by Herman Hesse. It also had a feel of the movie, Dead Poet's Society, to a degree.

The plot was solid, but didn't have the depth of more modern novels. I did enjoy the book nonetheless.

It had a good feeling of nostalgia. I also thought the idea of taking on the clothes and characteristics of a close friend at that age had a true feel to it, especially when that friend exemplifies the traits you admire and don't see in yourself.

Complete: Inspire someone else to 101

2009-10-01T12:45:00.001-05:00

Just received an email from a co-worker today who was inspired to make her own list of goals under this program. She also gave me some data on becoming a notary public in Iowa. Sweet!

Weekly Update -- September 25 (week 11)

2009-09-25T20:00:00.002-05:00

Completed 7 / 101
Getting much closer to having 101 on my list. I have set myself a goal to have a completed list by the end of this weekend -- no more stalling....no more hesitation.

Additionally, spent some time updating the template for this blog. I am fascinated by the XML functionality, but still have very limited understanding of what code does what. I've been tinkering a bit, but it is almost like doing watch repair with a sledge hammer.

In Progress

Catalog books on LibraryThing -- I'm hoping to have this task completed by the end of this coming weekend. Basically, I have just a few books here and there, plus the books in the craft room. I think if I spend about 1 1/2 hours, I can have this done.

Recycling bin -- still loving the recycle bin. Have virtually all cardboard and newspapers out of the house. Getting much better about rinsing out cans and glass bottles as well.

Take a beginning Latin class -- first class was on Tuesday. We spent most of our time talking about verb forms and conjugation, largely with first and second conjugation forms. Our instructor set up a small blog site for homework assignments and additional readings here. I really think I'm going to enjoy Latin, and will want to either take additional classes or do some sort of self-study (maybe a Rosetta Stone program?), but I am a little apprehensive of the grammatical forms both for nouns and verbs. It's amazing to think how concise the language is.

Complete: 2009 Vacation

2009-09-22T16:00:00.002-05:00

Finished a wonderful vacation (September 12-20). It had been awhile since I had actually taken a full week off. We didn't go anywhere, but it was very nice to be able to play a bit, but also to do some major items and complete a few little nagging ones.

Saturday, September 12 -- made mulligatawny soup and cucumber sandwiches

Sunday, September 13 -- Danced at the Scottish Rite Park retirement home.

Monday, September 14 -- helped Dad move some furniture, sort through items, and prepare for his move. In the evening, we had dance practice.

Tuesday, September 15 -- finished 2 books.

Wednesday, September 16 -- painted the dining room. Looks great! Made stuffed squash with italian sausage.

Thursday, September 17 -- tried to get a safety deposit box -- FAIL. Cable modem went out on Tuesday, so I picked up a new one through the cable company and got it installed. Yes, internet is back!

Friday, September 18 -- Jive Junction dance

Sunday, September 20 -- Helped Dad move some furniture.

It sounds like I did a lot more work than vacation, but I feel like I got a lot of little things done and got to stay up late a few nights....

Complete: Pay off 1st mortgage

2009-09-19T12:15:00.002-05:00

Bank confirmed that the mortgage is paid off. Whoo hoo! We now own a bit more of our house and continue to pursue part of the American Dream,

Weekly Update -- September 18 (week 10)

2009-09-18T20:00:00.001-05:00

Completed 5 / 101
Getting much closer to having 101 on my list

In Progress

Take a 1-week vacation in 2009 -- only two days left of my vacation, but it's been a full one. Will post a summary on Sunday.

Pay off 2nd mortgage -- I think everything is complete, but I've been unable to look at my account online because the system is unavailable. My guess is that they are posting the payment, closing the account, etc. Did get a notice today that automatic payments are now stopped. Should be able to complete this shortly.

Get a safety deposit box -- On Thursday I stopped at my bank, assuming (naively) that I could easily get this done. Unfortunately, they only had 3 x 2 boxes available, so I'm on a waiting list for the larger size. They said it might take up to a year for a box to open up, so this might take awhile.

Buy a snowblower -- Janet and I went to the home store on Tuesday night, found a good model, but the store didn't have any in stock, so we'll have to try again perhaps next week. I AM NOT going to shovel again this year.

Complete: Paint a room we haven't painted before

2009-09-16T19:00:00.002-05:00

Finished painting the dining room today, and I think it looks great.

Since I was off work this week, I wanted to get a few things done that had just stagnated. Janet has always wanted to repaint the dining room and had been thinking about colors off-and-on for several months.

So, yesterday, we went to the home improvement store and looked through paint colors. I really can't visualize how the color is going to look in the room, but I know what I think looks good together -- Janet has the imagination, not me.

The dining room has a chair rail. We chose a light tan-ish color for the upper portion and a darker, richer version for the lower. The colors in the pictures don't necessarily do it justice, since the tan looks a bit yellowish here and the brown is almost mustard...

Complete: Great Iowa Treasure Hunt -- Me

2009-09-14T23:15:00.001-05:00

Received check on Friday for about $60.

If you haven't checked yourself, go to www.greatiowatreasurehunt.com and look up your name, family members, or friends. Remember, it's your money.

Complete: Get Christmas ornaments from Dad

2009-09-14T22:45:00.000-05:00

There were two Christmas ornaments that Mom and Dad used to put on the Christmas tree that really meant something to me, largely because I believe they were on a gift (or a cake?) that was given to me in early December just after I was born. They are two red velvety figures: one of a donkey, the other of a smiling soldier.

Back in 1969 (ahem), Mom took a picture of me holding the little donkey. Note that, at the time, the donkey still had two ears. Somewhere over the last 40 years (actually, I can't ever remember a time when it was whole) it lost one. I'm sure that I'm not to blame.

Today I spent some time with Dad, helping him to prepare for a move. I was able to retrieve the two ornaments. Below is a comparison of yester-year and today. Hmm -- the ornament wasn't the only thing to deteriorate over time....

Weekly Update -- September 11 (week 9)

2009-09-11T17:30:00.002-05:00

Completed

2 / 101

Continuing to add items to my list. Sigh.

In Progress

Take a 1-week vacation in 2009 -- vacation is week of September 14th! Whoo hoo!

Take a beginning Latin language class -- ordered the text for my September 22nd class. Should be here in another week.

Become CPR certified

My company announced a CPR / AED (Automated External Defibrillator) course during business hours which can be used for initial certification or re certification. I signed up for October 20th and 27th.

I'm really looking forward to being able, perhaps, to assist in a crisis if needed.

Pay off 2nd Mortgage -- paperwork and payment have been made, and should get applied to the account by mid- next week. Also finished paperwork to close the account, to cancel the automatic withdrawal, and to receive the early payoff bonus.

Clean out game closet

Made huge progress on this last weekend. Not enough to call done yet, but probably only need one more hour or so to finish up.

Weekly Update -- September 4 (week 8)

2009-09-04T19:30:00.001-05:00

Completed

2 / 101

Have not finished itemizing all of my 101 tasks--up to about 80.

In Progress

Take a 1-week vacation in 2009

Have asked for and have approved 1 week in September. Can hardly wait.

Great Iowa Treasure Hunt (me)

Surprisingly, I received a note from the state today. As they were processing my claim, they found a second claim ($20 from PepsiCo, who knew?). So, I need to fill out the new form and send it in.

Take a beginning Latin language class

Signed up for a class through Des Moines Community Education today. Class is 8 weeks and starts September 22nd. Since I haven't been "to school" in a long time, I'll be curious how this goes.

www.dmps-adulted.org

Weekly Update -- August 28 (week 7)

2009-08-28T16:23:00.003-05:00

Completed

2 / 101

Have not finished itemizing all of my 101 tasks--up to about 80. I've really got to get on this.

In Progress

Catalog all owned books on Goodreads

Should be able to finish this project by week of September 7th.

Great Iowa Treasure Hunt (me)

I received a postcard from the state that I should "allow 4 weeks" for my claim to be paid. Seems like a waste of postage to tell me this, but that's government for you.

Pay off second mortgage

I have an additional incentive to get the balance paid off. If I do by the end of September, the bank will refund us $1,000. Whoo hoo!

Weekly Update -- August 14 (week 5)

2009-08-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

Completed

2 / 101

Have not finished itemizing all of my 101 tasks--up to about 80.

In Progress

Essential Man's Library -- still reading The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Found several more books for the collection to read. Still very excited about the variety.

Catalog all owned books on Goodreads

I mentioned last week that I am converting wholeheartedly to LibraryThing. Still very pleased with this service. Have cataloged about 4,500 books including all of Janet's fiction and the cookbooks. Last major area are the craft books in Janet's craft room and any odds-and-ends.

You can see my library here.

I'm going to officially change the name of the task to read "LibraryThing" today.

Great Iowa Treasure Hunt (me) -- still waiting on $$$ from the state. Sent the forms in on July 23rd. Guess the state doesn't want to give up their money too fast.

Passport -- did a little research on obtaining a new passport. Looks like the new rules mean that Janet and I will have to go in person to have this done. Bummer.

Safety deposit box -- did a little research, but will need to meet banker's hours. Sigh.

Weekly update -- August 8 (week 4)

2009-08-09T18:08:00.003-05:00

Completed

2 / 101

Have not finished itemizing all of my 101 tasks--up to about 80.

In Progress

Essential Man's Library -- still reading The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

Clear out furnace room -- all of the cardboard is now out of there. Now working on styrofoam.

Catalog all owned books on Goodreads

OK, I have officially moved over to LibraryThing versus Goodreads. The interface is much stronger. For example, users can enter dates for each time they read a book rather than having only one field (most recent time I read).

I purchased a small scanner from Librarything that I can use to scan ISBN's. This has greatly increased the speed of adding books accurately. I have the vast majority of our books entered now (but not complete yet) -- around 3,800 so far. Whew! That's a lot of books.

Great Iowa Treasure Hunt (me) -- still waiting on $$$ from the state.

Great Iowa Treasure Hunt (Janet's dad) -- spoke to brother-in-law this week that I'd be sending him information to collect this money for the estate.

Weekly update -- July 31 (week 3)

2009-07-31T21:45:00.001-05:00

Completed

2 / 101

Have not finished itemizing all of my 101 tasks--up to about 80.

In Progress

Essential Man's Library -- continue to read The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and it is still excellent

25 new restaurants (1/25)

Janet and I went to Ruby Tuesday's for the first time on (coincidentally) Tuesday with my brother- and sister-in-law. Janet thought her mini hamburgers were good, but not outstanding. I decided to have the steak and lobster, which is very unusual for me. In a nutshell, the steak was stringy and fatty, the lobster was rubbery and overcooked (and TINY), and the baked potato was nasty. On the positive side, the salad bar was good, as was the steamed broccoli. I regret not telling the wait staff. Not sure if I will try it again.

Savings Bonds

Finished setting up manifests for all of the bonds to send. Next step, print and ship.

Complete: Fly a kite

2009-07-25T19:15:00.000-05:00

Janet picked up a couple of cheap kites at the local mini-mart, so we went kite flying this afternoon at the neighborhood park. The weather was warm, sunny, but breezy. Perfect for kite flying.

The figure on the kite is some sort of lizard. Even so high we could see and hear the lizard's feet flapping wildly in the breeze -- Janet thought he looked a little panicked.

It took a bit to get the kite started (I found out that I had the bend in the cross beam backwards), but once it was up in the air, we were golden. I was eventually able to feed out all of the line. The tug on the other end was so strong that I thought for sure the line would break.

It is still amazing to me how a bit of plastic, 2 crossbeams, and some string can (1) stay suspended in the air and (2) be so much fun.

Weekly update-- July 24 (week 2)

2009-07-24T23:28:00.005-05:00

Completed

1 / 101

Have not finished itemizing all of my 101 tasks--up to about 80. My goal is to have a final list by July 31st.

In Progress

Clean out furnace room -- one more recycle bin of cardboard is out!

Essential Man's Library -- continue to read The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and it is still excellent

Go to Lake Robbins to dance -- one of our Jitterbug students suggested that we go out on August 1st. A band that they follow will be performing....something to consider.

Clean out game closet -- over the weekend I sorted through and tossed/stored correctly about 2 boxes of stuff. Actually got rid of some old stuff that couldn't be given away but I just couldn't part with before.

Keep Netflix under $1 -- started this. At $0.98 as of Wednesday, July 22nd.

Great Iowa Treasure Hunt for me -- paperwork completed and mailed on Thursday, July 23rd.

Implement Inbox Zero -- my inbox is currently at 3 emails for my work account, but I have just triaged some of the emails and haven't yet converted them to tasks or some other storage device. Will consider this task complete if I can maintain a comparable level for at least 6 months. Have also cleaned out my personal email accounts.

Finished Essential Manners For Men

2009-07-20T20:04:00.003-05:00

Last night I read through Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why" by Peter Post. And, yes, one of those Posts; Peter is the great-grandson of Emily Post.

This isn't particularly an inspired book, but is definitely readable. The information contains a bit too much common sense and not enough concrete ways to better oneself.

Post argues that etiquette is built upon three principles: consideration (empathy), respect, and honesty. Men lack confidence, he says, when confronted with an unfamiliar situation. The trick is to consider the principles and then sell it.

The topics in the book were built upon several surveys that The Emily Post Institute conducted on its website. Most respondents were women, and they quickly came up with a list of key problem areas: daily life around the home and car, social encounters, and work life.

It is interesting that although Post describes etiquette as a civilizing force in general, most of the examples point more at coexisting with women than with men and women alike.

This book is probably better suited for a younger audience, but there's nothing wrong with a refresher once in a while!

Complete: New Social Security Card

2009-07-20T19:45:00.000-05:00

Just received my new social security card today in the mail after applying last week. One item down: one hundred left to go.

Weekly update -- July 17 (week 1)

2009-07-17T17:30:00.003-05:00

Completed

0 / 101

Didn't complete anything yet, but made some good initial progress. Have not finished itemizing all of my 101 tasks, though -- I'm up to about 65 or so.

In Progress

Obtain a new social security card.

Last Sunday I researched what documentation I needed to supply for a replacement card. Initially, when I went to the social security website, I was a bit confused, but I stumbled on an interactive worksheet that laid it out very succinctly. Luckily, the only items I needed were an application (Form SS-5) and my driver's license.

So, on Monday I hopped on the Des Moines downtown shuttle (a first for me) to the Federal Building and got the paperwork all completed. I should receive my new card within 2 weeks.

Clean out furnace room

On Sunday, I braved the furnace room, filling our recycle bin full of cardboard from moving boxes and equipment boxes. I have probably one additional load to go, plus the equivalent in styrofoam that will have to be trashed unfortunately.

Not done by any stretch, but can easily walk in and out of the room. Still need to organize and sort through some boxes, determine what paint and home materials we have down there (extra floor tiles), attack the under-the-stairs space, and deal with the spiderweb problem around the window.

I also replaced our furnace/air filter, too, which was a little overdue.

Essential Man's Library

I found my copies (or obtained copies) of The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Great Gatsby, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Prince, Swiss Family Robinson, The Rough Riders, Treasure Island, Frankenstein, and King Solomon's Mines. I've put them on a "to-read" shelf which will hopefully keep them in sight and in mind. I also have done some browsing on free Kindle books for some of the older titles (Treasure Island is one of them). I have read Iliad, Odyssey, and The Great Gatsby before, but none of the other above titles.

I purchased The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris which, although a daunting tome, is an extremely engaging book both in its turn of phrase and the subject matter. I've read about 50 pages or so.

Make sure that recycling bin goes out at least half full for 6 months

As mentioned above, this is started -- 1 bin full, which will be picked up next week.

Rebuild relationship with other department

This week a Bad Thing happened where the other department should have been notified before a new process went live. Although we intended to have a meeting the following day and not implement until meeting was held, the process was implemented on a separate independent track. Ouch. I was almost sick when I found out.

The change had no net impact and likely the other department would have never known about the change but I felt it was important to do a mea culpa anyway because (1) it was the right thing to do and (2) if there *had* been a problem we'd be in an even worse state. I walked the department through the change and apologized for the misstep. Luckily (cross your fingers!), no issues have been identfied.

I've got to keep this from happening again, but maybe some good will come of it.

Catalog books on Goodreads

I have about 800+ books now on Goodreads, but I am seriously considering exporting that data and start using LibraryThing instead. I did some playing with LibraryThing during the week and although there would be some cost associated with it ($25 for lifetime or $10/year), the application seems to fit my needs better. They also sell a barcode scanner that easily syncs with their application (less than $25) which would GREATLY reduce my entry time. Still need to check out whether their mobile version is better than Goodreads -- I had a bad experience with Goodreads which resulted in not buying a specific book because I was unsure if I owned it.

Star Wars Novels

2009-07-12T17:30:00.000-05:00

List of Star Wars Novels

Dark Nest
1.    The Joiner King by Troy Denning
2.    The Unseen Queen by Troy Denning
3.    The Swarm War by Troy Denning

Legacy of the Force
1.    Betrayal by Aaron Allston
2.    Bloodlines by Karen Traviss
3.    Tempest by Troy Denning
4.    Exile by Aaron Allston
5.    Sacrifice by Karen Traviss
6.    Inferno by Troy Denning
7.    Fury by Aaron Allston
8.    Revelation by Karen Traviss
9.    Invincible by Troy Denning

Essential Man's Library

2009-07-11T21:30:00.012-05:00

These are the books listed on artofmanliness.com

Completed during 101 in 1001 period:
7.5 / 50

57. Essential Manners for Men by Peter Post (07/19/2009)
61. A Separate Peace by John Knowles (11/06/2009)
53. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs (11/16/2009)
10. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (12/24/2009)
63. The Stranger by Albert Camus (05/19/2010)
18. The Odyssey of Homer (counts as 1/2) (08/15/2010)
95. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (08/26/2010)
21. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (08/29/2010)

Yet to read:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
1984 by George Orwell
The Republic by Plato
Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
~~The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde~~
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
The Iliad ~~and Odyssey~~ of Homer
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
~~Lord of the Flies by William Golding~~
The Master and Margarita by by Mikhail Bulgakov
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins
White Noise by Don Delillo
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Young Man’s Guide by William Alcott
Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
Seek: Reports from the Edges of America & Beyond by Denis Johnson
Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse
The Book of Deeds of Arms and of Chivalry by Christine De Pizan
The Art of Warfare by Sun Tzu
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
The Rough Riders by Theodore Roosevelt
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
The Thin Red Line by James Jones
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Politics by Aristotle
First Edition of The Boy Scout Handbook
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
The Crisis by Winston Churchill
The Naked and The Dead by Norman Mailer
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Animal Farm by George Orwell
~~Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs~~
Beyond Good and Evil by Freidrich Nietzsche
The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
~~Essential Manners for Men by Peter Post~~
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly
Hamlet by Shakespeare
The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
~~A Separate Peace by John Knowles~~
A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway
~~The Stranger by Albert Camus~~
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Dafoe
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
Foucault’s Pendulum - Umberto Eco
The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
American Boys’ Handy Book
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A River Runs Through It by Norman F. Maclean
The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
Malcolm X: The Autobiography
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
All Quiet on The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarq
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans by Plutarch
The Strenuous Life by Theodore Roosevelt
The Bible
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
T~~he Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin~~
The Histories by Herodotus
From Here to Eternity by James Jones
The Frontier in American History by Frederick Jackson Turner
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

The List

2009-07-11T18:30:00.046-05:00

I've decided to embark on a 2.75 year journey to complete a predefined 101 goals in 1001 days, based on the Day Zero Project. I was inspired by a friend's list a few month's ago and the idea has been rolling around in my mind since then.

I don't yet have 101 items, however. After spending countless hours brainstorming and looking at literally hundreds of other people's lists, I got stuck at 57 items. Instead of waiting until I can think of 101, I decided today to go ahead and publish what I have and then update over the next month.

So, here it is. I decided to post on a blog to keep in foremost in my mind and to keep myself somewhat accountable to others (assuming there is anyone who would actually read this blog.)

My intention is to keep this blog updated at least once per month, even if I haven't completed a goal. And, to post a blog entry for each successful completion.

So, here goes. My "Day Zero" is April 7, 2012.

CULTURE / EDUCATION

001 Read at least 50 books on The Essential Man's Library list (7.5/50) progress
~~002 Take a beginning Latin language class~~
003 Take a digital photography class

SWING DANCE RELATED

004 Go to Lake Robbins to dance
005 Choreograph a solo Charleston routine and perform it at an event.
006 Teach a swing class via Swing Des Moines at Meredith
007 Learn all of the solo Charleston moves from J&A DVD 1
008 Go to a workshop outside the Des Moines area
009 Find a pair of motley shoes

FUN / MENTAL HEALTH

Take at least one 1-week vacation each year (counts as 3)
~~010 2009~~
011 2010
012 2011
013 Re-learn how to play pitch
014 Watch a meteor shower
015 ~~Buy a video-camera~~ and learn how to use it
~~016 Connect iPod directly to car stereo rather than FM frequency~~
017 Read all of the Witch World novels (completed 3 / 29)
018 Finish “the turkey”
019 Rejoin a book club
~~020 Fly a kite~~
021 Buy a bicycle and find some local bike trails
022 Read Star Wars Dark Nest and Legacy of the Force series status
023 Watch the entire Farscape series

024 Watch all 3 LOTR extended movies in a weekend
~~025 Keep Netflix cost under $1 per item per FeedFliks for 6 mo~~

~~026 Get 1,000 Achievements on a single game~~
xxx Do an Old Time photo of the day via blog similar to DM Reg

HOME/ORGANIZING

027 Catalog all owned books on LibraryThing
028 Give away/donate/sell all unwanted books
029 Other book goal
030 Clear out furnace room
031 Find a home for those 2 old PC's
~~032 Buy a snowblower~~
033 Get the cable fixed in the basement
034 Clean out the game closet
035 Clear out the garage
xxx Figure out how to fix garage door
~~036 Paint a room we haven't already painted before~~
037 Digitize audio cassettes or donate
038 15 minute a day cleaning routine

ESSENTIAL ITEMS

~~039 Obtain a new social security card~~
040 Make a will
041 Get a safety deposit box
042 Get updated passport
043 Create physical backup schedule for main computer (in addition to maintaining online backup)
044 Become CPR certified
~~xxx Get paperwork in line for car~~

FINANCIAL

045 Return to tracking spending through Quicken
~~046 Pay off 2nd mortgage~~
xxx Determine if refinancing 1st mortgage makes sense
~~047 Great Iowa Treasure Hunt -- me~~
048 Great Iowa Treasure Hunt -- Janet's dad
049 Transfer physical savings bonds online
050 Save $1000 on stuff I'd buy anyway.

FAMILY/FRIENDS

051 Update genealogy for descendants of grandparents
052 Go to at least 25 "new" restaurants with Janet (1/25)
053 Host 5 game nights at our house (2/5)
054 Sort through Grandma’s boxes in the basement
055 Have a new professional picture taken of Janet and me
056 Fix Janet's palm / sync with work PC
~~057 Get Christmas ornaments from Dad~~

SPIRITUALITY

058 Attend / join a church
059 Private -- CFW
060 Read through entire Bible

HEALTH

061 Run a 5k
062 Go to the YMCA
063 Take one class at the YMCA
064 Eliminate caffeine from pop
065 Get an allergy evaluation and follow through with recommendations

CAREER

066 Implement Inbox Zero strategies at work
067 Take a class on Microsoft Projects
068 Build and maintain professional wardrobe
069 Create effective task list process
070 Learn MicroStrategy and be considered one of company's report experts
071 Do a purge of my files and accumulated stuff in my office.
072 Rebuild relationship with other department
073 Send at least 50 sincere "thank you" or "great job" notes (0/50)
074 Write out and make available at least 25 training documents so that I'm not the only one who knows what I know (0/25)
075 Read Getting Things Done by David Allen
~~076 Build a regular team meeting schedule (6 months)~~

COMMUNITY/GREEN

077 Volunteer at charitable organization
078 Investigate becoming a notary public and, if qualified, apply
~~079 Be part of the political process as a poll worker in one election~~
080 Make sure that recycling bin goes out at least half full for 6 months
081 Get over my fear of donating blood by donating at least 3 times (0/3)

MISC

082 Get family and friends' birthdays and anniversaries into digital, sustainable calendar
083 Unexpectedly pay for the person behind me in a drive-through
084 Future 2009 task
085 Future 2010 task
086 Future 2011 task

DAY ZERO TASKS

~~087 Inspire someone else to make a 101 in 1001 list~~
088 Create a blog entry for each completed task with a photo
089 Create a new 101 list and start again