2011 Personal Goals - November Update

11 months in, 1 to go.

1. Finish first draft of my novel -
January 1st - 1st third is done. The plan this year is to write it and read it to Annabelle and edit it as I go.
February 1st - Nothing new done
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing
July 1st - Nothing
August 1st - Nothing
September 1st - Nothing
October 1st - Nothing
November 1st - Nothing
December 1st - Nothing

2. Drop weight to 167
January 1st - 176.4. Starting off worse this year than last but I should have some more time to work out.
February 1st - 174.6
March 1st - 177.6 Damn stress
April 1st - 176.0
May 1st - 179.2
June 1st - 179.0
July 1st - 180.6
August 1st - 180.6
September 1st - 180.0
October 1st - 181.9 - New scale weighs about 2 lbs heavier
November 1st - 179.2
December 1st - 179.2

3. Balance our budget
January 1st - Things are looking up for this year with Veronica getting a new job (hopefully) after residency is complete.
February 1st - Working on it but large expenses due to medical stuff not helping.
March 1st - Getting worse but tax refund should put us back to where we were at the beginning of the year.
April 1st - Tax refund helped up get slowly back on track
May 1st - Eh
June 1st - Still eh
July 1st - And still eh
August 1st - Getting worse
September 1st - No paychecks for 2 months but we should finally be getting back on track this month.
October 1st - New jobs finally paying, not sure if we are going to hit this goal though
November 1st - Damn cars
December 1st - Not looking good.

4b. Read 2 of the Top Ten books on Zanes book list
January 1st - I currently have 6 read. I figured I should be able to finish 2 of the 4 since 2 of them are very very long.
February 1st - The book I'm currently reading, Lolita, is on the list.
March 1st - Finished Lolita. One to go.
April 1st - Still one to go.
May 1st - Still 1 to go
June 1st - Still 1 to go
July 1st - Still 1 to go
August 1st - Started War and Peace on August 1st
September 1st - Finished Book 1 of 4 of War and Peace
October 1st - In the middle of Book 2 of War and Peace
November 1st - Finished book 2 of 4
December 1st - In the middle of book 3 but not going to finish in time.

5a. Finish 2 more movies on my Geological Movie Review
January 1st - Look to start 2 new movies again
February 1st - Nothing new.
March 1st - Nothing new.
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new
October 1st - Nothing new
November 1st - Nothing new
December 1st - Nothing new

5b. Update the 1 Geologic Movie Review that was previously done and not updated
January 1st - 2 out of 3 up to par
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Started working on The Day After Tomorrow
October 1st - Nothing new
November 1st - Nothing new
December 1st - Nothing new

6. Watch all of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (according to AFI)
January 1st - Current count 69. 31 left to go.
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 30 to go.
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new
October 1st - Nothing new
November 1st - Nothing new
December 1st - Nothing new


8. Do 1 Geological Fact for each month.
January 1st - That is a total of 12 for the year. Hopefully I can get them set up ahead of time.
February 1st - 1 done for January, 11 to go.
March 1st - 1 done for February, 10 to go.
April 1st - 1 done for March, 9 to go.
May 1st - 1 done for April, 8 to go
June 1st - 1 done for May, 7 to go
July 1st - 1 done for June, 6 to go
August 1st - 1 done for July, 5 to go
September 1st - 1 done for August, 4 to go
October 1st - 1 done for September, 3 to go
November 1st - 2 done, 1 for October and 1 for November, 1 to go.
December 1st - 1 more still to go

Other items of interest:
I went to the annual SVP meeting in Las Vegas for the beginning part of the month and had a lot of fun but then I was sick off and on for the rest of November. Not very nice. But Thanksgiving went over well and I had a good time spending it with my family. Now off to finish 2 grant proposals and a poster before January.

----------------------------------Finished Items---------------------------------------

4a. (DONE!) Read a total of 100 of the greatest books on my lists by my 30th birthday
January 1st - Current count 97. Only 3 to read by March 19th. This was the initial goal last year but I hoped to have them done earlier.

February 1st - Currently reading Lolita.
March 1st - Finished Lolita and The Colour of Magic. Only 1 to go before March 19th
April 1st - Finished The Colour of Magic. This task is completed!!!

7. (DONE!) Finish bottom of hovercraft.
January 1st - I just need to finish epoxying and smoothing out the bottom then paint it. Not too much work but time is an issue.
February 1st - Haven't had time to work on it
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Did some work patching the holes that need to be filled and order some more epoxy.
June 1st - Finished fixing the holes and I put the first coat of sealant on
July 1st - Finished putting the 3 coats of sealant on. Now to paint it.
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new
October 1st - Finished painting the botoom and flipped it over. This job is DONE. Pictures to follow shortly hopefully.

The 306 Greatest Books #101 - Little Women

The next up on my reading of the 306 greatest books is Little Women by Loisa May Alcott. This book can be found on the Sybervision, Observer, and BBC Book Lists.  

Typically when Little Women is mentioned, it is often regarded (at least in my mind) as a little girls/ chick lit novel. I had tended to stay away from this book for that very reason and it might have worked out for the better. The way I read it was very slowly, about 10 pages or so a night, to my daughter, over most of the year. In this way I had a chance to grow with the characters as they were growing and watch my daughter grow as well. I become connected to them in a way that doesn't usually happen to me and when one of them died, I really felt the loss. This book was one of the better books I have read in a while and although it would probably still be considered a chick-lit novel, I found the characters very engaging and the writing to be far superior to many books written for the same age-level. As the characters got older, the language in the book also seemed to be getting older, to the point that at the end I didn't know what several of the words even meant, or how to pronounce them. In the end, I would recommend this  book, especially as a family read-time book. I had a great time reading it to my daughter and I could feel many families would enjoy a similar experience.

2011 Personal Goals - October Update

10 months in, 2 to go.

1. Finish first draft of my novel -
January 1st - 1st third is done. The plan this year is to write it and read it to Annabelle and edit it as I go.
February 1st - Nothing new done
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing
July 1st - Nothing
August 1st - Nothing
September 1st - Nothing
October 1st - Nothing
November 1st - Nothing

2. Drop weight to 167
January 1st - 176.4. Starting off worse this year than last but I should have some more time to work out.
February 1st - 174.6
March 1st - 177.6 Damn stress
April 1st - 176.0
May 1st - 179.2
June 1st - 179.0
July 1st - 180.6
August 1st - 180.6
September 1st - 180.0
October 1st - 181.9 - New scale weighs about 2 lbs heavier
November 1st - 179.2

3. Balance our budget
January 1st - Things are looking up for this year with Veronica getting a new job (hopefully) after residency is complete.
February 1st - Working on it but large expenses due to medical stuff not helping.
March 1st - Getting worse but tax refund should put us back to where we were at the beginning of the year.
April 1st - Tax refund helped up get slowly back on track
May 1st - Eh
June 1st - Still eh
July 1st - And still eh
August 1st - Getting worse
September 1st - No paychecks for 2 months but we should finally be getting back on track this month.
October 1st - New jobs finally paying, not sure if we are going to hit this goal though
November 1st - Damn cars

4b. Read 2 of the Top Ten books on Zanes book list
January 1st - I currently have 6 read. I figured I should be able to finish 2 of the 4 since 2 of them are very very long.
February 1st - The book I'm currently reading, Lolita, is on the list.
March 1st - Finished Lolita. One to go.
April 1st - Still one to go.
May 1st - Still 1 to go
June 1st - Still 1 to go
July 1st - Still 1 to go
August 1st - Started War and Peace on August 1st
September 1st - Finished Book 1 of 4 of War and Peace
October 1st - In the middle of Book 2 of War and Peace
November 1st - Finished book 2 of 4

5a. Finish 2 more movies on my Geological Movie Review
January 1st - Look to start 2 new movies again
February 1st - Nothing new.
March 1st - Nothing new.
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new
October 1st - Nothing new
November 1st - Nothing new

5b. Update the 1 Geologic Movie Review that was previously done and not updated
January 1st - 2 out of 3 up to par
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Started working on The Day After Tomorrow
October 1st - Nothing new
November 1st - Nothing new

6. Watch all of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (according to AFI)
January 1st - Current count 69. 31 left to go.
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 30 to go.
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new
October 1st - Nothing new
November 1st - Nothing new


8. Do 1 Geological Fact for each month.
January 1st - That is a total of 12 for the year. Hopefully I can get them set up ahead of time.
February 1st - 1 done for January, 11 to go.
March 1st - 1 done for February, 10 to go.
April 1st - 1 done for March, 9 to go.
May 1st - 1 done for April, 8 to go
June 1st - 1 done for May, 7 to go
July 1st - 1 done for June, 6 to go
August 1st - 1 done for July, 5 to go
September 1st - 1 done for August, 4 to go
October 1st - 1 done for September, 3 to go
November 1st - 2 done, 1 for October and 1 for November, 1 to go.

Other items of interest:
October I continued working on my research. Nothing much of interest happening besides that.

----------------------------------Finished Items---------------------------------------

4a. (DONE!) Read a total of 100 of the greatest books on my lists by my 30th birthday
January 1st - Current count 97. Only 3 to read by March 19th. This was the initial goal last year but I hoped to have them done earlier.

February 1st - Currently reading Lolita.
March 1st - Finished Lolita and The Colour of Magic. Only 1 to go before March 19th
April 1st - Finished The Colour of Magic. This task is completed!!!

7. (DONE!) Finish bottom of hovercraft.
January 1st - I just need to finish epoxying and smoothing out the bottom then paint it. Not too much work but time is an issue.
February 1st - Haven't had time to work on it
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Did some work patching the holes that need to be filled and order some more epoxy.
June 1st - Finished fixing the holes and I put the first coat of sealant on
July 1st - Finished putting the 3 coats of sealant on. Now to paint it.
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new
October 1st - Finished painting the botoom and flipped it over. This job is DONE. Pictures to follow shortly hopefully.

Hovercraft Update

As mentioned before, my goal this summer was to finish the bottom of the hovercraft. Well it is done for now. It still needs the skirt strips and the actual skirt but for now it has been flipped over after this final paint job with bottom paint.

You can check out the process from start to finish over at my website.

2011 Personal Goals - September Update

Nine months in, down to the final 1/4.

1. Finish first draft of my novel -
January 1st - 1st third is done. The plan this year is to write it and read it to Annabelle and edit it as I go.
February 1st - Nothing new done
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing
July 1st - Nothing
August 1st - Nothing
September 1st - Nothing
October 1st - Nothing

2. Drop weight to 167
January 1st - 176.4. Starting off worse this year than last but I should have some more time to work out.
February 1st - 174.6
March 1st - 177.6 Damn stress
April 1st - 176.0
May 1st - 179.2
June 1st - 179.0
July 1st - 180.6
August 1st - 180.6
September 1st - 180.0
October 1st - 181.9 - New scale weighs about 2 lbs heavier

3. Balance our budget
January 1st - Things are looking up for this year with Veronica getting a new job (hopefully) after residency is complete.
February 1st - Working on it but large expenses due to medical stuff not helping.
March 1st - Getting worse but tax refund should put us back to where we were at the beginning of the year.
April 1st - Tax refund helped up get slowly back on track
May 1st - Eh
June 1st - Still eh
July 1st - And still eh
August 1st - Getting worse
September 1st - No paychecks for 2 months but we should finally be getting back on track this month.
October 1st - New jobs finally paying, not sure if we are going to hit this goal though

4b. Read 2 of the Top Ten books on Zanes book list
January 1st - I currently have 6 read. I figured I should be able to finish 2 of the 4 since 2 of them are very very long.
February 1st - The book I'm currently reading, Lolita, is on the list.
March 1st - Finished Lolita. One to go.
April 1st - Still one to go.
May 1st - Still 1 to go
June 1st - Still 1 to go
July 1st - Still 1 to go
August 1st - Started War and Peace on August 1st
September 1st - Finished Book 1 of 4 of War and Peace
October 1st - In the middle of Book 2 of War and Peace

5a. Finish 2 more movies on my Geological Movie Review
January 1st - Look to start 2 new movies again
February 1st - Nothing new.
March 1st - Nothing new.
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new
October 1st - Nothing new

5b. Update the 1 Geologic Movie Review that was previously done and not updated
January 1st - 2 out of 3 up to par
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Started working on The Day After Tomorrow
October 1st - Nothing new

6. Watch all of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (according to AFI)
January 1st - Current count 69. 31 left to go.
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 30 to go.
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new
October 1st - Nothing new

7. (DONE!) Finish bottom of hovercraft.
January 1st - I just need to finish epoxying and smoothing out the bottom then paint it. Not too much work but time is an issue.
February 1st - Haven't had time to work on it
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Did some work patching the holes that need to be filled and order some more epoxy.
June 1st - Finished fixing the holes and I put the first coat of sealant on
July 1st - Finished putting the 3 coats of sealant on. Now to paint it.
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new
October 1st - Finished painting the botoom and flipped it over. This job is DONE. Pictures to follow shortly hopefully.

8. Do 1 Geological Fact for each month.
January 1st - That is a total of 12 for the year. Hopefully I can get them set up ahead of time.
February 1st - 1 done for January, 11 to go.
March 1st - 1 done for February, 10 to go.
April 1st - 1 done for March, 9 to go.
May 1st - 1 done for April, 8 to go
June 1st - 1 done for May, 7 to go
July 1st - 1 done for June, 6 to go
August 1st - 1 done for July, 5 to go
September 1st - 1 done for August, 4 to go
October 1st - 1 done for September, 3 to go

Other items of interest:
September I basically spent working on my research. Finished the bottom of the hovercraft which was pretty monumental but other than that, not much done.

----------------------------------Finished Items---------------------------------------

4a. (DONE!) Read a total of 100 of the greatest books on my lists by my 30th birthday
January 1st - Current count 97. Only 3 to read by March 19th. This was the initial goal last year but I hoped to have them done earlier.

February 1st - Currently reading Lolita.
March 1st - Finished Lolita and The Colour of Magic. Only 1 to go before March 19th
April 1st - Finished The Colour of Magic. This task is completed!!!

2011 Personal Goals - August Update

Eight months in and back to school full time.

1. Finish first draft of my novel -
January 1st - 1st third is done. The plan this year is to write it and read it to Annabelle and edit it as I go.
February 1st - Nothing new done
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing
July 1st - Nothing
August 1st - Nothing
September 1st - Nothing

2. Drop weight to 167
January 1st - 176.4. Starting off worse this year than last but I should have some more time to work out.
February 1st - 174.6
March 1st - 177.6 Damn stress
April 1st - 176.0
May 1st - 179.2
June 1st - 179.0
July 1st - 180.6
August 1st - 180.6
September 1st - 180.0

3. Balance our budget
January 1st - Things are looking up for this year with Veronica getting a new job (hopefully) after residency is complete.
February 1st - Working on it but large expenses due to medical stuff not helping.
March 1st - Getting worse but tax refund should put us back to where we were at the beginning of the year.
April 1st - Tax refund helped up get slowly back on track
May 1st - Eh
June 1st - Still eh
July 1st - And still eh
August 1st - Getting worse
September 1st - No paychecks for 2 months but we should finally be getting back on track this month.

4b. Read 2 of the Top Ten books on Zanes book list
January 1st - I currently have 6 read. I figured I should be able to finish 2 of the 4 since 2 of them are very very long.
February 1st - The book I'm currently reading, Lolita, is on the list.
March 1st - Finished Lolita. One to go.
April 1st - Still one to go.
May 1st - Still 1 to go
June 1st - Still 1 to go
July 1st - Still 1 to go
August 1st - Started War and Peace on August 1st
September 1st - Finished Book 1 of 4 of War and Peace

5a. Finish 2 more movies on my Geological Movie Review
January 1st - Look to start 2 new movies again
February 1st - Nothing new.
March 1st - Nothing new.
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new

5b. Update the 1 Geologic Movie Review that was previously done and not updated
January 1st - 2 out of 3 up to par
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Started working on The Day After Tomorrow

6. Watch all of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (according to AFI)
January 1st - Current count 69. 31 left to go.
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 30 to go.
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new

7. Finish bottom of hovercraft.
January 1st - I just need to finish epoxying and smoothing out the bottom then paint it. Not too much work but time is an issue.
February 1st - Haven't had time to work on it
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Did some work patching the holes that need to be filled and order some more epoxy.
June 1st - Finished fixing the holes and I put the first coat of sealant on
July 1st - Finished putting the 3 coats of sealant on. Now to paint it.
August 1st - Nothing new
September 1st - Nothing new

8. Do 1 Geological Fact for each month.
January 1st - That is a total of 12 for the year. Hopefully I can get them set up ahead of time.
February 1st - 1 done for January, 11 to go.
March 1st - 1 done for February, 10 to go.
April 1st - 1 done for March, 9 to go.
May 1st - 1 done for April, 8 to go
June 1st - 1 done for May, 7 to go
July 1st - 1 done for June, 6 to go
August 1st - 1 done for July, 5 to go
September 1st - 1 done for August, 4 to go

Other items of interest:
August was spent partially with my family and then back to school full time. Hopefully since I am not TAing this year I will be able to get a significant amount of research done as well as working on some other projects. I have gotten a bunch of little projects around the house done like upgrading the yard lighting (almost done) and fixing the sprinkler system.

----------------------------------Finished Items---------------------------------------

4a. (DONE!) Read a total of 100 of the greatest books on my lists by my 30th birthday
January 1st - Current count 97. Only 3 to read by March 19th. This was the initial goal last year but I hoped to have them done earlier.

February 1st - Currently reading Lolita.
March 1st - Finished Lolita and The Colour of Magic. Only 1 to go before March 19th
April 1st - Finished The Colour of Magic. This task is completed!!!

2011 Personal Goals - July Update

Seven months in and getting lazy.

1. Finish first draft of my novel -
January 1st - 1st third is done. The plan this year is to write it and read it to Annabelle and edit it as I go.
February 1st - Nothing new done
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing
July 1st - Nothing
August 1st - Nothing

2. Drop weight to 167
January 1st - 176.4. Starting off worse this year than last but I should have some more time to work out.
February 1st - 174.6
March 1st - 177.6 Damn stress
April 1st - 176.0
May 1st - 179.2
June 1st - 179.0
July 1st - 180.6
August 1st - 180.6

3. Balance our budget
January 1st - Things are looking up for this year with Veronica getting a new job (hopefully) after residency is complete.
February 1st - Working on it but large expenses due to medical stuff not helping.
March 1st - Getting worse but tax refund should put us back to where we were at the beginning of the year.
April 1st - Tax refund helped up get slowly back on track
May 1st - Eh
June 1st - Still eh
July 1st - And still eh
August 1st - Getting worse

4b. Read 2 of the Top Ten books on Zanes book list
January 1st - I currently have 6 read. I figured I should be able to finish 2 of the 4 since 2 of them are very very long.
February 1st - The book I'm currently reading, Lolita, is on the list.
March 1st - Finished Lolita. One to go.
April 1st - Still one to go.
May 1st - Still 1 to go
June 1st - Still 1 to go
July 1st - Still 1 to go
August 1st - Started War and Peace on August 1st

5a. Finish 2 more movies on my Geological Movie Review
January 1st - Look to start 2 new movies again
February 1st - Nothing new.
March 1st - Nothing new.
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new

5b. Update the 1 Geologic Movie Review that was previously done and not updated
January 1st - 2 out of 3 up to par
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new
August 1st - Nothing new

6. Watch all of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (according to AFI)
January 1st - Current count 69. 31 left to go.
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 30 to go.
August 1st - Nothing new

7. Finish bottom of hovercraft.
January 1st - I just need to finish epoxying and smoothing out the bottom then paint it. Not too much work but time is an issue.
February 1st - Haven't had time to work on it
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Did some work patching the holes that need to be filled and order some more epoxy.
June 1st - Finished fixing the holes and I put the first coat of sealant on
July 1st - Finished putting the 3 coats of sealant on. Now to paint it.
August 1st - Nothing new

8. Do 1 Geological Fact for each month.
January 1st - That is a total of 12 for the year. Hopefully I can get them set up ahead of time.
February 1st - 1 done for January, 11 to go.
March 1st - 1 done for February, 10 to go.
April 1st - 1 done for March, 9 to go.
May 1st - 1 done for April, 8 to go
June 1st - 1 done for May, 7 to go
July 1st - 1 done for June, 6 to go
August 1st - 1 done for July, 5 to go

Other items of interest:
July was spent on two fronts, Europe and home. My European trip was pretty productive I feel, now I just need to spend the time to get everything organized. While at home I just spent time with my family since my wife was off of work for all of the month. It was nice to be home and not have anything urgent to do. I just worked on some projects around the house when I was able to.

----------------------------------Finished Items---------------------------------------

4a. (DONE!) Read a total of 100 of the greatest books on my lists by my 30th birthday
January 1st - Current count 97. Only 3 to read by March 19th. This was the initial goal last year but I hoped to have them done earlier.

February 1st - Currently reading Lolita.
March 1st - Finished Lolita and The Colour of Magic. Only 1 to go before March 19th
April 1st - Finished The Colour of Magic. This task is completed!!!

100 Greatest Movies - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

This time we are looking at The Treasure of the Sierra Madre which is #30 on the 100 Greatest Movies List, it is also #38 on the 10th Anniversary List, and #67 on the 100 Greatest Thrillers.

On the whole, this seemed like a loose string of adventures. Sure, some of them were fun to watch and others were pretty interesting but basically it felt very disjointed. I'm not entirely sure why this made the list. The acting was pretty good but I felt the story could have used a little improvement. Overall, I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

2011 Personal Goals - June Update

Six months in (1/2 way) and quite a bit late for an update but whatever:

1. Finish first draft of my novel -
January 1st - 1st third is done. The plan this year is to write it and read it to Annabelle and edit it as I go.
February 1st - Nothing new done
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing
July 1st - Nothing

2. Drop weight to 167
January 1st - 176.4. Starting off worse this year than last but I should have some more time to work out.
February 1st - 174.6
March 1st - 177.6 Damn stress
April 1st - 176.0
May 1st - 179.2
June 1st - 179.0
July 1st - 180.6

3. Balance our budget
January 1st - Things are looking up for this year with Veronica getting a new job (hopefully) after residency is complete.
February 1st - Working on it but large expenses due to medical stuff not helping.
March 1st - Getting worse but tax refund should put us back to where we were at the beginning of the year.
April 1st - Tax refund helped up get slowly back on track
May 1st - Eh
June 1st - Still eh
July 1st - And still eh

4b. Read 2 of the Top Ten books on Zanes book list
January 1st - I currently have 6 read. I figured I should be able to finish 2 of the 4 since 2 of them are very very long.
February 1st - The book I'm currently reading, Lolita, is on the list.
March 1st - Finished Lolita. One to go.
April 1st - Still one to go.
May 1st - Still 1 to go
June 1st - Still 1 to go
July 1st - Still 1 to go

5a. Finish 2 more movies on my Geological Movie Review
January 1st - Look to start 2 new movies again
February 1st - Nothing new.
March 1st - Nothing new.
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new

5b. Update the 1 Geologic Movie Review that was previously done and not updated
January 1st - 2 out of 3 up to par
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Nothing new

6. Watch all of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (according to AFI)
January 1st - Current count 69. 31 left to go.
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new
July 1st - Watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. 30 to go.

7. Finish bottom of hovercraft.
January 1st - I just need to finish epoxying and smoothing out the bottom then paint it. Not too much work but time is an issue.
February 1st - Haven't had time to work on it
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Did some work patching the holes that need to be filled and order some more epoxy.
June 1st - Finished fixing the holes and I put the first coat of sealant on
July 1st - Finished putting the 3 coats of sealant on. Now to paint it.

8. Do 1 Geological Fact for each month.
January 1st - That is a total of 12 for the year. Hopefully I can get them set up ahead of time.
February 1st - 1 done for January, 11 to go.
March 1st - 1 done for February, 10 to go.
April 1st - 1 done for March, 9 to go.
May 1st - 1 done for April, 8 to go
June 1st - 1 done for May, 7 to go
July 1st - 1 done for June, 6 to go

Other items of interest:
I spent most of the month reading articles, taking care of Annabelle and getting my stuff in order for my European trip. I left for Europe on June 29th, hence the reason for the late update since I just got back last week. But all in all a productive trip that should really help advance my research for the coming year.

----------------------------------Finished Items---------------------------------------

4a. (DONE!) Read a total of 100 of the greatest books on my lists by my 30th birthday
January 1st - Current count 97. Only 3 to read by March 19th. This was the initial goal last year but I hoped to have them done earlier.

February 1st - Currently reading Lolita.
March 1st - Finished Lolita and The Colour of Magic. Only 1 to go before March 19th
April 1st - Finished The Colour of Magic. This task is completed!!!

Hovercraft Update

Back to business. My goal this summer (2011) is to finish the bottom so I can flip it back over and work on the inside. Well to do that I had to finish fixing the holes that kept occurring every time I sanded down the edges of the lift duct and to smooth out the remaining edges. I also fixed the two holes I had to cut out for the wheel wells from the trailer. I finished all that, got it all smooth, and filled in all the holes. Then I purchased some sealant for the bottom. Since it is all plywood, I figured it probably needs some. That is why it looks much more glossy now than it did before. I also painted the sealant over the paint job that I did before (the red) on the sides since they most likely needed it as well. The next step is to put some bottom guard boat paint to help seal against mold and rot.

You can check out the process from start to finish over at my website.

Love Your Job - Humor

This is even funnier when you realize it's real! The next time you have a bad day at work think of this guy. Rob is a commercial saturation diver for Global Divers in Louisiana. He performs underwater repairs on offshore drilling rigs. Below is an e-mail he sent to his sister. She then sent it to a radio station 103.2 on the FM dial in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, who was sponsoring a worst job experience contest. Needless to say, she won.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Sue:

Just another note from your bottom-dwelling brother. Last week I had a bad day at the office. I know you've been feeling down lately at work, so I thought I would share my dilemma with you to make you realize it's not so bad after all. Before I can tell you what happened to me, I first must bore you with a few technicalities of my job. As you know, my office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the office. It's a wet suit and this time of year the water is quite cool! So to keep warm we have a diesel powered industrial water heater. This $20,000 piece of equipment sucks the water out of the sea and heats it to a delightful temperature. It then pumps it down to the diver through a garden hose, which is taped to the air hose. Now this sounds like a darn good plan, and I've used it several times with no complaints. What I do when I get the bottom and start working is take the hose and stuff it down the back of my wet suit. This floods my whole suit with warm water. It's like working in a Jacuzzi. Everything was going well until all of the sudden, my butt started to itch.

Of course, I scratched it. This only made things worse. Within a few seconds my butt started to burn. I pulled the hose out from my back, but the damage was done. In agony I realized what had happened. The hot water machine had sucked up a jellyfish and pumped it into my suit.

Now, since I don't have any hair on my back, the jellyfish couldn't stick to it. However, the crack of my butt was not as fortunate.

When I scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually grinding the jellyfish into the crack of my butt. I informed the dive supervisor of my dilemma over the communicator. His instructions were unclear due to the fact that he, along with five other divers, were all laughing hysterically. Needless to say, I aborted the dive. I was instructed to make three agonizing in-water decompression tops totaling thirty-five minutes before I could reach the surface to begin my chamber dry. When I arrived at the surface I was wearing nothing but my brass helmet. As I climbed out of the water, the medic, with tears of laughter running down his face, handed me a tube of cream and told me to rub it on my butt as soon as I got in the chamber. The cream put the fire out, but I couldn't poop for two days because my butt was swollen shut.

So next time you're having a bad day at work, think about how much worse it would be if you had a jellyfish shoved up your butt. Now repeat to yourself, I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.

2011 Personal Goals - May Update

Five months in and into the summer time:

1. Finish first draft of my novel -
January 1st - 1st third is done. The plan this year is to write it and read it to Annabelle and edit it as I go.
February 1st - Nothing new done
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing

2. Drop weight to 167
January 1st - 176.4. Starting off worse this year than last but I should have some more time to work out.
February 1st - 174.6
March 1st - 177.6 Damn stress
April 1st - 176.0
May 1st - 179.2
June 1st - 179.0

3. Balance our budget
January 1st - Things are looking up for this year with Veronica getting a new job (hopefully) after residency is complete.
February 1st - Working on it but large expenses due to medical stuff not helping.
March 1st - Getting worse but tax refund should put us back to where we were at the beginning of the year.
April 1st - Tax refund helped up get slowly back on track
May 1st - Eh


4b. Read 2 of the Top Ten books on Zanes book list
January 1st - I currently have 6 read. I figured I should be able to finish 2 of the 4 since 2 of them are very very long.
February 1st - The book I'm currently reading, Lolita, is on the list.
March 1st - Finished Lolita. One to go.
April 1st - Still one to go.
May 1st - Still 1 to go
June 1st - Stille 1 to go

5a. Finish 2 more movies on my Geological Movie Review
January 1st - Look to start 2 new movies again
February 1st - Nothing new.
March 1st - Nothing new.
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new

5b. Update the 1 Geologic Movie Review that was previously done and not updated
January 1st - 2 out of 3 up to par
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new

6. Watch all of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (according to AFI)
January 1st - Current count 69. 31 left to go.
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new
June 1st - Nothing new

7. Finish bottom of hovercraft.
January 1st - I just need to finish epoxying and smoothing out the bottom then paint it. Not too much work but time is an issue.
February 1st - Haven't had time to work on it
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Did some work patching the holes that need to be filled and order some more epoxy.
June 1st - Finished fixing the holes and I put the first coat of sealant on

8. Do 1 Geological Fact for each month.
January 1st - That is a total of 12 for the year. Hopefully I can get them set up ahead of time.
February 1st - 1 done for January, 11 to go.
March 1st - 1 done for February, 10 to go.
April 1st - 1 done for March, 9 to go.
May 1st - 1 done for April, 8 to go
June 1st - 1 done for May, 7 to go

Other items of interest:
May was pretty uneventful other than a few visits by family and I was able to catch up on a large catelogue of things I had to do left over from the semester. This month will be mostly spent getting ready for my trip to Spain.

----------------------------------Finished Items---------------------------------------

4a. (DONE!) Read a total of 100 of the greatest books on my lists by my 30th birthday
January 1st - Current count 97. Only 3 to read by March 19th. This was the initial goal last year but I hoped to have them done earlier.

February 1st - Currently reading Lolita.
March 1st - Finished Lolita and The Colour of Magic. Only 1 to go before March 19th
April 1st - Finished The Colour of Magic. This task is completed!!!

La Caille Restaurant

I took these pictures on my wife's and I anniversary dinner back in February when we went to La Caille restaurant, which is often regarded as the most expensive restaurant in Salt Lake City. And going there again for a Mother's Day Sunday Brunch reminded me that I had them so I figured I would post them.

Sorry for the blurriness, I took them with my phone. But I think that it is great that they played off of their expensiveness with the first one. It may be difficult to read but all the menu items had a price spelled out (i.e. Fifty-Two Dollars instead of $52). So when we came across this one we weren't sure if they were serious or not (it states Financing Available). They were rather humorous about it though and the waitress confirmed that it was indeed a joke. Plus for our anniversary they gave us this firecracker candle with our desert, which really made it special.

So, all in all, I think the food was really good and the ambiance was fantastic but the price a little high for dinner (it was roughly $200 before tip). But Sunday brunch was less than half the cost of dinner, I think tasted even better, and you had the same ambiance. So I say if you going to check it out, go during Sunday brunch. You definitely won't regret it.

2011 Personal Goals - April Update

Four months in (a little late):

1. Finish first draft of my novel -
January 1st - 1st third is done. The plan this year is to write it and read it to Annabelle and edit it as I go.
February 1st - Nothing new done
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new

2. Drop weight to 167
January 1st - 176.4. Starting off worse this year than last but I should have some more time to work out.
February 1st - 174.6
March 1st - 177.6 Damn stress
April 1st - 176.0
May 1st - 179.2

3. Balance our budget
January 1st - Things are looking up for this year with Veronica getting a new job (hopefully) after residency is complete.
February 1st - Working on it but large expenses due to medical stuff not helping.
March 1st - Getting worse but tax refund should put us back to where we were at the beginning of the year.
April 1st - Tax refund helped up get slowly back on track
May 1st - Eh

4b. Read 2 of the Top Ten books on Zanes book list
January 1st - I currently have 6 read. I figured I should be able to finish 2 of the 4 since 2 of them are very very long.
February 1st - The book I'm currently reading, Lolita, is on the list.
March 1st - Finished Lolita. One to go.
April 1st - Still one to go.
May 1st - Still 1 to go

5a. Finish 2 more movies on my Geological Movie Review
January 1st - Look to start 2 new movies again
February 1st - Nothing new.
March 1st - Nothing new.
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new

5b. Update the 1 Geologic Movie Review that was previously done and not updated
January 1st - 2 out of 3 up to par
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new

6. Watch all of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (according to AFI)
January 1st - Current count 69. 31 left to go.
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Nothing new

7. Finish bottom of hovercraft.
January 1st - I just need to finish epoxying and smoothing out the bottom then paint it. Not too much work but time is an issue.
February 1st - Haven't had time to work on it
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new
May 1st - Did some work patching the holes that need to be filled and order some more epoxy.

8. Do 1 Geological Fact for each month.
January 1st - That is a total of 12 for the year. Hopefully I can get them set up ahead of time.
February 1st - 1 done for January, 11 to go.
March 1st - 1 done for February, 10 to go.
April 1st - 1 done for March, 9 to go.
May 1st - 1 done for April, 8 to go

Other items of interest:
Finished up the semester. Nothing else really big happening. Just trying to tie some ends up from the semester before I can move on.

----------------------------------Finished Items---------------------------------------

4a. (DONE!) Read a total of 100 of the greatest books on my lists by my 30th birthday
January 1st - Current count 97. Only 3 to read by March 19th. This was the initial goal last year but I hoped to have them done earlier.

February 1st - Currently reading Lolita.
March 1st - Finished Lolita and The Colour of Magic. Only 1 to go before March 19th
April 1st - Finished The Colour of Magic. This task is completed!!!

Annabelle

In honor of my babies first birthday I present here the poem in which she was partially named after.

Annabelle Lee


It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabelle Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabelle Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabelle Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabelle Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabelle Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabelle Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Bits of Wisdom - Humor

Love is grand;
divorce is a hundred grand.

***************************

I am in shape.
Round is a shape.

***************************

Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.

***************************

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.

***************************

Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.

***************************

Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.

***************************

Even if you are on the right track,
you'll get run over if you just sit there.

***************************

Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.

***************************

An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world.
A pessimist fears that this is true.

**************************

There will always be death and taxes; however, death doesn't get worse every year.

***************************

In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

***************************

Dijon vu --
the same mustard as before.

***************************

I am a nutritional overachiever.

***************************

I am having an out of money experience.

***************************

I plan on living forever. So far, so good.

***************************

Practice safe eating --
always use condiments.

***************************

A day without sunshine is like night.

***************************

If marriage were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws.

***************************

It's frustrating when you know all the answers,
but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.

***************************

The real art of conversation is not only to
say the right thing at the right time,
but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

***************************

Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.

***************************

Age doesn't always bring wisdom.
Sometimes age comes alone.

***************************

Life not only begins at forty,
it also begins to show.

**************************

You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stopped laughing.

Happy Dyngus Day!!

All of this info and more can be found at http://www.dyngusdaybuffalo.com/

WHAT IS DYNGUS DAY?
Historically a Polish-American tradition, Dyngus Day celebrates the end of the often restrictive observance of lent and the joy of Easter. Over the decades, Dyngus Day has become a wonderful holiday to celebrate Polish-American culture, heritage and traditions.

HOW DID IT START?
There are many stories that attempt to explain the origins of the day. Many Polish customs date back to pre-Christian practices of our Slavic ancestors. The custom of pouring water is an ancient spring rite of cleansing, purification, and fertility. The same is true of the complimentary practice of switching with pussy willow branches. Since 966 A.D., Dyngus Day has been associated with the baptism of Prince Mieszko I. Tradition states that Prince Mieszko I along with his court were baptized on Easter Monday. Thus, Dyngus Day and its rites of sprinkling with water have become a folk celebration in thanksgiving for the fact that the first king of Poland was baptized into Christianity, bringing Catholicism to Poland. In more modern times, the tradition continued when farm boys in Poland wanted to attract notice from the girls of their choice. It was custom to throw water and hit the girls on their legs with twigs or pussywillows. Cologne was used instead of water by the more gallant lads. The ladies would reciprocate by throwing dishes & crockery and Tuesday was their day of revenge, imitating the same tactics.

WHAT DOES THE WORD DYNGUS MEAN?
According to the Encyclopedia Staropolska written in the 19th century by A. Gloger, the word can be traced back to a medieval form of the word “Dingnus,” which means “worthy, proper, or suitable.” Gloger cites a used of the word, namely “ranson during a war to protect against pillage,” as well as a German usage of “Dingen,” which means “to come to an agreement, evaluate or buy back.”

MODERN DYNGUS DAY IN BUFFALO
Although Dyngus Day was always celebrated in traditional Polish neighborhoods dated back to the 1870s, modern Dyngus Day in Buffalo had its start with the Chopin Singing Society in 1961. Judge Ann T. Mikoll and her late husband Theodore V. Mikoll held the first party at the Society's clubrooms on Kosciuszko Street on Buffalo's Eastside. The success of the Chopins' Dyngus Parties during the 1960s led to other Dyngus dances on the Eastside including those at the Broadway Grill, the Warsaw Inn, the Polish Singing Circle and at the New York Central Terminal. Chopins left the Eastside in the 1980s and moved out to new clubrooms in Cheektowaga where the festival attracted a new generation. The Chopins tradition continues with party's taking place at the Heathstone Mannor in Depew.

The Guy's Rules - Humor

The Guys' Rules


Finally, the guys' side of the story.
(I must admit, it's pretty good.)
We always hear "the rules" from the female side.
Now here are the rules from the male side.
These are our rules!
Please note... these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine..Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.

1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.
1. Thank you for reading this.

Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down

2011 Personal Goals - March Update

Three months in and starting to regain control:

1. Finish first draft of my novel -
January 1st - 1st third is done. The plan this year is to write it and read it to Annabelle and edit it as I go.
February 1st - Nothing new done
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new

2. Drop weight to 167
January 1st - 176.4. Starting off worse this year than last but I should have some more time to work out.
February 1st - 174.6
March 1st - 177.6 Damn stress
April 1st - 176.0

3. Balance our budget
January 1st - Things are looking up for this year with Veronica getting a new job (hopefully) after residency is complete.
February 1st - Working on it but large expenses due to medical stuff not helping.
March 1st - Getting worse but tax refund should put us back to where we were at the beginning of the year.
April 1st - Tax refund helped up get slowly back on track

4a. (DONE!) Read a total of 100 of the greatest books on my lists by my 30th birthday
January 1st - Current count 97. Only 3 to read by March 19th. This was the initial goal last year but I hoped to have them done earlier.
February 1st - Currently reading Lolita.
March 1st - Finished Lolita and The Colour of Magic. Only 1 to go before March 19th
April 1st - Finished The Colour of Magic. This task is completed!!!

4b. Read 2 of the Top Ten books on Zanes book list
January 1st - I currently have 6 read. I figured I should be able to finish 2 of the 4 since 2 of them are very very long.
February 1st - The book I'm currently reading, Lolita, is on the list.
March 1st - Finished Lolita. One to go.
April 1st - Still one to go.

5a. Finish 2 more movies on my Geological Movie Review
January 1st - Look to start 2 new movies again
February 1st - Nothing new.
March 1st - Nothing new.
April 1st - Nothing new

5b. Update the 1 Geologic Movie Review that was previously done and not updated
January 1st - 2 out of 3 up to par
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new

6. Watch all of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (according to AFI)
January 1st - Current count 69. 31 left to go.
February 1st - Nothing new
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new

7. Finish bottom of hovercraft.
January 1st - I just need to finish epoxying and smoothing out the bottom then paint it. Not too much work but time is an issue.
February 1st - Haven't had time to work on it
March 1st - Nothing new
April 1st - Nothing new

8. Do 1 Geological Fact for each month.
January 1st - That is a total of 12 for the year. Hopefully I can get them set up ahead of time.
February 1st - 1 done for January, 11 to go.
March 1st - 1 done for February, 10 to go.
April 1st - 1 done for March, 9 to go.

Other items of interest:
Busy busy. I finished up my PhD exam and I passed (ish) after a grueling ~18 hour exam. I still have a couple of thigs to write up but overall I am finished. We also took a trip down to Arizona and visited the Grand Canyon as well as some other National Parks in the area for Spring Break. School is slowly coming to a conclusion for the semester and I am slowly gaining control over all the things that seemed to have gone out of whack. April should be good.

The 306 Greatest Books #100 - Black Beauty

The next up on my reading of the 306 greatest books is Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. This book can be found on the BBC Book List.

This is the 100th overall book that I have read, but as I have mentioned before, since I am reading from four 100 Greatest Books Lists and one Top 10 Book List, there is a total of 306 books to read. So this segment will continue for a while. Also, I did want to finish 100 total books before I turned 30, and I did. I finished the book yesterday, while today is my 30th birthday :-).

I rather enjoyed Black Beauty. I thought it had an interesting perspective, which was looking at a horse's life through the eyes of the horse. It didn't have the ridiculous "animals talking" thing that a lot of books have, but I felt it was rather natural. The way a horse would act if you could get inside it's head. You saw his (Black Beauty's) life from the time of being a young colt through to his "retirement home" and all the things that went right and went wrong along the way. The author also showed other horses, and people, and how their lives changed, and how that impacted Black Beauty's life. I also really liked how information was only gained by the reader through the horse, so the only way you knew how a conversation or event went was when they were in proximity of the horse so he could relay it to the reader. Very well done, but I feel it is a bit simplistic and better off as a children's book. Not really belonging on the 100 Greatest Books list, so I will leave it off of my Must Read List.

Happy Saint Patricks Day - Humor

McQuillan walked into a bar and ordered martini after martini, each time removing the olives and placing them in a jar.

When the jar was filled with olives and all the drinks consumed, the Irishman started to leave.

"S'cuse me", said a customer, who was puzzled over what McQuillan had done, "what was that all about?"

"Nothin', said the Irishman, "my wife just sent me out for a jar of olives!"

*******************************************************

I've Lost Me Luggage

An Irishman arrived at J.F.K. Airport and wandered around the terminal with tears streaming down his cheeks. An airline employee asked him if he was already homesick.

"No," replied the Irishman "I've lost all me luggage!"

"How'd that happen?"

"The cork fell out!" said the Irishman.

*****************************************************

Water to Wine

An Irish priest is driving down to New York and gets stopped for speeding in Connecticut.

The state trooper smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. He says, "Sir, have you been drinking?"

"Just water," says the priest.

The trooper says, "Then why do I smell wine?"

The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again!"

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The Brothel

Two Irishmen were sitting at a pub having beer and watching the brothel across the street.

They saw a Baptist minister walk into the brothel, and one of them said, "Aye, 'tis a shame to see a man of the cloth goin' bad."

Then they saw a rabbi enter the brothel, and the other Irishman said, "Aye, 'tis a shame to see that the Jews are fallin' victim to temptation as well."

Then they see a catholic priest enter the brothel, and one of the Irishmen said, "What a terrible pity...one of the girls must be dying.

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Irish Cemetery 

Three Irishmen, Paddy, Sean and Seamus, were stumbling home from the pub late one night and found themselves on the road which led past the old graveyard..

"Come have a look over here," says Paddy, "It's Michael O'Grady's grave, God bless his soul. He lived to the ripe old age of 87."

"That's nothing," says Sean, "here's one named Patrick O'Toole, it says here that he was 95 when he died."!

Just then, Seamus yells out, "Good God, here's a fella that got to be 145!"

"What was his name?" asks Paddy.

Seamus stumbles around a bit, awkwardly lights a match to see what else is written on the stone marker, and exclaims,

"Miles, from Dublin."

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Irish Predicament 

Drunk Ole Mulvihill (From the Northern Irish Clan) staggers into a Catholic Church, enters a confessional box, sits down, but says nothing.

The Priest coughs a few times to get his attention but Ole Mulvihill just sits there.

Finally, the Priest pounds three times on the wall.

The drunk mumbles, "ain't no use knockin, there's no paper on this side either."

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Irish Last Request 

Mary Clancy goes up to Father O'Grady's after his Sunday morning service, and she's in tears.

He says, "So what's bothering you, Mary my dear?"

She says, "Oh, Father, I've got terrible news. My husband passed away last night."

The priest says, "Oh, Mary, that's terrible. Tell me, did he have any last requests?"

She says, "That he did, Father..."

The priest says, "What did he ask, Mary?"

She says, "He said, 'Please Mary, put down that damn gun!'

I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT... Humor

Ah college, some of these are still apt for me but some remind me of the good ole days. And yea for 100 posts on The Remnant...
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I am a college student. I have a specific shower stall which I refer to as "mine" and my feet will never touch the floor of it.

I am a college student. I try to rotate stalls in the bathroom so I can read all the material taped to the walls.

I am a MALE college student. I always have more than one condom on hand. Two in one night? Morning after? You never know.

I am a college student. I now fail to distinguish the difference in taste between water and beer.

I am a FEMALE college student. I own a bathrobe.

I am a college student. I didn't get my homework done because the kid I share a book with wasn't home last night to get it to me.

I am a college student. Drunken scrawlings on my message board or late night drunken IM's from friends across campus no longer perplex me.

I am a college student. Somebody keeps stealing my damn message board marker.

I am a college student. I pre-party in my room just so I will be drunk enough not to notice the sub-zero weather when I walk to the bar without a coat.

I am a college student. I pray for hotties in my classes so that I will have a reason to go to that class. However, I will never talk to any of these hotties.

I am a college student. I can no longer remember what was cooked in those dirty dishes.

I am a college student. I have seen more than one party turn into a strip show.

I am a college student. My telephone number only has 4 digits.

I am a college student. I have spent nights on the floor because I couldn't get up the ladder to my bed.

I am a college student. I see no problem fitting 2 people in one twin size bed.

I am a MALE college student. I know that a gentleman would let her have the side by the wall (it's a long way to the floor).

I am a college student. I will cross busy streets just to pick up what might be a quarter.

I am a college student. I want a girl/boyfriend who disappears from 9pm - 2am every Friday and Saturday night, reappearing undressed in bed with me when I get home.

I am a college student. Answering machine messages are a thing to be celebrated.

I am a college student. When I see movie trailers on TV, I say "I can't wait to RENT that."

I am a college student. Going "out to eat" no longer involves getting in a vehicle.

I am a college student. I don't know half of my professors' names.

I am a FEMALE college student. I use empty beer bottles for vases.

I am a college student. Christmas lights are a year-round decoration.

I am a college student. Laundry bags double as suitcases.

I am a FEMALE college student. I have worn my huge fuzzy slippers to the cafeteria at dinnertime.

I am a college student. Going to bed before 2:00 is almost unheard of.

I am a college student. If it doesn't look or smell dirty, even if it has been on the floor for 3 days, it can be worn again.

I am a college student. Nat Lite is a high class beer.

I am a college student. I am accustomed to asking "do you have a student discount?" wherever I go.

I am a college student. Going to early classes in my pajamas is fine.

I am a college student. Parties Wednesday through Saturday night are never hard to find.

I am a college student. To get extra money I sell my plasma, or my roommate's cd's.

I am a college student. I am a free loader.

I am a college student. 3am trips to Wal-Mart are normal, and I am used to being tossed out of Wal-Mart drunk in the wee hours of the morning.

I am a college student. The only times that I eat breakfast are when I am still up from partying the night before.

I am a college student. I am an easy target for cops.

I am a college student. I have cussed out the people on the floor above me for being too loud at 3am.

I am a college student. I seldom make my bed.

I am a college student. I use milk crates for furniture and blankets to cover my window.

I am a college student. I enjoy seeing mail in my mailbox.

I am a college student. I have been to a toga party.

I am a college student. I have fallen down on campus before.

I am a college student. I plead to not drive whenever a group of us go out just so I don't lose my parking spot.

I am a college student. I hate bike cops.

I am a college student. I am not afraid to pop-a-squat behind bushes/trees on campus while walking between parties.

I am a college student. My suitemates and roommate are my family.

I am a college student. I have discovered that there is no juice in jungle juice.

I am a college student. I have yet to find the nearest church.

I am a college student. I often walk in on my roommate masturbating.

I am a college student... and I love every bit of it!

I am a college student. Republicans strike fear into the very core of my heart.