18 February 2013

Roundup (Monday)

5. Have a couple of things to add to the green cookbook---why is it that I'm so lazy in writing things down? :(

9. I'm thinking I will try to learn violin. I'm checking out cheap violins and looking around for lessons now.

12. Nail polish remains awesomely fun.

13. I've done a couple new dishes. I've played with another style of pakhlava---this one with store-bought phyllo, to use up the phyllo from the börekler. It went well. The second was chicken kijiyaki, which is delicious and is going to get made many, many more times because it's also amazingly simple.

25/26/28/29. I'm doing well on these self-care things---I'm moisturizing, brushing regularly, taking my pills. Go me!

34. Music: Currently 3914 of 6406.

39. Been better this last week, at least, with making the bed.

75. If a cupcakery counts as a restaurant, I've now been to Sparkz. I also went to the Delmarette for the first time, and have decided that I will be frequenting it quite a bit---it's a great spot. Great coffee, great food, reasonable prices, and just a very cozy little cafe. Love it.

Hopefully I can cross the damn afghan off the list soon...

09 February 2013

Roundup (Saturday)

Well, I've been good this week about a number of things! However, I haven't been keeping well within my budget---although I don't really mention it on here, I have a budget worked out that's supposed to keep me within the amount of money I make in a year. Unfortunately, the last month I've been a little frivolous. So, I've decided that I have a Lenten pledge: to stay perfectly in budget for the entirety of Lent. This is not part of the 1001, but I might talk about it here; it's definitely a sort of goal!

This is going to be fun. :)

Otherwise:

1. I made more progress on the afghan this last week, but I've also managed to hurt my hands (which I think is partly due to crocheting the entire time I watched Quantum of Solace with my housemate J--). I think I need to take a bit of a break, alas.

25/26/29. I've been good about these this week! Lots of taking my pills and moisturizing.

28. My hands hurt. It sucks. I need to find some way to make typing less painful.

48. I didn't put this down before, but I watched Thor a few weeks ago with a friend, and while chatting with a bunch of HiHers. I enjoyed that quite a bit.

55. A friend has decided to join me on the 10 books. We've got some plotting going---Solaris by Stanislaw Lem is on there, at the least, and probably Master and Margarita by Bulgakov as well.

71. I'm putting into motion the things necessary for renewing my passport. Time to figure this into my budget. :(

90. I'm working on a journal submission! Eeee! (And plotting two more, wow, self.)

02 February 2013

Roundup (Saturday)

I've added a new goal: Take my daily vitamin! I've also updated my completed goals (I've got six totally out of the way! Yeah!), and the ones that I've failed at (goals that have been expressed not as habits, but as "do this regularly". I've not done that for the breast exams or for Lang-8, and I'm fine with having failed and now just trying to do my best. It gives me stuff to have goals for in my next 1001, after all. :))

1. White afghan: I'm still making slow, but not insubstantial, progress. I've gotten another panel done, and I started the next one, which is perhaps one-quarter of the way done. Once I finish this panel, I should only have one more to go. My goal is to finish before my spring break. ::squeal::

3. I'm slowly figuring out some things about what looks good on me. First, it's not necessarily that I look bad in certain things. It's that I'm uncomfortable in them. This is a very useful thing for me to be figuring out. I'm certainly hyper-critical of my body (there's a lot I should be unpacking about that), and I need to be aware of when I am being hyper-critical. Second, I've definitely found things that I think are very flattering. For example, I've known for a long time that boot cut jeans are good for me. It took a lot longer to internalize the fact that I look good in pencil skirts.

It has also helped that I got re-fitted for bras, and discovered that (surprise surprise!) my band is smaller than what I was wearing, and my cup substantially bigger. I'm a small hourglassy lady and my measurements are not found in your average store---alas. However, it's amazing what wearing a bra that actually fits you can do for your self-esteem, not to mention your physical comfort.

4. New bras = my wardrobe is automatically revamped. ;)

7. This upcoming month, I've decided that I would like to try at least two new puddings/custards and one new candy. Go me. It's on my to-do list that I have here on my desk.

12. I've been playing with nail polish like mad! I've discovered that I like OPI polishes a lot---they're thick and smooth but they don't chip. They also come in some really fantastic colors. I'm wearing a deep purple now that I adore.

13. I've enjoyed my one-new-dish still, of course. December was full of candies, and was quite fun. In January, I made a handful of random things, but I'm especially proud of my cheese börekler (phyllo rolls filled with a cheese mixture). They're very tasty. I'm going to try a meat-filled version for tomorrow, I think, and then go and mess with a few more recipes; I've got all this leftover phyllo!

23. I've been failing at the exams, although I'm now going to go do one because I only ever seem to remember if I write here! This, at least, is a really good reason to keep doing my 1001!

25/26/28. I've been much better at these ones---taking better care of my skin, and my teeth and hands. I've even been moisturizing at night occassionally (!), and I got some Vitamin E oil to use on my nails when they're not polished, so that they don't get tooo dry. I hope it will work.

42. I restarted La Caseta Mágica (i.e. the translation of the Phantom Tollbooth into Spanish). I'm excited, because I remember way more than I thought I would.

46. I'm working hard on trying to get more Lang-8 in, both in Japanese and Spanish. I've actually written it into my schedule, craycray.

52. I actually hosted a real, non-potluck mini-dinner party last month! My friends P. and Ni. came over for dinner; I made all sorts of appetizers, they brought a bit of wine and bread, and we had a bunch of pasta alla norma (which unfortunately N. wasn't wild about, because he's not wild about eggplant). Nevertheless, it was a real, nice, sit-down event. I would still like to host a bigger one sometime, though. . . maybe up to a whole four people invited? Maybe even SIX?

71. I desperately need to renew my passport. Uuugh of all the things I don't want to bother doing. . . this is one of them. Such a pain in the ass.

75. I went to Hulu's last month with some folks, which was completely new for me. I'm not sure I'd like it when the bar crowd comes in, but for happy hour, it was great. Additionally, N. and I ate at Rosie's, which we had never done before---just had a drink or two at the bar. I was really pleased with both, and I think I'd like to try Rosie's for brunch some time, too.