mackenzie

Incredible show! Even my husband, who doesn’t know her stuff, was very taken with her as a live performer.

Went to see my eye doctor yesterday to see if I’m a candidate. Sadly, I’m not. My pupils are huge, and it puts me at greater risk of all sorts of complications.

Maybe I’ll try contacts again….sigh…

Regina is at the Moore next Wednesday. Looking forward to it.

This is a super longterm goal of mine. But starting to make incremental progress. I’ve been doing a running training program, and hope to run the SeaFair 5k on July 7. I am not a natural runner, so being able to run a 5k without stopping would be a huge acheivement. Training has begun…

A book a week is a pretty frantic pace. I need to schedule a few more vacations to make it. :) Still, covering some ground.

4) – Life of Pi
Beautiful, undeniable story with a twist ending that will curl your toes. Highly recommended.

5) – This is Your Brain on Music
Very cool book about how our brains receive music, and why it is hardwired into our society. It was cool reading this book so soon after Stumbling on Happines – giving me a better idea in general of how the brain works.

6) – The Elegant Universe
Awesome physics overview with no math. My bible. :)

7) – What Should I Do With My Life?
Comes at a timely point where I’m pondering some radical change.

8) – A Short History of Nearly Everything
Cool book. Jumps around quite a bit (as I suppose it would given what it’s trying to cover). My favorite bits were the wacky anecdotes about the lives of famous figures in science. Most everything else was review though.

Down 15. 10 to go until I’m back to my ideal weight. :)

I don’t think I’ll ever master Italian with my Spanish roots. You’d think it would be easier, but I just confuse the two too much. Besides, not going back to Italy for another decade at least. :)

So are hotels accepting reservations this far ahead? Is there any information out there on where events will be held, etc?

January has been slow, so I’m already at three:

1. 1776
Gorgeous, epic construction of the defining year in the Revolutionary War and George Washington as the commander. Riveting.

2. Stumbling on Happiness
Interesting look at how the human brain fools us in the business of memory, perception, and forecasting. Isolates why people are bad at predicting what will make them happy, and what types of behaviors generally are better at leading to happiness. I liked how many simple studies were outlined as anecdotal proof.

3. Dune
Always said I’d read this since it’s supposed to be a classic scifi book. Thought it was pretty good. A richly constructed world and epic story. Not sure I had much sympathy for most of the characters. Ready to see the movie now starring Sting, that ugly guy from Sex and the City, and Jean-Luc Picard. :)

There are a ton of great websites that sell batch emergency kits with everything you’d need: food, water, radios, flashlights, the works. I like one stop tasks I can cross off this quickly. :)

The recent power outage in Seattle had us out for 6 days with no power in the freezing cold. All batteries and water was sold out of grocery stores within hours. Appliances are electrical with no means of cooking food. We need an emergency kit and plan so the next time this happens, we are prepared.

Okay – Here’s the breakdown of what I think I need to do in order to do this:

1. Clean out xtra bedroom to make room for home recording equipment.
2. Purchase and setup home recording system. This will require figuring out what software and hardware I need for the type of recording I want to do.
3. Write a bunch of songs (already well on my way here)
4. Experiment, Record, Mix, Perfect…Repeat.
5. Get some feedback from a mentor or two.
6. Burn some copies and mp3s and get stuff out there via standard channels.

This weekend I started making progress on the cleaning out process and researching what I’ll need to buy.

I’m 29, and I have acheived this particular milestone in my financial journey. Though a million bucks ain’t what it used to be, there are obviously advantages to starting off so young with such a cushion. It gives more freedom to live a little more freely through the rest of your life.

But there are trade-offs to face. Prepare to lose your 20s, probably the time you should be enjoying yourself to the fullest, to work. Prepare to live frugally. Prepare to spend lots of time managing your investments.

Best of luck to you all!

...well, florence actually. Embarked on my journey of eating frightening things by trying a tripe dish. Very rubbery, but not much scarier than calamari. On to weirder and wilder!

y’know, i haven’t really done any of the things that i should have for my neck. i didn’t go to physical therapy, i didn’t stretch regularly, i didn’t improve my posture. but i started working out regularly and improving my general fitness level. i stopped working insane hours and spending days at a time in front of the computer.

and it just sort of took care of itself. we’ll see how long this lasts, but a year without pain that used to be chronic is a pretty good sign!!

It was.

It’s silly, really, but I’ve never eaten a plum. And I’d like to. And then I can say that I’ve done it. Should be a much easier goal to bite off than some of the scarier things on my list.

Was a tough go – got ridiculous altitude sickness. Worth every pained breath though.

I actually have done this, year in Edinburgh my junior year of University. Just gave me the taste – getting restless, and want to immerse myself in somewhere new again.

I’ve completed about 4 paintings now. I’m just in the learning stages: how to blend colors, how things combine in layers, how the paints interact texture-wise on the canvas, how to thin paint and use different brush surfaces for different effects, but i’m trying! as long as i keep low expectations of what i’ll produce, it’s terribly fun and addicting!