So, I am going to try again with the daily posts for a year thing.  I know that before, it nearly killed me creatively but now, I am in a whole different place and frame of mind.  It just seems like the right time to do this again.  I am in a new job and a new city and I live near close friends and I just really believe this year is going to be different from last year.  Or the year before.  Or whatever year I first tried this.

Yesterday, I turned 27 and I really did it right.  A bunch of friends came out and we karaoked into the night.  It was a blast and seemed a fitting way to begin my 28th year of life.  I was surrounded by people I love, doing something insanely fun, AND working on a life list item (sing karaoke without fear).

I will go through the pictures and video in the next week and post them here.  Be on the look out, you do not want to miss the video I took of Josh singing “Gay Bar” to Chris.

I overhauled the life list again.  I removed a bunch of things that are a little more abstract (and that seem to be happening anyway as I progress through the list) in favor of things that can be definitively crossed off.  Here’s what I added:

Take up geochaching
Because geocaching looks so fun and is a great way to combine exercise with a little bit of a puzzle.  There are a lot of caches hidden near me.  I can’t wait to start hunting.

Go to comic-con in San Diego
I’d like to go just once and geek the eff out.  normally, I hold in my geek tendencies (except with friends) but I feel like there, I could just let loose.  Also, I’d like to meet EJO.

Open an Etsy shop
Because I’ll never do it otherwise.

Get to my ideal weight and maintain it
Self-explanatory.

Massively overhaul/redesign my portfolio
This really needs to be done.  I need to have something easy to maintain and well-designed.  Currently I have neither of those things.

Pick a cookbook and cook every recipe in it
I like learning new recipes but I get in a real rut.  I think I’m going to cook my way through a lowfat cookbook or a meals for two book or something.  I need a greater variety of ingredients in my life.

Complete one NaNoWriMo
I have always wanted to take a stab at NaNoWriMo but I assumed I wouldn’t have time.  I still don’t think I’ll have time but whatever…I’m gonna do it.

Do a 365 photo project
I don’t know what kind of project I want to do but I’d like to take more pictures.  A 365 project seems to be just the ticket.

Take up kickboxing
I have a cardio kickboxing game on my Wii and it is so much fun.  I’d love to take actual classes.

Pay off my student loans
Someday…

Build an investment portfolio
Because I need money!  Future money!  I hear now is a good time for people my age to start investing so…we’ll see.

I have started item 20 (run a marathon).  I purchased a book about marathon training and I have now started the pre-training.  Pre-training consists of working toward being able to run for thirty minutes straight.  For the first couple of weeks, I have to walk and then I start a jog/walk routine until I am running for the whole time.

The first couple of days, my legs were screeeeeaming but I have gotten better and better each day.  I have also started eating better again and have already started losing some of the weight I gained back while I was being lazy.

Currently, I can’t conceive of running a whole marathon but I think I’ll get there.  I am loving being outside and everyday, I can’t wait for it to get cool enough to go outside.

Now I need a bike.

The same day I watched Unforgiven, I watched Blade Runner which is also on the AFI list.  Maybe I’m just grumpy lately but I don’t like any of these films!  I love science fiction and I love noir so…a cross between the two should be a natural fit for me, right?  Incorrect.  What a boring movie.

I’m not even really going to say anything else about it.  It was boring and I was bored.  I DID enjoy seeing where a lot of the ideas in the revamp of Battlestar came from but man…that did not outweigh the boredom.

This past weekend, I watched the next film on the list, Bringing Up Baby.  This movie was actually incredibly funny.  I thought Cary Grant would be the one making me laugh and at times, he did.  But he is definitely the straight man when compared to Katherine Hepburn’s very kooky Susan.  I laughed a lot during this movie and even when the plot started to drag, the action and gags were coming fast enough to keep me entertained.  I have seen a lot of old movies but somehow I have just never quite understood the allure of Katherine Hepburn.  I’m starting to really get it.  She lights up the screen.  She did subtle things when most people were still treating movies like they were a play.  I have long been a fan of Cary Grant and paired up, they really were fantastic together.  Lots of comedy talent in that duo.

Next up, Do the Right Thing (A Spike Lee joint) and The Searchers.

I’ve still been slooooooowly making my way through the AFI movie list. I recently watched Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Unforgiven and boy do I ever have opinions.

First of all, I hated Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. I thought it was boring, I thought some of the acting was terrible, and I thought they forced the setup of the issue.

So, of course everyone know what this film is about but just in case, here is a brief synopsis: Joey (a girl) is going home to see her parents (awesomely played by Spencer Tracey and Katherine Hepburn) and she is bringing her African American fiance with them (Sidney Poitier). Her liberal parents are forced to face their own prejudices and overcome their reluctance to accept them if they want their daughter to be happy. Spoiler alert: They do.

The message of the movie was fine and important and still relevant today. Where the movie fell apart was that Spencer and Hepburn came off more as concerned parents who didn’t want their daughter to enter into a life that might be more difficult. They were never malicious toward the Sidney Poitier character and actually accepted him quite quickly. It was a different time and even the most liberal of people probably would have been taken aback by their only daughter bringing any man home and giving them one day to give their blessing for marriage. It just felt like a lot of their reluctance had a lot to do with that and the fact that their daughter was extremely naive.

I just thought the movie was boring and a little heavy-handed. The one totally bright spot in the film was the last ten minutes. When Spencer Tracey stood up to give his speech, I thought the movie arrived.

All that said, I thought the movie was completely well-meaning and I understand why it would have been ground-breaking in the 60’s. I just personally did not enjoy it.

The next movie I watched was Unforgiven and I had a bit of a hard time with this one as well. I am not really a western person. There are a few I enjoy but it would never be my first choice. With Unforgiven, I could see how someone who likes westerns would be crazy about this film. For me, it was just pretty good.

Clint Eastwood was fantastic as was Morgan Freeman but aside from that, it’s hard for me to even comment too much on the movie. It didn’t really hold my focus. That’s not to say that it was boring. I just wasn’t interested in the story. The big shootout in the bar was insanely cool though. Clint Eastwood man…what a badass.

All in all though…Toy Story is still my fave of the AFI movies I’ve watched.

65) Go to the dermatologist and solve my skin issues

When I was in high school, I hit my head on the corner of my bedside table and got a cut behind my ear. As it healed, a scaly, itchy red rash formed behind it. When I went to the doctor, she said it was likely some bacteria had gotten in the cut. She gave me some topical stuff and I was on my way.

Instead of getting better, it spread over my scalp — big red patches hidden by my long hair. But they were painful and extremely itchy. I went to a dermatologist and he also gave me something topical. It spread to my back.

I went back to the dermatologist. He did a biopsy and determined I have an acute form of psoriasis. Still, he gave me some topical stuff and I was on my way. This stuff actually did work, primarily on my back. My scalp continued to be problematic because it is nearly impossible to put topical ointment on your scalp when you have long hair.

When I went to college, I got more lax about the topical treatments and even worse about seeing my dermatologist. I hated getting haircuts because it was embarrassing when the stylists would make comments (even though they were never rude or judging). Eventually, the problem spread from my shoulders to the small of my back, down my chest, my stomach, my legs, and my forehead. Most painfully, it was also in my ears. My entire quality of life was being dictated by this stupid rash.

It should be noted that I hate going to doctors so that is a large reason this went unchecked for so long. When I was making my life list, I saw it as a good way to get me in gear on this issue. So finally, this year, ten years after it all began, I decided to get this issue treated once and for all. I found a dermatologist a street away from work and set up an appointment. She took one look at my back and chest and said “Oh, this is bad.” She said topical stuff wouldn’t work on such a large area and she immediately suggested shots. I had to go for additional tests but in a couple of weeks, the office called back and said they were sending the prescription over to the pharmacy.

Giving myself a shot that first time was a trip. The hardest part is sticking yourself with the needle. You have to do it really fast so you don’t think about it too long. Also difficult was the fact tat this medicine must be kept cold which stings like crazy. All that aside, it only took about a week and a half to start seeing improvement. The redness went away and whole areas just disappeared. My back and stomach were smooth for the first time in years.

After a month, my chest and scalp started clearing up. Nothing itched and there was no more pain. I’ve been on the medicine for two months now and the insides of my ears are still affected as well as a tiny spot behind my left ear and a tiny spot on the back of my neck.

And for the first time in ten years, I went and got a haircut and didn’t even think about my skin. I shop without worrying if shirts or dresses will reveal the red patches. It is amazing how different I feel, how much better and happier. I don’t know that I was consciously aware the this issue was bringing me down so much until it was fixed.

The shots do have some negatives. Namely, they lower my immune system. She said I’ll be more likely to get the flu and even possibly lymphoma. She is going to do tests once a year and alter things accordingly. In addition, there is no cure for psoriasis. I have to keep taking these shots or something forever.

But to me, it’s totally worth it. Even if I someday get sick, at least I feel like I can live now.

Also…life list number 65? Complete!

Item 12 has been kind of a challenge for me. I love to read but I get in moods. I seem to always be pulled strongly toward a certain genre and if a book looks even remotely boring, it’ll take me ages to read. I very specifically wanted to read the EW 100 New Classics in reverse order. Unfortunately, number 100 is Jon Stewart’s America which is not written in traditional narrative form. It is very funny but not something I’d just sit down and devour.

When I was packing for Seattle, I decided to throw number 99 and 98 in my bag because they were small paperbacks while my copy of America is the big hardback version. So I’m going to keep going with the rest of the books and just read America slowly.

That said, on the way to Seattle, I read Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I had seen the movie so I had an idea of the characters and story but, as is often the case, the book barely resembled the movie. I thought the book was fantastic. I had trouble putting it down. Hoffman writes with such a whimsical, matter-of-fact style that is somehow so charming. She really wrote a fairy tale for adults. It had cursing and sex and people acting like real people and magic and somehow it all worked together.

I am going to try to avoid comparisons with the movie here because I think the book stands completely on it’s own. I will say that I was totally surprised how much older the characters were for the bulk of the novel than the bulk of the film. Sally’s children were teenagers and Jillian had been screwing up her life for much longer than the Nicole Kidman character.

The thing I enjoyed most about the book was all of those whimsical little touches Hoffman threw in and how they related to Sally’s journey. She is so practical every step of the way and yet, as someone who dealt with magic and magical gardens and signs from nature, she regarded them with total nonchalance, never explaining the reason for the magic beyond how it pertained to the story at hand. The reader was immediately forced to accept that things in this world simply were and its our misfortune for not knowing about them earlier. I found the restraint refreshing. So many authors over-explain everything to death but Hoffman, like many great writers, found the story in the things she didn’t say.

It was a magical world because she said it was but there was none of that seance and spells and bringing back from the dead stuff like in the movie. At it’s core, it was a story about three generations of very flawed women and how they get by in both the real world and their own magical one.

I watched the movie again after I finished the book and although I had remembered quite liking it when I first saw it, I found it nearly unwatchable after the book. I am not one of those, “Oh, the book is ALWAYS better,” kind of people. I can readily admit that somethings work better on film, at the hands of a thoughtful director and judicious editor. However, Practical Magic was simply so far from the charming simplicity of the book. They kept the idea of sisterhood but they glammed it up and took out all the things that came through so subtly in print. Also, it was super-cheesy.

Read the book. You won’t be sorry.

I’m getting together all the junk for pizza tonight. I’m making the dough and sauce today for dinner in College Station on Saturday.

At the rate I’m going, I won’t have everything in the fridge until midnight or later but it’s worth it. I perfected my recipe for both awhile back and then got majorly burned out on pizza. So burned out that I couldn’t write about it. So burned out that I couldn’t read the item on my life list to cross it off.

Now I’m kind of ready to deal with it all again so I’ll just say…I make some pretty damn good pizza. I don’t know if it’s the best ever or whatever but it is exactly how I love pizza. Ryan said I shouldn’t share my recipe but I don’t think that’s keeping with the spirit of the life list. I will, however, still keep all my brownie recipes a secret. Those are going to make me my fortune someday.

So here we go:
—–

Sauce
1/2 carrot chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
about 2 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
about 1 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
28oz can tomatoes (peeled) or roughly 2 lbs fresh (peeled and seeded)
1 tsp tomato paste
salt
pepper
1 cove garlic minced

Put the carrot, onion, celery and parsley in a covered saucepan with about 1 to 2 Tbsp of olive oil on medium-low for about 15 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high and add the garlic and tomatoes (including the juice). Add the basil, tomato paste, salt, and pepper (and extra garlic or other seasonings if you are so inclined — sometimes I add a little extra minced onion or whatever other fresh herbs I have on hand). Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 15 more minutes.

After I let it cool, I always pop it in the blender or food processor to really get a nice smooth texture. I personally don’t like chunks in my sauce but this step is optional.

—–

Dough
1 packet yeast (I use RapidRise but ActiveDry works as well)
1 1/2 cup warm beer
3 1/2 cup bread flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (can also use honey or agave)
couple of dashes of garlic powder
dash of cornmeal

Sprinkle the yeast in the beer and let it dissolve for five minutes. Mix it with a fork to be sure it’s all dissolved and then add the olive oil, salt, sugar, garlic powder, and cornmeal. Add the bread flour one half cup at a time until the flour is thoroughly mixed into the dough. Knead the dough and form it into a ball. Place the ball in a bowl coated with olive oil. Turn the ball to make sure it is coated as well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise in a warm place. Let is rise for a couple of hours or until the dough doubles in size.

At this point, you can either refrigerate the dough for a couple of days, freeze it for a couple of weeks, or use it immediately.

To use it immediately, separate it into two balls. If you have a pizza peel, spread cornmeal on the peel and shape your dough into a pizza shape on the peel. Add the sauce, cheese, and toppings and slide it on to your preheated stone (450 degrees) and bake 10-15 minutes.

If you are like most people, you have no baking stone or pizza peel and instead have a couple of baking sheets or pizza pans. I have you covered. Lightly spray cooking spray on the pan and sprinkle on cornmeal. Shape your dough on the pan and lightly coat the dough with olive oil. Put the pan in the oven and cook for 5 minutes at 450 degrees. Take the pan out and add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Put the pan back in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes at 450 degrees.

I also like to add extra cheese before it’s done baking.

—–

So that’s it. Those are my pizza baking secrets. The sauce is pretty basic. I’m not wild about red sauce so I didn’t get that creative with it. I just try to use fresh ingredients and I find that it always tastes great. The dough is where I did the most work. Using beer was a revelation. Seriously.

Oh and real mozzarella makes all the difference.

Another life list item…crossed off!

There were two life list things I had to do in Seattle. One was do the robot and the other was fly a kite. I did the robot on the first day but we saved the kite flying for yesterday. By the time we got around to the kite flying, I was pretty beat from a day of intense museum visiting (and by intense, I mean not intense…I’m just lazy) and I wasn’t really feeling it. The kite store was closed and we were going to use Aimee and Josh’s cheap little kite.

We headed out anyway and boy am I glad we did. The park for kite flying is this big hill with gorgeous views. The wind really whips on that hill and the second Josh pulled the kite out, it started dancing. I watched him mess with the kite for awhile while Aimee played with her new (old) camera.

Then Josh handed me the string and spent the next half hour running after the kite as I bombed it into the ground. It was a blast though. I had never flown a kite in my entire life and somehow I expected getting it off the ground would be the hard part. Instead, the hard part was controlling it. Just when I’d get in a rhythm, the wind would change and toss the kite in a different direction or the kite would venture into a windless pocket and plummet to the ground. We nearly hit people and as Aimee stared into her camera, she nearly got beaned in the head about a dozen times.

But it was fun! I never knew kite flying would be fun. The really neat thing is I never would have done it had it not been on my life list. I often hold myself back, avoiding new things because I think I’ll fail or be bad at it. I always assumed that, even something as mundane as kite flying, would be challenging and that my potential for failure at it or for looking stupid was great. So I never tried. Now I know I have been missing out. Windy days were meant for sitting on a hill and seeing how high the kite can go. Kites collided and people were nearly hit and the kite spent more time on the ground than in the air but it no one ever got mad or judged my kite flying skills. Who could ever have negative feelings on a tall hill with a sky filled with dancing kites.

Not for the first time, I am so happy I made my list. It prompts me into gear and gives me the push to do things I’d never try on my own. While the experiences are fun and memorable, just realizing that I can’t possibly succeed if I only expect failure has maybe been the best part so far.

And for however long that string was in my hand and that kite was in the air, I wasn’t thinking about work or finances or fatigue. I wasn’t thinking about airplanes or obligations or my messy apartment. I was just thinking about having fun and keeping the kite in the air.

And it was pretty glorious.

It’s August kids. That means in six months I’ll be 27. Ugh.

In brighter news, I have now been on the shots for my skin issues for one months. They are working. They are working so well. I am about 80-90 percent clear. I can’t believe it. I have lived with this condition since high school and now it’s just…better. Amazing. I’ll be crossing that off the life list soon.

Also, I think I’ll be crossing off the perfect pizza task. Y’all, I can make some freaking awesome pizza. To me, it is perfect and that’s good enough.

Later this week, I should be able to cross off Fly a kite in Seattle with Aimee. I totally tried to chose a task that would allow her to take some good pictures but the task could have just as easily said “Spend time with Aimee.” I’ve missed her.

I also will be able to do the robot in both Washington and Arizona. Rock.

I’ve kind of stalled a bit on some of the other tasks. My plants aren’t looking great. It is just so hot here over the summer. I watched a few more movies on the AFI list but I haven’t gotten far AT ALL on my EW book list. Oh well, I have until I die to finish this stuff.

In the coming months, I am going to work on learning the guitar, pre-training for marathon running, and baking the perfect chocolate cake.

Progress!