day twenty

i thought this was going to be a pretty slow week for the list. getting the apartment empty and clean before thanksgiving is claiming more of my time and peace of mind than i expected (read: the old apartment got packed up and moved out before the new one was ready, so now almost all my stuff is perma-shoved into two hatchbacks and i'm crashing with some stand-up folks and a duffel bag until i get into the new place).


despite that nonsense, many awesome things still managed to happen this weekend, two of which are on the list: kyle's band (always a good time) played a benefit show at the comet (#35) and some friends scored extra tickets to the major league soccer championship game (#36)! i'd never been to a professional soccer game before, so the mls cup was a great way to cross a sports game off my list - plus, awesome seats! we were rooting for real salt lake over the l.a. galaxy. i had my own baseless reasons - namely that my sister lives in salt lake, and i feel like i just shouldn't like l.a. teams in general. good thing too, because salt lake won it in a super-dramatic shootout, ensuring that my canvas sneaker-clad toes did not freeze in vain. also, if i've learned anything from both this match and the tmbg show a couple weeks ago it's that every awesome thing is made awesomer by glitter cannons. check the sparkly field!

day fifteen

earlier this week i spent some time going through all of my itunes (#85), and wow, what a great way to spend an afternoon. it all started with 5801 tracks, and several hours of dancing, singing and general reminiscing later, i'm left with 5401. exactly four hundred deleted - not bad.

most noteworthy and/or embarrassing deletions include: "spunk: volume one," a compilation of ska/punk bands (get it? ehh...) including tunes from a band called shower with goats (wha?) and the rx bandits before they got good. also, the q101 "ear candy" compilation from senior year of high school; the only track that stood the test of time for me was saves the day's "at your funeral," which i guess isn't surprising since i have and still listen to two of their other cds. and i had three, count 'em - three, goo goo dolls albums. when did that happen? also deleted will smith's "gettin jiggy with it," "miami," and "switch," "blue (da ba dee)" by eiffel 65, and "i wanna be with you" by fun factory. oof.

favorite re-discoveries: "united states of whatever" by liam lynch. tiga's cover of nelly's "hot in herre." (check out the dancing puppet video!) the "go" soundtrack (really cool - the hit was "steal my sunshine" by len, but also has great tracks from no doubt, fatboy slim, and natalie imbruglia - yeah, her!) some tracks from our college buddies' band, awesome car funmaker. del amitri's "roll to me." dynamite hack's "boyz n the hood." everclear's album "so much for the afterglow." luscious jackson's "ladyfingers." the transplants' "diamonds and guns." and wheatus' "teenage dirtbag."

and the absolute best? two tracks from something called fattaru, which google tells me is a swedish hip-hop group. i have zero recollection of acquiring these songs - my best guess is they're the result of some late-night, alcohol-inspired itunes browsing gone bad.

i received my first postcrossing card (yay!) from belgium. it's from this "play with your food" series - cauliflower sheep! can't tell if this picture effectively captures the adorableness. it does, however, demonstrate my discomfort posing for the camera in any normal fashion. but really, it was even cooler than i expected when i arrived home from a stormy, rainy walk to find real mail, from a real person, from another (real) country no less. i also sent another card (#92) - this one to finland!

also learned how to make mulled wine (#59) for a super delicious potluck dinner hosted by a bunch of super cool madison people. we took some liberties, but it went something like this - two bottles of three buck chuck cabernet, one cup of boiling water, twelve-ish cloves, five-ish cinnamon sticks, a few star anises (? - i have no idea what the plural of anise is), orange zest, and two cups (woah) of sugar. so it was tasty but sweet. turns out someone else also made mulled wine, only without sugar, so we joined forces and combined the two. i had a lot of it.

day nine

a bit of clarification: some of these tasks i have never done before; some of them i have done but not for a long time and i'd like to do them again, please; and some of them i'd like to make more of a habit. now that that's out of the way... awesome week! both listwise and otherwise. the election turned out well all-around - i voted for winners and turns out i worked for one too! so this gives me a little wiggle room for both list and job-finding progress.

let's start with the live shows (#35) - two in one week? yeah! kyle and i went to see ozomatli and it was super fun! my hips were actually a bit sore from shakin' it too hard for too long. they put on a great show and wrapped it up by taking their instruments with them into a conga line through the crowd. i'm really bummed i didn't get a good shot that night - i keep forgetting to bring my camera with me when i'm bound to do something listy. it's been suggested that i should just keep it with me at all times, so i'm working on it.


i did get a decent (albeit camera-phone) confetti shot at the other show i caught this week (check it) - finally saw they might be giants! kirk, john, michelle and i got down to their performance of the legendary album "flood," interspersed with some other hits (including my favorite, "she's an angel" - best lyrics!).


also went to the ballard farmers market (#66) with kelly. of all the neighborhood markets i've been to in seattle this one is so far the best. it's also on a great street lined with cute shops and boutiques full of (well, not as much full of as sparsely containing) clothes and furniture that i'll never be able to afford (ever). anyway i bought some purple majesty spuds and made some awesome mashed potatoes that i ate for three days. also bought a funky little headband for five bucks. neat!

i spent a little volunteer time (#91) with my pals at the washington bus this week as well. i'm working on a tiny project that would help inform future campaign managers of the value the bus provides by supporting progressive candidates (which is major, for the record). also wrote thank you cards to kids that participated in their trick-or-vote campaign on halloween, and let's be real, getting to use gel pens equals volunteer time well spent.

also hit up the seattle art museum (#1) with james and really enjoyed myself. the michelangelo exhibit was interesting enough - especially the tiny sketches from when he was studying up for the sistine chapel gig. but what i really loved was the calder exhibit. his hanging mobiles are mesmerizing - always moving, breathing. deceivingly complex yet clean. feeling seriously inspired for my #49. the sam also helped me discover that i love mark rothko's style. reminds me a lot of why i can't wait to get my hands on #53. i think i'll buy a print someday. oh, and this picture? i wasn't exactly in love with that piece but figured i'd see how it looked on camera (looks nice). well that was the one and only shot i got off before a security guard came running at me and shut me down. loudly. in front of children. i was mildly embarrassed but mostly indignant - seriously, guy? they also took my camera from me at the tmbg concert. i certainly did not anticipate so much unnecessary difficulty documenting this project.

but on the plus side i got a little update that my first postcrossing card made it to germany - in four days after traveling four thousand nine hundred and sixty-five miles. go card go!

day one!

it's finally here! i've been daydreaming about "the list" for months now (thanks for dealing with that nonsense, guys) and am super excited to get started. i've decided to check out this blog thing that all the kids are talking about because it'll keep me honest, accountable, and forward-moving, and because, let's face it, i could use a lesson in modern social technology. and in cutting back on the run-on sentences, apparently... moving on!

at a minimum my hope is that it will serve as a record of this little adventure and as a way for me to keep up with some of my favorite people - from those who i see almost daily to those with whom i've regrettably lost touch. plus - pictures! yeah!

given the post-election job search i'm undertaking and the much anticipated (intra-seattle) move later this month, it seems to make the most sense to focus on the free or cheap tasks first. to that end, today i signed up for postcrossing (#92), bought some cool "vanishing seattle" postcards, and sent three on their way. the first went to a housewife in kerken, germany. i told her that my all-time favorite meal is my grandma lutzenberger's roladen and spaetzle, so she knows i know what's up. the other two went to an eighteen year old girl in guangzhou, china and a bed-and-breakfast owner in provincetown, massachusetts. so cool.

i also tried juggling (#26). as is my way of doing things, i jumped right in to see if it just, you know, came naturally - this was both laughable and dangerous. one spilled water glass and a peeved cat later i looked up some tips online. i think i'll get it by the end of next week.