Small Progress.

So, over the course of my road trip I worked on a couple of my other goals:

Number 48--Wear no make-up in public. I did this on Sunday, the day after we got super high. I feel like it was almost a cop-out given the circumstances, but we did go out to eat and I did see people other than D so I decided to count it. A bigger step will be going without make-up to class one day (or days). I'd like to wait til my skin is particularly clear (which admittedly, sort of defeats the purpose of this task). Maybe I'll slowly wean myself off.

Also, I finished another book. Lost Tribe: Jewish Fiction from the Edge ed. by Paul Zakrzewski. It was a collection of short stories. I'm particularly interested in Jewish fiction (particularly in magical realism in Jewish fiction), so this collection of contemporary stories was great (post-Portnoy, they called it) to see where dialogue is headed. I made a few new discoveries--I love Myla Goldberg (she's not just an awesome Decemberists song), and even though I loved Everything is Illuminated, I'm willing to accept the Jonathan Safran Foer is kind of a douche. Lots of new stuff to look into, as well as some food for thought when it comes to possible graduate study.

I Came, I Saw, I Kicked Ass.

So, I took the GRE today and I did better than my wildest dreams--740 on both Verbal and Math. Which, if you'll note, was higher (much higher for math) than my "ok, I'll stop here" scores. On D's advice, I'm not marking this goal as complete yet because I still have to get my essay scores back, and that won't be for another couple of weeks. I don't think I did poorly on those either, and if I didn't do as well as I wanted I believe I can retake those separately. So, Woohoo!

As a reward for myself afterward (which I would have done regardless of my score), I went to Barnes and Noble and picked up Anais Nin's Delta of Venus, so now I've officially bought my first non-necessary book, so that goal will go in the "in progress list" (though really, it should have been already because of the nature of the goal), and once I read that (hopefully, during my upcoming vacation), I'll be able to tick off one of the ten pieces of "classic erotica".

Nerves.

Tomorrow is the GRE. 12:30. I've finally decided what I consider to be acceptable scores (meaning, once I get these scores, I can stop taking the GRE): I want to crack 700 in verbal--I'm about at this level right now. And I want to crack 600 in math. I should be able to do this. I'm going over a bit more tonight and writing down some formulas. Writing, I'm not as concerned about, but I'm shooting for a 5 (you have to wait for your score for this part).

Send good math vibes my way.

Upcoming Goals

So, D and I are headed off on our week-long roadtrip to Wisconsin in exactly one week. In the next week (before the trip) and over the course of the trip itself, I'm looking forward to starting a bunch of goals, and completing a few as well.

Next Wednesday, I take the GRE for the first time, hopefully completing goal 18. I'd really like do well the first go 'round, because a) the GRE is flippin' expensive and b) I'd really rather not study any more than I already have. Also, I really don't have much time to retake the test before I submit the scores to the grad program. Wish me luck! I'm probably going to be a hermit between now and Wednesday, with the exception of a therapy appointment, and a possible going away dinner with some friends, otherwise it's all library all the time.

On our road trip, I'll definitely be visiting at least 3 new states (with the possibility of one or two more, depending on our route): Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota for sure. Possibily Michigan, too. So I'll get to start on goal 33 and fill in my map some more. There would be more states, but thanks to some relatives in Louisville, I've been to Indiana (yay Holiday World!) and Ohio (yay layover!). I should also be able to take some pictures of the signs and of the other goals on the list. Some will be posted (the ones that are least likely to prevent me from getting a job), others will be kept only for posterity, so goal 97 will be on it's way.

On the way there, I'm hoping to plaster some poetry in public restroom stall walls across the country (goal 46). I've put a sharpie and my marble poetry notebooks on my list of shit I need to bring, and I'll try and sneak a camera in with me a few times so I can document my vandalism. Also, I'm hoping to procure a copy of the Sunday Times so D and I can attempt the crossword during the drive. He tells me we should be able to find the Times when we get out there (maybe at a book store if nothing else). I figure it'll be a good way to pass the time (goal 29).

There has been much debauchery planned for when we get down there. I'm not really looking forward to a bunch of keggers (especially with a bunch of people I don't know), but I figure I'll muddle through. Lord knows I've dragged D into more than enough clothing/book/girly stores that he's more than paid his due. So far, definitely on the roster: purchase of a keg, a toga party (yes, really), a trip to the strip club for one of the guys' birthdays (I'm hoping to get a lap dance out of it, and I can cross goal 11 off my list), and his friend is growing weed for us. Provided I can actually get high the first time (I've been told whether or not this happens depends on how much I smoke and the quality of the 'product'), I'll be able to check off goal 35.

I'm sure I'll make one more post before I leave, probably after the GRE on Wednesday. I won't be able to update everything else until I get back the next Saturday (and probably not until the next day anyhow), but I'll bring a notebook along with me so I can keep track of everything.

Until then--adios!

Technicalities, and another book

So, I finished another book for goal 47. Another book that I had started before the 1st (and hence, before my challenge). 2666 by Roberto Bolaño. Really, this is one book broken down into 5 thematic parts (also called books, so this might get a bit confusing), but then contained in 3 physical books. In the first physical book (total of 350 pages), are housed the first 3 thematic books--The Part About the Critics, The Part about Amalfitano, and The Part About Fate. This is the book I just finished, so I'm counting it as one, and then I'll count the other two physical books (housing parts 4 and 5, respectively) as one each as well. I don't think this is cheating, but obviously I wouldn't count War and Peace as more than one book (or Infinite Jest, which is actually on my to read list, for that matter).

So to the story: Ostensibly, 2666 centers around a series of murders that take place in Santa Teresa, a small town just across the Mexican boarder. I say "Ostensibly" because, so far, these murders (numbering in the hundreds, all of young women) seem to only float in the background, until the very end of the 3rd part (where some of the characters go to interview a man who has been arrested for the murders. The narrative structure disintegrates and the writing takes on a phantasmagoric quality).

So far, the first three parts seem to link up only in the most tenuous of ways, but the plot is interesting enough, and the writing engaging enough for me to slog on another 5 hundred pages and find out if it all comes together in the end.


Other continuing goals: Goal 42, donating to Freerice.com. So far I've donated 10,000 grains of rice. I've decided to do them in 5,000 grain increments, because it will be easier to keep track. I need to play 200 times total to complete this goal (198 to go!)


Still telling D I love him everyday. Last night he "reminded" me (I hadn't forgotten, just hadn't said it yet. It was about 11:30) which annoyed me, but probably won't be a bad thing later down the road when I actually might forget or lose track of time.


Oh, and for goal 30--saving a dollar a day--I've decided to get ahead of myself. I plucked out all the quarters from my change jar and rolled $10 dollars of them, so I'm set for the next 10 days. I figure since it's the final number (1001) that's important, rather than the daily ritual of sticking a dollar in a jar, this is the path of least resistance.

And They're Off!

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98. Learn to Belly dance

What is it: While not related to the stripercize goal, the motivations behind this are similar. It's a great way to get and stay in shape, and it's sexy (D will approve). Plus I'd love to be able to list this as a skill somewhere. I think the best way to accomplish this goal is either through classes (which cost money, my school doesn't offer them) or videos (which also cost money, but less). I'll consider this goal complete when I can do some sort of "routine" to a song, on my own without guidance. I should be able to take and post pictures.





Status: Haven't started

90. Learn to mix drinks

What is it: Like a number of things on my list, this just seems like a fun and interesting skill to have. I'm not a big drinker, and what I drink depends largely on how it tastes (sugary, usually, since I don't like the taste of much alcohol), so learning to make fancy schmancy cocktails would be an asset for myself and my own drinking habits as well as a neat party trick. I could take a class and get a certification for this which costs money (bad) but would allow me to work as a bartender (good). I could also just get some books on shots and cocktails and experiment until I'm competent. Not really specific, but I'll make a more specific list of requirements later. A list of "Classic cocktails" I shoud be able to make (martini, G and T, etc) and maybe some fun ones too.




Status: Haven't started.

81. Learn to fish

What is it: There is photographic evidence of me fishing when I was probably about 10--I vaguely remember the day. My dad took us to a friend's house on a smallish-pond and I remember squishing the worm over the hook and then hurting my fingers on the fish's scales. I only have a vague recollection, and I haven't been fishing since. I don't think this task will require a class or anything. Maybe some instruction from someone who already knows how, or a book. My Dad doesn't fish to my knowledge, but D might be game (even though I don't think he knows any more about fishing than I do).





Status: Haven't started

64. Apply for 10 scholarships in Zinch

What is it: Zinch.com is like a cross between fastweb and facebook. You create a profile and then they find scholarships that apply to you. Essay writing is a strength of mine, and not all of the scholarships even require essays. It's likely that this is likely the last year I'll be eligible for many, so best make hay while the sun shines, and all that. I could certainly use the extra cash for the school year and beyond.






Status: (1/10)

The No Essay Scholarship

59. Catalogue my Library

What is it: I have (probably literally) a ton of books. 4 bookshelves--2 tall and 2 wide and more books than can fit on all of them. I'm hoping that when I move out for good, I'll be able to take my books with me (even if it is little by little). When I do, I'd like to do an inventory of what I have and complete The Great Reorganization* once more. The are a number of sites that let you catalogue your library online, but I haven't been able to find one that doesn't have a limit to how many books you can list (at least without paying, which I'm not willing to do). I'm not opposed to keeping my catalogue on line, but I probably want to keep a hard copy as well.


* The Great Reorganization is a yearly process during which I rip apart my bookshelves and rearrange them according to topic and author's last name.

Status: Haven't started.

54. Read the entire Marquez oeuvre in Spanish

What is it: I picked up Spanish in High School pretty easily, but since I've been out of practice my skills have dissipated pretty quickly. Reading Marquez in Spanish at this point will probably necessitate having my hefty Spanish to English dictionary on hand, and should be slow going, at least at first, but hopefully by the end of it I'll feel more competent in my Spanish speaking skills.

Coming soon: A list of what I consider to be Marquez's oeuvre




Status: Haven't started

50. Block off my time and stick to it

What is it: As previously noted, I'm a terrible procrastinator. Instead of just saying something like "stop procrastinating" and tossing myself into the metaphorical deep end, I've decided to be proactive about it with my list. I've heard that you're supposed to spend three hours out of class doing work for ever hour in class. Since I have 4 classes at three hours a week total, I should be spending 9 hours per week doing work for each class. I want to experiment with blocking off my time to see if that helps me get all my reading done on time and not save assignments until the last minute. From what I heard, if I do it right, I should have more free time than before left over.

I'll start with a week of it, once school gets back into swing and see how it goes from there.




Status: Haven't started

47. Read at least a book a week

What is it: A book a week may sound like a lot--over 1001 days, it comes out to be about 143 books--but really, I don't think it's going to be that difficult. I'm a bookworm and a fast reader, besides which I read more than a book a week with classes anyhow. In this case, its not so much the book a week thing that's important, so much as that it averages out to be a book a week.




Status: In Progress (24/143)

The Writing Class by Jincy Willet
2666 (1) by Roberto Bolaño
Lost Tribe: Jewish Fiction from the Edge ed. by Paul Zakrzewski
Silence by Shusaku Endo
My Antonia by Willa Cather
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers by Henry David Thoreau
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
A Feather on the Breath of God by Sigrid Nunez
Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Call it Sleep by Henry Roth
How to Write a Dirty Story by Susie Bright
The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
The Best of the Best American Erotica 2008 ed. by Susie Bright
War Trash by Ha Jin
A Bend in the River by V. S. Naipaul
Frauds, Myths and Mysteries by Kenneth Feder
Fables: Legends in Exile (graphic novel)
Fables: Animal Farm (graphic novel)
Live Nude Elf by Reverend Jen
Morphology of the Folktale by Vladimir Propp
The Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille

39. Begin to learn another language

What is it: In high school and a bit in college I picked up Spanish. At my best point, I considered myself fluent, but at this point I'd say I'm passively bilingual at best (I can understand it, but my speaking skills are shot to hell). I've already assigned myself a goal designed to work on my Spanish skills (see: Marquez), but I want to pick up another language, for my own personal benefit, but I'm also thinking an extra language can only be an asset in my later academic life. I'm not sure which language yet (short list: French, Russian, Hebrew), or my exact plan of attack, but I've got a few ideas--they offer Rosetta stone for free at school, and I've got a free class next semester.




Status: Haven't started

31. Start all school papers before the night before they are due

What is it: I am a terrible procrastinator and it's only gotten worse in college. I've never turned in anything late, though and I do pretty well but I think, over all, the quality of my work suffers for this. I don't think it's realistic to expect I'll change these habits overnight, seeing as how they've been developing for about 16 years now. So I didn't make this task into *finish* papers before the night before they're due, though I'd like to do that for a paper or two eventually. Starting a paper can count as planning it (outlining) or writing a couple paragraphs, all the way up to writing a draft.



Status: In Progress

Papers So far:
Atlantis Found?
Solitude as a Function of Location in Emerson and Wordsworth

27. Get CPR certified

What is it: There are a couple of reasons why this one is listed. First, it's just a useful skill to have, even though I don't know if I'll ever feel confident enough in my abilities to save the day. Second, depending on what jobs I'm looking for (and how desperate I get), CPR certification (along with first aid, or life guard cert.) can help me get a job either caring for children (camp counselor, nanny, etc) or lifeguarding. My college offers courses each semester, so I can easily take a class next semester to get certified and I'll have this complete by the end of the school year.




Status: Haven't started.

26. Figure out what I want to do in Grad school

What is it: Another seemingly ill-defined goal, but I've got some specific parameters. I'm an English and Anthropology double major, so my problem lies in picking which one I want to pursue in my graduate career or finding some acceptable middle ground. Alternately, I decide I want to pursue folklore (in America, about Elvis), oral history, Hispanic culture, Cultural Counseling, Magical Realism in Hispanic or Jewish-American Lit. and on and on and on.

My goal is to pick which avenue to pursue and find some Grad programs that would allow me to pursue it. I expect this to be a long range goal.




Status: Haven't started

25. Apply toYale MA program

What is it: I stumbled across this almost on accident and it's perfect for me. I'm being deliberately vague because it's a small program. It would let me do something I actually want to do while giving me the time to figure out which direction I want to head in later for Grad school. Of course, it's Yale, and from what I can gather it's very selective, so I have no idea of what my actual chances are of getting in, but I'll never get in if I don't apply.

I really want this, so I can't wait until the last minute to turn anything. The Application opens in August and I have essays to write and recommendation letters to solicit (2 in mind, need one more) and standardized tests to take.


Status: Will Not Be Completed

19. Pass the Praxis

What is it: This is a requirement for the MA program I'm applying for, but in addition if I want to get a teaching certification in the not so distant future, better to get this sort of standardized testing out of the way while the information and procedures are still semi- fresh in my mind.

First step: Determining which versions I need to take, and registering for them.




Status: Haven't started