An Important Date Has Passed.....

This post is almost a month late. On one hand, I was so excited about it that I'm surprised I missed it. However, it makes sense that I was too busy to notice. You know what it is?

My 101 in 1001 deadline was September 21, 2015! Two and a half years ago, I was bored with life and thought some goal-setting might help get me out of my rut. And now, today, I'm so busy with my exciting life that I accidentally missed the day I meant to write about the experience. I guess that means it worked...??

So let's take a look at the list and see how I did.

Big Life Changes (I Live in Seattle Now!)

Hey stranger!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I have moved to Seattle, WA. I had planned to write a "Guess what? We're moving to Seattle!" post, but instead I had to pack the moving truck and drive across the country, so instead this is a "Guess what? We just moved to Seattle!" post.

{101 in 1001} I Read 20 Books!

Actually, I read a couple more than this. I'm hooked on reading now. My favorites were the two by David Sedaris, The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian, Beautiful Ruins, and Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

I've never been much of a reader in the past, but now I love it. That's the kind of thing I was hoping I would get to say when I created my 101 in 1001 list.

What I've Been Reading

It's sad to admit this, but I was never much of a reader when I was younger. As a fourth grade teacher, I spend a lot of time and energy trying to convince kids to love and enjoy reading, but I don't remember loving reading very much when I was their age. There were a couple of books I loved in elementary school, like The Man Who Loved Clowns and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, but those were books my classes read together.

When I was in the seventh grade, I had to take a class that was just a reading class. We read books, earned points by taking tests over them on the computer, and tried to reach a point goal. At some point in the class, I tried to read Johnny Tremain. I'm not sure if I wanted a challenge, or if I thought I could handle it, or if it was just worth a lot of points, but I ended up hating that book. I didn't understand what was going on and I was clueless when I took the test. After that, I calculated that I could just read easy Goosebumps books, and if I read three times as many books, I could reach my point goal without having to read hard books. Later, I read Gone With The Wind after I saw the movie, and I read Catcher in the Rye in another class, but I don't remember reading any other books on my own. If I did, they didn't have much of an impact on me.

As an adult, I've picked up books here and there that I've heard about and wanted to read, and I went through a phase where I just picked up classic titles at thrift stores so I could decorate my home with them. I've never been a very avid reader, though, and that has bothered me. Stephen King said, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot." If I want to be a blogger, I need to be reading and writing regularly.

#43 on my 101 in 1001 list is to read 20 new books. So far, I've read 10 out of 20. I started very slowly, but lately, I've realized how much I enjoy reading, and most importantly, I've given myself permission to read whatever I want. It doesn't have to be a classic, nor does it have to be on Oprah's book club list. For the first time I can remember, I am actually enjoying reading. Here's what I've been reading lately:

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Love, love, loved this book. I love reading about eccentric, socially awkward people. This book is written as a series of email, letters, and interviews that fit together perfectly as the story unfolds. I LOLed, but mostly I just loved Bernadette.

Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster

Jen Lancaster is the kind of woman you want for your best friend. She has a hilarious, self-depreciating voice that really puts things into perspective. She spends the whole book spiraling deeper into poverty, and yet this book will crack you up. 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Everyone I know read this book last summer. I guess I don't read books until I come across them at a garage sale or a used bookstore. It was amazing, as you probably already know.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This book was okay. The photographs were interesting, and the story was engaging, but I don't really enjoy magical fantasy books. Every fantasy story has its own set of rules and magical stuff, and after a while, this book started to get really confusing. If you enjoy that kind of story, you may really like this one. This wasn't my favorite. It was just okay.

The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

This one may be my favorite. This book is another young adult realistic fiction about a boy living on an Indian reservation. It describes the poverty and hopelessness many experience on the reservation and how this kid tries to pull himself out of poverty by enrolling in a school outside of the reservation. He's rejected by the white kids at his new school, and he's rejected by his own people for trying to act white. I've always thought that generational poverty is a very interesting subject. Be warned, though. This book is quite sad.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Unaccustomed Earth is a series of short fictional stories about Indian families who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970's. The stories describe the struggles of the kids as they grow up torn between their family's customs and their desire to live like most Americans. The culture was fascinating. The plots were meh.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Good grief. This book will suck you in and make you question everything. There was seriously a moment while I was reading this where I said out loud, "No way!" Serious plot twists in this one. I highly recommend this book.

Next on my list is a giant stack of young adult novels from my classroom library. I've got to get ready for next school year, plus they are just fun to read.

So what are you reading this summer? Please recommend some more great books for me, so that I can be on the lookout for them when I hit the used bookstores!

How to Clean Vinyl Records

There is something special about listening to music on vinyl records. I love digital music, but with records, it's more of an activity all by itself. Rand and I love to put on a scratchy record and relax in our living room together. It's not hard these days to get into vinyl, since new record players can be purchased at a pretty reasonable price and there are records available everywhere. A lot of new music can be purchased on vinyl, and often they include complementary digital downloads of the album. This past Christmas, Rand got me my favorite Neutral Milk Hotel and Green Day albums on vinyl records.

New albums are a little pricey, so it's also nice that there are bins and bins of old records for sale at nearly every flea market. It takes a lot of crouching down on the floor and digging through music you hate just to find a treasure, but it is so worth it. When I finally discover a record I've been wanting, I usually squeal and run for the register as though someone else might try to take it from me. Some of my favorite recent finds include Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, Carole King, and Linda Ronstadt albums. They usually range from $0.50 to $5 in the flea market bins.

You can find some amazing deals digging through flea market record bins, but you should always check the record itself before you buy it. First of all, make sure the record is actually in there and that it's the correct record. Second, look it over for scratches. Some records look like they've taken a lot of abuse, and if you see deep gashes in the surface of the record, those can't be fixed and will affect the sound quality. However, don't be intimidated by a layer of dust and dirt. That can usually be fixed.

Here's a recent record I picked up at a flea market in Springfield. I have loved Peter, Paul, and Mary since I was little, so I was pretty excited to find this album for $2. It had a couple of small scratches, but mostly it was just covered in grime. Here's a closer look at the surface of the record. I can live with a couple scratches, but look at that dirt. 

Since it wasn't too damaged but it still didn't sound great, I went searching for a method to clean the record without hurting it. It turns out, once again, Dawn is the best choice. Is there nothing that stuff can't do?

Giving your old records a scrubbing is incredibly easy. Grab some Dawn, a rag, and get to the sink. Squirt some dawn all over the record, but try to avoid the paper label in the middle. Get your rag wet and scrub both sides of the record.  Rinse the record off under cool running water, again doing your best to avoid getting the label wet.

Towel dry the surface of the record with a lint-free cloth, then lay it out to air dry completely. From what I've read, it is very important that the record is completely dry before you play it. 

I was amazed at the results! I did my best to capture the difference in photos, but the real improvement was in the sound quality. It still sounded like a scratchy old record, but in a much better way. Does that make sense?

Of course I had to go through and clean all my records after making this discovery. Things are sounding much better around here these days.

Music Monday: The Mixtapes

I belong in the nineties. Seriously, here's my Pinterest board to prove it. I'm just in the wrong time, man.

So I recently got to see a local band called The Mixtapes. They were playing at Lindberg's, which is only a short walk from my house, so my best bud Nat and I went down to check them out.

I've followed Katie Shelton's blog for a while and I discovered The Mixtapes from her Instagram feed. They were totally worth the walk to Lindberg's. They played a couple songs I didn't know (I thought I knew my 90's better than that) and they sounded so good! I had a blast singing along and dancing right up front by the speakers. Nat and I even got ridiculed for our dancing by some girl in line for the restroom. Success!

So I'm thinking this fits #25 on the 101 in 1001 list. Yes?

25. Find five new (to me) musicians/bands I really like. 

I definitely want to see them again. Anyone want to go?

For videos I took from the show, check out my Instagram here.

For more on The Mixtapes, click here.

Instant Record Cart

Back when I wrote this post, I had in mind the pair of bar carts I had seen at a flea market some time back, so that was what I was envisioning as I wrote that post. But then I started thinking about my little microwave cart I've used in my bathroom for the last couple of years. I got this little guy at a garage sale, and I immediately stuck him in the bathroom because I wanted more counter space. But after writing my post about bar carts used for other things, and then stumbling upon Elsie's cute little record cart, I began itching for a cart for my record player and modest record collection.

So I yanked that cart out of the bathroom and put it in my living room!

Much better, corner!

Now I have plenty of room for my records and some space for my DIY books. And I FINALLY got my own copy of the Young House Love book. It's wonderful, by the way.

While I was rearranging my stuff I was listening to records, and I remembered my 101 in 1001 list item,  #25-Find five new (to me) bands/musicians I really like. Borrowing records from my mom's collection has helped me find a lot of musicians I had heard of but hadn't really listened to, and I'm really loving her Linda Ronstadt albums. Her voice is amazing. Here's one of my favorite songs:



+ How often do you rearrange furniture in your house?

Go Girl Half Marathon Race Report

Um. Race photos can be pretty humbling. It turns out when I'm running, I don't look nearly as awesome as I feel.

It was only after the race that I remembered I wanted to smile and wave at the cameras. Shoot!

This was my first half marathon, and it was great!  I had a great time, I had a great time (2:17), and I definitely want to do another as soon as I can.

Some observations:

1. I think this is the perfect distance for me.
2. Running in the rain is really fun as long as it's warm. After a while, however, your shoes begin to get heavy.
3. GU gels are actually delicious, and I think they really worked.
4. Packet pick up stresses me out.
5. Chafing is real.  It's a real thing.  Now I know.

I ran the Go Girl half marathon in Columbia, MO on May 25, and it was awesome.  I felt great throughout the entire race, and miles seemed to fly by so fast. I always get pretty hyped up about races (I've raced 5K and 10K before) so I'm always faster and happier in a race than I usually am when I run. But I wasn't expecting that hype to last for 13.1 miles.  And it was raining. Not just raining, but pouring, with thunder crashing several times. Which I loved. I love storms anyway, and I loved not being too hot for even one second of this race. The only problem was that puddles began to form and I either had to dance around them and waste time and energy, or run through them and have wet, heavy shoes. 

Haribo gummy bears are usually my snack choice for long runs, so I had some with me. But, to my surprise (they probably told us somewhere in the packet) they were giving out GU gel packets at the drink stations! Now, I know you're not supposed to try something for the first time during a race.  I've read this a million times-try it out before your race, because you never know how your stomach will react. But I tend to have a "Whatever, let's try it" attitude about most things, so I held onto my packet until mile 9 when I was really feeling tired and I sipped it down with some water.  The Strawberry Banana flavor was yummy, and I felt incredible for the rest of the race!

Of course, I'm crazy and I thought, "If one gel makes me feel this great, what would TWO do for me?" and I sipped one more. I don't know really what it did, but it didn't bother my stomach and I finished really strong in 2:17:18. I will be investing in GU for all my long runs and races from now on, until further notice.  

Ugh, packet pickup. I hate it.You may remember here when I said I planned to run the Joplin Memorial half, which was last weekend. It was a packet fiasco that resulted in me not getting to run that race. So for this race, I was a basket case trying to find the place and get to the packet desk. Either I need to leave earlier for out-of-town races (I drove to my sister-in-laws, then left her house at 4:00 am) or spend the night in a hotel (too expensive). It's a mess. 

And...guess what guys? Chafing really happens.  It had never happened to me before this race, but this time it did. Bad. Ouch. My own clothes actually rubbed my skin raw.  

The course started out with some big hills, which was fine because that's when I have the most energy.  We went through a beautiful little trail surrounded by trees and huge bluffs, then through some neighborhoods.  With this being my first half marathon, I didn't have a PR to beat, so I just wanted to finish of course, but I really wanted to try and see what I can do right now, so that I know what I need to do to improve. I estimated myself taking about 2 hours and 30 minutes, so I was thrilled with 2:17:18 as a time.

After the race, I got my medal and my etched Go Girl champagne glass, and I loved just being there and watching everyone finish. Now I'm ready to work hard to get faster!

Gold Foot Locker

70. Do something with my grandfather's WWII foot locker.

I've accomplished another 101 in 1001 list item, and I'm pretty happy with this one. My mother approves, so I'm ready to share.

Years ago, my dad gave me his father's WWII foot locker. I thought it was cool and could be painted and turned into a useful piece of furniture.  Of course, like most DIY plans, it had to sit in a closet for a while before I could make up my mind, buy supplies and find time to do the project. That's a good thing, though. Projects I spend more time thinking about tend to turn out better than spontaneous DIYs.


So here's a before for you:

This thing was a mess.  It was rusty and gross, and the places where the handles used to be just had little scraps of stringy material hanging out of them. Plus, it's a foot locker, so it's pretty small. The inside was fine, however, and the latches worked.  

I ended up landing on gold. It's not perfect, and I used the cheap spray paint without that nice comfortable trigger handle, so it was kind of painful. But I love it! I also added casters to the bottom to make it look more like a piece of furniture. Being able to roll it around, even just to get to the outlet behind it, is really convenient.

You can see it up close in the first photo above (along with my glass of Sprite). Here's how this corner of the room now looks:

This corner has been very bare up until now, so I love that this trunk now looks more like a side table. It's the perfect height to be right next to that chair. Finally, the sad, unused end of my living room looks better.

Now I can finally mark that off the list, and this foot locker isn't taking up space in my closet. Also, I'm not scared of getting tetanus when I touch it now. Success!

The show that kills me (haha) and trying new coffee

 

Oh Dexter-I need more of you!!!

I just finished Season 6 and ohmaword, I NEED more.  Yes, I'm always running a season behind because rather than pay for cable and Showtime I wait for seasons to come out on Netflix.  Major bummer, but better for my budget.  And this season did not disappoint!  It was incredible.  Actually, this show is really bad for me because when it arrives in the mail I can do nothing but watch every episode back to back until it's all done.  I am still in my pajamas. 

It's like Battlestar Galactica.  (Season 2 of Portlandia also just became available on Netflix.  Always. A. Season. Behind.)

So it's 8:00 pm and I have accomplished nothing today.  Did not run.  Or read.  Or make anything. Or do anything.

I went to Starbucks today, as I do every Saturday morning, and instead of ordering a caramel latte, I ordered a white chocolate mocha.

Yeah, pretty much tastes exactly the same to me.  Until you get to the end, then there's some sweet stuff that sort of sits at the bottom of the cup I guess.  So...I'm not the coffee connoisseur I had hoped I was.  Or that one just wasn't that great.   I'm thinking next I'll try the caramel machiatto, but if I still don't taste much of a difference I'm going back to my old stand-by.   Caramel lattes are the cheapest thing on the menu (probably why I started ordering them) and there's no sense in using up my gift cards too fast.

Do you have a favorite drink at Starbucks?  What is it?

What TV show are you currently addicted to?

Did you change into something other than your pajamas today?

1984

 

{Source}

I have owned two copies of this book for many years and just now decided to read it.  My fabulous life as a teacher means a long, lovely Christmas break, so I was able to read this one straight through in about four days.  It was crazy and a little scary...and I liked it!  

It's all about the things the most annoying people I know are scared of-the government watching you closely, trying to patrol your thoughts, taking away all of your weapons and your ability to fight back, and making you disappear if you don't conform.  Interesting to note Party also stayed in power by constantly keeping their people at war, by promoting their ideas through children, and by altering history to support their claims.   Well, let's stop here.

Next, I considered finishing Jack Kerouac's On The Road because I only read it about halfway through, but I hated it and I may just give it up.  That book has a few good quotable lines, like the title of this blog and that "The ones for me are the mad ones.." but the rest of the book was a mess. 

So what to read next?

What good books have you read lately?