Welcome to the Future

Goal #42

Goal #42: clothing deliveries.

I got at least part of the way through my closet picking out stuff to get rid of.  I'm planning to deliver it to two places, and hopefully I can make that happen this week.  Neither one is too far from my work, so I just need to find 20 minutes here or there - but sometimes that can be harder than it sounds.

Recap of goal #40: yes, I've been having a ton of fun.  I raced in my second bike race of the season yesterday (and only crashed once!), I've been spending some quality time with G&G, enjoying the weather at it turns to autumn, and listening to lots of good music.

Random Links

Unrelated words.

The Giving Tree.

Secret classical musicians.

The sounds of the world.

On Amish time.

Can your life be hacked?

Random Links

Suggestions for a literary road trip.

Not your typical fancy plates.

Staying happy during the Polar Night.

How bikes built America.

What happens when you leave your body to science.

New uses for old architecture.

What I'm Reading Now -- The Emerald Mile

Dad and D gave me a copy of The Emerald Mile last Christmas, in preparation for our upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon.  It took me a while to get started on it (as you can tell, since it is way past Christmas), but I took it on my climbing trip a couple of weeks ago and turned the first few pages.

Now I don't want to stop.  I have been sucked it already, and am fighting a battle between the obligations in my life and reading this book.  If you hear about the book again soon, you'll know the book won.

Goal #40

Goal #40: life is short.

Am I the only one who noticed that I have taken an unannounced break from blogging?  Perhaps.

However, I have been having loads of fun in the meantime. I rode my bike, cyclocross season started, Mom came to visit, Dad came to visit, I went rock climbing (outside! on real rocks!), I went to Memphis, I went to a Cardinal's game or two.  All in all, it's been a blast.

I will get back to writing about things.  But right now I'm having so much fun doing them that I simply haven't gotten around to it.

Recap of goal #38: the cleanup is still a work in progress.  I stalled out for a while, but I am feeling newly motivated.

Goal #38

Goal #38: continue with the cleanup project.

Mom is coming in town this week, and my place is a wreck.  She's my mom, so she'll love me anyway, but it's pretty bad.  And it's starting to get on my nerves!

Recap of goal #37: it took me a little while to get going with the blogging, but at least I started again.  Can I get half credit?

What I Read -- Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

Back before Christmas, K had the brilliant idea to start a postal book club.  Here's how it works: K, E, and I all pick our own book.  We read it, write a few notes, and send it on.  Our books travel around the country in a triangle and then come back to us.

Or at least that is the plan.  It has taken me since February to find sufficient time to read E's book of choice: Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion.  It's not because it's a bad book or a slow read.  It's just because I've been a delinquent book club member.  But I went on vacation and, as with my contribution to this endeavor: The Amateurs, I finished the book!

And then I did a stupid thing: I wrote my notes about it, and before I wrote this blog post, I passed my notes off to K.  Perhaps not my best move!

My general feeling about the story she tells is that she's right: the fashion industry has become a race to the bottom for both cost and quality.  The only way to stop it is for us consumers to demand better, and be willing to pay more for it.

I can get on board with that idea.

What I'm Reading Now -- Kids These Days

I finally finished my last book club book, and it's time to move on to the next one!  (Actually, I did already, but from the very little progress I've made, you'd be hard pressed to tell that I've had it for more than 20 minutes or so.)

The book is Kids These Days. Per K's explanation, it's a bit of a beach read.  I'm at the end of summer, so maybe this is just what I need to savor those last few warm days.

What I've read so far has been amusing!

Goal #37

Goal #37: blog!

I bet you guys have been wondering what I've been up to.  I've been quite busy indeed, and not spending a lot of time at home, but that means I don't have a lot of time in front of my computer.  This week, I'll try to get you up to date!

Recap of goal #36: the cleaning started, but I have a ways to go.  I got through my kitchen and bathroom, half my utility room, and cleared out a bunch of stuff on my storage shelves.  I also pulled a bag's worth of clothes out of my closet and took them to Goodwill, along with a bunch of other stuff.