Goal #5

Goal #5: drink 64 oz. of water every day.

I matched this week with this goal because I'll be skiing near the end of it.  All that work out of doors, plus the high altitudes to which I am unaccustomed, make it seem like a good week to drink lots of agua.

Recap of Goal #4:
Well, I meant to take a picture of the totally cleaned-out pantry.  I can't say its spotless, but it's pretty close, and there's no food left in it at all.  True, much of that food came with me to my new digs, but much of it also went either down the drain or in the trash.  Some of it even went to a different good home that would actually use it.  So all in all, I'd say I did an okay job.

What I'm Reading Now -- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Many moons ago, mom gave me the book-on-CD version of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.  I was still overrun with podcasts at the time, so despite her insistence that it was wonderful, I didn't listen to it.  But now I'm caught up on podcasts and I've been doing lots of listening to my iPod while I'm packing and cleaning, so I'm getting to the books.  It's about time - and it's entertaining!

But, why are the dresses gone?

Sit tight, the dresses are not gone.

Many things have contributed to the current dearth of "52 Weeks" posts.  First, I took a blogging break, as you'll recall.  There were no posts of any kind, not just the52 Weeks posts.  Then it was the holidays, so I was busy and traveling.  And now I'm moving out of my house; all my stuff is packed away in storage.

But as I said, don't fret!  The posts will return, just give it some time....

Her Fearful Symmetry -- Take 2

Well, this is certainly an interesting book.  I hesitate to say too much about it why I liked it, because all the interesting stuff happens late in the book and I don't want to give anything away.

By by way of a plot summary, it goes like this: a set of twins inherit a flat in London from a long-lost aunt (their mom's estranged twin sister).  The only requirement is that they live in the flat for a year before they can sell it.  So off they go at the age of twenty-one leaving Chicago to take possession of their new residence.  Which, it turns out, is still occupied by the ghost of their aunt.  Family secrets explode all over the place.

The building is full of quirky characters, who were a joy to read about.  Actually, I think I liked many of them more than the main characters themselves, whom I often found to be a bit whiny and tiresome.  But on the whole, it was an enjoyable read.  It wasn't quite the masterful work of weaving stories that The Time Traveler's Wife was, but good.

Goal #4

Goal #4: Purge the pantry

So, this whole moving thing is actually helping me accomplish some of my goals!  Isn't that convenient?  Well, not really.  But it is a silver lining.  I've been wanting to go through the pantry for a few months, and just get rid of stuff that's old, unused, mysterious, etc.  So here we go...!

Recap of Goal #3:
- Day 1: cleaned the stove
- Day 2: opened up some space on my bookshelves by loading audio books into iTunes so i can pass the CDs on to someone else
- Day 3: cleared my mind (is that cheating?) in preparation for a new art exhibit [Monet] and a new class I'm taking this semester [nonfiction seminar].  Update: surprise! House sold!  So...speed-packing ensues.
- Day 4: packed up all the books in the library
- Day 5: cleaned a bunch of stuff out of the house with a trip to Goodwill
- Day 6: cleaned out my closet!
- Day 7: cleaned out the kitchen

The Songs I'm Loving Today

Anything by Kenny Chesney, whom I love, love, love!  This post goes out to my good friend BK, who gave me my first ever Kenny album!

Some favorites, although this is by no means a complete list:

Summertime - an appreciation of the great things that happen when the weather is warm
I'm Alive (f/ Dave Matthews) - two great artists together on a great song
Old Blue Chair - an ode to something special
Livin' in Fast Forward - a note to himself
The Woman With You - a thank-you to the hard-working women out there (although the spelling and grammar of the person who put up this song are atrocious)
Beer in Mexico - Kenny pondering the future, and enjoying the present
The Road and the Radio - a song of searching
Somewhere with You - one of his newer, sadder songs about lost love that he can't let go
Anything But Mine - a melodic throwback to a time when all that mattered was summer
The Good Stuff - a song about what matters in life
Big Star - one of Kenny's earlier hits about a girl who makes it big
No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems - an ode to easy, breezy island life in the Caribbean
I Lost It - a love song, and I love it
You and Tequila - a can't-live-with-you-can't-live-without-you bittersweet song
How Forever Feels - a dopey but sweet love song (although the video is horrible)
Back Where I Come From - a sentimental rock song about being at home in the country
When the Sun Goes Down - a lilty, beach anthem, great for summer!

You can listen to all these and more here.  But now, for your present enjoyment, two of his older songs.  The first is one of BK's favorites, and the second is my choice.



Walkin' along beneath the lights of that Miracle Mile,
Me and Mary makin' our way into the night.
You can hear the cries from the carnival rides,
The pinball bells and the skiball slides,
Watchin' the summer sun fall out of sight.

There's a warm wind comin' in from off the ocean,
Making it's way past the hotel walls to fill the street.
Mary is holdin' both of her shoes in her hand,
Said she likes to feel the sand beneath her feet.

And in the mornin' I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland,
So tonight I hope that I will do just fine.
And I don't see how you could ever be anything but mine.

There's a local band playin' at the seaside pavilion,
And I got just enough cash to get us in.
And as we're dancin', Mary is wrapping her arms around me,
I can feel the sting of summer on my skin.

In the midst of the music I tell her I love her,
And we both laugh 'cause we know it isn't true.
Oh but Mary, there's a summer drawin' to an end tonight,
There's so much that I long to do to you.

But in the mornin' I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland,
So tonight I hope that I will do just fine.
And I don't see how you could ever be anything but mine.

Oooh

And in the morning I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland,
So tonight I hope that I will do just fine.
And I don't see how you could ever be anything but mine.
Mary, I don't see how you could ever be anything but mine.

Oooh, oooh

In the morning I'm leavin', making my way back to Cleveland,
So tonight I hope that I will do just fine.
Hey I don't see how you could ever be anything but mine.



Ain't nothing out here but me, the road, and the radio
Lookin' for an exit and a song that I might know,
Countin' down the memories, addin' up the miles,
Searching for a feeling I ain't felt in a while.

Clarity and inspiration,
Happiness is a destination that's hard to find,
It may take some time.
But in my mind there's something more
And I'll open up a brand new door,
And find the strength to close the ones I left behind,
And I'll get there leanin' on some friends I know:
The road and the radio.

Spent the night in Carolina, got up early out of bed,
Bought a Red Bull and a road map and an old Stones cassette,
Set my sights southbound, no reason or rhyme,
Threw up a prayer just lookin', just lookin' for a sign.

And some clarity and inspiration,
Happiness is a destination that's hard to find,
It may take some time.
But in my mind there's something more
And I'll open up a brand new door,
And find the strength to close the ones I left behind,
And I'll get there leanin' on some friends I know:
The road and the radio.

Well in my mind there's something more
And I'll open up a brand new door,
And find the strength to close the ones I left behind,
And I'll get there leanin' on some friends I know:
The road and the radio,
The road and the radio,
The road and the radio.

Mmmm

The road and the radio,
The road and the radio.

Mmmm

Monet

Two days ago, T and I managed - just in the nick of time - to see the exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum on Monet's Water Lilies.  It's a very small exhibition, only a few studies for the crowning work: the Agapanthus triptych.  But it's quite impressive to see all three pieces together, and to put it into context of the time that Monet was painting, as well as to realize how it sat unappreciated for 30 years after his death!

Added props to the art museum: the informative sidebars on the walls have big enough font that everyone doesn't have to crowd in to be able to read it - one of my pet peeves about museums!  Anyway, the exhibit is only open through the 22nd of this month (three more days), but you should go if you haven't!

What I Watched -- Crazy Stupid Love

I borrowed Crazy Stupid Love from S, and it was totally worth the investment to relax for a couple of hours.  It's not super-deep, but it's clever and enjoyable.  Ryan Gosling is great as Jacob Palmer, the smooth-talking ladies' man who helps the hapless Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) recover from his wife's decision that she wants a divorce.  The cast also includes Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, and Analeigh Tipton as a shockingly not-annoying teenager.

Bottom line: rom-com fun!

What I Watched - Sybil

I'm too young to remember the controversy caused by Sybil (which was originally a book) and the recognition of Dissociative Identity Disorder/Multiple Personality Disorder.  In fact, I only heard about the movie with the release of a new book, Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case.  There was an episode of Science Friday in which Ira Flatow spent I think a full hour talking to the author as well as other experts about the issue, and they got some roiling debate going.  Entertaining, in a sick sort of way, to listen to.

Aside: DID/MPD have ended up in lots of other popular culture as well.  If you're interested, look here.

Anywho, the movie.  Is super creepy.  Sally Field does an amazing job playing Shirley Ardell Mason, aka Sybil Dorsett.  There is a happy-ish ending (which I knew from listening to Science Friday), which makes the whole thing a little easier to take, but mostly it's a combination of sad, horrifying, and train wreck.  You just can't look away.

Bottom line: fascinating, but not really in a good way.

Goal #3

Goal #3: clean something every day.

Today, I cleaned the stove.  Granted, I cleaned it because we made bacon for breakfast and made a mess out of it first, but still, I cleaned it.  And I did a lot of laundry!

This goal doesn't require a huge cleaning project every day, but something - some kind of improvement.

Recap on Goal #2: I did make progress on the piles on my desk, but they're definitely not all gone.  They're not even as far along as I hoped they'd be.  Boo hiss.  Witness:

I'll have to keep working on that this week, if I can.