What need I of light?

Just to follow up on my post from the other day, I just got a free, locally-grown, organic Honeycrisp and it is glorious.  Perhaps this bodes well?

Lately I've taken to eating an apple with my work lunches.  This effortlessly adds a serving of fruit to my daily diet, while also giving me something sweet-ish to take my mind off of a post-lunch dessert (a ridiculous idea, really).  Finding the right apple is harder than it might sound, because I'm exceedingly picky about those I'll deign to eat.  I despise both Red and Yellow Delicious and think they should be outlawed.  Anything mushy or loose-textured is automatically out, as is anything from the regular grocery store--I don't need a free Brazilian with my fruit, thanks.

Ideally, I like apples to be crisp and sour.  They must have personality and no worms.

My usual apple these days is a Pink Lady, which is the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster of apples; intensely sweet, tart, dense, and crunchy, it's explosively delicious as long as it's on.  But, to my dismay, the Pink Ladies at the co-op are sort of off right now.  They've ballooned up and become easily-bruised, anemic and dangerously fluffy.

I've turned to Braeburns, but the one I'm eating right now is depressing me.  It felt dense and promising at the store, but upon biting it's not only mushy but also near-flavorless, not tart at all, and barely even sweet.  Boo hoo, it's the Holocaust all over again.

Because I'm waxing (har har) metaphorical, I'll go so far as to say that my relationship with this lackluster apple is akin to that which I have with my day-to-day existence.  I'm eating it because it's there, not because I like it.  No, not everything is that dull, but my job certainly is.  During my average weekday, the only things which give me significant pleasure are eating, studying Arabic, seeing my boyfriend, writing long and silly emails to my friend Tom, and cuddling my cat when he jumps up on my side of the bed every night and falls asleep, curled up in a ball of purring fuzz.

Am I crazy or overly nostalgic for wanting to be back in school?  It wouldn't solve my problems for me, but in theory I'd be taking my own life by the proverbial horns instead of sitting back and waiting for something to change for me.  I wish it weren't such a fine line between security and stagnation.

I stole this meme thing (and ingenious structure) from Tara.  It's simultaneously more stringent and more feasible than 43things.  Maybe it'll help me focus (?).

Start date: August 2, 2007
Last possible day to check off tasks: April 28, 2010
* = in progress
strike-through = completed

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Health/Physical

1. Have herbal tea instead of dessert for 4 consecutive weekends. (0/4)
2. Go on an after-dinner walk instead of having dessert 3 times a week for 6 consecutive weeks. (0/18)
   
3. Dye my hair completely dark.
4. Get a tattoo.
5. Get 2 dental checkups in the next year.* (1/2)
   
6. Go on a 1-hour walk once a week for 8 consecutive weeks. (0/8)
7. Ride my bike twice a week for 8 consecutive weeks. (0/16)
8. Work out at least twice a week for the rest of 2007.* (12/44)
9. Work out at least twice a week in 2008. (0/104)
10. Work out at least twice a week in 2009. (0/104)
11. Work out at least twice a week in the 101in1001 period of 2010. (0/34)
12. Find out which immunizations I need boosters for and get said boosters.
13. Take at least 1 sauna every 2 months for 1 year. (0/6)
14. Go kayaking or whitewater rafting.
15. Go vegetarian for 8 consecutive weeks. (0/8)
    

1. Take the GRE.
2. Study for and receive my CELTA.
3. Take a Spanish Placement Test.
   
4. Take 2 Spanish classes at a challenging level. (0/2)
   
5. Memorize the upright Cyrillic alphabet. (33/33)
   
6. Memorize the cursive Cyrillic alphabet.* (18/33)
7. Spend at least 1 hour studying each chapter in the Barron's Russian book. (0/29)
8. Take 3 more cycles of belly dance classes.* (0/3)
9. Spend 6 months studying a new language for at least 2 hours per week.* (4/26)
10. Take a dance class in a style I know nothing about (hip hop, breakdance, salsa, merengue, flamenco, tap, etc.).
11. Enroll in language immersion school for 4 weeks.
    

1. Spend at least one Saturday per month with Isa for 3 consecutive months. (0/3)
2. Call or email Dad twice each month for the rest of the year.* (3/10)
3. Make Cynthia a CD of belly dance music and send it to her.
4. Make Alice a CD of belly dance music and send it to her.
5. Visit Free Radicals at least twice a month for the rest of 2007.* (2/10)
6. Have brunch with LaMaia.
7. Go rappelling with Sara.
8. Visit Emily's salon.
9. Send New Year's cards to extended family at the end of 2007.
10. Visit Bub and Zaydeh.
11. Give Joe at least 12 French lessons in a consecutive 4-week period. (0/12)
    

1. Send something in to PostSecret.
2. Read all 29 chapters of The Writer's Idea Book and do the corresponding exercises. (0/29)
   
3. Write at least 30 minutes daily for 31 consecutive days. (0/31)
4. Model for Angelina.
5. Practice the accordion for 1 hour a week for 12 consecutive weeks. (0/12)
6. Take singing lessons or a singing class.
   

1. Sell or give away any clothes not worn in the past 6 months.*
2. Sell or give away unwanted textbooks.
3. Get or borrow an enormous circle skirt to practice the Turkish Bellydance DVD with.
4. Get the black accordion tuned up.
5. Fix the red accordion.
   
6. Lend or give the guitar to Britta.
7. Either find a group to play trumpet with or sell the trumpet.
8. Get rid of the old computer.
9. Sell the Schwinn.
10. Buy no more than 1 song per week on iTunes for the rest of 2007.* (4 songs purchased/22 weeks)
11. Get rid of obsolete or useless shoes.*
    

1. Visit New York.
2. Visit Tara.
3. Visit Toronto.
4. Visit Dad.
   
5. Visit Philadelphia.
6. Visit Central or South America.
7. Cross an ocean.
8. Swim in the ocean.
   

1. Pay off both student loans.* (0/2)
2. Quit my job.
3. Get a new job that pays better or is more fulfilling.
4. Put $25 into my savings account each payday for the rest of 2007.* (4/11)
5. Put $25 into my savings account each payday in 2008. (0/26)
   
6. Save an additional $1 each day in 2008. (0/365)
7. Put $25 into my savings account each payday in 2009. (0/26)
8. Save an additional $1 each day in 2009. (0/365)
9. Switch to a cheaper cell phone plan.
   

1. Go to Dia de los Muertos in the South Valley.
2. Roast a chicken in fall or winter.
3. Make a snow Totoro.
4. Move to another state or country.
5. Go camping.
6. Write a living will and inform the proper people.*
7. Find my Social Security card.
8. Find my birth certificate.
9. Find my immunization record.
10. Compile the 3 aforementioned documents in one logical and safe place.*
11. Decide on and print pictures to frame for work.
12. Update my resume.
13. Shop at a farmer's market once a month for 6 consecutive months. (0/6)
14. Ride the Rail Runner.
15. Go to the State Fair.
16. Go on a rollercoaster.
17. Limit home internet use to 1 hour or less every day for 3 consecutive weeks. (0/21)
18. Swing on a swingset at least once a week for 4 consecutive weeks. (0/4)
19. Go on a cold-weather picnic.
20. Go to the Botanical Gardens.
21. Go to Breakin' Hearts.
22. Go to Klezmerquerque.
23. Clean out the small nightstands.* (1/2)
24. Spend my work break outside (either walking or reading) every day for 3 consecutive work weeks. (0/15)
25. Delete my MySpace profile.
26. Go to the 2007 Duke City Derby championship game.
27. Reread the Dark Tower books I own. (0/4)
    
28. Read the rest of the Dark Tower books. (0/3)
29. Learn how to make 3 new soup recipes in one winter. (0/3)
30. Read 3 plays by Shakespeare that I haven't read before. (0/3)
    

What's the oldest thing in your fridge?

My carbon dating technique leaves much to be desired, but by my estimate, the tall bottle of ABC Kecap Manis is probably the oldest thing in the fridge.  It's one of those virtually indestructible Asian condiments - more precisely, it's a thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce.  I originally bought it (deep breath) nearly 3 years ago when I first started making Indonesian-style fried rice, nasi goreng, at my boyfriend's house shortly after we started seeing each other.  I adore Asian fried rice, though I'm usually underwhelmed by Americanized versions, and the Indonesian variety is sweet, savory and loaded with umami.  Nasi goreng, at least the way I made it, was dark and rich-tasting rice with scrambled egg and possibly fried tofu.  The heavier elements were offset by thinly sliced pickling cucumber, lettuce, fresh tomato, and crisply fried shallot flakes (did I put crushed peanuts on top, too?  I can't remember) added at the table.

Damn, now I really want some nasi goreng!

Normally I "live" (read: waste far too much time) over at LiveJournal, but the illustrious Tara's updates are a pretty big draw for me to be on Vox, at least periodically.  The books feature looks very promising as well, since I've been a real book-whore since graduating.

I wonder if Vox is as much of a memory-hog as it seems to be on my computer, or if my computer just sucks.

The apricots on the tree out back are throwing themselves to their deaths in great numbers.

Tara, are you still looking for book recommendations?  Here are several from me.