Make 1,000 lovely things -- Homemade bows

Check out these beauties:

They are large and in charge and they match the gift wrap just right. I made one for my sister-in-law, own mother, and boyfriend's mother, weee!

For detailed instructions and inspiration, look here.

Make 1,000 lovely things -- Slideshow for my dad's 60th birthday

My dad has turned 60 years old and in his honor, and with my mom's help, I put together a "Life and Times of Papa T" slideshow. I think it had the intended effect -- it made my mom cry and the dog pee on the living room carpet.

Number 76: Meet an alpaca.

This is Snooki. Snooki likes eating, being fed, and getting the food bin stuck on her head.

Victory Ranch Alpacas

Number 92: Go on a serious hike.

Appalachian Trail, Mary's Rock, Shenandoah National Park. Done.

Make 1,000 lovely things -- Blueberry pie with freshly-picked blueberries

This morning I went to a farm in Maryland to pick my own blueberries. Then I made a pie.

The recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen. Instead of their full-proof pie dough (which uses vodka and which I should have used since it's FULL-PROOF), I tried their basic pie dough recipe. Let me tell you, handling that pie crust was the most stressful part of my week. And it came out a little rough around the edges. Still, delicious mission accomplished.

Pig roast = life goals

A blog post caught my eye recently and got me thinking. It was titled "How to Roast a Pig on a Spit". Believe it. My world was turned upside down as I realized that I needed to reexamine my original Mighty Life List immediately. Here is the updated list [some of these have already been accomplished, go me!]:

1. Participate in a pig roast. Obviously. 

2. Visit in person all 36 painting by Dutch artist Vermeer. (12/36)

3. Cook Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon.

4. Read major works of Russian literature in Russian. I'm looking at you, Crime and Punishment.

5. Learn to ski.

6. Go to a World Cup game. Possibly make do with a DC United game.

7. Buy a super expensive bottle of champagne. Like those rappers.

8. Own a dog. One to whom I can say, "You cut to the core of me, Baxter" or name Cosmo.

9. Live in another country.

10. Go on a cruise. Maybe to Alaska so that I can see Russia.

11. Visit the Acropolis in Athens.

12. Sign up for a ballet class.

13. Learn some ballroom dances.

14. Watch the sun set behind the Great Pyramids in Giza.

15. Watch the sun rise at Stonehenge.

16. Go to a kabuki play in Japan. Eat sushi.

17. Make cheese.

18. Brew beer.

19. Grow basil or a tomato plant.

20. Publish something. Even if it's nerdy tax stuff.

21. Buy an original piece of art.

22. Take a painting class.

23. Take a golfing class.

24. Own a business. [A nerdy tax accounting business?]

25. Teach a course.

26. Become fluent in French.

27. Know basic Spanish.

28. Take a course at Oxford.

29. Learn what all of the buttons and settings do on my SLR digital camera.

30. See an opera at the Met.

31. Spend a day at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

32. Spend a day at the Louvre in Paris.

33. Go to Oktoberfest in Munich.

34. Go to Carnaval in Brazil.

35. Become a better swimmer.

36. Go to a petting zoo in Australia.

37. Have afternoon tea at the Ritz.

38. Learn to play guitar.

39. Learn to play the drums.

40. Learn to make my mom's favorite recipes.

41. Take a special someone to Russia with me.

42. Own a summer home. Or start with becoming a homeowner.

43. Participate in a tea ceremony in Kyoto.

44.Wait by the stage door after a concert and meet one of my favorite bands.

45. Go to a taping of the Daily Show. 

46. Go skinny dipping.

47. Take a road trip across the U.S. 

48. Make my own strawberry jam.

49. Make a quilt.

50. Ride in a helicopter.

51. Have tapas in Barcelona.

52. Go to a wine festival.

53. Own a pair of authentic cowboy boots.

54. Make a pie from scratch.

55. Make a pizza from scratch.

56. Bake bread.

57. Commission a portrait.

58. Go mushroom hunting.

59. Get my wisdom teeth pulled.

60. Cook in a Le Creuset dutch oven.

61. Learn to drive a standard.

62. Organize a book club.

63. Resurrect the Finer Things Club.

64. Learn to play a few Christmas Carols on the piano. Host a Christmas sweater party.

65. Go sailing.

66. Read Les Miserables.

67. Make more traditions with friends and family.

68. Try hot buttered rum.

69. Letterpress something.

70. Get my master's degree.

71. Be admitted to practice in front of the Tax Court.

72. Work in a winery. 

73. Host a fancy pants dinner party.

74. Go to the Stanley Cup finals.

75. Take a cooking class in France.

76. Meet an alpaca.

77. Spend a night on a train.

78. See a drag queen show.

79. See all of Frank Lloyd Wright's houses that are open to the public. (1/??)

80. Fire a gun.

81. Really learn wine.

82. Give a heartfelt, touching, and witty toast in public.

83. Spend a week on a farm. 

84. Host a Thanksgiving dinner wherein I cook the turkey.

85. Pick out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.

86. See a drive-in movie.

87. Have a Wikipedia entry.

88. Go to Vegas.

89. Buy a stock on my own.

90. Participate in CSA, community-supported agriculture.

91. Walk the Golden Gate Bridge.

92. Go on a serious hike.

93. Make 1,000 lovely things. (1. Blueberry pie with freshly-picked blueberries. 2. Slideshow for my dad's 60th birthday. 3. Homemade bows.)

94. Try 1,000 new things.

95. Learn how to eat a crab.

96. Cover my fridge with magnets from places I have visited.

97. Be able to parallel park with confidence.

98. Order the tasting menu at a fancy pants restaurant.

99. Wear a dirndl.

100. Read every book I own.

 photo from Serious Eats, "How to Roast a Pig on a Spit"

The Oktoberfest Issue

Here are some fun pictures from Oktoberfest 2008.


This one is called "Oktoberfest Corn". Hot. I got cat calls from Italians and a drunk texter attached to my hip simply by looking like this. It almost called into question my typical "gin & tonic in the hand" bar look.



Oktoberfest gingerbread cookie hearts. Basically all of the other girls were wearing them and I was not to be excluded. They mostly have love messages written on them as they are supposed to be given to you by a boyfriend/girlfriend/lover/spouse. In our awkwardness ingenuity, Dana and I bought ones reading "Oktoberfest". I walked around for a full day looking like this:



Our cookie hearts came with furry animals attached. Kind of embarrassing looking at it now, but then again, I haven't been drinking beer since 9 am this morning.



This is a brezel. It is delicious.



Here it is again in relation to my upper body. Point of reference.



First Oktoberfest beers in the Spaten tent. And a little later . . .



"Sorry, Mom."



And then we ate some ox. I think. Also delicious.



Meanwhile we listened to the band. Rick Steves, our Germany swami in book form, calls this genre oompah music. Learn something new every day.



Doesn't it look glorious?



Oktoberfest Ferris Wheel. Among other rides there is also a roller-coaster, which Rick Steves advises against after you have been drinking. SWAMI.



Paulaner tent, looking good for liter number 3. And I am showing off my 4.5 hours of shame shirt, which I pretty much wanted to wear every day after the actual 4.5 hours of shame were over.



Prost (Cheers) at the Lowenbrau tent and an awkward camera angle.



By 9 pm the camera gets blurry and you are dancing on the table to the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" played by a German oompah music band, having shed 5 other layers of clothing.

Number 5 on the Mighty Life List, check

Human Tetris

Saw this back in February and I still freaking can't get enough. They think they are going to make it every time! Probably the best one is around the 5:43 mark.



Perhaps it isn't not too silly to add "Learn Japanese to fully appreciate Japanese game shows" to my Mighty Life List.

Mighty Life List

A blog I occasionally read is Mighty Girl. This blogger has shared her Mighty Life List and encourages readers to also create a list of 100 things they would want to do before they go -- in other words, a bucket list. I have made a list of 50 things and stopped there because already it got overwhelming. These are in no particular order and I have actually done 7 of them already but they are on the list regardless and I would even do them all over again.

1. Cook a gourmet meal.
2. Read major works of Russian literature in Russian.
3. Dye hair black/dark brown.
4. Go skiing in Megeve, France or Buttermilk, CO (or other good beginner trail).
5. Go to a Redskins game.
6. Go to a World Cup game. I may make do with a DC United game.
7. Buy an expensive bottle of champagne. Like those rappers.
8. Have a dog. One to whom I can say, “You cut to the core of me, Baxter” or name Cosmo.
9. Live in another country.
10. Write a successful blog.
11. Go on a cruise.
12. Visit the Acropolis in Athens.
13. Sign up for a ballet class.
14. Learn ballroom dancing.
15. Watch the sun set behind the Great Pyramids in Giza.
16. Watch the sun rise at Stonehenge.
17. Go to a kabuki play in Japan.
18. Make cheese.
19. Publish something.
20. Buy an original piece of art.
21. Take a painting class.
22. Take a golf class or go golfing.
23. Own a business.
24. Teach a course.
25. Become fluent in French.
26. Know basic Spanish.
27. Take a course at Oxford.
28. Become better at photography.
29. See an opera at the Met.
30. Spend a day at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
31. Spend a day at the Louvre in Paris.
32. Go to Oktoberfest in Munich.
33. Go to Carnaval in Brazil.
34. Become a better swimmer.
35. Go to a petting zoo in Australia.
36. Have afternoon tea at the Ritz.
37. Make a scrapbook.
38. Learn to play guitar.
39. Learn to play the drums.
40. Refresh my memory and fingers for piano pieces I’ve played, learn some new pieces, and have a recital for my closest friends.
41. Learn to make all of my favorite Russian foods from my mom.
42. Completely fill in my sketchbook.
43. Take a special someone to Russia with me.
44. Own a summer home.
45. Donate money to the Banneker/Key Scholarship at the University of Maryland.
46. Participate in a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
47. Wait by the stage door after a concert and meet one of my favorite bands.
48. Go to a taping of The Daily Show. (and meet Jon Stewart?)
49. Go skinny dipping.
50. Form a Depeche Mode cover band. I would be the lead singer of course. (This one is probably the most overwhelming.)