31 before 31

1. Knit at least 40 projects - only got like 20 :/
2. Knit five sweaters - will get to three  by EOY
3. Read 20 books - funny girl, high fidelity, righteous mind, our band could be your life, get in the van, girls to the front,
4. Travel somewhere new in the US - Palm Springs and Vegas
5. Travel somewhere new international - Italy!
6. Eat somewhere new in SF and Oakland and somewhere else - Plum, Cancun, and Honey (Vegas)
7.  Learn 5 new knittings skills - seaming sweater
8. Hike Mt Diablo, Mt Tam, and Half Dome - Half Dome
9. Go on 20+ hikes - yep
10. Go on 10+ camping trips - big basin, yosemite, samuel p taylor, gualala, anthony chabot, tahoe, yuba river, lovers leap, castle crags, tahoe girls trip
11. Go backpacking - yep
12. Figure out what to do with jam stuff - gave it to vanessa
13. Have a spa day
14. Climb a 5.12a inside, climb a 5.10d outside
15. Start lead climbing once a week
16. Boulder once a week
17. Exercise at least four times a week - yep
18. Run the Ave of the Giants Half, the Cloverdale Half, and the Oakland relay - run the Halfs in 2:45 or under, preferably 2:35 - did ave of the giants and quarry turkey
19. Find delight in listening to 5 new bands - minor threat, purity ring, summer cannibals,
20. Climb a multipitch route - Lover's Leap
21. Make a roast
22. Use crockpot at least 10+ times - hmm, only three times so far
23. Climb a V4 (and maybe even a V5)
24. Try a new fitness activity (or go back and take a Zumba class) - tried hot yoga, blech
25. Get a bikewheel and go on a long ride - bay bridge with shmu
26. Be happiness - remind yourself that happiness is not an end goal, it's an outlook
27. Do more yoga - once a month if not more
28. Use all stash yarn - got rid of most of it, paring down the rest
29. Say yes to yourself - don't wait for anyone else's questions
30. Take a Python or a SQL class (or both) - Python
31. Do something awesome at work

30 before 30

1. Knit at least 25+ projects (as of 2/1/14: made 1 - Kenny's hat, Karol's hat, Becca's hat, Chris' mitts, my beautiful Imogen cowl, Zach's hat, Mom's cowl, my herringbone cowl, Kenny's socks, my blue socks, Michelle's wrap, Christine's shawl, my nature socks, two sweaters, Becca's hat, James' mitts, Miles' socks, Stovetop hat, Juneberry triangle, laurelhurst hat, snuggle hat, antler baby cardigan, kenny's mitts, wee leafy baby set, rachelle's hat, baby snoflinga, shawl leftovers socks, bulky cowl (30 so far)) - done
2. Knit three sweaters (Featherweight cardi, svalbard sweater, georgia cardigan and sundottir pullover WIP) - close enough!
3. Read 20+ books (Wild by Cheryl Strayed; Girl on the Rocks; Big Sur Trilogy Book 1, Cora's Heart, Eliza's Home, Love is a Mix Tape, born to run, The Fault in Our Stars, hunger games 1, hunger games 2, cinder) - 11
4. Travel someplace new (Austin, Olympia, Tahoe) - done
5. Eat someplace new (Tacolicious in SF) - done
6. Learn a new knitting skill (done: bobbles!)
7. Finish the quilt (done!)
8. Hike Mt Diablo
9. Go backpacking for the first time
10. Climb a 5.11d or higher inside (DONE!!!!!), a 5.10d or higher outside
11. Climb a V5
12. Hike Mt Tam
13. Go skinny dipping
14. Go camping with Kelly (done!)
15. Go out dancing (done!)
16. Run a 10k (done!)
17. Make pickles
18. Make a batch of jam
19. Plan and go on August camping trip (done!)
20. Climb a multi-pitch route (done twice!)
21. Learn a new cooking skill (made my first frittata)
22. Use new rope and quickdraws (done)
23. Sew 5+ things (garment or otherwise) (three tank tops, one bag, mending kenny's shirt) - done
24. Go on 10+ hikes (done!)
25. Go on 10+ camping trips (5 so far)
26. Have a spa day all by myself
27. Take a nap just to take a nap (done)
28. Take a walk just to take a walk (done)
29. Continue to tell mom and dad and Kelly and Kenny and the kitties and my friends that I love them as much as possible

29 before 29

1. Go skydiving (preferably in Monterrey)
2. Knit three sweaters - At least I got one done, and ordered yarn for the second!
3. Knit at least 20+ other projects (and try to knit from stash yarn!!!)
4. Travel someplace new - Atlanta, GA + Auburn, CA + Yosemite, CA + 
5. Can a batch of jam
6. Can a batch of pickles
7. Make ravioli
8. Make french-style meringues
9. Sew a dress
10. Learn a new sewing skill AND a new knitting skill
11. Hike Mt Diablo
12. Hike Mt Tamalpais
13. Climb at Castle Rock
14. Climb a 5.11a (or higher!) - Got as far as an 5.11c!!!
15. Design a pattern
16. Climb a v5 (or higher!) - Got up to one V4
17. Teach a class (yoga or knitting)
18. Have a spa day for myself
19. Find a career that makes me happy
20. Eat somewhere new in (1) Oakland, (2) in SF, and (3) somewhere else! - Carrol St in Atlanta, GA, A16 in Oakland, and Padrecito in SF
21. Learn when to confront and when to be still
22. Do something honest or brave every week
23. Knit something with my handspun
24. Go for a walk just to go for a walk
25. Finish YTT and nail that certification
26. Learn to cross stitch and/or embroider
27. Ride a century
28. Be the best GF, daughter, and sister I can be - be supportive, patient, and forgiving
29. Continue to tell mom, dad, and Kelly every day that I love them - might not have been every day but say it every time I say goodbye

Gratefulness Challenge #4

1. Kitties
2. Family
3. Sunshine
4. Breeze
5. Veggies
6. Dance
7. Sweatshirts
8. Tea
9. Words of encouragement on Pinterest
10. Video games!
11. Friends
12. Dads
13. Moms
14. Love
15. Having a job
16. Sleep

Gratefulness challenge #3

1. My body
2. Dance
3. My hands
4. Food
5. Water
6. My voice
7. Letting go
8. Boyfriends
9. Sweet kitties sliding on wood floors
10. Sunshine
11. Low traffic commutes
12. Therapy
13. Plants
14. Jam
15. Vegan cheese

Gratefulness Challenge #2

1. Warm beverages
2. Unexpected blessings (story from security guard, ringtone from coworker)
3. Handmade objects
4. Low traffic commutes
5. Headphones
6. Funny YouTube videos
7. Music
8. Being authentic & genuine
9. Breakfast
10. Bikes
11. My family
12. Miles' family
13. Sweet coworkers

Gratefulness Challenge

1. Yoga
2. Green tea
3. Therapy
4. Fruit
5. Family
6. Gerald, my peace lily
7. Self-awareness
8. Friends
9. Knits
10. Pandas

28 before 28

28 before 28:
1. Write zine
2. Go skydiving
3. Learn something new
4. Ride to the Light 2012
5. Finish knitting sweater, knit at least 20+ other projects
6. Go to Europe again
7. Go camping
8. Hike Twin Peaks
9. Deal with self esteem issues - working on it!  Therapy + YTT + loving myself :)
10. Eat somewhere new in Oakland
11. Run 6 miles - twice son!!
12. Participate in NaNoWriMo
13. Can a batch of jam
14. Run in all 4th Sunday Lake Merrit runs
15. Keep Gerald alive
16. Sew quilt - Got the top done! :)
17. Hike Mt Diablo
18. Hike Mt Tamalpais
19. Design a pattern
20. Make ravioli
21. Make french-style meringues
23. Make a new friend
24. Do something that scares me
25. Yarn bomb something
26. Keep going to yoga every week
27. Continue telling mom and dad and Kelly I love them whenever I can remember to
28. Give at least $100+ to charity

Sugar Free Challenge Month 1 thoughts

Oddly enough, as I write this, it is the last of my three "days off" that we decided to have per month per person when we began this challenge. For June, I used one of mine on Father's Day, one after a 55 mil bikeride, and one today, since it's the last day of June, and I'm going out to dinner with friends tonight; use it or lose it!

Things I Found Easy:
-Baked goods. Sure I stared longingly at the vegan wares in the Berkeley Bowl bakery case, and daydreamed (multiple times) about biking up to Berkeley and eating 6 cinnamon buns, but I do that anyway, so that wasn't hard to resist. Made some herbed whole wheat drop biscuits when I got the urge to bake.
-It's the time of year for my favorite fruits (stone fruit, strawberries, blueberries, etc) so I had no trouble subbing fruits for processed sugar

Things I Discovered:
-So Delicious No Sugar Added Coconut Milk Ice Cream - we tried both the mint chip and the chocolate (and added raspberries on top); it's now our go-to frozen dessert. Too bad Berkeley Bowl stopped carrying it, so we have to wait for the rare Whole Foods trip for it.
-I can REALLY taste sugar in things now. I got Thai food for lunch, and HOLY CRAP. The Tangy Thai Cashew dish I got must have been like 30% sugar of some kind. My stomach actually hurts and my heart is beating faster.

Things I Found Hard:
-Thai food was pretty much off limits
-It was hard going without chocolate for a while,
-After lunch sugar cravings

Things That Made Me Fly Into Fiery Rage:
-Not having ketchup. Have mustard, you say! FUCK YOU AND YOUR MUSTARD. I love mustard more than life itself but it cannot stand alone on burgers. Hot dogs, maybe, MAYBE, sometimes, but burgers need ketchup!!! I fudged on this twice, both times where I'd started putting ketchup on my food and then realized my mistake. I just don't associate it with sweetness! (Even though obviously it is.)
-WHO ADDS SUGAR TO DRIED FRUIT?! IT'S FRUIT! Had to bake a whole bag of tart cherries into muffins for a bakesale because they had flippin' added sugar and were too tempting.

27 before 27

GOALS

27 before 27:

1. Write zine
2. Test zine
3. Publish zine
4. Ride to the Light 2011
5. Knit sweater
6. Get rid of more stuff
7. Go camping
8. Love unconditionally
9. Think 1 positive thing about myself each day
10. Crochet afghan
11. Run 6 miles
12. Start volunteering at garden
13. Can a batch of jam
14. Go to Muir woods
15. Walk across Golden Gate bridge - So technically I biked but whatever, I went across
16. Hike Twin Peaks
17. Hike Mt Diablo
18. Hike Mt Tamalpais
19. Go to NYC
20. Go to Central Park
21. Become really good at making Meyer Lemon whiskey sours
23. Learn to fix something on your bike
24. Run around Lake Merrit
25. Eat somewhere new in Oakland
26. Go on a critical mass ride
27. Tell mom and dad and Kelly I love them 5x a week


*Inspired by my friend Erin of Vegan Homemade

Such a veg*an

Holy shit. I completely forgot that April 26th was my 3 year vegetarianniversary. 3 years of no meat! And I'm better, faster, harder and stronger now, too (even if I tripped and ate it during my run yesterday and my left leg is covered in roadburn, ow). Yay me!!

Celebrating with getting more tattoo done in two weeks!

Things that are new with me

1. New job - yes, fucking finally. Will be making much more money, getting done at 4pm, working with nice folks, the whole shebang. Woop woop.

2. New blog - http://suchavegan.blogspot.com/. Check it out.

3. One of the cookbooks I tested for is out now! Immediately buy or order Viva Vegan! by the lovely Terry Hope Romero.

4. Working on my own cookbook. We'll see.

5. The cats are obsessed with (a) our bathroom rug, or rather, destroying our bathroom rug, (b) the kitchen clock, and (c) the various goings on of birds and squirrels in the fig tree outside our window.

Harrumph

Applied for a job last week, got an interview. I don't think I got it, which sucks, because I really liked the place and the people who interviewed me. It sucks to be THIS CLOSE to getting out of the suckhole I currently work at, and yet so fucking far...

5 things...

1. Yerba Mate

2. My new blog

3. Tangelos

4. New cookbooks (specifically the first Millennium cookbook, fancy!)

5. Tattoo

5 things

1. Knowing that I get to knit on my lunch break

2. Chips and spicy hummus

3. Pilot G-2 10 pt pens

4. Ravelry.com

5. Oregon t-shirts

5 things...

...that make me happy.

1. Free orange slices from a coworker

2. The beginnings of Dashing

3. Decaf lemongrass green tea

4. Pandora.com

5. The smell of my Jungle conditioner

5 things...

...that made me smile today.



1. LOST Season 6 speculation, and the party at Bill's tonight to watch the premiere

2. Jon Stewart

3. Asian pears

4. Plum blossoms

5. My Sugar Beat Sweets t-shirt

5 things

...that make me happy today.

1. My kittehs

2. Mole simmered squash/carrots/potatos/leeks with 3/4 an avocado on top

3. Gorgeous spring-like weather

4. Making my own chamomile-red leaf tea blend

5. Looking through new cookbooks while pooping on my lunchbreak.

I can has old

John's taking me out to Millennium tonight, and I'm going to guzzle wine and stuff myself until I pass out and he has to carry me home like a newborn lamb on the shephard's shoulders in the nativity scene.