Monthly List: May 2017

1753 Appreciate the larceny in your heart
1757 Astound the doubters
1770 Be a game show contestant
1750 Be a painter’s model
1745 Befriend a shaman, mystic, or priestess
1759 Cook dinner in the fireplace
1743 Cross the international dateline and get to yesterday
1764 Dance in the Mardi Gras parade in Rio
1767 Follow the Oregon Trail in true pioneer fashion
1760 Get your name in a gossip column
1762 Get your teeth whitened
1765 Go to a prize fight in Vegas
1744 Have an advice column
1749 Hit the jackpot
1747 Improve your intuition
1754 Leak a really hot story
1758 Outfox the dealers at an auction
1751 Play in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
1741 Put a scavenger hunt in your will
1742 Quote Derrida, Foucault, or Berra
1769 Reach Nirvana
1755 Ride a camel to the Pyramids
1748 Scat like a pro
1761 See Michelangelo’s David
1763 Shake hands with the President of the United States
1746 Show intimations of immortality
1756 Stake a claim
1768 Sunbathe topless
1752 Swoon over a star
1766 Take a Jello bath

Every month I am taking 30 items from the 2001 Things to Do book and creating a short checklist. I am using this as inspiration to work on crossing things off the list, maybe not particularly from that month, but overall to do something different. This is not necessarily a “bucket list”; it is a goal that by doing something new (or doing something I’ve done before but hadn’t documented it with photos or journaling) I will keep from feeling in a rut. I will be able to look back at the little, big, sad, happy, joyful, or heart thumping moments and feel my life has value.

One of my favorite quotes is:

“A good life is a collection of happy moments” by Dennis Waitley

This is a reminder to myself of why I have this blog. I’m working through posting all the items from the book and beyond, to keep in mind to do something. To get out there for experiences and adventures.

I’d love to hear if you have done any of these. Or if you have other ideas to try.

Recipe #1 – Plantain Crusted Chicken

“Everyday Dining with Wine”

Read about this ongoing cookbook challenge here

Ingredients:
Plantain chips or unsweetened banana chips
dry mustard / dried thyme / allspice / ground cloves / kosher salt / ground black pepper
egg
hot sauce
all-purpose flour
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
vegetable oil
lime

Wine recommendations: California Central Coast Chardonnay
Lockwood, Morgan, Estancia, Bryon, Calera, Au Bon Climat

Picked up a chardonnay from Edna Valley

My Review:
The crust part got a bit overcooked and the chicken almost wasn’t cooked all the way through. I was able to finish cooking the chicken but worried that the crust wouldn’t taste good. Not a absolute favorite but it was a different tasty way to eat chicken.

Monthly List: April 2017

1711 Ably describe honky-tonk, ska, and high-lonesome
1723 Amaze your friends by memorizing all the US Vice Presidents
1722 Apprehend a drug lord
1725 Attend a Rave
1731 Be able to explain a hedge fund, risk arbitrage, and a mutual fund
1735 Be there when the drill hits a gusher
1738 Beat an incurable disease
1717 Devise your own definition of beauty
1729 Frame all your past and present business cards
1726 Gather a bunch of friends for a Halloween hayride
1713 Get a full-body tan
1724 Get Botox
1730 Hang mistletoe in August
1733 Hang out with a revolutionary
1714 Have your monograph published
1720 Have your own website
1739 Interview JD Salinger and ask him to tell you about his father, the butter and egg man
1727 Jet-ski in choppy waters
1732 Learn to communicate with animals
1736 Learn to love words like Nabokov
1737 Live within your means
1716 Make Donny Osmond serenade you with “Puppy Love”
1715 Make the first string
1719 Portage a canoe
1728 Raise ants, bees, or worms
1734 Rappel
1721 Read a big, thick Russian novel
1740 Release balloons in church
1718 Spend a day watching the entire Rocky, Star Wars, or Friday the 13th collection
1712 Weave your way through the loopholes

Every month I am taking 30 items from the 2001 Things to Do book and creating a short checklist. I am using this as inspiration to work on crossing things off the list, maybe not particularly from that month, but overall to do something different. This is not necessarily a “bucket list”; it is a goal that by doing something new (or doing something I’ve done before but hadn’t documented it with photos or journaling) I will keep from feeling in a rut. I will be able to look back at the little, big, sad, happy, joyful, or heart thumping moments and feel my life has value.

One of my favorite quotes is:

“A good life is a collection of happy moments” by Dennis Waitley

This is a reminder to myself of why I have this blog. I’m working through posting all the items from the book and beyond, to keep in mind to do something. To get out there for experiences and adventures.

I’d love to hear if you have done any of these. Or if you have other ideas to try.

Cocktails, New Orleans Special Edition

from the 111 cocktails (you must try) challenge

Read about this challenge and see the list here

Part of the fun of going to New Orleans is to sample their unique foods and drinks. I was able to check 4 drinks off my list and 2 bonus ones. These are all specialty cocktails known for the area and I couldn’t skip trying them

#30 Daiquiri
Ingredients: (from the list)light rum, lime juice, sugar (blended) / (how they made it) blended, different flavored mixes
Drank on: October 2015
Location: the first one was at Melba’s in New Orleans
Notes: you can get “to go” cups and walk around on the street with them. And someplaces have drive-thrus for them.

#38 Gin Fizz “Governor Huey P Long’s Favorite”
Ingredients: (from the list) gin, lemon juice, powdered sugar, water / (how they made it) gin, citrus, cream, egg whites, sugar, orange flower water, shaken until frothy and topped with club soda
Drank on: October 2015
Location: The Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans
Notes: (guide book mentioned this was the place to go for a gin fizz and it was very yummy, I had a sip or two from my friend’s drink, the sazerac is on the left, the bubbly in the middle, and the gin fizz on the right)

#49 Hurricane
Ingredients: light rum, dark rum, passionfruit, oj, lime, simple syrup, grenadine
Drank on: October 2015
Location: Pat O’Briens, New Orleans
Notes: (they are known for their hurricanes, and you can purchase their special mix) we drank these while in the piano bar room.

#111 Zombie
Ingredients: lemon juice, dark rum, orange juice, cherry brandy, light rum, grenadine
Drank on: October 2015
Location: one of the bars on Burbon Street, New Orleans
Notes: friend and I dressed as Zombies and I knew I had to have this drink as a zombie. The bartender had to look at the ingredient listed here but he was game to make it. I wasn’t sure how it would taste with all the stuff, but it’s dangerously yummy. This is a drink that will sneak up and smack you or make you into a drunken, dumb zombie.

Bonus:
Pimm’s Cup
Ingredients: British Gin based liquor & lemonade, splash of lemon-lime soda & garnished with a cucumber
Drank on: October 2015
Location: Napoleon House, New Orleans
Notes: (guide book said this was the place to go for it) Nice and refreshing drink

 

The Sazerac “The Official Cocktail of New Orleans”
Ingredients: rye whisky, bitters, sugar, and garnished with a lemon peel
Drank on: October 2015
Location: The Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans
Notes: had to try while there

 

 

Monthly List: March 2017

1706 Act out a fairy tale
1699 Be a Beatnik, Hippie, Punk, or Rude Boy
1685 Be a write-in on the ballot
1707 Be Ringmaster for a day at Ringling Brothers
1708 Be the person who pulls or announces the Lotto numbers on TV
1683 Become so good at white water rafting that you can be a guide on the most difficult rivers
1709 Bounce at the Viper Room
1689 Celebrate your hairdresser at the Barbering Hall of Fame
1703 Climb the slippery slope
1694 Comfort the afflicted
1696 Compete in the Elephant Polo Tournament in Nepal
1705 Compose a fairy tale
1686 Design a musical instrument
1710 Dust off them blue suede shoes
1701 Gather up your friends for a quilting bee
1682 Go back and spend the night at your old sleepaway camp
1704 Have Bangers and Mash
1691 Learn to recognize Iambic pentameter
1702 Learn to throw your voice
1695 Make a weekly visit to your local library
1692 Overcome adversity
1693 Survive
1681 Sing at a wedding
1684 Skate the lead in the Ice Capades
1697 Skitch
1687 Sponsor a needy child
1690 Start your own cosmetics line
1700 Tell your children you were a Beatnik, Hippie, Punk, or Rude Boy
1688 Travel the world by reading
1698 Turn out the lights and watch Wait Until Dark

Every month I am taking 30 items from the 2001 Things to Do book and creating a short checklist. I am using this as inspiration to work on crossing things off the list, maybe not particularly from that month, but overall to do something different. This is not necessarily a “bucket list”; it is a goal that by doing something new (or doing something I’ve done before but hadn’t documented it with photos or journaling) I will keep from feeling in a rut. I will be able to look back at the little, big, sad, happy, joyful, or heart thumping moments and feel my life has value.

One of my favorite quotes is:

“A good life is a collection of happy moments” by Dennis Waitley

This is a reminder to myself of why I have this blog. I’m working through posting all the items from the book and beyond, to keep in mind to do something. To get out there for experiences and adventures.

I’d love to hear if you have done any of these. Or if you have other ideas to try.

Cocktails #29 Cuba Libre

from the 111 cocktails (you must try) challenge

Read about this challenge and see the list here

Ingredients: light rum, lime juice, cola

Drank on: June 2, 2016

Location: Mango’s, Sacramento, California

Notes: enjoyed while playing bingo

#1037 – Wear A Wig

I came across a photo of me as a kid wearing a wig. They must have been from my parents collection. Pretty funny to see and great to use to check off this item. I have a more recent photo wearing a wig for a themed party somewhere. I’ll have to add it here later.

Have you worn a wig? Did it make you look really different? Or was it a crazy looking one?

I CAN Be an Artist

It seems there is a growing trend of learn-to-paint classes, which encourage novice artists to gather with a group of friends and create a piece of artwork, all while enjoying a cocktail or two.

This is not an item written down to check off my list, but it is something I’ve thought would be fun. March 2014, I went with a bunch of friends in my Active 20-30 Club to a place in town called the Painted Cork.

Have you ever felt like taking a painting class to unleash your inner Picasso, but felt as though you couldn’t even paint a stick figure? Are you looking for something different and new to do for a birthday party, ladies night out, team builder, first date, couples or even as a single person who is looking for some unique social interaction in the Folsom or Midtown Sacramento area? The Painted Cork “paint and sip” Art Studio creates a comfortable, fun, hip and exciting atmosphere where you and your friends can enjoy a fantastic time while a professional art instructor teaches you a step by step 2 to 3 hour painting classes. The Painted Cork offers a completely relaxed and social painting class/party where guests are allowed to bring with them their favorite wine or beer and delicious snacks to enjoy throughout the class!

I’m definitely not an artist, so I was guessing that my painting would turn out really bad. Got to the place and found the easels and paints all set up at tables. The artist instructor told me to grab an apron and then drinks, snacks, and a seat. I put down the bottle of wine and snack mix I brought and grabbed a glass and apron and a seat. The canvas had a penciled outline of the skyline we were going to be painting. Up front there were different paintings that were completed, the instructor told us to take a look at each one to use as a baseline for inspiration or ours. Then we started painting.

It was a very simple step by step processing. Mixing colors and watching what she did and then doing similar. By doing it this way, I realized that each person is different in how they paint the same object. This in turn means that no one is a bad artist. I don’t think I’d be able to do a painting like that without watching the steps to get it done.

Overall, it was a very fun evening and I’d totally do this again. I can see why it’s become so popular.

Cocktails #50 Irish Car Bomb

from the 111 cocktails (you must try) challenge

Read about this challenge and see the list here

Ingredients: Guinness beer, Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur, and Jameson Irish whiskey

Drank on: St. Patrick’s Day – March 17, 2016

Location: Pine Cove, Sacramento, California

Notes: I have had an Irish car bomb once before but it was before I started going through this list, so to check it off, I had to drink it again and get a photo. It had been so long, I had forgotten the trick of dropping in the shot and then drinking fast. The bartender said I could just pour in the shot instead of dropping in the glass. My friends said that would be cheating.

Down the hatch! Slainte

#819 – Know the difference between ʻAʻā and Pāhoehoe

Time to look up the words in Wikipedia. Turns out these words are for two different types of Lava.

Photo from United States Geological Survey (USGS)

ʻAʻā means “stony rough lava”, but also to “burn” or “blaze”) is one of three basic types of flow lava. ʻAʻā is basaltic lava characterized by a rough or rubbly surface composed of broken lava blocks called clinker. The Hawaiian word was introduced as a technical term in geology by Clarence Dutton.

The loose, broken, and sharp, spiny surface of an ʻaʻā flow makes hiking difficult and slow. The clinkery surface actually covers a massive dense core, which is the most active part of the flow. As pasty lava in the core travels downslope, the clinkers are carried along at the surface. At the leading edge of an ʻaʻā flow, however, these cooled fragments tumble down the steep front and are buried by the advancing flow. This produces a layer of lava fragments both at the bottom and top of an ʻaʻā flow.

Accretionary lava balls as large as 3 metres (10 feet) are common on ʻaʻā flows. ʻAʻā is usually of higher viscosity than pāhoehoe. Pāhoehoe can turn into ʻaʻā if it becomes turbulent from meeting impediments or steep slopes. ʻAʻā lavas typically erupt at temperatures of 1000 to 1100 °C.

________________________________________________

Photo from United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Pāhoehoe means “smooth, unbroken lava”), also spelled pahoehoe, is basaltic lava that has a smooth, billowy, undulating, or ropy surface. These surface features are due to the movement of very fluid lava under a congealing surface crust. The Hawaiian word was introduced as a technical term in geology by Clarence Dutton.

A pāhoehoe flow typically advances as a series of small lobes and toes that continually break out from a cooled crust. It also forms lava tubes where the minimal heat loss maintains low viscosity. The surface texture of pāhoehoe flows varies widely, displaying all kinds of bizarre shapes often referred to as lava sculpture. With increasing distance from the source, pāhoehoe flows may change into ʻaʻā flows in response to heat loss and consequent increase in viscosity. Pahoehoe lavas typically have a temperature of 1100 to 1200 °C.

And that concludes the lesson for the day. Bucket List mission accomplished!

#1225 – Have a V-8

I used to drink V-8 as a kid ALL THE TIME. Then got sick of it and couldn’t stand drinking it anymore. Recently I’ve been drinking it again, and back to enjoying it. Now, V-8 has also created fusion drinks with fruit added. Will try one of those some point.

I also want to try juicing my own V-8 some time. But at least I can check this off my list of things to do.

I always think of those old V-8 commercials when people are walking around sideways until they have a drink.

#1275 – Wear Your Seatbelt

Well that’s just plain common sense nowadays. Especially since most states it’s the law to do so.

CHECK!!! off the list many times over.

Cocktails #26 Chocolate Cake

from the 111 cocktails (you must try) challenge

Read about this challenge and see the list here

Ingredients: citrus vodka, hazelnut liqueur, and sugar coated lemon

Drank on: October 28, 2014

Location: DeVeres Irish Pub in Sacramento, California

Notes: Had to try this one around my birthday! I have no idea how this drink came about or how it got it’s name, since it doesn’t have chocolate in it. Except when you do drink it, it’s very much chocolate tasting. a little on the sweet side with the sugar rim but yummy.

#1313 – Eat One Raisinet at a Time

I wasn’t sure why this would be a bucket list item. But when I got a box of raisinets and opened them, I understood. Shaking out into my hand, I had a whole bunch and I just wanted to throw them into my mouth. It takes patience and control to just pick up one little chocolate covered raisin and put in the mouth. I solved this by putting them into a bowl and leaving it on the kitchen counter. Whenever I go by it, I pick one raisinet up and eat it. Doing it this way is taking a lot longer to finish the box but it’s kind of fun.

How would you get yourself to eat one piece of candy at a time when you would rather throw a mouthful in?

Cocktails # 19 Buttery Nipple

from the 111 cocktails (you must try) challenge

Read about this challenge and see the list here

Ingredients: butterscotch schnapps and Irish cream liqueur

Drank on: January 24, 2013

Location: friend’s house

Notes: made while watching Magic Mike with some girlfriends