He’s young. He has amazing hair. *

Good LORD. It's only a few weeks until this 101 in 1001 thing is done. Honestly - it seemed like a good idea at the time but I reckon 1001 days is too long. Well, too long for me anyway. Advice for new players in the round up at the end. But NOW - what's the score?

COMPLETE/ONGOING = 51
In progress = 11
Not started = 38

What can I potentially get done in the next few weeks?
#7 Visit all Auckland Regional parks
#19 Read all of Jane A.
#20 Learn 10 poems by heart
#40 Share a meal with friends or family every two months
#70 Read the books I own but haven't read
#90 Get an emergency kit for the car
#91 Make copies of important documents

Prompted to check by this short story by Paula Morris published in the NZ Herald.

* Hollywood Swoons Over That Hair, That Baton

In fact, half the time my job is just to not corpse *

#35 Cook through the Edmonds cookbook
Well the Ladysmith cake was a great success today. A cinnamon base, rasperry jam, plain cake top with chopped nuts. Not too sweet, very moreish.
Next Monday I plan to make Cream Puffs. More on that later...

#40 share a meal with friends or family every two months
As I said I thought that I wuold be hard pressed to complete this one. However, even through the dark teatime of the soul last year I managed to keep this up. The last few months I think I've eaten with someone almost every week. I feel very lucky.

#70 Read the books I own but haven't read
Every time I finish one, I buy another one to add to the pile. *oops* Latest purchase "Not Safe For Work" by Emma Hart. It actually is (despite the torso/bra cover). It made me think that I need to find somewhere/someone to practice my conversation skills with. There hasn't been much exploring of ideas going on. For some reason the cat isn't interested.


* @coupdemain's interview with Charlie McD and David vH.

Where school children and tarantulas live

Doing this

#47 Walk the isthmus

tomorrow before the second dance show for

#66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc.

Read another one of these

#70 Read the books I own but haven't read.


Bought the following things for this


#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
4 litres of water (total 9 litres)
1 large can spaghetti
1 large can baked beans
1 can mince
1 pack uncle toby's rice pre-cooked
1 large can peaches
1 small can cat food

Hoping that the timing will work for a bus tour that will incorporate this

#81 Do a local wine tour

and this

#77 Walk around an outdoor sculpture park.

The weather is better, so, after a bike service, I'm hoping to do this

#85 Cycle to Bees Online from my place

although I guess I should do this

#98 Change a cycle flat in under 10 mins

first.

The poor man's tribble

#86 A-Z reading challenge - authors
Jordan, Robert "The eye of the world"
About three young men, two young women, one woman with magic and one dangerous man. Magic, prophecy, fighting, love. Epic by any sense of the word.
What did I think?
Better than the (several) previous reading. I'd forgotten just how much information was packed into the first book. Character development is well done. Action sequences exciting and occasionally heart-stopping. No tear this time - I think I had braced myself for it. Always been worried that the author would die before the series was finished - unfortunately this is a real possibility. Kia kaha e koro, stay strong. Recommended.
N.B. Apparently everyone thought book 10 was filled with not much as the plot threads were all bought together. Phew! I thought it was just me.

#46 Assemble Civil Defence kit
I've got two days minimum water for one person. It's not much but it's a start.

#13 Cycle 'around' New Zealand
On the wind trainer tonight and OMG. How depressing. Sloooow and useeless. I need to get back out in the wind and the rain and the sun to remember how to cycle. Bring on those hills - I want them.

#70 Read the books I own but haven't read
I have got to stop buying books.

Building strategic relationships

Bah. The "Babylon 5" DVD is corrupted. Or our DVD player is corrupted. Either way it can't be watched for more than 5 minutes before pixellating. Grr. Argh.

#79 Read "The art of war"
Since I had some time on my hands I read this book. I found it fascinating. The translation I have included footnotes (or paragraph notes) for some of the recommendations/ideas in the book. They were a bloody-thirsty lot back then. Even relatively minor transgressions could result in beheading or punishment. Recommended. (The book not the punishments.)

Also counts as #70 Read the books I own but haven't read. Possibly the title I have owned and wanted to read for the longest time.

My tornado hell

#87 A-Z reading challenge - titles
"New Spring" by Robert Jordan
A prequel to his Wheel of Time series which is up to book 11 and still counting. It is the story of Moiraine, how she became Aes Sedai and how she bonded Lan to her.

What did I think?
This is pretty good. I used to read the Wheel of Time series but sort of lost interest when the books a) became big enough to use as door stops, b) contained no movement or story advancement and c) took ages to be published. After reading this I think I'll go back to it. The characters are a bit annoying (does she have to be so snooty? does he have to be so aloof?) so don't start reading unless you love fantasy books and think you might like to start a loooong, epic series.
Fun fact #1 - I always cry a couple of tears in the same place in the first book every time I read it. Every time.
Fun fact #2 - I once walked into a book store and was up at the counter paying for a book in this series before I'd even realised that it was on display. Magic.

This title also counts in #70 Read the books I own but haven't read. Surprinsingly there weren't that many of them. Well, not that many if I don't count the ones I have read and then bought but not read after buying. So far I've read "New Spring" and...
"Wizard of the pigeons" by Megan Lindholm.
About wizards in Seattle - or are they just ordinary people with mental issues?
What did I think?
Loved it. The characters, the situations, the mix of magic and realism. I think there are some fuzzy edges around the plot but I was too busy enjoying myself to care. This author also writes as Robin Hobb who I highly recommend. (Except for her latest which I just couldn't get into.)

I am finally starting to get better. There is still a tiny cough plaguing me but it will hopefully be gone by Monday because I am #66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc. I have 4 movies to see as part of the film festival. Since they are cheaper than ordinary movies (because I got in on the earlybird rate) they will count as #57 Have a cheap-as-chips movie day - all movies, all day. I'm really looking forward to them. I used to belong to the film festival when I was just a young thing but somehow I lost sight of how much I enjoyed it. The four films I am seeing on Monday are "A world of shorts" (short films from around the world), "The great happiness space" (Japanese club for women run by men - if you get my drift...), "Manufactured landscapes" (building and progress in China) and "Helvetica" (about the font). There are three others booked on other days too. I'm just ticked I can't afford more films and more time off to see them.