Select 'tree planting' *

#66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc
This has been a really rewarding thing to do. Even if it's taken me two years and 5 or 6 festivals to complete it. The last set of shows were all part of the Auckland Festival 2009. A bit of dance, some theatre, some music and a couple of circus acts all combined for a very life affirming and joyful couple of weeks. Thanks AK09. If I'd have had more money (or more space on Mr Mastercard) I would have tried to stuff more shows in.

#4 Go to a concert
One of the things I went to was Besser and Bravura a Twilight Music concert. I didn't have a clue what I was going to , only that it would fill in the time between work and a late night show nicely. Little did I know that it would be very affecting. A group of musicians (minus one who was off with his wife while she had their baby) including the composer playing various compositions. I loved the Tangiers one (world premier!) and Turn (?). One hour was over very quickly.

#36 Spend a night on Tiritiri Matangi Island
I haven't managed to spend a night on Tiritiri Matangi Island but I did finally get there. Tyla and I spent a nice sunny sunday wandering around the island. (saw two ex-workmates there - who'da thunk it??) I think the spaces are usually used for researchers so maybe sometime during the holidays? (Do researchers get holidays?)

* From the ARC website

Bees is a useless pet

#20 Learn 10 poems by heart

Another one learnt - Erebus voices by Bill Manhire. I can't quite crack the voice though. Should they be different? Should I rasp on the first half? still experimenting.

Updated 6/12/2012 : title from Preserve us from The Good Life

due to a wrinkle of the rules

#34 Attend a music at the zoo concert

On a slightly cloudy and very humid night, I, irkstyle, did attend a Zoo Music concert. Hot, sweaty, covered in sunscreen and anti-insect spray I made my camp behind the stage along a pathway. There were a lot more people than I was expecting and they had all arrived before me. I was by the generator but the performers all played so loudly that it didn't matter AND my spot was really close to the coffee bar. Score!

I missed a lot of Paul Ubana Jones' set unfortunately because he was teh awesome. Jangly, foot tapping guitar music with rolling, repeating themes.

Nathan Haines and his band were next up. Liked it all and especially enjoyed two tracks - one with tenor saxophone (something about memories or memphis or twilight?) and one with a flute (can't remember anything else about this one unfortunately.) (When I was in school he was my inspiration for learning the saxophone - anything was possible. Except for the fact that I was never going to be anything but slightly above average and that was only because I had years of piano under my belt so could transpose on the fly.)

Last up was Hollie Smith. I wasn't sure how I would like this and unfortunately I wasn't in the mood for her particular brand of music - maybe if I'd had a couple glasses wine I'd have been a bit more mellow. No worries though, I skipped out into the zoo to have a look around. Most of the animals were locked away but I did see a turtle and a small alligator swishing its way along the tiny river in the enclosure.

Overall a good night out. Lots of people were enjoying themselves - eating, playing poker, drinking, listening to the music.

Dinner was delicious - salmon salad, fruit salad, a chocolate bar plus coffee and a lemon lime drink.

he says okey dokey *

# 29 Learn basic Spanish
I've enrolled in a community education course to learn basic spanish. We reached the limit of my spanish in one evening. eek! still can't spell the words properly.

#34 Attend a music at the zoo concert
Have booked my ticket. couldn't find anyone to go with so am going by myself. Planning menu soon.

#39 '26 things' Flickr challenge
Completed this. It's no longer based off Flickr although that's where the majority of people save their photos. I found out about it late then put it off so most of the photos are taken on the very last day of January 2009. Most of the time I like my idea but not the execution so much. Favs - in the distance, twin, different, everything.

#66 Attend some festival events - arts, literature, movies etc
The Auckland Festival is coming up and I have booked/will be booking for 5 shows. go me! I have dance, circus, theatre, circus and theatre in my list. no opera. (not my bag baby.)

* Supernatural

a smile forming on his face

success! a tiny bit of progress...

#19 Read all of Jane Austen

"Emma" Is it just me or is that girl a silly cow who gets more than she deserves? (a bit like the Shopaholic bint although it does make a nice change from the fairytale plain unassuming girl gets the guy.)

Sweet baby cheeses! *

Well, I've only got myself to blame. I've done most of the easy ones and am now onto the longer term tasks which take a lot of time and effort to do. Or maybe it's just me?

I've continued to cook/bake through #35, the Edmonds cookbook. Trouble is that I'm now repeating recipes because they are 1. easy. 2. tasty. I need to get onto something different!

I need to buy two new tyres for #13 and #85.

This all conflicts with #41 and #52. *sigh*

Never mind. At least I'm still ticking along with this...

* nicked from Moata

Collision of human relationships in a totalitarian society

#56 Go vegetarian for a month
Completed. I had a steak and cheese pie for breakfast. 'nuff said.

I want them to suffer the same marrow-level dread of the oceanic

#56 Go vegetarian for a month How's it been so far? The first week I was anxious and HUNGRY all the time. The second week I started to feel great. I've got heaps of energy now - not that I'm doing anything with it and the adrenaline rush may have more to do with the action movies I've overdosed on than anything else. My skin has cleared up too which I'm really really surprised about. I haven't stopped drinking (estimate 1/10 intake is alcohol) or eating dairy (at the beginning this was probably 3/5 intake but now 4/10) and I've taken up with chocolate. I was at an event yesterday where someone asked one of the authors "You said that you should only eat food that is recognisable as food - what about lentils?" Haha! That's how I feel about them although as it turns out the author meant things like Twinkies and processed foods not beans and pulses. A lot of my diet consists of pasta and cheese. I've made lasagne and soup and eaten a packet of those plant-protein fake-sausages. I've eaten chips and chocolate but I feel great. Go figure.
It's not always easy I've found. Lunch was included in the event yesterday. Salmon for the entree - I ate the sprig of watercress garnish and the bread roll. Then I had the mashed kumara and spinach for the main leaving the lamb on the plate. Thank the gods for a pinot noir and dessert - nothing like a sugar rush rounded off by a good hit of caffeine.

Which of you is the least important? WHICH OF YOU IS THE LEAST IMPORTANT? *

#56 Go vegetarian for a month
September is the month! So far so good (1 day in and I'm not desperate yet.) (Funnily enough it's also NZ Book Month which is all about 'taste sensations' in books.) Why September? Well, I was running out of meat in the freezer and it occured to me that instead of buying more I could just eat what I had and then look to veges. Someone asked me "why?" The easy answer of course is that it's on the list. The slightly longer answer is that I have friends who are vegetarian and I thought it might be interesting to eat like that for a while. It's really more of an intellectual experiment rather than a moral or ethical one. Lucky it's a damn tasty one ay? :)

* dalek from Dr Who

Mahe Drysdale you're an inspiration

#53 Make homemade soup
Made soup - bacon bones, soup mix (pearl barley, lentils, peas etc) celery, onion, grated kumara, grated potato, water. Throw it all in a pot, boil, then simmer for a couple hours. Was a success - my lunch guest had two platefuls. Easy peasy. The closest to baking in cooking that I've found (where you combine ingredients then leave them alone for a while. )

#13 Cycle 'around' New Zealand
Bike has a flat tye and I have misplaced my cycle kit. Excuses excuses. Silly!