Habit forming

Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do. - Shaquille O'Neal

I was hoping for a more noted scholar than Shaq to make my point but most quotes on habits are about breaking bad habits. Which I've had less success with over the past 240 days than establishing some good ones. That I am going to highlight here.

#30 - Change sheets 143 times. The 143 times breaks down to once per week for the 1001 days and I'm 34 weeks in. So with 17 sheet changes I'm a little over 50%. That is accounted for by a slack period around May & June. But I've got a streak of 15 weeks going at the moment.

This lets me talk about Remember The Milk which is a fantastic online task manager. I started using it at the end of June and it has really affected my life positively. I use it to implement Getting Things Done and I've had pretty good success. Just writing down a task really motivates me to check it off - this is how I managed to eat breakfast almost every day for the past two months. I've also got all my cleaning tasks (like the sheets) on a repeating schedule so they don't all pile up. Rather than feeling hyper-scheduled I actually feel in control - in a rhythm. As you know I had been attempting GTD for awhile now, but I've finally found a system that clicks.

#31 - Weekly reviews. One thing that has helped the GTD is getting into the weekly review habit. Again I wanted to do 143 of these, and I slacked for a good long while. But again I'm in a new rhythm: streak of 14 for a total of 20. Which is a bit over 50%. That gap will close - every Monday I take two hours - I empty the inbox, plan out tasks for the week, decide on new projects to tackle - like which of these 101 items to move out of "Someday/Maybe" and into active status. It is a great opportunity to re-evaluate my commitments.

#67 - Contacts. I have disposable contacts which should be replaced every two weeks. I've never been really consistent about replacing them on a schedule. Sometimes (like many other things in my life) I let it slide. But again thanks to RTM, GTD, and TIM - streak of 8, total of 12 out of the expected 17. Not too bad.

#81 - Leave the house. I've managed to be pretty good about this one. Since I started keeping records on July 1st, I've only missed three days out of the 101 days since then. And maybe one or two days before that - so I'm calling it 5 missed days for the 239 days so far. Now you might say going to work makes this an easy task to do - but I was unemployed for a month - this task really helped me mentally. Also, it is nice to have a "gimmie" task occasionally.

I won't focus on the items I haven't been keeping up with. Check out the updated list and you'll see them enough. Today is Positive Encouragement Day at The Ballpark.

Update: Not sure why I didn't notice this straight off, but Shaq is paraphrasing Aristotle. More Shaq-love on the ancient Greeks: "Our offense is like the Pythagorean Theorem: There is no answer!"

End of Post Period P-U-R-E-U-D Period.

#61 - Most important meal of the day

A lot of this list was designed to get me into new habits. Well, I'm proud to report that I have ingrained the breakfast habit. Now, occasionally it is simply a banana when I am running late for work (might have to make bounce out of bed New Habit #2). But that is better than the handful of cookies I used to have or not having anything at all.

I've been on the breakfast train for about two months now and it feels good.

I'm also eating healthier overall and exercising more. Found some good non-HFCS cereal and joined a physical fitness program.

The next couple posts will be some positive updates to a few of the new habits I've instilled.

#100 - September Netflix

List of Netflix for September - so I can count them towards total.

Blue Velvet - Weird-ass movie. Laura Dern is kind of hot. Does make me want to see more David Lynch though.

Spellbound - Documentay about 8 kids competing in the National Spelling Bee. Interesting to watch - the kids are fascinating and the parents are fun to watch as well. Surprisingly none of the parents seem hyper-competitive. Mostly the kids push themselves. And you want them all to win.

Windtalkers - Pretty good war movie. Not a lot of depth, but nicely done battle scenes.

The Hours (Oscar) - Good Oscar pick though I'm not sure Nicole Kidman was that good (other than make-up). The character I really remember was Ed Harris as the gay friend of Meryl Streep.

The Thin Red Line - Didn't like this one too much. Set in the American invasion of Guadalcanal during WWII it was a very slow-moving and very mystical. Which just didn't work for me. Also, it is a big ensemble piece and hard to keep track of everybody. Though bits of it are memorable and I think some performances like John Cusack's and Nick Nolte were really good.

Adaptation - Mind-bender about a screenwriter who writes himself into his screenplay while trying to adapt an un-adaptable book. Pretty good and more brilliant writing from Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind).

Monster (Oscar) - Charlize Theron as a female serial killer. Definitely created a character you won't soon forget.

The Secret Lives of Dentists - An excellent little movie with Hope Davis and Campbell Scott.

American Splendor - Chronicle of the life (or lack of same) of Harvey Pekar - creator and star of the underground comic American Splendor. Coincidentally another Hope Davis - great actress - movie. Good work by Paul Giamatti as Pekar, a depressed, frustrated little guy.

Election - Entertaining satire/dark comedy with Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon is perfect as a overachiever obsessed with winning student body president.

Also, since I don't want to write a separate post: Network which is an Oscar winner not through Netflix. Excellent movie, every time I see Faye Dunaway in a movie I remember that I had forgotten what a good actress she is - this, Bonnie & Clyde, Three Days of the Condor, The Thomas Crown Affair, etc. Oh, and Chinatown. William Holden is perfect as always, and the movie itself holds up well as a satire even though the infotainment complex of today has surpassed it in some respects.

FeedFliks is at $1.31 per movie over last 3 months.

#90 - WTF am I watching?

Round-up of some plays that I've seen over the past couple of months. Like I said before it has proven easy to see plays once I made a commitment.

Nerve - When I first committed to the list, I wanted to see some plays I dubbed "modern, arty, freaky". I wasn't entirely sure what that meant but figured I'd "know it when I see it". Well, after seeing Nerve by Adam Szymkowicz, I can tell you part of the MAF formula is wondering - "um, are these people going to have sex on stage right in front of me?" Luckily Nerve wasn't that freaky - all sex in the play takes place (loudly and graphically) offstage. You know - it is a family show, after all.

Not quite kid friendly but Nerve is a very funny, and very quirky play about two people on their first date after meeting online. It is pretty clear pretty quickly that the two (and only) characters - Susan and Elliott - are a couple sandwiches short of a picnic. Elliott is obsessive, neurotic, falls way too quickly for Susan, and at one point pulls out his puppet - and no - that is not a clever euphemism. There's a puppet. Susan is best described as "suicide-y". She cuts, still has many unresolved issues with her ex, and does interpretative dance of her emotions in her head. Which we the audience are treated to see. I told you this was modern.

But it totally works. The play itself is full of laughs, and the actors here (Colleen Backer and Charlie Barron) were great. If you have a chance to see Nerve then go. The play only runs an hour but it packs in a lot. This production was at Echo - a shoestring theater company here in St. Louis. In fact TL & I are going soon to Echo's next play - The Secretaries. About a "a murderous cult of Slim Fast drinking female office workers". Sounds like fun. :)

The Drowsy Chaperone This was another Stages St. Louis production. Same place as Little Shop of Horrors. I had never seen this one before either and again I was pleasantly surprised. Again, the acting was great and I liked the songs and the play-within-a-play-within-a-play setup worked for me. I liked how it all fit together and yes some of it was phony and artificial but it was supposed to be.

Doubt, A Parable - This was an awesome play. I had liked the movie with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman but this was better. I think it was because the play is sparser - i.e. no kids, just the 4 main characters, and no set changes. Also this was at the HotCity Theatre location which is very small and intimate. Man, that confrontation scene between Sister Aloysius (Kim Furlow) and Father Flynn (Jason Cannon - who directed too) is intense. And I think Furlow gave the Sister a dimension that Meryl did not - you got a sense of why she has such a stick up her ass. And it is a legitimate reason.

This was the first production of the Dramatic License Productions company. It will move out to the theatrically underserved West St. Louis County (my part of town). Looking forward to it.

Prodigal - My other criteria for "modern, arty, freaky" was imagining my parents watching the play and going What the F**k is this? Well for Prodigal I didn't have to imagine. We attended together this "Unprecedented Fusion of Movement, Music, and Media That Explores the Parable about Family and Self-Discovery". Or so said the subtitle. And my family's review (myself included) was indeed WTF! The whole thing was 90 minutes of dance, with no dialogue - and hence no character introduction, no exposition, and no resemblance that I saw to the Prodigal Son parable. I admit I didn't always know what the heck was going on. And it was very slow-moving. Very conceptual. Very pretentious to be honest.

Not that pretension is an entirely bad - I tend to be quite good at it myself. And the open air setting in Forest Park was pleasant. And I admit that dancing is a skill, even if it is not very bankable (see what I mean about my being pretentious & snide?).

If art is about provoking a reaction then I guess Prodigal succeeded.

Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom - Another HotCity production. Typically great. This one was about a suburban neighborhood (rows of houses that are all the same - to quote The Monkees). All the kids are playing this hot new game about zombies. The game's hook is that via satellite technology the zombie battleground is your neighborhood. The game is so absorbing that reality and game blur (maybe?), and the zombies start looking like (are?) your parents. When you destroy them in bloody fashion it is only a game (right?)

This was a really simple play (much like Doubt) with only 4 players and 1 set. Though each actor plays multiple parts here. I really liked Maggie Conroy as "Girl Type".

As those noted philosophers continued - "Mothers complain about how hard life is and the kids just don't understand". That is true in Neighborhood 3 - at least until the Final Level - but then understanding comes too late.

Guys and Dolls - Finished out the season subscription at Stages St. Louis with this classic. First time seeing this on stage - of course have seen the Brando/Sinatra movie. Excellently executed production - good songs - I love Nicely Nicely and Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat. Not much to report otherwise. Except for definitely renewing the Stages subscription next year.

BTW - I bumped the MAF category to 5 total since I'm up to 2 already.

#95 - Non-fiction Roundup

Slapdash post to log the reading:

4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.

Man Who Walked Through Time by Colin Fletcher.

Healthcare, Guaranteed by Ezekiel Emanuel

The Bike to Work Guide: What You Need to Know to Save Gas, Go Green, Get Fit by Roni Sarig and Paul Dorn

#94 - Bradbury, Bruno, a Bird, a Bomb, and a Fat Lady - Fiction Roundup

Round-up of Fiction read:

The Toynbee Convector by Ray Bradbury - Collection of stories from a grandmaster of fantasy. A good read if you are a fan of his work. Given my non-TV watching lifestyle now, I've been thinking more and more about his story The Pedestrian (which is not in Toynbee). I'm including this incredibly interesting video of his so that I can find it later.



The Question of Bruno by Aleksander Hemon. A very good collection of stories from a Bosnian-American writer. Doesn't count as foreign language, but the semi-linked stories in the collection do have a non-American viewpoint. "The Coin", about living in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War in the 90s is a very powerful story and my favorite of the collection.

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. The newly created revival movie theater here in St. Louis was showing the 1941 film noir classic. And so I decided to read the book. Movie and book track pretty closely, so if you love the movie - and really how can you not? - book is good. I can't decide if I like Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe better but since they are essentially the same person and both have been portrayed by Bogart, maybe it doesn't matter.

Since my jobless flu made me miss going to Austin for Lawrence of Arabia I'm going to see if I can get the revival house to play it - but they are booked for a few months, so fingers crossed. By revival house, it is simply Crestwood Mall theater playing old movies on Tuesdays but beggars can't be choosers.

One Second After by William Forstchen. A policy paper disguised as a page-turner. About the aftermath of a devastating attack on America via an electromagnetic pulse. The novel centered on the survival struggle of the small town of Black Mountain, North Carolina. The novel greatly details the problems of a post-electronics age. As the novel makes clear - we go from 2009 to 1809 except that people in 1809 had an idea how to survive in 1809. Points out the current lack of preparedness - of individuals, communities, and the government. Makes me think about my own readiness - for any disaster - man-made or otherwise. Sarah Connor bag here I come.

Definitely a good read. 1 of 4 books in my lifetime that I had to read cover to cover in one sitting. Two of the many sobering thoughts in the book: Just-in-time inventory in supermarkets works great when the trucks are running. Also, what happens 30 days after an event when our Prozac Nation can't get its meds?

Franny & Zooey by J.D. Salinger. Other than saying that this was well-written and Salinger can really turn a phrase, my only other comment will be how odd life is. I read this book right before the big dust-up where Salinger sued about the unauthorized sequel to Catcher in The Rye. And Stephen Colbert did a whole bit on it and having read this I got the jokes I would have otherwise missed. Of course this is probably just confirmation bias, but it is my bias so naturally it is accurate.

So, at 200 days, way behind on fiction. Must do something about that to catch up. Maybe I'll start reading children's books.

#93 - Not from Netflix Oscars

Roundup of Oscar winning pictures not seen via Netflix.

1) Children of a Lesser God - Marlee Matlin and William Hurt, two always excellent actors. Why do we often find it necessary to change in people we love the very thing that attracted us to them in the first place? Or more generally why do we assume our version of happiness is the correct one?
2) Rocky - Amazingly, although I've seen most of the sequels, this was my first time seeing the original. It is good, I found especially touching and well-done the scene when Rocky confides to Adrian the realization that he can't beat Apollo Creed, but just wants to go the distance. Sometimes that is victory enough.
3) King & I - Enjoyable music, Yul Brynner excellent as the king, etcetera, etcetera.
4) The Greatest Show on Earth - Often characterized as Worst. Best Picture. Ever. However I enjoyed it. Now - it is one big commercial for the circus, and the characters and situations tend to melodrama but pulling all the people, animals, and action together does deserve some recognition. I think the comparison in the modern era is Titanic which I feel won primarily because of size and scope and box office. Against smaller, and I thought better written movies like LA Confidential and Good Will Hunting.

#100 - Netflix movies

Before I dive into my list - a bit of a news update: During the month of July I caught a bout of unemployment but as of August 10th I am feeling much better. I'll have more to say later about my 49 days without cash flow and how it has affected this list. In one positive note, it freed me up to watch more movies! So here is the recap of the movies I've watched from Netflix since Wendy & Lucy and The Player.

1) There Will Be Blood (Oscar) - Every time I drink a milkshake I will think of this movie.
2) Million Dollar Baby (Oscar) - Every time I am getting beat up by a girl I will think of this movie.
3) Borat - Oh, yes - very nice. I can't believe Sasha Baron Cohen isn't still in jail for some of this.
4) The Fog of War - Brilliant documentary about Robert McNamara - Secretary of Defense during most of the Sixties.
5) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Oscar) - I do love Jack Nicholson in the 1970s.
6) I.O.U.S.A. - Man, and I thought I was in debt. I'm running for President in 2016 on the "America Needs a Buffer" platform.
7) Rebel Without a Cause - "You were just too cool for school. Sock hop, soda pop, basketball and auto shop, The only thing that got you off was breakin' all the rules." To quote the Eagles.
8) 8 Mile - Sucked to be Eminem before he was Eminem.
9) Nowhere in Africa (Foreign) - Jewish family flees Germany for Africa during the 30s. Very nice film about all three of them (mother, father, daughter) adapting to their new environment. Each has their own story arc, own issues to deal with, and own failings as people. Felt very real and was very engrossing.
10) Sunset Boulevard - "There's nothing tragic about being fifty. Not unless you're trying to be twenty-five." So true.
11) Inglorious Bastards (the 1970s' original - not the new Tarantino) - While definitely a B-movie, there was enough there that I was hoping Quentin would just update it and make it better. But he went off in his own direction, so other than title the two movies bear no resemblance. Honestly I was disappointed in the newer version.
12) Rope - Interestingly shot. Bit dated like most Hitchcock is now. But like Psycho able to be appreciated as an art form.
13) Capote (Oscar) - Philip Seymour Hoffman has come a long way from being the fat guy in Boogie Nights.
14) Children of Heaven (Foreign) - A really cute Persian (Iranian) film about two little kids in Tehran who lose a pair of shoes and fearing parental reprisal devise various methods to avoid getting caught.
15) Sexy Beast - A weird and violent movie starring Ben Kingsley. It is odd hearing Gandhi drop an f-bomb every couple of minutes.
16) Walk the Line (Oscar) - I love Johnny Cash. For my next 101 list I am going to shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die. Or perhaps I'll just read his autobiography for one of my non-fictions. Haven't decided yet.
17) The House Bunny - Completely generic and formulaic, not terribly funny either.
18) The Bicycle Thief (Foreign) - Very powerful movie. I could kind of relate while watching this during my unemployment. Obviously the main character was much worse off than I was. But it is interesting to meditate that morality is occasionally an unaffordable luxury.
19) The Full Monty - Another, by coincidence, unemployment movie. Though in this case dignity is the unaffordable luxury.
20) Dog Day Afternoon - Pacino at the top of his game.
21) Schindler's List (Oscar)- I can't think of anything to say about this movie that doesn't sound trite considering the subject matter. Just it is worth the time and emotional investment.
22) Rabbit-Proof Fence - Being from Australia this could be considered a not from Hollywood film but since I am on track with #97, I'll choose not to count it. So I guess the new rule for #97 is subtitles. Though I did have the subtitles on for The Full Monty due to accent difficulties, but there is a difference. For the film itself, it is a good movie, about the 1930s paternalistic policy of removing half-Aboriginal children from their families and integrating them into white society. Three of those children escape and walk the 1500 miles back to their home.
23) The Good Thief - Good performance by Nick Nolte.
24) Black Hawk Down - I'd last about 3 seconds in combat. Provided I got a 2 second head start.
25) The English Patient (Oscar) - Very slow to get going, but it picked up about an hour in.
26) K-19: The Widowmaker - speaking of accent difficulties see Harrison Ford as an occasionally Russian submarine captain.
27) The Cider House Rules - Michael Caine is always good. The movie does kind of meander.
28) To Kill a Mockingbird (Oscar) - Although Gregory Peck creates a great character as Atticus Finch, something about this movie bugged me, and Roger Ebert helped me put my finger on it. It is so paternalistic towards African-Americans. It displays them as completely passive, even when Bob Ewell, who falsely accused Tom Robinson of rape, comes up to the Robinson house. Just as Atticus is telling Robinson's wife that Tom was killed while escaping prison, Ewell tries to start a fight with Atticus. The 10 or so black men gathered on the porch simply stand there. I don't know that would happen, even in 1932 Alabama. But anyway, I think the movie reflects an early 1960s idea of the white liberal helping the black man to advance, but on the timetable of the white liberal. See Rabbit-Proof Fence above for where this concept leads. To quote Dr. King: "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

Now before I get unwarranted credit for having the appropriate Dr. King quote at my fingertips, I will admit that by coincidence I just read Letter From Birmingham City Jail today. Just happened to be reprinted on a blog I frequent. It is beautiful. I think I might start a task to annually re-read important documents. Like the Declaration of Independence, Letter..., etc. Any suggestions?

So, those are the movies. I haven't updated the total with Cool Hand Luke, Wendy and Lucy, or The Player so adding the above and those 3 gives us a grand total to date of 51.

My goal is 600, and I am 200 days into the project - so I am at half of my required pace. Which is a bit of an ice bath. But I knew 600 was a big goal. And a bit unrealistic. But I'm not going to revise it yet. I want to see what the next 100 days bring. I unplugged my cable TV and have been TV free for about 3 or 4 weeks now. And so I'm relying on Netflix as my primary form of entertainment. Meaning the movies have been going in and out more regularly. I've dropped my cost per disc down to $1.76 apiece (for the last 3 months). This is according to feedfliks.com. I think this is the important metric for #100. And why I put it on the list in the first place, because I wasn't getting my money's worth. Now I feel I am.

#43 - First 100 days - a small update

Small post to get some time and facts straight. My little project here started on February 13th 2009 at 12:01a. So my first 100 days ended on Saturday May 23rd at 11:59. Meaning my second 100 days runs from the 24th through the 31st of August (inclusive).

I wanted to do a big 100 day wrap-up post but this is getting posted almost a month late so I'll skip it. I'll just say I have a generally positive overview of the first 100 days. I know what I did right, think I know what went wrong and I've got plans to do better.

Overall, I think I'm on track - no brutal flame-out yet.

#100 - Wendy and Lucy / The Player

Alert: This review contains spoilers, sorry - can't make my point without it. Just go rent Wendy & Lucy (definitely) and then The Player (if you like movie industry satire w/ lots of in jokes - I did) and skip the rest.

Two Netflix movies for short review that have an interesting connection. First is The Player - a Robert Altman directed film from 1992 starring Tim Robbins as studio exec Griffin Mills. It is a well-done satire about the movie industry, full of inside jokes and cameos. So full of cameos that a couple times I mistakenly thought someone was playing themselves when in fact they were playing a character. It also has a very good film noir undertone so I have to recommend it.

The main thrust of the Hollywood satire is about how filmmakers compromise their artistic vision. A movie vision starts out defined as "No stars, real life, no happy ending", but ends with a movie featuring big stars, corny dialogue, and an off-into-the-sunset ending.

Which brings me to Wendy and Lucy which is a movie that would never get made under the Griffin Mills system. Michelle Williams portrays a financially strained woman on a cross-country trek who experiences various tragedies. As most reviewers put it, it is a story about living right on the edge of the economic abyss. The movie begins really in the middle of Wendy's story - we don't know what she is running from or what happened before she arrives in the Oregon town where her car breaks down and her dog Lucy is lost. And the end of the movie is not a resolution of anything at all. Indeed the ending totally surprised me, and in one sense I felt cheated but as I thought later - it worked. Life is messy and nothing ever really gets wrapped up.

And it is a movie that sticks with you. My estimation of the movie has gone up since I watched it. For example and here is the spoiler for those not heeding my earlier warning - in the middle of the film - having no alternatives -Wendy sleeps out in the woods and is discovered by another homeless person. While ultimately this man does nothing more than frighten Wendy, this scene resonated for me because a) Michelle Williams does a fine job of conveying terror, anxiety, and then cathartic relief and b) I realized later that given Wendy's financial predicament being raped in the woods would be less terrible than being robbed. And that realization sent such a shiver down my spine that my sympathy for the character increased immeasurably.

So, here's to all the movies that get made in spite of the Griffin Mills of the world. Thank you for the ambiguity, for the non-happy endings, for making me think. It might hurt - but it is an ice-cream headache - I'll forget about it and want more later.

#100 - Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke. Absolut Classic. Paul Newman is awesome, so is George Kennedy. Can't believe I hadn't seen the whole thing until now. Required movie viewing.

Favorite quote which I hope to be able to work into a conversation one day: Calling it your job don't make it right, Boss.

There isn't much to say about the movie that I can express in words. See it if you haven't, watch it again if you have.

#90 - Little Shop of Horrors

June 13th - Saw Little Shop of Horrors with TL at Stages. Had never seen it (or the movie) before. Funny, campy, though not out there enough to count as my freaky play. Good performances by all the principals, plus great puppetry and design of the man-eating plant. Catchy Motown-ie songs, and I liked the "greek chorus" of Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronette. Three very talented singers - it was cute, very evocative of the Supremes, et. al. I'd be curious to know how much of a 2009 audience gets the in-joke contained in those names.

BTW, I have decided to revamp #90 a tad - now it is: See 25 plays – all non Shakespeare, at least 15 non-musical, at least three modern/arty/freaky. For one thing, in the first 100 days I had already seen 3 plays out of my original goal of 5 non-musical plays. I've realized seeing plays is easy once you commit to it and know what is playing. So, I'm upping the ante. And while I still want to see more non-musical than musicals (since I feel a dearth of play-watching in my theatre history), totally neglecting musical productions is not the way to go. The last thing I want to do is incentivize not seeing something because it won't count towards the list.

#100 - Spartan

Entertaining movie - Written & directed by David Mamet, starring Val Kilmer. Concerns a government operative tasked to retrieve the President's daughter when she goes missing. As with many Mamets there are a few twists though I agree with others who think the last third of the film is rather conventional. I'd recommend watching other Mamet written movies before renting this. Glengarry Glen Ross, of course. I personally liked The Spanish Prisioner as well. There are probably others I can't think of immediately.

#94 - Angels & Demons

Fiction Review: Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. The movie came out in May and I thought I'd read the book prior to seeing the movie. I haven't seen the movie as of this writing though I predict that as usual it won't be better than the book. Exception: Jaws - wonderful movie, book was a mess of extraneous subplots - I just want a big shark destroying everything in its path - that is it.

On that level Angels & Demons doesn't disappoint - here the Big Shark is The Illuminati - granddaddy of all secret societies. And a couple of twists kept me engrossed throughout the book. Although I personally enjoyed The Da Vinci Code more, I can recommend Angels & Demons. If you liked The Da Vinci Code then you'll like Angels & Demons. It certainly isn't great literature but it is well-plotted and has some good cat-and-mouse moments.

The characters are pretty one-dimensional but that is OK for this type of book. I also find myself simultaneously attracted and repulsed by Brown's use of the overly omniscient narrator. He has a habit of ending a chapter with a main character making a declarative statement - and then the narrator chimes in with - "Little did he know how right (or wrong) he was." Or some variation thereof that allows the reader a peek ahead to future events - though with imperfect information such that the reader is intentionally misdirected. Used judiciously it is an effective hook, but after awhile it got old.

But anyway it is a breezy read, and a good break from my failed attempts at reading weighty tomes (Moby Dick, Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver, etc.).

#95 - Put Your Life On a Diet

Non-Fiction Review: Put Your Life On a Diet by Gregory Paul Johnson. The subtitle of this book is Lessons Learned from Living in 140 Square Feet. It traces the author's experience living inside a tiny cabin as his primary residence. I was a bit disappointed initially because I expected a technical book of tips on living small. This is not really that book. It is more of a meditation on the why of living small. Which I realize now a better place to start for anyone who wants to simplify their lives. It provoked a lot of stimulating, positive thoughts in me about what I can do to minimize my environmental footprint. And whether I am making responsible choices (hint: I'm not).

Currently, I'm starting small - recycling, reusable grocery bags, etc. I certainly can do more, but at least I'm beginning to think about these things, rather than simply consuming without regard for how my consumerism affects both me and others. It is a journey and a continuum. I mean, I'm never going to advocate the destruction of modern society. There will always be someone "greener" than me. And there are many areas of my life I haven't even considered. I mean I do drive a V8 Mustang. But as new decisions arise, I can make responsible, sustainable choices, mindful of long-term consequences.

I don't think I could ever go as extreme as Johnson - I think no running water might be a deal breaker for me - at least after the novelty wore off. But, I've started questioning the amount of "stuff" I have - and whether it is truly useful or if it is weighing me down physically, emotionally, and mentally. One of my goals for my second 100 days is to do a complete inventory and take a first crack at minimization. As always, I am a work in progress.

Definitely check out the book.

Jekyll & Hyde - Omnibus MultiMedia Edition

I had intended this to be a much longer post but I'm only in a recappy mood. Jekyll & Hyde is a classic tale and so I don't have to explain it much. What I'll focus on is the various formats that I've encountered over the past few months.

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Read the book by Robert Louis Stevenson. I thought it was a good read. It does have kind of an odd narrative structure, but enjoyable on many levels.

Please permit a brief analysis: The novel is typically viewed as about dual/split personalities. Jekyll's stated goal is to create a better man in himself by excising all his evil. However what he does is free the evil which eventually dominates and subsumes the good. And so simply the novel is about how evil will triumph over good if given a window.

But how did that evil get there in the first place? There is always a dark side within Jekyll, especially when he was younger. Initially he views becoming Hyde as freeing, liberating. When Hyde, Jekyll doesn't need to restraint himself or conform. Hyde is almost an addiction for Jekyll. So perhaps it isn't Hyde who is evil but rather there is an evil Hyde persona that Jekyll puts on. It is really all Jekyll, finally becoming the person he wants to be. And then not liking the person he wanted to be. The novel's conflict is not Hyde v. Jekyll but Jekyll desperately trying to put the genie back into the lamp. I would argue that Jekyll would love to continue being Hyde - it is only when he realizes he can't control the transformation does Jekyll panic.

But enough analysis. For our multimedia adventure TL and I also watched the 1931 movie version of the book. It too was pretty good even if it deviated significantly from the book. Good special effects considering the era, and Frederic March got Best Actor for it. We also saw a theatrical version at the Repertory Theatre. This was not the musical version, but a straight play. It too was interesting and enjoyable - but again had minor deviations.

The biggest deviation we experienced was watching The Nutty Professor as part of Hyde Fest '09. I'm talking about the 1963 movie starring Jerry Lewis - not the Eddie Murphy one - though both obviously make the same point. Which is taking drastic measures to change who you are and then not really liking who you have become. In this case, Lewis' nerdy Professor Kelp becomes the smooth-talking, yet very obnoxious Buddy Love. I had never seen the Jerry Lewis version before, but I found it entertaining though somewhat dated. But I really did like the Buddy Love scenes - Lewis is perfect at being the coolest but rudest guy in the room. It makes you wonder if perhaps Lewis wasn't acting then.

Anyway, I enjoyed my multimedia experience and I might have to be on the look out for other opportunities to immerse myself into a world for awhile. For example, The Grapes of Wrath is on the Oscar List and I never read the book so I can do that. But two media is not multimedia, - I need to think bigger. Any Thoughts?

#90 - Cockeyed

Ah, breathe it in. That new play smell. Oh, sorry, forgot you don't have the iSmell which transmits odors over the Internet. Allow me to explain. Cockeyed by William Downs was last year's New Play Festival winner at Hot City Theatre. As part of winning, Hot City produces the play the following season. So, TL and I went a couple weeks ago to see what was essentially the World Premiere run.

And as with Glengarry Glen Ross, Hot City knows how to put on a good play. In this case, Cockeyed tells the story of a philosophy major office drone Phil, who has secret desires on Sophia, the office girl. Sophia never notices nice guys like Phil. Indeed Phil is invisible to her. Note, not practically invisible like I am to women. No, this is Sue Richards invisibility - Sophia can't see, hear, or talk to Phil, even when he is right in front of her. Which is a tad frustrating for Phil, but leads into some wonderful farcical moments for the audience.

Cockeyed is a funny farce and a sweet romantic comedy - can Phil make himself real to Sophia and convince her that meeting a nice guy is an option for her? But it also works on another level. Phil occasionally breaks the fourth wall with his philosophy major monologues - which aren't just Downs proving he can name-drop Plato and other philosophers. They are relevant to the story and force brief meditations on deeper questions of what it means to exist, to love, and to grow as a person.

The next New Play Festival occurs at the end of June. Some of them look interesting and I might go to a few of the staged readings. See the next big thing before it happens. Then I'll just be insufferably hip - well I know I'll have the insufferable part down at least. :) Later.

#92 - The Stranger

Fiction Capsule Review: The Stranger by Albert Camus. My first foreign language novel (French) was this Absurdism / Existentialism classic.

The plot concerns a young Frenchman, Meursault, living in Algiers who kills an Arab man - a stranger (get it?) to him - without any provocation. The major theme is (from SparkNotes):

After committing murder, Meursault struggles against society's attempts to manufacture and impose rational explanations for his attitudes and actions. This struggle is embodied by Meursault's battle with the legal system that prosecutes him.

I liked this book and Camus' absurdist philosophy. And on even-numbered days I tend to agree that there is something inherently irrational about the universe - at the very least it is indifferent to humanity / human suffering. And that it is futile to attempt imposing a rational order onto an irrational universe. With that in mind, Camus makes the case that life ultimately has no higher purpose or meaning.

Oddly this doesn't lead either Camus or his protagonist into despair but actually happiness. The inevitability of death leads to an acceptance of station and a resolution to be at peace rather than struggling against an indifferent, irrational universe.

Now like I said this resonates with me somewhat. But on odd-numbered days I do tend to see a certain logic and purpose and design to the universe. This is probably my math and science background coming into it. And latent Catholic school :) . Also, I am of, as they say, a melancholy disposition so thinking that life is ultimately meaningless all the time would a slippery slope of despair from which I could not recover.

Because if life is ultimately meaningless then why would I be doing this list? Why do anything? You'd be like a bug trapped in amber. Perhaps the universe doesn't care if I complete this list, but I care. I guess really I'm not struggling against the universe so much as struggling against myself.

Which, I think is where Camus and the Absurdist philosophy actually lands. Free from pleasing the universe/God, man is free to create his own meaning within himself. Well, crap, I guess I'll have to get on that.

Watch this space for updates.

#80 - Chubb Trail

The Saturday before Memorial Day, TL and I went out on the Chubb Trail (map). This is a 6.5 mile one-way hike that runs between Lone Elk Park and West Tyson County Park. It was a good hike, though it was kind of buggy down by the river. It is a nicely maintained trail, with decent signage. The only thing against it is that it is a one way trail, so you have to have two people with a car at both ends like we did or do a there-and-back. Which I don't recommend, well at least not for me, since we were both pretty sore after the hike.

Also included in the Chubb Trail section of the 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles book is the Castlewood Loop (yellow on linked map) which I did alone one weekend awhile ago. That is a pleasant 6 mile loop which is actually inside of Castlewood State Park but since it is across the Meramec River from the rest of Castlewood and there is no bridge, it is accessible only via the Chubb.

For our next hike, two things: remind TL to wear her hiking boots since she got blisters and I think I need a bigger daypack because my little hydration pack won't hold both a full day of food and rain gear. Luckily the left at home rain gear wasn't needed but I'd rather not take the risk. Though it isn't like I ever need an excuse to buy shiny new camping stuff.

#80 - Emmenegger Nature Park

I needed a quick win one weekend on this blog, so I went to Russell E. Emmenegger Nature Park which is relatively close to my house. It is a nice small park with a 1.5 mile loop trail. The trail itself is well-maintained and it does have some steep sections so it was good for a little exercise. It does have pleasant overlooks, though the view is mostly the Chrysler Auto Plant. But down off the top you walk along the river and you can easily forget how close to civilization you are.

I wasn't planning on it but I did the loop twice. After I got off the trail I was approached by a woman who was looking for her friends. It seems someone else had found the friend's keys and cellphone at the park and called this woman @ the # in the phone. The woman came out from the city to retrieve the phone. Luckily I knew who she was talking about having passed them on the trail. So, I took her to the trail head and pointed her clockwise on the loop since her friends were on the western side of the trail when I overtook them.

But after I went back to my car I felt a bit guilty about leaving a woman wearing flats all alone in the wilds of Kirkwood, so I walked back and decided to go counterclockwise along the trail (as I had the first time) in case the friends weren't following the guidebook and they were traveling clockwise. I could intercept and hold them up for the woman with the keys to catch up.

As it turns out the friends were traveling clockwise, so we crossed paths again. But the keys were already retrieved. So with my wilderness guide skills no longer needed I continued counterclockwise.

Emmenegger trail - the trail so nice I did it twice!

#95 - Ready For Anything

Non-Fiction Capsule Review: Ready for Anything by David Allen. This book is a follow-up to Allen's Getting Things Done, which for the unfamiliar is a time management / productivity guide. I've been attempting GTD for about six months now. I've had some success with it. It certainly has helped with paperwork and filing. Before I bought my filing cabinet I had a year's worth of unopened mail in a cardboard box. Now I process things as they come into my inbox. And Allen's suggestion of a tickler file has come in very handy as well.

My GTD failings come in completing my "next actions" in a timely fashion and sticking to a weekly review schedule (hence #31 which unfortunately I am way behind on). So, it is a work in progress. But I can recommend GTD anyone interested in getting organized.

Unfortunately my recommendation can't extend to his second book Ready for Anything. It is pretty much a repackaging of blog posts and newsletter articles. Ready for Anything is well-written but being a technical geek, the detailed implementation and informative how-tos of the Getting Things Done book appealed to me more.

His third book, Making It All Work, is on the list at some point. Note that one thing I didn't attempt with Ready for Anything was seriously contemplating the discussion questions for each chapter. So, if you do read it, try that - might have more of an impact.

#89 - The Merry Wives of Windsor

News Flash - Reading Shakespeare kills puppies and small children!

Well, not really. But close. I realized this emerging national health crisis while attending the annual Shakespeare in the Park festival here in St. Louis. TL, I, and my parental units went on June 1st. I now have gone 7 out of the 9 seasons. It is always a good time sitting in Forest Park, out under the stars, relaxing and watching Shakespeare.

And that is the important word - watching. I'm convinced now more than ever that the only way to appreciate Shakespeare is to watch it (hopefully live on stage but movies are OK too). Just reading the dry words on the page is not enough. For example, during this year's production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, a character says the exact same line twice. But the actor's changes in inflection, action, and emphasis made the two lines completely different - and hence comedic.

I will say one thing about Shakespeare that is a bit of a downer - I think that language, culture, and slang changes over 400 years have stripped his comedies of some (though not all) of its crowd-pleasing nature. Which is why I personally like watching the tragedies over the comedies - I think they hold up better.

Though, I must say, watching a big fat guy dress up as a woman to escape an irate husband - now that is timeless.

#97 - Infernal Affairs

No I didn't misspell the title. It is indeed Infernal as in heat. Infernal Affairs is a 2002 Hong Kong film that was the basis for the 2006 Oscar winning film The Departed. The movies tell the same story though Infernal Affairs is much shorter and stripped down. The Departed has a couple of sub-plots that I realize now are extraneous. And viewing this movie strengthens my conviction that Scorsese's Best Director was really a (richly deserved) Lifetime Achievement Award.

But back to the original. If you have seen The Departed, you know the story. Two moles, one inside the police working for the mob, one inside the mob working for the police. They play a thrilling cat-and-mouse each trying to discover the identity of the other without being found themselves.

Recommended if you liked The Departed and want to see the source. Or if you like Hong Kong cinema which I think this movie might lead me into. So, another victory for the Mind-Broadening List.

#93 - Oscar round-up

Another consolidation post: This time Oscar winners seen not via Netflix.

1) My Fair Lady - Rex Harrison, Audrey Hepburn - Said before but nice to see source material for so many other movies and TV. And the great Family Guy parody. It is kind of funny how Rex Harrison doesn't really sing so much as speak while there is music playing. Be warned - I was surprised at how long this movie is. But it is worth the investment. As I said with An American in Paris - I wish people spontaneously broke into song more often.

2) Born Yesterday - Judy Holliday, William Holden - A pretty lightweight film, but Judy Holliday does create a memorable character. William Holden is as good as he always is.

3) The Goodbye Girl - Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason - Neil Simon play turned movie. Pretty darn good. Best Actor for Richard Dreyfuss who I think deserves it. He has to play a variety of roles in the movie: struggling actor, guy forced into an odd living situation, an actor trapped in a bad play, a guy falling in love, a guy trying to get someone to fall for him, and others. And he does them all authentically and convincingly.

#93 - Lawrence of Arabia / Ben-Hur

Couple of special notes on two epic Oscar movies I saw recently. Both Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur are sprawling and expansive epics. Lawrence of Arabia I particularly loved. Must watch more Peter O'Toole films.

I wanted to highlight these films separately because they allow me to talk about one of my favorite cable channels: Turner Classic Movies. TCM shows movies the way they are intended - complete, uncut, no commercials. And that is how you need to watch movies of the scale and scope of Lawrence and Ben-Hur.

The other important thing about TCM is whenever possible they show widescreen (i.e. letterboxed) movies. I remember being ambivalent about letterboxing until I watched a short feature (on TCM come to think of it) about it. And the feature used both Lawrence and Ben-Hur to make the point about how much information is lost when panning and scanning a movie to fit a TV screen. And it is true. As someone said in the feature - when you pan and scan Lawrence of Arabia you lose the desert.

Now that I've seen it, I understand totally what he means. The desert is a character in the movie, much the same way the ship was a character in Titanic. The desert dwarfs everyone and everything around it - the sense of isolation, unforgiving heat, and unending expanse is intense.

I'm determined now to see Lawrence on a true movie screen. St. Louis doesn't have many revival houses except for some midnight shows at the Tivoli. So if I can, I might go to the Paramount Theatre in Austin in September. That would also take care of lucky #13 - visiting Austin.

#100 - Netflix movie round-up

In the interest of time, space, energy, and my fingers, I'm doing a massive movie consolidation post. This one will be all the Netflix movies that I watched but have yet to blog.

I realized that a) the intent of #43 is blogging about significant progress or completing an item. And b) if I don't have anything to intelligent to contribute about a movie then there is no sense in forcing myself to come up with something. I think this was the source of a lot of my procrastination. The psychic weight of writing something smart. Well, inspiration ain't striking so here goes (in roughly chronological order of viewing). Oscar winners are noted as well - those count for #93 as well.

1) Born on the 4th of July (Oscar) - Oliver Stone & Tom Cruise. Good performances. Thought Platoon was better. Puts a good spotlight on the continuing obligation we have to our servicemen and women after they are done fighting.

2) Last King of Scotland (Oscar) - Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy. Succeeds in giving a biographical sketch of Idi Amin and a general impression of Ugandan life during his dictatorship. Interesting topic for rumination: What made the U.S. so special that it was able to throw off a colonial oppressor and yet not go through the cycles of violence, corruption, and repression other countries experienced / continue to experience? On a lighter topic I think I have a small case of McAvoy fatigue.

3) Mystic River (Oscar). - Sean Penn & Tim Robbins - Directed by Clint Eastwood. Saw the ending coming but only because I was expecting a twist since it is written by Dennis Lehane who also wrote Gone, Baby, Gone which also has a twist. Good movie -worth renting

4) Leaving Las Vegas (Oscar) - Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue. Didn't care for this one too much. Nicolas Cage is basically just an asshole who drinks himself to death. Supports the "if you want an Oscar play either drunk, stupid, or crazy" theory. But I've crushed on Elisabeth Shue since Adventures in Babysitting so she is always nice to see.

5) Life is Beautiful (Oscar) - Roberto Benigini. Wonderful movie. By total coincidence I happened to watch it on Holocaust Remembrance Day (4/21). The first half of the movie is like a Mark Brothers' movie and then the second half works on multiple levels - it is funny, sad, poignant, uplifting, and depressing all at the same time. And the little kid's face when he sees the tank for the first time is priceless. Also counts for #97 as a not from Hollywood film.

6) The Queen (Oscar) - Helen Mirren. I thought this was pretty good. Helen Mirren did a brilliant job of showing the wonderment of the queen at the massive outpouring of grief at Princess Diana's death. And it was engrossing to watch her struggle with her natural inclination to keep things private and in the family and the public's need for her to make a statement and grieve with them. Equally engrossing was watching Tony Blair try to bring Elizabeth around to making that statement and essentially trying to save the monarchy - even against the advice of his advisers and wife. Michael Sheen, who played Blair, is becoming one of my favorite actors. He has such a natural quality to his acting. He was also great as David Frost in Frost/Nixon.

7) Erin Brockovich (Oscar) - Julie Roberts, Albert Finney. Pretty good. I thought Julia Roberts did create an indelible screen character, one who is fully three-dimensional (and not just in a "They are called boobs, Ed" push-up bra third dimension - though they are definitely present - but I digress). It is hard to forget some of her scenes, especially when she is playing off of Finney. If you rent it be sure and watched the deleted scenes w/ Soderbergh's commentary. It added some dimension and side stories that aren't in main movie. And Soderbergh's comments are almost a film class in editing.

8) Taxi Driver - Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Martin Scorsese. A 1970s classic which I hadn't seen until now. It is grim and dark, but compelling. I think I need to bump more early De Niro / Scorsese up on the Netflix queue (Mean Streets, Raging Bull, King of Comedy).

9) Strangers on a Train - Farley Granger, Robert Walker. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Classic Hitchcock. Holds up OK, and it is interesting to watch the source material of so many other movies and TV show plots. Apparently they are remaking this. I have no information or particulars. But I think it might be interesting to do a "teen" version of this. A high school kind of thing, starring - well I don't know - it would have to be someone who could act rather than just be cute. Cillian Murphy would be good in the Robert Walker role though obviously he isn't a teen.

10) The Philadelphia Story (Oscar) - Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant. Cute classic movie and I love Cary Grant. Jimmy Stewart won the Best Actor for this, and it is an odd movie to win an award for. It is kind of lightweight and Stewart's role doesn't have much weight to it. I tend to agree w/ Stewart himself that it was a delayed award for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

11) The Way of the Gun - Ryan Phillippe, Benecio del Toro, James Caan. An odd little movie, from the guy who wrote The Usual Suspects. Kind of bloody towards the end. I agree with the critic who said it wanted to be a Peckinpah but didn't quite make it. James Caan is good though.

That's the round-up. Hope you are still awake.

#96 - Let It Bleed

You can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes - you get a near-perfect album. That is at least my opinion of Let It Bleed, a 1969 album by The Rolling Stones. I happen to be a very big Stones fan and personally I think this is a better album than Exile on Main Street. Yeah, I said it - meet me in the alley with a turntable and pair of headphones if you want to do anything about it.

Couple of album highlights to make my case: The aforementioned "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Then "Gimme Shelter" and "Midnight Rambler". So that is 3 instantly classic Stones songs. Then the title song which simply rocks. Plus you get a great cover (second only to Clapton's) of the Robert Johnson beauty "Love In Vain". Add on the hidden gem of "You Got the Silver" which is a wonderful love song sung by - get this - Keith Richards. BTW he does a great job on this song in the Shine a Light concert film - a must see for Stones fans.

There is also a nice country take on "Honky Tonk Women". And other two songs are "Monkey Man" and "Live With Me", both good songs even if not hits.

So, while far less ambitious in scope than Exile, Let It Bleed was a #1 album for a reason and for me it is definitely a Desert Island Disc.

#97 - 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 days

Warning! Subtitles Ahead! The point of #97 is to expose myself to film from outside my comfort area. And since I've never been to Romania, my first foreign film pick 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days was an excellent choice.

The movie traces the efforts of two college girls in Romania who are trying to obtain an illegal abortion for one of them. This takes place in 1987 when Romania was still under Communist rule. Needless to say it isn't easy. First, there is coming up with the money, then finding and paying for a hotel - where comings and goings are closely & governmentally monitored. After that there is the dealing with the "doctor" - who, among other things, demands sex from both girls. Not to mention undergoing surgery in a flea bag hotel. Plus, the guy simply does the procedure and leaves. Leaving the girls to deal with the delivery (which could take up to 24 hours) and disposal of the aborted fetus. As well as any possible medical complications that could arise.

Not exactly fun family fare, but I can see why it ended up on many critics' Top 10 of 2007 lists. And why it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. It is an excellent movie. Other than the first Godfather I can't recall another movie which does not have a "I'm watching a movie" moment. You know where you get jarred out of your movie watching cocoon and your willing suspension of disbelief becomes unwilling - even if just for a moment.

That didn't happen here. Helped by some hand-held camera work the movie has almost a documentary feel. And I also credit some top-notch performances by the three principal actors - especially Vlad Ivanov as the abortionist.

Bottom line: Not for everyone, but if you can stand the subject matter, then it is well-made, well-written, and well-acted thought-provoking cinema. 5 TKs out of 5.

#43 - First 100 days - A special "Pre Update" Update

My first 100 days has completed (5/24/2009). And if you looked at the list today, you wouldn't think I'm doing all that well. Luckily looks can be deceiving. I do feel that I am making progress in some areas. Others have been completely ignored.

I want to write a fuller 100 day wrap-up but I'm stuck on #43 here - blog about completed items and significant items of progress. I've got about 30 blog posts that I need to write. I must analyze - brood - fix the procrastination that led me to this point. But for the time being I'm going to get cracking.

So, for blog posts past this point and until you are told otherwise, don't assume that I did this all in the last weekend.

Three tomatoes are walking down the street -- a poppa tomato, a momma tomato, and a little baby tomato. Baby tomato starts lagging behind. Poppa tomato gets angry, goes over to the baby tomato, and squishes him... and says, 'Ketchup'.

This is all catch-up.

#73 - You Need A Budget

In part of my ongoing quest to have, you know, money, I recently started using the budget program You Need A Budget (YNAB). I had originally intended to use Mint.com or some other online budget tool but I did some comparison shopping, came across YNAB, and decided to give it a try.

I was impressed with the YNAB Methodology (more on that later). The strong testimonials from current users were convincing. And it did seem to me - at least based on quick comparisons - that where YNAB was different is that it encouraged/required active planning of where my money was going to go. Whereas Mint et. al are more useful for tracking where your money went.

There are four "rules" in YNAB. For my situation the most important (though notated as #2) is Give Every Dollar a Job. What this means is as you get money/income, you plan out your spending - assign money to categories - food, rent, utilities, etc. Typical budget stuff. All the way down to zero. My first month with YNAB I budgeted what I thought were reasonable amounts to various categories only to see them later blown out. Dining out was a big overage for example. But since my budgeted amounts must equal my income (surprise!), I was forced to steal from other categories (affectionately known as 'whack-a-mole' in the YNAB community forums - which are impressively helpful BTW).

This meant pain in those now reduced areas - no new clothes for TK that month! So, the following month when I had a spending impulse, I found myself asking "And where will that money come from?" And I didn't spend. I also can't discount the fact of simply having your inflows and outflows categorized and known. Nothing like objective data to smack you upside the head.

Now inputting transactions in some kind of register is what any good budget program should do. Where YNAB excels is what you do with those savings. Which brings us to Rule #1 - No More Paycheck to Paycheck. The YNAB methodology is built around the concept of building a buffer. Doesn't matter how slowly or quickly, just keep saving until you have 1 month of expenses. At that point live for 1 month on that Buffer. Income earned during that Buffer month is saved towards the following month. For example, my current goal is to have a buffer by August 2009 - meaning my August paychecks will be earmarked for September expenses. Meaning come Sept 1, I will have all the money I will need until October 1st. At which point the cycle repeats.

If I manage to pull this off I cannot tell you what an enormous stress reliever this would be. No more having to time bills with paychecks. No more trying (and occasionally failing) to play "the float" with a check or debit. No more choosing between gas and lunch on the Thursday before payday.

This running a little long, but to summarize the remaining rules. #3 is Save for a Rainy Day. i.e. plan for irregular expenses - known and unknown. For example the quarterly car insurance always leave me scrambling. Not only in making sure it is paid, but then in scrimping until that next pay period. And living paycheck to paycheck is like a knife edge, anything unforeseen or atypical - i.e. this month's wedding gift I need to buy - threatens to collapse the whole financial house of cards. Previous solution - debt. Current solution - fully funded gift category this month in YNAB - oh yeah!

Rule #4 - Roll with Punches - is only truly applicable when living with a buffer but is sound advice. Basically if you do overspend - and you will! - the overage counts against next month's budget as a whole. This allows you to correct overspending before it becomes a trend. And it doesn't necessarily penalize the category where the overspending (sometimes legitimate) took place.

So, I definitely think YNAB is a good program and good budgeting tool. It is pretty easy to use. The methodology does take some faith, but I can see some benefits already. It feels right to me. I probably won't cross this off until The End, so I can keep on track. Look for a progress report soon. Hopefully I'll be buffered by Aug 1.

#96 - Cheap Thrills

Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and the Holding Company. Janis Joplin's last album with the group before going solo. The big hit of the album is Piece of My Heart, but it does also have a couple of good covers. Plus I kind of like Turtle Blues - an original by Joplin. Also notable for its cover art by R. Crumb.

If I ever have the chance to travel in time I think I'd go to the Monterey International Pop Music Festival. Seems like it would be a good time.

#96 - Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton

Some albums are important in content, some in context. The album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton by John Mayall's Blues Breakers is, I think, in the later category. Although it is a good listen, composed of half original compositions (by Mayall with one song shared credit to Clapton) and half blues covers, it is probably more notable for being Clapton's transition album/group between The Yardbirds and Cream.

Album highlights include an interesting cover of What I'd Say - the Ray Charles standard. Also notable is Ramblin' on My Mind, which is Clapton's first recorded vocal performance. Mentioning Ramblin' also allows me to mention Me and Mr. Johnson which is an excellent 2004 Eric Clapton album consisting of Robert Johnson covers (though not Ramblin' nor Crossroads). And so I'm not accused of filtering black music through white artists, I do think Robert Johnson's The Complete Recordings is an essential album though not represented on this list. Probably because they don't do compilations.

And speaking of Clapton: Someone remind me for the next 1001 days list that I should learn how to play guitar. Guitar God seems like nice work if you can get it.

#96 - In the Wee Small Hours

Listened last night to In the Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra. Wow! What an album. It happens to be the first album on the 1001 Albums... list and it pretty much defines what an album is supposed to be - a set of songs organized around a central theme, deliberately sequenced. I can't think off the top of my head of another album which is so consistent atmosphere-wise. Even the beloved Sgt. Pepper ditches the "concert" theme about halfway through and starts to drag. At least IMHO.

But In the Wee Small Hours keeps invoking a mood from beginning to end. That mood being sitting alone; lonely in the dark. And Frank's voice is absolutely golden.

This is my new break-up album.

#96 - Brothers In Arms & Face to Face

Regarding the last post - I've decided that I'll listen to each of the 1001 albums. Even if I have heard them before. I think it is the only fair way to approach the situation.

First album: Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits - Excellent album - contains the classics Money for Nothing, Walk of Life, and the beautiful So Far Away. And then the title song, which always makes me want to drive around at night smoking a cigarette. And I don't smoke.

Second album: Face To Face by The Kinks. A good listen, though the only song I really enjoy - and give multiple plays too - is Sunny Afternoon, which true to its name is very bouncy and pop. Well, Party Line is pretty good too.

I also realized something. The downside of doing an album list - even one with 4 Kinks albums on it - is it still misses some of the great singles. To wit - All Day and All of the Night, Tired of Waiting for You, You Really Got Me, (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman, the jokey Apeman - which I happen to like, and of course Lola. Oh, can't leave without mentioning the ballad Celluloid Heroes which always makes me a little sad.

Not sure what I can do about this. Perhaps I'll cross-check against Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs or some other singles list.