#25, Chess coaster

I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last update! Time seems to fly in the fall when we get close to the holidays.

I did turn 29 on November 14th and I can't believe a year has gone by so fast! I know this next one will probably go even more quickly, and I'll be 30 before I know it. I need to get moving on my list of 30 things!

So, without further ado, I give you the chess coaster.

I am a big fan of the web comic xkcd. I think Randall Munroe is a genius and he makes me laugh three times a week at least. The chess coaster was inspired by this strip, which pretty much explains the whole idea:

Ever since I first saw this comic, I was determined to try this. Several other people have had the same inspiration, so I knew it could be done. When we went on a trip to Worlds of Fun with our friends Andy and Kelly, my moment finally arrived.

First, we had to prepare.

The shiny surface of the chessboard did create a few problems, but we managed to get an appropriate number of pieces attached. The chessboard we purchased was a folding one (which was about the only way we could figure out to do it), so it fit nicely in my bag.

We did have one moment of worry. While we were discussing in line the placement of the cameras that would snap our photo, and the possible placement of security cameras, a teen standing in line with us informed us that they would totally confiscate your cell phone if they saw you using it on the ride. This did make me a little nervous, as it was early in the day, and we didn't want to get thrown out of the park. But a little adrenaline makes everything more fun! In the end, my nervousness was unfounded and we were not confronted by park personnel. However, the picture did not work out as planned.

As you can see, Rick is doing a great job of the appropriate hand to the chin pose. I, however, had my hand down trying to steady the board, and we didn't hold it nearly high enough. Alas, in my efforts to get the board back into my bag before park employees could discover our scheme, most of the chess pieces fell off and the board tore. So, we were unable to make a second attempt. However, I did do the chess coaster and it was a great time! This task was completed on October 3, 2009.

Incremental update

Just checking in! I've been meaning to post--I've completed the chess coaster and started working on learning to knit. I have pictures of both and I will update soon with them.

Here's some other progress:

#3 & #21 - I decided to combine these two and am planning a trip with my mom to Rennes le Chateau! Our plane tickets are booked--we will be leaving for Barcelona in late February and then driving over to the south of France. I'm super excited about finally getting to see this place!

#29 - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park is coming right along, and is scheduled to open in the spring. I still think we'll try to take this trip next fall.

#5 - We can buy our tickets to the Nutcracker next week. I'm so excited about seeing this ballet--it seems like a perfect Christmastime outing.

While I don't think that I will have 15 items completed by the time my birthday comes around next month, I do feel like I've gotten a good start. I probably should be getting back to Mastering the Art of French Cooking sometime soon, though.

#23, Dragon*Con

I've always wanted to go to some kind of pop culture convention and, by all accounts, Dragon*Con is one of the geekiest and most awesome. So, I wanted to make attending Dragon*Con one of my goals for this project. Dragon*Con is always held in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend, and we made it this year! We had SO much fun, and I think this could definitely be something that we do again.

Here are a few pictures from our fantastic weekend.

The first night we stayed with some friend in the Marriott, which is a really cool hotel. Here's a shot from the 16th floor down to the Atrium level.

This was taken Thursday night--there were far more people wandering in that area on Friday and Saturday nights.

While we decided to drive, and therefore didn't need to take Atlanta's famous MARTA trains, we did get a few pictures on one of the longest escalators in the country (at the MARTA Peachtree station).

This was one seriously long escalator, and I rode up and down it 3 times.

One of the most popular features of Dragon*Con weekend is the Saturday morning parade. This is an opportunity for everyone to get dressed up in their coolest costumes and strut their stuff on the streets of downtown Atlanta. We watched the parade from our hotel room and I didn't get any pictures while it was going on, but I did manage to get a shot with one of the floats.

(For those of you who may not recognize it, that's the Trojan rabbit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.)

Of course, Dragon*Con attendees are amazing costumers, and getting dressed up is part of the fun! Rick and I put together costumes from the television show Firefly (tragically canceled by Fox after only one season). Here's a shot of Rick dressed as Mal, and I'm costumed as Kaylee.

Looking at and taking pictures of other people's costumes is also a lot of fun! We saw some wonderful craftsmanship, creativity, and attention to detail in SO many costumes over the weekend. I took way too many pictures to post here, but I did want to add one of my favorite costume shots.

(Yes, those are sexy Disney princesses fawning over Edward Cullen from Twilight.)

In short, we had a really great time, attended some fabulous panels, saw many famous people, and generally had a full weekend of geeking out. Since Dragon*Con officially ends on Labor Day, this goal was accomplished on September 7th. And I wouldn't be too shocked if we turned up at Dragon*Con again next year.

#26, Milk a cow

The Iowa State Fair is an event of epic proportions that contains many varied opportunities for learning and exploration. And beer. And some of the least healthy food you'll ever eat.

While the Fair is not my favorite annual event, I wanted to go this year because of the opportunity to milk a cow! The Iowa State University Dairy Science Club was sponsoring an exhibit where you could pay $2.00 and try your hand at milking.

While this exhibit was clearly aimed at children, I wasn't embarrassed. Much. Until the milking guy laughed at me.

Actually, he was very nice and helpful. And the cow was lovely and soft and didn't seem to mind at all that about a jillion kids were lined up to pull on her.

Afterwards, I rewarded myself with Fair food on a stick, dipped in chocolate.

So, number 26 was completed today, August 22nd. And I've completed 8.5 out of 30 goals. We are definitely going to Dragon*Con in less than 2 weeks, and I can't wait! The only problem will be picking the best pictures to post when I get back. We will possibly be driving down to Worlds of Fun in September or October, where I could do chess coaster.

I don't know if I will get 15 of my 30 goals completed by my birthday this year, but I think I'm doing okay. I have about 15 months to go and 21.5 goals to complete. Getting there!

#6, Cook 10 things from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1/10)

Ever since I read Julie & Julia (soon to be released as a major motion picture!), I've thought about the idea of cooking my way through Mastering the Art of French cooking. Ultimately, I decided that doing all of it would be too much, and as a vegetarian, I can't eat most of it anyway. But I did want to try my hand at a few things, so I thought cooking 10 recipes would be a good addition to this project.

First up is Potage Parmentier (Potato and Leek soup). This is the first recipe in the soup section of volume 1.

Here's the recipe (we halved it since there were only 2 of us):

Ingredients

1 lb potato, peeled and diced
3 cups leeks, thinly sliced (white and tender green parts only)
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
4-6 tablespoons whipping cream or 2-3 tablespoons softened butter
2-3 tablespoons minced parsley or chives

Directions

Simmer vegetables, water and salt together, partially covered, 40-50 minutes until vegetables are tender. Mash the vegetables in the soup with a fork, or puree in blender. Correct seasoning. Off heat and just before serving, stir in cream or butter by spoonfuls. Pour into a tureen or soup cups and decorate with the herbs.

Pretty simple, right? But I thought starting simple was a good idea. We started with fresh ingredients from the local farmer's market.

My friend Libby was on hand again to help out.

The lovely finished product:

This was probably the tastiest recipe I've made for this project. I think the next one I might tackle is the mayonnaise recipe. 9 more to go!

#7, Go to a drive-in movie

Again, it's been quite a while between updates, but I finally have something new to report. Last night we went to a drive-in movie! The theater was showing a double feature--Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and My Sister's Keeper. Because the first movie didn't start until dusk (around 9:00 p.m.) and the theater was about 30 minutes from home, we didn't stay for the second show. But we had a great time! Here are a few pictures:

Our friends Andy and Kelly joined us for the show.

We took Rick's convertible, but ended up putting the top up for the movie because there was so much ambient noise.

The theater was pretty cool--they had a classic sequence for the intermission, and even had some of the original speakers that still worked!

There were definitely pros and cons to the drive-in. We were in a car that was pretty low to the ground, and, as you can see from the pictures, there were a lot of very tall trucks and mini-vans with their back door propped open. This made it difficut to find a good spot to park. We arrived about an hour before the movie started, and found pretty good spots, only to have latecomers park in front of us and obstruct our view. I did enjoy having the sound in the car with us, and the seats were very comfortable. We were also allowed to bring in our own snacks. I think if we decided to go again, we would do it in the fall and get there even earlier.

So, my goal of seeing a drive-in movie was completed on July 25th. I'm falling a little bit behind, and need to accomplish a few more things this summer to stay on track. We do have an amusement park visit scheduled in the next couple of weeks, so I may attempt the chess coaster.

#27, Read something by the Marquis de Sade

This one is a little bit different than others, as I actually finished reading 120 Days of Sodom on January 30th.  However, I hadn't posted because I didn't get any pictures while I was actually reading it.  So, these pictures are a bit staged.  Rest assured, dear reader, that these are actual faces that I made while reading this book.  It was seriously gross.  (Thanks again to the super patient Libby for the book loan!)

The book in question:

Me reading this dreadful, dreadful book:

While I'm not sure I will ever entirely forget some of the incredibly graphic scenes in this book, at least I'm not actively thinking about them any more.  And I am very, very glad that I did not let Libby talk me into watching the movie.  *shudder*

In other 30 before 30 news, I was very saddened to learn that Glarkware has stopped carrying the stop sign stickers that I wanted to use for #10.  I was able to find some similar ones on Cafe Press, but I'm disappointed that I didn't get to buy the originals before they were discontinued.

Next up will probably be the drive-in movie.  Although the weather is lovely--almost makes me want to just take off and drive to Canada!

#28, Send a message in a bottle

Sorry that it's been a while between updates--there's been a lot of crazy stuff going on, including moving and changing jobs.

But, we did make the anticipated trip to San Francisco this month, so I had a chance to accomplish another list item!  This one was finished on April 19th.

This was one that I had to be a bit sneaky about. I prepared everything before we left. A few months ago I won a lot of tiny bottles on eBay that I was planning to use to make jewelry. One of these worked perfectly for my message bottle. Here you can see how tiny it is.

And here's a shot with the message inside.

I sealed the top with candle wax and then submerged it in the sink--it was pretty water tight!

Here's what the message says:

Someone out there loves you, and thinks you don't even know they exist. Pay attention to the people in your life. Now is the time to say what you forgot to say. There is beauty all around you. Life is beautiful.

Rick described that message as "very high school" and I tend to agree with him. But I was just rambling a bit and wanted to get something in there about love and life that might make someone smile if they found it. Also, part of the point of this whole project is indulging in immaturity, right?

I decided that the best place to send it from was the ferry that we took out to Alcatraz. Since the ferry was full of people, I had to be a bit sneaky about it, and we couldn't take pictures of me actually dropping it. But we did get a picture right after.

So, I let my tiny little bottle go in the San Francisco Bay. I have no idea if it even has a chance of being found--probably will wash up underneath one of the piers. But it's been sent!

The other goal I hoped to accomplish while in San Francisco was to check off #13 (See the Pacific Ocean).  Alas, we never really saw anything but the Bay, and I'm pretty sure that doesn't count.  So, I'll have to find another time to see the ocean.

#24, Beer pong or beer bong

This one was actually technically completed on January 24th, when we made paella. We thought it would also be fun to create a beer bong. I've just been a little nervous about posting the pictures. I'm a little paranoid, although I am very much of legal age, and I barely consumed any alcohol through said bong. It was one bottle of beer poured through a funnel and a tube and I was actually pretty bad at it and didn't get much of it down. Nonetheless, don't want to get fired, you know? So, below are some cropped versions of the pics, showing the beer bong. I do also hope to do beer pong at some point.

Also, I hate beer.

#22, Eat paella and ratatouille (Part II of II)

This one was completed on February 22nd.  I did the second half (eat ratatouille), and had lots of fun making it.  Libby joined me for another cooking adventure.  I thought paella was complicated, but ratatouille (at least the recipe I used) had a TON of chopping.  Here's the recipe:

Dad's Ratatouille Recipe

Preparation time: 1 hour and a half, minimum.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb of yellow onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lb zucchini, chopped

1 lb yellow squash, chopped

Bell peppers, seeds removed, chopped into 1/2 inch square pieces:

--1 lb green bell peppers

--1/2 lb red bell peppers

--1/2 lb yellow bell peppers

1 lb eggplant, 1/2 inch cubes

1 lb fresh ripe tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

salt to taste

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 sprig rosemary

3/4 cup vegetable stock (or thin tomato juice)

fresh ground pepper to taste

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2 Using a large oven-proof pan over medium high heat, saute onions in olive oil until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and reduce heat to low.

3 While the onions and garlic are cooking over low heat, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a another frying pan over high heat. As soon as oil starts to smoke, quickly add enough zucchini cubes all at once to cover the bottom of the pan. Keep on cooking over high heat, stirring, until zucchini is lightly browned on all sides. Remove zucchini cubes, and add them to pan with the onions.

4 Repeat process until all of the zucchini cubes have been cooked. Do the same with the yellow squash. Make sure to add a little olive oil between each new batch. Continue with the bell peppers, then the eggplant cubes, adding the browned vegetables to the onion pan as soon as they are cooked.

5 When all the vegetables (except the tomatoes) are browned and in the pan with the onions, increase the heat to high and stir, making sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add salt to taste, thyme, bay leaf, and rosemary, the vegetable stock, and stir well. Place in oven for one hour.

6 Boil water in a saucepan on stove. Remove stems from tomatoes, and crisscross the bottoms with a knife. Plunge into boiling water for a minute or two, until skin starts to fall away. Rinse in cold water and remove skin. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, remove seeds, chop coarsely, set aside.

7 After the vegetables have been in the oven for an hour, remove from oven, drain vegetables in a colander set over a bowl. Clean browned bits (if any) off bottom of pan with a paper towel. Return any liquid to the pan and reduce to a thick glaze over medium high heat. Keep on adding juices to the pan as they run out of the vegetables into the bowl.

8 When all the juices have been reduced, return vegetables to the heavy pan. At this point the ratatouille should be moist and shiny, with very little liquid. Turn heat off. Add the chopped tomatoes and cover. If serving as a warm side dish, let the ratatouille stand for 10 minutes, just enough to "cook" the tomatoes. The ratatouille can be served at room temperature or refrigerated and reheated the next day.

9 When ready to serve, remove the bay leaf, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

(http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000101dads_ratatouille.php)

We did not use fresh tomatoes, but followed the rest of the recipe pretty closely.

We both spent quite a bit of time chopping.

More chopping (see, I helped!)

This recipe called for some simultaneous cooking.  Good thing we have serious cooking skillz.

The finished product.

In the end, I found out that I don't really like ratatouille.  Still, another culinary adventure has been accomplished!

#15, See Rocky Horror Picture Show

This one was a lot of fun!  We have a local venue (Billy Joe's Pitcher Show), that plays Rocky Horror Picture Show every Friday at midnight.  My friends Thad and Margot joined me on Friday, January 30th, and it was quite an experience.

My friend Libby, who was unable to attend, nonetheless brought me some special sunglasses to wear, pictured here:

I didn't expect to like the movie at all--it's just one of those iconic things that everyone does.  However, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.  It's so campy and awesome.  Tim Curry is amazing.  I think I would like to watch it at home on DVD without all the yelling and toilet paper throwing.  However, I did enjoy watching everyone do the time warp.

Here's a picture of the three of us after the show--thanks to Thad and Margot for coming out!

#22 Part I of II

Finally paella has been accomplished!  This is 1/2 of goal #22.  We used the recipe from my last post and it was delicious.  Here is the photographic evidence:

Rick and Libby stirring the paella

Adding the garlic

Showing off the finished product

I ate the paella.  It was yummy.  Nom.

Paella recipe

It looks like we will not be making paella until tomorrow.  In the meantime, I thought I would go ahead and post the recipe we are going to use.  I am a vegetarian (although I do eat shrimp), so we are creating a variation on the "normal" recipe.

From Vegetarian Times:

Ingredient list

(Serves 6)

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 7-oz. pkgs. spicy marinated tofu, finely diced  (we are substituting shrimp)

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 14-oz. can chopped tomatoes, drained

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)

1 cup short-grain brown rice

¹⁄8 tsp. saffron, crumbled

1 cup fresh or frozen peas, thawed

¼ cup lemon juice

3 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Add tofu (or shrimp) when ripples appear

in oil, and season with salt. Sauté 10 minutes, or until tofu (or shrimp) is browned, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, and sauté 4 to 5 minutes, or until mushrooms release liquid and begin to brown.

2. Stir in carrots, corn, tomatoes, and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes more. Stir in rice, 2 1/4 cups water, and saffron. Bring paella to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with wok lid, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. Add peas on surface (do not stir yet), cover, and allow peas to steam 1 to 2 minutes. Remove wok from heat, and stir in lemon juice and green onions. Season with salt and pepper. 

Doesn't that sound yummy?

Mid-month update

It is a new year and progress is being made on my 30 before 30 list!

Sometime in the next week, expect an update with pictures on goal #22 - I am cooking paella this weekend (with the help of my friend Libby because I suck at cooking).  So that will be part I of II for goal #22.

Also, I am making progress on #27 -- I am on day 6 of 120 Days of Sodom.  I already want to scrub my brain with steel wool, but I will press on!

I'm a little worried about #29.  I'm afraid the Harry Potter theme park will not be open in time for me to finish that one.  But progress is being made!  Click here for the latest pictures (or don't, if you would consider that "spoilers.")