#7, #12, #167, #202, #225, #229, #325

Lots done over the past few days. It makes most sense to start with #225: Be in a Wedding Party (!!)

The lucky bride and groom are friends from college. I was groomsman number six, the most important groomsman. My duties included (but were not limited to): hand out rocks, hold keys, tell groomsman number 5 who everyone was that he didn't know, look awesome in a tux and create a wind tunnel under a table at the bachelor party. All of these were essential to the wedding, and I was happy to do my best in the situation. Being at the wedding helped me achieve goal #7: visit Jessica in Rochester, as it was her wedding! Kind of cheating, as it wasn't a unique trip, but she and her husband are moving, and I was specific, so it counts.

Speaking of being in Rochester and being unspecific, I went to a museum! Granted, it was a museum I had already been to, but that was years ago and The Strong Museum of Play has gone through a lot of changes! #202 is my sixth museum. Bangin'! Something that happened that I wasn't so proud of was #167...eat a garbage plate. Let me be clear: I LOVE plates...but it is simply not a good idea to go at 11:00 AM. It's just not. That being said, it's checked off.

We went to Ithaca for a few days in between and did an INSTANT GOAL! #325 is something I had wanted to do for a LONG time, but never thought I was going to be able to: Get all the recordings from Ithaca College from ensembles that I performed in. Made about 12 cds with works band (Maslanka's Golden Light, Hindemith sonata, The Cowboys, Sasparilla, Sleep...) to chorus (Faure Requiem, African Sanctus, NIA!...) to Vocal Jazz (September Song, Do You Know What it Means, Why Get Up...), to things I didn't perform in but loved (anything from WoCho...). Life is complete.

After Ithaca, Will and I went back to Rochester to present at the Mu Phi Epsilon conference. Lambda brought 7 collegiate members, and I was so happy to see all of them! Boston Alumni was well-represented, and Yuki won the performance contest, so I was psyched to see her perform at Eastman. Also so friends from Rochester Alumni, and a whole mess of faces I haven't seen in a while. Our workshop was well received, and we were very happy.

Ok, so it wasn't really planned this way...but Plymouth to Rochester to Batavia to Rochester to Ithaca to Batavia to Rochester to Batavia to Plymouth...that's a road trip. Holy F. I think a road trip is different every time, and as we spent a week driving all over creation, it totally counts. #7 is checked off.

So there you have it! Now, please don't comment on the fact that I have checked off almost ALL of the food items, and zero of the "fitness" or "hiking" or "sports" items.

#159 and #324

Back from Seattle! Here's what else happened...

#159: Try a New Recipe
Another delicious at home meal. Jill helped. Actually, she did most of it, but I made the sauce! Added lime, fish sauce, tamarind sauce, sugar and hot sauce of some kind. Fish sauce smells bad, but our Shrimp Pad Thai was delightful.

So have you ever thought, "I've ALWAYS wanted to do that!" about something supremely obscure? Part of the reason I added "add 50 new items on day 333/666" was for the goals I had forgotten about, or new goals to have. I've already started on these--watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail, hug Anderson Cooper, meet Jeanne Shaheen, deep fry something that no one has deep fried before...but there are some rare opportunities that come along and I've wanted to add them to the blog, but there was not a place for them. So I'm creating one. By taking away 5 from each of the "add 50 new goals" I get 10 new goals: Instant Goals.


#324: Instant Goal! Try Revolving Sushi!


The one that happened in Seattle (really a lot of them happened, but this one was the BEST) was eating sushi off of one of those revolving sushi lines. It was AWESOME.

Also, if you follow the blog avidly, which I know is a whole bunch of person, I've added pictures to the rest of the Seattle posts. Wonderful! (said like Prof. Oak in pokemon snap)

#155, #158, #202

In Seattle, making way through a lot of these goals thanks to the help of some friends!

#155: Find a Red Wine that I like
Yesterday we went wine tasting, my first time. As they grow a lot of these Pacific Northwest wines in the desert, they have a lot of tasting rooms close together right outside the city, as opposed to going to a vineyard. I said earlier that I found my love for Red Cat in sort of a gray area--between making the list and starting the blog, so that one doesn't count. Also, it's a chilled red so it feels too much like white. The red wine that I found I like is called, "Chocolate Wine"! It tastes like tootsie rolls. I don't love it, but I like it!

The picture has NOTHING to do with the wine, but I thought it looked pretty.

#158: Try and New Recipe
Seafood Alfredo, made with fresh crab meat, fresh scallops and fresh shrimp, all from the Public Market. Also, we got fresh pasta (lemon/basil fettuccine). It was delightful.

#202: Go to a Museum
The Experience Music Project in downtown Seattle, right next to the Space Needle.

Rawesome.

#1: Visit a new state AND #14: Visit Jill in Seattle!

#1: Visit a New State

AND

#14: Visit Jill (and Drew and Missy) in Seattle

Oh boy! Two big ones!  I'm going to achieve a lot of goals here, so expect a few posts from this great city. Seattle is wonderful, beautiful, fun and perfect. I'm so excited!

#201: Go to a Museum

Two friends recommended the Chihuly exhibit at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Actually, they never said anything to me, but they did mention it on facebook, and I was stalking them so I found out about it. Thanks Lourdes and Emelia!!

It was an amazing exhibit. Also loved the instrument room, and saw a lot of European art, but no pictures of Saint Bartholomew. In Boston because I'm headed to Seattle tomorrow (!!) to see my good friend Jill. Yes, this alone is two of my goals: #1 (visit a state I've never been to) and #14 (visit Jill in Seattle).  I'm amped. Jill is also set on breaking a record number of goals, which is good because I have been slacking a little bit.

I decided not to count an opera I just performed in as performing in a musical for a few reasons, the biggest of which being I am a part of a lot of musical performances, so counting an opera as a musical would just be WRONG!

#115: Read a Play

Would I want to see this play? Maybe
Would I want to be in this play? Probably not

It was ok. The premise was that a man dies in a coffee shop and his phone keeps ringing, so some woman takes it and answers all his calls.

The most interesting part of the story was the interpretation of heaven/hell, and that you have to spend it with the person that you love the most, even if they didn't love you at all.

Otherwise...well, #115 is checked off!

#4: Visit a new Country!

Woo! Travbuddy tells me I have now been to seven percent of the worlds countries! (travbuddy.com/seecretajman) Ireland was amazing. It's too much to write about in full, but I loved it. Some of my favorite memories were going to a bar called Hussey's and one called Durty Nellie's, finding out what Black Pudding was, sleeping in a castle, discovering I was on tour with the parents of two of the New Kid's on the Block, trying to defeat jet lag, but mostly spending time with amazing friends. I was surprised at the prevalence of the gaelic language, as I thought it was mostly a dead language, or one that no one really spoke. It's actually on all government issued signs and taught in schools. I think it's silly to say something like, "everyone in Ireland is so nice!" or "The Irish are so friendly!" but it is true that everyone I met was very welcoming, happy I was enjoying their country through music and extremely willing to help me and go out of their way to make sure I had the best time in their towns. It was an amazing trip.

Ok, so on to some restaurants. Every one of them was new, so #152-154 are all checked off. I think this is the first one that I've completed that referenced doing something more than once (read ten books, go to ten museums...) so I'm psyched about that one. The first picture is from Nimmo's in Galway. It was very fresh, and although my bread has too many seeds all up in its business, it was very good. The second is from the Hotel Meyrick restaurant. Out of all the hotels we stayed in, this one had the best food. It, like the third picture, is also from Galway. On the third, we were starving, so I ran up to a bar and said, "where is the dirtiest and cheapest place to eat?" Without missing a beat, he instantly told me The Charcoal Grill was the place to go. It was fantastic, although one of my friends threw up after. This is, of course, just a selection of the places we ate.

Now as for the museums...There was one in Galway, but it was closed. We went to the Guinness factory, which had museum like exhibits, but I feel uncomfortable counting it. I did go to the Ireland Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin. They had a lot of creepy videos, and art work that I accidentally touched.

This guy is from outside the museum. He is art.

So that's #4 checked off, as well as #152, #153, #154 and #200! I read a little bit but mostly slept on the bus. Two novels currently unfinished.

Now, onto booking my flight to Seattle!