31 by 32: Autumn Achievements

My monthly 31 by 32 progress report  returns after traveling abroad during the scheduled update last month. The minutia of my life is somewhat recorded at Brew to Bay, although not as frequent as in the past. 

Here's my TEN months into 31 status report. I'm making peace with what I've tried my best to do and reupping commitments for next year already.

UPDATES

Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month. 

Reviews STILL missing, but still regularly reading. Fiction - I am pretty sure I'm missing some, but I definitely read the first book of The Hunger Games (and loved it) and the new Jeffrey Eugenides book, The Marriage Plot. Apart from skimming through Rick Steve's Guide to Paris, my non-fiction has been lacking.

See and review at least one film per month. The Castro Theatre continues to wow me, and in October I headed to a screening of the fantastic documentary, Beyond This Place with a live score by Sufjan Stevens. Before my trip I saw the fantastic Drive with dreamy meme-master Ryan Gosling. I also went to a screening of the terrifying doc Malls R Us. And I saw movies while traveling. I ended up in Milwaukee during the Milwaukee Film Festival (catching Miss Tacuarembo and Give Up Tomorrow) and actually while abroad I took the opportunity to see the excellent and not-yet-US-released Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and ended up also seeing the godawful Three Musketeers in 3D.

Try one new recipe a month. 

To be honest, September IS a blur, though I'm always tinkering. I made up a FABULOUS squash soup out of my head and from scratch on Halloween night though.

Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month. 

I'm sure I did in September, but now it's lost to time. Boo. Not counting my travels, before my November cutoff though, I did get to dine at the excellent The Beast & The Hare. Rabbit and bacon stew over polenta? Yum.

Leave the county I live in at least once per month.

Milwaukee in September and then Paris in London in October? I think I blew this one out of the water.

Write one album and one concert review a month.

Reviews continue to lag (taking this part out next year), but I've continued to obsess over new music with Spotify. In September/October I rocked it up at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, seeing M. Ward, Bright Eyes, A.A. Bondy, Low Anthem, Devotchka, Fitz & The Tantrums, Over the Rhine & The Jayhawks in a weekend. In October I attended the aforementioned Sufjan livescore, but also the BEST concert of the year (and possibly one of my life), seeing Active Child at Old St. Pancras Church in London, lit primarily by candleliht. Ah-MAZE-ing.

Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week. 

I consider myself a very lucky person that I've continue to match or exceed. I have to also give a special shoutout to Becky for visiting in October. Epic doesn't even begin to describe.

Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me

Petitions, petitions, BUT I'm also now a California voter. Woohoo!

Go to an art show or gallery once a month.
In September I went to the Artists Underfoot show at Workspace. In Paris I went to the wonderful Museé d'Orsay. In London I was mistaken for an art dealer and ushered into a special talk while simply trying to go to the Museum of Everything. Returning stateside, Becky and I checked out a show at Public Works while she was here.
 
Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times. Still at 2/4 because good lord, this has been impossible.

Attend games of at least four different sports. I'm at 3/4. This is actually retroactive, because I had forgotten to count going to the Brew City Bruisers Roller Derby before I moved. So there! I *almost* got to go to the Stanford/Oregon football game, but alas. Still waiting for a fourth sport to roll my way.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business. Again, still mentioning, but not dedicating.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit. Same deal of half-mentioning. 

NO PROGRESS


Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.
Get something published.
Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row. (Although I think with some more yoga I may be up to this)
Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.
Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"
Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.
Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.




PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED:
1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.
5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).
7) Digitize my CD collection.
8) Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.
9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity
11) See six different local bands live.  
24) Go to at least four theatre performances.
25) Go vegetarian for 31 days.
26) Go for 31 days without consuming any soda. 
27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.
28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.