31 by 32: WRAP UP!

I'm 32! Time to review my 31st year. Let's see how I did!


1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.

31 was the year of major changes. I uprooted my life in Milwaukee and set forth to my dream city of San Francisco. To do this I started a new job, changed living situations, changed EVERYTHING. 

2) Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.
 
FAIL.

3) Get something published.

On a technicality, you could count my professional blog posts as "published." So I pass. But I'll amend this one for a future goal.

4) Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row.

FAIL. I really got off track with strength training this year. Something I need to carry forward.

5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).

Apparently I inspired a lot of people this year. Glad to give back to all those who inspired me! I'll stick with my original check off of this goal, which was encouraging Mary Ann to complete her first half marathon in March.

6) Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.

FAIL. But to be fair, I didn't get it back until July.

7) Digitize my CD collection.

Necessity.

8) Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.

Went home in July AND for Thanksgiving this year.

9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity.

This has pretty much been my whole year as well. My favorite was probably booking an Alcatraz tour with a Canadian while at Toronado. Showing a Portuguese tourist I met on the N-Judah around town is a close second. This paid forward when I traveled to Europe and was taken under the wing of locals. Here's the official complete though.

 10) Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

BARELY made it, but I'm pleased to report that on Sunday I made Julia's Quiche w/ Leeks to take to The Stranger Dinner (which I still need to post on). It was a hit. I made an amended version, with spinach and onion for dinner tonight.

11) See six different local bands live.

COMPLETE. WAY more than this, but the ones that got me there by early August were Colossal Yes, Dominant Legs, Planet Booty, The Dwarves, Wallpaper., and Kelly Stoltz.

12) Read and review one non-fiction & one fiction book a month.
Failed at reviewing and getting 12 non-fictions (will amend this next year). But here's my reading list for 31 (* indicates I highly recommend):

FICTION

• A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
• An Object of Beauty* by Steve Martin
• Clara & Mr. Tiffany  by  Susan Vreeland
• Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor (Short Stories)
• Hunger Games, Mockingjay and Catching Fire***  by  Suzanne Collins
• Modern Home by  Eric Puelcher
• Portraits of a Few of the People I've Made Cry by Christine Sneed (Short Stories)
• Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
• Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal 
• The False Friend by Myla Goldberg 
• The Fates will Find their Way* by  Hannah Pittard 
• The Marriage Plot* by Jeffrey Eugenides 
• The Tiger's Wife* by Téa Obreht 
• Tinkers*  by  Paul Harding 
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

NON-FICTION (to be fair, I think I'm missing some):

• East of New York, West of Kabul* by Tamim Ansary
• Farm City* by Novella Carpenter
• Fortune Cookie Chronicles*  by Jennifer 8. Lee
• Zeitoun*  by Dave Eggers (One of the best books I've EVER read)

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

Passed by signing petitions mostly. Need to specify this for 32, if I do it again.

14) See and review at least one film per month.
Again with the review failure. Here's what I mentioned I saw during 31:

• Rabbit Hole, The Social Network, Carlos
• San Francisco International Film Festival
• Midnight In Paris and Kuroneko
• Bridesmaids, Circo, God Grew Tired of Us, Grow! 
• Labyrinth, Edgar Wright Triple Feature, Hitchcock Double Feature
• Beyond This Place, Drive, Malls R Us, Milwaukee Film Festival, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

And for Nov 11-Dec 11, I saw The Muppets. In my last month I saw Shame & Weekend (new 35mm print)

15) Try one new recipe a month.
Even though I ate out way too much (and it's showing, yikes), I loved experimenting with so many new ingredients.

16) Try a new locally-owned restaurant each month.
Again,  my new life! Here's my mentions:

• RN74, Gracias Madre, Maxie's Southern Comfort
• Isobune, Rosamunde, Wexler's
• Easy Creole, Little Baobab, Dynamo Donut
• Millennium, Little Chihuahua, The Pork Store Cafe, Mission Chinese & Radius Cafe
• 25 Lusk
• The Beast and the Hare

For 11/11-12/11, would probably be Nihon and for 12/11-1/11 Sous Buerre

17) Go to an art show or gallery once a month.

Did a fairly good job of this. Helps that SF is constantly having art happen.

18) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.

Not dedicated, but oft mentioned.

19) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit.

Not dedicated, but oft mentioned.

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

Success! And amazing where you can go with better regional transit connections.

21) Write one album and one concert review a month.

Fail at reviewing, but loads of new music for me during 31.

22) Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times.

Took a break from politics after the disastrous start to the year.

23) Attend games of at least four different sports. 

On a technicality, I should be able to count half marathons, those aren't games, but... I did solidly get Roller Derby, Men's College Hoops & MLB.

 24) Go to at least four theatre performances. 

39 Steps, Genesis, Killing My Lobster: Technology, The Edenites

 25) Go vegetarian for 31 days. 

Success, horrid success.

 26) Go for 31 days without consuming any soda. 

Also in August.

 27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days. 

Success!

 28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol. 

Success, thanks to antibiotics

 29) Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods. 

FAIL. Did not put in the effort, though I've significantly reduced.

 30) Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.

FAIL. Did not put in the effort, though I've significantly increased.

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


Overwhelming success!

In conclusion, even though I did not meet ALL of my goals, I'm pretty proud of what I accomplished in a year that completely turned me upside down. I look forward to posting new goals on Brew to Bay. I'll likely be hanging up my Accidental Wisconsinite hat for a good while, so follow me over there.

31 by 32 - June Check In

My monthly 31 by 32 progress report. The minutia of my life is somewhat recorded at Brew to Bay, although not recently.

Here's my five months into 31 status report (up to June 11), although before I begin...

I am less than a month away Team Challenge training. I’m 50% to my $2700 goal, but whatever I don't hit by July 6 will be charged to my credit card. Can you help me in supporting this wonderful cause? Please consider donating $39.30 in honor of my third half marathon. Please donate here!



UPDATES

See six different local bands live. 
4/6 down. Ended up totally randomly seeing hardcore punk band The Dwarves at Bottom of the Hill over Memorial Day Weekend. A Milwaukee friend told me that they have origins in 1980s Kenosha, so I suppose that could count as double-local!

Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month. 
Reviews still missing, but thanks to joining the SF Public Library, I'm a regular reader again. Fiction - read the terribly disappointing Clara & Mr. Tiffany. Non-fiction - tackled the uproarious and awesome Farm City.


See and review at least one film per month.
Reviews still missing, but caught both Midnight In Paris at the Kabuki and Kuroneko at the incredible Red Vic Movie House up the street from my new apartment.

Try one new recipe a month. 
I tackled the tough but rewarding crop of Fava Beans (no, not Hannibal Lector style) I picked up at the Farmer's Market. Sauteed with some olive oil, cilantro, and green onion -- yum. Also made a "forage" meal one night with morels and fiddleheads over pasta.

Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month. 
Again, this is my life here. Winners for May include Easy Creole, Little Baobob, and Dynamo Donut.

Leave the county I live in at least once per month.
Not only did I return to Alameda County for a tour of St. George's Spirts, but I also biked 30 miles to / from Mill Valley in Marin County.

Write one album and one concert review a month.
Total review fails for albums acquired and concerts attended. In addition to The Dwarves, saw Mutaytor with my new roomies in the May 12-June 11 period. Digging the new Lady Gaga for album of that month, and on a more indie level, the Cults debut LP.

Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week. 
Despite rotating through the same handful of friends, I am doing a good job of being a better friend this year and I'm glad of it.

Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me
Signed a couple petitions on Bike to Work Day this year!

Go to an art show or gallery once a month.
Joined Ingrid & Co. for their friend's thesis show at California College of the Arts.


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.
Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.
Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"
Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times. (still at 1/4)
Attend games of at least four different sports. (still at 1/4)
Go to at least four theatre performances. (still at 3/4)
Go vegetarian for 31 days. (Have vegan roommates - perhaps it will happen?)
Go for 31 days without consuming any soda. (was doing well until I discovered a food truck with Limca)
Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.
Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.
Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business. (Bad blogger lately!)
Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit. (Bad blogger!)

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.
9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity
27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.
28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.

31 by 32 - May Check In

My monthly 31 by 32 progress report. The minutia of my life is somewhat recorded at Brew to Bay.

Here's my four months into 31 status report:

UPDATES

• See six different local bands live. 3/6 down. Local band Dominant Legs opened for Broken Social Scene at The Warfield Theatre when MAB and I caught them last month. I also discovered the AWESOMENESS that is Planet Booty opening for Movits! at Bottom of the Hill  
• Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month. I think I’m giving up on the non-fiction efforts (but not really, some month I’ll read like six I swear!), but I’m working my way through the Flannery O’Connor collection Everything That Rises Must Converge short story collection for this month’s book club for one.

• See and review at least one film per month. I think 14 screenings at the San Francisco International Film Festival covered me for the year? 

• Try one new recipe a month. Nothing too exciting, but during my recent bout of mystery illness, I did figure out make a tasty sweet potato and sage mash, accompanied by wilted swiss chard with lemon & garlic, which lasted me a couple of days. 

• Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month. Again, this is my life here. Winners for April include Isobune, Rosamunde Sausage, and Wexler’s (running out of time for links, you can use the Google). 
• Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.
    I think I've done a good job giving shout outs at Brew to Bay, but could probably get more in-depth.
• Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit. Lots of love for the film society this past month. Need to find a new project for May!
• Leave the county I live in at least once per month.
  Two trips for me to Alameda County. Once to Oakland to Marley's and then to the incredibleness that's the Alameda Flea Market!
• Write one album and one concert review a month.
  Total review fails for albums acquired. I mentioned Broken Social Scene and Movits!, but I need to get on the critical writing.
• Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days. I totally have done this since I moved into my place in April. There's really no other way to GET to work. I'm really excited about having accomplished this goal. 
• Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol. Phew! This is DONE. Would've preferred to have done without the mystery illness/drug cocktail, but I managed.
• Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week. Even as an invalid I was good at this :)

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.
• Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.
• Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.
• Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"
• Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me (I can’t actively recall doing anything in April - BAD MEGHAN).
• Go to an art show or gallery once a month. I’m spoiled by there being art EVERYWHERE, so I need to make a better effort!
• Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times. (still at 1/4)
• Attend games of at least four different sports. (still at 1/4)
• Go to at least four theatre performances. (still at 3/4)
• Go vegetarian for 31 days.
• Go for 31 days without consuming any soda. 
• 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.
9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 
I am hardcore fundraising for my Team Challenge training. I’m financially on the hook to raise $2700 to fight Crohn’s and Colitis and I’ve had friends believe in me $800 of the way. I have a goal of finding 150 people to support me with $13.10 by July 17. Any ideas of how to do that?

31 by 32 - April Check In

Still making progress on my 31 by 32, of course you can read most of my Day to Day over at Brew to Bay.

Here's my three months into 31 status report:

Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.

No progress made, sorry folks.

Get something published.

I should clarify that this would be something outside of the blogosphere. Because I've been getting shoutouts there.

Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row.

I'm failing miserably on strength training right now. I have plans to join a gym here once I'm back from my Wisconsin trip this weekend.

Change someone's life for the better (other than my own). - TANGIBLY COMPLETE!

I encouraged MAB to do her first half marathon and she DID. Yay!

Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.

Yeah, I'm not sure where this is. Possibly Portland?

Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.

Still figuring out work schedule to go to Portland or Seattle, but I did get to hang out with my dad in SF last month.

Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

Again, I think this one ended up in PDX.

See six different local bands live.

1/6 down. Caught part of Colossal Yes (Oakland) opening for Sharon Van Etten & Little Scream. An amendment to this is that I'm going to now count both San Francisco AND Milwaukee bands. So if a MKE band makes it out west, I'm going to make an effort to go.

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

Again, totally slacked on the non-fiction, but picked up Water for Elephants at a used bookstore so I could get something read. I liked it in the sense that there's a better-written cute old people love story that will hopefully get people to STFU about The Notebook. And you know when I pull in The Notebook, I'm setting the bar very low.

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

Actually at the strawberry lecture I went to, I signed a petition to Gov. Brown regarding rebanning methyl iodide. Yesterday I emailed the SF Entertainment Commission (appointed officials though) to express my concern about a new ID law they're trying to implement in the city.

See and review at least one film per month.

WOW. I completely FAILED at this. Good thing the San Francisco International Film Festival starts in a couple weeks so I can make up for it big time.

Try one new recipe a month.

My sauteed kale with shitake mushrooms *may* have been done before, but I know I've never made cheesy lemon asparagus.

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

This has pretty much been my whole month of March. I think the new goal should be "don't go to a chain."

Go to an art show or gallery once a month.

First, I realized I didn't fail in February/March as I made it to the Olmec exhibit at the DeYoung. For this month I've seen lots of art here and there, but I will count my field trip to YBCA as my completion.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.

Again, I think I've done a good job covering this at Brew to Bay.

Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit.

No 100% dedicated posts, but plenty have come up in my Brew to Bay ramblings.

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

Thank you Oakland Half Marathon for getting me to Alameda County.

Write one album and one concert review a month.

My reviewing still sucks (although I have a ton of albums, including Panda Bear, TV on the Radio, Battles, and more). I briefly talked about the Sharon Van Etten show. Need to improve on this!

Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times.

Thankfully I have 3 more times to do this throughout the year because I've been rather politically disengaged (at least for me!).

Attend games of at least four different sports.

Still have three to go. Supposed to get to a Giants game at some point soon.

Go to at least four theatre performances.

This may be my most successful! After seeing Killing My Lobster on Saturday, I only have one left!

Go vegetarian for 31 days.

Have yet to try, but perhaps this will be a project once I return from MKE.

Go for 31 days without consuming any soda.

I was doing fairly well, but a recent sore throat derailed. Also an appreciation for Root Beer. I will revisit once back in town.

Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.

Once I'm back from my brief trip to Milwaukee, I will tackle this one.

Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.

I REALLY need this one. Just need to plan.

Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.

Need to put on calendar and plan.

Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.

Need to plan.

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

Still feel like I'm staying up on this well here!

PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED:

1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.

7) Digitize my CD collection.

9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity.

31 by 32 - March Check In

Well I completely failed at posting my check in for February, but I've been just a tad distracted. As you'll see below, I've not done the greatest at this, but I've made some progress.

Also, I've decided to continue posting these 31 by 32 updates here, as I started 'em here!

Anyway, here's my 2 months into 31 status report:

1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.
COMPLETE! I think moving to San Francisco and starting a new job on Monday count.

2) Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.
No progress made.

3) Get something published.
No progress made. Although I am debating writing a letter to the editor of the JS or Milwaukee Business Journal as to why I left Wisconsin.

4) Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row.
I need to restart my pushup streak. I was doing well in CORE class, but still unable to really get above 10.

5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).
Hopefully I've completed this one, although it's something I try to do on a daily basis.

6) Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.
Packed it, but haven't started :)

7) Digitize my CD collection.
COMPLETE!

8) Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.
Have to look into booking a flight in May, once I get my work schedule figured out.

9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity.
Like moving to California? How about going to protest in Madison and losing a day of packing?

10) Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"
Packed it. Waiting until I'm settled to attempt.

11) See six different local bands live.
No progress. An amendment to this is that I'm going to now count both San Francisco AND Milwaukee bands. So if a MKE band makes it out west, I'm going to make an effort to go.

12) Read and review one non-fiction and one fiction book a month.
The reading of fiction has gone well, the reviewing and non-fiction not so much. For January I read "Tinkers" by Paul Harding and for February "A Visit From the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan. Really liked the former, it was like reading a painting. The latter I got sucked into, was definitely enjoying, but HATED the last chapter. So much that it just ruined the book for me.

13) Contact an elected official, at some level, once a month about an issue that is important to me.
In January I let Chris Larson know that I hoped he'd fight for keeping the smoking ban, but obviously in February things got mega out of control. I contacted the Fab 14 and told them I supported them, and I also emailed Sen. Dale Schultz to thank him for being the one Republican in the Wisconsin Legislature with a soul.


14) See and review at least one film per month.
Again, reviews have been bad, I got January in with Rabbit Hole, but I have been terrible about others. In February, I finally watched The Social Network. I also caught a screening of Carlos, courtesy of Milwaukee Film. Other than that, I sucked at getting to the theater to catch anything since I've been busy with item #1. A huge regret is that I never made one final trip to the UWM Union Theatre before departing.

15) Try one new recipe a month.
In Jan/Feb, I made the arugula omelette I blogged about, and also a curry carrot & celeriac soup I sort of made up. In Feb/Mar I came up with a sweet potato mash with random pantry supplies I had to use up before moving.

16) Try a new [to me] locally-owned restaurant each month.
In January I failed in Milwaukee, but rocked in San Francisco on my scouting trip with memorable meals to RN74 (bone marrow with pork belly & tomato compote) and Gracias Madre (vegan Mexican). In Feb/Mar I finally made it to Maxie's Southern Comfort before moving from Milwaukee.

17) Go to an art show or gallery once a month.
In January I hit up both a Caggio opening and gallery night, but FAILED at making it to something in the past month.


18) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.
FAIL.

19) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit.
FAIL.

20) Leave the county I live in at least once per month.
Jan/Feb: San Francisco
Feb/Mar: Madison (protests!), Brookfield (wedding shower), San Francisco (move)

21) Write one album and one concert review a month.
FAILED at reviewing, but have snagged some awesome albums this year. Jan/Feb brought me The Decemberists - The King is Dead, The Smith Westerns -- Dye It Blonde, and Iron & Wine -- Kiss Each Other Clean and Feb/Mar Radiohead -- King of Limbs, Bright Eyes -- The People's Key. My friend Grant also hooked me up with the new Mogwai, Cut Copy and Toro y Moi, all of which I'm digging, especially for running.

As for concerts, I included the 2/12 Robyn show for Jan/Feb and caught Mucca Pazza on Tuesday for Feb/Mar....still, sucked on reviewing.

22) Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times.
I have been giving massive props to Sen. Dale Schultz (see above).

23) Attend games of at least four different sports.
Hit up a Marquette men's basketball game in Jan/Feb (vs. DePaul), but need to stay on this.

24) Go to at least four theatre performances.
Saw the excellent The 39 Steps at the Milwaukee Rep and the experimental Genesis at the Milwaukee Ballet (if ballet counts as theater - I make the rules, so yes)

25) Go vegetarian for 31 days.
Will be easier in CA.


26) Go for 31 days without consuming any soda.
Hmmm, need to plan when.

27) Bike to / from work every single day for 31 days.
We'll see when my bike gets here and where I land!

28) Go for one full week without consuming any alcohol.
Need to plan.

29) Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.
Need to plan, but again, will be easier in CA.

30) Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.
Again, feel like I'm cheating...

31) Spend one-on-one time with a friend at least once a week.
Moving made this very, very easy, but I need to get on it here.

** PROMISE THAT I'LL LINK THIS POST EVENTUALLY **

brew to bay

The following is an amended version of what I emailed to my close friends and associates over the weekend:

In short: I have really big news.

Many of you know this already, but how big? Life uprooting big.

In just a few short weeks I will be living and working in San Francisco, California -- realizing a goal that I’ve had since I was 10 years old. (I'm not joking, I fell in love the second I set foot in that city).

I gave my notice at my current employer on Friday, and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. Even though my industry in Milwaukee faces COUNTLESS challenges (don't forget to vote tomorrow!), it truly has been an incredible experience working there. It's only been slightly over three years, but I feel like I've learned about twice that. My last day will be Thursday, March 3.

I begin my new job, setting marketing and communications strategy and implementation for a company a new industry for me on March 14. I will post more about my new job and employer when I am settled and started, but I'm very excited to work in a very creative industry, but with still a technical edge.

I will fly out at 8 PM on March 10 to make my triumphant return to the West Coast.

It was not an easy decision for me to make. Yes, I have been increasingly disgruntled with the political climate here, and that was, admittedly, the catalyst for me to investigate living elsewhere. However, once I began looking, I found that the opportunity for me to grow personally and professionally is really elsewhere at this time in my life.

Will I miss Wisconsin? HELL YES.

What I will I miss about Milwaukee?

• THE PEOPLE!!! Some of my best friends are here. I’ve spent my entire adult life here and it’s going to be really hard to leave amazing people behind.
• Summer.
• Things just being super awesome and cool, and not knowing or trying to be that way.
• A ton of things, which I will write about, in due time, when I don't have an agenda 3,040,108 items long.

Why I am I moving to San Francisco then?

• My family (in Portland and Seattle) will be much, much closer.
• Outside of Milwaukee, my highest concentration of close friends is located in SF (including some ex-Milwaukeeans).
• I’ve mentally exhausted myself in the past few years trying to defend even minimally progressive programs in Milwaukee, I need a break and also to test and see how these programs work in practice.
• With my change to an active lifestyle over the past 18 months, I’ve had an increasingly difficult time dealing with winter here. I need to try at least one in a moderate climate again.
• The type of workplace I’m looking for is commonplace. Flexible hours, telecommute options, casual dress, Macs (!!), social media engagement, collaborative / “flat” office structure, encouragement of creativity. I realize this stuff isn’t for everybody, but for me, it will contribute to my overall happiness and ability to succeed.

What am I doing before I leave?

• I’ll be spending the next few short weeks packing like a madwoman and purging my apartment of 13 years of Wisconsin collectibles. Watch my social media feeds for information on my EVERYTHING MUST GO FURNITURE BLITZ. If you need shelves, storage units, kitchen islands, a bed, dresser, dining room set, etc. let me know!
• Throwing going away bashes on February 25 (late night) and March 4 (happy hour). I also will be celebrating one of my final nights here at the Mucca Pazza concert on March 8.

Will you ever see me after I leave The Island?

• As long as Wisconsin people keep getting married and having babies, I can’t yank myself out of their lives. I’ll be back the weekend of April 15 for a wedding (negotiated that into my job offer) and I’m sure for others down the line.
• You can virtually track me, as I will be blogging at my new blog, Brew to Bay, so you can track me there or on Twitter. I'll probably still update here occasionally as well.

Recommendations are welcome for San Francisco, in regards to excellent people to know or places to go. 

I owe a post on my all my updates as well, but I think we can safely say I've accomplished #1 of my 31 by 32 list!

31 by 32

Inspired by my lovely friend Catherine, I've decided to set 31 goals for myself to accomplish by my next birthday - January 11, 2012. Some are abstract, others are quite clear. With the exception of one, I've given myself no less than a monthly timeline on most. I'll dedicate around the 11th of each month to "check in" and see where I'm at.

1) Make at least one MAJOR change in my life.

2) Visit one of my five remaining states - Alaska, Arkansas, Mississipi, North Dakota, or Oklahoma.

3) Get something published.

4) Do 31 non-girl pushups in a row.

5) Change someone's life for the better (other than my own).

6) Work my way through the entire "Take Off In Italian" CD set I bought in 2003.

7) Digitize my CD collection.

8) Visit one or more family members apart from Christmas.

9) Take advantage of a crazy spontaneous opportunity.

10) Attempt another recipe out of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

11) See six different local bands live.

12) Read and review one non-fiction & one fiction book a month.

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

14) See and review at least one film per month.

15) Try one new recipe a month.

16) Try a new locally-owned restaurant each month.

17) Go to an art show or gallery once a month.

18) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local business.

19) Dedicate one blog post a month to promoting a local non-profit.

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

21) Write one album and one concert review a month.

22) Applaud bipartisan efforts in my social media forums at least four times.

23) Attend games of at least four different sports.

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.

29) Go for one full week without consuming any processed foods.

30) Have one week where I only consume foods made with locally-sourced ingredients.

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