Ohhhhhh, we're halfway there!

 And we're livin' on a prayer? I dunno. But I'm a little under halfway done with my 1001 days! I contemplated changing things up here at the halfway mark, but at the moment there's not a lot I would change. Maybe a few small tweaks. The biggest thing is COVID-19 and how it will affect. There are a few that it makes impossible or rather difficult, at least, but most of my goals are fairly home/individual-centered. I think I'll take stock again when I have a year left and we'll see if things need to be adjusted. 

The best news is I finished some goals this month!

Completed:

16. visit 3 new National Parks

• We visited Crater Lake this time last year, then in July we did Mt. Rainier, and finally over Labor Day weekend, we visited North Cascades (though we technically just drove through the highway and you can't get into the park by car, but we're not serious hikers or anything, so I'm totally counting this one - we saw the park as close as we could!). So we are done! We have really really loved getting to visit the parks here in the Northwest. I would totally do any of these trips again.

93. recreate the Epcot bundt cake

• We ate the best cake in India of Epcot when we visited a few years ago for the Food and Wine Festival. It was a pistachio cardamom bundt cake with chocolate coconut cream. I knew we had to at least find a similar recipe to get that goodness in our life, but I happened to find the official recipe! I made it as part of this month's 30-day and we enjoyed it so so much (we're still enjoying it, haha). I highly recommend it!    

Updates:

2. digitally transcribe my journals

• I'm working steadily on this now, at least! I do at least a few pages every morning. I got two journals typed this month, though one was super short. I also found a few more random shorter journals to add to the transcription pile, haha. I've got to keep whittling away at this one or I'll never finish.

4. read 100 books in a year

• I hit 92 books this month! I'll definitely hit 100 at this pace. A big shoutout to They Called Us Enemy by George Takei. Why did it take me so long to read this? It's so good.

5. digitize my lifebox

• I have begun in earnest. I have a ton of papers, old report cards, school awards, photos, etc., that won't stand the test of time anyway, and are just taking up a lot of space in the meantime, so I'm scanning everything in! Then I can get rid of things without feeling guilty about it. It's actually pretty hard work, and it's going to take me a while, still. But I'm confident it'll be worth the effort to pare down a few boxes. I'm such a dang packrat, but a lot of these old things really do bring me joy. They can bring me joy digitally instead. :)

18. try 20 new ice creams (local companies) (15/20)

• Our Labor Day trip brought many ice cream opportunities - Cascadian Farms raspberry chocolate chip, Clever Cow Perfectly Peach, Whidbey Island Ice Cream Co. Lavender and Skagit Triple Berry, and finally the Snoqualmie Scoop Shop's Licorice. It was so great to visit so many cute little shops and they were all amazingly delicious.

23. see 30 new animated films (25/30)

• This month I watched Trolls: World Tour, which amazingly had a relevant message? and Children of the Sea, which was all kinds of trippy, but beautifully animated! 

31. a year of (silly) holiday celebration

• September's holidays included Make Your Bed Day (because it takes a special holiday to make me do it, hahaha), National Video Game Day, Fortune Cookie Day, and Pepperoni Pizza Day. 

35. watch 10 anime series (5/10)

• We finished all of Aggretsuko! It's so cute. And cathartic for my hard-working hub when he gets home from a busy day, hahaha. 

58. see 30 new documentaries (22/30)

• Every documentary was amazing this month: Most Likely to Succeed, Boys State, and 63 Up. I could write a blogpost about each of them, but I don't have time for that, so please consider them having my very highest recommendation and watch them if you can! And if you do, tell me so we can geek out together!!

60. r/52weeksofcooking - year-long cooking challenge

Chilean: Churrasco

Caramelization: Miso Caramel Apple Frangipane Tart

Bacon: Bacon Pancakes

Yemeni: Honeycomb Bread (THIS WAS AMAZING)

Dipping: Carrot Fries with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce

72. complete 12 30-day projects

• I know, the suspense was killing you. This month's 30-day project was 30 days of birthday celebration for my cute hub! He turned 30, so it was the perfect time to do it. We did some big things like our Labor Day trip to the coastal islands, and lots of small things like his favorite recipes for dinner and lots of treats. I also organized a secret card submission and had about 20 cards for him to open from friends and family! Many thanks if you sent one - he loved them SO MUCH. 

88. support 20 local restaurants/business (13/20)

• I'm not sure if I've updated on this one yet, but we're trying to shop small and support local businesses over chains when we can. We ate a few new restaurants this month! It's fun to explore what's in town, especially when we're still in phase 2 with limited dining capacities. Gotta keep these delicious places in business!

99. complete a reading challenge (46/50)

• 5 books this month! I'm so close I can taste the finish, haha. I read a book with the main character in their 20s (Emma), a book set in the 1920s (Mrs. Dalloway), a book I picked because the title caught my attention (100 Days of Sunlight), a banned book during Banned Book Week (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian), and a book about a world leader (Alexander Hamilton!!). That chonker of a book is behind me now! I'm so proud I've finally read it. The others were pretty good, too (except for 100 Days of Sunlight - an interesting title does not a good book make). Just 4 more and I'll be all done!

I'm really pleased with what I've been able to do this month. October should be good, too! Hopefully I'll have a few more wrapped up, or at least lots of progress to share. Yeahhhhh goals!!

Auguuuuuust 2020

Hello! I have been trying to work at least a little bit at things every day this month. There are a lot of goals I need to chip away at or I'll never get them done. And too many big things I can't really do at the moment.

Completed:

Nothing! Absolutely nothing!

Updates:

2. digitally transcribe my journals

• I finished journals up through high school and I'm almost done with freshman year at BYU! This is one I really need to work on a little every day or I might not finish. I write a lot.

4. read 100 books in a year (84/100)

• 11 books! Boosted by finally reading my color Scott Pilgrim volumes, haha. And I finished a few books I had been working on for a while - Art, Inc. and Peace Is Every Step. Both very good! Just books I took in chunks more than one sitting.

23. see 30 new animated films (23/30)

• I watched Cars 3 before our Disney + subscription went away. It was pretty okay! That's saying a lot, considering Cars 2 was absolutely terrible. 

30. see 30 new international films (4/30)

• It's been a while since I've watched one, but I got one this month: Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Can I just share Andy Samberg's review? He said, "It blew me away. And I feel like it's a good movie for men to understand energetically how when they show up it can really change things. It's not a spoiler to say this. You get lulled into this amazing space of there being no men for a long time in the movie, then a random guy does show up. He's a nothing character; he's there to do an errand. He's not being a jerk or being weird. But him just sitting there eating some slop, you're like, "Ugh, what's this guy doing here? Get him out of here. He's ruining the vibe." 

31. a year of (silly) holiday celebration

• This month was full of excellent holidays: Mahjong Day, International Cat Day (celebrated by browsing r/catswhoyell), the 10-year anniversary of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World! (we had a viewing party with friends online! with garlic bread and "Coke Zero"!), Potato Day, and the anniversary of my discovery of David Rio Chai. Heck. 

These are totally cans of Coke Zero.

35. watch 10 anime series (still 4/10)

• Okay, I haven't finished either of them yet, but I've watched 2 seasons of Haikyu!! this month as well as the first season of Aggretsuko. Why did it take me so long to watch Aggretsuko? It's so good. I'm sure we'll finish it in September. And Haikyu!! is so great. G's started calling them my Hai-cuties. If everyone could just watch sports anime, the world would be a happier place. You learn to empathize with opponents and cheer everyone on! And it totally inspires you to work hard and do your best!

58. see 30 new documentaries (19/30)

• We watched Love on the Spectrum on Netflix and it was delightful. I feel like they accurately represented the challenges of dating and finding love for those on the spectrum. No sugar coating, no inspiration porn! Though I did see some criticism of it for expecting them to conform to neuro-typical dating standard rather than allowing them to do what may come more naturally. But we really enjoyed it! I would totally watch a sequel.

60. r/52weeksofcooking - year-long cooking challenge

Cucumber: Cucumber Mint Lime Agua Fresca

Finnish: Makaronilaatiko (Macaroni Casserole)

Food in Disguise: Sweet Corn Panna Cotta sandcastle and Sand Dollar cookies

Figs: Fig Oatmeal Energy Balls

72. complete 12 30-day projects (3/10)

• Still working on these since I still have the momentum! This month I wanted to focus on typographic literacy so I got some practice in copying fonts and hand-lettered alphabets just to practice a bit more and get used to letterforms. I did a different style each day and I think it really was good for me! September's 30-day project is TOP SECRET and it will be GREAT (you can hear about this one later, don't worry!).

79. try 30 new salad/side dish recipes (19/30)

• I made a delicious shawarma salad and sweet corn blessed us with griddle cakes as well as a corn salsa. YUM.

99. complete a reading challenge (41/50)

• Wow! I'm less than 10 books away from finishing! This month I read a medical thriller (Doomsday Book), a book written by a journalist (Garlic and Sapphires), an anthology (Black Pearls: A Faerie Strand), a book with just words on the cover (Men Explain Things to Me), a book I touched on a shelf with my eyes closed (The Breadwinner), and a book with an author with flora or fauna in the name (Spindle's End). I had to cheat on touching a book on a shelf because of COVID and no library (though now I'm realizing I could have gone to a bookstore...oh well!) by using a random number generator to select one off my to-read shelf on Goodreads. That's okay, right? It better be because I'm counting it! One of my final nine books is Chernow's Alexander Hamilton biography, so it still might take me til the end of the year to finish my challenge, haha.

Okay! Nothing completed this month, but lots of progress. September makes me want to go back to school, so maybe I'll try working on my daily routine and setting more regular working hours. We'll see!

July July Julyyyyyyyyy (it never seemed so strange)

Completed:

36. [redacted]

• This is all I've got for you this month. My sincere apologies.

Updates: 

4. read 100 books in a year (73/100)

• Super on track! I got 7 read this month. The most important reads were Me and White Supremacy and Untamed, but I enjoyed most of all of them!

16. visit 3 new National Parks (2/3)

• We visited Mt. Rainier! It was so nice to escape the desert and have cooler weather as well as mountains and trees. Such a nice escape. It wasn't too crowded until Saturday afternoon, so we just left then and chilled at our treehouse cabin and went back later. It's been hard being cooped up, so it was nice to take a social distancing vacation. :)

23. see 30 new animated films (22/20)

• I took advantage of Disney Plus to watch some classics I missed as a child: The Sword in the Stone and The Black Cauldron. They were okay? I know The Black Cauldron would have terrified me as a child, so it's probably better I missed that one.

31. a year of (silly) holiday celebration

• This month we had Gingersnap Day, Video Game Day, No Bra Day, and French Fry Day! But really, every day lately has been no bra and video games...

58. see 30 new documentaries (18/30)

• Disney Plus also brought documentary options. Into the Unknown: the Making of Frozen II and The Imagineering Story in particular were AMAZING. I love seeing how things are made and creative processes (and I love Frozen II and theme parks so they were perfect fits). Also a shoutout to Spelling the Dream on Netflix - a new spelling bee documentary to love!

60. r/52weeksofcooking - year-long cooking challenge

Retro Recipes: Depression-Era Peanut Butter Bread (this was seriously so good)

Soul Food: Smothered Oxtails

Emulsification: Sweet Corn Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

Cartoon: Ja-pan #2 from Yakitate!! Japan (made entirely in a rice cooker)

72. complete 12 30-day projects (2/12)

• I decided July would be online learning - I focused on Creativebug and Skillshare, but I also took a calligraphy workshop with Carol DuBosch online, and this weekend I'm learning from the online Sunstone conference. I am really actually loving how much is available for me now, whereas before I was so limited by location. It's making life in a small town a million times more bearable.

79. try 30 new salad/side dish recipes (14/30)

• I haven't updated on this one for a while, but I did make 4 new recipes this month. We are so bad at eating veggies, so this has really been helping.

99. complete a reading challenge (35/50)

• This month I read a book with twenty in the title (The Twenty-Fourth of June), a book with a made-up language (The Fifth Season - SO GOOD), a book that won an award in 2019 (The Poet X), a book with a great first line (I Capture the Castle - "I write this sitting in the kitchen sink."), and a book from an author who's written over 20 books (And Then There Were None).

101. learn 10 new calligraphic hands (4/10)

• Speaking of those online calligraphy workshops! I've by no means mastered, but I've now put a lot of work into both Ben Shahn lettering and Bone Script. Ben Shahn is so much fun. Bone is more difficult, but I'm getting there! I'm gonna call it good, though, because we're aiming for progress, not perfection.

Ben Shahn lettering

Bone Script

Okay! I hope you all are well and surviving. Hopefully I can finish something not redacted so you can hear about it!

Getting things done in spite!

This month has felt a year long. I have to admit it's been really hard to focus and a lot of my time has been taken up with worrying and also self-education. We still have so far to go. Woof. 

Despite a huge lack of motivation and the mess of all of it, I've managed to get some things finished! It feels good to finally have some things to check off!

Completed:

19. [redacted]

• SORRY. Just know it's done!

24. add 10 new enamel pins to my collection

• Thanks to my cute hubster, I'm all done! (And I still have 5 more coming that I Kickstarted...) He got me a few mushroom pins and some origami dog pins. :) I'm going to make a felt pennant to display them all and I'll show you when I'm done!

82. [redacted]

• SO SORRY.

89. get marimo and keep them alive

• It has been a year and my marimo are alive and well! What happy mosslings!

Updates:

4. read 100 books in a year (66/100)

• Just 4 books this month, but they were all very good: Homegoing, A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, The Starless Sea, and The Book of Longings. (And I'm still 18 books ahead of schedule, according to Goodreads, so don't worry, haha)

23. see 30 new animated films (20/30)

• We watched A Whisker Away on Netflix and it was super cute. Side note: THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT ANIMATED FILMS ON NETFLIX RIGHT NOW. Please go watch Okko's Inn and Song of the Sea and Mirai and Lu Over the Wall and be happy. (And tell me if you need more recommendations because I am here for you)

31. a year of (silly) holiday celebration

• June saw Egg Day, Iced Tea Day, Gardening Exercise Day (I planted flowers!!), and Loving Day.

33. attend ECCC or another major con with Garrett

• ECCC was rescheduled for August, but now it's officially cancelled. We kind of expected it to happen, but it's still a little disappointing. Maybe next year!

35. watch 10 anime series (4/10)

• I breezed through My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! this month. We watched 7 episodes in one day because I just couldn't get enough of these cuties. It might be a new favorite!

60. r/52weeksofcooking - year-long cooking challenge

• We are halfway through! 26 weeks down! 

Nepalese: Momos

Crunchy: Cold Pea Salad

Black and White: Ginger Panna Cotta with Black Sesame Gelee

Australasian: Coconut Kau Kau

Proofing: Bee Sting Cake!

72. complete 12 30-day projects (1/12)

• First one down! I joined a brush lettering challenge on FB and we wrote beverage names every day. It was nice to pick up a pen every day, even if it was just for a few minutes, and it was a nice challenge to decide how to stylize and lay things out. I'm not set on doing all of these projects in succession, but I might try another one this month. We'll see!

74. copy a book by hand

• I decided to copy out Austin Kleon's Keep Going, because I think it is the book I need to internalize right now. I thought about doing one in the public domain so I could do something with it once it's done, but maybe that will be another project (if that was my aim now, I think I'd be more afraid of making mistakes and that the complete opposite of what I'm going for here). 

99. complete a reading challenge (30/50)

• Luckily, all 4 books I read this month were for my challenge! I didn't read much, but they all counted, haha. I read a book that passes the Bechdel test (The Book of Longings), a book with a robot, cyborg, or AI character (A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet), a book with more than 4 stars average rating on Goodreads (Homegoing), and a book with a character with a vision impairment or enhancement (The Starless Sea). 

Here's to July! May we find understanding and resolution.

One Year Down! One and three quarters to go!

It's hard to believe we've been home for 3 months now and hard to believe I've already gone a year on this list. Time flies! No items completed this month, but I did chip away at a few things. (They changed the blogger site, so apologies if my formatting is weird...)

Updates:

4. read 100 books in a year (62/100)

• My favorite books this month were Circe and Dragon Hoops. Circe was a fascinating telling of the witch herself from the Odyssey. It was interesting to see things from her perspective and hear her story. Dragon Hoops is Gene Luen Yang's newest graphic novel and it seems to be about basketball, but it's really not. It's about giving your all and it's so good.

23. see 30 new animated films (19/30)

• Modest Heroes, Studio Ponoc's short film collection is on Netflix! Everyone go watch it! I'm really hoping they can get the momentum to continue in Studio Ghibli's footsteps.

24. add 10 new enamel pins to my collection (8/10)

• My sister-in-law got me a cute dragon holding a d20. :) I also kickstarted pins 9 and 10 (and 11 and 12...), so I'll be done with this one as soon as they ship!

30. see 30 new international films (3/30)

• Gotta step this one up! I watched Emma. and it was delightful. My favorite thing about it was the styling and set pieces and the use of color! It was so pretty.

31. a year of (silly) holiday celebration

• May's holidays included Eat What You Want Day (which just made me sad because I couldn't eat what I truly wanted, being stuck at home), Chocolate Chip Day, Burger Day, and Biscuit Day. I realize now I picked all food days. This may not change as the year goes on, haha.

35. watch 10 anime series (3/10)

• I watched Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun this month and it is so good. It really pokes fun at shoujo anime and I love a good non-traditional romance. They just added it to Netflix so you have no excuse not to watch it. You're welcome!

42. complete 10 unfinished series (reading, watching, etc.) (1/10)

• I'm totally counting Survivor for this. The season finale for Winners at War was so so good. It was fun to watch all the previous winners go to battle and I was very satisfied with the conclusion. It was so much fun catching up on seasons I've missed over the years and it was such a comfort show to watch stuck at home the past few months. 

53. get all the Stardew Valley achievements (25/33)

• I got Gourmet Chef this week! I've always wanted to cook every recipe in game and now I've done it! Good job, me! We're getting down to the tougher achievements, and some that are just going to take time and patience.

58. see 30 new documentaries (7/30)

• Two this month: One of Us and 13th, both available on Netflix. One of Us is about leaving the Hasidic Jew community, and 13th is about racism in America and the role of it in mass incarceration. A tough watch, but we felt it was one we needed to do this weekend. We have to educate ourselves and advocate for the changes that are going to best help everyone. I imagine I'll be watching a few more on this and similar topics in the coming months.

60. r/52weeksofcooking - year-long cooking challenge

• The deliciousness continues:

Ginger: Ginger Scallion Ramen Noodles

Sri Lankan: Beet and Cashew Curries

Puree: Blacked Chicken with Lime Cilantro Quinoa and Avocado Yogurt Puree

Flour: Buckwheat Crepes (Galettes Completes)

79. try 30 new salad/side dish recipes (9/30)

• I did so good this month, you guys - 4 whole recipes! I made garlicky roasted broccoli, minty pea puree on toast, orange cumin root salad, and strawberry spinach salad. We got strawberries from the farmer's market and they were so sweet and good. I'm glad I've made more of an effort because I know I've definitely had a lot of junk food alongside these healthy dishes.

99. complete a reading challenge (26/50)

• Looking pretty good on this one as we approach June and I'm already over halfway done! This month I read a book about a book club (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society), a bildungsroman (Circe), a book on a subject you know nothing about (Maybe You Should Talk to Someone), a book with an upside-down image on the cover (Flipped), a book by a trans or non-binary author (Pet [and I actually read I Wish You All the Best as well, but I'm only counting one]), and a book with a map (There Is A Light - bonus! The map in this book was drawn by my lovely friend, Jeska). 

101. learn 10 new calligraphic hands (2/10)

• Did you know a style of calligraphic writing is called a hand or a script? Never a font! Fonts are machine created! How insulting! I learned pointed pen Uncial in December and I don't think I ever wrote about it, but if you got a Christmas card from us, you saw it! And this month I learned Carolingian, though by no means perfected it, for my Lettering The Decemberists project with the aforementioned Jeska. I wrote it off as old and stodgy, but I'm kind of in love with it now. Especially those g's!

So that's my progress! Fairly good, I think, considering how little motivation I've had this month. Rest assured for every item of progress there was at least an hour of scrolling through Facebook or playing Animal Crossing. I hope you are all keeping healthy and safe and finding the motivation to do what you need to do. We'll see where this crazy world is next month.

The wave of productivity subsides

But that's okay, because we're in a pandemic. I'm allowed to not get things done, okay? And all of you are allowed to not get things done, too!

Though I did actually manage to get some things done. Just not as much as I anticipated. Hubster ended up back at work so we got less watching done, and I retreated into Survivor. But I realized it will count for a thing! More later. First!

Completed:

21. read 30 new Newbery award or honor books

• I'm done!! This month I read Other Words for Home, Splendors and Glooms, Because of Winn-Dixie, It's Like This, Cat, and Echo. Splendors and Glooms and Echo were both favorites. I just love Newbery books. They are such quality. My long-term goal is to read every single one of them.

56. make and give 10 art gifts

• I made one last gift for a friend and I'm all done! This has been so fun. It can be hard sometimes to think of things to make, so making gifts for others is great because it gives me something to do, and I make something for someone I like who likes what I make! Win win!

Updates:

4. read 100 books in a year

• With all my reading I hit 52 books this week! So just an update to say I am a third of the way through the year and over halfway done with my 100 books. Am I ridiculous? Yes, in a very good way.

31. a year of (silly) holiday celebration

• This month we enjoyed Draw a Picture of a Bird Day, Licorice Day, Haiku Day, and Bubble Tea Day! Quarantine did encourage me to finally make my own bubble tea - I've had the stuff for it forever, but not being able to go out and get it for Bubble Tea Day finally pushed me. It was pretty okay!

42. complete 10 unfinished series (reading, watching, etc.)

• I realized Survivor is totally an unfinished series! I loved this show when it first came out (though I didn't start watching until the 2nd season - I've watched the 1st since then - don't worry) back when I was in middle school. I watched pretty regularly for a while and then a few here and there, but I had some huge gaps and they're currently on season 40 so I had a lot to catch up on! Being stuck at home brought me back and I rediscovered my love for this phenomenal show. I've breezed through 18 seasons since we've started staying home and I'm almost all caught up! It's been such a comfort watch.

44. see a touring Broadway show

• Our show was officially cancelled. :( We got our money back and hopefully we can make it to one this fall! Mean Girls and Anastasia are both coming, and Hamilton early next year, which is never a bad decision. We'll get one!

58. see 30 new documentaries (5/30)

• Just one this month: Three Identical Strangers, man. It's crazy. Go watch it!

60. r/52weeksofcooking - year-long cooking challenge

• So glad this is keeping me on track during a month of nothingness, too.

Deep Frying: Double-fried Fries

Alphabet: LMNOP Quiche (lemon, mushroom, nutmeg, onion, parmesan)

Beans: Sweet Potato Black Bean Chipotle Kale Salad

South African: Gatsby Sandwich

From Scratch: Fresh Pasta and Meat Sauce

79. try 30 new salad/side dish recipes (5/30)

• Trying to be better at this one! Got one this month! I made a kale and quinoa salad with lemon vinaigrette. Yum.

99. complete a reading challenge (20/50)

• I did focus on those Newberys this month, but I managed to get 5 done for my challenge! I read a book with 20+ letters in the title (The Art of Racing in the Rain), a book by a woman in STEM (The Moment of Lift), a book about or involving social media (An Absolutely Remarkable Thing), a book set in Japan (Tokyo on Foot), and a book featuring one of the seven deadly sins (My Year of Rest and Relaxation). I'm feeling on track for this one, and if I can continue to get digital copies of things I'll keep on reading more until the libraries open back up.

I've had some rough patches this month, so I'm glad I've been able to get so much done, relatively speaking. I hope to get more done this month. But my worth is not defined by my productivity! And I know you guys will still love me no matter what I have to report. Thanks for all your support!

An update from home (but they all are!)

Normally, I'm home most days and I don't usually get that much done, but now that I'm forced to be home, I have been keeping myself busy. In the last few weeks, the hubster has joined me at home, which is simultaneously great and terrible. This month also saw the release of Animal Crossing New Horizons, which makes me feel like I need to be super productive when I'm not playing. All that to say, I think I'm doing a pretty good job. Solidarity in being stuck at home is definitely helping!

Completed:

87. cook all recipes from Spice Madam subscription

• I took the downtime this month to cook my last two boxes: Israel and Goa, India. 

Israel: Shakshuka

Israel: Shawarma, Israeli Salad, Hummus, Zhug Sauce

Goa: Lemon Rice, Mixed Vegetable Curry

Goa: Tomato and Onion Bhaji, Fish Curry

• Not pictured, the coconut baath cake - super yum. This was a really fun challenge and it was always exciting to get my spices in the mail. I didn't always agree with the recipes, but the spices were top shelf. 12 items done now!

Updates:

21. read 30 new Newbery award or honor books (25/30)

• So close! I read What Hearts and New Kid this month. New Kid is the most recent winner and also happens to be a graphic novel! The first graphic novel to ever get the Newbery! I love that it won, but I'm sad to say I didn't love the art in it. So I wish a better graphic novel had one, but still. 

23. see 30 new animated films (18/30)

• We've instituted watching a movie a day while Hubster's been home, and I've been catching him up on my favorite as well as watching new ones. As far as animated films go, we've seen Onward, The Incredibles 2, and The Lego Ninjago Movie. They were all pretty good! Onward was probably my favorite of the three. I'm happy/sad it got released digitally early. We were planning on going to see it in theaters, but then we didn't feel comfortable going to the theater. :(

31. a year of (silly) holiday celebration

• March's celebrations included Casimir Pulaski Day, Pound Cake Day, Dress Day, and Tea for Two Tuesday (including scones!)

33. attend ECCC or another major con with Garrett

• This was supposed to be a completed item, but COVID-19 had to happen. They did reschedule and we were able to transfer our tickets for free, so hopefully everything works out for August!

35. watch 10 anime series (2/10)

• Hubster beat Persona 4 Golden and wanted to check out the anime - it's only 12 episodes, so we binged it in a weekend! I'm cool with that. 

44. see a touring Broadway show

• I was optimistic and bought tickets for a show in Spokane in May. It might not happen. We will see. Prepare for the worst, expect the best, right?

47. go through the Coverville backlog

• I'm over halfway through (that's 700+ episodes so far)! I'll have to keep up with it to the end of the list, but, I'm feeling good and have found lots of good tunes.

60. r/52weeksofcooking - year-long cooking challenge

• This has been so fun, you guys.

Brazilian: Brazilian Lemonade (it's actually made with limes)

Fermented: Kimchi Soondubu Stew

Kawaii: Psyduck Omelette Rice

Peppers: "Grandma's Special" Grilled Cheese - I'm also letting this one count for:

85. recreate 20 meals from media (1/20)

• I made the above grilled cheese after reading Tweet Cute by Emma Lord - two teens unwittingly fight over this recipe on Twitter so I had to try it out. It's sourdough, apple butter (it was supposed to be jam, but I couldn't find it), honey mustard, muenster, cheddar, and peppers. I was a bit hesitant, but it was delicious!! Now I need to decide what to do with these recipes. Should I start a separate blog for them? I don't even know. But this was great.

91. play 20 games from Board Game Geek's top 100 (7/20)

• My update on this is I officially decided to do the top 200 instead of 100. The top 100 is full of expensive strategy games that would be hard to get my hands on, and if I did, they're not always my cup of tea. Expanding it lets me play smaller games that I can get my hands on more easily, like Jaipur! We ordered this one when we realized we'd be stuck at home for a while. It's a two-player game so it's perfect for us and we had a lot of fun with it.

I won!

99. complete a reading challenge (15/50)

• It's been some good reading time! This month I finished 7 books for my challenge: a book by a woman of color (Americanah), a book with a pun in the title (Tweet Cute), a book released in 2020 (Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom), a book set in an Olympic host city (The Downstairs Girl), a book with a three-word title (The Red Tent), a book with the whose author is in their 20s (The Fire Never Goes Out), and a book with a book on the cover (Good Omens). 

As the stay home order continues here, I'm hoping to continue riding my wave of productivity. I think I could finish the Newbery books, and get some headway on cooking challenges. We'll probably continue our movie-a-day tradition and expand to some documentaries and international films. We'd also like to support some local restaurants, though our favorites in town have already closed. :( Gotta stay busy and do good things (but also enjoy wasting time playing Animal Crossing and watching Survivor - no shame)!