Thursday 26 July 2012

Music!

I'd not expected to get all three 'new bands' in one fell swoop, but I have.  Thanks to the Humble Music Bundle, I've now listened to FOUR new bands:

They Might be Giants (rather odd!  but OK in their way! - we did have an album by them, but I don't recall listening to it);
OK Go, (again quite strange!);
Rather dramatic music from video games from Hitoshi Sakimoto;
and probably the most interesting, Christopher Tin's album Calling All Dawns.

(We already have some MC Frontalot, and Jonathan Coulton; it was thanks to these that we gave the others a chance!)

I still intend to keep looking for fresh music, but I consider my duty by my Challenge done!

Tuesday 24 July 2012

List as at 24th July (2 Months to go!)

Done:
1   Thames river cruise (18th April 2012)
2   Visit Stonehenge (17th April 2012)
3   See the Northern Lights (2nd March 2012)

4   Visit Thackray museum in Leeds (12th November 2011)

5   Have a Belly dancing lesson (8th January 2012)
6   Do a day of Falconry (24th April 2012)
7   Handbell ringing (16th December 2011)

8   1:1 Barre class (3rd November 2011)
9   Hold a tarantula(!) (25 February12)
10 Try at least 5 new foods (Finished March 2012)*
11 Do something completely spontaneous (Shoeshine) (26th October 2011)
12 Rode the Brighton Wheel (26th October 2011)
13 Visit Mother Shipton's Cave (5th June)
14 Visited parts of Yorkshire Sculpture Park I hadn't been to before. (4th June)
15 Tried Lavender & Lemon Scones (5th June)
16 Visit Lindisfarne (7th June 2012)
17 Go to the Hoppings (26th June 2012)
18 Thai Food (11th June 2012)
19 Read at least 3 classics** (20th July 2012)

20 Make a corset (K.) (Finished 3rd July 2012)
21 Hold a tortoise! (6th July 2012)
22 Wear more colours, at least half the time! (Steampunk colours, admittedly!) (ongoing!)
23 Visit the Lit & Phil (23rd July 2012)


Definite:

24 Visit the Tynemouth Toy Museum
25 Edinburgh: Spend a night in the Library room at the Witchery, take a tour of St Mary's Close (Edinburgh under-city) and visit Jekyll & Hyde pub!
26 Tour the Victoria Tunnels (Newcastle)
27 Make a leather masquerade mask (Jo)
28 Have a 4-hand massage
29 Rock climbing (indoor!)
30 Learn to use a Spinning Wheel (K.)
31 Money-diet for a month (July?)
32 Watch at least 5 'must-see' classic films****
33 Try at least 3 new (possibly SteamPunk) bands***
34 Return to my ideal weight (8st7lbs ish)
35 Break myself of the habit of picking at my skin

The following are money/opportunity dependent.

36 Horse-ride along a beach, in the surf :)
37 Take a course in Bookbinding & bind a book. (If course is running in Sept.)
38 Take a Millinery course & make a hat
39 Have a Capoeira lesson
40 Take a Fan Dancing class

41 Box Brownie photography (Jo)
42 Make Ginger Beer
43 Make a Dragon sculpture, since it is Chinese Year of the Dragon!



*Bilberries (what blueberries aspire to being!)
  Figs (nice)
  Turkish sweets (too sweet!)
  Samphire (too salty)
  Kiwi Berries (just like a mini kiwi fruit)
  Dragon Fruit (like a cross between a melon & a kiwi fruit)
  Avocado (not overly keen!)
  Lychee (nice but odd texture)

**Old - Beowulf
   Classic - Frankenstein
   Modern - Brave New World, Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

*** Vernian Process, Abney Park, TMWWNBBFN etc.

**** Suggestions Welcome!

A couple of things off the list!

I've finished Beowulf (in a prose version; I might read a poetry version as well, but I'm in the middle of reading Metro 2033 now, which is very gripping, so it won't be for a while yet!)

I also finally made it to the Lit & Phil in Town yesterday.  It's been a moveable feast as it were, because it doesn't have to be done on any particular day; but yesterday, I thought 'sod it' and went in anyway, even though I had other things to be done in the day; they could wait!

The Lit & Phil

I couldn't resist getting a photo of this lovely spiral staircase.

I spent a while in there reading a copy of Scientific American that was lying on a table.  I would have spent longer (I found a couple of books on Victoriana) but I really did have to do 'real life' things like shopping for milk and so on!

So, as a couple of people have asked me lately how far through my Challenge I am, I think I'm probably due another updated list.  Next post!

But first... a pic of my lovely new made-by-me-and-K corset!




Friday 6 July 2012

Some random things and an idea or two.

My corset is finished!  Many thanks to K for her invaluable knowledge, and willingness to teach me!  There will be pictures after Thursday when I will hopefully wear it out for the first time :D

I've started Beowulf, which is a lot easier to read than I was expecting (I'm reading a prose translation first and then I might try a poetry version if I feel like it.)

I'm hardly wearing black at all these days, so I think I can safely say that I've changed my style to a somewhat more Steampunk one, so I'm going to cross that one off my list when I next update it.

I didn't get to the Lit & Phil or the Toy Museum last week, but they're still on the calendar for sometime soon, so I will definitely visit them.

One of the things I have been intending to do is a 'money diet'.  On Wednesday, it became more urgent, when I checked my bank account & realised that I was in the redder-than-red :(  So I've been doing some sums, with the help of a couple of very useful websites, and starting on Monday, I'll be tightening the purse strings considerably.  Apart from bus-fares and any necessary food shopping, I'm going to try to spend no money next week, no coffees in town, no random clothes shopping (not even Charity Shops!) no nothin'.  I'll see how it goes...

I held a tortoise for the first time today... pretty random, but I guess it counts!

Don't worry, I put her back down right after I'd taken the pictures!

Michelle trying to make a break for it on my lap
Smile for the camera!