April 2007

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Countdown


  • Start Date: August 1st, 2004
    Deadline: April 29th, 2007
    Tasks completed: 19
    Last task completed: #39 - Create better storage for my comic books and magazines (03.27.05)

Definitive Top 25 Films


    1. Leon (The Professional)*
    2. Aliens
    3. Ferris Beuller's Day Off*
    4. The Color Purple
    5. Big Trouble in Little China*
    6. The Matrix
    7. The Empire Strikes Back
    8. The Shawshank Redemption*
    9. Goonies
    10. Silence of the Lambs
    11. Deep Cover
    12. Back to the Future II*
    13. New Jack City
    14. Tombstone*
    15. Signs
    16. The Royal Tenenbaums
    17. Goodfellas
    18. The Great White Hype
    19. The Nightmare Before Christmas
    20. Bowfinger
    21. The Neverending Story
    22. Raiders of the Lost Ark
    23. The Abyss
    24. Beat Street
    25. 12 Monkeys

101 in 1001 Next Flick

Top 10 Anime DVDs


    1. Akira
    2. Spirited Away
    3. Princess Mononoke
    4. Grave of the Fireflies
    5. Ninja Scroll
    6. Cowboy Bebop
    7. Blood: The Last Vampire
    8. My Neighbor Totoro
    9. Perfect Blue

GreenCine's 22 Best Docs


    1. Nanook of the North
    2. Jazz on a Summer's Day
    3. Don't Look Back
    4. Salesman
    5. Woodstock: Three Days of Peace & Music
    6. Gimme Shelter
    7. Hearts and Minds
    8. Best Boy
    9. Stop Making Sense
    10. Berkeley in the Sixties
    11. The Civil War
    12. Incident at Oglala
    13. A Great Day in Harlem
    14. Crumb
    15. The Celluloid Closet
    16. When We Were Kings
    17. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control
    18. 4 Little Girls
    19. American Movie
    20. Genghis Blues
    21. Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
    22. Dark Days
    23. Sound and Fury
    24. Scratch
    25. The Fog of War

April 29, 2007

101 tasks in 1001 days

As seen on triplux.com:

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Inspiration:
Seen on triplux (by way of a mention by Gwen), it seems like the perfect way to set some real goals, hopes, and dreams for my life all with a running clock. I'm not good with lists but creating something like this with a constant reminder of what I'm not doing should be an excellent motivator.

About this site:
I've broken the list down into 5 major categories but maintained their order. To the left, you'll get tidbits about some of the things I'm currently working on. Right now it features the multimedia tasks. I'm still debating on whether to put lists of the films, movies, etc. that I've completed over there or not. Also, please note that the Rough Guide (unheard) is not a complete list.

Start Date: 08.01.04
Deadline: 04.29.07 (a Sunday)
Tasks completed: 25

The Tasks

Personal Improvement

2. Lose 30 Pounds.
3. Lower my blood pressure.
4. Make LA Public Transportation my main mode of travel for a month.
5. Run a 5 or 10k race for charity 8 weekends in a row.
10. Start a retirement Fund.
13. Learn enough Spanish to be able to watch Como Agua Para Chocolate without subtitles.
14. Start taking ASL classes again.
15. Find a charity to support and volunteer at least 2 hours of my time to it weekly.
16. Write a letter to my local representative to state government about their record.
17. Write a letter to my federal representative about their record. (completed 09.04)
18. Write a letter to my state senators about their record.
19. Attend a town hall meeting.
20. Trace the geneology on my mother's side of the family as far back as I can.
21. Find out who my biological father is. (completed 11.20.04)
25. Bike to and from work.
44. Define my political ideology. (completed on 08.07.04)
54. Save 5 dollars a day.
55. Cook all my meals for a week (i.e. No fast or restaurant food) (completed 02.12.05 - 02.19.05)
61. Have no facial hair for a month. (completed 06.01.05)
68. Play pick-up ball every saturday for a month.
75. Re-connect with an old friend from college. (completed on 03.21.05)
77. Do 100 sit-ups straight.
78. Do 50 push-ups straight.
79. Wear contacts for at least a month. (completed 06.30.05)
81. Get a manicure.
82. Get a pedicure.
83. Get a professional massage.
87. Spend a weekend with just me and my dad.
88. Attend services at a different church, synagogue, temple and mosque over the course of a month.
89. Write a letter to the editor to a newspaper or magazine about an issue that touches me.
93. Pay all my bills on time for a month. (completed 09.04 and still continues...)
94. Balance my checkbook. (completed 06.30.05)
98.Send handwritten letters to someone every day for a month.

Professional Improvement

1. Attend SXSW. (completed 03.10.05 - 03.17.05)
31. Take a photography class.
32. Get my story, The Lonely Little Wonton, illustrated.
33. Pursue publishing the story in book form.
34. Write The Lonely Little Wonton and the Church of Chicken.
64. Add sections to negroplease.com to make it more than my diary. Include resume, a professional bio and a section for my freelance writing and online projects. (Completed on 05.29.05)
76. Enter a short story contest.
90. Take a screenwriting class.
95. Teach myself Final Cut Pro.

Home Improvement

27. Get an Apple Cinema Display. (completed 09.06.04)
35. Paint the walls of my apartment.
36. Replace the patio and window screens in my apartment.
37. Fix the toilet paper holder in my bathroom. (completed on 10.17.04)
38. Buy more bookcases. (completed on 10.16.04. Built on 10.22.04)
39. Create better storage for my comic books and magazines. (completed on 03.27.05)
42.Get a case for all my displayable toys.
43. Buy some original artwork.
47. Fix my window blinds.
51. Go wireless in my apartment.
62. Buy new living room furniture.

Mixed Media

6. Listen to every album in Rough Guides 100 Essential Soul Albums.
28. Own every Spike Lee film on my top 100 films list on DVD.
29. Watch the entirety of Twin Peaks on DVD.
30. Watch all available seasons of Homicide: Life On the Street on DVD. (completed on 11.12.04)
57. Compile a personal top 100 films list. (completed on 06.26.05 - but forever a work in progress)
58. Compile a personal top 100 albums list.
59. Own the top 25 films on my top 100 films list.
65. Take pictures of all my friends and family.
66. Make a photo diary of a Coachella Music Festival weekend (completed 05.05.05).
67. Create a photo wall in my apartment with framed photos of friends and family.
70. Go to a music festival outside of California. (completed 03.16.05 - 03.17.05)
71. Read several books about Robert F. Kennedy.
72. Buy a new record player.
73. Learn the basics of turntablism.
74. Do a live DJ set at a public venue.
84. See all 40 films on Greencine's Best Documentaries on DVD list.
85. See about.com's 10 best Anime Films on DVD.
86. Read the books in Stephen King's Dark Tower Series that I haven't yet. (completed 02.05)

Fun

7. Attend Michelle & B's Celebration.
8. Take a trip to South America.
9. Take a trip to Canada.
11. See New York in  Fall. (completed 11.21.04 - 11.28.04)
12. Play Texas Hold 'Em at a casino table in Vegas.
22. Get A grades on every song on Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix.
23. Sing Girl, You Know It's True by Milli Vanilli at a Karaoke Bar.
24. Perform comedy at an amateur night.
26. Get the Sidekick II when it's released. (completed on 09.21.04)
40. Learn how to mix a specialty drink (probably the starfucker martini but maybe the adios motherfucker).
41.Throw a theme party.
45. Have sex in a 4 star hotel room.
46. Have sex in a sleazy motel room.
48. Go to a live horse race.
49. Bet on some horses.
50. Let Colin teach me how to golf.
52. Complete the upcoming Legend of Zelda game without a FAQ or guide.
53. Stay out in Los Angeles until the Sun comes up and take pictures.
56. Join LACMA and attend every gallery exhibit for a year.
60. Meet someone in person from another city that I first met through blogging. (completed 08.04)
63. Create a website for this project. (completed on 12.27.04)
69. See a professional boxing match.
80. Throw a dinner party.
91. Learn a magic trick.
92. Learn a card trick.
96. Attend a professional Tennis Tournament.
97. See Shaquille O'Neal play live as a member of the Miami Heat. (completed 01.05)
99. Attend Erotica LA.
100. Attend Comic-Con.
101. Go see bands I've never seen live before every day for a week.

June 30, 2005

101/1001: Wear Contacts For a Month

I’m officially a contacts person now.

June 26, 2005

My Personal Top 100 Films

This is it. I'm locking it down. And, while the first 25 is pretty close to accurate as to what my top 25 is (i'll probably do some shuffling later), these are in no particular order.

  1. Leon
  2. Aliens
  3. Ferris Beuller's Day Off
  4. The Color Purple
  5. Big Trouble in Little China
  6. The Matrix
  7. The Empire Strikes Back
  8. The Shawshank Redemption
  9. Goonies
  10. Silence of the Lambs
  11. Deep Cover
  12. Back to the Future II
  13. New Jack City
  14. Tombstone
  15. Signs
  16. The Royal Tenenbaums
  17. Goodfellas
  18. The Great White Hype
  19. The Nightmare Before Christmas
  20. Bowfinger
  21. The Neverending Story
  22. Raiders of the Lost Ark
  23. The Abyss
  24. Beat Street
  25. 12 Monkeys
  26. Ocean's 11
  27. A Soldier's Story
  28. 25th Hour
  29. The Breakfast Club
  30. Return of the Jedi
  31. Kill Bill Vol. 1
  32. Kill Bill Vol. 2
  33. Reservoir Dogs
  34. The Usual Suspects
  35. Back to the Future
  36. Jackie Brown
  37. The Matrix Reloaded
  38. Face/Off
  39. Out of Sight
  40. Casino
  41. Malcolm X
  42. Sixteen Candles
  43. Memento
  44. I *heart* Huckabees
  45. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  46. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
  47. Almost Famous
  48. Fight Club
  49. Pulp Fiction
  50. Star Wars
  51. Training Day
  52. A Christmas Story
  53. Swingers
  54. Amelie
  55. Boomerang
  56. Trading Places
  57. Lost in Translation
  58. When We Were Kings
  59. Jurassic Park
  60. Beetlejuice
  61. Die Hard
  62. The Mummy
  63. Batman
  64. Scarface
  65. Murder on a Sunday Morning
  66. The Staircase
  67. Superman II
  68. X-Men 2
  69. Bad Boys (1985)
  70. Seven
  71. The Sixth Sense
  72. The Wizard of Oz
  73. Defending Your Life
  74. Wall Street
  75. Unbreakable
  76. The Fugitive
  77. Any Given Sunday
  78. Babe
  79. Requiem for a Dream
  80. Alien
  81. Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban
  82. Dancer in the Dark
  83. Rabbit-Proof Fence
  84. Spellbound
  85. The Golden Child
  86. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
  87. Spirited Away
  88. Like Water for Chocolate
  89. The Bourne Identity
  90. Kung Fu Hustle
  91. Beautiful Girls
  92. Bamboozled
  93. Do The Right Thing
  94. Best in Show
  95. Big Night
  96. Clockers
  97. Dogma
  98. The Five Heartbeats
  99. Minority Report
  100. Heist

June 08, 2005

Here's How...

90% of my bills now are paid electronically. I automatically transfer funds weekly to my savings and holiday accounts (and hopefully by the end of the year – retirement and money market accounts). I use my debit card for incidentals and my credit card for larger purchases. I also now use cash sparingly.

Doing the majority electronically means I get to track my checkbook online whenever I feel like it and it is easy to manage and find the discrepancies.