Travel: New York
Books: A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the Second, The Reptile Room, by Lemony Snicket, The Final Solution by Michael Chabon

Monday: Flew in from SEA and arrived in Boston at like 7AM. Got like 2 hours of sleep on the plane. Went home and slept for 4 more and man, that did it. Woke up minutes before my noon and I felt WORSE than I had in days. Cold was back with a vengance. Emailed work and did all my work from home in sort of a weird sick daze. Took a call for our travel client, then a Kashi meeting, then a meeting on an RFP for an awesome Swedish company. Daily meeting about our problem client. Meeting about our own website. Answered lots of emails, but couldn't really "plow through" as I was so exhausted. Judi got home like 6ish, and I wrapped up at 7ish and cooked some dinner for us.

Health month has begun. It's going okay so far. I've been sick so it's been insanely easy. Got up and had a Lara bar (these things are going to save my life I swear to god) and a pint of water with some Emergen-C in it. Had another pint of water, some dry popcorn and a liter or so of unsweetened, uncaffienated green tea throughout the day. Dinner consisted of my Gai Gaprow recipe which is a wonderful thai basil and chicken dish that's super easy and super healthy. Had that over brown rice.

Did about another hour of work, then tried to read news feeds on my laptop on the couch and found myself falling asleep in the middle of a scintillating New Yorker article about Google. Read an interesting comment in Cameron's journal about research and presentations that I bookmarked for a future blog entry about marketing ideas that I have been wrestling with lately at work. Managed to play a round of Scrabulous against my fierce rivals gordonmerrick, lizenthusiasm, emmascully, Jayna, smapple, magneticwoman, Skaff and DMD. Gave up at about 10 PM and headed to bed, tucked in with Lemony Snicket 2. Lasted maybe 20 minutes. Passed out. SLEPT FOR FOURTEEN HOURS.

Tuesday: Woke up at ONE PM. WTF. Man I must be SICK. BUT, I think this is the day it broke because I found myself on top of things at work - FINALLY, for the first time since the 21st of december. Worked hard and nonstop through till dinner at about 8 PM. Meetings for Kashi, Hyundai, Problem Client, SXSW, and Partners. Picked up the Mirrors project for some new mirrors. Did some HR stuff. Did some resourcing stuff.

Health Month Update: Breakfast was non-existant because of the whole getting up at one PM thing. I weighed myself in the morning on a lark and I weighed five pounds less than the day before. HA. Right. Breakfast was a pint of water with Emergen-C and some quickstyle home made soup - low-sodium chicken broth, whole grain orzo, carrots, celery and a buttload of spices (thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic). No mid day snack, though I was hungry. Actually that's not true I had a few unsalted peanuts, which are my standby during health month. Then for dinner I made Rick's Noodleless Pad Thai, which came off flawlessly. Added a smidge of water from the recipe on facebook, and used 8 dried thai chilis and a shallot to give it a bit more bite - worked brilliantly!

Worked for another hour or two after dinner and man, I was on fire, but I decided I was well enough to attempt this NYC trip tomorrow and my train was @ 6:15 (I am on it now) so I thought I'd force myself to go to sleep. I read and finished up Lemony Snicket 2 and tried to sleep. Tossed and turned - obviously a bit difficult to sleep a mere 9 ours after I slept 14 hours, but it is a testament to how sick I was that I managed without much difficulty. Fell asleep about 1, woke up at 5. Woo.

Tags: books, recap, travel
Current Music: "Stagger Lee (live)" By Cave, Nick & the Bad Seeds from Live in Perth

Books: A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the First: A Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Movies: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Charlie Wilson's War, Juno, The Host, Zodiac
Travel: Seattle
Bands: Buffalo Tom, Thalia Zydek

In keeping with busterbenson's respect for me to attempt a bit more public openness, I am going to try and not lock these posts. Which will be rough. I won't be able to mention specific clients or something, and I'm moderately nervous, but i think it'll be okay.

So, for the uninitiated, I have been keeping a little note on every day for the last... 3 years? This will be the third year. This stems from my uncanny ability, back when I was young and sober and living in Alaska and only like 16 to literally be able to recall whatever it was I did for every day back to the age of like 8. This ability is gone, but I liked having it, so now I use the written record to help. Also, my grandfather, who homesteaded in alaska in the 1930's, did the same thing, along with being a prolific writer beyond that. I always envied him for it. So I am trying to keep the dream alive. I do, sadly, tend to bunch them up. I'm going to try and keep that to a minimum as well this year. Shorter bursts. Hopefully one a week. Luckily, though, I am blessed with a full, busy life, so sometimes that doesn't work out.

( Recap since 12/27 )

Tags: books, movies, recap, rock, travel
Current Music: "Miss Abuse" By Bark Psychosis from Codename: DustSucker

Bands: Perla, For A Minor Reflection, <3Svanvít!, Naflakusk, Eliza, Smoosh, Lights on a Highway, Jenny Wilson, Boys in a Band, Duke Spirit, Retro Stefson, Teenagers, Kimono, Singapore Sling, Computer Club, Loney, Dear, Trentmöller, Heavy Trash, Motion Boys, Gus Gus, Frost, Mental Overdrive, Amiina, Tied & Tickle Trio, Ms. John Soda, Benni Hemm Hemm, Lali Puna, Ra Ra Riot, Hafdis Huld, Annuals, British Sea Power
Travel: Reykjavik, Keflavik and Blue Lagoon, Iceland, New York, Los Angeles
Books: Spook Country by William Gibson, Adverbs by Daniel Handler, Lonely Planet Iceland

( Iceland Airwaves + Some Random Travel )

Tags: books, iceland, recap, rock, rocktourist, travel
Current Music: "Wayfaring Stranger" By Cash, Johnny from Unearthed

Movies: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Books: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Travel: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Wasilla, Eagle River, Delta Junction, Paxson, etc

The trip was a good time - way too short, though, especially in Fairbanks. It was awesome to get to have a weekend at home before returning to work, so it's a give and take, but it would have been nice to have a little bit more time there. It was awesome to see my sister, and awesome to have the free time to read Harry Potter!

Pitcures can be found here: http://flickr.com/photos/lizstless/tags/alaska2007/

( Recap of our trip to Alaska )

Tags: alaska, recap, travel
Current Music: Dave Chapelle's Block Party

Travel:Austin
Books: The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson
Bands: Til We're Blue or Destroy (three times), Haircut party, Pipettes (twice), Oh No! Oh My!, Pony Up, The Panda Band, Frightened Rabbit, Twilight Sad, Bird featuring Mark Burgess of the Chameleons, The Mountain Goats, Blonde Redhead, Calla, Voxtrot, Har Mar Superstar, Headlights, Lonely Dear, Andrew Bird, Tokyo Police Club, Matt & Kim (twice) Clem Snide, The Ooolas, The Prototypes, Thomas Dolby, Cloud Cult, Sondre Lerche, Jesu, Ladyhawk, Shit Disco, Evangelicals, Okkervil River, RDJ2, Menomena, Deerhunter, Do Make Say Think, Thurston Moore instrumental, Magick Markers, Thurston Moore Songz with Special Guests, Monotract, Black Helicopter, Pagoda, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Robin Hitchcock, Gruff Rhys, The M's, Christian Scott, Mando Diao, Ponys, Sloan, Walkmen, Apples in Stereo, Til We're Blue or Destroy

( SXSW Music Festival recap, all 5,000 words of it )

Tags: austin, bands, recap, rock, sxsw, travel
Current Music: "We've Got Everything" by Modest Mouse, From We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

And, now, finally, we come to resolutions.

Last year, I resolved to record a little blurb about what I did, every single day of the year.

I did it.

I started out the year doing one or two days at a time, and doing it in private. By March or April, though, I did them semi-publically, and on a monthly basis. This has pros and cons. It's not near as personal or interesting to me, but it's a bit more FUN. I like the format it's evolved into, and it makes recapping the year, etc., easy. But i miss the personal. I'm not sure how I'm gonna solve it, but resolution #1 for this year is to keep recapping each day of my life, but to also capture more emotion and feeling in them somehow.

I also resolved to exercise more, and I did it, but only barely and not really. I have definitely fallen off the wagon on my treadmill desk, and it's time to get back in the saddle. So that is resolution #2 - at least 3 days of every week that I am in town on the treadmill desk.

And then we're on resolution #3. Resolution #3 is to the same as last year. I succeeded last year, and so again: take part in health month. Health month, for those who don't know, is something Keith and I started years ago. It basically means no smoking, drinking, or eating any bad food at all for a month. Including diet coke. and cheese. and fried foods. and everything awesome. You can read all the details on keith's vox blog. It's always kind of a pain but a good penance after the new year, and a good check on the diet or someone who is, shall we say, a bit of a bon vivant. Health month, by the by, starts on January 5th, so you new yorkers, come out with me on the 3rd and 4th for the last hurrah!

And now, though, we come to resolution #3. This is the big one. From the beginning of Health Month until May of 2007, I am not going to drink alcohol. Four months. My original plan was to then only drink for 10 days in the rest of 2007 - my birthday, judi's, the barbarian party, fourth of july, christmas eve and 5 others chosen based on circumstances. This may stick. I dunno. The point is, really, I wanna see what it's like to live as a non-drinker. I've been drinking heavily since I was 21, basically, and it's time to see what adulthood holds for the sober guy. I am hoping i get more done. I am hoping i still go out. I am hoping I don't go insane. I am hoping to add greater depths to my friendships. I am hoping I still dance a lot. I have been thinking about sending my bartenders care packages while I am gone so that when I start again I'll still get all the free drinks I do. I dunno. We'll see. It's gonna be an adventure, but I think one worth having.

Professionally and Digitally, I resolve to:

• Get RockTourist Running again
  
• Get my unified blog (a la bustermcleod.com) running
• Stick it to SAG
  
• Get interactive filmmakers into the AMPAS
  
• Get a media planner
  
• Get the curtains hung
  
• Reduce our phone bill by using the internet
  
• Get the holiday cards out earlier
  
• Not Sell out

Tags: 2006, recap, resolutions, year in review
Current Music: "Music By J. Spaceman" From Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard: Silent Sound

Shows: Bobby Tinsdale, AD MIles, Jonathan Katz, Jen Kirkman, Eugene Mirman, Lifestyle, Appomattox, 8MM Fuzz
Movies: Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, An Inconvenient Truth, Syriana, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Far From Heaven, The Departed, The Good Shepherd, Notes on a Scandal, Children of Men
Books: Still reading Pynchon
Travel: NYC, London, Minehead, Somerset,
( Recap of December )

Tags: atp, barbarian holiday, movies, new year, recap, rock, shows, travel
Current Music: "My Dick" by My Dick Band, From Myspace

Well I had a hunch it would be the case, and it turned out to be so. My favorite film of the year? Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men. This man is freaking me out with his versatility. Three for three with Y Tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and now this. And hell, I even loved Great Expectations .

I don't feel like I saw enough films this year to do votes for best director, etc. I'm gonna see how the noms go, catch up on what everyone votes on, and watch any that I feel like i missed and I need to see: most probably The Queen, The Last King of Scotland, The Fountain, The Prestige and a few others. Anyway, I saw 46 new releases this year - 5 more than last year, amazingly, somehow. Not sure how I pulled that off. Things coming out on DVD more quickly, I suspect.

( Anyway, here's the full list. )

Tags: lists, movies, recap, year in review
Current Music: "Steal the Crumbs" by Uncle Tupelo, From Anodyne

I can't even really comprehend everything I did in 2006. I even managed to take 3 different week-long restorative rests. Right now I haven't looked back yet at any journals or lists or anything about what I actually did last year, but the things that come to me are: my surgery, visiting my grandmother, my sister going back to Alaska, ATP, SXSW, Coachella, the Delta Shuttle, Amtrak, reconnecting with old friends and making amazing new ones. Life pretty much throwing a lot of weird shit at us all and me being vaguely surprised none of it tested my faith in how things work. Becoming slightly more politically cynical, but also way, way more politically intelligent, aware and moderately more engaged. The funny thing is, that I know there's so much that's happened, so much that I did that I don't remember right now. Experiences happen at such a quick pace it's all I can do to experience them in the moment, and then make sure I document them appropriately for future times of reflection. This is why, of course, a week like this week is so important. For all the archiving I do, for all the saving, documenting, recording - would there be any point if I didn't stop and reflect once in a while? I used to think it would be when I got old, that I would sit in a house, all alone with all my stuff, and I would pull out trinkets - a ticket stub from some long-ago seen movie, and images and memories would come flooding back to me like a flashback in a Dickensian blockbuster. But it's clear to me now this is folly - both because I don't know that I ever intend to stop, and because I look back on old talisens of the not-so-distant past now, and I don't even remember the details of them (the astute reader will note I did not say it was implausible because I won't be alone.) It's clear at some point I'm going to need to re-read my life in its entirety to have a clear picture of it. Luckily I'll be able to. Unluckily, it will, by then, number some 20,000 pages or more, and I doubt I'll be of stature enough to engage an editor to abridge the text for me.

But I digress.

( Looking through the journals, then, let's fill out some memes: )

Tags: 2006, recap, year in review
Current Music: "Shine a Light" by Spiritualized, From Lazer Guided Melodies

Okay, I'm *pretty* sure that I'm not seeing any more bands for the rest of the year, so here we go: my complete list of bands and artists I've seen this year. The total: 246 performances - or one band every 1.4 days. Figure an average of half hour per performance and we have 5 full days of music. I have no idea how I pulled this off, though the FIVE FESTIVALS helped - SXSW, Coachella, All Tomorrow's Parties, Touch & Go and Brainwaves.

Non-local band seen the most? Mogwai, at four times, in four cities.
Best performance of the year? Daft Punk, hands down.
Bands I missed that I'm upset about: Flipper, Nurse with Wound, The Editors, The Pet Shop Boys
Loudest band: Iggy & The Stooges

( The Full list, from !!! to Zero 7 )

Tags: 2006, gigs, recap, rock, year in review
Current Music: "Far, Far Away" by Wilco, From Being There