991 Days

020. Pay $10 more than minimum on both student loans each month - (01/33)
Another $240 a year towards principal never hurts.

022. (Re)watch each of AFI's Top 100 Movies - (005/100)
Someone needs to explain to me why I've never seen #97, Blade Runner (1982).  Particularly since I am so enamored of Battlestar Galactica.  I'm becoming an enormous sci-fi nerd, aren't I?  Oh well.  It was visually stunning, with gorgeous throwbacks to film noir.  The pace and tone of the film had a sedate, grimy melancholy that I found almost hypnotic.  Even the violence was, on the whole, calm and precise.

The question of what makes a being "human", though, is one that fascinates me.  Cylons and replicants are programmed with memories, emotions, and desires, but are they invalid because they're inauthentic, or is it enough that these things become an impetus for their choices?  Is their free will any less actual than ours?  Are they technology, or are they, as the Tyrell corporation boasts, "more human than human"?

Compelling stuff, right?  I think I'm going to add Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep to my wish list.  I've only read VALIS and it didn't particularly drive me to read more of his work, but now I'm intrigued...

To round out the double feature, I popped in #96, Do the Right Thing (1989). Extremely disturbing, but definitely worth watching.  It's pretty clear that I've lived an existence sheltered from any kind of racial tension.  I have to say, though, that Spike Lee is unbelievably good at crafting characters.

042. Cook or bake 100 new recipes - (001/100)
Today is just as cold and rainy as the forecast had predicted so, after briefly scooting out into the world to pick up eggs and a coffee, I have burrowed into my cozy apartment for the day.  No St. Patrick's Day exploits for me, thankyouverymuch.  I am quite content to avoid the inebriated (and, incidentally, extremely loud and aggressive) masses that are staggering around my neighborhood.  Yes, I am clearly the least fun person on earth, but there's just something about SPD that rubs me the wrong way.  Bah O'Humbug!

So, instead, I made a slow-cooked bolognese sauce.  Spring will be here soon--the weather is already noticeably more mild--and I want to sneak in the last few hearty, comforting recipes that are more suited to chilly, dreary days such as this one.

I haven't been cooking very much lately, which is why I added this goal to my list.  My kitchen is comically small, so whenever I make anything remotely involved I have to balance bowls and pans and ingredients on the fridge, or the microwave, or even put things out in the living room until I need them.  It's not exactly effortless.  However, there is nourishment in the chopping, stirring, tasting, smelling, and eating that can't be replaced by an instant meal or takeout.  Even washing the dishes becomes an exercise in tranquility.

I can be a little hit-or-miss with new recipes, though, which is why I also have "Take a cooking class" on my list.  This bolognese is a good example of my tendency to modify recipes:
"1/4 cup of bacon?  How about 1/2 cup!"
"What, no garlic?  Three cloves at least..."
"Simmer on the stove over low heat for 2 hours?  Psh, into the crock pot..."
And, next time, I think I'll add 1lb of ground pork and another can of tomatoes.  But it was a success, and I have jam jars full of leftovers to reheat on another rainy day, or to give away.  I'm convinced that few gifts have a higher cost-to-satisfaction ratio than homemade food.
-----

I think my favorite thing so far about this Day Zero project is that it makes me feel productive even when I'm just lazing around on a rainy day, watching movies and making dinner.  Even though today was chilly I can feel spring in the air.  Daylight Savings ends tomorrow and I can't wait for more daylight to give me a little extra oomph.