998 Days

Busy, busy day!  I mentioned yesterday that I was feeling particularly under the weather and out of sorts, thanks to an unrelenting sinus infection that's plagued me for over a week now.  I didn't realize how very worn I was, though, until I passed out at 8:30pm while catching up on last week's episodes of The Daily Show.  Twelve uninterrupted hours later, I woke up feeling much better, though not entirely.  The sinus infection is still entrenched, but I no longer feel like I've been run over by a stampede of wildebeests.  I decided to let the invigorating effect of the sunshine and (relatively) mild weather inspire me to embark on a number of the 101 (or, at the moment, 41... I'll get to 101 eventually!).
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039. Try 25 new beers - (01/25)
I stopped at the Old Toad for lunch (the Drunken Cheddar soup was un-freaking-believable... I could have bathed in it, it was so good...) and a glass of Einbecker Winter Bock, which was on tap.  I'm really not a beer connoisseur, so I'm sure I can't adequately describe it other than to say it was heavy for a bock, nutty, and very good.  Very suited to winter, which I suppose is pretty self-evident in the name...

015. See 10 movies in the theater - (01/10)
It may surprise you that something seemingly so mundane is one of my goals.  But honestly - I rarely ever see movies in the theater.  It's expensive, and people can be obnoxious and ruin it, and you can't pause it when you have to go to the bathroom.  However, I've resolved to break my habit of avoiding the theater, mostly because a) movies are much more impressive on the big screen, and b) I'm tired of being 6-9 months behind everyone while waiting for films to come out on DVD.

Anyway, today I was going to catch a matinee of Alice in Wonderland, but when I arrived at the theater there were throngs of young children and their parents queuing up to see it, which was a little much for me.  I did a quick Flixster search and found out that Sherlock Holmes was still playing in one theater in town.  The matinee only cost $5 (the diet coke I imprudently bought inside cost nearly as much) and there were maybe half a dozen other people in the theater, so I think it worked out well, on the whole.  The movie itself was all right... I am a sucker for scenes of Victorian London, and I liked the banter between Holmes and Watson (Downey Jr and Law were rather good, I must admit).  But there was quite a bit of superfluous "action" and the mystery was a little predictable and plodding.  It was entertaining, though, which is all I was really expecting, so I'll give it 3 stars and move on...

001. Eat at 25 new restaurants - (01/25)
After the film I scooted over to Tavern 58 at Gibbs, which my mother had recommended a few weeks ago (she is also the one who recommended Good Luck, so I take her advice very seriously).  I chose a corner table in the bar area (much nicer than the main restaurant, in my opinion) and settled in with my book.  I ordered a very tasty Vesper and a supremely regrettable crab and cheese fondue - half of the crostini were burnt, and the crab and cheese were lumped in a coagulated mass at the bottom of a thin broth.  Not quite what I had expected.  But the service was phenomenal, and the second mouth-watering Vesper diluted my disappointment a little, so I'd be willing to give it another go and try something else on the menu before completely writing off the place.

008. Eat alone at a restaurant 10 times - (01/10)
As you can see from the photo, I was accompanied only by my book during supper.  It didn't feel uncomfortable at all; actually, I sort of relished it.  I was able to people-watch, catch up on reading, have a cocktail, and eat supper at a nice, relaxing pace.  Not something I'd do all the time, if only because eating out is so expensive, but I think it's not a bad thing to indulge in once a month or so.

040. Try 25 new wines - (01/25)
I bought a bottle of Cortijo Rioja this afternoon, which I am sipping now, as I write this.  I'm even less critical about wines than I am about beer, if only because I've rarely met a red I didn't like.  Usually, though, I gravitate towards French and Californian wines, so Spanish labels are almost all new to me.  Unsurprisingly, I'm happy with my choice.  It's very tart, but also spicy, and smooth.  Quite different to the reds I'm used to, but pleasantly so.
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So a productive and satisfying day, all told.  I'm going to try to be a little more ambitious with some of my future tasks - I keep forgetting that I have almost 3 years to complete these, and I think I'm selling a bit short.  The next 2 years are very much wide open for me in a lot of ways, so I think I should take advantage of that and really accomplish some fantastic things.  Today, even with its small achievements, was infinitely more satisfying than most Saturdays I've had in the past year.