962 Days

047. Complete all "Couch-to-5K" workouts within 2 months - (05/27)
Well, I've hit a rather serious snag in this goal, as I somehow pulled/bruised/sprained my ankle/heel/Achilles (it's kind of a vague injury, all I know is: ow) during Tuesday's run.  It still hurts and I can barely walk without limping a little, so therefore this goal is on hiatus until I'm healed (or heeled, haha!  Ah, puns...).  I was off to such a fantastic start, too!  To say the least: I'm truly disappointed.  Truly, truly, truly... Particularly as the weather this morning was pristine.  Depending on how long I'm out of commission I might have to start over from workout one.  We'll see... it's showing little sign of improvement but I don't think I'm seriously injured.

002. Read 100 books - (002/100)
I finished Bill Bryson's Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe in just a few days.  It wasn't very long, granted, but it also made my feet unbearably itchy in anticipation of my upcoming European adventure (my roommate from grad school is getting married in London this November, so I'm going to use that as a jumping-off point for a small sojurn to Berlin, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest).  Anyway, I adore Bryson.  The first book of his that I read was Notes From a Small Island, shortly after I'd returned from Bath in 2001, and I was hooked.  He's deliciously cranky and sarcastic, but balances that with moments full of innocent excitement and wonder.

In addition to travel narratives, he also writes books about etymology and language (another of my favorite topics) and what my friend J calls "science lite", which brings me to my next book, Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything.  This one is significantly longer, but it's still no World Without End so it shouldn't take too long to finish.

020. Pay $10 more than minimum on both student loans each month - (02/33)
Another payment down and I'm now $40 ahead on my loans.  If only I could add another three zeroes to that number I'd be in great shape...

048. Visit 5 historic sites in the area - (1/5)
This is my newest addition to the 101, and I'm using the term "the area" very loosely (basically, if I can make a reasonable day trip of it, it's in the area...).  Yesterday they were showing my apartment pretty much all day, so I decided to take a scenic drive along the Parkway and Route 18 to Fort Niagara. 

I'm not sure if you're aware, but I get unreasonably giddy when I'm standing in a restored historic site, and they did a phenomenal job with Fort Niagara.  First of all, they limited the historical background to a brochure and a small museum that you could wander around prior to walking to the fort.  This meant that the fort itself was mostly unsullied by big plaques and exhibits, which I usually find phenomenally distracting in restored sites.  It's tough to immerse yourself in the history of the place when it looks like a textbook threw up all over it.  So it was refreshing to find that Fort Niagara was mostly unmolested, apart from the occasional, unassuming number placed on a building, directing you to a brief paragraph in your brochure if you care to learn more about what you're looking at (but not assaulting you with it if you don't).

The other aspect that I found thrilling, and which made the history nerd in me do a small jig, is that they didn't restrict any part of the fort.  Most historic sites are very specific about where you can and can't wander, and generally the more interesting-looking places have big "Do Not Enter!" or "Staff Only" signs hanging on ropes or locked doors.  But Fort Niagara was hugely accessible... to the point where I found myself hesitating before climbing some stairs, or entering a room, because it felt like I shouldn't be allowed to poke around so freely.  The only restrictive sign I saw was when I was on top of the wall of the fort, and it was a very mild-mannered little rectangle that asked, quite meekly, to kindly stay off the grassy slope lest you slip and plummet to your death.  But stairs and attics and rooms and creepy damp underground pathways were all fair game, and the only staff member I saw the entire time I was in the fort was a solitary man in 18th century British military garb, who would wander out every once in a while, fire a musket, and then slink back into the little guard house.

I also mostly had the entire place to myself.  Once in a while I'd spot another person wandering by, but then they'd be gone and I wouldn't see them again.  The solitude lent a phenomenally creepy air to my wanderings around the Maison a Machicoulis, which was the main building within the fort.  Even though it was a blindingly sunny day outside, inside the Maison it was dark, labyrinthine, and very silent except for the eerie noises made by the gusting wind.  It was full of narrow, dimly-lit, meandering hallways and tiny rooms.  Again, everything was accessible so after exploring the first and second floors, I saw that the stairway to the top floor was unrestricted as well.  But, being the big yellow chicken that I am, I poked my head over the top of the staircase, took one look at the extremely-creepy attic, and scooted right back down the stairs and out the door.  This is also why I didn't last long in the damp, dark underground tunnels that ran along the fort wall.  I am a big baby.

030. Try 25 new foods - (02/25)
039. Try 25 new beers - (06/25)
I arrived back in Rochester around 2:30, which was still too early to go home as the last showing ended at 4, so I grabbed my book and scooted over to the Tap & Mallet for a nibble and a beer.  I tried polenta fritters for the first time, which were just all right.  They were fried to perfection, but were rather bland and I was unimpressed with the chili sauce for dipping.  Oh well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I tried something from their menu that I didn't unequivocally love.  The beer, however, was divine.  I couldn't stop ordering pints of the Sea Dog Apricot Wheat on tap.  It had just enough apricot flavor, not overpowering and not too sweet, and the beer was crisp and refreshing.  Huge fan.  They were playing consistently good tunes on the stereo as well, so it was a nice little break as the afternoon wound down.

044. Take a picture a day for 365 days - (023/365)
1. My reading chair.  2. Buds are budding!  Yay spring!  3. Beers of the World is a happy, happy place.  4. Entering Fort Niagara.  5. This is how I study when it's perfect out and I'm sulking about having to stay in and be responsible.