9.28.2011

Charlotte Il Fabulosa!

Y'all know I loooove my vicarious kitty!  You also know I gave her a gift when her actual owners got married a few weeks ago.  When she opened the gift, I got a video!  So I turned that video into this video!

Rashan watched it in shock and said, "My wife is CRAZY!"  That's a stretch, no?  I think so! LOL

9.26.2011

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 118

1) Do y'all know that I hate pigeons?  HAAAAATE!!! I think they are the nastiest thing on two legs.  After Uncle Luke. And Too $hort.  No wait.  Too $hort, pigeons, Uncle Luke.
2) I love that fb sent me an email to tell me they'll send me less emails.  LOLOL  Irony is awesome! :)
3) I'm used to calling Rashan my husband to his face but I've had so little interaction with other people since we've been married (yes, I know that's weird) that I'm not used to calling him 'my husband' to non-family/Stace people.  Still sounds weird.
4) I've been gorging myself on books & it's pretty great!
5) I have a very keen sense of smell. I really don't want that to increase when I get knocked up.  You know, so life will be livable.
6) During my last run interval last Friday, my brain actually told me, "No."  What?! You betta get on board!  We are RUNNING!  Now like it! (again)  I'm getting back into it today.
7) I had the pumpkin custard with caramel mousse and gingersnaps at Cracker Barrel yesterday.  WHAT?!?!  This is the best ever and pumpkin custard with gingersnaps is this year's contribution for dessert courtesy of moi!
8) OMG Judah is even cuter in person!  I enjoyed lunch w/MrsCount & her sister, Rashan & former blogger Coco!  We went to Lupie's and got a mountain of yummy food.  And MrsC tried to get me to change Judah's diaper but uhhhhh NOPE!  Not the kid!  Did y'all know I've never changed a diaper?
9) R & I watched more fall series premieres last week than I've watched in my entire life!!  I usually like to let other people decide what's worth watching before giving it a chance.  LOL
10) The first week of our marriage, Rashan gave me a kiss for every day we'd been married.  Yesterday I insisted he give me a kiss for the 84 days we've been married. :)  LOLOL
11) He's also agreed to buy me a bottle of champagne the first day I run 13 miles.  Then he told me to just run 6 miles to the store and back and get it myself.  I think that negates every mushy thing I just said!!!
12) If you ask me what your dream meant and you don't seem disturbed, I'm going to make up something outlandish.  I can't help it!!  LOLOL!  A friend of a friend said he had a dream involving a pack of wolves, a dead eagle & a badger chasing him.  MAN what I could do with that!!!
13) I hit 1200 posts and 6 years of blogging this month and didn't even realize it!  Go me!

9.25.2011

Movies 2011, Week 37

September 18-24, 2011
I love movies more and more every week!  That's good since I'm in the biz, huh?  LOL
162) The Tillman Story. A documentary about the lies told in the wake of the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman and its impact on his family.  Really awesome  and thorough documentary.  Great access to the family and some military insight.  Oddly, I vividly remember hearing he had died.  I was in the cafeteria at Hampton.  I also remember not being surprised to later hear it was a cover-up.  Extremely emotional film.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  4.5 stars
163) Win Win. Film starring Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan about an attorney/wrestling coach who becomes an elderly man's guardian then finds out the man has a wrestling prodigy for a grandson.  I wish this film was a little shorter and had a less obvious ending.  It took the route a lot of indie films do today of setting up a unique or interesting set of obstacles, then giving it a Hollywood-like ending.  True it wasn't necessarily the happiest but it was tidy, which weakened the film overall.  3.4 stars
164) Out of the Past. Kirk Douglas stars in this 1947 film noir classic about a private investigator, a gorgeous girl and a mobster out to find her.  I really enjoyed it!  Noirs get my vote so often because they don't follow expected, happy timelines.  Pretty great.  4 stars
165) The Blind Side. Sandra Bullock stars as the family matriarch of a white family that adopts a giant homeless black kid.  At the beginning, it was like the scriptwriter couldn't overcome those white savior movie tendencies.  It was eye roll-inducing but got much better when it just became a story about a mother trying to do the right thing. There were still some hokey, ridiculous moments but overall, much better than I expected. 4 stars
166) Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids. Academy Award-winning documentary about the struggles and triumphs of a California couple who had and adopted children, some with severe physical handicaps.  The film is clearly from 1977 as evidenced by its over-reliance on sometimes trite narration but the story is told very well.  It's not overly sad or emotional, but shows the reality of this family's life.  The crews followed long enough to have some transformations for some of the kids and show some controversy.  3.7 stars
167) Medicine for Melancholy. Wyatt Cenac stars in this black indie film about two people who awake from a one-night stand they don't remember and wander the streets of San Francisco trying to figure each other out and what exactly they're doing together.  Interesting, if slow at times.  I can't necessarily say I was satisfied at the end, either.  I wasn't dissatisfied.  This movie, like many indie hipster movies, just was.  3.5 stars

9.21.2011

Getting High

Running is still awesome! Sometimes it's hard, but more and more frequently, I shock myself by doing something amazing like running for 3 minutes w/o stopping!!  Y'all!!!

Three minutes!

And I felt like I could keep going!!

This from the girl who haaaaaated running. HATED!
1) I didn't see the point of it,
2) My little sister was a WAY better athlete so I ceded all things athletic to her (she's done basketball, soccer, softball, cheerleading, track AND field... yeah...),
3) I didn't like to sweat.

When I was little, I didn't even run when being chased.  Chase starts, I scream & say, "Okay okay!"  Why?  I don't like the shock of not knowing when I'll be caught.  And I WILL be caught.  I'm not fast.  This is young me.  Old me says bring on the sweat, I've already run thrice in drizzle/rain and I. FEEL. GREAT!!  ((high))  Now this last time running in the rain?  Today?  I did NOT enjoy this one.  But I know what I did wrong-- not enough food but that's because it's supposed to rain most of the day so I had to run in the break... which happened to be 20 minutes after I ate.  No matter.  I'll be back in the grind on Friday.

I'm currently on an every other day schedule because most days I really want to run DAILY but I'm giving myself an off day in the mix to allow my body to adjust to the new amount of running we're about to be getting in!  If there's pain (like after my first run when I had to take off 5 days!! (tight calves)), I'll add an extra day or more off but right now?  I'm loving getting to know my body's running needs!  Makes me feel awesome!!!

If you've ever considered running but didn't know how to start or felt intimidated by it, I highly recommend Couch to 5k!  I'm definitely a convert!  I had a running buddy for 2 or 3 days but she got injured.  At the beginning it helped to have someone there and I think it will help again but right now I'm so pumped to get out there, I'm fine going it alone.  Well, not totally alone because I have my fb & twitter friends AND the C25k facebook page.  Great encouragement there!  Love it!  Also, a special shoutout to 1969, Liz, K. Rock & Aretha, my favorite runners who really inspired me!  Runner's high is REAL!  Now go run!

9.19.2011

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 117

1) I put in my first application for a full time position for 2012-13 school year.  *Deep breath*  My applications will be all over the country.  Well... I haven't found a California position I like yet so Dallas is the furthest west right now but up and down the east coast and into the midwest.  I'll go wherever God wants me.  I just hope there's good food and a wonderful work environment.
2) Last week was ROUGH for us in terms of communication.  P hit the nail on the head when she said "I hate when I'm mad at my husband. He's the cause & the cure."  YASSSSS!!
3) We're going to be in Charlotte next week the same time as Mrs. Count so we get to meet JUDAH!!!!!  AKA my blog nephew!!  I'm so excited!!  :)  Oh I'm excited to meet his momma, too.
4) Did I tell you when I got my degree, my new last name was spelled incorrectly?  I mean... why???  So I'll have to wait 4 more weeks to get a new one.  On the plus side, transcripts are FREE!!  Thanks a million for that!
5) The temperatures dropped on Friday and I was so not ready.  How is it gonna be 75 in the middle of the day one day and 55 the next?  DO NOT WANT!!
6) Today is the start of week three of my Couch to 5k training program AND I registered for my first 5k on Friday!  WHEEEEEE!!!
7) I've been the bride whisperer on facebook this past week... and I love it!  I don't like seeing people stressed while planning what is supposed to be a happy day so I try to spread some joy when they're angsting.
8) When Rah and I are bored/it's late, we watch House Hunters or whatever else is on HGTV.  He started it and I'm now equally hooked!  We invite you to test our drinking game.  Bottoms up every time you hear someone say open, granite or stainless.  WARNING: Do not play this unless you're drinking water or you will get ALCOHOL POISONING!!
9) I went nuts at my local Borders when everything was 90% off.  I spent $28 and saved $239.  PAROXYSMS OF JOY!!!  But I'm sad Borders is gone.  I don't really like B&N.
10) If I'd been on the birth control that got mixed up and got preg?  O_O
11) You know how I'm the alleged internet bully?  Guess what I don't care about at all?  Hashtags on fb.  Things transfer and no one dies.  Really long blog posts on tumblr are a bit annoying but I can ignore those.  When you post on tumblr 30+xs/day and post every single one to twitter, then you are the worst person on twitter and tumblr simultaneously.  FANCY!!
12) Have you seen the latest cover of Ebony mag?  AWESOME!!!  Best I've ever seen from them!  Looks like a fashion mag!  I couldn't stop staring!
13) The latest Netflix announcement of Qwikster may push me over the edge.  They are the epitome of doing too much.  And so horribly, too.  I realized, though handled poorly, I wasn't going anywhere with the price hike.  It changed my subscription but how many options do I really have to get movies?  I'm a filmmaker and I need access to a lot of films.  But two separate sites for DVD & streaming??  That don't interface???  Really???  Please learn how to talk to your customers and FIX THINGS WITH FEEDBACK.  I mean... unless being in business is bothersome or something.  Hire a public relations firm IMMEDIATELY.  If I taught PR, we'd be dissecting this in class THIS WEEK!

9.18.2011

Movies 2011, Weeks 34-36

It's been a while since I posted but I'm back with a vengeance!   I watched four movies in one day this week.  There was enough of a mix of films to entertain me in the last three weeks.  I only have 11 films left on the AFI Top 100 and I'm delighted about it!  I think I'm going to have to finish in November because I have such lengthy films left.

August 28- September 3, 2011
145) Who Does She Think She Is? Documentary about the challenges of being a woman and an artist simultaneously.  It starts out with a somber tone and moves to an empowering one.  It confirmed that I don't expect to become less of a person when I become a mother.  But I didn't need to hear and see that from a dozen people to believe that.  And of course some stories resonated much more with me than others.  This movie needed a focus.  2.8 stars
146) Just Go With It. Jennifer Anniston & Adam Sandler star as an assistant cajoled by her boss into going along with his plan to convince a girl he's married.  Sigh.  First of all, I would've passed on this movie if only I'd seen it was 1hr50 mins!!  What?!?!  For a romcom???  Get over yourself.  You knew what was going to happen and there weren't really any actual complications.  And is Sandler going to do the groin injury "comedy" for every movie???  Sigh.  I just wish these two would get some good scripts.  2 stars
147) Zodiac. A thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a newspaper cartoonist trying to solve uncover the identity of a serial killer who calls himself 'Zodiac.'  Very tense and awesome.  I really enjoyed it.  4.4 stars
148) The Grapes of Wrath. Henry Fonda stars as an ex-con who unexpectedly finds himself on a journey to California when his sharecropping family is forced out of the dust bowl in Oklahoma.  Wow.  This is a really slow-moving film with no opportunity to connect with the characters.  It really is no match for a stellar book.  Even dirtied up Fonda doesn't look rough enough to be Tom Joad.  I'm sure it didn't help that the book was so fresh in my mind.  The movie?  Didn't enjoy it.  2 stars
149) The Perfect Host.  David Hyde Pierce stars as the titular character in this thriller about an ex-con who finds himself in a dinner party.  It started off very interesting then veered bizarrely and badly off-course.  Just... what??  It really could have been so much better... well somewhat better... with a few relatively minor changes.  2.9 stars

September 4-10, 2011
150) With Six You Get Egg Roll.  Doris Day and Brian Keith star as the heads of a newly blended family that's having trouble gelling.  Cute but silly.  Light and easy comedy.  3.3 stars
151) Catfish. Documentary about a guy who meets this beautiful girl on the internet and then goes to track her down.  It shows the evolution of a facebook relationship and his involvement with an entire family.  Really crazy.  It got pretty interesting in a different way toward the end in a way I liked.  It just went on a little too long.  3.7 stars
152) The Godfather. Awesome Scorcese-directed classic about an Italian family controlling a neighborhood and the dangers associated with that business.  Loved it!  I wished I hadn't seen Godfather II first so I would be more surprised by more things.  5 stars

September 11-17, 2011
153) Saving Private Ryan. Matt Damon stars as the last surviving son in a family full of boys at war.  It's Tom Hanks' character's job to save Private Ryan from death.  The early D-Day landing scenes really reinforced the futility and horrors of war.  No wonder people return so jacked up.  You can't unsee that stuff.  Still, those points were belabored in the script.  Good, but a bit too long. 4 stars
154) The Long Kiss Goodnight.  Samuel L. Jackson & Geena Davis star in this film about a spy with amnesia and the sidekick who helps her.  This movie does not stand up to the ravages of digital production today.  Nothing looks as good as it would today and therefore looks incredibly cheesy.  Geena Davis' innocent face and simply fair writing erases much of the thrill of the action moments.  2.9 stars
155) Something Borrowed. Film adapted from a great book about a boring lawyer who finds herself entangled with her best friend's hunky fiancĂ©.  It actually combined ideas from the following book as well.  First, I loved the books.  And I think that was part of my problem with the movie.  I could see Kate Hudson as her character but the rest kept me confused.  Especially John Kransinski.  Extremely perplexing casting.  Like they were chosen for their recognition factor rather than how they fit the character.  The story line was a bit too loose for me period, though, even accepting differences from the book.   2.9 stars
156) Contagion. This movie was awesome!  It stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslett and Lawrence Fishburn.  Their lives intersect as an international team of scientists, including those at the CDC try to figure out how stop an epidemic.  They must also figure out where it began.  If you are the slightest bit of a germaphobe, you probably won't even touch yourself on the leg w/o washing your hands for at least a month.  I loved it!  I'm all about a thriller that could happen to me!  4.4 stars
157) The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. Documentary about a year in the life of a crazy clan of hell-raisers.  Riveting.  We couldn't turn away if we tried.  For all of the flaws in the family, those flaws did not exist in the making of this film.  Very well-written, directed & edited.  4.4 stars
158) Dante's Peak. Film starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton about a vulcanologist's effort's to save a town along Dante's Peak from certain volcanic activity.  The volcano-related stuff  was AWESOME!  Great special effects and everything!  The loving and people-related activity was terrible.  Insert copious eye rolling.  3.5 stars
159) Dinner for Schmucks. Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd star in this remake of a (far better) foreign film about an aspiring exec who finds the perfect loser to bring to his bosses' monthly party for losers.  Oh I wish this movie was better.  But it wasn't.  It was too long and too chatty.  Get to the point.  2.7 stars
160) Love Potion No. 9. Sandra Bullock stars in a rom com about two nerdy scientists whose lives are changed by a love potion.  They become hot commodities and then guess what happens?  I won't spoil it for you... *snicker*  One of those amusing-ish, outlandish 80s movies.  I would watch it while cooking again!  3.3 stars
161) Baby Face. Barbara Stanwyck stars in this 1933 film about a woman who charms and manipulates herself to fame and fortune.  You could absolutely see this film today.  You might make a tv series... call it... basketball wives?   But hopefully in a more well-written form.  Extremely abrupt and confusing end.  Jerky story line.  2.8 stars

9.16.2011

A-T-L-A-N-T-A, G-A!

As you guys know, we went to Atlanta this past weekend and had a BLAST!!  Our primary goal was Bakima Wedding!  Our 2nd favorite internet-joined couple (after ourselves) got married in Atlanta and we had to be there!  We got into town around 2am and had to be up bright and early to go get the rest of their wedding present!  The first part was a gift for my vicarious kitty!  And the second part is something I also need!  LOL I'm obsessed with gadgets!!

We don't have a Crate and Barrel here so we went to the one at Lenox and were there the SECOND it opened.  The music wasn't even on and workers looked stunned we were in there.  LOL  But we got immediate help and secured these for them!  I get these every time they're on someone's registry.  I think they're so cute!

Their colors were navy, yellow & white with teal accents.  So cute!
 When I go to weddings, I like to look at the groom's first glance of the bride... AWWWWWWWW!
 Here comes the bride!
 Awwww!  Officiated by one of their friends!
 Cocktail hour!
 The favors!
 First dance!


 Me & Rah!
 Me & Mrs. Smithville!
 Loved the mantle decor! And this picture doesn't even do it justice!
 Peacock feathers are always a great addition to a bouquet if you ask me! :)
 Damask was a part of her theme and I loved that her bridal bag put that touch in there! :)
 One time for the internet!!
 After the wedding it was nap time!  After nap time?
La Fonda!  One of our favorite Latin restaurants!  I had paella!  Soooo good!!
 Rashan had a chorizo quesadilla. MMMM!
 The next day we went to...
THE VORTEX!!!!!!!
I had a burger with horseradish sauce and it was delicious!  We also started with what? Fried dill pickle spears!  MMMMMM Love!
 We met K. Rock & her husband there! :) I love blogger meet-ups!  Rashan and I are tied 13-13 for blogger meet-ups!  Now I need to go meet someone in secret!  LOL
 After lunch we did some window shopping in Little Five, then Rashan and I went to the King Center.
 The homie, Gandhi met us at the entrance.
 A mural on the wall
 Close-up of one of my favorite posters
 Awesome quote on nonviolent protest! "Passive physically... but dynamically aggressive spiritually."  Deep.
 Rashan in front of the wagon that pulled Dr. King's coffin.
 The tomb for the Kings.
 Then... THE FARMER'S MARKET!!!!
My carrot cake cupcake! :)
 Rashan's creme horn
 My cream cheese croissant... yo...
I could eat these DAILY!!!!!
SO GOOD!!!!
 We got a Fellini's spinach & mushroom with garlic pizza for the road! YUM!
Wonderful trip and we can't wait to go back!!

9.14.2011

#11: Go Wine Tasting in NC Wine Country

For some reason, vineyards have exploded in this region in the last few years!  I know some have been around for decades, while others have capitalized on a nation with a renewed interest in wine and the availability of wines at all price points.  For my birthday, Rashan and I went to Raylen Vineyard right in the middle of harvest season!  I LOVE driving past vineyards and this one was not a disappointment!  Grapes were dangling from the vines on our drive up to the main building!

 We did a tasting that you'll have to take our word for because there is no photographic evidence!  He was really moving through those wines!  They produce a ton of wines here.  They were out of my fave, the pinot grigio.  Sad face.  But they had two of Rashan's faves aka any kind of sugar wine.  They had a riesling he liked and a rosĂ©.  On the latter, the tester said was made for people here raised on Kool-aid & Pepsi.  WOW.  Then he (pseudo-snobbily) said he knows someone who mixes the rosĂ© with frozen fruit and blends it.  We looked at each other like, we shall be buying a bottle and doing that.  Thanks for the tip.  And we tried it and it was quite good.  Here's one of the barrels they use to ferment the wines.
 Here are the cases of wines stacked to the ceiling!  They'd had a bottling session recently I believe.
 Here's me!
 Don't I look like I know EXACTLY what I'm looking at?  It's a grape! For the wine!
 So beautiful!

 This dude here... LOL
 Is he playing with the soil??  I can't... LOLOL
 Yay us!



Tada!  So that was my first NC wine experience and it won't be my last!  There are at least 10 more within an hour drive!

9.12.2011

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 116

1) Atlanta was so fun!!  From the wedding to all the food we ate, Rashan and I had a blast!  We even met K. Rock & her husband and K. Rock & I took a pic for bloggers only!  None for you, Rashan!! LOLOL!  ATL post coming later in the week!  I saw a hat I can't stop thinking about but didn't buy.  Aye.
2) My aol email address spammed a bunch of people on Friday.  I had thought about getting rid of it just a few weeks ago and didn't.  How annoying.
3) Hotels kill me charging for the internet.  And parking.  I don't know which is worse.
4) Can someone teach my husband how to look at the camera (and look like a normal person)????  He used to be able to do this but in the last few months, we've had to take at least 5 pictures every time I try to take ONE!!  Seriously??  How am I the only person taking a picture AND counting and you're looking in the wrong direction or seem like I caught you completely off guard???  If I didn't have to live with him for 55 or more years beyond the next one, I'd show you an example but I'll have to keep the proof to myself.  Le sigh.
5) My laptop is quickly running out of memory and I need to do something to fix it.
6) I'd really like to get a job.  I got leads for two local ones ON FRIDAY that turned out to be duds.  One fell through.  The other was to drive an hour away five times per week to work a total of 11.5 hours each week.  Yeah... the ad was not nearly specific enough or I wouldn't have even applied for that one.
7) I'm not ever going to stop believing Rashan is trying to kill me when he leaves his size 12 shoes in the middle of the floor.
8) Do me a solid.  If you're going to comment on an article I post, at least skim it first.
9) Rashan took a serial killer quiz and got 9/9 questions right.  I knew he would.  Did I tell you he likes to fall asleep to true crime shows?  He's almost turned me into a narcoleptic when I hear a crime show.
10) It makes me want to cry when people yearn for the next season!  Unless the next season is spring.  The only winter I can stand is a mild one.  I like wearing my pretty coats but I don't like crying, rush from the house, below zero cold.  I find it morally repugnant.  I don't really like hot weather but I'd prefer that to cold as long as I have a/c.
11) I want some crazy high wedge heels.  Like these!  And I've been obsessed for months over these!!
12) Eeeeeevery time us black women get together in a large group we have to talk about natural hair?  The conversation is so incredibly and unnecessarily tedious.  And I don't really want to hear it in a running group.  Can we just talk about running, please?

9.05.2011

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 115

1) Y'all. My sister ain't right in the head.  She said, "I just re-read the 'I Have A Dream' speech, in my MLK voice. When I finished I got chills."  You gave yourself chills??? In your MLK voice??? I can't.
2) It's well-documented that I don't love chocolate.  But I reeeeeally don't like white chocolate.  I refuse to eat that cocoa butter product.  If I'm gonna eat chocolate, I want real chocolate.
3) Hey guess what!  This is like the 90th incarnation of BasketballWives (nope, don't watch it) so you really don't have to say EVERY TIME, "But they're not wives."  That isn't new information.  Move on.
4) Whyyyyy are you providing your unsolicited relationship "advice" daily when according to you, you've yet to be in a functional one?  Please stop.
5) The phrase 'needless to say' grates on my nerves.  If you don't need to say it... don't.
6) We're going to another internet wedding (they met on the web, too!) in Atlanta THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE SOooooooo EXCITED!!!!!!
7) I'm cooking up a storm!  I halfway wish I had someone other than Rashan to share it with.  Sometimes I feel like he's bored with my cooking.  Not bored but used to it.  Maybe he needs to eat some bad food w/o me so he can love me again.
8) I'm starting to need spices in my food.  My taste buds are increasingly rarely excited by just salt and pepper.
9) Guess who's started 5k training??? I loved my first run!  I felt so accomplished at the end of it!  I'm doing the Couch to 5k program.  Wheeeeee!
10) I loooooove these teaching books!!  I'm like a little baby whose head is wide open, ready to be filled with knowledge!!  I feel so inspired!  And ready to go change the world!!
11) Did you look out for the cook out?  Because nobody told me where the cookout is today!!!  For shame!!  For those of you who are actually reading on Monday DESPITE not being at work, HAPPY LABOR DAY!!  And to Nicole, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
[12) Avert your eyes, K. Rock! I'm just really, really excited by life this week!]

9.02.2011

September Goals

August Goals
1) Read 3 books.  Done!  I read 4!  If you're teaching on the collegiate level or hope to one day, read Teaching What You Don't Know.  Awesome book!
2) Read an additional 60 chapters of the bible to reach 1081.  Got up to 1095. 94 chapters left!!  I also finished Isaiah and read all of Jeremiah.
3) Watch at least 4 AFI movies.  Watched five!  Just 14 left! 
4) Cook at least 12 new recipes.  Love this goal.  Done!  Over and above!
5) Complete at least two 30 before 30 goals.  Only did one this month.  Not only.  I did one and continued progress on 5 more.  I now have 7 completed, 6 in progress and 18 outstanding... in a little under a year. 
6) Work out at least three times per week.  Done!  Phew!  I realized I need to have my workouts done by Saturday or I STRUUUUUGLE to make it.
7) Make progress on the job search daily.  I was hit or miss on this one.  I can certainly do better.

September Goals
1) Read 4 books.  At least one teaching book and make progress on two film and/or journalism books.
2) Read an additional 60 chapters of the bible to reach 1155.  I'll have 34 left!!  I also want to finish Ezekial and read all of Daniel.
3) Watch at least 4 AFI movies.  The closer I get to the end, the easier this becomes.  Phew! 
4) Cook at least 15 new recipes.  My cooking mojo has returned and I don't want to lose it so I'm upping the goal!
5) Complete at least two 30 before 30 goals.  I have 7 completed, 7 in progress and 16 outstanding... in a little over a year.  I think I'm going to put out a public plea to get some help with the rest.
6) Work out at least three times per week.  With my 5k training, this won't be a problem.  I've only had one run so far and I LOVED IT!!  It definitely made me feel like I can do this!! :)
7) Make progress on the job search daily.  This includes searching, writing letters and resumes and CVs, etc.
8) Complete at least two syllabi for future courses.  I want to be ready when I get my next teaching position so I'm preparing future syllabi now.  Even if I don't get hired teaching these courses, the more practice I get making syllabi, the easier it will be for me to create them.