Animal Farm

I made some more progress on my 25 Before Twenty-Five List! I read another book off of Time Magazine's ALL TIME 100 Novels. 3 down, 7 to go. I've already read Catch-22 and Atonement. I just finished Animal Farm by George Orwell.

I pretty much read this book in record time. I checked it out from the library yesterday and finished it tonight. I estimate I finished it in about 4ish hours (it's pretty short). I really enjoyed reading it too.

"The novel addresses not only the corruption of the revolution by its leaders but also how wickedness, indifference, ignorance, greed and myopia destroy any possibility of a Utopia. While this novel portrays corrupt leadership as the flaw in revolution (and not the act of revolution itself), it also shows how potential ignorance and indifference to problems within a revolution could allow horrors to happen if a smooth transition to a people's government is not achieved."

 You can read a longer synopsis and history of Animal Farm here.

25 Before Twenty-Five Update

I have 4 months and 8 days to complete my 25 Before Twenty-Five List, so let's review where I stand with things.


Total Items to Complete: 25 
Items Completed: 7
Items Not Completed: 18


There are a few things on the list I know I won't be able to complete this time around. Like #18 Party In Vegas. Growing a human inside of you for 9 months, kind of puts a damper on the idea of living it up in Vegas. I think numbers 02, 05 and 06 will also be pretty pretty tough to cross off as well.

• #02 go on a real road trip, it'll just be tough to find the time. Though my good friend Amy of Lemon Treehouse also has go on a real road trip on her 30 Before 30 List so maybe we can plan something together
• #05 is pay off my student loan. We we're totally on track with this until we needed to save more to cover hospital bills and other baby stuff. But maybe once we get that all taken care of we'll have enough savings left over to put a nice dent in what's left. 
• #06 is establish myself as a freelance graphic designer. Just not sure 4 months is enough time to do that. I do plan on using my maternity leave to get my portfolio site up and running again though so that will help.

Some I know will be super easy to get off the list.

•  #14 try Indian food - just have to find a good restaurant to try
• #09 Pay for someone behind me in line 

Others I'm a little nervous about, but know I can complete them if I set my mind to it

• #19 Go vegetarian for one month, that will be tough for me. But I think if I do it mid October to mid November it shouldn't be too bad (no major food holidays :). Plus I think this will help shed some baby poundage
• #24 Get back in shape. When I put this on the list I wasn't expecting that I'd be having pregnancy weight to shed, but if I get on a good work out plan, I should be almost there by the time I turn 25.

So since I've already completed 7 items and I'm going to not really worry about completing 4 of them, that leaves 14 items to complete in the next 4 months. I think I can do it, I just have to get working at it a little more often.

The Story

Reading the Bible in entirety is on my 25 Before Twenty-Five List. I had started the year off on the right track to finishing it within the year, but then around mid February, I fell way behind in my reading. A few weeks later, as I was talking to one of my small group members about my struggle, and how I really wanted to read the entire Bible, not just because it was on my list, but also because in my almost 20 years of being a Christian, I had never read the whole thing. She suggested I read The Story (overview below).

 "God has gone to great lengths to rescue lost and hurting people. That is what The Story is all about—the story of the Bible, God’s great love affair with humanity. Condensed into 31 accessible chapters, The Story sweeps you into the unfolding progression of Bible characters and events from Genesis to Revelation. Using the clear, accurate, and easy-to-understand text of Today’s New International Version, it allows the stories, poems, and teachings of the Bible to read like a novel. And like any good story, The Story is filled with intrigue, drama, conflict, romance, and redemption."

After starting the book and talking to her a bit more about it, I decided I would allow reading The Story to be a substitute for my list. I still fully intend on reading the Bible cover to cover, just at my own pace, instead of following a mapped out reading plan. Reading it really made me view Christ in a new light, and I could go into a lot of revelations I had while reading, but that would be another post in itself. If you want to read the Bible and like me, were struggling to get through it, want to get a better grasp on the order of events, or just want to learn more about God's grace, I highly recommend reading it.

I finally finished it today! And so I get to cross of #12 Read the Bible in Entirety off of my 25 Before Twenty-Five List! It's such a great feeling anytime I get to cross something off.

MY Red Velvet

I successfully completed #7 bake a cake from scratch! Man, it feels good to cross another one of the list. My red velvet cake turned out pretty darn good. Not, that I really have much to compare it to, since I had never even had red velvet cake before. It was bright red, perfect for quiet Valentine's dinner at home.  And let me tell you, the cream cheese frosting I made is to die for! The left over frosting is in the fridge, and I might just sit here tonight and eat it by the spoonful. Just kidding...but seriously, it's that good. We have lots left over, so I'm sending it to work with Tim tomorrow, so the guys in his shop can eat it. Plus they'll be honest about how good it really is...

Wicked Awesome!

Photo via the Leisure blog on Chicago Tribune

Cross it off my list. I got see Wicked on my birthday! It was such a great show. All of the actors did a fantastic job. I love musicals, so I know I would love it. I think I need to get myself the soundtrack! Plus the Cadillac Palace Theater is beautiful. Sometime I wish they still made such ornate and beautiful interiors. I wish I could show you some pictures of the inside, but photography was strictly forbidden.

For those of you who don't know or haven't heard of Wicked here's the synopsis.

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years.

One of my favorite things about living in Chicago, though I don't go to as many as I'd like, are all of the shows and concerts that are available to go to. Besides seeing Wicked this weekend, we also went to IO Theater, an improv comedy club. Tickets were cheap too, $14 for three shows! If you're visiting Chicago, and want to experience something a little less touristy and little more local, I suggest checking it out!

Top 25

Welp, I can cross another thing off my 25 Before Twenty-Five list! I officially listened to every song in my iTunes that had a zero play count. I deleted from my "play count zero" list after I had listened to them, so I don't know the exact number, but it was over 600!!

Why so many? Well about 2 years ago + or - a few months, I had to complete reboot my laptop, like a save everything to an external hard drive and then load it all back on kind of reboot. And when I did that my iTunes reset all plays back to zero.

iTunes keeps track of your top 25 plays, so I thought it'd be neat to share what mine were these past two years. I don't really listen to a whole lot of music (I'm more of a TV girl) so my play counts are actually really low. Let me tell you, #1 and #2 have me boggled...I don't remember listening them except for maybe like once or twice.

Let the top 25 count down begin!

25. Womanizer (Britney Spears) 30

24. Can't Fight This Feeling (Finn, Glee Soundtrack) 30

23. How Lucky We Are (Meiko) 32

22. Body Language (Jesse McCartney) 32

21. Magic (Colbie Caillat) 33

20. When I Look At You (Miley Cyrus) 34

19. Blah Blah Blah (Ke$ha) 35

18. The Call (Regina Spektor) 36

17. Replay (Lyaz) 37

16. If I Were a Boy (Beyonce) 37

15. Obsessed (Mariah Carey) 38

14. Cosmic Love (Florence and the Machine) 38

13. Party in the U.S.A. (Miley Cyrus) 40

12. Ego (Beyonce) 40

11. Can I Have This Dance (Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens, HSM) 42

10. Circus (Britney Spears) 45

09. Young Forever (Jay-X feat. Mr. Hudson) 46

08. Johnny & June (Heidi Newfield) 49

07. Jump Then Fall (Taylor Swift) 50

06. Down (Jay Sean feat. Lil' Wayne) 51

05. Good Morning (Chamillionare) 52

04. I'd Rather Be With You (Joshua Radin) 53

03. Today (Joshua Radin) 56

02. Butterfly (Mariah Carey) 57

01. Honey (Mariah Carey) 58

Like I said, I'm so confused how #1 and #2 happened...the rest don't surprise me one bit! I remember being hooked on each one of these songs for various reasons during the past 2 years.

Catch-22

I'm one tenth of the way to completing #25 on my 25 Before Twenty-Five list. I read the last few pages of Catch-22 this evening. I had tried to read it a couple times before, but could never get into. But I didn't have any trouble this time. I really enjoyed it!

So what's the catch?

"...hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule from which the book takes its title: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes the necessary formal request to be relieved of such missions, the very act of making the request proves that he is sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved."

It's a satirical historical novel, set during the later part of WWII. It's actually pretty funny. It can be a little hard to follow sometimes, but that could have been that I read the majority of it while on the crowded train and bus. The wife of one of the characters moves to Lansing, MI. I thought that was pretty random/cool since I grew up close to Lansing.

Hmm.. which one of the All TIME 100 Novels should I read next?

25 Before Twenty-Five: Leo Movies

I've made my list of Leonardo Dicaprio movies. 24 movies in total. Obviously, since I love Leo, I've seen quiet a few of these movies already, but I'm starting over. With one exception, I'm counting Inception. We saw that in the theater not too long ago. I've already already added most of the ones I don't own to my Netflix queue. I'm posting the list here, so it's easy to keep track of what I've watched.

Inception (2010)
Shutter Island (2010)
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Body of Lies (2008)
Blood Diamond (2006)
The Departed (2006)
The Aviator (2004)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Don’s Plum (2001)
The Beach (2000)
Celebrity (1998)
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
Titanic (1997)
Marvin’s Room (1996)
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Total Eclipse (1995)
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
The Quick and the Dead (1995)
The Foot Shooting Party (1994)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
This Boy’s Life (1993)
Poison Ivy (1992)
Critters 3 (1991)

25 Before Twenty-Five

Inspired by my good friend, Amy of Lemon Tree House and  Nicole, the author of one of my favorite blogs, Making It Lovely I decided to make a 25 Before Twenty-Five list. I turn 25 in one year, 3 months and 23 days. My list isn't that lofty, so I think I should be able to manage. I'll cross them out as I complete them.

01. Listen to every song in my iTunes that still has a zero play count  (read about it)
02. Go on a real road trip
03. See Wicked on Broadway in Chicago  (read about it)
04. Visit the Willis (Sears) Tower observatory  (read about it)
05. Pay off my student loan
06. Establish myself as a freelance graphic designer
07. Bake a cake completely from scratch  (read about it)
08. Watch every movie with Leonardo DiCaprio in it
09. Pay for someone behind me in line
10. For One day wear what I feel like in public, even if it doesn't match
11. Set up and contribute regularly to a retirement fund
12. Read the Bible in entirety (read about it)
13. Give food to a homeless person on the street
14. Try Indian food
15. Get a tattoo
16. Sort/organize the pile of bills, receipts, and other important papers
17. Create something new from something old
18. Party in Vegas
19. Go Vegetarian for one month
20. Do something completely spontaneous
21. Find a wine I can order and sound like I know what I'm talking about
22. Splurge on a pair of designer shoes
23. Host a dinner party
24. Get back in shape
25. Read 10 books off TIME Magazine's All Time 100 Novels (1923-2005)