#31 - See One of My Favorite Comedians Live

Oh dang! I didn't even realize I did this one! 

I've been a Ben Schwartz fan since Parks & Rec, but my fandom deepened in the pandemic with Middleditch & Schwartz, Space Force, and The Afterparty. Schwartz's work is just wildly fun, playful, and smart. 

Because I became such a fan, I was so excited when Instagram let me know he was coming to Chicago for a show with "friends." I had no idea what that meant (well, I guessed it was probably long-form improv), but I jumped at buying two floor tickets at the Chicago Theater.

It took me longer to find someone to go with me, but eventually, my reliable adventure buddy Stephanie Souvenir agreed to come along.

It was, indeed, long-form improv. Schwartz's friends for the Chicago show were Jessica McKenna, Colton Dunn (of Superstore), and Drew Tarver (of The Other Two, which I love).

One unique part of this show was that they did not allow recording of any kind, even pictures. Ben told us this was a time to be present and witness a show that would be only for us in that room, no one else. I kinda loved that we got to share a unique experience together.

End of the show snap. I promise I didn't break the rules.

Because of that rule, I won't share details of the show itself, but I am going to describe a little bit about how it works (in case you haven't seen Middleditch & Schwartz). For long-form improv, the performers interview people in the audience until they find a "meaty" story with enough fun details to improv a show based on the conversation. They probably talked to 4-6 people in our audience before having a 5-10 minute convo with a small group near the front to hear about a recent experience of theirs in the city.

Then, the performers gave us an hour-long improv show based only on things that came up in that conversation or from the improv itself, just four of them rotating, moving, playing off each other. 

It was a ton of fun, and I would definitely go again with such high-quality performers. Great time!

#15 - Practice Yoga 52 Times (fail)

I really failed at this one!

1 - 1/1/22 (15 minutes)

2 - 1/4/22 (20 minutes)

3 - 2/18/22 (5 minutes)

4 - 2/25/22 (10 minutes)

5 - 3/6/22 (15 minutes)

6 - 3/25/22 (10 minutes)

7 - 4/17/22 (5 minutes)

8 - 4/23/22 (10 minutes)

9 - 6/18/22 (5 minutes)

10 - 6/21/22 (10 minutes)

11 - 6/28/22 (15 minutes)

12 - 7/10/22 (20 minutes)

13 - 7/13/22 (20 minutes)

14 - 8/27/22 (5 minutes)

15 - 9/6/22 (5 minutes)

16 - 9/10/22 (5 minutes)

17 - 9/25/22 (5 minuts)

#5 - Complete the 2022 Book Riot Reading Challenge (fail)

I really didn't do well on the list this year, only getting 4 done with 3 books. but maybe next year!

1. Read a biography of an author you admire: Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever, 7/9/22, gifted to me by Kathleen Krone

2. Read a book set in a bookstore.

3. Read any book from the Women’s Prize shortlist/longlist/winner list.

4. Read a book in any genre by a POC that’s about joy and not trauma.

5. Read an anthology featuring diverse voices: Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography by Laurie Woolever, 7/9/22, gifted to me by Kathleen Krone

6. Read a nonfiction YA comic.

7. Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40.

8. Read a classic written by a POC.

9. Read the book that’s been on your TBR the longest.

10. Read a political thriller by a marginalized author (BIPOC, or LGBTQIA+).

11. Read a book with an asexual and/or aromantic main character.

12. Read an entire poetry collection.

13. Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author.

14. Read a book whose movie or TV adaptation you’ve seen (but haven’t read the book): The Shining by Stephen King, 10/31/22, for Bingo Book Club, chosen by Zack Sephon

15. Read a new-to-you literary magazine (print or digital).

16. Read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes.

17. Read a memoir written by someone who is trans or nonbinary.

18. Read a “Best _ Writing of the year” book for a topic and year of your choice.

19. Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author.

20. Read an award-winning book from the year you were born.

21. Read a queer retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, folklore, or myth.

22. Read a history about a period you know little about.

23. Read a book by a disabled author.

24. Pick a challenge from any of the previous years’ challenges to repeat! 2021: Read a book set in the Midwest: The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, 8/22, Camp Michigania Book Club

#13 - Watch 3 More Movies From the AFI List

I'm very thankful for the American Film Institute for putting together this list because it has definitely gotten me to view some films I never would have even considered. That said, from the three I watched this year: 1 meh, 1 great, and 1 wtf. I'm even using the 10th anniversary updated list. I do not understand why some of these films are considered great--the best, even--and I just don't care enough about them to look more into it. These are supposed to be the best films, and I'm not so sure they are.

5. Singing in the Rain (1952)

#5 on the list? Of all time? I don't get it. The dancing is great. The cinematography and effects, considering the year it was made, are incredible. The acting is decent. But the story. Meh. It's literally two successful men, one of their girlfriends--who would like to be an actress, and some other administrators bullying a successful woman because they don't like the sound of her voice. Pass.

11. City Lights (1931)

Honestly, this film was hilarious. The plot was a bit tired and nonsensical, but clearly, the plot was not the purpose of this film. It was all about the physical comedy of Charlie Chaplin. I'm not generally into slapstick, but wow, Chaplin is incredible. My favorite was the boxing scene. Brilliant choreography and performances.

12. The Searchers (1956)

Why? Why is this on the UPDATED list? It's just a Western with renegade cowboy types (including John Wayne himself) chasing super duper stereotypical portrayals of Indigenous people in the Southwest United States. Obvi, the Indigenous people, who are called all kinds of derogatory names in the film, are the bad guys, just raping and murdering and kidnapping and selling women as wives. And the little girl they're trying to find... her perspective was inconsistent and it was completely unclear why she changed her mind--I'm assuming it's because she's a lady person who is completely unreasonable and illogical. And the supposed romance? Girl, ew. Move on. That guy sucks. What do you even like about him? I mean, the other guy sucks too, but at least he's around. And the acting wasn't good either. It was just cheesy
Western and posturing. Ick. 

#23 - Make 3 New Breads

1. The Simplest White Bread Ever

I went to my favorite cooking website, Serious Eats, to find some new bread recipes. Until very, very recently, I didn't have a mixer, which was required by a lot of the recipes I found. Then, I found this one. It's outrageously simple. I did let it rest way longer than the recipe said, and I think that's why it didn't rise enough and stayed very dense. I did love the crisp to the crust and the flavor, so I will definitely try it again!

2 - Baguettes

I used Serious Eats again to make some really simple baguettes. They didn't rise as much as I'd hoped, but they were otherwise quite tasty and crusty. It also recommended putting a pan of water in the over with the bread, and I feel like that limited the crustiness, so if I try these again, I'll try them without that strategy. I may not try them again though because I can't find the recipe to link! I also liked experimenting with the cuts across the top and much prefer the straight, deep cut to get some extra crustiness. 

I like crusty bread.

3- Focaccia

I should make more foccacia. It's so simple and makes for great sandwiches because the bread is so crusty yet thin when sliced in half. This was a very easy recipe, just topped with olive oil and salt. Super tasty and crusty.

#61 - Camp Somewhere New

I've posted about how annoyed I get that so many people have said "We should go camping" and then get annoyed when I'm skeptical that we will and then we don't. So it was a nice surprise to get an invitation to go camping with less than 24 hours notice, completely skipping the "We should go camping" conversation. 

Somehow this is only the third time I've been camping--as in, only the third night I've been camping. It doesn't make any sense. Camping comes very naturally to me. The day before, I went and bought a tent and sleeping bag. (I already had a sleeping pad.) Dan offered to help me set up my tent when he was done with his, but I set it up, without reading the directions, in minutes, no help needed. I'm down with cooking over an open fire. I like sleeping outside. I just like all of it. I don't know why I can't find others to camp with me more often, but now that I have my own gear, I'll likely find times to go, even if it's just me.

The main activity was river tubing, also on my list this year. Then after, we camped at a busy campground but had plenty of space on the site. We cooked over a fire and played some yard games. At one point, some folx in a golf cart invited us to go see a "DJ" at this pavilion, so we did, and it was a guy playing music for people to line dance to. We pet some dogs. Then it was an early night and we were headed back home.

#82 - Tube Down a River

It was midday on a Friday when I got a text from Dan Burns, asking if I wanted to go river tubing / camping the next day. I certainly did. I had to scramble to get everything I needed, especially for the camping part (described here), but I managed to get myself together in time to pick him up at 9:00am on Saturday and to the site for the noon tube reservation... which we really didn't need to be on time for because the tubes weren't ready, and we had to wait a few hours.

Eventually, we were off... and shortly after, we saw the end. Apparently, they cut the course short. So we joined many other tubers on a bank and hung out.

It was a delight.

That's all I have to say about it.