#77 Complete.  Bye bye incandescent lighting, hello fluorescent. Made a trip to Costco today and bought enough fluorescent bulbs to replace every light in our home.  It is perhaps the easiest and most dramatic way to lessen our carbon footprint.  Not only will I not have to worry about changing another bulb for years, but I should also see about a 30% reduction in my energy use.

We began a new softball season today in a higher division.  It will certainly be bitter sweet as it’s the last year we will get to play with Devin before he leaves the nest.  Tonight’s game went down to the wire.  It was 13-12 in the last inning with a man on third and two outs.  Their next batter hit a deep fly ball to center field that our center fielder misjudged, but that’s why we have Devin.  He came out of nowhere and made a diving catch to win the game.  We’re going to miss him.

#76 Done. Writing a letter is a lost art. Never was that more obvious to me than when I explored my grandfather’s office after he died.  I am grateful for the recorded history that he left behind in those hundreds of letters and know that I will continue to learn from them.  Because of my grandfather, I added #76, write a letter to my list.  Today I completed that goal with a letter to my brother George.

#22 in Progress.  I recently finished The Big Sleep, one of Time Magazine’s top 100 novels of all time, but can’t say that I was blown away.  It was certainly well written and had all of the twists and turns of a Greek tragedy, but in the end I found the main character, Philip Marlowe, a bit too cold to root for. Lonely drunken P.I.s usually have me at hello, but a little more incite into why he was lonely, drunk and/or a P.I. would’ve have gone a long way to reel me in, especially given that the supporting characters were unlikeable at best.  I was also thrown a bit by the writing style.  Published in 1939, it reads like a 1930s Humphry Bogart noir, invoking that sort of clever, sarcastic and choppy cadence he was so well known for.  While probably innovative and engaging in the 30s, 40s and 50s, it felt dated and ultimately distracted me from the story.  I didn’t hate it, but it wouldn’t make my top 100.

#69 Complete. To kick off March, Sonia and I spent a picture perfect day at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia to find us a long shot.  The track was as beautiful as ever.  85 degrees with snow capped mountains as a backdrop.  As for the long shot, I thought I had it pegged.  It was the fourth race and only six horses in the field.  Craig’s Storm was a 10 to 1 long shot, but was dropping in class so I felt good enough to put $50 on him to win.  The gun sounded and they were off.  We watched with beating hearts as Craig’s Storm ran neck and neck with Fantasy Free for one mile.  Unfortunately Craig didn’t get the memo that the race was one and one sixteenth miles and pulled back to a trot as the other horses crossed the finish line.  My long shot finished last, but he will forever be the glue that keeps this list going.

#8.  Sonia and I started our business LAFashionInsider last February with two clients.  Enough money was made to pay the rent, but most of the work in the beginning was finding new clients and getting to know the vendors and their products.  One year later we have twenty six clients. When comparing “sales” between February of 2008 and February of 2009, LAFashioninsider has grown 505%.  Given our humble beginnings a significant growth was expected, but 505% in this economy is a decent accomplishment.  It will certainly help to keep the #8 goal within reach when we have to compete against our much better summer numbers of last year.

I know this is a lesson in perspective, but it hurts nonetheless.  Marquette’s senior point guard, Dominic James, broke his foot in last night’s game and more or less dashed any hopes that this team will make a run in the NCAA tournament.  He was the engine that made them go.  But even worse, the break ends the collegiate career of one of the greatest Warriors of all time.  He was twenty five points away from passing George Thompson and becoming the second greatest scorer in MU history.  He was our greatest defender.  He holds the record for most games played by a Warrior. He wore his heart on his sleeve and dreamt of an NBA career. But four minutes into the game it was all over.  But he never left the bench and became the team’s biggest cheerleader. When our old coach abandoned the team over the summer, James was the first guy to step up and say that we’d be better than ever. He is going to be sorely missed.  My heart breaks for him.  Hell, my heart breaks for me.  Sometimes I wished I didn’t care about this team so much.  This sucks.

Death of a Hard Drive.  Who am I without my hard drive?  The answer thus far is a worthless mess.  To make matters worse my back up drive may have been compromised as well.  And if that is indeed true, then every picture, script and blog is no longer.  But hey, at least Marquette is on TV tonight.

UPDATE: Our point guard is done for his career, we lost the big game and my computer is still dead.

Happy Fat Tuesday Everyone.  We’re off to do it up “Nawlins” style. Or at the very least some oysters.

Speaking of tangible bad guys, cancer gets to find out what an ass kicking feels like today.  Love you, Sister.

#23. Saw The International.  Definitely my kind of movie, but it could have been so much better.  It certainly could have been less confusing with better execution and storytelling.  But the biggest problem I had with it was the main character.  While well acted, Clive Owen’s character was detached.  I just didn’t didn’t care enough about him to root for him.  To make matters worse, the bad guy was more of an idea than an actual person.  There just wasn’t anything tangible for the “good guy” to defeat.  Six down, four to go.

Of the most acclaimed movies of 2008, I have seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Wrestler, The Dark Knight, Revolutionary Road, Wall-E and Slumdog Millionaire.  Revolutionary Road was probably my favorite.  I still really want to see Frost/Nixon and The Reader.  Milk, not so much.

Here are my predictions:

1. Best Actor – Mickey Rourke Sean Penn
2. Best Supporting Actor – Heath Ledger
3. Best Actress – Kate Winslet
4. Best Supporting Actress – Taraji P. Henson Penelope Cruz
5. Animated Feature – Wall-E
6. Cinematography – Slumdog Millionaire
7. Directing – Slumdog Millionaire
8. Documentary – Man on a Wire
9. Original Screenplay – Milk
10. Adapted Screenplay – Slumdog Millionaire
11. Best Picture – Slumdog Millionaire

#75 Finito. I’ve been meaning to see the 80’s music/comedy cover band, the Spazmatics, for almost ten years now.  Last night, I finally did.  They didn’t disappoint.  Even better, I was joined by friends and family.  Sean and Kim danced the night away.  Kim’s sister, Tobi, tracked down a man.  And best of all, my dad and Georgeanne, against their better judgement, joined in the fun.  I reminded them at 12:08 that it was, in fact, 12:08.  What makes them staying so impressive was how the night started.  We arrived between 9:00 and 9:30 to a nearly empty place.  We had a table in front of the stage where a heavy metal/punk band was playing at ear drum busting decibel levels to their three tone deaf groupies.  At one point the “lead singer” demanded that Sean raise his F#@king fist in the air.  So Sean, dressed in his best punk outfit (a nice vest and starched collar) raised his f*#@king fist.  Despite the hearing loss, it was a great night.

#51. I Want.

Netflixed Hancock.  Great concept.  Big budget.  Bad story.

Where I’d rather be today.  It’s too cold and too wet today in L.A.

Sonia ordered me the Kindle 2 for Valentine’s day.  Although I won’t have it for a couple of weeks, it is the best gift she has ever gotten me.  While there is nothing like the tactile feeling of a real book, the Kindle is the future.  I really think the ipod for books will save the industry. Can’t wait.

#23. Saw Confessions of a Shopaholic.  It’s Valentine’s Day so I conceded the choice of movies to Sonia.  With that said, it was well done.  A cute movie.  No complaints.

#20 in progress. Three down, two to go.  Click photo to read.

#56.  A little over eight years ago, Ann Marie Boskovich sang at my film school graduation party.  Now she’s singing her way through American Idol.  Her talent couldn’t be any more foreign to me. In fact, I would be surprised if a Youmans, now or forever, will be able to hold a note.  We sound like tortured cats.  So with that in mind, it is only natural that singing karaoke would be on my list.  One hundred things on my list and this terrifies me more than anything.  Which, by the way, is why I made it a duet.  Going to take Sonia down with me.  So, what do we sing?  Anything Grease is out the window.  This is what remains.  Any favorites?

• Reunited – Peaches & Herb
• Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Williams
• Endless Love – Lional Richie & Diana Ross
• Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – Elton John & Kiki Dee
• You Don’t Bring Me Flowers – Neil Diamond & Barbara Streisand
• Islands in the Stream – Kenny Rodgers & Dolly Parton
• The Time of My Life – Jennifer Warnes & Bill Medley

John F. Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."  I hope to God he’s right.  I’ve been drowning in my current screenplay.  I love it and believe in it. But I still don’t quite know what "it” is.  Every day I write two to five pages only to delete them the following day.  This has been going on for months.  To make matters worse, Marquette lost for the second consecutive time today.  If it wasn’t for my sister, I’d be feeling sorry for myself right about now.  Like I said before, perspective is an amazing thing.

I call this piece, Cats in Hats.  After seeing some “interesting” German art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts I figured I’d throw my hat into the ring.  Trust me, I’d be huge in Germany.

#74 Completed. Sonia and I visited the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts today.  In addition to their permanent collection, LACMA featured two exhibits.  The first was “Arts of Two Germanys/Cold War Cultures.  The title sounds more interesting than the art.  The art reflected the culture and times as it was mostly cold and dark.  The other exhibit was "Vanity Fair Portraits”. As the title suggests, this exhibit featured famous portraits from Vanity Fair Magazine.  Pretty cool.

#24 in progress.  Ate at Father’s Office in Santa Monica today.  It’s a small gastropub that is famous for it’s micro brews and burgers.  The burger looks better than it tasted.  It was good, but more of a fancy steak sandwich than a cheeseburger.  The oysters we had as an appetizer were great.  And the sweet potato fries were decadent.  Overall, it was pretty good, but we won’t be rushing back.  Laurel Tavern remains our favorite gastropub and burger.

My California Girl.  Remember when we used to look forward to the hot lunch at school?  Sure there were a few sub par days like mystery meat Wednesday, but overall most of us would rather have the hot lunch over brown bagging it.  Not so for our little girl and today was no exception.  As she is often able to do, Brit pulled at my heart strings and somehow convinced me to drop off some fresh spicy tuna and avocado sushi to her school for lunch.  There’s just no Chicago left in that one.

#23. Four down, Six to go. Taken is a familiar, but pretty good suspense thriller.  Because it is the kind of story that I primarily write it is hard for me to truly escape and get into the movie.  Instead, I analyze each scene down to the word and ask myself what I would do differently.  Nevertheless, it was a good night at the movies.  Moral of the story… Don’t let your teenage daughters travel outside of the country on their own.

#28. One down, four to go.  Brando plays a brooding and abusive jerk and is mesmerizing.  Vivien Leigh plays a whack job.  Great characters.  Adapted from the stage, the movie isn’t very cinematic.  Feels like a play.  But, Brando is incredible nonetheless.

The home office is one year old this month.  Starting our own business has been everything we had hoped it to be.  Sonia networks and shops with other people’s money and I am a part time CFO, part time writer.  No boss, no set schedule, no guaranteed pay check.  The last part is scary, especially in light of today’s economy, but so worth it.

Spent the evening celebrating the birthday of my baby sister, Rosie, and niece and nephew, Kaden and Kennedy.  My little sister is such a warm and caring person. She carries her grandmother’s name as no one else could.  As for the twins, they certainly gave the impression that the terrible twos are behind them.  While Sean and Kim ate dinner as if their heads were on swivels, Kaden and Kennedy acted as though they were well aware of the boundaries.  Rosie is 15.  The twins are 3.  Time flies.  Overall, it was a wonderful night with family.

While I have yet to take the perfect picture (#73), I wanted to share my “perfect” picture of 2008.  It was taken in our hotel room in New Orleans before heading out to Burbon Street.  Rather than take an obvious photo of us in the mirror, I was able to use my iphone as a prop and take a more editorial type photograph.  It’s the perfect snapshot of a perfect New Orleans’ weekend.  Perfect pictures just sort of happen.  Hopefully it will happen again soon.

Happy Birthday to my Niece and Nephew!  You’ve come a long way in three years.

If I were to itemize my time spent, writing and family would compete for the number one and two spots.  As for number three… Marquette Basketball.  In between listening or watching every game of the season, I help run MUScoop.com, an “insiders” basketball message forum.  Although I die a small death with every loss, there are few pleasures outside of family that come close to my affiliation with the Marquette Warriors.  And while there is plenty of basketball yet to be played, Marquette is treating me to another fine season.  They are currently 17-2 overall, but more impressively, 7-0 in the toughest conference in college basketball. I already have goosebumps in anticipation of Friday’s game with Georgetown.

Practicing for #59. It’s not a seven course meal, but a good first step. Broiled garlic shrimp on a bed of Angel Hair Pasta with Asparagus. Despite my lack of cooking talent, it wasn’t half bad.

Brittany’s trip was a success.  Despite the challenging logistics, everything went as planned. Among the highlights, Brittany witnessed the 44th Presidential Inauguration in the bitter cold, visited the Smithsonian, The Air and Space Museum, Library of Congress, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Building, National Mall, Arlington Cemetery and Mount Vernon.  From there she traveled by bus to New York City where she toured Central Park, Time’s Square, The Metropolitan Museum, Ellis Island and saw the Broadway production, The Phantom of the Opera (her favorite).  Although she didn’t exactly fulfil my photography requests, she did manage to take a few which I have posted online.  Click the above photo to give them a look.

Well this is a blow.  How do we make lemonade from this rotten batch of lemons?  While I know that I’m not alone in wishing there was a way to take your place, I also know that none of us could fight this bitch of a disease as bravely and valiantly as you did and will do again.  Despite my own sadness and fear, I find comfort in knowing that you are at your finest when challenged, and unbeatable when that challenge threatens your family.  You will prevail.

#54 Complete.  Well, that was fun.  Because Brittany is in New York and Devin had the day off from school, we really didn’t need to get up today.  Not only that, it was raining.  So, after we loaded up on some pancakes, we returned home and spent the day in bed watching television and playing scrabble.   So much fun I think I’ll add it to next year’s list.

#20 in progress.  Two down, three to go.  Click the photo to read.

#5 in progress. Despite the fact that fewer and fewer movies are being made from original material, I continue to write original material.  I am currently one-third of the way through my latest “masterpiece”.