Progress Report: Week 49

I'm trying to see how many of these I can chip away at before mid-August!

1. Get passport & travel to Canada - No Progress

2. Take a dance class (not ballet) - COMPLETED

3.  Find a new doctor - No Progress

4.  Make a short film - COMPLETED
I've made a short film!  It is very short and not at all fancy or highly skilled.  But it is part of a larger concept so I am trying to see if I can make a few of these before sharing.

5.  Make an anthology of my Grandma's poems & writings - No Progress

6.  Read 5 of these intellectual/feminist books: The Second Sex, Lean In, To the Lighthouse, The Beauty Myth, Reverence to Rape, Sister Outsider, How to Be a Woman, Americanah - No Progress

7.  Learn to do a Tarot reading - No Progress

8.  Read 4 of these unfinished reads --- Story of B, Ode Less Traveled, Anna Karenina, Jim Henson: The Biography, Snobs by Julian Fellows, Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx, Savage Beauty (biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay) - PROGRESS
I've still been reading the Jim Henson biography.  I really like it but I didn't get to spend a lot of time on it this past week.  I'm not sure I will finish it in time!

9.  Watch these 15 movies:  Noah, Rush, The Apartment, Maleficent, Sweetie by Jane Campion, Hateship Loveship, Easy Rider, Dirty Dancing, Maidentrip, Laggies, Dear White People, Frida, Saving Mr. Banks, Carousel, Across the Universe - PROGRESS
I watched Noah---- which I sort of really liked and also found disappointing.  I thought that the first third of the film was really fascinating, creative, and compelling . . . but then it sort of descended into a depressing section with a pretty unnecessary battle scene, a lot of men posturing about women, and then the whole infanticide thing at the end was really confusing to me, plus the female characters while performed well were pretty underdeveloped and cliched.  The film was definitely interesting and inspiring to me in some respect, and a disappointment in others.  I also got Easy Rider on DVD so I can watch that this upcoming week.  So close to completing!

10.  Watch these 10 British movies/miniseries: The Riot Club, God Help the Girl, Pride, Calvary, Nowhere Boy, Birdsong, Parade's End, Archipelago, The Selfish Giant, Orlando - COMPLETED
I watched Pride and I really enjoyed it a lot.  I really recommend it.  It was both moving and funny/feel-good.  A lot of times these inspiration, historical films can been a bit intense emotionally or feel like downers.  But this managed to take a really unique and wonderful piece of history and keep the story light while still showcasing the heart.  Very enjoyable.  I liked it much much more than I was really expecting to.  I also watched Nowhere Boy.  It was good but it's not going to be one of my favorites, probably just because I wasn't that into the subject.  BUT that means that I COMPLETED this goal!

11.  Get back into Master's Program and work towards finish.  COMPLETED

12.  Put together a collection of poetry & get one poem published - No Progress

13.  Finish writing a film script - No Progress

14.  Pay off another of my student loans - COMPLETED Week 29

15.  Create postcards with art or photos from family members or friends - No Progress

16.  Make scrapbook for 2015 - No Progress

17.  Keep blogging & Write a post for a professional blog - COMPETED

18.  Go to 3 film festivals - COMPLETED Week 35

19.  Learn more about car maintenance - No Progress

20.  Do more music stuff - No progress

21.  Learn to use a sewing machine - No Progress

22.  Minor financial task I've been putting off - No Progress

23.  Do a freelance/volunteer video project  COMPLETED

24.  Write an essay on Snow White & the Huntsman - No progress

25.  Plan something for my birthday! No Progress
I still have to sort out lodgings for the weekend of my bday when I will be taking a weekend trip but I'm nearly set with this.

26.  Get my elbow sorted out (it hurts frequently) - No Progress

27.  Do #52FilmsByWomen  - PROGRESS
I watched both The Namesake, by Mira Nair, and Nowhere Boy, by Sam Taylor-Johnson.  It was great to watch another film by Mira Nair, it was a bit more emotional in different ways than I was expecting.  There were some creative aspects of Nowhere Boy that I found intriguing.  This means I am all caught up with my 52 films so far!

Bonus Goals

• Make postcards from my photos - PROGRESS . . . I found a company that can do short runs of things.  I had a little trouble resizing my photos for the postcard dimensions in ways that satisfied me but I tried a few things.  Because it was a small batch of cards (20) I was ok with experimenting a little. I need to learn some design software to really get exactly what I want.  I haven't recieved them yet but they should come next week. Excited to see how they turn out!
• Get something tailored - No Progress
• Buy a new laptop - I still have to transfer a bunch of my files around.

Progress on 5/21 (1/2 Bonus Goals)