100 Things That Made My Year 2024

 Things That Made My Year 2024

1.  What Matters 2024.  In June, brainstormed this RD: slowing down/stopping, noticing, being grateful/thanking, making, questing/trying something new, savoring, washing the dishes/maintaining with love, begining again, repairing/making things better.  (I added these words to the side later: do something hard/be uncomfortable, say hello/connecting/checking in/listening)
2.  Current Teachers.  Thinking on the regular about who are my current teachers... micro teachers...
3.   Death Clock.  I began writing my death clock on top of each month's log staring in March.  In May I hit 9500.  In June I write: "I'm at 9468... at what date does what's left get 'precious'? the last M&M in the bag.... don't waste it! don't let it go to waste!"  Countdown Clock and How Much Time do We Have Left? and
4.   Biking.  I bought a Priority belt-drive bike.  I bought two panniers so that when commuting I can take off my backpack. One turns into a backpack; the other (from REI) is light and easy to remove - this is the one that I continue to use; First time to school - May 15 (#33 ->40 for spring semester); I buy a $35 back bike light from Machine Row bikes in Madison that is rechargeable and does different patterns. 
5.   Bike exploration.  I did a bunch of bike explorations and bike journeys during the summer.  Maybe 29 of them? Some had specific plans - go to Harbor Frieght, the Brookfield Post Office, then Aldi, some were directional ("bike to the SW and see how far you can get in 30 mins").
6. Bike vacations.  I brought my road bike on Door County trip and did two long rides there; on another trip, J and I brought bikes to Madison and did two bike rides in the city.  
7. Bike group.  I rode with Erwin a few times this summer, I also road to Geneva (60 miles) with Mike S and the Tower Riding Group.
8.  Bike to Work. Jan 1-2; April 19-27; May 28-40; August 1-9; Sept 10-23; Oct 24-39; Nov 40-46; 
9. Books that had excellent moments that made me think at times, but mostly I didn't like them: 100 Essays by Sarah Ruhl (5 TILF and Teach us how to wait and Life is About Pleasure and), Wintering, You Could Make this Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith, Outside Lies Magic
10.  Favorite Fiction.  A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (book notes here),  Playground by Richard Powers, The Nix by Nathan Hill at the very end of the year, Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford, Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (book notes here), James by Percival Everett, Table for Two by Amor Towles, completely unexpected favorite: Northwoods by Amy Pease, The Wren The Wren by Anne Enright, Villa E by Jane Alison
11.  Stephen King, for another year. Stephen King's You Like It Darker and Mr. Mercedes and The Cell, by which I blacktopped my driveway, and Under the Dome (Feed Me)
12. Nonfiction Books.  Reinventing Bach by Paul Elie (book notes here), Master of the Senate, by Mark Caro (1167 pages!) (Report on the Status of Legislation and Muffle the Dissent), A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan,  The Wager by David Grann, Once Upon a Prime by X.... Vibrant Matter by Jane Bennett, Zeitoun, which I decided to teach,   Vincent and Theo by X, The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (booknotes here), How to Know a Person by David Brooks, At Home by Bill Bryson
13. Buddhist Books. When You Greet Me I Bow and Training in Compassion by Norman Fischer (Booknotes on Training in Compassion), Taking the Leap by Pema Chodron, 
14. Books for fun. Really loved Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay and enjoyed mindless fun of The Secret and Nothing to Lose by Lee Child, The Thirst by Jo Nesbo, Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson, Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
15. ReRead Books. White Noise by Don DeLillo, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, both for book clubs for teaching AP Lit
16. Reading Poetry.  Made Ted Kooser document of favorite poems. Learned of new poets in You are Here by Ada Limon.  Read a book of poems about birds editted by Billy Collins. Read Felon by Reginald Dwayne Betts. Read Felicity by Mary Oliver, Splitting an Order by Ted Kooser
17. Garden. Each year I'm getting more from the garden.  Not too long ago I read that you should plant more of what you really like and less of things that are hard to take care of.  I harvested lettuces and arugula in May and June, green beans in June and the beginning of July, Cucumbers in mid-July, raspberries in spring and mid August, tomatoes through August. April (week 15) prep garden; (week 16) plant garden
18. First tomato- July 23, by August 23, I'm only getting a few per day; still some tomatoes early Sept; one last plant keeps going thru the beginning of October
19. Cut flowers in the house.  Mom said that she likes to have cut flowers from the garden in the condo.  Maybe I heard her say Zinnias.  I planted a bunch and they have become a seasons-long joy -- both in the garden and in the house.  I began cutting other flowers to add to them - hostas, anenomes, bee balm earlier in the year.  In August I began adding blooming grasses.
20. Flower baskets. Zinnias and petunias that last from May through August. September!
21. Flowers as part of the garden. I used to plant some chrysanthemums for bug control.  This year I planted Zinnias which are quite tall and expressive.
22. Guitaring.  I practiced 10x in January, 22x in February, 12x in March.  16x in July.  In July my practice began when I realized that I would learn 312 songs before I die if I memorize or learn 1 per month.  I began in earnest, learning one per month and trying to memorize an older one that I have learned and forgotten.  The memorization for Study 12 has been a challenge in July, but I'm getting there.  My "fall guitaring" gets to 100 by Nov 18.  End of Dec I'm 120.
23.   Guitar.  Finally learned what CAGED really is in July and it becomes a portal to chord shapes and voicings.  Learned from YouTube on the chords from Lay Down Sally. from Marty Guitars.  
24.   Guitar repertoire. I begin a project in August of learning two songs a month -- one old one that I try to memorize and one new one that I have to work through.  I record the songs on Voice memos.  By end of September, I have recorded 5.  Guitar daily practices: July 1-18; Aug -43; Sept -66; Oct - 87.  (I had a short stint of guitar praticing at the end of January and most of February, where I relearened Scarlatti).
25. Being more fit.  I began running farther - up to 6 miles on Sundays in Bemis.  And continued to run MWF pretty religiously.  I continue to run Fullersburg Woods on Fridays (a practice I started during summer school in 2023) and often run Bemis on Wednesdays and Spring Rock on Mondays. In May it has become such a habit that I rearrange my schedule on challenging days in a single week to fit all the runs in (and run after 2 beers); In July I began lifting (mostly body weight stuff, always a small number of exercises) almost every day.  In July, I also add a fourth day to my run -- this is when I'm no longer doing the weekly bike ride to Geneva
26.   Benches after runs.  One of my favorite parts of running is the park bench I sit in when it's done.  On Mondays I sit in the middle of spring rock park and watch the garden, one Wednesdays at Bemis I stand on top of the bridge or if I'm in neighborhoods, I am at Field Park bench; on Fridays there are a couple different benches in Fullersburg Woods; On Sundays at Bemis, there is the bench by Go Ape where I park my car.  In the fall, running at FW was often a race with the dusk.  Often I continued my run with a walk of ten or fifteen minutes.  There was a memorable supermoon walk and another walk into the dark (in December) when dozens and dozens of geese came to land on Salt Creek.
27.   Reflection Project #1. When I did my blog index, I kept the notes here, in a file called Dave's Booklet.  I didn't know yet what I was going to do with this trove of stuff.  One of the categories was reflection questions that I had accumulated.  That became the first project to spin off the blog -- a book of daily and yearly reflection questions.  
28. Reflection Project #2. Cards.  In July I got the idea to put daily reflection questions on index cards with a key ring on the corner.  This idea morphed into a set of daily processes and monthly processes.  One card has like 70 reminders on it - daily meditations, daily new music listening, daily reflection question, weekly chores, monthly chores, the Jazz Year that I'm working through, etc.  I borrowed this idea then for school -- what's my opening procedures? what's my weekly reflection? etc.
29. Reflection Project #3. Journal. Then I begin to write 2 questions per page in the back of the Sept-EOY journal, the 7 big reflective questions, then write the date and an update on that reflection. Connction, Passion Project, Teachers, World/Health, Comfort Zone, Naikan, Try something new/Adventure/novelty; also, Monthly Haiku prompts
30. House Care.  I installed a new (quieter!) ceiling fan in the mater bedroom in April; I sealcoated the driveway again in July.  I bought a long tree trimmer to cut new growth on maple tree that we had trimmed last year, I began a month limb cutting from the overgrown junk tree by the garage which had gotten all into the cable lines on hanging on the garage roof, I re-caulked a number of windows in the house.
31.   Blog Index. From Feb to May I do a 3+ year blog index in this document  here.  In Sept I add the index from this year - May->Sept; My goal is that this will spawn a number of projects.  see Reflection project #1 and #2 above.  In Dec I add Oct-Dec.
32.  What "contributes to" a life well spent? Idea for a book where each chapter is an idea from a specific "teacher." Start with the "ideal": Thoreau, Emerson, Muir; Then a chapter about a practice that gets us there: Baubauta, Langer, Brach, TNH, Humphries, Harjo, Chodron, Greg.  The book can also be about "what gets in the way" - hiding, fear, discomfort, distraction
33.  Blog.  I complete another year of blogging every day.  I continue to do "middle seasons" collages on the 10th, 20th, and last day of each month.  I continue to post poems on the 1st, 11th, 21st.  I begin posting artwork on the 15th after the Nov trip to Boston.
34. Cooking.  I began making the Cooks Illustrated granola recipe and having it around, I pickled cucumbers from the CSA and our garden using a spicy brine from Cookie and Kate, I continue to make a pot of beans per week, I collected 6 Buddha Bowl recipes and tried them in continuing weeks and have incorporated them as part of the usual menu (on Mondays). I started making an air fryer eggplant parmesan, I made raspberry blueberry crumble.  I made a quiche in January with a very good crust.
35.  Big batches. I begin regular stocking up for up quinoa, rice, Cooks' Illustrated granola, oatmeal.... freezer pantry filling;  The InstantPot is my most used kitchen implement, followed closely by the Air Fryer.  
36.   Documentaries. Leonardo, Martha, Get Back
37.   Cicadas.  See them May.  See bird with cicada in mouth May 16; not that they "begin emerging" on 17th; 
38.   Concerts.  Sarah Shook and the Disarmers in Forest Park in August was the best.  Another real memorable concernt and venue: Saw Gillian Welch with J at Cahn Auditorium with J; Saw Marc Ribot and (later) Alejandro Escovedo with T&J at Fitzgeralds - both not great; Tu night jazz at Skeleton Crew; Boston Symphony in Nov
39.   I completed my 26th year at Hinsdale Central and started my 27th year.  (In December I reviewed information from TRS and found that June 1, 2030 should be my retirement date.)
40.   Watching the Summer Olympics. 
41.   Watching a couple season of the Netflix Tour de France TV show.
42.  Asheville Spring Break trip.  Impressions of Asheville 
43. Madison Vacation #1.
44. Madison Vacation #2. (7/5)
45. Madison Vacation #3.
46.  Madison Vacation #4. (10/14) Leave Cafe Coda Jazz; Spring Green Bluegrass jam; 
47.  ChatGPT at home.  I used ChatGPT as a "thing" to bounce ideas off of.  I asked it to help me create "annual reflection questions" using people that I admire - JKZ, TNH, Tara Brach, etc. (also create monthly intentions list
48.   Chat GPT at work.  In August I used it to help me create some gamified word games and lessons for school.  It feels very much like brainstorming with someone who can help create structure, fill in the gaps of ideas, and occassionally surprise you with good ideas.  
49. Daily Haiku.  Not really daily.  Here's where I keep them. (I'm seeing that it was a project I started in April 2023.  In August of this year I wrote a dozen.  I commit to daily writing this year in April, too.  At some point I came up with spreadsheet model of keeping them.  Blog: What brings you joy? write a haiku
50. My Touareg.  It went over 150K this summer.  It got new tires.  It has served very well and I'm grateful!
51.  Shokz headphones.  My AirPods Pro began making crackly sounds and caused me some ear irritation; the Shokz work great and are safer for biking and running and don't go in the ear canal.
52.  Movies/TV. Turn Every Page about Mark Caro and his editor.
53.  Generate a Good Motivation Thubten Chodron
54.  90% Solar Eclipse in April.
55.  Excellent sentences, like Mark Caro and 
56.  Friends.  Todd, Jeff and I got together a couple times at Bubble house brewery, we ate German food before that. Todd and I exchange a weekly playlist on Spotify.  I begin - about week 30 - to give them genres:  once a month jazz, classical, twice a month rock/alt/pop
57.  Jennie hosts Carol Jago at Nazareth.  (The Magic Ingredient)
58.  Artwork I like.  Rockweed by Andy Goldsworthy
59.  Podcasts.  I didn't listen to many.  "People I Mostly Admire" with Stephen Leavitt
60.  WFMU.  I use the archive like crazy to listen to DJs and increase my knowledge (and Spotify store) of music.  I begin to get tired of the Michael Shelley show and by September am loving Toddophonic Todd's show... which is sometimes 3 hours!  The player is improved so that you see the playlist and can "click around" for songs.
61.  Helping Mom and Dad.  In May try to help fix printer a couple times, then come to set up new one; In September help move a new piece of furniture in;  Give them our bistro table; Refix stereo hookup in November.  I built them a google sheets budget spreadsheet, then updated it for 2025 in December.
62.  Ten Things Now.  
63.  Cicadas arrived in May
64.  Monthly Intentions 
65.  Thinking about What Matters now and in 2014
66.  Making things with wood.  I created a prototype of a stationary holder, then made one out of 1/4" plywood.  I made three fan trellises (learning how to rip safely) out of a cedar fence panel, I made small trellis (x2) for x flower to grow on,   I bought a roller to catch wood and a push stick, assembled a work table I bought from Aldi a year ago.
67.   Dyson animal ball vacuum.  Lumbering, but solid; I buy one directly from factory in Nov.
68.   First official act.... of summer.  Second official act of summer.  I like this phrase and the next.
69.   Accumulating signs of spring... of fall
70.   Blog index.  Created this massive blog index.  This led to reflection cards.
71.  Twitter is a wasteland.  Instead, read blogs: M - Alastair H, Tu - Sarah Hendron or Mandy Brown, W - Marc Zao Sanders/ Leo Baubauta; Th - James Clear; F - Kleon; Sa- Alan Jacobs, Su - Cool Tools/ Kevin K
72. House Ownership/Sisyphisian Chores.  As I do more deep cleaning, I notice house things that need maintenance -- while washing windows, I see that the window caulk needs to be repaired in many places
73. Everything in its Place.  After several times not knowing where to find X, I begin a massive organization project.  I store it in Google Keep.
74. Book Order Spreadsheet.  Proud of a book order spreadsheet I create because I need to buy each book for teachers this year.
75. The Verbs of Summer.  On June 6, I wrote: outside in afternoon yesterday - climbing ladder, moing kayaks, rehanging ladder, clipping, lifting, moving, cutting, gluing, nailing, carrying heavy things, measuring, marking
76. Classical Music.  Rosalyn Tureck play Bach in a very Glen Gould way before GG's recording; Josh Rifkin does small scale mass in B minor (of Bach), Olaf Viking (Viking Olafson?) playing Philip Glass; Rene Fleming singing a piece about Georgia O'Keefe and Alfred Steiglitz at BSO while we are in Boston, 
77. Wonderstate Coffee.  On several of the trips to Wisconsin, I bring back a big bag of Wonderstate coffee on sale.  It's a good way to keep a memory of the place. It's delicious.  It's roasted in the town we visited on the west side of the state:
78. Nespresso.  More elevated than either Vias or Keurig.  I begin buying sleeves of Nespresso and using Mike Palmquist's machine at school 3-4x a week.
79. McDonalds Coffee.  and on Fridays I'll drive to work so that I can run at Fullersburg Woods. On the way in the morning, I'll stop for a large black coffee.
80. William Street Co-Op. We joing the Co-op.  Visit Madison several times.  Our regular grocery list includes: Wonderstate Coffee, MSD bread, bulk barley and bulgur; Origin Bakery wheat bread
81. Favorite Restaurant Dishes: Madison sour dough - molasses cookie, minestrone
82. Changing Seasons: Summer. insect on screen of window; Hummingbirds through Sept, impatiens, raspberries
83. Changing Seasons: Fall. Oct 15 garden cut down, Oct 22: Service berry changing color by driveway (that apple pink), Oct 25 - riding through a colorful tunnel of trees; 24 - last cut Zinnias; season of foxes and skunks; Nov 2 - sandhill cranes; Nov 7 - trees pretty much empty now
84. Menu. Trying to improve menu game this year - trying to sort through all old saved recipes - trying to list recipes around the core pots of beans
85. Scrapbooks!  I began keeping scrapbooks this year:  
86. My Core Teachers This Year:
1.  Ruth Ozeki (interview with Ezra Klein highlights here and Fluxus and When You Read these Words on the Page and), 
2. Kevin Kelly (collected items from his book of advice here and Usually It's the Fifth Idea and Catalog of Possibilities and Advice at 73 and ), 
3. Norman Fischer (I am Grateful that you are in my life and We Live in Relation and Pass thru the dry place and No Fear and The Manner in Which Something is Accomplished and BookNotes on Training in Compassion
4. James Clear newsletter, (Mundanity of Excellence and Unit of Measure and It's the Way I Want to Live My Life and Know Your Next Step and It's Beautiful to Do Things Right and Giving Credit to Others (Thank you page) and The Task You're Avoiding (the 2-min version) and Choose the Story you Tell About It and Create 25 of What You Need and Which activities are the best impressions of You?  (do it for 5 mins today) and The Things You Don't Have that You Don't Want and Problems Worth Solving and Proud of this Conversation and The Problems that Should Concern You and Is My Attention on Loving? and It's Not the answer the enlightens but the question and Five Good Minutes and What are You Practicing? 
5. Alastair Humphries (It only matters that you go)
6. Carl Jung (Surrender to the Current of My Thoughts and Booknotes on his book Dreams and Memories
7. Sara Hendron (On Design, Education and Limiting Virtues and Vocab Lesson and Who Taught Me)
8. Mandy Brown (Whose Benefits? Whose Risks?) and Doubt Opens and 
9. Alan Jacobs (How do we love rightly and teach others to love? and Against Efficiency and)
10. Brad Stulberg (on building resilience in a changing world), 
11. James Hollis (The purpose of addictions and Responses to Powerlessness and What You Do Not Bring Forth Will Destroy You) and 
12. Rob Walker (Regrounding Exercise and Every Single X Mission Packs and Surprise Dates and 
13. Leo Baubauta/ Zen Habits (Know Your Desires. Know Your Light and A Slightly More Challenging Path and What would it b like to slow down? and Abundance and Chaos and Commitment is a Practice and)
14. Gottman (A Real Apology and What Soothes You? and Build Love Maps and I appreciate exercise and Date Night Conversations and Make Them Feel Important
15. Austin Kleon (Creativity is a Volume Business and Funny and thoughtful gift giving and
16. Ellen Langer We Come Alive When We're Engaged and 
17. Pema Chodron Taking the Leap Booknotes
18. JKZ Invitation to be Fully Present and At Home in Heart, Mind, Body
19. Rick Rubin. Listening is Openly Receiving and The Outside World is a Conveyor Belt and Book Notes on The Creative Act and What's Worthy of Our Time and Attention and Live Life Like Landing a Plane and 
87. My Single Corest Teacher this Year: Gregg Krech and Naikan - Change your seeing and Purpose Centered Approach and Naikan Practice: the way the world is supporting us and (related from Seth Godin: Infrastructure) and Goals that Are Not Totally Self-Centered and On Just Getting Through the Year and No Drama and Services Provided and Naikan Year-End Reflection
88. Best January blog idea:  What if teaching made you more energetic? and the idea of Primordial Abundance 
89. Best February blog ideas: How to take pleasure in things and The Weave of Collective Attention
90. Best March blog ideas: The Dodge and The Real Luxuries and The Sentry
91. Best April blog ideas: The Magic Ingredient and Label Each One With a Purpose and How to Criticize Wisely and Surrender Myself to the Current of My Thought
92. Best May blog ideas: Sanctuary and Unafraid of Change and Three Small Shifts Make all the Difference and The Manner in Which Something is Accomplished
93. Best June blog ideas: Unit of Measure and It's the Way I Want to Live My Life and Create a Fun File
94. Best July blog ideas: What is it I really like? and
95. Best August blog ideas: Act as if what you do matters and What Would It Mean to Be Done for the Day and Fall in Love with the Struggle and If you let it alone and Decay and 
96. Best September blog ideas:
97. Best October blog ideas: Selecting, Sifting, rejecting Sorting and If you would be love, love and Blue Jays Imitating Hawks and In the Place You Actually Find Yourself and Less Planning and More Doing and Analog Living and The Things that are Saying Choose ME! and Daily Checklist: Repair, Explore, Build
98. Best November blog ideas: Care-taker and $1 will be extracted each hour and A Quick Painting to Document the Last Tomatoes and I am slightly undone, in a good way and Soto Zen Instructions
99. Best December blog ideas:  The Year of... and The World of the Happy