#s 7 & 8

I'm starting to look at the list of 30 things (one of which is completely out of the running) and wonder if I'll get them accomplished. But this weekend was especially successful and I'm continuing to work on several other items. Honestly, 2012 has been a whirlwind. I can't believe it's February and I can't remember the last week I had with a calendar that didn't totally overwhelm me. Just trying to take things a day at a time but I feel like I'm not giving 100% on anything. It's probably going to be after graduation though when I finally feel caught up. Thankfully that's 95 days away, really not too far.

So what did I check off the list? A trip to roller derby -which was long overdue and a great way to spend a Saturday night with a good friend. I think by the end of the second bout I had mostly figured it out and look forward to watching again. It's a great addition to St. Louis's cultural/sports scene and I'm happy to see it drawing a great crowd.

I also checked off the nice dinner out - last night I got to go on a real "double date" for the first time in forever and stuff myself silly with delicious food, wine, and conversation at the Pastaria preview dinner at Niche. It felt really nice to sit back and enjoy a leisurely dinner with great service - and it was fun sitting near the pass-through hearing the kitchen work through service with amazing efficiency and professionalism - but while having a good time. That's another thing that makes me happy for St. Louis - that the bar has been raised so much in terms of dining experiences in the last 10 years or so. And yet it's still a great value - comparatively. Of course this was still a budgetary splurge but by no means unreasonable.

So - onward with the list. Trying to read those two books, finish painting the bathroom, and muster the courage to venture into the cobwebby basement storage room. It's time to buckle down.