Thing 1

1. Watch every Academy Award best picture nominee from 2010 to 2015

I just got back from seeing American Sniper at the discount theater across from my work. I had a free movie pass from a Kickstarter campaign of theirs I helped fund so I didn't have to pay, which was nice. And considering I saw Selma yesterday, that means I'm completely done with this thing! It was extremely interesting watching Selma one day and American Sniper the next. Two very different and thought-provoking appropaches to what freedom and humanity are about.


Selma- I should start off confessing that I fell asleep twice. There are a ton of quiet, thoughtful moments and I nodded off. But I backed up and rewatched. I don't think it has to do with the movie so much as me being exhausted and making the mistake of trying to watch it at 1am while under my favorite comfy blanket. Stupid me. But great movie. I cried a few times at the violence and also the beauty when the march became a reality. I also carried a lot of shame and maybe a little bit of hatred for some of the racists depicted. I wish I could understand how and why people could be so cruel to others. As a white woman born a generation after these events took place, I thought the struggle was portrayed amazingly and I felt inspired and moved by the depiction. But I know I can't ever really understand how it must have felt because of the privilege I was born into. I appreciate the movie showing me some parts of history I didn't know, though the fact that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches could's be part of the movie did roll around in my head a few times while watching it.

American Sniper- I went into this assuming that I wouldn't like for the subject matter and depiction of Muslims, but that at least I would enjoy the angst and brotherhood (you know I love me some angst and brotherly bonding). I actually think I liked the movie a lot more than I'd expected. There were some choices that put me on edge and pulled me out, but I blame Clint Eastwood for that. I actually liked that there was more to the film than just the war scenes and mentality (including some anti-war sentiment); I definitely needed that for some moral balance and reality in there. Not even in war are things entirely good or evil. And Bradley Cooper was just amazing; I definitely felt for the guy through the whole thing. In the end, I'm really glad for this thing because it made me watch this movie, which gave me a lot to think about.

Thing 62

62. Save $5 a day and make an extra mortgage payment each year in May


I actually had enough saved up for this payment a few months ago, but I did say "May" in the wording, so last month I transferred the money over to checking and set up a deposit for May 6. Thanks to interest, I was able to put a little more in there than intended and I still have a good start on next year's payment. I'll definitely keep this on next time's list. Being able to save up a little and save thousands of dollars in interest? Totally worth the $5 a day hit that I don't even feel any more.

Thing 73

73. Get to 50 loans made on Kiva.org

I made my last two loans today for this goal! I had intended to wait until I had enough repayment credit, but I just got my tax refund and was able to pay off bills and thought I'd celebrate my fortune by donating some of what was leftover at the end of the day.

I found two loans in countries I hadn't loaned in before, both of which had special doubling promotions (what I loaned was doubled by outside groups). Both countries are near where I was born, also.

So I loaned to Faamoa in Samoa because the description reminded me of my dad and grandfather (who was in printing).
http://www.kiva.org/lend/879086

And I loaned to Silvina in Timor-Leste because her shawls pictured are beautiful and I don't lend to enough artisans.
http://www.kiva.org/lend/880630

I donated a little bit to Kiva as well.


Excluding the 2 loans that weren't funded so the money was returned, I now have 50 loans in 48 countries around the world. That's a lot of good my $300-something has done :-)