Virtue #1: Temperance- moderation in action, thought or feeling; most commonly thought of as moderation in food and alcohol; which is what Franklin was supposedly referring to.

Franklin Quotes: “Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.”

Where I Stand: I don’t drink on a regular basis, so moderation with regard to alcohol is  a piece of cake. Eating on the other hand….well, I really like food. In terms of other things, the way I schedule my daily life means I do a little bit of everything all day…so I think I practice the moderation thing pretty well, overall.

Plans for Improvement:  I’m continually improving my diet already, but this week I plan to make a conscious effort to eat smaller portions, and to not eat any particular food in excess (ie. do not have popcorn as a snack three nights in a row, or a baked potato for lunch four time this week).

Well, of course, I’m going to try it. I love self-improvement challenges and I love Ben Franklin, particularly how he was portrayed in the movie 1776.

Franklin’s 13 Virtues were: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Chastity, Tranquility, and Humility.

The author of the post interprets that challenge to be more about acknowledging areas in which you need improvement, and not mastering each virtue. The author also provides a handy-dandy chart which I will be using.

I will begin next week. My plan is to post at the beginning of each week a bit about the virtue, how it relates to me, applicable quotes from Franklin, and my plans for improvement.

A rare picture of the elusive (mama) Meredith.

Miss Melody (and Jimmy).

And the always photogenic Harree.

These were also taken by Mike (and possibly Erica?) in July.

I’m thankful we have friends who photograph our cats, or else I wouldn’t have any pictures of Fred. My camera can’t seem to get a decent shot of him.

Lefty behind the DM screen… While I like to pretend to be the Gods in games, Lefty knows he is a God.

My first progress deadline was January 9th and I needed to have completed 10% of the list. I managed to achieve this, but just barely! My next deadline is April 18th when I need to have 20% completed.

You can check out the updated list here (or click the DZP tab above), updates are in blue.

Lefty in his usual regal pose…on the D&D map.

Miss Melody is nearly impossible to photograph…not only is she all black, but she never sits still!

Unlike Fred.

Unless you hold her, of course.

More photos will be posted shortly! A big thank you to Mike for all these wonderful pictures!

12        Get a job with a workable (at least 20k income)

I have accepted a full-time position at USGS (Great Lakes Science Center). I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to once again doing science! I will be doing primarily molecular work (but sometimes field work) for a fisheries biologist. While I’m comfortable with the kinds of work I will be doing (yay PCR!), I’ll have the opportunity to learn new lab techniques and field work skills. It should be very rewarding.

Now, I have a month or so before I start to get my house in shape! :p

So, part of me wants to do a NaBloPoMo….It stands for National Blog Posting Month, though really its every month. Officially, it is November and you get prizes for participating then; however, they still host it every month. And the idea is to post at least once every single day. I think this would be a good way to get me in the habit of posting again.

However, they moved the site to BlogHer…and it appears to be confusing, and I can’t find where to register…and I’m uncertain if I want to go through all the hassle of making it official. Hmm…

A classic Mel Brooks movie released in 1981, History of the World was our second movie for project 72.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082517/

Watched on 1/20/2012.

IMDB’s Rating: 6.6 (19,818 voters)

My Rating:  9

Group Rating: 7.17 (6 votes)

Current Position on The List: 2 of 2

Current Group List:

1) Muppet Treasure Island (8.00)

2) History of the World (7.17)

My List: 

1) History of the World (9)

2) Muppet Treasure Island (8)

The first movie we watched for Project 72 was Muppet Treasure Island which was released in 1996. I don’t think this movie requires much in the way of a description. Muppets + Pirates.

Watched on 1/6/2012.

IMDB’s Rating: 6.6 (7,971 voters)

My Rating:  8

Group Rating: 8.00 (6 votes)

Current Position on The List: 1 of 1

Comments:

“Muppet Treasure Island gets a ten from the Saccoccia judge. It combines some of my favorite things: Muppets, pirates, and Tim Curry.”

I agree with that assessment. I love The Muppets, Tim Curry, and pirates. It’s really a perfect combination.

Current List:

1) Muppet Treasure Island (8.00)