Chinese New Year Weekend Report

We had two work days off for Chinese New Year, during which time I planned and executed many projects with varying degrees of success.  The results of my efforts and the wisdom gained in execution of the projects are summarized below:

Project: Cook delicious chili.
Reason for project: I was pretty much forced to by the Ghost of Superbowls past who showed me scenes of previous Superbowls to try and convince me to repent/make chili.
Success level: 9

Lessons learned:

1. You should check if you have chili powder before you try and make chili.
2. If you make chili while you're roasting asparagus, you might forget about the asparagus and burn the sh1t out of it.  Especially if part of making chili involves running to the store to get more chili powder.
3.  Especially-er if you have to go to two grocery stores to find chili powder.

4. I make a big mess while cooking.

Project:  Replace recessed fluorescent lights in living room.
Reason for project:  There were zero functioning lights in the living room.  Unless you count my headlamp.
Success level: 5

Lessons learned:

1.  There is something wrong with the wiring in half the living room such that replacing the light bulb doesn't make the light turn on
OR
1.  I don't know how to install fluorescent light bulbs [insert hilarious how-many-lawyers-does-it-take-to...joke here]
2.  Recessed fluorescent light bulbs are really hard to replace.
3.  Headlamps are useful.

Actually, while I was doing this project I had a hard time getting the bulbs out/in and I really wanted to give up, or at least throw a tantrum of some kind. But then I thought about how if my mom were available to help she'd come in and change them in 2 seconds flat and be all: "What was hard about that?"  Auxiliary lesson learned:  I'm infinitely less competent than my mom.

Project: Go to Chinese New Year Raceday at Sha Tin Racecourse with buds.
Reason for project: Funtimes/free lucky horse pen with paid admittance.
Success level: 10.

Lesson learned:  Lots of other people also did this project during CNY.

Project: Make sourdough starter.

Reason for project: Make sourdough bread.  More specifically, satisfaction of an inexplicable urge to do at home what I could easily buy with zero effort from a bakery for chump change.

Success level: Unknown.  It takes 3 days.

Project: Master cooking delicious steak sans charcoal grill.

Reason for project:  Lack of charcoal grill equals extreme heartache/iron deficiency.

Success level:  7

Lessons learned:  

1.  It is unlikely that I have a functioning smoke alarm.  (Do I sense a new fun project for my next day off coming on?!?!)

2.  It's only a matter of time before I spill a huge amount of food on, and ruin, my ipad.

Project: Rule at baking bread.
Reason for project:  Bread is delicious/see above regarding sourdough starter.
Success level: 9
Lessons learned:

1.  I rule at baking bread.
2.  If left to my own devices, I will eat an entire baguette on my own, even if I'm not hungry.
3.  I shouldn't bake bread anymore.