State visit progress thus far

Goal #60 is Visit all 50 states. I think it's only fitting that I list what states I've already been to and why. When I was younger, my parents and I took tons of road trips, so I've actually been to A LOT more states than I will list below. However, I decided to not include the states that I do not really remember. I've decided to only count states within the last few years that I can remember going to as an adult.

1. California - Obviously I live here
2. Oregon - most recently went for work
3. Nevada - Las Vegas
4. Texas - visiting family
5. Maryland - senior trip
6. Florida - went for work
7. Arizona - went for work
8. New Mexico - went for work
9. Georgia - went for work

As of 10/3/09

Geez, my list is twice as long if I include all my childhood trips, but I really can't because I don't really remember anything about the other states.

Goal #52 Complete!!!

I have completed another goal! I baked a cake from scratch! Previously I attempted to bake a Tyler Florence Chocolate cake, and I failed miserably. You can reference previous posts to look at the failure. The thing is, I used the same recipe to see if I could do it correctly. I did everything EXACTLY the same and look at what happened...

Geez!!!!! The cake broke apart! Both layers! I have NO idea why. And then it hit me. The reason I don't bake is because not only do you have the ingedients and mixing to worry about, but with baking, you also have to take into account the weather and conditions in your kitchen. Whether it is cold, hot or humid can greatly affect the outcome of your product. Damn!!! I almost gave up again and then decided to get through it.

All in all, the cake's appearance looks 100% better than the first try. However, once we ate it, it seemed a little more dry than the first one. I'm telling you, it's the weather. But I did accomplish my goal and I know that I can now take any cake recipe and make it if I want to. Mixes are a thing of the past. Unless of course, I have no time, which is the story of my life. Go me!!!