MY 101 FOR THE NEXT 1001 DAYS
(See here for more information about the concept, and below for how I did - including lengthy rationalizations for things unfinished.)
start date: 7.1.09 (days it took me to finish the list and finally post it - 7 - bodes well for my pursuit, no?)
end date: 3.28.12
personal rule: As of the end date, I will donate $10 to charity for each unfinished item (minimum $100, in the inevitable case I am awesome and accomplish all of it).
Clipboard of Fun
1. attend authentic session of bingo (e.g. not at a bar and/or in the presence of drag queens) - I let this go until the last minute, made plans to go, then was befallen by a headache right before it. Some may say that was brought about by nerves related to not knowing whether it was BYO dauber.
2. go for a motorcycle ride completed 12.11.11 Petrifying.
3. participate in an eating contest - There aren’t that many appealing options (if this could ever be considered an appealing activity), and it’s probably for the best I never really pursued this one.
4. ride a Vespa - Y’all, they’re hard to track down. You can’t just roll on up and rent one as you might think.
5. see the sun rise over Manhattan completed (accidentally) 09.07.10 (Thanks marathon training!)
6. see an outdoor movie completed 08.20.10
7. wear a big hat to the track completed 08.08.09
8. fly in a helicopter - I have a Groupon to not just fly in a helicopter, but to actually fly the helicopter myself. I was going to try to fit it in last minute, but Mercury has been in retrograde and that didn’t seem like the best time to get into a rather small flying machine.
9. picnic at least once per summer I consider grilled cheese on the beach a picnic, and perhaps the best picnic one can have
10. play skeeball at least once every summer - Y’all this is something I had to do on a mere three occasions for possibly six and half minutes total and I just didn’t.
11. get a massage completed 12.23.09 (thanks sister!)
12. play roulette completed 07.23.09
13. start a vintage earring collection
14. play Dance Dance Revolution - I really didn’t care too much about this one.
15. try acupuncture - I have another Groupon for this but didn’t drive myself to fit it in by the deadline. I’ll get to it soon.
16. kara-oke - It’s weird I’ve avoided this for so long. I think I’m traumatized by the time I was at a karaoke bar and was sitting (literally) at the bar far too close to someone very intently singing Depeche Mode.
17. obtain all of the songs on my constantly evolving “to download” list - I put a dent in it but there are some obscure ones that have eluded me.
18. work on my putting - I remain mediocre, despite having purchased some little contraption that’s supposed to help improve your putt. I imagine it is more successful if you use it rather than store it on top of your wardrobe.
Creative endeavors
19. beauty shop photo project - I had some sort of artistic vision. It didn’t happen.
20. cross stitch something - I purchased a children’s beginner’s cross-stitch kit and the instructions were not thorough enough for me (I’m sure a 7 year old could have figured it out though) so I just never pursued it further.
21. send non-dull holiday cards - I started out strong but pretended cards didn’t exist two of the three years.
22. complete a painting, Bob Ross style -completed 3.24.12 - It was more “still-life scene with fruit” than “happy little trees” as I’d envisioned, but I count it just the same.
23. get published (in print, as opposed to just online) accomplished Summer 2011-ish
24. remake at least one piece of clothing each month This is one of those “Why did I ever put this on this list? I really don’t even care about it.” items.
25. tackle outstanding, un-contained memories in scrapbooks or something like that - Oh no no. I have still have bags and boxes of miscellaneous items from various events and trips.
26. compile marathon pictures and diary entries in a book completed July 2010 (thanks Mom!)
27. make or otherwise obtain an apron for all of my culinary experiments completed 12.25.09 (thanks Mom!)
28. work on helping with my MD quilt My help was extremely minimal but my quilt is awesome - (one more time) thanks Mom!
Field Trips!
29. go see Niagara Falls completed 10.23.10
30. travel abroad at least once completed (Japan!) 12.07.09
31. go to a vineyard completed 8.20.11– & if possible, crush grapes with my feet - (It wasn’t possible as I am always terribly overbooked during grape-crushing season)
32. take a road trip I didn’t go on any multiple-day road trips, which I think had been my vision, but I definitely went on some vehicle-based adventures, such as back-and-forth to central NY in a single day through one of the most ridiculous/amazing lightening storms I’ve ever seen.
33. go Zorbing (extra credit for working in a visit to Dollywood) - This almost happened several times, and although a faux Zorb place was found that was significantly closer (3ish hours away), the time was never right and this just never made it to fruition. This is the item I am perhaps most disappointed in not doing.
34. attend the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest completed 7.4.11
35. attend a Triple Crown race completed 6.11.11
36. go to Bay to Breakers - I put it off and then my third and final opportunity to participate coincided with a dear friend’s wedding. It was significantly more sober, long and hilly, but I did end up running a race in San Francisco.
37. go to the crown of the Statue of Liberty (finally, once again an option) - It was an option for a while but tickets were hard to come by, particularly during time periods where it might not be 8000 degrees inside the statue, and now they’ve once again closed it for renovations. Foiled again.
38. go to Machu Picchu and/or Angkor Wat completed 7.19.11 Don’t ask about pictures — sore subject.
39. go on a cruise completed 7.24.09
40. go vintage shopping (if by “vintage shopping” you mean “the by-the-pound Goodwill with the giant bins of clothing”)
41. go to Ireland with Mom completed November 2010
Because it’s usually about food and/or beverages with me…
42. grow some sort of food myself - I killed some basil and planted some lettuce-type seeds but probably didn’t complete the awkward climb out of my kitchen window onto my fire escape where I planted them frequently enough for them to ever make it.
43. bake Christmas cookies annually - My kitchen isn’t super conducive to heavy-duty baking so I often opted for the chocolate-covered pretzel cop-out.
44. bake at least once per month and share - I was much better about this when I worked in the suburbs, but schlepping to and then onto the train with a supply of cupcakes just was not going to happen. And anyway - the fewer desserts I surround myself with, the better.
45. make sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving completed 11.26.09
46. try to find a place in my life for grapefruit and/or grapefruit juice - I think I pictured myself settled down to a breakfast of grapefruit halves or something, but I definitely increased my grapefruit-related consumption. It may have largely been due to cocktails but no one said that didn’t count.
47. go to a pick-your-own farm and cook a meal with what was picked - Aw, what a precious concept.
48. try poutine completed 11.21.09
49. try absinthe - Absinthe is pricey and they’ve done away with its trippy effects anyway, so this lost its luster. I did some investigations of bars that served absinthe cocktails, but I had to be honest that I don’t really love the genre of flavor (licorice-y I think?) anyway.
50. include salads as a more frequent staple of the diet - I don’t eat them constantly, but I definitely have upped my salad intake.
Do some good as repayment to the universe for being a lucky brat
51. send five unexpected bouquets of flowers - I sent four actual arrangements through legitimate florist avenues, but I also brought unexpected flowers on multiple occasions, so I’m counting it. I should not be penalized because I avoided the 400% florist mark-up a few times.
52. leave a much larger tip than is necessary at least five times (3/5 complete) This one deserves to get finished even if outside of the time span of this list.
53. volunteer at least several times per year - After a slow start I think my average volunteering count bumps this up enough to consider it accomplished. I joined a mentoring program last year, and have done some running-related volunteering too. (Nowhere did I specify that I couldn’t seek good running karma while accomplishing this one.)
54. put change in an expired parking meter at least five times - This is one of those dumb ones, which became quite an issue when my town decided to switch from meters to those machines that make you leave the receipt on your dashboard.
55. donate blood regularly, and platelets as much as possible Taking some liberty and altering this one because I learned that marathon training plus blood donation don’t quite go hand-in-hand. I’ve donated platelets eight times, but that would have been higher had my iron levels not been too low other times I schlepped to the donation center only to be rejected.
56. donate regularly to the homeless shelter - I had envisioned using my Xtreme couponing skillz to do this but really didn’t meet my expectations and donate as frequently as desired.
57. improve birthday-card-sending accuracy - It’s far too easy for time to slip away from you, particularly when you need to account for the post office’s involvement.
58. take Mom out to dinner once a month Ugh, what a terrible one to not technically accomplish. We went out to many dinners — perhaps not 33 of them — but I really don’t think I picked up the check more than 50% of the time. Which is lame. The woman raised me and has supported a strong majority of the ridiculous things I have done (including multiple items from this very list). I plan to correct this moving forward (unless she starts wanting to dine exclusively at Per Se).
59. donate something non-monetary at least quarterly (besides to the homeless center and clothes) – e.g. toys at Christmas - I don’t know why I was so adamant about this being non-monetary. I did it a few times but sometimes throwing cash at the situation and letting them buy exactly what they need accomplishes the contribution part without me driving myself crazy running around town trying to track down specific items.
It’s probably time to start acting like a grown-up…
60. do it up for my 30th/approach it with grace completed 10.30.10 while dressed in my Bjork swan dress
61. pick a favorite flower check - peonies and ranunculus
62. make attempts at grown-up decorating in my residence - I did buy a rug and made a headboard for my room, but I realized I’d rather be out of my apartment doing fun things than spending time to make it extra cute and then not even be there to appreciate it.
63. purchase at least one pair of investment shoes completed 12.21.11
64. declutter life by at least 101 things - I could probably do this four times and still have too much stuff.
65. save for a down payment - I’ve been quite responsible about saving, though I’m pretty disillusioned with the prospect of real estate any time soon (which is good because I’d probably have to move to Kansas to be able to own something without drastic lifestyle changes). I’m not hyped up about spending my money on couches and Saturdays doing yard work at this point in my life anyway though, so I’m cool with that.
66. pare down closet to only items I really love - Not quite yet, though I have become a lot better at letting go of things that are not pulling their weight in making me look adorable.
67. get an amazing new job completed (officially) 06.07.10
68. track down a new signature scent check - Fresh Sugar Lychee
69. buy one dress I love every six months paying little regard to price - Have I purchased five or so dresses since I started this? I’m pretty sure. Was I able to move beyond my inclinations to exclusively obtain Target maternity dresses on clearance for $7 and/or half-price thrift store specials? Only slightly. I did purchase a metallic leopard-print J. Crew dress at a cost in the high double digits of prices, which I consider slight progress.
70. cook one new recipe per month, ideally for at least one someone else You know what I am awesome at? Bookmarking recipes and/or tearing them out of magazines. I’ve cooked some new recipes, but nowhere close to 33 of them.
71. start saving up for Lasik - I didn’t ever care about this an amount equivalent to multiple thousands of dollars — and my prescription just changed so it’s a non-issue anyway.
72. get my Irish citizenship - This is a trauma of a process. As I understand it my mom has to get her Irish passport and then I have to use that to apply (or something of that sort). I’ve called the Irish Embassy multiple times to request a passport application for her (apparently the only way you can get a copy) and they have yet to send one. Not accomplished, but only partially my fault.
73. finally get the Civic detailed (now N/A, tear) - I have a Christmas gift card for a detailing place in my hometown and just have to figure out the logistics of making that happen with my current vehicle.
74. get renter’s insurance completed 08.27.10 (!)
75. throw at least one party a year - I want to say this was technically accomplished via average, in that there were parties in December 2009, December 2011 and February 2012.
76. list all of the amusing things I’ve done and places I’ve been, so as not to lose sight of all I’ve already done - Really, what was I thinking here?
Become more brilliant & educated
77. take a stand-up class completed 5.6.10
78. try tennis lessons (again) - No time. There’s never any time!
79. actually retain knowledge of the rules of tennis - I have a mental block for this one, and I never sat down with the textbook I still have from my tennis class in college to work through this.
80. take an HTML class - Is this even something that is applicable in 2012? I can’t say I really care. I did purchase a (likely outdated) book at one point as a first step, as well as tracking down one of those free online college courses on the topic, but I could not find the motivation to pursue, even if it meant getting to check it off on this list.
81. take a wine class completed 2.11.12
82. finally learn all the lyrics to: Get Money and Breathe, by Junior Mafia and Fabolous, respectively (I was going to post links, but they are super inappropriate - Google them yourself) - I probably know most of them, but the world has managed to go on turning even when I didn’t.
83. take vegetable chopping lessons completed 2.29.12
84. golf lesson completed 12.18.09
85. learn to play craps - Do I really need another way to risk losing money besides slots and roulette?
86. learn how to change a tire learned 01.29.12, could not apply the knowledge to actually complete it thanks to some super-tight lug nuts
87. do a few crossword puzzles a month - Eh, I did some crossword puzzles, but nowhere near the 100ish I’d have had to do to allow myself to consider this accomplished. I had visions of cramming them in over the last few months but that would have been a little silly, no?
88. be able to bust out a mini Irish step dance on command - I have (another) Groupon for a school that does lessons but did not have time to fit this in yet. I am also in possession of this video and made several humorous attempts at learning that way.
89. venture into the world of ensembles that aren’t matchy matchy - I have these berry-colored shoes that I am currently wearing with navy so I’m making progress. I just really love matching though so it’s hard.
90. line dancing lesson - Nope.
91. relearn geography, continent by continent - I printed out little maps of the continents but never made it much farther than Europe. Ignorance persists.
Athletic pursuits
92. run a marathon completed 10.11.09
93. surf lesson - I tried so many times to make it happen and never followed through. I lost at least one summer of pursuit to derby injuries that would have made accomplishing it hard/painful.
94. become a less pitiful swimmer -I’m in the midst of swimming lessons and absolutely shocked that I have been doing laps like it ain’t no thing (though that’s not to say it isn’t draining or that I am headed for the Olympics or anything like that).
95. luge - You can’t luge in Lake Placid these days, only skeleton. If you can believe it, there were not a lot of takers for the five-hour-each-way trip with the sole purposes of paying cash money to careen down an icy track.
96. go golfing with my Dad at least once every year - I think we may have gone three times over the course of the three years, but I feel lame we didn’t go at all last summer.
97. make push ups a regular part of the workout routine - Sort of.
98. try to skateboard - It’s probably best for the intact-ness of my bones that I didn’t pursue this.
99. water ski - Didn’t care enough about this one.
100. be lead jammer in a roller derby bout completed 5.22.10
101. try bikram yoga completed 04.13.11
STATUS KEY:
complete- started/in progress
final tally:
- complete: 43
- partially complete/some progress made: 24
- not even attempted: 33
- money I will donate to charity as per my agreement with myself: $570
