101 in 1001

#22

2009-07-07T18:06:00.000-07:00

22 Go camping again

Completed - the weekend of July 4th, 2009, seven of us went up to the Cape and camped for two nights and it was amazing...

#9

2009-06-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

9 Host a “game night” at my place

This may not be quite what I had in mind, but I'm counting it. Friday night (June 26, 2009), I hosted Rock Band night for my boy, my brother and his girlfriend. We drank a lot of beer and probably pissed off my neighbors with our terrible singing. It was awesome.

#13

2009-06-29T07:23:00.001-07:00

13 Put together my grill and learn how to use it (and then use it)

Done! The grill was put together last month, but sat unused until Friday night. I hosted a Rock Band party and we decided to grill. The boy went out there, showed me how to use it, and then cooked burgers, hot dogs and veggies on my new grill!

#90

2009-05-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

90 Learn to make risotto

I followed this recipe and used shiitake mushrooms and it was amazing. It took forever, but I could do it and I'm looking forward to trying out different add-ins.

#34

2009-05-31T14:53:00.001-07:00

34 Spend the entire night on the beach - watch the sun set and then rise again

It wasn't the beach, but it was a first date with an amazing guy... we ate dinner and watched the sun set into a lake. We talk, drank, and went to the casino at 3 in the morning... to come back and watch the sun rise again. It was even better than sitting at the beach (although I'd still like to do that too) because it was SUCH a good first date... with such promise for more great dates.

Fingers crossed.

#93

2009-05-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

#93 - Buy crayons, markers, colored pencils and a geometric pattern coloring book and use it

Completed - last weekend (April 2009) I went outside on my deck and sat in the sun and drank my iced coffee and colored. It was fantastic!

#63

2009-04-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

63 Go see Bruce Hornsby with Dad whenever he comes to the area

We went Friday, March 27, 2009 at the MGM Grand.

#40

2009-04-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

40 Go to the top of the Empire State building

Completed: March 13, 2009

#36

2009-04-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

36 Use the passport I got two and a half years ago!
Okay, I'm not sure it really counts, but since you now need a passport to go through Canada, I did need to have it. And if I didn't have it, we wouldn't have (as easily) been able to do the last minute, let's just drive to Detroit trip that we did with no notice whatsoever.

So, completed: Saturday, April 4, 2009

Take Two

2009-01-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

Home
1 Learn how to make my aunt’s potato latkes
2 Unpack – or at least go through – all of the boxes in my garage so that the only boxes down there are simply storage
3 Label any boxes that are being stored (anywhere) so I can easily tell what’s inside
4 Go at least a week (when I'm home all week) without having ANY dirty dishes in the sink when I go to bed
5 Clean the bathroom once a week for two months
6 Either fix or get rid of the air mattress
7 Host a real dinner party
8 Have a party at my condo (since I still haven’t had a housewarming party!)
9 Host a “game night” at my place (completed)
10 Decorate all the walls in my condo (kitchen, living room, spare bedroom)
11 Organize all my VHS tapes
12 Buy bookshelves and organize all my books
13 Put together my grill and learn how to use it (and then use it) (completed)
14 Use my crock pot
15 Invite my cousins over for dinner at my place
16 Invite my aunt and uncle over/to dinner
17 Invite mom and dad over for dinner

Things To Do

18 Ride a Jet-Ski
19 Go to a regular season NFL game
20 Go to a regular season NHL game
21 Go to a regular season NBA game
22 Go camping again
23 Go tubing down a river
24 Go white water rafting
25 Have an outdoor picnic with someone - complete with a bottle of wine, cheese, fruit, sandwiches, a blanket and ants
26 Go ice skating
27 Go outside to watch a meteor shower the next time a big one is in the area
28 Slow dance with someone at a formal affair and not worry if I'm all sweaty or if my breath still smells like dinner or if I'm stepping on their feet - just enjoy the moment
29 Get my picture taken with a friend in one of those booths at the mall where you get that strip of four pictures
30 Get dressed up to go out to dinner for no reason at all
31 Spend at least three consecutive hours in a bookstore/cafe/coffeehouse just writing and people watching - no internet surfing
32 Go on a hike (locally) with someone
33 Watch a fireworks show on the 4th of July in the arms of someone I care about
34 Spend the entire night on the beach - watch the sun set and then rise again (Completed, kind of)
35 Celebrate at least one random event a year with champagne

Places To Go

36 Use the passport I got two and a half years ago! (Completed)
37 Go back to Atlantic City and go to the rum bar
38 Go to a water park and go down the water slide
39 Go on a cruise
40 Go to the top of the Empire State building (Completed)
41 Go to the four corners (New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah)
42 Go back to Napa/Sonoma – with someone – and stay there for at least one night
43 Buy a picture taken at an amusement park when I'm on a roller coaster or some other scary ride - no matter how funny looking my face looks
44 Hike or raft the Grand Canyon
45 Go on a vacation to a destination with an all-inclusive resort
46 Go to Yellowstone National Park
47 Drive through Utah and go to the National Parks there
48 See the Northern Lights
49 Visit at least five new states (by my definition). (States left that I haven’t been to: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah)
50 Go on a real vacation (not for work, not related to work, and lasting at least a week)
51 Take my mother to Wisconsin again
52 Go to either Nantucket Wine Festival, Tanglewood Wine and Food Classic or a similar event
53 Go on a dinner/sightseeing/tour cruise

Intellectual/Cultural
54 Read/Re-read at least 25 of the Random House Best Novels (board's list)
55 Read 10 of the books off the Random House reader’s list (un-duplicated with the board’s list)
56 Compile a "must-read" list of at least 15 books - and read them (cannot duplicate with Random House lists)
57 Read "Atlas Shrugged"
58 Finish my MBA!
59 Learn how to play craps
60 Get a library card for my local library
61 Take dance lessons (with someone)
62 Go to a concert for someone that I’ve never seen before (and want to go to – not be dragged to one!)
63 Go see Bruce Hornsby with Dad whenever he comes to the area (So far so good)

Body
64 Run a 5k in under 30 minutes
65 Run a 10k
66 Run a half-marathon
67 Run at least 10 miles a week for 4 weeks straight
68 Floss everyday for a month
69 Buy a water-pik and actually use it
70 Research tennis leagues in the area or find someone to play with on a semi-regular basis
71 Renew my gym membership when it expires in October 2009
72 Drink no alcohol for one month
73 Do 100 sit-ups a day for two weeks
74 Go to the dentist twice a year for my regularly scheduled cleanings
75 Take golf lessons
76 Golf 18 holes
77 Get a bottle of vitamins and finish it

Personal

78 Coach a soccer team (rec league? Find out what it takes to coach a high school team)
79 Find a career
80 Give a child standing at the gumball machines a quarter
81 Make a wish on a shooting star
82 Kiss in the rain
83 Go one week without spending any money at all (one grocery store trip on Sunday allowed and gas is allowed, but that’s it for the week - no coffee, no buying lunch, no happy hour, no going out to dinner)
84 Learn how to change a flat tire
85 Have plans to do something fun/lucky on 11/11/11
86 Spend the entire day in bed (no shower, no getting dressed, no leaving the house, getting up for coffee in the house and food in the house is allowed) - and not feel guilty about it
87 Buy new indoor soccer shoes/turf shoes
88 Visit my grandparent’s grave with my father
89 Get all of my CDs onto my itunes/ipod
90 Learn to make risotto (Completed)
91 Write (for me) at least 15 days a month / approx 180 days a year (and keep track!)
92 Successfully complete NaNoWriMo again
93 Buy crayons, markers, colored pencils and a geometric pattern coloring book and use it (Completed)
94 Send 5 random "thinking of you" or "thank you just because" cards/letters to people (no duplicating)
95 Write my aunt and uncle a thank you card and send it to them for no reason in particular
96 Finish writing in "Soul Catcher"
97 Write a letter to Mom and to Dad and thank them for everything - detailed and honest
98 Give it to them
99 Buy a new digital camera
100 Find/buy an address book and start using it
101 Have a new list of 101 things ready to go in October 2011

From date: Friday, January 23, 2009
Added 1001 days
Resulting date: Friday, October 21, 2011

Checking it over

2009-01-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

I'm getting really close to the end here, so I'm going back through (as I'm working on a new 101) and checking off some that did get done, but just might be overlooked...

8 Make a wish in a wishing well - Completed May 2008 at the Embassy Suites in Chicago.

12 Set up the wireless in my apartment (or have someone else successfully set it up, or move and have it set up in new location)
Null and void. I moved September 2007 and stopped paying for wireless and do not feel a need for it.

14 Find a system to organize friends and family birthdays and keep it updated
Facebook! Check!

17 Slow dance with someone and not worry if I'm all sweaty or if my breath still smells like dinner or if I'm stepping on their feet - just enjoy the moment
Completed May 2008 on a dinner cruise in Chicago

70 Be able to make one really good dessert (with chocolate, of course)
Completed December 24, 2008 - and it wasn't even chocolate! Gingerbread cake from scratch with homemade cream cheese frosting... Yum!

I Voted Today

2008-11-04T14:25:00.001-08:00

50 - Vote at the polls in the presidential election
Completed: November 4th, 2008

And it was a good feeling to exercise my right to vote!

Catching Up

2008-09-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

I realized that January 2009 is not that far away... and much of this list isn't completed. At least it makes it easy to start the next list. Looking back over the past (wow) year - almost, here's what I've done. Honestly, I'm ashamed. I haven't updated this list in 2008.

#26 - Visit my grandfather's grave with my dad
Completed: June 10, 2008
The date of my grandmother's funeral. I'm not sure this counts, but it was the only time I've been back there. Now I have two gravesites to visit with my dad.

#39 - Go tubing down a river
Completed: July 12, 2008
A group of us all did this and it was awesome. And then I went one better and went white water rafting down a river in Washington. It was amazing.

#41 - Go on a real vacation (not for work, not related to work, and lasting at least a week)
Kind of completed: August 28, 2008 through September 3, 2008
Okay, I did go on a real vacation, but it was slightly less than a week. Our trip to Washington state was definitely a vacation not for work and not related to work at all. I had a great time and that's as close as it's going to come to vacationing until my 1001 days are up.

#90 - Print out some of the pictures on my digital camera/computer
I don't have a date, but thanks to snapfish, I've uploaded them on there, clicked one-hour developing and picked them up at Walgreens. What a fantastic system!

Smile!

2007-11-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

#85 - Get my teeth whitened (Crest WhiteStrips count)

I actually used the Aquafresh Whitening Trays, but that counts. I don't notice that much of a difference (it was a seven day pack and today is day seven), but we'll see. I did it, anyway.

Two more completed

2007-10-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've been slacking on this. I will have more to check off (the organizing stuff seeing as I just moved! And the wireless one... but for now... just these):

48 Take a night class - any night class
I think the MBA classes take care of this one. In a little over a week, I'll be finished with my first class, and in about six weeks, I'll be finished with my second. Two down... 17 to go?

51 Go to at least one concert with Dad a year
We did three this year! Bruce Hornsby twice (once in a bluegrass setting, the other in a jazz setting, both amazing!) and Keb Mo once.

Berry Picking

2007-07-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

74 Pick my own apples, peaches, strawberries and blueberries

Half Completed! Yesterday I picked peaches (even though they aren't quite ripe, I just got a few and they can ripen on my counter) and over 3 lbs of blueberries. And I probably ate that amount too. We also picked raspberries, but that wasn't on my list. Strawberry season wasn't very good this year, so I'll substitute the raspberries in. 3/4 completed! Just need some apples in the fall... and something to do with all these berries!

Guacamole!!!

2007-05-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

#65 - Make homemade guacamole
Completed: Monday, May 28, 2007
And it was amazing! My first attempt involved following a basic recipe (avocados, red onions, tomato, cilantro) and giving it a little tweak. I added cumin, cayenne pepper, I chopped up a green pepper, a little salt, lemon juice... and it was a huge hit! I brought it to a picnic and even people who claim to not like guacamole liked it. I personally hung out next to it all afternoon and couldn't stop eating it, but it was quite possibly the best guacamole I've ever had... not to toot my own horn or anything... :)

Two more to cross off

2007-04-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

36 - Go on a roller coaster and throw my hands in the air when we're going down the big hill
Completed: Friday, March 30, 2007
Location: Universal Studios, Hollywood - on both Jurassic Park and The Mummy, my hands were in the air!
And again on the coaster on Santa Monica Pier!

81 - Buy new glasses
Completed: March, 2007
Now I just have to submit the receipt to my insurance company!

#63

2007-02-25T08:02:00.000-08:00

63 - Order room service in a hotel
Completed: Monday, February 12, 2007
Location: The Hilton, downtown Chicago
The meal: Chicken Florentine sandwich and a fruit cup
The damage: $24
The verdict: Well worth it!!!

Catching Up - 4 checks and a revision

2007-01-27T12:56:00.000-08:00

I have less than two years to do a lot of the things left on this list... but I also haven't updated in about two months, so here is a little update:

23 Buy a new watch
Completed December 2006
Actually it was a present from Mom and Dad, but it still fits. Of course I have stopped wearing it already, but I did get a new watch. Check.

25 Clean through closet and get rid of clothes, socks, and underwear that hasn't been worn since I've moved here
Completed January 27, 2007
I actually went through my underwear drawer last month and after counting 149 pairs of underwear, I did some "winter cleaning." I got rid of socks and underwear then, and today I went through my closet and came up with a whole bag of things I'll never wear... and won't miss at all. Check.

27 Buy new black boots
Completed December 2006
And I love them. Now I just have to break up with my old, falling apart pair. Sigh. Check.

86 Keep a plant alive for more than six months (at my apartment)
Check!!! I got my plant sometime in April 2006, and I'm proud to say that it is still alive and doing well. I could have done this one before, but it still counts. Check.

61 Get a bottle of vitamins and finish it without missing a single day
Revision: I bought a bottle of vitamins (250 count) last weekend. My new number 61 is to finish this bottle by the end of 2007. That gives me 340-something days to take 250 vitamins. If, by some miracle, I finish them early, I'll get a new bottle. But I think that's more reasonable. Between my traveling and my forgetting, if I can do that, I'll consider it check-worthy.

Credit Card Points

2006-11-28T16:59:00.000-08:00

24 - Redeem my credit card points for something I'll actually use
Completed: Friday, November 3rd
My credit card points covered a free round-trip ticket to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Definitely well worth it.

And more to come...

Caves!

2006-10-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

34 Visit a real cave/cavern
Completed: October 14, 2006

The boy and I went down to Carlsbad, New Mexico and went through the caverns. This is somewhere I've always wanted to go, and he decided to arrange a weekend getaway. We drove around, stayed down there, and went to Slaughter Cavern the next day, complete with our own flashlights and hiking shoes to get up to the cavern. It was incredible. It was awesome. It was everything I'd hoped it would be.

Grins.

#1 - Pay it forward

2006-10-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

1 - Pay for someone's toll behind me
Completed: October 18, 2006

In need of good karma, I did this today. I drove the Florida Turnpike all the way down to Miami, and somewhere around West Palm Beach area, I was at one of the $1 a car set rate toll and I told the toll guy that I wanted to pay for the car behind me. He thought I was kind of nuts but took my money. I watched through the rearview as the black SUV tried to give the guy money, and he had to explain that the white Malibu had paid for his toll.

I just hope they pay it forward. I know that it felt good for me to do it... but I do have that hope that maybe that made their day. Maybe they shed a random act of kindness onto someone else. I'll never know, but I can hope.

#19

2006-09-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

19 - Watch the sun set in the arms of someone I love

I debated putting this one in there, but I think it fits... so I'll say Completed: September 17, 2006. Is it love? Too early to tell, but it's growing in that direction. It's a connection, a friendship lit on fire that is amazing. And to drive out on some Indian Pueblo back road where no city lights could be seen, park the car, take down the backseat, and cuddle while watching the sun sink below the horizon was incredible. It was one of those "time freeze" moments that I wanted to bottle up and take it out again when I miss him.

And I miss him today.

Wishing...

2006-09-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

7 - Make a wish on a shooting star
Completed: September 17, 2006
Albuquerque, New Mexico (actually outside of Albuquerque, closer to the middle of nowhere)... from the back of a car, in someone amazing's arms, looking up through the open sunroof... I made a wish on a shooting star. And it was just as awesome as I thought it would be.
That picture isn't supposed to be a shooting star... it was a night photo of ABQ... that looks more like ABQ on acid. But it kinda fits. And it was taken the same night as the wishing on the shooting star.

#40 - Officially completed

2006-09-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

40 - Visit at least five new states. (States I've currently been to: CT, MA, RI, NH, VT, ME, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, WV, NC, SC, GA, FL, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, MI, MO, KS, TX = 26)

May 31, 2006 - Added Iowa
June 30, 2006 - Added Nevada
July 1, 2006 - Added Arizona
August 14, 2006 - Added California
September 3, 2006 - Added New Mexico

Also Kentucky and Tennessee if we're counting airports as states... which... I can say we are... why not? But those five were real states to add... as in I spent time there, saw things there, and... actually... I loved all of them. Great adds! Those will put me at 33.

States left... let's see if I can do this:
Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Louisana, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma

Not bad...

#35

2006-08-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

35. See the Pacific Ocean, then feel the Pacific Ocean
Completed: August 20, 2006

I was in California for almost two weeks (another new state - I'm at four now and I'm gonna hit my five next weekend - New Mexico here I come!) and I had to go to the Pacific Ocean! So I headed to Point Reyes, north of San Francisco, and went to the Pacific Ocean.

It was just as impressive as I thought it would be. Colder than I thought it would be, but hey, you can't have it all, right? I'm glad I was there and got the chance to feel it.

#29

2006-08-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

#29 - Get a passport, even if I have nowhere to go
Completed: August 4, 2006

One hour waiting at the post office, one set of the worst pictures of me that I have ever seen, one $67 check to the US Government, one $46 charge to the post office on my credit card, and it's off. In six to eight weeks (assuming they don't need any other info), I will have my brand spanking new passport, good for the next ten years.

And I don't have anywhere to go. But if I did... I would be all set.

#52 - Adventures in Art

2006-07-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

While in Michael's today, I bought picture frames for the things hanging on my walls today. While doing so, I came across a print of Van Gogh's "Cafe Terrace at Night" that I loved, so I bought it, framed it and crossed #52 off the list. (I'll try to take a better picture, I promise, I just need to be home during daylight!). I also bought a Monet that was matted and I tried to stick it on my wall. It's not working. I may have to frame that as well. But I am impressed that I've taken the college posters down (except for the British Serendipity poster) and replaced them with framed pics of places I've been and art that I like.
Am I becoming an adult?

#44 - Amazing

2006-07-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

44 - See the Grand Canyon

Completed: July 1, 2006

It was breathtaking. It was incredible. Words and pictures do not do it justice. I'm so glad I went, despite getting up at 5 a.m. after going to bed at 3 a.m. to get a tour bus, sitting for five hours with a screaming child behind me, thinking we were going to topple over the cliffs into the Hoover Dam... it was amazing. We got there just as the rain had passed through, walked up this little hill, through the clearing of the trees... and everyone goes, "Holy cow!" or something along those lines. That first glimpse of the canyon in front of you, as far as your eye can see... is something that everyone should experience, just for the natural beauty of it.

I loved the fact that, after being in Las Vegas, the canyon isn't glamorized at all. There aren't photographers running around, trying to take your picture and then sell it back to you for $40. There aren't neon lights advertising wedding specials. It's very natural. Oh, there are gift shops where you can buy your $20 T-shirt, but they are inside little wooden lodges.

My only regret was not being able to spend as much time there as I'd like. We only had two hours, broken up over two different lookout points over the South Rim. I would love to hike down the Bright Angel trail. Maybe not camp out on the bottom and climb the other side the next day, but hike down and take a mule up. Seriously, they have that. Amazing.

PS - I took that picture up there! Plenty more where that came from! =)

In the works

2006-06-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

A week from today, I will cross one more thing off my list, and add to the states. I almost was able to get two more from it, but not quite. I'm going to Vegas! And we're going to see the Grand Canyon while we're there. I did want to use my credit card points for the flight, but I booked it too late, so I couldn't do that. And it is a real vacation, but not lasting a week, like my list stated. But it will be awesome! I can't wait!

More 5K stuff

2006-06-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

I ran the Race for the Tracks in the St. Louis zoo on Sunday, and improved my time, yet again. There were over 2600 people running, and obviously I didn't place, but I felt like I had a good run. I ran a 9:15 or so first mile, I was at 19:50-something for the two mile mark, and finished at 31:40. I ran the whole thing, and I just need to work on keeping up my pace for that last mile, and I'll break 30. Next race isn't till the end of June, on the beach!

#30

2006-06-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

#30 - Go to the movie theater by myself
Completed: June 1, 2006

Granted, I am in the middle of nowhere, Iowa, traveling solo, but I did it. They have a cute little 99 cent movie theater here and I was bored on a Thursday night, so I did it. 99 cents later, I saw The Sentinel, which was very good. And you know what? It wasn't even that weird.

#55 and #40

2006-05-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

#55 - Go to a karaoke night and sing a song (I can be drunk and I don't have to do it solo)Completed - Thursday, May 25, 2006. Colleen, her friend from work and I all went to this American Idol wannabe contest. Her friend was really good and came in third, but then they opened up the stage to anyone who wanted to do karaoke. Colleen and I had never done it before, and we'd had enough beer that it seemed like a good idea. So the three of us grabbed some random guy and sang Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow's, "Picture." Luckily for Coll and I, her friend was much better than us and drowned us out, and the guy was really good for the male part. But I did it.

I also ran another 5K on Sunday, May 28, with a finishing time of 32:10, good enough for 3rd in my age bracket (it was a 5K and a 10K race and the good runners ran the 10K). I'm doing another this weekend, too. I will get up to the 10K, for sure.

Oh and also #40 - Visit at least five new states. I'm in Iowa right now. The land of cornfields and nothing else. It's a new state to add to my list. Check.

Cross off #76

2006-05-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

#76 - Run a 5k.
Done: Sunday, May 21, 2006
Colleen, her husband and I all ran a 5K this past Sunday. Not my greatest running performance ever (in my defense, we had a soccer game scheduled for that afternoon so I didn't want to completely die running), but I did it. I finished and ran the whole thing (except for when we passed the water table at about 2 1/2 miles - I couldn't figure out how to drink and run at the same time).
My average mile pace was 10:50, giving me a finishing time of 33:44.
Definitely room for improvement.

#94

2006-05-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Cards written, to be sent tomorrow to Colleen and to Paula & Ryan. Thank you for being so wonderful over the past week cards.
Purchased: three books to read for the reading goal.
Investigated: 5k and 10k runs in the area.
Slowly getting there.

Addendum

2006-04-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

Deadline for my 101:
Monday, January 19, 2009

My 101 in 1001

2006-04-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

As seen on triplux.com:

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Inspiration: Seen on many blogs, it seems like the perfect way to set some real goals, hopes, and dreams for my life all with a running clock. It also was a way to look at the things that I want to do and accomplish, and let me link to them (or at least write about them).

Here goes, by general category:

Personal
1 Pay for someone's toll behind me (completed)
2 Find a career
3 Do the washing up directly after a meal every day for a week (this includes cleaning the mess on the stove, counter, and microwave)
4 Give a child standing at the gumball machines a quarter
5 Buy a perfect black dress that I can wear to dinner or out or whatever
6 Kiss in the rain, under the stars, on the beach, under a full moon, and on the midnight street
7 Make a wish on a shooting star (completed)
8 Make a wish in a wishing well (completed)
9 Go one week without spending any money at all (no coffee, no buying lunch, no happy hour - and no fair cheating by making others pay or "borrowing" money)
10 Learn how to change a flat tire
11 Clean the bathroom once a week for two months
12 Set up the wireless in my apartment (or have someone else successfully set it up, or move and have it set up in new location) (completed)
13 Go at least a week (when I'm home all week) without having ANY dirty dishes in the sink when I go to bed
14 Find a system to organize friends and family birthdays and keep it updated (completed)
15 Light a match the real way (not the chicken way by folding it under the paper so I don't burn my thumb)
16 Spend the entire day in bed (no shower, no getting dressed, no leaving the house, getting up for coffee in the house and food in the house is allowed) - and not feel guilty about it
17 Slow dance with someone and not worry if I'm all sweaty or if my breath still smells like dinner or if I'm stepping on their feet - just enjoy the moment (completed)
18 Get my picture taken with a friend in one of those booths at the mall where you get that strip of four pictures
19 Watch the sun set in the arms of someone I love (completed)
20 Talk to Mom about her past and write about it (privately)
21 Own a pair of really nice, high thread count sheets
22 Organize all my VHS tapes
23 Buy a new watch (completed)
24 Redeem my credit card points for something I'll actually use (completed)
25 Clean through closet and get rid of clothes, socks, and underwear that hasn't been worn since I've moved here (completed)
26 Visit my grandfather's grave with my dad (completed)
27 Buy new black boots (completed)
28 Go 24 hours - on a work day - without complaining about anything or anyone

Travel
29 Get a passport, even if I have nowhere to go (completed)
30 Go to the movie theater by myself (completed)
31 Go to a water park and go down the water slide
32 Go on a cruise
33 Go to the top of the Empire State building
34 Visit a real cave/cavern (completed)
35 See the Pacific Ocean, then feel the Pacific Ocean (completed)
36 Go on a roller coaster and throw my hands in the air when we're going down the big hill (completed)
37 Buy a picture taken at an amusement park when I'm on a roller coaster or some other scary ride - no matter how funny looking my face looks
38 Actually go somewhere interesting for New Year's Eve (have plans in advance!) - like one of those hotel parties where a group of people go and have unlimited buffet food and drinks and can stay there for the night for a set price
39 Go tubing down a river (completed)
40 Visit at least five new states. (States I've currently been to: CT, MA, RI, NH, VT, ME, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, WV, NC, SC, GA, FL, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, MI, MO, KS, TX = 26) (completed)
41 Go on a real vacation (not for work, not related to work, and lasting at least a week) (I'm going to say completed)
42 Stay in a five star hotel
43 Watch a fireworks show on the 4th of July in the arms of someone I love
44 See the Grand Canyon (completed)
45 Spend the entire night on the beach - watch the sun set and then rise again

Intellectual/Cultural
46 Read "Atlas Shrugged"
47 Read/Re-read at least 25 of the Random House Best Novels (board's list) and at least an additional 10 off the reader's list
48 Take a night class - any night class (completed)
49 Re-learn the tarot
50 Vote at the polls in the presidential election (completed)
51 Go to at least one concert with Dad a year (completed)
52 Buy some real art, have it framed, and hang it in my apartment (completed)
53 Compile a "must-read" list of at least 15 books - and read them (cannot duplicate with Random House list)
54 See "Pulp Fiction"
55 Go to a karaoke night and sing a song (I can be drunk and I don't have to do it solo) (completed)
56 Go to that bar in Springfield that Robin talks about and ride the mechanical bull
57 Go to either Nantucket Wine Festival, Tanglewood Wine and Food Classic or a similar event

Culinary
58 Host a real dinner party
59 Re-evaluate ten foods/drinks I claim not to like
60 Learn to make an amazing risotto
61 Get a bottle of vitamins and finish it without missing a single day *Revised
62 Use my fondue set - with company
63 Order room service in a hotel (completed)
64 Buy/receive panini maker and use it
65 Make homemade guacamole (completed)
66 Learn how to make at least ten of the dishes that mom makes that I love
67 Carve a pumpkin and roast the seeds myself
68 Always have a bottle of champagne (Asti, yum!) around - and enjoy celebrating the small things
69 Be able to cook one really good dinner (with all of the food groups)
70 Be able to make one really good dessert (with chocolate, of course) (completed)
71 Be able to make one really good drink (either smoothie or alcoholic)
72 Eat a peanut butter cup Blizzard from Dairy Queen and not feel guilty about it (completed)
73 Make sweet potato fries from scratch
74 Pick my own apples, peaches, strawberries and blueberries (almost complete)
75 Have an outdoor picnic with someone - complete with a bottle of wine, cheese, fruit, sandwiches, a blanket and ants

Body
76 Run a 5k (completed)
77 Run a 10k
78 Run a marathon. (Okay, maybe a half-marathon)
79 Run at least 10 miles a week for 4 weeks straight
80 Floss everyday for a month
81 Buy new glasses (completed)
82 Try dek hockey
83 Drink no alcohol for one month
84 Do 100 sit-ups a day for two weeks
85 Get my teeth whitened (Crest WhiteStrips count) (completed)

Creative
86 Keep a plant alive for more than six months (at my apartment) (completed)
87 Grow an herb garden
88 Crochet a blanket for my apartment
89 Get something published (this is vague, but any kind of writing published in print, not online) 90 Print out some of the pictures on my digital camera/computer (completed)
91 Grow a bonsai tree from the kit that I bought in December
92 Successfully complete NaNoWriMo again (and actually do something with it)
93 Talk to my grandparents and record/write their history so I can pass it to future generations
94 Send 12 random "thinking of you" or "thank you just because" cards to people (can duplicate but only once) (Progress)
95 Attend a writing conference
96 Finish writing in "Soul Catcher"
97 Write a letter to Mom and to Dad and thank them for everything - detailed and honest
98 Give it to them
99 Learn what all the settings on my digital camera refer to
100 Spend at least three consecutive hours in a bookstore/cafe/coffeehouse just writing and people watching - no internet surfing
101 Have a new list of 101 things ready to go on January 2009

The Beginning... Well Kinda

2006-03-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

This is my first blogspot entry. I've been on other blogging sites for almost three years (really? has it been that long?) Yes. Yes it has. But here I am, willing to try this one.
Welcome!