101 Things

So, it's about 120 days -- give or take -- into my 101 Things in 1,001 Days project.  Sometimes I remember the things on the list, sometimes I totally forget about them.  Hey, I still have 800+ days to get them done, right?

Here is an update of where I am on the list.

There are a few things I would do differently, now that I've gotten into this project.  I mean, the categories are all over the place.  "Personal" is too long and has things that belong in other sections.  And "Run a 5K is in Creative?  Really, though, there are some things I would include that I didn't, and things I didn't include that I wish I had.

I should not have included "go on a second date."  I have stated that before as one of my goals for 2009, but after last weekend, I've decided it's a stupid goal.  Yes, I met someone last Thursday night, unexpectedly.  We talked for more than three hours, he brought me home and walked me to my door (did not come in and was not invited), and we had a lovely time.  Though it felt like a date, it was a spontaneous meeting and doesn't quite count.  He did call the very next day, though, and ask me to dinner that night (Friday).  Again, a lovely time was had.  We've exchanged messages since then, but nothing since Sunday and no plans to see each other again.

Ordinarily, I would whine about once again not being second-date material, but I'm beyond that now.  Maybe it's because I'm getting busier or maybe I'm just tired of it, but I'm done with making dating a goal.  In the times in my life when I have done so, I have accomplished exactly nothing, so why bother anyway?  Why not just wait and see what life brings me?

I SHOULD have included a lot more on my list with regard to getting my house -- my actual house -- in order.  I have many blog posts drafted or half-drafted detailing all of the projects and work I've done in the past several months, and lucky you will get to read all about it.  Just like wanting my physical self to match how I feel and who I am inside, my home needs to reflect that as well.  I'm excited about all of the progress in that regard, and it would be nice to be able to put more of those items in bold as completed.  Then again, there's something to be said about not expecting a reward for doing things I'm supposed to do.

The summer is flying by, and we shall see how much else on the list I can complete in the next 100 days or so.  I'll give a report and update then.

Written while listening to this.

In case you haven't noticed, I like making lists.  I'm a list girl.  Lists feel good.  They give me some sense of control over things happening in my life, and there's always that HUGE sense of accomplishment when crossing something off.

Now that my life is in this period of change and turmoil on almost every front, I decided that making a list outlining some smallish goals was in order.  Therefore, I stole the concept of 101 Things to do in 1001 Days from Jane.  It was harder than I thought, coming up with 101 things.  I did it, though, and you can read my list here.

For the first time in a long time I feel like I can have goals, make plans, even consider a dream or two.  There were so many days, months, years where I was afraid to plan anything, because I didn't know if illness would derail me.  I feel stronger now, physically and mentally, and so it's time to make up for lost time and do something constructive.

101 Things to do in 1001 Days

Start Date:  3/9/2009

Completion Date:  12/5/2011

(not started/in progress/completed)

Creative

1.  Get camera fixed
2.  Write a complete song with lyrics
3.  Pick up and practice the guitar again
4.  Complete a short story
5.  Take another pottery class
6.  Complete GIST for 365 days
7.  Sew curtains for spare room
8.  Get PhotoShop
9.  Get piano tuned
10.  Start singing with a group again
11.  Redesign blog with custom masthead, colors, etc
12.  Sew a dress.
13.  Finish oil painting for office
14.  Finish oil painting for PGP
15.  Take a dance class
16.  Give only handmade items as gifts for Christmas.
17.  Keep a dream journal for one month
18.  Design a calendar
19.  Take a weekly self-portrait for six months
20.  Take one photo a day for a month, three separate times (0/3)
21.  Run a 5k
22.  Make ten gifts for people, just because
23.  Get paid for something I write
24.  Actually learn and use all the features on my camera

Travel

25.  Visit one state I've never been to
26.  Visit Paris
27.  Visit Costa Rica
28.  Weekend visit to Southwest Virginia
29.  Visit 3 national parks
30.  Take a road trip.  A real one, spanning several days
31.  Visit my friends/cousins in Virginia Beach
32.  Ride Amtrak
33.  Go camping

Home & Garden

34.  Refinish back door
35.  Finish under back deck
36.  Retile kitchen floor
37.  Bake bread in bread maker
38.  Start composting
39.  Go to bed with a clean, shiny sink 60 days in a row (18/60)
40.  Make 100 recipes from cookbooks I own (3/100)
41.  Paint the last unpainted room in my house
42.  Repaint shutters
43.  Get bedroom wall replastered
44.  Get dining room wall replastered
45.  Sand and paint pantry cabinet
46.  Retile top of kitchen cabinet
47.  Paint second coat on living room
48.  Create an herb garden

Financial

49.  Photograph, list, and sell 10 things on ebay (2/10)
50.  Put $5000 in an emergency savings account
51.  Pay off car
52.  Pay off credit cards
53.  Pay off allergy testing
54.  Bring my lunch or eat at home 18 workdays in a month

Community/Charity

55.  Raise $5000 for various charities
56.  Join and work for Habitat for Humanity
57.  Find somewhere to donate time to be of service to children
58.  Join another community board
59.  Donate 5 hours a month of community service
60.  Donate 10 garbage bags full of stuff to Goodwill (8/10)
61.  Help start a new 501(c)(3)

Personal

62.  Write snail mail letters to cousins
63.  Lose 10 pounds
64.  Lose 10 more after that
65.  Lose last 10 pounds
66.  Develop and keep bedtime and morning routines
67.  Complete Learn to Row with the Virginia Boat Club
68.  Do all 60 hikes within 60 miles of Richmond
69.  Go on a second date
70.  30-day shred with 2 days off
71.  See 10 movies in the theater (3/10)
72.  Host 3 dinner parties (1/3)
73.  Change jobs
74.  Join the pool
75.  Complete the P90X program
76.  Inventory all shoes
77.  Make my bed every day for a week, three times (0/3)
78.  Put all London photos in album
79.  Host 3 happy hours (2/3)
80.  Read 100 books (12/100)
81.  Perform ten random acts of kindness (0/10)
82.  Give compliments to ten complete strangers (1/10)
83.  Send a care package to each of my nephews (0/2)
84.  Take Pilates again
85.  Try three foods I've never had before (0/3)
86.  Attend five concerts (4/5)
87.  Find ten new singers/bands to adore (4/10)
88.  Plan and throw a party for someone
89.  Get a library card
90.  Join a book club
91.  Send a care package to a soldier overseas
92.  Spend an entire day enjoying nature & nothing else
93.  Thoroughly clean out basement
94.  Be a vegetarian for two weeks
95.  Try out five local restaurants that I've never been to (0/5)
96.  Reconnect with a long-lost-friend
97.  Develop all of my leftover film
98.  Bake a cake from scratch
99.  Plant flowers
100.  Sing karaoke
101.  Finish this list and make a new one!