101 Things in 1001 Days

I’m not a joiner. Never have been, probably never will be. I hate group exercise classes at the gym. I was never one to be a part of student counsel in school. Shoot, it took me almost 10 years after I registered to vote to pick a political affiliation. However, a few friends recently have started blogs all beginning with this list: 101 Things in 1001 Days. I thought this was a great idea and something I could join in on, without, of course, actually having to join anything. I’ve hit a point in my life where although proud of all I’ve accomplished so far, like many of my fellow gen x’rs I feel like there has to be more out there. Yes, it turns out reality does bite. 1001 days is almost 3 years. My 35th birthday is coming in 4 months and 3 weeks. Many of the things on the list below I thought I would have accomplished by 35. Since I didn’t, well, now is the time for me to kick myself in the ass and as my friend from Dallas would so kindly say to me, get ‘er done. Some of these are easy, some are long term goals, and two in particular are slightly out of my control (you’ll know which ones those are when you read them). Without further ado, here’s my list (P.S. for those who know me is it so shocking I fell in love with the idea of a list like this?):

1. Buy a plant and NOT kill it
2. Buy a house (currently own a condo, but would like to one day have a house)
3. Run a 5K
4. Change the door knobs on all my doors in my condo by myself
5. Host Thanksgiving dinner at my home
6. Go to a professional football game
7. Lose those last 10 pounds
8. Travel to Istanbul
9. Go to Seattle
10. When my hair has grown long enough, chop it and donate it to locks of love
11. Learn how to make jam
12. Attend the yoga class at my gym 2 times a week (yes, this goes against me joining)
13. Go apple picking
14. Find a career I love
15. Take my niece on a vacation just her and I
16. Find a long-term volunteer opportunity
17. Learn to knit like my mother does
18. Travel to Australia
19. Buy a grown up bedroom set, not the ikea college dorm special I have now
20. Take more photos
21. Remember to live in the moment more often instead of always looking to the future
22. Learn to love my body
23. Gut and redecorate my bathroom (this I WILL get professional help on)
24. Go to Hawaii
25. Take 3 photography classes (0/3)
26. Get a puppy
27. Go to a Lakers game
28. Blog at least once a week
29. Go surfing
30. Use my passport at least once a year (3/3)
31. Eat Paleo for one week
32. See Wicked on Broadway
33. Read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
34. Try pilates
35. Dance
36. Put my blackberry away when out with friends and family
37. Play the lottery
38. Go hiking
39. Go on a cruise
40. Take a kitchen knives skills class
41. Take a cooking class
42. Go wine tasting with friends
43. Get a massage once a quarter (1/12)
44. Stop worrying what other people think, focus on what I think
45. Finally read all of the Harry Potter books
46. Finally watch all of the Harry Potter movies
47. Pay off my credit card
48. Buy a brand new car (I’ve always owned used cars)
49. Go back to Paris
50. Lose nothing from this last year of my life and always carry it with me
51. Try a cross fit gym for a week
52. Do not eat out or purchase a meal for one month
53. Just once spend my actual birthday day doing EXACTLY what I want to do (a little hard when your birthday is also Christmas day)
54. Take a trip to Maine
55. Wear my grandmother’s rings daily mostly as a reminder they are both always with me
56. Go to the park by my house at least three nights a week for a walk
57. Have a dinner party
58. Go to Iceland
59. Have a picnic
60. Put $25 a week into my savings
61. Finally do my confirmation and communion
62. Offer to babysit my friends kids so they can have “date nights”
63. Purchase a wii
64. Have friends over to play wii
65. Cook one new recipe a month (6/36)
66. Try one new wine a month (9/36)
67. Keep track of which wines I like and which I don’t
68. Go bungee jumping
69. Build a snowman
70. Have more patience
71. Be nicer to my parents
72. Watch all seasons of Mad Men
73. Read 10 or more books on the BBC Reading list (0/10)
74. Create a new playlist for my ipod
75. Watch 10 movies I’ve never watched before on the AFI 100 list (0/10)
76. Try snowboarding
77. Try 5 new foods (0/5)
78. Go sky diving
79. Learn to golf
80. Decorate my house for Christmas by myself and NOT consider it depressing that I’m decorating on my own
81. Roll up my change and deposit it into my savings account
82. Get my blog read by more than just my family and friends
83. Write weekly in my journal
84. Visit the Met in NYC at least once a year (0/3)
85. Visit the Guggenheim in NYC
86. Slow my tongue; words hurt and I need to learn to NOT always say exactly what I’m thinking
87. Have dinner with friends at least once a month (29/35) except the month of #52
88. Drive PCH in California (ideally top to bottom, in a convertible)
89. Watch the sunrise over the ocean (east coast)
90. Watch the sunset over the ocean (west coast)
91. Go to a baseball game at Camden Yards
92. Say I love you more often to those I love
93. Spend a spa day with friends
94. Take pictures of Central Park in the fall
95. Visit Germany at Christmas time
96. Take obedience classes with puppy from #26
97. Follow my aunt’s advice and start writing again
98. Get married
99. Become a mom
100. Donate $10 for each completed task
101. Donate $50 for each uncompleted task

Start date: August 4, 2011