Sunday, February 22, 2009

101 Things Update

It's been a year since I wrote my 101 Things/1001 days post. I only have a year and a half left!

Here's what I've accomplished from the list so far:
  • get my research assistantship reclassified as a job
  • take Mr. Flossie to the House on the Rock (That was fun.)
  • visit Madison, Wisconsin (Same trip.)
  • ride in a convertible (Same trip, last spring. A little cold but fun.)
  • get a world map and stick map pins where Mr. F and I have traveled
  • visit a botanical garden (In St. Louis.)
  • take a cooking class (Vegan cupcakes!)
  • go a month without soda (I never drink soda anymore, if sparkling water doesn't count.)
  • get new car tires
  • donate to public radio
  • plug someone else's expired meter
  • make a mix CD
  • get a massage
  • complete a New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle (Usually the last few words stump me. But finally, I did one 100%.)
  • purge all the circa 1989 mom-jeans from my wardrobe (Or, at least, the most egregiously high-waisted.)
  • landscape front yard (We'll see if the new plants made it through the winter.)
  • buy a new oven mitt
  • plant vegetables (Yield: handfuls of basil, two strangely-shaped eggplants.)
  • go to the public library and read magazines
  • make up a box of things to donate to the Mennonite thrift store (Several times.)
  • drink an extra glass of water a day (My Sigg bottle and I are joined at the hip.)
  • make a point to play with the cats or brush them daily
  • convert old T-shirts to rags
  • start a list of wines I like (So far there is one: Charles Shaw Cabernet. I'm just not a big wine drinker, I've discovered.)
  • get Amber's print framed
  • quit Annoying Yuppie Health Club
  • start swimming at the community pool
One of the remaining things on the list is super-high-priority:
  • finish my dissertation, get PhD
There are others that will probably have to wait until that one is done:
  • learn to bake bread
  • learn to knit socks
  • learn to crochet
  • learn to sew a skirt
  • make something crafty with all the wine corks we’ve saved
  • adhere to a daily (creative) writing schedule for one month
  • read 5 new novels (so far, I've read Goldengrove.)
  • read 5 new memoirs (so far, The Three of Us.)
  • re-read Writing Down the Bones
  • read Natalie Goldberg’s new book on memoir writing
  • learn CPR
  • learn first aid
  • take a stargazing class
  • take a car-maintenance class
  • take a home repair class
  • have 5 dinner parties (So far, I've had...one? I think?)
  • host 5 houseguests (So far, two?)
  • study Korean
  • visit Old Friend Who Lives in Houston
  • start an emergency fund in savings (Well, we do have a savings account now. There's just nothing in it.)
  • organize photos
  • learn to drive stick
  • write a will
  • put together an emergency kit for the car
  • go hiking
  • go whitewater rafting
  • go cross-country skiing
  • organize my home office
  • clean the basement
  • clean the attic
  • take piano
  • visit the Seed Savers Farm
And others I can perhaps fit into the corners of the days and weeks:
  • learn to identify ten native trees
  • …ten native birds
  • …ten flowering plants
  • go to a pilates or yoga class once a week for three months
  • visit Old Friend Who Lives in St. Louis
  • visit Brother
  • visit Mom
  • visit Mr. Flossie's grandparents in Wichita
  • visit Mr. F's mom in Miami
  • lobby for more recycling bins on campus
  • try out veganism for two weeks
  • learn to meditate
  • go on a picnic
  • go on a walk around the neighborhood for no reason
  • go to a U-pick farm or orchard
  • buy new towels
  • go to the farmer’s market once a week for two months
  • find one thing to de-clutter in each room
  • find a squirrel-proof birdfeeder
  • make a meal plan and grocery list for an upcoming week
  • do not eat dinner out for two weeks straight
  • pick out all my outfits for an upcoming week
  • bring my lunch to work for a week
  • do not go online for 3 consecutive days
A strict comparison to the list I made a year ago will reveal that I edited some of the items on the list, ditched some, and added others. It still doesn't add up to 101. How is it possible to think of that many goals?

3 comments:

Amber said...

Our Thomas O'Brien towels from Target have held up well. And I can teach you to drive stick! (We'll just need to see each other in the next year and a half.)

flossie said...

You can drive stick, too? I think everyone I know except for me can drive stick!

Amber said...

I didn't actually "learn" to drive an automatic until college. Don't fret; your neighbor, Mr. Patterson, can't drive a stick, either. It only indicates that you are from a flat place, not that you are a lesser driver.