Larisa's 1001 Days Project

#1 - Start TTC

2009-02-18T17:05:00.003-06:00

TTC means trying to conceive in case you're a little behind.

Seeing as how I'm over 21 weeks pregnant at the moment, I feel I can safely mark this one off my list!

Oh yeah. And I'm pregnant with TWINS! Double whammy!

Our boys at 8 weeks and 5 days old

They've grown quite a bit since this picture, but I just love it so much that I thought I'd share.

#55 - continued!

2008-08-26T16:39:00.003-05:00

I think I've actually finally forced myself to form a new habit. I officially completed goal #55 - take a multivitamin every day - a few months ago, but Greg and I have been pretty good about continuing to do so.

The only times we really miss are those nights that we eat out, which isn't often. Other than that, the vitamin containers stay sitting out on our kitchen counter as a daily reminder while we're cleaning up after dinner. Go us!

#43 - Get new glasses

2008-08-26T16:32:00.002-05:00

I only ever wear my glasses in the early morning when I'm just waking up or late at night when I'm getting ready for bed. Other than that, I'm either wearing contacts or as blind as a bat.

Perhaps that is because the only pair of glasses I've had for the last 3 years are from a really old prescription. They get the job done, but I wouldn't trust myself to drive with them. I finally buckled down, made an appointment and dropped some major cash to get a new pair.

Maybe I'll actually venture outside with these...

**picture soon to be added**

#52 - Um, halfway...

2008-08-26T16:28:00.002-05:00

In last week's game, I did actually score a soccer goal.

Too bad it was for the WRONG TEAM! ::hanging head in shame::

I am still mostly a defender so I was in front of our goal, blocking an opposing player, when our goalie smacked the hell out of the ball. It hit squarely on the side of my foot. A perfect connection. And rebound straight into our own net. Doh!

No good.

#21 - Buy a new dining room table & chairs

2008-08-26T16:22:00.004-05:00

We hit the Four Hands Warehouse sale two months ago and struck gold!

So pretty!

#15 - Refinish and repaint the front door

2008-08-26T16:17:00.003-05:00

We recently repainted our backyard deck, or more specifically, failed miserably at our attempt and so hired someone to do it for us. We went ahead and also hired the guy to refinish and repaint the front door.

The heat has already put a few cracks in the new paint, but it looks so much better than it did before with dull bit of paint flaking off all over. So this task is officially done.

#54 & 55 - Done!

2008-06-09T13:28:00.002-05:00

I did it. Yay!

I went an entire month with no fast food AND I took a multivitamin every, single day.

I even got my husband to take the vitamins with me, which was a very good thing. Without his regimented self-discipline, I would have had to restart the vitamin count-down many, many times over. But he was good. Several times he reminded me right before bed that we needed to take them. This Saturday, when I was about to pass out from mojito overdose, he even brought them to my bed with a glass of water. That saved my butt! It was the LAST day of the month-long streak. How badly would that have sucked...

So I'm taking them. And I will continue to take them. And hopefully this will become more and more ingrained into my daily habit. But as for the fast food thing, my month+ streak ends today. I forgot my lunch and am starving so it's off to grab a "healthy" salad from Wendy's.

Feels good to do those though. Good luck to everyone on their uber-healthy goals too.

#52 - I WAS ROBBED!

2008-05-30T17:52:00.003-05:00

Goal #52 was to score a soccer goal for my team. This is pretty difficult to do considering that I'm a bad-ass (all things considered...) defense player and therefore I spend most of my time back near our own goal. And I certainly don't want to score there. It's rare that I push up enough to even make an attempt at scoring.

Well, during our last game we were short on players. So as the game progressed, we started getting worn out and not running as much. That's when I noticed that there were only 2 people playing on offense - the rest of us were lolly-gagging at the back - so I ran up to help.

During one exciting play, my husband, me and one of the other guys had the ball bouncing all over the place at the opponent's goal. Someone made a shot. It missed and bounced off the wall. Someone else took a shot. Same thing. Their goalie dived to try to catch the ball, but he missed and somehow I took possession. I had a window! And I was going for it!

I knew I had to kick it high because someone had fallen on the ground in front of me. I knew the goalie was still recovering from his last dive. So I lined the shot up and took it. And it was perfect! It was high, right in the middle, and dropping, about to go in, and ohmygod...

... and then...

...and then...

...some asshat - NOT the goalie - reached up with his hand and bumped the ball just enough to bounce it up and out of the scoreline! Which, by the way, if you don't know is completely illegal! It's cheating, you @$#^@$#% #$%#@$^ %^*$%^!

It would have been my only goal ever! And you stole it from me! You mean, stupid boy!

So I didn't score after all. :( And he didn't even get sent off. Bad call. But I'm not bitter.

Tonight we're playing again. Kharmically speaking, I'm due.

The ABC's of Me

2008-05-30T16:02:00.004-05:00

I was tagged by Joyce! (Hi, Joyce! My middle name was Joyce - after my grandma - until I changed it to my maiden name after marriage.)

A - Attached or Single: Attached

B - Best Friend: My husband, but since that's probably cheating... Shelley!

C - Cake or Pie: Pie! I hate chocolate cake.

D - Day of Choice: Saturday for obvious reasons...

E - Essential Item: a good bra

F - Favorite Color: blue

G - Gummy Bears or Worms: worms - they're more fun to play with

H - Hometown: Slow-deatha

I - Indulgence: shoes, cheese Doritos

J - January or July: January - my b-day's in January

K - Kids: not until I graduate

L - Life is incomplete without: challenges (I'd get seriously bored otherwise)

M - Marriage Date: April 29, 2006

N - Number of Siblings: two - a younger bro & sis

O - Oranges or Apples: I am addicted to oranges

P- Phobias or Fears: snakes & religious fundamentalists (I'm reading Under the Banner of Heaven, and it has warped my mind)

Q - Quote: "When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad, I'm better." - Mae West

(I don't really have a favorite quote but I like this one. I found it when I was looking for the one that goes something like: If I can't serve as a good example, then I'll have to serve as a horrible warning.)

R- Ring size: I forget! 7, I think...

S - Season: spring

T- Tag 3 Friends: Ashley, NDK, & MC

U - Unknown fact about me: (Related to Joyce's) During my kindergarten graduation, I won a trophy for memorizing and reciting my bible verses perfectly every single day. Now I am agnostic.

V - Very favorite stores: DSW!!!

W - Worst Habit: procrastinating (as in now)

X - X-ray or Ultrasound: ultrasounds don't mutate your DNA

Y - Your Favorite Food: crème brûlée, oranges, watermelon, cheese Doritos

Z - Zodiac: Aquarius

#38 - Purge 101 Things from My Life: Items 1-49

2008-05-28T00:55:00.005-05:00

I have to say I'm very proud of myself for this one. I come from a long, decorated line of thoroughbred pack-rats. My people are horders. We horde e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. Because you just never know when you might need that ratty, old towel or those rusted, bent nails. And why throw them out, when there's all this room in the closet/garage/junk drawer? And I'm one of the least clingy in my clan. I could go on and on and on about certain other family members who shall remain nameless, but I won't. You know who you are!

Tonight while Greg was playing (and winning!) poker, I scoured my closets and drawers. Culling clothing! Clothing I've had since high school! I wish I was kidding, but I actually pulled out a dress I wore to take my senior pictures. How sad is that... That dress was over 13 years old! It's time to let go.

So I'm doing it! I'm taking clothes and giving them away to friends and charities. Surely someone can make use of these things I haven't touched in years. And here's what I've thrown out so far:

6 sweaters
7 skirts
12 dresses - twelve!
5 tops
6 bras
4 pairs of jeans
1 hat
3 t-shirts
5 pairs of shorts

Go me! Hopefully I'll have another wave of bravery and conviction soon because it actually feels good to lighten my load.

And may I just say, this was an emotionally difficult job for me, made all the more challenging by a kitty who is obsessed with laying on clothes.

I can't tell you how many times I had to disturb her peace to get at those things she had perched herself upon. But she's pretty cute, right... :)

::sigh:: Back to Zero (again)

2008-05-08T11:20:00.002-05:00

Shit! I just blogged about my vitamin role yesterday. And guess what?

I forgot them yesterday. Grrrrr.....

#15 - Sand and Repaint Front Door

2008-05-07T12:35:00.002-05:00

We've just hired someone to redo our back deck for us. And since he'll be toiling with the sander and paint anyway, we decided to tack on the front door as well. For $150 he's going to accomplish this goal for me.

That price may seem steep, but right now I'm traumatized by the thought of stripping and repainting any wood surface for a while. $150 is worth it! We're picking out paints tomorrow, and hopefully it'll be done by the week-end.

#54 - Back to Zero

2008-05-07T12:32:00.002-05:00

I'm starving and forgot to bring my lunch today. That means my 'no fast food for a month' goal is starting over. Boo!

But the good news is that I haven't broken my month-long daily vitamin trend. Yay me!

#7 - Beat Greg at Darts

2008-05-05T16:44:00.003-05:00

I totally should have made this "Beat Greg at Bowling" because I kicked his ass this week-end!

After briefly recovering from an ill-advised home improvement project on Saturday (oy!), we met up with our friends Shawn and Jim at the bowling alley for some double-date friendly competition. I must say the girls completely dominated in the first 2 games. My scores were 136 and 132 - I won both! Then it all went to pot, and I came in dead last with a 92 - more representative of my typical bowling prowess.

But I'm taking this as a good omen. Maybe I should challenge Greg to a game soon in the man cave. He hung the board ages ago, but we haven't used it once. I think it might be time...

#73 - Something Must Be Wrong...

2008-05-05T16:19:00.004-05:00

I got my passport back!!!! Already! On Saturday!

How? How is this even possible?

The last time I renewed, I gave it the full, recommended 6 weeks processing time and still had to pay the expedition fee to get it back to catch a flight to Hungary. This with condemnations and I-told-you-so's from Greg up to my eyeballs! The time before that, we're talking MAJOR CRISIS. I had sent in the application and was desperately waiting for it to arrive so I could take my first international flight alone as a new high school graduate going away on an exchange program to France. Three days before my flight, we got the envelope in the mail. My mom came running back from the mailbox screaming for joy and waving it in the air. She handed it to me. I ripped it open, looked inside. It was all my information - my name, my address, my birthday - with SOME STRANGE, BEARDED MAN'S FACE!!! I just broke down in tears right there in our driveway and kissed my plane ticket and my five weeks overseas goodbye. I was devastated.

Well, the wonderful people at the county courthouse listened to my tear-stained story of woe and fixed everything. Somehow they mailed it off and got it back to me two days later, a day before my departure. By the time I arrived in the Paris airport, I hadn't slept in days due to the worry.

This time it took them SEVEN days to receive, process and send back?!?!? I'm... dumbfounded... impressed... in shock...

Maybe the passport gods are making it up to me for all my bad luck in the past. Or maybe it's some force conspiring with my husband to show me the virtues of not procrastinating. I have no idea. But I'm so happy that there will be no more passport crisis again for another 10 years. Hooray!

By the way, the new passports are impressively artistic. Each page has some all-American scene - Mount Rushmore, the Liberty Bell, the Mayflower landing, etc. So pretty! I'm hoping I'll soon fill them with stamps, but as for now, I'm officially counting this task as done. yay!

#73 - Renew My Passport

2008-04-26T02:10:00.005-05:00

You know what sucks? Paying $75 + a $60 expedition fee to renew a passport, only to have to renew it yet again a year later. (Ok, I know there are worse things in the world to contend with but work with me, people!)

My last passport was issued in the summer of 2005. In the spring of 2006, I got married and changed my name, thus making my new/old passport (with fantastic picture - a rarity for me) obsolete. For two years I've been putting this off. I've been purchasing tickets and traveling under my maiden name, even though all other legal documentation clearly states my married name. It's been fine so far, but I'm always a bit nervous when I do it. And instead of pushing my luck even further, I've finally succumbed.

I mailed off my passport renewal with name change today. And I'm not even under a deadline. Progress!

The only thing I'm a little sad about - and this is sheer vanity so I'm sorry - is that this is going to be the picture on my passport book for the next ten years:

It's not so bad. What really bugs me though is that I'm about 10 pounds too heavy right now. And when I gain weight, I'm like a chipmunk. I get FAT cheeks. Do you see those fat cheeks in that picture?!? They're enormous! They just take up so much... space!

And now every time I travel the world, I'm going to look down and see this picture and think to myself My God, someone tell that poor girl to lay off the acorns!

:)

#55 - Take a Multivitamin for a Month

2008-04-26T01:28:00.004-05:00

Greg and I are getting old(er). And playing soccer isn't helping, especially in the creaky knee department.

We've recently started taking glucosamine tablets in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, these things actually work. To be quite honest, I'm more than a little skeptical - skeptical of the whole vitamin, nutritional supplement and herbal remedy industry that's flourishing today. Its not that I don't believe any of them actually work. Its just that the entire industry is completely unregulated in any way.

(I just erased the beginnings of a long, rambling tirade that I started typing, but I'll spare us all. You can find much better debates on this subject elsewhere...)

The bottom line is that no one really knows whether or not glucosamine (and others) work. And even if they are effective, the tablets we buy at the grocery store may not be in the right form or dosage to be effective. So I guess we're just taking a leap of faith on this one and sticking with the philosophy that it can't hurt to try and hoping for the best.

So since we're taking this horse-pill of a daily supplement, I thought we might as well take a horse-pill of a multivitamin as well. And that's what we're doing - glucosamine and Centrum every day for a month.

We've started about a week ago, but we missed a day so I'm being honest and zeroing out the tally.

As of today, we've taken them two days in a row. I'll try to keep us honest until May 22nd - a full four weeks - at the very least. (I have always been crap at daily anythings so this may be the longest "month" ever...)

#54 - No Fast Food for a Month

2008-04-26T01:01:00.004-05:00

Greg and I just watched the movie Fast Food Nation tonight. It's absolutely horrifying. Greg actually read the book a few years ago and was completely traumatized by it. He would always stop and read passages to me because he was just so astounded by the atrocities from every angle of this story - animal cruelty, pollution, workers' rights, disease, contamination, urban sprawl, illegal immigrants, the list goes on and on...

After seeing this movie, now seems as good a time as any to start this task of shunning all fast food from my diet for a month.

In fact, maybe its time to think about that going-vegetarian one too... The slaughter house scenes in the movie are graphic and hard to stomach. Not to mention the implications of working conditions, health- and safety-wise. Yes, I think I've been scarred enough to forgo my assembly-line foods for a while.

If this is a topic that interests you, you may want to check out the Meatrix animations that accompanied the extra features too. I realize they're every bit the emotionally manipulative propaganda machines that any fast-food chain is, but they basically summarize the message of the movie.

(And this reminds me that I've always wanted to read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle too. I'll have to add both of these books to my very long list...)

#7 - Beat Greg at Darts

2008-04-26T00:52:00.005-05:00

I'm not going to count this as accomplished, but it's definitely progress...

While in Mississippi visiting Karl & Terry, the whole huge group played a few rounds of "Killer", the dart game where you have to hit your number 3 times to become a "killer" and then you can start knocking points off of other people by hitting their number. If a killer hits a person's number so many times that they go to zero, then they've been killed.

I don't know how this happened, but I totally WON the first game. I killed EVERYONE. Mwaaaahaaahaaaha!

Check out my maniacal, evil smile...

See the dart board? As they bit the dust, I drew them each a picture signifying their untimely demise. Am I a cold-blooded killer or what?

#70 - Drive to State I've Never Visited

2008-04-25T23:20:00.017-05:00

So we actually took that trip to Mississippi last month to surprise our friend Karl as a late birthday celebration. He had no idea. It was awesome.

Karl was scared awake but quickly recovered and started passing the beers around. A good time was had by all.

The next morning Karl and Terry took us on a tour of the University of Southern Mississippi campus. It's gorgeous and everything was in bloom.

Mike & Amy, Brianna & Mark, Karl, Greg & me

Karl's a chemistry professor there so he showed us around the labs too. Oh, the joys of geekdom...
Later that night we enjoyed dinner and darts a local pub. It was great fun, even when Brianna was almost accosted by the sloppy, drunken lesbian.

The next day, Karl impressed us with his mad barbq'ing skillz.

They were, in fact, delicious. For a Brit from Essex, he's done an amazing job embracing this whole deep, southern lifestyle. After dinner, it was philosophizing time around the fire pit.

The perplexed look on my face here because I had just been arguing (heatedly) with Karl about something with which I have zero personal experience. I do that when I've had a few too many to drink and someone antagonizes me. Karl was having great fun. He lives to rile people up.

The next morning we took our tylenols, ate a huge breakfast and said our sad goodbyes. :(

I miss them. Even if Karl's boarish, pig-headed declarations piss me off sometimes. :)

Since we drove to Mississippi in the middle of the night, we didn't get to take in any scenery. But on the ride back home, we caught what we missed the first time. The most surprising bit was to see the effects of Hurricane Katrina three years later. One second, we'd look out the window to views of fields and fields of trees.

A few seconds later, we'd pass an expanse that had been whipped and wripped to shreds.

Its pretty amazing to imagine the kind of force that could mow down a forest...

Thanks, Karl & Terry, for being amazing hosts! You handled the invasion beautifully. :)

Ridiculous Amount of Updating...

2008-04-25T23:17:00.001-05:00

I've been neglecting this blog so I'm going to make a serious attempt to update this list. Please excuse all the posts at once. I'm a bad, bad blogger...

#9 - Funkify Our Guest Bathroom - SINKS!

2008-04-24T13:05:00.011-05:00

Is it ridiculous to design an entire bathroom around a sink? Maybe not. If the sink were cool enough...

I'm frustrated with research and procrastinating so I did a quick search of vessel sinks to occupy a few minutes between reading papers. I've planted the seed in Greg's head of installing one of these in our guest bathroom, and I think he'd be up for it.)

So here are a few that I found and dig:

The last 3 wouldn't go with my previous decor ideas at all, but the plans aren't set in stone and could easily change. I love the feel of the 3rd sink from bottom. How awesome would it be to have a bathroom with an exotic, Moroccan/Old World style. In fact, I'd love to do our entire house in that style... Ah, if only money were no object.

Potential problems:

Would I necessarily have to do a wall-mount faucet with these? And how difficult/expensive would that change be?
I'd have to redo the counter too = more $$$. But I was hoping to do that anyway.
Am I going way over-the-top with this whole bathroom redesign?

Again, this was just a quick search. I'll definitely do more research before committing.

If you want to tease yourself, check out Porcher. My eye kept being drawn to their absolutely beautiful basins, but since those run at around $1,500+ each, I think I better put them out of my mind...

#74 - Extremely delayed...

2008-04-24T12:19:00.004-05:00

So I've kinda cheated on this one. I actually first highlighted my virgin hair a few trips to the hairdressers ago. But I haven't fully documented it. The first time, I was a complete wuss and only did a few little pieces with a very subtle change. The next time I went, I was a little more bold in both bigger chunks of hair and color (BLONDER!).

I know a lot of people gasped at the prospects of me adding a touch of blonde to my hair - my mom, sister, husband, etc. But I've gotten a lot of compliments on it. SO THERE, butt-holes! And its not that far of a stretch for me. I was a tow-headed kids until I turned about, I don't know, three(?), four(?), five(?). Then the entire time I was a teenager, I had natural highlights from spending so much time out in the sun playing tennis. Bottom line: I like it so I'm keeping it.

I just made an appointment for tomorrow to have it done again. I promise to post pictures this time.

#92 - New restaurant

2008-04-09T14:15:00.008-05:00

Ok, so this one probably shouldn't count, but its a new discovery and I enjoyed it and I really need to post something on this blog (slacker!) so I'm tallying it up.

My friend Beth and I just grabbed lunch at The Spicy Pickle near campus. Its a bit hidden and for someone who usually brown-bags it, I'd never noticed it. But Beth apparently loves this place. I had a super-thin crust pizza with a pesto sauce, mozzarella, tomato, artichoke hearts, and feta cheese. Mmmm, feta... And I totally at the whole thing (I'm kinda regretting that fact now). She had some panini that looked really yummy too.

If you're within walking distance, its totally worth the little hike. 4 down, 16 more to go.

Mississippi Bound

2008-03-18T14:43:00.004-05:00

Oh, my poor, little neglected blog. Its been almost a month since I've paid any attention to you whatsoever. Its not because I love you any less than my other life-in-general blog, its just that I've been so stinking busy that my 101 goals are the last thing on my mind right now. But I do think of you every now and then with a wistful sigh. I miss you.

And with that, I promise to give you some much needed TLC in about a week after I've accomplished goal #70 - Drive to a state I've never visited.

Our friends Karl & Terri moved to a tiny town outside of Hattisburg, Mississippi a few years ago after Karl got a professorship there. He just celebrated his 30th birthday this past month, and although we couldn't make his awesome canoing trip through the Grand Canyon, we did make plans with Terri to surprise him for a belated celebration. On Thursday, we'll make the 10-hour drive through Louisiana and into Mississippi with Mark and Brianna. We're also meeting friends from Florida who'll be traveling from the other direction.

I love road trips if only for the excuse to load up a car with trash mags and even trashier food (or at least what might marginally pass for food). Twizzlers, gummy bears, nacho cheese Dorritos - all the naughty things that are not normally allowed to reside in our house for fear of instant inhalation and subsequent 20 pound weight gain. Bring it on! My usual celebrity gossip fix has also been cut off recently due to my extreme productivity. Luckily, I'll be sharing car space with someone who has an equal, if not greater, addiction - we're talking about a girl who actually subscribes to Us Weekly, people - so she can fill me in on everything I've been missing over the last few months.

If all goes well, we'll all arrive at their place around midnight on Thursday evening. And then let the drunken debauchery begin...

I should really start prepping my liver now.

#97 - Compile a Cookbook

2008-02-22T12:52:00.003-06:00

So I haven't started on this goal yet, but just discovered this website. You can create cookbooks with your own recipes and borrow from Epicurious as well. I know spending $35 on something that I can probably whip up myself seems a bit excessive, but look how cute they are!

When I have more time, I'll definitely investigate this possibility further. Until then, I'm making mental notes of which fave recipes to include.

Bon apetite, everyone!

#9 - Funkify Our Guest Bathroom

2008-02-08T18:07:00.001-06:00

****Greg, DO NOT READ THIS POST! Close your eyes and scroll down! You promised me the bathroom was all MINE! And I want it to be a surprise!****

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Have you closed your eyes yet?
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I'm serious! Close them! You promised...
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Ok, now that that's done...

Let's talk about our downstairs half bathroom for a minute. The first time I laid eyes on this little box of a room, I could feel its shackled little soul crying out for a makeover - so sad.

Since first entering the market in 1989, I am sure, it has been trapped in its current dowdy and unspired state of being. The walls are covered in a subdued blue wallpaper with little white and pink flowers. Ew. Half of one wall is occupied by a huge square mirror tacked directly onto the drywall above the sink. Boring. Showgirl lights line the upper edge of the mirror. Ehhh. And the cabinet under the sink is oak. Its a lonely, little room that only has an audience when we have guests or are cleaning out the kitty litter.

I'd love to transform this space and do something creative with it - without it being an eyesore or something that makes my husband cringe when he first lays eyes on it. I'd love to have people go in there, and after a little initial shock, take a step back, look around and find bits of interesting detail and inspiration. And do all of this within a reasonable budget... That may be the tricky part. (And suggestions or website referrals are welcome here.)

Getting started...
Everyone knows that when it comes to redecorating, you get the most bang for your buck in paint. Since we moved in, I knew I wanted one room in our house to be a deep, dark, sexy red color. And since this is such a small space, I don't think it'd be too overpowering here. Step 1: The major color - sexy red. However, I was worried that painting all 4 walls in this shade may be too intense.

Then I saw this project! The couple needed to make a nursery and were inspired when they found an awesome fabric pattern. They transferred the pattern onto their wall and painted accordingly. The effects were pretty amazing. I love it! And this gave me more inspiration. I've been seeing all of these beautiful damask patterns on everything from chairs to dishes to wall decor. So in keeping with the spirit of the above project, I thought I could use one wall in the bathroom and do the same pattern transfer with a not-too-busy damask. I found a few sites that had interesting patterns, but most were too dense. Sending our guests into an epileptic fit, trapped in a tiny room with an over-stimulated repeating pattern, would kinda defeat the purpose, ya know. So I decided that instead of having the entire wall covered, I could just have a bit of the pattern peeking out one of the sides. To give you a better idea of what I'm talking about, here are a few first draft schematics.This is not necessarily the pattern I'd stick with, although I do like it. In fact, I found a few contenders when I stumbled across this website. I love the swirly, organic designs featured on their main links, but it may be too "girly" for Greg's taste. That's still a work in progress. Step 2: Have a partially patterned focal wall.

Next, the mirror. I like that we have such a large mirror on that wall, but its just so blah. I'd like to either a) knock it down, which would probably require taking a sledgehammer to it - not very appealing, and find a more stylish oval mirror to hang in its place, or b) find some way to embellish the borders of the existing mirror. Mirrors are ridiculously expensive so I'm going to brainstorm on option b before doing research into option a - unless, of course, a beautiful and yet well-priced masterpiece happens to fall into my lap. I think I could add a painted wooden border around the edges of the mirror or get crafty and create some sort of mosaic glass or mirrored border that I could affix directly to the surface of the existing mirror. We'll see. Step 3: Mirror sexification.

And finally, Steps 4 & 5, if I can afford them... the lighting and the sink. This is going to be hard because I have a feeling the contemporary options I have in mind are also going to be the most expensive. And when I picture the end product, I always see the light fixture (especially) pop. Whether or not I can afford to replace the sink to a sleeker version is up in the air, but at the very least, I'd like to change this:...into something much more interesting, like this:...but without the creepiness.
(Is it just me or does this look like something straight out of the Matrix? It just might spring to life, chase me down and twist my little digital head off with its mechanical tentacles, which would, of course, also kill me in the physical world. Ew. Enough of that...) Ok, something very unique but without going way over the top. Any suggestions?

To be quite honest, I haven't solidified in my head what I want the end result to be. The vague pictures I covet in my mind's eye may not jive with the other changes I've planned so I'm expecting the idea of the room to morph as it starts taking shape. It might be one of those things that when I see it, I'll just know.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear feedback and/or suggestions.

#52 - Maybe Next Time

2008-02-07T14:25:00.000-06:00

First legit girl goal honors for the season go to Janice! Congrats and I bow to your obvious superiority in the soccer realm.

But those two points she earned helped seal the deal for our second win! This time the score was 4-1. Its so good to see how much we've improved as we've played. Both of these teams kicked our butt last season - proof positive that a little practice goes a long way.

My next opportunity to achieve #52 is at tomorrow's game. Here's hoping...

#52 - The Cosmos Owe Me...

2008-02-06T15:11:00.000-06:00

We're having one soccer game tonight and then another on Friday. We have a good chance to win either of these if we get our acts together. The teams' records are very close or only slightly better than our own so odds are good that we won't be slaughtered. At least I hope so.

But my eye is on the prize, babies. I WILL score a soccer goal dammit! I've had two near misses. But I was totally robbed both times. The sweet glory of momentary soccer super-stardom is upon me. I can taste it.

If I score tonight, I might be the first one on our team to score a legit girl goal. (Girl goals count for 2 points instead of 1 on coed teams - the feminist and the competitor inside me struggle with this concept from time to time.) Dilek and Brianna have officially each scored before, but they were both accidental deflections off of their unsuspecting body parts. Brianna got it in the butt. Dilek got it in the right boob (poor thing). No. Wait. Katie actually scored a beautiful goal in our first season. But since its a new season, I'm still going to count it. :)

Wish me luck!

Two Birds, One Stone

2008-02-01T19:28:00.000-06:00

Valentine's day is coming up. I don't really buy into the whole hallmark holiday, but my husband and I usually have some kind of small commemoration of the day for ourselves.

This year I'm planning on reusing an old idea that never came to be. A few years ago I planned a couples massage for Greg and I for our romantic quasi-Valentines. We got up early on a Saturday for our appointment, drove out to the place, and waited. And waited. And waited. One half of our masseuse duo never showed! Can you believe that? How rude!

So it never happened. Well, this year it will dammit! I'm booking our appointment tomorrow.

I'm It!

2008-01-31T17:02:00.000-06:00

Oh crap! I've been tagged by Joyce. I haven't been tagged since I was, like, 12. :) I'm both flattered (that anyone else reads this) and a bit perplexed. I'm supposed to share 6 different random things about myself and then tag 6 other people. Oh, the pressure... to be interesting...

Ok, here goes.

Six factoids about moi:

1. I am almost physically repulsed when I hear a song on the radio by the band Rush. I have no idea why. Neither the songs nor the band have any kind of emotional or sentimental connection to me (that I'm aware of). I don't know anything about them. All I know is that when I hear Geddy Lee's voice, I want to scratch my eyes out or jump out a window. Or I could just change the station...

2. The most ridiculous commercials can make me choke up and want to cry. Even when PMS is not a factor. I am very conscious of the fact that its all a well-calculated ploy by evil advertising executives, but I can't help myself.

3. I am freakishly strong. I discovered this as a child when I'd fight with my younger siblings or my cousin Melissa over the stupid stuff kids fight about. They'd always be the ones to get hurt. And they got hurt a lot. I'm sorry, guys. Also, I think I have a high pain threshold, which on very rare occasions, comes in handy.

4. Speaking of pain thresholds... I once fell down a mountain side and landed in big jagged rocks, knocking myself unconscious, in the Rocky Mountains. I had to be rescued by my friends, rangers, and one very unfortunate hiker who also happened to be an EMT. We all had to sleep in the freezing, biting wind on the mountain that night because the rangers didn't find us until it was pitch black outside. Its a long story, worthy of a separate post altogether, but the gist of it is that it took 4 rangers, one helicopter that couldn't land and so flew away instead, a whole team of rangers that were called in to carry me out on a splint and then later called off, and one horse to get me to safety. Its an exciting story, and I'm strangely proud of it - the day Larisa could have died. Needless to say, I am one lucky chica.

5. I'm a sucker for the accents. I mean, a total sucker. Its sad really. In my relatively limited relationship history I've dated two French boys and one Brit, who I am now married to. No, I did not marry him for his accent. But I must admit, that certainly helped ignite the first sparks. :) Its okay. He knows its true. He's comfortable with this fact.

6. I like chocolate, but I hate chocolate cake. I cannot explain this. In fact, any chocolate in the form of bread products, like Oreos, I could really do without. I can eat brownies, but only if they're the really ooey-gooey kind. Too dry? Fo'get about it. Chocolate in any other form? Sign me up!

So maybe some of those weren't so original, but its all I got! For now, at least...

Now here are MY six victims:

Polly
Tabatha
Cori
Jessica
Jennifer
Jamie

Tag! You're it!

#6 - Mail holiday cards on time

2008-01-25T12:12:00.000-06:00

I forgot about this one! But I actually did it this year.

Well, there were a few minor exceptions. I couldn't dig up address for 3 friends in time so I STILL have those waiting to be mailed. But as for the others, they all went out in early or mid-December so I'm counting it!

For me, this is quite the accomplishment. Most people on my mailing list are used to getting Christmas and Hanukkah cards for Valentine's day. :)

Little Closer to #52

2008-01-21T08:17:00.001-06:00

My soccer team WON its first game last night! This is our second season of playing together, and aside from one forfeit, we'd lost every single stinking game. But not last night! We kept it 0-0 until halftime. Then my husband scored! And it was the first time that we were ever actually UP in a game. But that was short-lived. A few minutes later, they equalized so our celebration was cut short.

But then Glenn scored his first goal ever. And my husband scored again! Go, baby, go!

I'm so happy that we've finally WON. But I also had a beautiful opportunity to score. I've finally started to go up into offense positions, and I was in the perfect position last night to knock one in. I stopped the ball right in front of the goal, but it had this weird spin on it, and I was afraid of kicking the crap out of it and hurting the goalie. I'm so annoyed with myself. I could have just dinked it in if I had moved a bit faster. Oh well. Next time!

Inspiration for #76

2008-01-17T21:17:00.000-06:00

This is not my PostSecret, but it could be... Ha ha ha ha! :)

Progress Report

2007-12-12T15:26:00.001-06:00

So you won't think I'm completely slacking on my list, I thought an update was in order.

#2 - Make wedding albums for the moms. I've started going through the 700+ digital pictures, cropping them to standard picture size, adjusting colors, etc, etc. My goal is to finish these in time to give them as Christmas presents, but that is going to be difficult at best...

#6 - Send Christmas cards on time. I've got many done. I'm just verifying addresses and then adding the stamps. Hope to make more progress on this tonight!

#26 - Say hello to the bus drivers. So far I'm succeeding in giving each and every one of them at least a 'hi' when I walk on the bus. Although there is at least one that I find extremely irritating. He's one of those severe sticklers to the rules, bordering on ridiculous at times. He won't allow anyone to stand in the aisle so if every seat is taken, you're shit out of luck. Even if its cold and raining outside and the next bus won't come for another 40 minutes. He actually pulled over the bus one day to march to the very back seat to inform the guy that he couldn't lay down across the seats. Are we back in elementary school because, seriously, that was the last time that happened in my bus-riding experience. Whatever... Everyone else is cool.

#95 - Write a scathing complaint letter to U.S. Airways. I've handed over the bulk of this responsibility to Greg. I unearthed the notes we took during our ordeal - yes, I totally took detailed notes so as not miss a single ridiculous moment. He'll write the letter, and I'll proofread and add in the extra withering condemnations as they come to me. I'll be sure to post it in its entirety when its done. But do yourself a favor and never ever fly with U.S. Airways. EVER!

Hopefully we can wrap up some of these projects in the next week! Wish us luck!

# 60 - Read 50 books

2007-12-12T14:59:00.000-06:00

Mark 2 more off the list.

The first is The Thirteenth Tale about a famous writer revealing the secret story of her life to an unknown biographer. I won't ruin the plot or the twists by giving anything away. Let's just say that as you read the book, the mystery of her haunted past is slowly revealed. Incest, murder, mental disabilities abound.

I enjoyed this book, although I have to say it isn't one of my favorites. I wish I could have made the book club. Then maybe I'd have more insights into the title, but as it is, I'll just say its a good story.

The second is The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives. As the title would suggest, I'd place this in the chic lit category. But as I find most chic lit slightly annoying, I have to say this book was highly entertaining. It centers around the very privileged world of bored housewives with too much money and too few scruples. As soon as I read about $150 face cream made from cloned baby foreskin, I was hooked. Highly entertaining and shockingly appalling at the same time, I finished this book at 2 a.m. last night. Highly recommended for a brief foray into an alternate reality.

8 down, 42 to go.

Both of the above books went on at some lengths about Jane Eyre, a book I never read in high school. I'm taking that as a sign so its next on my list.

Then on to A Thousand Splendid Suns for my next book club meeting.

#92 - Aquarelle

2007-11-26T00:10:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness. It was so, so yummy. And such a cute, little place.

I had soft shell crab as an appetizer, snapper with shrimp for the main, and then carmelized poached pears for dessert (I'm drooling again just thinking about it). Greg had melt-in-your-mouth foie gras, smoky scallops and profiteroles. And they also brought out these little complimentary bits and pieces throughout the meal - a bisque, a sorbet and then these tiny little pastries. Very nice touch.

Of course, everything was to die for.

Now I just wish we could make the other 17 new restaurants that we'll visit be of that caliber. Of course, we'd be flat broke... and probably quite fat. But it'd sure be fun.

p.s. As we were sitting there, an older couple came into the restaurant quite late and just ordered coffee and dessert. Is this done? For some reason, I've just never thought of that as an option for nicer restaurants. But what a fantastic idea for when you feel like treating yourself but don't want to break the bank! Maybe we'll try that some time for some other swank restaurants in town.

#93 - Cap City Comedy Club

2007-11-24T18:08:00.000-06:00

One of Greg's coworkers won 20 free tickets to Capitol City Comedy Club a few weeks ago and gave us two. It turns out our free tickets were for a charity event benefiting some local children's organization.

How guilty did we feel when we heard that? But we tried to make it up to the kids by ordering a surplus of drinky-drinks. Anything for the kids, right.

So there were about a dozen or so comedians that each did 10-minute bits. There were several who were hilarious and a few who were just downright painful to watch. Its a small venue so the slightest bit of chatter tends to carry. People sitting a few tables away from us seemed to have gotten an early start to the evening festivities and so were a little careless about their noise level. Needless to say, this prompted a few comments from the comics. When the dumb guy (someone named Kenny) didn't take the hint, a few of the comics took the opportunity to completely berate him. Not that he wasn't deserving of a lashing, but it got a little uncomfortable at times. Luckily, they always seemed to follow up these times with a really good act to get everyone laughing again.

I wish I could remember the names of the ones that had me rolling. I'd love to catch them again sometime. Overall, it was a great night and at times I was laughing so hard I couldn't breath. Good stuff.

Aquarelle

2007-11-24T17:56:00.000-06:00

Oh my God. I just looked at the menu.

I'm drooling already...

#92 - Visit new restaurants

2007-11-24T17:08:00.000-06:00

Greg eats out way more than I do. He will usually have fabulous lunches with his coworkers, while I'm eating leftovers in my office. Blah. (Okay, correction. Greg just snuck up behind me and pointed out the fact that he only goes out twice a week most of the time -disputable- and one of those is Double Dave's for pizza so its nothing special. Whatever. Its still more than me.) And when we do go out, its usually to the same restaurants we know we like. Boring...

So one of my goals is to try new places.

This wasn't exactly the level of quality I had in mind, but its new to me so it counts - Red Robin for burgers and bottomless fries. We were out shopping and drove by so Greg insisted I needed to try it. We split a spicy buffalo chicken burger (delish!) and a turkey burger with feta and lots of good stuff. Very yummy.

The second place was Bombay Bistro. Its right next to our local HEB so we'd see it all the time and say that we needed to try it but never did. Well, we finally made it. I was having a really bad day from work so Greg suggested we go. Its Indian food (obviously) with a nice ambience and decent food. The best thing though was the margarita and the mango martini. :)

18 more to go! And one of them is tonight. Tomorrow is our 5-year anniversary from when we first started seeing each other. (Honestly, I don't know how he's hung on for this long...) Greg is treating me to dinner at Aquarelle, a fancy-schmancy French restaurant here in Austin. I can't wait! Yay!

#60 - 5 down, 45 to go

2007-11-24T17:01:00.000-06:00

So I can cross three more books off my list.

The first was The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Its an amazing memoir about the author's childhood, growing up in extreme poverty with eccentric parents who shun all semblance of conventional life. The stories are incredible and would be hilarious if you didn't know they were true. Very good read - I highly recommend it.

The second was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (finally!). I somehow managed to avoid hearing anything about the last book of the saga for all these months and read on in great anticipation. I've loved these books throughout the whole series so its with a mixture of sadness and relief that I've finally finished them. I won't say anything about the plot so I can't spoil it for anyone else, but though it wasn't my favorite, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Harry Potter.

The last was Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I just happened across this title while I was in the library and recognized it from a recent movie. I picked it up to see if it was the same and, what do you know, it was. I have actually read another Neil Gaiman book (Good Omens) before and liked so I picked it up. This could easily be another one for the kids' genre with the exception of a few bits of gore and sex. What can I say, its no masterpiece, but its entertaining and a quick ride.

Now I've started The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield for a book club meeting I'm hoping to attend. I'll let you know how that goes.

Major, Major Catching Up To Do

2007-11-24T16:13:00.000-06:00

Since I've been a slacker at blogging but have actually accomplished a few goals, I'm going to make separate entries for all the things I've done rather putting it into one massive post.

Hopefully I'll catch up and be better about my updates...

Blog Neglect...

2007-11-13T16:53:00.000-06:00

To the three people who read this blog: I realize how boring I've been lately. And I apologize.

Work has reared its ugly head, and I've kicked into ultra-frazzle mode. The tension in my brain has gone so far as to manifest itself into physical discomfort. My chest feels tight, my back and shoulders ache, and I can't seem to take a deep, cleansing breath no matter how hard I try. Right when I quiet myself down enough to go to bed, all these nagging doubts creep into my head so that I'm too buzzed and agitated to fall asleep. I've also been distracted by fantasies of beating my boss about the head with rolled up scientific journals every time we cross paths. Maybe its the sleep deprivation. At least I can still control my swinging arm.

Anyway, I promise to post a massive, comprehensive post of all the things I've crossed off my list in the last week and a half. And to do a better job of regular posting.

(hopefully)

Re: #1 & #42

2007-11-01T23:01:00.001-05:00

I talked to my little brother on the phone tonight. He informed me that apparently my mom didn't quite understand what FMB stood for. Or TTC either. So my dear, sweet sister took it upon herself to explain these things...

Thanks, Mel! Are you trying to give the woman a heart attack?

Score! #93 for free!

2007-10-30T16:04:00.001-05:00

I just talked to Greg. One of his coworkers somehow won twenty free tickets for Cap City Comedy Club on Friday night. He knew that was on my list so he nabbed two for us.

I guess I will soon cross #93 off of my list too. WooHoo!

#69 Camp in Lost Maple State Park

2007-10-29T11:32:00.000-05:00

I've wanted to visit this park for the last five years! We finally made it this past week-end. We had beautiful weather, which is a good thing because we actually ended up hiking for about 7.5 miles with our huge packs stuffed to the gills with camping gear. Note to self: invest in more light-weight "serious" equipment.

We set up camp at the primitive site at almost the farthest site away from the trail head. We had beer brauts and s'mores for dinner before settling in to sleep. The night was chilly, which made snuggling up in our sleeping bags all the more cozy and tempting.

The next morning, we set out to hike the rest of the West trail. Some of the maple leaves were starting to change colors, but not many. I'd love to come back later in November, but its a 2.5 hour drive from Austin, which makes it one hell of a day trip. We had a great time with our friends Mark & Brianna. I hope this won't be the last of our camping trips. The hill country is gorgeous and there are many more parks to explore.

#60 (again)

2007-10-21T18:46:00.000-05:00

2 down, 48 to go.
I didn't realize it until just now, but the book I finished last night, Black and Blue, is yet another Oprah Book Club selection. That wasn't intentional, I swear!

Its a very real and poignant story about an abused wife and mother who has finally had enough and disappears with her 12-year-old son. They live in hiding from her NYC cop husband as they both learn to live as a normal family again. Its heart-rending and emotional, and I couldn't put it down. Two thumbs up.

I've now started a memoir called The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls for my second book club that meets in a few weeks. And at this rate, 50 books should be no problem.

#60 Read 50 books

2007-10-19T17:16:00.000-05:00

One down, 49 to go.
A few weeks ago, I begrudgingly started this book. I say begrudgingly because when I first scanned the short write-up on amazon.com, I thought Oh God. A book about some bitter divorcee's journey to self-discovery and enlightenment.

I tend to find books like this too self-indulgent and flowery for my tastes. I'm sure it's cathartic for the writer to dive headfirst into their own little world and wallow in it for a good while - I'm guilty of the same thing every now and then, as I'm sure most people are. But I don't necessarily care to wade my way through someone else's fluff. There was also obviously going to be a strong religious element to the book, which I automatically (and prejudicially, I'll admit) equate with being preach-y. (Confession: I have a bit of emotional baggage where preach-y religious types are concerned.) No, thank you.

When my book club selected it for our next discussion, however, I was forced to pick it up. And, honestly, I'm so thankful that I did. I absolutely love it! What's funny is that I was on the phone with my sister last week, and she interupted herself to tell me Oh my God. I'm reading this great book. You have got to check it out. So my sister and I (...and Oprah ...and half of the U.S.) can whole-heartedly recommend it.

There is no preaching or holier-than-thou undertones to this book. There is some self-indulgence, but always tempered with an honest, self-depricating sense of humor. The best word I can think of for this work is 'inspiring'. I won't give away the entire book, but it follows the author as she splits up one year of her life amongst 3 different countries as she's trying to find balance. She basically rides out a premature mid-life crisis in the most amazing, adventurous way possible. I'm more than a little jealous...

Read it! You won't be sorry.

Now I'm on to Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen. I'm actually already halfway through the book because I had started it while waiting my turn to check out Eat, Pray, Love. This one's a goody too, and surprisingly, along the same lines.

#52 Score a soccer goal for my team

2007-10-16T22:11:00.001-05:00

No, I did NOT score a goal during tonight's game. But that would be difficult seeing as how I was on defense the entire match. But I have to say, Greg was right. The cleats definitely helped. I'm improving with every game. Somehow I managed to steal the ball a few times and passed it back to our players, rather than the usual blindly desparate kick into dead space. Aside from one guy knocking me on my butt, I think I did a pretty good job. I can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. :)

Next game, its on baby! I'm playing offense, and I'm going to kick some serious arse!

#99 Print the list and hang it

2007-10-16T11:42:00.000-05:00

I've printed two copies - one for my bathroom at home (our refrigerator is too clogged) and one for work. When I start a task that will last all week or all month, I'll highlight it to remind me to pay particular attention. And as I complete a task, I'll cross it off the list. There's something deeply satisfying about crossing items off a list - a real sense of accomplishment...

...even if its for a task as trivial as pressing the print button on your computer.

#42 Buy sexy, black FMB's

2007-10-15T12:25:00.001-05:00

Wouldn't you know it... My first accomplished task involves buying new shoes.

I found these little babies while shopping with Greg on Sunday. They're by Tahari and were 60% off!

I also bought another pair of shoes on Sunday, but these were at Greg's absolute insistence, believe it or not... We stopped at Academy and bought a pair of Puma cleats for soccer. I swear, he was much more excited about this purchase than I was. But hopefully, they will help me accomplish goal #52, score a soccer goal for my team. We have our 7th match tomorrow. I'll see how much this improves my game. Greg swears they'll transform me into Super Woman.

The List

2007-10-13T17:45:00.000-05:00

Family & Friends
1. Start TTC.
2. Finish our wedding album.
3. Finish wedding albums for moms.
4. Write a will.
5. Take my husband to visit my home town - in the 5 years we've been together, I haven't done this. Oops...
6. Mail holiday greeting cards on time.
7. Beat Greg at darts.
8. Take Greg to a couple's massage.

Home
9. Funkify our guest bathroom.
10. Xeroscape our front yard.
11. Sew my own curtains.
12. Retile kitchen backsplash.
13. Tile the upstairs bathroom floor.
14. Sew my own throw pillows.
15. Refinish front door and paint it an auspicious red.
16. Strip every last scrap of wallpaper from our home.
17. Grow an herb garden.
18. Learn how to program the thermostat.
19. Chop down dead bushes in the back yard.
20. Plant climbing roses, hollyhocks, and yellow bells around the deck.
21. Buy new dining table and chairs.
22. Paint office walls.

Make the World a Better Place
23. Volunteer for conservation efforts.
24. Buy a hybrid.
25. Donate blood.
26. Say hello to the bus driver every day.
27. Vote in all local elections.
28. Learn CPR.
29. Smile at strangers for one week. Well, except the scary ones.
30. Volunteer at a local race.

Just for Me
31. Graduate with my PhD.
32. Learn guitar.
33. Learn and perform surface plasmon resonance experiments.
34. Obtain a scientific teaching position.
35. Get a facial.
36. Make a 100+ things that make me happy list.
37. Finish watching all episodes of Alias.
38. Purge 101 items from my life.
39. Take the mensa test.
40. Be able to sit Indian-style comfortably - I've never been able to do this...
41. One week, no T.V.
42. Find sexy, black FMB's.
43. Get new glasses.
44. Sew a quilt of all my running t-shirts.
45. Limit at-home computer use to one hour per day for a month (unless its for legit work!).

Health & Fitness
46. Beat my marathon PR of 4:31:28.
47. Run a 5K in sub 8-minute-miles.
48. Compete in an Olympic distance triathlon.
49. Wake up at 6:30 a.m. every weekday for 1 month.
50. Attend Austin Fit runs.
51. Ride in the MS100.
52. Score a soccer goal for my team.
53. Update immunizations.
54. No fast food for one month.
55. Take a multivitamin every day for one month.
56. Go vegetarian for one month.

Intellectual Pursuits
57. Practice French with someone.
58. Learn Spanish.
59. Learn basic Polish.
60. Read 50 books.
61. Read a book of poetry.

Cultural Pursuits
62. See an opera.
63. Watch a play at the Paramount.
64. See the Blue Man Group.
65. See a musical.

Adventure & Travel
66. Visit Asia.
67. Explore NYC.
68. Take a hot air balloon ride.
69. Camp in Lost Maples State Park during the fall.
70. Take a road trip to a state I've never been before.
71. Revisit Boulder.
72. Visit Auschwitz.
73. Update my passport.

Try Something New
74. Dye my hair.
75. Become scuba diving certified.
76. Submit a juicy secret to PostSecret.
77. Knit a sweater.
78. Buy an SLR camera.
79. Learn how to use SLR camera.
80. Learn to make creme brulee.
81. Attend a book signing.
82. See an IMAX movie.
83. Make a hanging mobile.
84. Submit a kitty picture to icanhascheezburger.com.
85. Ride a mechanical bull.

Around Austin
86. See the Congress Avenue bats.
87. Tour the state capitol.
88. Cruise South Congress on 1st Thursday.
89. Swim in Deep Eddy.
90. Spend a night at Hotel San Jose.
91. Enjoy the gospel brunch at Stubb's.
92. Visit 20 new restaurants.
93. Night out at Capitol City Comedy Club.
94. Randomly pick a local band concert from the Chronicle.

Miscellany
95. Write a scathing complaint letter to U.S. Airways.
96. Buy a laptop.
97. Compile a cookbook of my fave recipes.
98. Organize photos.

And Finally...
99. Print this list and hang it in the bathroom.
100. Blog about all 101 accomplishments.
101. On July 12, 2010, make a new 101 in 1001 days list.

The Beginning

2007-10-13T17:21:00.000-05:00

I love lists.
I love setting goals.
I love trying new things.
I love challenging myself.

So when I found out about the 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days Project, I jumped at it. So here's the deal. You have to set 101 goals for yourself and complete them within 1001 days - that's about 2 years and 9.5 months. A lot can be accomplished in almost 3 years.

The goals need to actually be something measurable and finite so you can check them off your list as you go. The goals also need to be both realistic and yet challenging.

I'm maintaining this blog as a record of my accomplishments (or at least attempts) in the hope that it will give me equal parts accountability and motivation. With any luck, I will be happily surprised by my productivity and growth at the end of this adventure. I can't wait to get started!

Officially, my countdown begins tomorrow. It ends on July 11, 2010. That seems so far away, doesn't it. But knowing me, I better get started right away. Wish me luck!