#60: send out holiday cards to the people I care about

Alright, so I was almost done with this goal two weeks ago. I was all smug because I sent out nearly two dozen cards to my closest friends. And then Christmas Eve came and it dawned on me--I didn't give cards to my mom or Joe. Doh!

So those cards? Are happily on the way to their destinations as of this morning. And thus, I put the capper on goal #60.

PS: I apologize for the anti-climaticness of this entry. I wrote out cards and sent them. It's a pretty open and shut goal. The hardest thing for me to do was purchase the stamps--it took a twenty minute wait in line to secure cute holiday stamps. My life is so harsh.

#37: get a pet other than a fish

A big thanks goes out to Katy for helping me accomplish this goal. On Christmas Eve I received the cutest little creature that has ever walked the face of this planet. And, oh, how I love him....





Mr. Big, the new man (and pet!) in my life. He so kicks the butt off of all of the fish and other pets that came before him!

#61: See a movie four or more times

So originally this goal was to see a movie in the theater five times because I've seen movies multiple times. The most I'd thought I'd seen a movie was four times with Titanic, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I'd only seen that three times. Like my mom would let me go to a movie more than two or three times. "It's a waste of money." Blah blah.

With this new realization, the goal has been slightly altered. Thus, the goal became to see a movie four or more times.

And now, this goal is accomplished with the amazingly heart-warming/heart-wrenching RENT. I saw it for the fourth time a couple of weeks ago. And again--bawled like a baby. Because I'm cool like that. And because another goal has been accomplished.

Yay moi! And? No day but today.

Progress on #51 and #61

So goal #51 of watching three documentaries, three independent films and fifty movies from the IMDB top 250 list is going to be a bit of a challenge because, uh, that's a lot of DVD watching. Luckily I've already started to tackle it by renting Mad Hot Ballroom, so one documentary down, two more to go. Ballroom was a bit hard for me to get into at first because there was a lot of jumping between the schools, but about fifteen minutes into it, I was hooked and was cheering for each student by the end. It was inspiring and uplifting. And now? I want to learn to ballroom dance.

I need to clarify #51, too. When I was looking through the list, I realized I've seen a lot of the movies. My original goal was to watch fifty new movies, but I've seen a good quarter of them already. So instead, I'll allow myself to watch movies that I've seen, but not more than once. For example, I can watch American Beauty, any of the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars movies or Fight Club because I've only seen those each once. But I can't watch Run Lola Run, Garden State or Monty Python and the Holy Grail because I've watched them multiple times. This is good because I've been dying to see American Beauty and Fight Club again.

And speaking of watching movies multiple times...I'm one time away from completing goal #61. I saw RENT for the fourth time on Thursday night and bawled just as hard as the previous times. It's just such a moving experience for me. I can hardly explain it, except to say that something has never spoken to me like this has. It just sums up everything that I think about life and love. I can't wait to go a fifth time.

Goal #46: Go to a movie by myself

My first goal is accomplished! Insert happy dance here.

Me, myself, I and Shopgirl. I've been dying to see it since I first heard they were filming it. Of course, in true Marquette fashion, it took two months for the film to get here. But the waiting was worth it. By the end? There were a couple of tears. The script closely followed the book, which didn't surprise me since Steve Martin wrote them both. He did a great job as Ray; Jason Bateman was so lovable. Claire Danes blew me away. Mirabelle is such a complex character and she just embodied her.

The best part of the evening, though? (Besides the Red Vines, I mean.) I had the theater all to myself. Just me and Steve, Claire and Jason. Yum. Thank you, Marquette, for being divinely uncultured, for it allowed me to have a great evening and also accomplish one of my 101 goals.

101 in 1001

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).

Start date: December 1, 2005
End date: August 28, 2008

101 Things to do in 1001 Days

1. bowl while drunk
2. read at least three Jane Austin books
3. see Rent on stage…again
4. watch at least three Audrey Hepburn movies
5. see John Mayer in concert again
6. return to England
7. get down to a healthy weight
8. attain muscular arms ala Madonna
9. apply for grad school
10. learn to knit (accomplished 1/14/2006)
11. learn to do a strip tease
12. learn to play the guitar
13. write at least one essay a week for two months straight
14. become un-addicted to caffeine for three months
15. learn to make cheesecake, death by chocolate cake and oatmeal raisin cookies
16. purchase a new digital camera (accomplished 1/20/06)
17. start to learn a new language
18. host a fondue party
19. pay off my credit card bills
20. learn to drive manual transmission
21. scrap one layout a day for two weeks straight…if not more
22. compile a list of fifty favorite movies and fifty favorite CDs
23. have my tarot cards read
24. start taking a multivitamin
25. get a tattoo with my sister
26. build a classic yet semi-funky wardrobe that will be suitable for both work and play
27. watch every episode of Seinfeld and Friends
28. vacation in a warm or exotic area with some of my closest friends
29. return to Disney World
30. learn to grill properly
31. spend a day at the spa
32. kiss in the rain
33. purchase my own diamond ring
34. do something special for my 25th birthday
35. see Dane Cook perform live
36. attend my high school reunion
37. get a pet other than a fish (accomplished on 12/24/05)
38. keep a plant alive
39. ask someone out
40. cook a four-course meal for my closest friends and family
41. read and work through The Artist’s Way
42. purchase at least six CDs I wouldn’t normally buy (ie: rap, country, classical, big band…)
43. purchase one spectacularly expensive purse (like a Chanel or Kate Spade)
44. study for the GRE
45. take the GRE
46. go to a movie by myself (accomplished on 12/04/05)
47. build a gingerbread house
48. find that quintessential little black dress (accomplished on 1/26/06)
49. donate to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
50. reunite with Miss Allen to perform the greatest rendition of “Holding Out for a Hero” ever
51. watch three documentaries, three independent movies and fifty movies from the IMDB movie list
Documentaries:
- Mad Hot Ballroom
52. go to gay days at Cedar Point with Joe
53. read Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live
54. own a shirt that has the word “dork” on it
55. own a “boys are stupid” shirt
56. go to Canada
57. play laser-tag and/or paintball
58. learn to cook a pot roast, leg of lamb and prime rib
59. figure out how to make my mom’s amazing spaghetti sauce
60. send out holiday cards to the people I care about (accomplished on 12/28/05)
61. see a movie in the theater four or more times (the most I’ve ever seen one in the theater is three...I think...with Titanic) (accomplished on 12/08/05)
62. purchase an iPod or iPod mini
63. bid and win an eBay auction
64. write to my government representatives
65. cook all my meals for a week (no restaurants or fast food)
66. compliment at least one person every day for a month
67. submit at least one of my essays to at least one magazine
68. find and purchase a fantastic pair of candle sticks
69. decorate my apartment with some of my best photos from my London/Paris trip
70. travel to Vegas
71. learn to play Dance Dance Revolution well
72. give up drinking for three months
73. give up meat for a week…or at least three days
74. send out a message in a bottle
75. go three days without the internet on purpose
76. visit every art gallery in Marquette
77. own the RENT bible
78. volunteer for something I believe in
79. read at least one non-fiction book a month for a year
80. backup my hard-drive
81. add Bride and Prejudice and two other musicals to my DVD collection (accomplished 12/20/05)
82. build an emergency fund of at least $2,500
83. develop a work-out routine that I stick to for eight straight weeks at least
84. move out of the UP
85. write a fan letter and mail/email it
86. attend an opera
87. stop swearing for a week
88. travel by train
89. go on a cruise with my mom
90. run a mile without stopping, pausing or gasping for breath
91. watch more CNN
92. own all six seasons of Sex and the City
93. go one full day without complaining once
94. stop using the word “like”
95. start on career path
96. fast for a day
97. drink 8 glasses of water a day for at least two weeks straight
98. throw a non-birthday party for me and all of my friends
99. go on a vacation by myself
100. learn to take better pictures
101. ride in a limo