101 in 1001: List Five

from Day Zero Project (aka "101 in 1001 Days")

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).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Start Date: September 20, 2018
End Date: June 17, 2021

* Completed tasks will be crossed out.
* Tasks in progress will be in bold (so I can keep track of them easily).
* Incomplete tasks will be left as is.

My 101
1. Leave an inspirational note inside a book for someone to find
2. Take a cruise
3. Start a genealogy blog
4. Bring my laptop in for repair (4/19/19)
5. Complete the 2018 NaNoWriMo challenge
6. Complete the 2019 NaNoWriMo challenge
7. Complete the 2020 NaNoWriMo challenge
8. Finish a Work in Progress
9. Read 50 books (audio books count)
10. Start an IRA
11. Make a short film
12. Go apple picking
13. Renew my passport
14. Get my permit
15. Take the MENSA test
16. Learn to cook something
17. Host a tea party
18. Meet 5 new people
19. Visit 5 places in New England I've never been to before (0/5)
20. Attend a film festival
21. Participate in a charity event
22. Get certified in CPR
23. Complete all the items on this list (11/101)
24. Pay off one credit card
25. Keep a diary for a year
26. Go on a road trip
27. Get an article published in a magazine or newspaper
28. Keep a journal for this Day Zero Project (journal started on 9/22/18)
29. Attend the Portuguese Festival (Madeira Fest) in New Bedford
30. Spend 45 days without going online (doesn't have to be consecutive) (0/45)
31. Visit the Peabody Essex Museum
32. Finish "Who Killed Robert Prentice?" by Dennis Wheatley
33. Do 10 Random Acts of Kindness (8/10)
34. Complete 25 creative writing prompts from Toasted Cheese (0/25)
35. Visit Coney Island
36. Visit Old Orchard Beach, ME
37. Donate 100 items to charity (43/100)
38. Participate in an armchair treasure hunt
39. Do the Walk to Rivendell Challenge within the timeframe of 1000 days
40. Attend the 2018 Boston Book Festival
41. Write 30 blogs posts (14/30)
42. Visit a city or town I've never been to
43. Get reacquainted with my local library
44. Host a game night
45. Make 5 things inspired by Pinterest (1/5)
46. See 5 movies in the theater (0/5)
47. Try 10 new things, no matter how small (10/10)
48. Visit LaSalette
49. Visit Canada
50. Visit Rockport again
51. Try audiobook narration
52. See one of Beanie's games or performances
53. Take a tour of the Boston Public Library
54. Take Beanie to Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
55. From Learning to Love You More Assignment #53: Give advice to yourself in the past
56. Post the result of something inspired by The Soul Food Café
57. Create 10 new items for my Etsy shop
58. Make a list of 101 quotes that inspire me (0/101)
59. Identify 100 Things That Make Me Happy
60. Organize dad's photos into an album
61. Lose 20 lbs (7/20)
62. Write a letter to myself to be opened when the 1001 days are over
63. Make a list of 50 places I'd like to visit in my lifetime
64. Be able to do 10 pushups
65. Send a query to a literary agent
66. Make a bucket list (100 things I want to do before I die)
67. Purchase a first aid kit for home
68. Answer the "50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind"
69. Finish writing another 101 things before the end of the 1001 days
70. Finish the list of books I own (LibraryThing)
71. Be an extra in a movie
72. Take Beanie on the ferry to Salem
73. Make a family history book
74. Go on a day hike
75. Do Escape the Room
76. Do 5 Wits
77. See a live flamenco performance again
78. Attend a formal dress event
79. Try foods from five different cultures or countries (0/5)
80. Take a surfing lesson
81. Go to a show at the Norwood Theater
82. Visit my dad at least 5 times (0/5)
83. Say "hello" to and/or smile at 20 strangers
84. Participate in the 21 Day Challenge to becoming a better you
85. Create a nice looking pedigree chart for myself
86. Create a nice looking descendency chart from whichever family I choose
87. Research at least 4 generations back on Beanie's side
88. Participate in MoreLoveLetters.com
89. Say "yes" to something I would not normally do
90. Take the train to Washington, D.C. to see the cherry blossoms
91. Bake chocolate chip cookies
92. Make ice cream from scratch
93. Bake some scones
94. Learn something new
95. Finish visual phasing of my siblings and my DNA
96. Go to a festival
97. Go to a concert
98. Learn calligraphy
9. Complete the 52 Week Money Challenge (52/52)
100. Put $10 into my savings for every completed item on this list (13/101)
101. Take 5 continuing education or enrichment courses (5/5)

Tasks Remaining: 89

** previous lists
list one
list two
list three
list four

My 2011 Review - The Good, The Awesome, The Bad, The Ugly

In no particular order, here are some of 2011's highlights:

* major face failure in January; one year later, and I’m still haunted by the mystery person
* I took a chance. Twice. Both times it paid off in the short run but not the long run. I don’t regret taking either chance at all. :)
* I sold a lot (for me) on etsy. :) Unfortunately I didn’t make enough new items to sell. All my crafting/creating plans seemed doomed to remain .. unfinished.
* Walk for Hunger! :)
* reconnected with old friends :)
* made a new friend :)
* met new people :)
* attended a film screening for P7D :)
* said goodbye to NHS
* went hiking on Blue Hills :)
* realized I was falling into the old oubliette/limbo/holding patterns and tried unsuccessfully to break the patterns before it was too late
* spent too much time online
* my writing suffered; it was basically nonexistent for 2011
* got my copy of P7D! :)
* gave up coffee for awhile :) but drank too much coffee for the remainder of the year
* got into a Facebook habit in February because I had a reason to play on there
* long walks in the nice weather :)
* went on an actual date (go me!) :)
* failed NaNoWriMo
* enjoyed the beautiful weather as much as possible :)
* realized early on that my crush wasn’t crushing on me after all and that he was just being nice because he’s a nice person; of course, it didn’t make the realization any easier and so I lived in hope & denial for a while; “Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.” (Charlie Brown)
* saw a movie at Legacy Place (holy cow! that place is big!)
* was disappointed to discover I wasn’t as high on someone’s friend list as I thought I had been and spent too much time trying to figure out if I was a friend, a sometimes friend or just an acquaintance
* was amazed to meet someone who was actually excited to spend time with me :)
* was called cute (yay!) :)
* Duck Tour! :)
* visited with family, including a visit with my Dad :)
* Found two pairs of pants that actually fit! :)
* Joined PostCrossing :)
* Got some pen pals! :)
* won a gift basket :)
* had a visit from Missy :)
* NYC! :)
* was beyond tired (exhausted!) in the beginning of the year and in the end of the year
* had lasagna (December) :)
* too many strange, random comments made to me than I can recall
* 101 in 1001 failure! but I made a new list so it’s all good
* cancer in the family .. again :(
* R.I.P. Ray LaPierre - December 23, 2011 - sad Christmas :(

I think that was pretty much it.

101 in 1001: List Three

from Day Zero (aka "101 in 1001 days")

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).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Start Date: Saturday, September 10, 2011
End Date: Saturday, June 7, 2014

* Completed tasks will be crossed out.
* Tasks in process will be in bold (so I can keep track of them easily).
* Incomplete tasks will be left as is.

My 101

1. Attend Dragon*Con.
2. Get my driver's permit.
3. Get my driver's license.
4. Take three continuing education or enrichment courses. (0/3)
5. Read 50 books. (4/50)
6. Start an IRA.
7. Try one new thing every month, no matter how small, for at least six months. (The months don’t have to be consecutive.) (6/6)
8. Take a cruise.
9. Complete the 2011 NaNoWriMo challenge. (Fail!)
10. Complete the 2012 NaNoWriMo challenge. (Fail!)
11. Complete the 2013 NaNoWriMo challenge.
12. Bring my laptop in for repair.
13. Submit one of my finished stories somewhere for publication.
14. Finish a WIP.
15. Make a short film.
16. Submit the film to at least three festivals. (0/3)
17. Participate in at least three projects/events in the local/New England film community. (0/3)
18. Organize Ella photos.
19. Finish the list of books I own.
20. Sell 10 items on ebay. (5/10)
21. Identify 100 things that make me happy.
22. Complete at least two things off my 43 Things list. (0/2)
23. Post the result of something inspired by The Soul Food Cafe.
24. Spend three days without once going online. (0/3)
25. Write 10 actual letters (not an email or a card). (10/10)
26. Go apple picking.
27. See five movies in the theater. (5/5)
28. From Learning to Love You More assignment #53: Give advice to yourself in the past.
29. From Learning to Love You More assignment #3: Make a documentary video about a small child.
30. Renew my passport.
31. Answer the "50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind."
32. Dye my hair.
33. Make a bucket list (100 things I want to do before I die).
34. Travel to Nova Scotia.
35. Participate in a charity event (other than/in addition to The Walk for Hunger)
36. Attend the Portuguese Festival in New Bedford.
37. Go on a day hike. (10/8/11)
38. Try 10 new (to me) flavored teas. These 10 tea flavors do not count toward goal #7. (1/10)
39. Participate (unofficially) in the Walk to Rivendell challenge.
40. Visit the Cloisters in NYC.
41. Visit Coney Island.
42. Re-certify in CPR.
43. Purchase a first aid kit for home.
44. List 25 new items in my etsy shop. (25/25)
45. Get my hair cut.
46. Make a little "movie" with my niece.
47. Visit the Peabody Essex Museum.
48. Visit Rockport again.
49. Visit Martha's Vineyard again.
50. Visit Nantucket.
51. Visit Newburyport.
52. Visit P-Town again.
53. Visit Georges Island again.
54. Participate in the 26 Things meme.
55. Write an article (on any topic) and submit to at least one publication of some sort (online or off). (0/2)
56. Take the MENSA test. (I'd say "join MENSA," but that assumes I'll automatically pass the test. haha)
57. Learn to cook something.
58. Go without caffeine for 30 days (doesn't have to be consecutive). (30/30)
59. Meet five new people. (4/5)
60. Go on 3 dates. (real dates, not these casual hanging out things I usually do) (3/3)
61. Attend a film festival.
62. Attend an author event of some sort.
63. Make an appointment with my PCP.
64. Start an art journal and work on it at least three times. (0/4)
65. Write in diary/journal at least ten times. (0/10)
66. Post at least 20 times in one of my blogs/online journals. A blog entry elsewhere (guest blogger, etc.) is fine, too. (20/20)
67. Participate in at least three online memes (LJ, writing memes, photo memes, art memes, etc.) Facebook-only memes do not count. (0/3)
68. Add 10 items to my zazzle stores. (3/10)
69. Watch a film I haven't seen before which has won Best Picture.
70. Finish "Who Killed Robert Prentice?" by Dennis Wheatley.
71. Put $10 into savings for every completed item on this list. (3/101)
72. Go to a concert.
73. Make a treasure map for my niece to follow.
74. Do a craft project with my niece.
75. Buy a pedometer for my niece.
76. Participate in Book Crossing at least once.
77. Participate in PostCrossing at least once.
78. Get a pen pal. (I used to have several!)
79. See a play or musical.
80. Get a book agent.
81. Do 10 random acts of kindness. (1/10)
82. Send 10 postcards to 10 different people.
83. Take a tour of the Day House.
84. Do a good deed.
85. Have lunch with an old or new friend. (12/30/11)
86. Complete 20 creative writing prompts from Toasted Cheese. (0/20)
87. Go to Castle Island.
88. Visit 5 places in New England I've never been to before. (0/5)
89. Go on a picnic. (4/16/12)
90. Do 30 continuous sit-ups.
91. Attend a live music performance.
92. Try contact lenses again.
93. Take my niece on a carriage ride.
94. Go on a harbor cruise or take a ferry ride somewhere.
95. Try a new place for breakfast (eating out).
96. Don't log into Facebook for a week.
97. Attend a barbecue.
98. Visit La Salette.
99. Explore Bird Park.
100. Complete all the items on this list.
101. Start another 101 things to do when the 1001 days near their end.

Days Left: 282
Tasks Remaining: 79

** previous lists:
list 2
list 1

Dabbling in Dolls

As promised I put three Halloween keychains up. You can see them here. The fourth keychain is in its own section. I decided not to add it to the Halloweeny things. You can see that here.

Now for my bookmark experiments with Lisa's Altered Art!

Using her adorable sheets, I made some paper doll bookmarks. This first one is laminated. Her arms are static, but her legs move.






On the back is a quote from Lewis Carroll's Queen from Alice in Wonderland.
"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."


This one has moveable arms, and her legs are static. She is not laminated but coated with Modge Podge as a sealant.




She has a quote from Aesop's Fables on the back.
"No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted."


And I have some more if you'd like to see them. Please feel free to share any thoughts you have. Comments are welcome and encouraged. Thanks so much!

Crafty Things

Well, I didn't get much writing done the other night. Instead I worked on some Halloweeny keychains for the etsy shop.

The following photos aren't the greatest. I need to take some better pics of each keychain individually to use for the shop. For now, though, here's a preview.

one side:


the other side:


two more views of the same thing:
and

Click on any of the pictures to see a bigger version. Once I have taken the nice photos and am ready to post to EstellaDawn, I'll post a link.

I also made a few things with artwork from Lisa's Altered Art. I'm having fun experimenting with her stuff and will probably post some of what I made here for feedback if anyone wants to give me some. :)

What Remains Undone

When I got home Saturday after work, I'd planned to do the following:
1. have fun making keychains and ornaments
2. put some things up for sale on ebay
3. upload some things to etsy
4. revise and edit 2008 nanonovel (1st chapter)
5. work on Lesson 15 in Holly Lisle's HTTS course (one of the skipped lessons)
6. work on preplotting for a possible 2009 nanonovel (which I might just start on now & not wait until November)
7. come up with another 2009 nanonovel idea (assuming I start in on #6 above - which I really want to)
8. sift through some more clothes to add to the ever growing Goodwill bag
9. call Discover and let them know that I received my new card
10. call Verizon and finally get my sister's phone taken off my account
11. review supplies & see what needs to be reordered
12. finish a book I started in March
13. laundry
14. answer emails
15. write my Dad
and somewhere in there shopping with my mom because I promised

Instead this weekend I've
1. done my laundry
2. talked with sis
3. played with Bean
4. watched a Strawberry Shortcake movie with Bean
5. gone shopping with my mom

I'm going through emails, dumping many. I've yet to answer some. I'll write my Dad next then return to writing things. At least some of the items off the list can be checked off.

Days Off Should Be Required Every Week

Thursday and Friday were days off for me. Yay for sanity! Boo for next week's pay check. ;) If only I could afford the sad paycheck, I would opt for sanity every time. Anyway, I finally got myself a new library card. (#32 of 101 in 1001? Check!) I did that Thursday after running errands and going for a nice walk but before the Bean was dropped off for a sleepover.

On Friday, we'd intended to attend St. Anthony's Festival in the North End, and Bean wanted to join us, but it turned out the festivities wouldn't start 'til 7pm. Much too late for Bean. So we had a little walk along the waterfront instead. Unfortunately, the Bean wasn't up to it so we couldn't do much. She did have a wonderful time, though, running up and down some stairs, admiring some yachts, watching one of the ferries turn around, gazing at the harbor seals and then riding the carousel. She also tried some chicken terriyaki and decided she wanted that for lunch instead of a hot dog. :) At one point my mom's hat flew off her head and made its way to the middle of Atlantic Ave. A very nice man went out to retrieve it for her. My mom commented that he was a gentleman, and the Bean agreed that he was kind before she decided my mom was in love with the gentleman and wanted him to be my mom's boyfriend. Beanie declared it was all very romantic. :)

Today Bean's at a playdate but should be returning soon. Later, after all the playing is done, I'll probably write a bit (working on those spies!) and continue with Halloween items (bookmarks, most likely) for Estella Dawn. One thing I won't be doing is thinking about work. Not openly anyway. Monday is going to be an awful mess in more ways than one. (Oh, yes! and one man commented to me today that my printing is smaller than a typewritten word. Yeah, somewhere in my adult life my penmanship went seriously downhill, and I often have to fit so much info. in small spaces on forms or in notebooks at work. I think my dad calls my writing "scritchy." *g*)

Gipseian References? Not really, but I wanted to stick the word in there

Jonathan Field's new CD "Drift" is available on CD Baby. Go there now to have a listen. :)

I planned to work on Halloween themed things this weekend for the etsy shop, but I need some more items. My trip to the Dollar Tree wasn't as successful as I'd hoped. No Halloween trimmings, stickers or other things I was hoping for. There were no larger paintbrushes either, just the small ones like the one I already have. Nice for detail, but it leaves streaks when I apply the Modge Podge on things. I wanted to purchase an inexpensive, larger brush and experiment with that. Oh well. Maybe I'll try the hardware store next time?

By the way, I've adopted the word gipseian.
adj. belonging or pertaining to gypsies
This is why I stuck the word, rather poorly, in the title there of this blog post. The idea is to adopt a particular word and promise to use it in converstation, etc., as much as possible so it doesn't completely fade away from existence. I'm tired right now so that's the best I can do at this moment ..
Adopt your own word at www.savethewords.org!

That word makes me want to try Sevillanas again. *g*

Via Mo Ryan, it's the Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks. Funny stuff. :)

All the Things I've Yet to Post About

A month has past, and still I haven't posted what I meant to. I'd gone to NY the weekend of March 23 for filming of Passengers of 7D. I meant to post about that, both here and at Beanywood. I will post about it .. at some point.

I've also created a Second Life account and ventured in there a few times after reading about Michelle's adventures at Juiced on Writing. I haven't been there much, but I definitely want to post about what's happened so far. I also have some pictures, including one of me as a glowing blob. I spent the first two or three days in SL as a glowing blob. And then for awhile, after I was finally able to see myself, I discovered I was wearing a box. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of me wearing the box. ;)

Some day soon I'll post about that as well.

Currently I'm watching "A Little Princess," making bookmarks and wondering about getting a table for the yard sale & bake sale at the Day House. I'm also reading up on affiliates and trying to motivate myself to get back to editing my nanonovel. I'm still following the Think Sideways course, and I see so many things I need to rewrite. I have all the edit notes taken, but I want to follow the course in order and realized I skipped some things which require me to go back, do all the excercises. Every time I read through the lessons, I feel hopeful and excited. :)

And, of course, I'm almost at my goal for The Walk for Hunger on May 3 and must start fundraising for AIDS Walk Boston on June 7. :)

NaNoWriMo Prep and Working on my 101: #33 & #2

In preparation of NaNoWriMo, I'm attempting to get a few things done before November madness hits. Part of that is plotting out my 2008 nanovel (#33 on my 101 in 1001 list). Holly's course How to Think Sideways is a big part of that. In fact, my idea for this year's nanonovel is an idea generated from the course (lightning struck!). It will be a young adult novel like last year's attempt, but it's not a fantasy novel. It's more of a mystery which is a little different than anything I've tried before so I'm excited to get started on it.

Another part of my preparation is working on the EstellaDawn web site (#2 on my 101 in 1001 list). I've promised T. to have at least one version this weekend for her to check out. I'm hoping to have more than one version completed this weekend. Hopefully she'll like one of them, and then I'll simply tweak it a bit and upload to the server. Although the site has nothing to do with NaNoWriMo, finishing it will be a nice accomplishment and one less thing to worry about in November.

Lastly, although not official NaNo prep work, I'm heading in town tomorrow with Jo for a Boston NaNoWriMo Meet & Greet. It should be lots of fun!