100 in 2010

I am a fan of the grand gesture. In some ways, you can look at this list as a grand gesture-I do it every year, even though I know that there's a decent chance I won't be able to do all of these things in the coming year. But I do it anyway. And this year I've given a fair amount of thought to that. I considered not doing the list at all, because it could be seen as setting myself up to fail. But I don't see it as a failure, and I never seriously entertained the notion of not doing it. And I think I know why. It's my way of setting goals, of articulating what I would like to do. And I need to do that periodically.

So here we are again. And this year, contained within my grand gesture is another grand gesture. I'm calling it Project Hometown Tourist. I've lived in DC for almost ten years, and the number of things I've never done, never seen, is absurd. So this year, I will do it, one thing a week whenever possible. And while I don't usually record my progress on the Big List on my blog, this part of it I will. If you'd like to accompany me in this project, just let me know.

As always, there are a few things on the list that I've chosen not to share.

100 in 2010

Project Hometown Tourist
1. Go to the top of the Washington Monument
2. Tour the White House
3. Tour the Capitol
4. Ice skate at the Sculpture Garden
5. Go to Jazz in the Garden
6. Go to Screen on the Green
7. Visit the Hirshhorn
8. Visit the Natural History Museum
9. Visit the American History Museum
10. Visit the National Portrait Gallery
11. Visit the American Art Museum
12. Visit Mount Vernon
13. Take a Duck tour
14. Visit the Anacostia Community Museum
15. Visit the Alice Paul House
16. Visit the Udvar-Hazy Center
17. Visit the Supreme Court
18. Visit the African Art Museum
19. Visit the National Museum of Crime and Punishment
20. Ride my bike along the C&O Canal
21. Visit Eastern Market
22. Visit the Museum of Women in the Arts
23. Tour the National Cathedral
24. Visit the National Building Museum
25. Go to an event at an embassy
26. Visit Brookside Gardens
27. Visit Hillwood Museum and Gardens
28. Visit the Basilica at CUA
29. Visit Meridian Hill Park to see the drum circle
30. Visit the Franciscan Monastery
31. Go to a DC Rollergirls match
32. Go to a DC United game
33. Go to First Friday in Dupont Circle
34. Visit the Corcoran
35. Visit the Phillips Collection
36. Read a book on the National Mall
37. Have drinks at a rooftop bar
38. Eat at Ben’s Chili Bowl
39. Visit the US Botanic Garden
40. Visit Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
41. Visit the Library of Congress
42. Visit the World War II Memorial
43. Visit Dumbarton Oaks
44. Visit Theodore Roosevelt Island
45. Visit the National Gallery of Art
46. Visit Arlington Cemetery
47. Visit the monuments at night
48. Attend at least one event during the Cherry Blossom Festival
49. Attend the Drag Races
50. Attend a performance at the Kennedy Center
51. Attend a play at a DC theater I’ve never visited before
52. Visit the Newseum

Professional Development/Learning/Work Related
53. Read one professional development book per month
54. Take at least three Arabic classes
55. Write two booktalks per week
56. Take an ASL class
57. Keep up with my work blog
58. Take the bus to work at least 3x per week
59. Get involved in a professional organization
60. Apply for certification in Maryland and Virginia

Home
61. Buy a house or condo
62. Plant a garden
63. Waste less food

Health/Fitness/Personal Development
64. Do yoga at least 2x per week
65. Keep a food log
66. Personal
67. Take my lunch to work at least 4x per week
68. Limit fast food to 1x per week
69. Begin attending church
70. Read the entire Bible
71. Go kayaking
72. Take lessons in a musical instrument
73. Drink 48 oz. of water daily
74. Learn to salsa
75. Try krav maga
76. Take the Mensa test
77. See a dermatologist

Financial
78. Stick to a cash-based, zero-based budget
79. Pay off credit cards
80. Put all money from extra work into my savings account
81. Roll everything into AIG account
82. Increase the amount I contribute to my IRA.
83. Write a will and a living will

Social
84. Have friends over for dinner at least 1x per month
85. Join WIN
86. Join Young Benefactors of the Smithsonian
87. Personal
88. Keep the book club going
89. Join or form a stitch and bitch group

Writing
90. Write a novel
91. Join or form a writing group
92. Post to my personal blog 2x per week
93. Write in my paper journal at least 3x per week
94. Personal

Travel
95. Visit at least two states I’ve never visited before
96. Spend time at Alexandria Bay
97. Go to Canada
98. Go camping

Environmental
99. Buy as much as possible from a farmers market
100. Start composting

99 in 2009

I downsized this year. 109 in 2009 seemed very daunting, so I scaled back to 99. Which is still daunting, but less so. It's under 100, anyway. In a day or so, I'll post a 2008 roundup, but here's a preview: I did a whole lot of nothing last year. It ain't pretty, folks.

I have great hopes for this year, however. Bring it on. Happy New Year, everyone.

Health/Personal Care

1. Develop a workout regimen.
2. Develop a skincare regimen.
3. Get braces.
4. Learn to apply makeup.
5. Ride the Sligo Creek Trail.
6. Go kayaking.
7. Ride my bike at least once a week during the months of May-September.
8. Take my lunch at least four days a week.
9. Drink 48 oz. of water daily.
10. Limit Diet Coke intake to meals.
11. Play tennis at least once.
12. Do yoga often enough for it to have a cumulative effect.
13. Go skiing.
14. Get tested for hypoglycemia.
15. Personal
16. Floss daily.

Financial

17. Cut up all credit cards except one, which will only be used for work-related purposes that will be reimbursed immediately.
18. Save at least $250 per month.
19. Pay all credit cards on time.
20. Stick to a zero-based budget.
21. Pay cash as often as possible.
22. Consolidate IRAs.
23. Do my taxes before March 1.
24. Make $2,000 during the summer.
25. Write a will and a living will.
26. Get renters insurance.

Career/Professional Development

27. Get my certification in DC
28. Apply for certification in Virginia and Maryland.
29. Take one Spanish class.
30. Take one professional development class through WTU.
31. Read one professional development book per month.
32. Plan for the week by Saturday night.
33. Get involved in a professional organization.
34. Write two booktalks per week.
35. Do not leave for the day with unshelved books.

Household

36. Hire an organizational consultant for the house.
37. Redecorate the bedroom.
38. Implement the FlyLady strategies and make a serious effort for at least a month.
39. Plant a garden and keep it tidy.
40. Rent a community garden plot and plant a vegetable garden.
41. Make sushi.
42. Make salsa.
43. Waste less food.

Travel

44. Visit Rochester.
45. Visit one state I’ve never visited before.
46. Take a road trip.
47. Visit the Thousand Islands.
48. Go camping.
49. Visit Chapel House at Colgate University.

Personal/Social

50. Have friends over to visit at least once a month.
51. Plan a wine club meeting for at least ten months of the year.
52. Join WIN.
53. Join the Young Benefactors of the Smithsonian.
54. Send birthday cards.
55. Send Christmas cards.
56. Have all Christmas shopping finished by December 1st.
57. Personal
58. Read the entire Bible.
59. Attend church services from four different denominations.
60. Take lessons in a musical instrument.
61. Write a novel.

Environmental

62. January - Use a reusable bag for all purchases.
63. February - Begin recycling at work.
64. March - Eat vegetarian three nights a week.
65. April - Take public transportation to work at least twice per week.
66. May - Plant vegetables.
67. June - Plant a tree.
68. July - Develop a strategy for recycling more.
69. August - Eat locally for one week.
70. September - Buy as much as possible from farmers markets.
71. October - Eliminate all single-serving food purchases.
72. November - Switch to environmentally friendly cleaning products.
73. December - Calculate my carbon footprint and develop a strategy for reducing it further

Culture and Local Attractions

74. Go to the top of the Washington Monument
75. Take a tour of the White House
76. Tour the Holocaust Museum
77. Visit Mount Vernon
78. Visit Harpers Ferry
79. Go to a movie at the AFI Silver Theatre
80. Take a duck tour
81. Attend an event at the Kennedy Center
82. Attend a formal gala
83. Go to a DC United game
84. Go to a Nationals game.
85. Got to a Capitals game.
86. Visit the Anacostia Community Museum.
87. Try a new restaurant (January)
88. Try a new restaurant (February)
89. Try a new restaurant (March)
90. Try a new restaurant (April)
91. Try a new restaurant (May)
92. Try a new restaurant (June)
93. Try a new restaurant (July)
94. Try a new restaurant (August)
95. Try a new restaurant (September)
96. Try a new restaurant (October)
97. Try a new restaurant (November)
98. Try a new restaurant (December)
99. Go stargazing.

2008: The Big List

Here we go again...Happy New Year, everyone.

Personal Care
1. Develop a skincare regimen
2. Wear a bikini
3. Learn how to apply makeup
4. Make a sincere effort to introduce more calm into my life
5. Walk a labyrinth

Environmental Goals
6. January - Use a reusable bag for all purchases
7. February - Stop drinking bottled water
8. March - Eat only organic meat
9. April - Take public transportation to work at least twice per week
10. May - Plant and harvest vegetables
11. June - Plant a tree
12. July - Develop a strategy for recycling more
13. August - Eat locally for one week
14. September - Buy as much as possible from farmers markets
15. October - Eliminate all single-serving food purchases
16. November - Use environmentally friendly cleaning products
17. December - Calculate my carbon footprint and develop a strategy for reducing it further

Career/Professional Development
18. Wake up at five a.m. on work days
19. Read one professional development book per month
20. Plan for the week each weekend
21. Do not leave work for the weekend with unshelved books
22. Complete my Masters degree as close to a 4.0 GPA as humanly possible
23. Attend ALA midwinter meeting
24. Attend ALA annual conference
25. Write three booktalks per week

Culture and Local Attractions
26. Go to the top of the Washington Monument
27. Take a tour of the White House
28. Tour the Holocaust Museum
29. Visit Haines Point before they move the statue
30. Visit Mount Vernon
31. Visit Harpers Ferry
32. Go to a movie at the AFI Silver Theatre
33. Take a duck tour
34. See the cherry blossoms in bloom
35. Attend an event at the Kennedy Center
36. Attend a formal gala
37. Go to a DC United game
38. Go to the National Arboretum
39. Try a new restaurant (January)
40. Try a new restaurant (February)
41. Try a new restaurant (March)
42. Try a new restaurant (April)
43. Try a new restaurant (May)
44. Try a new restaurant (June)
45. Try a new restaurant (July)
46. Try a new restaurant (August)
47. Try a new restaurant (September)
48. Try a new restaurant (October)
49. Try a new restaurant (November)
50. Try a new restaurant (December)

Health and Fitness
51. Do the Billy Goat Trail at least once
52. Go kayaking at least twice during the summer
53. Ride my bike twice a week during the months of May-September
54. Use the pool twice a week during the summer
55. Eat breakfast every morning
56. Drink 48 oz. of water every day
57. Take my lunch at least four days per week
58. Participate in the Patuxent River Rural Legacy Ride on June 7
59. Join Weight Watchers
60. Do yoga often enough for it to have a cumulative effect
61. Floss regularly enough that my dentist stops yelling at me
62. Ski at least once
63. Reduce my Diet Coke intake by half
64. Ride the Sligo Creek Trail
65. Learn to salsa
66. Play tennis three times

Household
67. Refinish coffee table
68. Refinish end tables
69. Cook at least once a week; actually use the cooking blog this time
70. Keep a clean house
71. Plant a flower garden
72. Tame the roses
73. Buy new curtains
74. Make sushi
75. Make salsa
76. Organize closets

Financial
77. Read Suze Orman's book and implement her strategies
78. Roll everything into AIG account
79. Do my taxes before March 1
80. Pay off two credit cards
81. Cut up all credit cards except one
82. Have $2000 in my savings account by the end of the year
83. Get a summer job that makes at least $300/week
84. Start a financial log
85. Beginning in April, put $50 away per month for holiday shopping
86. Do not eat out for one month. Each time I have the urge, put $5 into a "reward fund." At the end of the month, spend the money on whatever I want.
87. Write a will
88. Sell CDs
89. Get renters insurance
90. Sleep on any purchase over $20
91. Set up automatic deposits into my savings account
92. Begin making student loan payments no later than March

Travel
93. Take a vacation that requires a passport
94. Go camping
95. Go to the beach
96. Visit Rochester
97. Go away for the weekend by myself
98. Visit Chapel House at Colgate University
99. Visit the Thousand Islands

Reading
100. Read the entire Bible
101. Read a book on the beach
102. Read a book on the National Mall
103. Read all of my shelf-sitters
104. Keep up with my reading journal

Misc.
105. Work on a political campaign
106. Plot out a novel
107. Get my oil changed on time
108. Use my Palm Pilot to get organized, or develop another method

2007: How I Did

This is how I did on my Annual Big List. Not great, but not terrible. I had a lot of trouble with momentum this year; for the first six months I was miserable because of my work situation, so I didn't do anything, for the next two months I was broke because I quit my job, and for the last four months I was exhausted because of my new job. There are a lot of things on this list that I should have done but didn't, and I'm trying to make next year's list more manageable.

Personal Development
1. Make a sincere effort to introduce more calm into my life Sort of. I think I'm calmer, but I can't point to a specific reason.
2. Find a church I like; attend as needed Nope.
3. Personal No, damnit.
4. See my work in print under my own name, either in hard copy or online No. I wrote this and this, among other things, but as you can see, I got none of the credit.
5. Personal No.
6. Write a first draft of a novel, no matter how much it sucks No.
7. Take public transportation as often as possible No.
8. Write a letter to someone No.
9. Sew something No.

Household
10. Find an apartment I truly like Not an apartment, per se, but I found an awesome living situation.
11. Cook one new thing each week; record in the cooking blog I set up and have hardly used No.
12. Cook one good thing from each cookbook, or throw it away No.
13. Make sushi No.
14. Give the FlyLady method a serious effort for at least one month No.
15. Do not leave dishes sitting in the sink overnight Hahahaha.
16. Have a completely clean house on the 1st of every month Um, no.
17. Personal Nope.
18. Have a completely clean car on the 1st of every month Yeah, right.
19. Get my car washed every other month Nope
20. Buy my produce at a farmers' market as often as possible No.
21. Buy local whenever possible I did ok with this, but not great. I tended to buy locally only when it was convenient instead of going out of my way to do it. I plan to do better next year.
22. Plant an herb garden Yes, but I need to choose my herbs more carefully next year. The basil was delicious, but who the hell needs that much parsley?
23. Go antiquing Yep. Didn't buy anything, though.
24. Make Christmas cookies Yes, three times.
25. Put up and decorate a Christmas tree Yes. The first project of the new year is to take said tree back down.

Career/Education
26. Find a new job or make peace with the one I've got Done, thank God.
27. Get organized at work and stay that way Yeah, right.
28. Re-join WIN Not yet, but I still plan to do this.
29. Go to bed by 11 p.m. on work nights This was marginal, at best.
30. Be on time to work every day I did terribly at this for the first half of the year, then I found a job where punctuality is mandatory. I've been late once or twice, but I've been doing really well on this one.
31. Take six classes and get As in at least four I took seven classes and got As in six.
32. Have all class assignments done two days before the due date Yeah, right.
33. Do all reading for every class Did I mention that a couple of those classes were pointless and stupid?

Culture
34. Try a new restaurant (January) Kelsey's Irish Pub
35. Try a new restaurant (February) Buca Di Beppo
36. Try a new restaurant (March) Asian Bistro
37. Try a new restaurant (April) No.
38. Try a new restaurant (May) Faryab
39. Try a new restaurant (June) Olney Grille
40. Try a new restaurant (July) No.
41. Try a new restaurant (August) Ardeo
42. Try a new restaurant (September) Pizzeria Paradiso
43. Try a new restaurant (October) No.
44. Try a new restaurant (November) No.
45. Try a new restaurant (December) Pho Real
46. Get my Netflix queue below 200 Not even close.
47. Go to a play I went to see Wicked at the Hippodrome as part of my Christmas present from my parents. I highly recommend it.
48. Go to an event at the Kennedy Center
49. Attend a formal gala I knocked out #s 48 and 49 at the same time by going to a formal gala at the Kennedy Center. Microsoft may be the evil empire, but they throw one hell of a party.
50. Go to an art museum I poked my head into one of the Smithsonian art museums, but I don't think you can really call this one done.
51. Attend a classical music concert I saw an awesome show at Strathmore; they played The Wizard of Oz on a screen above the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the orchestra played the entire score.
52. Join the Young Benefactors of the Smithsonian Not yet, but I do intend to do this.
53. Take a duck tour No, for like the fourth year in a row.

Financial
54. Pay off all of my credit cards I paid off one, and another is close.
55. Stick to a strict budget No.
56. Record all money spent No.
57. Roll my Fidelity plan over into the new IRA No, but I now have an actual financial advisor who is hounding me to do this, so it's on the menu for early next year.
58. Have my taxes done by March 1 Yep.
59. Deposit my tax refund directly into my IRA No. However, I did spend it wisely, splitting it between a financial cushion and credit cards.
60. Have $400 in my vacation fund by the end of the year I actually did away with the vacation fund altogether.
61. Withdraw money for the week on Mondays; do not use debit card No.
62. Personal No.
63. Continue to make regular payments on my student loans despite the deferral No.
64. Personal Yep.
65. Personal Yep.
66. Do not use my credit cards at all, except for automatic payments that must be paid off every month Oh, yeah right.
67. Make three charitable donations this year I think I made one.
68. Personal No.
69. Personal Not practical.

Reading
70. Read four short stories per week. No.
71. Read a book on the beach Yes.
72. Read the entire Bible No.
73. January/February Classic: Pride and Prejudice No.
74. March/April Classic: Vanity Fair No.
75. May/June Classic: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court No.
76. July/August Classic: Dubliners No.
77. September/October Classic: Frankenstein No.
78. November/December Classic: Don Quixote No. And this one pisses me off, because I was determined to finish it before the end of the year, it was really getting interesting...and I lost it. It's somewhere in my house and I can't for the life of me find it. How do you lose a book that size? It weighs as much as a brick!
79. Read the ALA's 2007 Notable Books Not a one. I did read several of the Notable Children's Books, however.
80. Read all of the Persephone books I own Not a one.
81. Buy four more Persephone books I told myself that I wasn't allowed to buy any more until I read the ones that I have, so...

Health/Fitness
82. Get dental insurance Yes.
83. Handle my most pressing dental issues Yes.
84. Take my lunch at least 4 days a week I had good weeks and bad weeks, but altogether I take my lunch far more often than I used to.
85. Limit eating out to once per week Not even close.
86. Go to the gym at least once a week No.
87. Kayak three times this summer O. and I went once.
88. Buy a bike Yep.
89. Personal No.
90. Wear a size 8 Not even close.
91. Ski at least once No, but this is in the plans for early next year, when I chaperone the ski club trip.
92. Play tennis three times No.

Personal Care
93. Learn how to apply makeup No, for at least the fourth year.
94. Wear a bikini I wish.
95. Personal No.
96. Find "my" perfume No.
97. Develop a skincare regimen that I stick to religiously No, but I need to do this next year, before I start looking like a wrinkly old woman.
98. Get a haircut at least every three months No.
99. Get professionally fitted for a bra Yes. I got poked and prodded by an old lady with a measuring tape, and I finally have one that fits.
100. Personal No.
101. Get a massage Yes, twice!
102. Get a facial Yes, twice!

Travel
103. Go away for the weekend by myself No.
104. Spend a weekend at the beach I spent a day at the beach...didn't quite make a weekend.
105. Visit two states I've never been to before I visited Ohio. And technically I visited Massachusetts, but I flew in, spent four hours in a meeting, and flew back out. I saw only what I could see between the airport and Cambridge from the window of the cab, so I'm not counting it.
106. Go camping No, but the number of people who have told me that they want to do this strongly suggests that it will be done next year.
107. Visit Rochester twice I made it once.

I'm looking forward to next year. I think it's going to be an awesome one.

107 in 2007

I started this ritual in 2004--rather than making New Year's resolutions, I make a list of things to do in the coming year. That way, it's less of an ongoing thing and more something I can stretch out over the full year. In 2004, it was 104 things. In 2005, 105. And so on.

This year, I mentioned my list at a New Year's Eve party, and many people expressed interest in it; therefore I decided to post it here. I don't really intend to keep a running tally of completed items on my blog; I do this in my paper journal, but I may post a round-up at the end of the year.

That is, if we haven't all moved on to the next big thing. I mean, really. MySpace is so 2006. (Kidding.)


Personal Development
1. Make a sincere effort to introduce more calm into my life
2. Find a church I like; attend as needed
3. Personal
4. See my work in print under my own name, either in hard copy or online
5. Personal
6. Write a first draft of a novel, no matter how much it sucks
7. Take public transportation as often as possible
8. Write a letter to someone
9. Sew something

Household
10. Find an apartment I truly like
11. Cook one new thing each week; record in the cooking blog I set up and have hardly used
12. Cook one good thing from each cookbook, or throw it away
13. Make sushi
14. Give the FlyLady method a serious effort for at least one month
15. Do not leave dishes sitting in the sink overnight
16. Have a completely clean house on the 1st of every month
17. Personal
18. Have a completely clean car on the 1st of every month
19. Get my car washed every other month
20. Buy my produce at a farmers' market as often as possible
21. Buy local whenever possible
22. Plant an herb garden
23. Go antiquing
24. Make Christmas cookies
25. Put up and decorate a Christmas tree

Career/Education
26. Find a new job or make peace with the one I've got
27. Get organized at work and stay that way
28. Re-join WIN
29. Go to bed by 11 p.m. on work nights
30. Be on time to work every day
31. Take six classes and get As in at least four
32. Have all class assignments done two days before the due date
33. Do all reading for every class

Culture
34. Try a new restaurant (January)
35. Try a new restaurant (February)
36. Try a new restaurant (March)
37. Try a new restaurant (April)
38. Try a new restaurant (May)
39. Try a new restaurant (June)
40. Try a new restaurant (July)
41. Try a new restaurant (August)
42. Try a new restaurant (September)
43. Try a new restaurant (October)
44. Try a new restaurant (November)
45. Try a new restaurant (December)
46. Get my Netflix queue below 200
47. Go to a play
48. Go to an event at the Kennedy Center
49. Attend a formal gala
50. Go to an art museum
51. Attend a classical music concert
52. Join the Young Benefactors of the Smithsonian
53. Take a duck tour

Financial
54. Pay off all of my credit cards
55. Stick to a strict budget
56. Record all money spent
57. Roll my Fidelity plan over into the new IRA
58. Have my taxes done by March 1
59. Deposit my tax refund directly into my IRA
60. Have $400 in my vacation fund by the end of the year
61. Withdraw money for the week on Mondays; do not use debit card
62. Personal
63. Continue to make regular payments on my student loans despite the deferral
64. Personal
65. Personal
66. Do not use my credit cards at all, except for automatic payments that must be paid off every month
67. Make three charitable donations this year
68. Personal
69. Personal

Reading
70. Read four short stories per week.
71. Read a book on the beach
72. Read the entire Bible
73. January/February Classic: Pride and Prejudice
74. March/April Classic: Vanity Fair
75. May/June Classic: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
76. July/August Classic: Dubliners
77. September/October Classic: Frankenstein
78. November/December Classic: Don Quixote
79. Read the ALA's 2007 Notable Books
80. Read all of the Persephone books I own
81. Buy four more Persephone books

Health/Fitness
82. Get dental insurance
83. Handle my most pressing dental issues
84. Take my lunch at least 4 days a week
85. Limit eating out to once per week
86. Go to the gym at least once a week
87. Kayak three times this summer
88. Buy a bike
89. Personal
90. Wear a size 8
91. Ski at least once
92. Play tennis three times

Personal Care
93. Learn how to apply makeup
94. Wear a bikini
95. Personal
96. Find "my" perfume
97. Develop a skincare regimen that I stick to religiously
98. Get a haircut at least every three months
99. Get professionally fitted for a bra
100. Personal
101. Get a massage
102. Get a facial

Travel
103. Go away for the weekend by myself
104. Spend a weekend at the beach
105. Visit two states I've never been to before
106. Go camping
107. Visit Rochester twice