Thing 53

May. 30th, 2016 03:36 pm
just_the_things: (Fandom)
53. Watch the rest of the First Doctor’s episodes

It's taken me a LONG time to make it through these episodes. I started years ago when I still had Blockbuster Online and was mailing discs back and forth. This month, I finally finished all the episodes I'd missed and the ones I hadn't yet gotten to. There were so many interesting moments I'm glad to have finally seen. New companions (I may have teared up when Barbara and Chesterton left), hilarious moments (the doctor hiding inside an empty Dalek!), plenty of interesting bad guys (the monk, the toy maker, cybermen for the first time!), and lots of adventures through time and space. There were definitely some stories I enjoyed more than others, but I'm definitely glad to have watched them all! The first doctor was quite a character. He had a good balance of wisdom and humor, but I got a little tired of his insults and belittling; it's no wonder he went through so many companions. Sometimes his laugh annoyed me, other times it amused me. But I especially liked his relationship with Susan; he was so believably protective of her. I also liked Steven and Dodo; I wish Dodo had lasted a little longer.



List of Episodes )

Thing 53

May. 25th, 2014 06:43 pm
just_the_things: (Personal)
53. Create 2 digital scrapbook pages

Took me two days, 8 different pieces of software, and some deciding what to make pages of... but I finally did this! I bought two HP photo books from woot.com years ago and had never done anything with them. I kept researching how to do digital scrapbooks, and nothing I came up with worked for me; it was either too expensive or not the right size for the photo book. This was on my second list (to make 10 pages) and I kept getting overwhelmed by it, not having any idea what to do or where to even start. So this time around, I changed the goal to only 2, knowing that the hard part was going to be setup.

And it was. The software that came with the books won't run on my Windows 8 machine. The new version of the software (3.5) wouldn't install. I finally found version 3.7 and got that installed. However, it only came with 3 templates and a button for downloading more. When I clicked that button, it sent me to a page not found webpage. Google search found other URLs, all of which didn't work. So I tried downloading other software packages. None of those worked the way I wanted or had really limited template choices (and no design-your-own options, even).

Finally, I found a more recent version of HP Photo Creations that would instal (several versions I found were too old). And, once I got that going, it was perfect. It had everything I needed! I tried one with a "design it yourself" blank page and one with one of their set book templates. Both pages, I think, turned out beautifully. I can't wait to put together a list of the other things I want to make pages for. I think one of the two books will be trips (I've done one for my trip to Gettysburg in 2011 and another for my trip to Seattle in 2014). Both are pretty and shiny and lovely.

I haven't decided what the other photo album should be yet. Maybe something just for me. Don't know yet, but now that I've found software and successfully made two pages, the rest will be a breeze!

Thing 53

Jan. 31st, 2012 01:38 am
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Do 2 (minimum) Do Nothing But Read Days

I did my second Do Nothing But Read Day on January 29, 2012. I hardly ever have a free day where I can literally do nothing but read. And I must admit it was painful to not check e-mail often or do much of anything... apart from sitting around and reading. But I did get a lot read!



In just one day...
I read from start to finish:
In the Blood by Scott Miller
Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale by Zack Whedon, Joss Whedon, Chris Samnee and Dave Stewart
Fraggle Rock by Adrianne Ambrose, Nichol Ashworth, Bryce Coleman and Jeffrey Brown
The Marvelous Land of Oz by Eric Shanower, L. Frank Baum and Skottie Young

I finished reading:
Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

I really wish I'd planned better and had more snacks to get me through the day. But I'm pretty happy about reading pretty much 5 books in just one day. Imagine if I could do this every day-- 1,825 books a year? That would be astounding... and impossible. LOL At any rate, I feel accomplished and I had a fun time with the books.

500 Days

Jul. 25th, 2011 12:42 am
just_the_things: (Default)
Yesterday/today marks the halfway point, because 7/25 apparently was 500 days in. Yikes! I am so very far behind in my goals!

Progress so far:
Finished- 31
In Progress- 22
FAIL- 1

Argh! My busy life has once again thwarted my new goal of 2 Do Nothing But Read Days from June to June each year. Bah! I'll have to do an extra one some time to make up for it. Now I just need to find days in which to do it. Come on, life, cooperate with me!

Otherwise, it doesn't look good for me. I should have 50 finished by now at the halfway mark and definitely don't. But it does look like, at this pace, I'll accomplish more during List #2 than I did for List #1, so I am proud of myself for that. I hope I can keep up the pace and get some more done soon, though.

Topic breakdown [completed / in progress / total]:
Monthly Projects [13 / 2 / 33]
Writing [2 / 3 /8]
Hobbies [3 / 9 / 16]
Visit/Travel [3 / 0 / 6]
Fannish [4 / 5 / 14]
Personal/Home [4 / 2 / 15]
Philanthropic [1 / 1 / 7]
Misc [1 / 0 / 2]
just_the_things: (Default)
I keep forgetting to post, but Friday was 1 year after I started my second set of 101 Things.

I really haven't been giving my list much attention yesterday, what with the BookCrossing Convention so close at hand. But I have been thinking about certain items, such as the ones I have already failed. Namely, do I want to assign myself different Things to make up for the ones I will no longer be able to complete? There's no realistic way to go back and time to complete January's project, for instance. And I've failed 3 monthly projects in a row (I didn't even assign myself a project in February, let alone complete one)!

Progress so far:
Finished- 26
In Progress- 13
FAIL- 6

Not too bad, but not as far ahead as I would like to have been.

So, if I want to replace the failed items with something else... how do I decide what the something else is? Surely I can't choose things that are considerably easier the original just to be able to do them. And they're things I want to do, so doing a variation on them might be the way to go.

FAILED ITEMS:
10. December 2010 Project- Put together all my LEGO sets that I hadn't yet assembled
11. January 2011 Project- Write a short thing for a prompt every day from the writer's book
12. February 2011 Project- Never came up with one!
53. Do 2 (minimum) Do Nothing But Read Days every calendar year- I only did 1 last year
72. Create a Washington Capitals Season schedule every season & post it where I can see it daily- I never made one for the 2009-2010 season
92. Make breakfast for dinner once a month- I was going good for a while, but then skipped several recent months, having forgotten all about this


REPLACEMENT ITEMS:
10. Makeup Project- Put together all the LEGO sets I've bought as of December 2010 and haven't yet assembled
11. Makeup Project- Complete all the prompts from the book within the calendar year of 2011 so that I can trade books with melydia at the beginning of 2012
12. Makeup Project- Write & post a list a day for 2 weeks straight
53. Do 2 (minimum) Do Nothing But Read Days every year (a year is now defined from June to June)
72. Create a Washington Capitals Season schedule for all seasons that start during my 1001 days
92. Make breakfast for dinner 33 times during the 1001 days (that averages out to once a month)


If I fail the Thing a second time around, then I'm declaring it dead and taking the $1 penalty!

Thing 53

Jun. 28th, 2010 11:46 pm
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Do 2 (minimum) Do Nothing But Read Days every calendar year

I participated in Do Nothing But Read Day on June 27, 2010.


In just one day...
I read from start to finish:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower, Skottie Young (192 pages)
Torchwood: Rift War by Ian Edgington, Paul Grist, Simon Furman, and D'Israeli (128 pages)
Charmed: Kiss of Darkness by Brandon Alexander (192 pages)
Float Out- Serenity comic by Patton Oswalt

I finished reading:
Rumble Fish by S. E. Hinton (144 pages)
A Little Twist of Texas by Linda Raven Moore (176 pages)
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood (304 pages)

I love having an excuse to seclude myself from the world and read things I don't normally have a lot of time to give. It's so much fun. I'm glad I put so many of these on my 101 list :-) I also really enjoyed the variety, which helped break things up a lot. 2 were graphic novels and 1 comic. 1 was a young adult fiction book. 2 were memoir-type books. 4 were fandom related (Oz, Firefly, Torchwood, Charmed).
just_the_things: (Default)
[livejournal.com profile] thingism was nice enough to calculate the milestones along our way. Yesterday was day 100... so today is day 101! Here's a recap of my progress:
Finished: 6

Things 1-33- I decided it would be fun to make a video for each of the projects I finish. So far, 3 down and 33 to go. I haven't decided on my June project yet. I finished a few things that might work for it. I think what I want to do is work on my Ticket Stub book, though.

Thing 35- Despite writing a story a day for LMoM 2010, there were several days I skipped (because I'd written ahead) because of RL commitments.

Thing 38- I've been working on a few of them. Haven't finished any or posted any more yet though

Thing 39- There was a journal I was thinking of submitting to. I sent away for a previous issue so I could get a look at the journal first though.

Thing 41- I've slipped up and haven't been keeping track. Maybe today I should catch up.

Thing 42- I'm so close on this one! Just about 900 or so to go!

Thing 44- I keep thinking about this one. I need to stop thinking and just go DO.

Thing 45- I have read one, but didn't make an entry about it. I definitely need to work on this one. I've got a Do Nothing But Read day coming up in a week, so I'm hoping that will help!

Thing 48- I have several handfuls of snarfs from Georgetown yesterday and a handful from Arlington a few weeks ago. But I'm still only up to about 1,550. Not too bad. I have another 900 days to go :-)

Thing 50- I'm making some good progress here. I think this one will be one I come close to finishing but not completely finish. The problem is markers keep getting put up or taken down/vanishing.

Thing 51- 1 out of 3. But I'm planning on driving back from Florida, so I should be able to get 2 more easily

Thing 53- One is coming up on June 27! I'm working on my list of books to finish & read

Thing 57- I really wanted to go to one before BrickFair, but I keep having other obligations those days.

Thing 60- I desperately want to do this one on my way back from Florida. I'm going to have to research and see which one is a good target.

Thing 62- I have my ticket booked!

Thing 64- I'm getting close to finishing the first doctor's journies :-)

Thing 65- I've started the last season, but it's slower-going because it's not available through streaming.

Thing 66- I just read an awesome Stargate Atlantis fic and so my interest in pickthing this one up has been rekindled.

Thing 69- I've actually started watching my own DVDs more because of this. I really need to count them up. Let me do that today!

Thing 72- I didn't do one for the 2009-2010 season but that season was mostly over by the time I started these goals. So I'm giving myself a pass there.

Thing 75- 9 out of 10. I expect I'll pick up a Diagon Alley album at Infinitus :-)

Thing 76- I still haven't decided if I want to put them on my Hufflepuff banner or not.

Thing 78- Still saving!

Thing 80- I made a really good attempt this month at eating more reasonably and working out daily. I've already started slacking off on it, but I haven't seen any change yet. Damnit. *feels discouraged*

Thing 81- I have been working out the logistics of this lately. I think I'm going to get rid of a LOT pretty soon. I'm tired of clothes with holes or clothes I have never worn taking up space in my wardrobe

Thing 88- I want to make sure I have the right hookups on my old TV before I buy a VCR/Blu-Ray combo

Thing 90- I have some space now in which to store my stuff. Now I just need to DO this.

Thing 92- So far, I haven't missed a month!

Thing 97- I really want to do this

Thing 98- Man, 100,000 is a HUGE number!
just_the_things: (Default)
Here's the wrap up of my first list of 101 Thing in 1001 Days. I accomplished 50 (so about half) of the things. Not a great result, considering at the time I made the list, I thought I would do them all. But, I did try hard and I got a lot more done than I would have without the list. So even though it was a half-fail, I'm still glad I did it.

Self-Improvement/ Personal

1. Take a basic car maintenance class/workshop
I did look for such an animal but I couldn't find one anywhere. I even called my car insurance place and they didn't know of any locally. So I was unable to complete this one.

2. Sign-up for a dating service
I checked out a few online dating sites. I even started my profile for one. But, in the end, I chickened out. Bad self image is my biggest hurdle.

3. Stay in touch with college friends I’ve reconnected with
Didn't do so well with this. I did reconnect with some of them, but I haven't been in contact as much as I wish I'd been.

4. Keep in touch with my KS better- 3/10/10
I've done a bit better here. And now that Kate tweets, it's easier to say hi every so often on top of e-mail & snail mail. I love my KS *hugs*

5. Re-write weekly schedule and try better to follow it
Yikes. I did try to follow it at first, but it was a pretty strict schedule and, honestly, my life has changed so much that a schedule re-done 1001 days ago just didn't work for me for long.

6. Learn basic sign language (i.e. more than what I know already)
I learned a little, but have forgotten most of it now. I need to make a more serious attempt at this in the future (a future monthly project, perhaps)

7. Learn how to tie a tie- 04/20/08
Every time I go to tie one, I have to look up the instructions to refresh my memory. But I generally have the right idea.



Health & Fitness

8. Lose 15+lbs
This SO did not happen. I'm still a fatty. LOL!

9. Work out at least 3 times a week
I did have periods of time where I worked out this much. But for the most part, I didn't work out at all for months on end.

10. Start wearing pedometer again and keep track of steps walked- do sit-ups if I fall below my average
[livejournal.com profile] melydia even gave me a new pedometer (after the batteries in my old one died) but I didn't like the new one as much (couldn't calibrate it to my pace/walking style) so I had doubts about its accuracy at times. In the end, I didn't keep up with this one either.

11. Floss at least 5 times a week if not every single day
I definitely improved on this for a while, but I went through periods of doing well and others where I did not so well. On a whole, i call this a fail but I know I need to keep up with this.

12. Drink & finish a bottle of water every week
I made an attempt at this, but I just really hate the taste of water. Couldn't do it for the long term.

13. Go to the optometrist (it’s been 9+ years) and get new glasses- 6/22/07
I still have my glasses, and they're wonderful

14. Go to the gynecologist (haven’t been since I was in college)- 12/12/07
Actually, I should go again...

15. Get juicer out of storage and start using it
I never made any effort on this. Which is a shame.

16. Start taking Centrum vitamins again
Once again, for a while I was doing well with this, but then I lapsed and didn't keep up

17. Walk to the library at least once a month (weather permitting)
I made this goal back when I was going to the library to buy used books every Saturday afternoon. Now I volunteer at that library on Monday nights (used to be Thursday nights) and it's too dark when I'm done at the end of the night to safely walk home. So this one became unrealistic very shortly after I made it.



Good Things

18. Try 5 times to give blood
I did give it a good shot a few times. When I made the goal, I didn't realize what a problem it would be for me to give blood. After more complications arose, it made it virtually impossible for me to donate blood. What a shame, because I used to be so good at doing it every few months like clockwork.

19. Grow hair out to 10+ inches past chin and donate to Locks of Love- 03/10/10
My hair is SHORT now! But I hope my hair will go to help a kid who needs/wants it

20. Send 30 care packages to soldiers through AnySoldier.com
I managed to send 10 out of 30, which isn't too bad at all. I made the goal of 30 back when I sent 1 every month and I just wasn't able to keep up with that pace. But it's still 10 more units out there benefitting from what I've sent.

21. Donate 100 books to charity/the library- 03/29/09
With Accio Books last year, this was done in practically one drop off. LOL

22. Buy 10 things for Toys for Tots- 12/19/07
It's a nice program, and it was fun looking for toys that I thought kids would like.

23. Raise $250+ for AIDS Walk Washington- 9/27/07
Thanks to the generosity of family and friends, I more than exceeded this goal!

24. Get involved with the Cairn rescue group somehow
I did sign up, but I haven't built any pages for them. I feel guilty for letting that slip.

25. Buy fruit at a farmer’s market- 07/02/09
Nom nom nom! I wish there were a farmer's market closer to my house that was open when I wasn't working so I could visit it regularly.

26. Put a recycling bin in the laundry room and empty it myself regularly- 3/10/10
I let this slide for a while, but I've been pretty good about storing up recycling and then taking it up on trash/recycling night


Home/Things

27. Get rid of 5 boxes of things in my room/storage unit
Actually, I have another box of stuff to go. But a full 5 boxes? VERY close but no cigar. I could stretch it and say this was finished, but, honestly, I fell a little short.

28. Separate laundry (don’t just wash all at once on cold)- 3/10/10
I've actually been doing a phenomenal job at this. Seriously, my laundry skills have improved significantly over the past 1001 days.

29. Clean from 3pm-5pm every Sunday- no excuses!
I have no excuse, I just didn't do this

30. Make small fixes to car (paint in front, dome light, reflectors on holes, side shade)- declared finished on 3/13/09
My car looked nice!

31. Keep car gas level at least half full at all times
Fail. I did manage to do this for a while, but there were some pretty important times my tank was definitely on empty.

32. Clean out car (even vacuum)- 8/17/09
I did clean it out a few times (both my last car and the new one)

33. Start making smoothies again
I didn't even make ONE! But we might be getting a blender at work, which means I'll have an excuse to eat/drink yummy soon. A little late for the 1001 days though.

34. Pair down closet and move all clothes out of Simon’s room
I did give away several boxes/bags of stuff. But I still have about 20 things in the upstairs closet I need to get rid of.

35. Clean out/sort Outlook Express Inbox
I am beginning to believe I will never get this mess sorted

36. Back up computer completely once every two months- 3/10/10
I have been backing up quite a lot, and my external hard drive is awesome. Except during the past month, my computer won't recognize it. ACK! I spent some time tonight trying to figute it out, to no avail.

37. Buy a display cabinet and put things in it- 07/02/07
I love my display cabinet so much

38. Get/buy some sort of cataloging software & catalog all books, CDs, tapes, DVDs, video games, and videos
My entire collection isn't yet in there, but the majority is, and I've been keeping up with my new purchases.

39. Go through Real Simple magazines and create a binder of useful pieces
I have a big binder of these, but lately I've thought it would be better to put them all in plastic sleeves instead of punching holes in the flimsy pages. So I'm going to have to re-do what I've already done and then work on all the new issues.

40. Go through digital camera cards and print/save/delete all photos
I'm lazy when it comes to my photos, apparently


Hobbies

41. Register all books waiting to be registered for BookCrossing
At this point, it seems unlikely that I'll ever be 100% caught up on this. I have several hundred unregistered at the moment.

42. Make/refine my BookCrossing car kit- 08/12/07
I still use it

43. Write & submit another BookCrossing article- 09/09/07
I'm proud of my articles

44. Start a state map postcard for book trade on BookCrossing
I'm shy and never worked up the courage to start this

45. Create the Around the World in ? Days Challenge on BookCrossing
Ditto. I acquired 2 copies of the book, but by then I learned that someone else did something fun with the book and I lost my nerve.

46. Send out 25 Ray it Forwards at BookCrossing (books I've actually read first)
Not even close! I did send out some, which is good, but not 25!

47. Create a BookCrossing iCal (publish it?)- 12/29/07
I created it, yes, but didn't keep up with it.

48. Start a Fannish BookBox- 07/06/08
I did one round of an online bookbox before I decided I don't like online bookboxes.

49. Start an LGBT BookBox- 07/06/08
I have since set out two different LGBT bookboxes!

50. Start an LGBT BookRelay and keep it going
Someone else created one, but I participated in it for a while

51. Start an anime BookRelay and keep it going
Someone else created one of these as well, but I participated in it for a while, too

52. Make a better list/system of books I mail out (spreadsheet) and keep up with it
I created a nice spreadsheet, but didn't find it as useful as I had hoped it would be. So I stopped using it.

53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase- 09/25/09
Hardly feels like I made any dent at all, but I did read them

54. Watch every nominated movie from the Academy Awards (excluding foreign film) from 2007-2009
Wow. I honestly thought this would be no problem. But I didn't even come close to watching them all

55. Get a P.O. Box and do PostCrossing; send out 50 postcards- 3/5/10
I still have my PO Box (love it) and I sent 50 postcards out!I got some great ones back, but I probably won't keep up with PostCrossing much in the future.

56. Finish my website portfolio- 6/5/09
It's not perfect, but it exists :-)

57. Add to Max’s scrapbook
I actually couldn't find it for the longest time. But I recently un-lost it and plan to pick it back up again.

58. Catalogue Eeyore collection- 01/04/09
I love having a catalogue/list of all my Eeyores!

59. Find out about displaying my Eeyore collection at the library- 12/02/08 through 12/30/08
I am so proud that I got to do this

60. Get a new library card (mine is 20 years old and almost in pieces)- 11/10/07
I love my new library card!

61. Learn how to play Mahjong- 07/29/07
I could probably use a refresher course, and apparently I learned the Chinese version, not the US one. But now I know how it's supposed to be played.

62. Decide what big thing to build out of LEGOs and begin planning- 08/03/07
I built amazingness and displayed them at my first LEGO convention as a participant in 2009

63. Bring TG’s Realm website up to date- 01/31/10
This is one I am especially proud of. I did massive updates.

64. Bring Kintail: the Dreamscape & BookCrossing websites up to date
I wish I'd done as much to this site. I've updated parts a little, but it's not completely done.



Fannish Stuff

65. Make Remus & Sirius sock puppets
I still want to do this!

66. Catch up on Stargate
I bought the whole thing on DVD, so I should be able to get this done during the next 1001 days without problem

67. Catch up on The 4400- 08/17/07
What a great series. I cannot believe they cancelled it just when it was getting amazing.

68. Catch up on The Dead Zone- 12/13/07
DITTO! The ending was amazing. I want more!

69. Finish Farscape series
I came close. Just one season & the Peacekeeper Wars left

70. Finish Gabaldon series to date (reread Outlander-Fiery Cross and read A Breath of Snow & Ashes)
I re-read the first two books and bought the newest. I've got a long way to go with it.

71. Mark up Harry Potter paperbacks with post-its
I really thought this would be useful, but I use the Lexicon so often instead, that maybe I don't need to do this after all.

72. Go to at least one hockey game every season- 9/15/09
I am so happy that I accomplished this one! I saw them win 1 game out of the 5 I went to, I think (so I think I'm 3 in 7 for my whole life). Maybe I'm jinxing them and shouldn't go any more...

73. Read the entire Hornblower series of books- 03/29/09
Oh Horatio, how I love you!


Work

74. Finish archiving the Chronicle and complete the Photo Archives
Chronicle: yes. Photo Archives: still in progress.

75. Get everyone moved to Adobe CS3- 02/18/08
We're all on CS4 now

76. Get a new graphics card for my PC and set up monitors- declared finished on 03/12/09
This was the bane of my existence for so long. I'm glad I completed it finally

77. Bring goodies to work bi-weekly- 3/10/10
Okay, maybe not exactly bi-weekly, but I did bring in a LOT of stuff, and that was my whole point of this goal.

78. Update Webmaster/Admin html manual
I have updated it several times, but it needs a total overhaul now

79. Update Software Inventory & keep it updated!- 09/14/07
Hmm. I did finish that huge project, but I didn't keep it updated throughout 2009.

80. Bring caricature of self to work and put on wall- 08/17/07
It's still there.



Writing

81. Do & win NaNoWriMo 2007, 2008, etc.- 11/25/09
Many, many words written! And I finished my 2009 attempt last month.

82. Keep an ongoing master list (spreadsheet) of all stories I finish- 3/10/10
I absolutely love my spreadsheet of stories. It's a great resource and fun to compile

83. Finish 5 more Strokes stories- 03/10/10
My Strokes boys need more love. But I definitely wrote at least 5.

84. See about doing the Writers’ Roundtable twice a month- 07/25/07
We still have 2 meetings each month.

85. Make one entry every month to my Rectacular journal
Now that I have a separate Twitter account for recs, I've been updating it more easily and frequently. Not quite every month, but an improvement.

86. Finish 25+ WIPs which have been waiting/ignored for a while
Wow. 25. Really? What was a thinking. I tried, though. And I'm happy of the ones I did work on and especially the ones I finished.

87. Submit something to be published
Didn't even try. I'm making next time's goal 5 submissions as a penalty. LOL

88. Start a file of rejection letters- 03/10/10
It's a nice file folder. I hope it doesn't get too full

89. Enter more dreams in my dream journal
Often I said to myself "Kate, that was an amazing dream. Go write it down in your journal" and then I would forget and be lazy and just not do it. Bad Kate.

90. Read 5 books on writing
Um, I am drowning in books. I've read parts of many, but only finished 1 completely.


Miscellaneous

91. Start reading slash-dot and try to keep up with techie news- 3/10/10
I have the RSS feed on my browser and I pay attention to it much more than I used to. Not as much as I should, but I'm more aware on a whole of things that are going on in the Tech world

92. Set up a special savings account and put $1 into it every day for a total of 1001 days- 3/10/10
I am so happy I made this goal. Now I have more than $1020 to spend as I see fit!

93. Go to a Free-For-All Friday at Mix 107.3
Nope. I didn't do this. What a shame.

94. Get a new computer with a flat screen monitor- 06/01/08
I love my new computer, even when it doesn't cooperate with me.

95. Go to the International Spy Museum in DC (for the first time)
I gave my family money for tickets on Christmas a few years ago, but we haven't gone. I did step inside the entrance because I won tickets to the Spy in the City contest. But that was for a GPS tour of the city in a hunt, not something inside the museum

96. Go to the Zoo (see new Asia section & new panda before he’s gone)- 10/05/08
I'm glad I got to see him before he left for China

97. Go to Mount Vernon to see the new museum/exhibits/theaters- 03/07/10
I wish I'd known to watch the full intro movie. But apart from that, I had an excellent time with friends!

98. Visit a lighthouse- 10/31/09
I didn't get to go inside, but I did see one :-)

99. See the Washington Capitals practice at their new facility- 01/02/09
I love Kettler. My boys have such a nice home now (and so much closer to where I am, too). I really want to take my mother there soon.

100. Keep a separate 101 LiveJournal- 06/13/07
You're looking at it!

101. Start a new 101 list when I’m down to my last few things to do- 03/10/10
I've got a new list. I'll post it next! Wish me luck!
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase

I've read at least 4 more books from my bookcase. I'm sure I could list a bunch but all I need are 4 so...

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent by Anthony Rapp
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

That brings the count up to 50! Finished!
just_the_things: (Default)
It occurred to me today that I have less than a year to go before my 1001 days are up. Yikes! So I thought I'd summarize my progress to date and go through my list to see how probably it is to do the unfinished things.

So far, I've finished 27 out of 101.

1. Take a basic car maintenance class/workshop
I called my car insurance company to ask if they knew of any classes/workshops. And I checked out the adult learning programs in my area. I wasn't able to find anything. Unless one falls into my lap, I probably won't accomplish this one.

2. Sign-up for a dating service
Hmm. Haven't done this. Thought about signing up at a geek dating service but I'm not sure I'm geeky enough for that. And I'm too geeky enough for a regular dating service. LOL But lately I've felt less and less interested in this (life's just too busy at the moment) so we'll see

3. Stay in touch with college friends I’ve reconnected with
I haven't done much on this front, I admit. Bad Kate.

4. Keep in touch with my KS better
Not doing too badly with this one. Could do better. *hugs* I love you, KS!

5. Re-write weekly schedule and try better to follow it
When I wrote my schedule, I truly believed I could follow it just fine. It was realistic. But I'm lazy. LOL So I didn't follow it much. Maybe I'll re-write it again.

6. Learn basic sign language (i.e. more than what I know already)
I learned a little. I really should stick the DVD back in and learn some more.

8. Lose 15+lbs
Yeah... no.

9. Work out at least 3 times a week
Since the demise of my VCR, I haven't worked out much. I need to either start a new routine that doesn't involve my beloved VHS Tae-Bo tape or switch out my VCR with the one my parents just stopped using when they bought their new VHS/DVD combo player.

10. Start wearing pedometer again and keep track of steps walked- do sit-ups if I fall below my average
I still haven't replaced the battery in it in order to use it. I really should, shouldn't I?

11. Floss at least 5 times a week if not every single day
Hmm. Have been slacking on this one as well.

12. Drink & finish a bottle of water every week
I can't even remember making this one! I definitely haven't been doing this. I should. But I just don't like the taste of water.

15. Get juicer out of storage and start using it
Apparently, my juicer IS out of storage. I haven't used it yet, but I should. Maybe when I get some fruit from the farmers market in Thing 25 I'll make something nummy :-)

16. Start taking Centrum vitamins again
I bought some, but stopped taking them after a while. I should start again and make it part of my routine.

17. Walk to the library at least once a month (weather permitting)
I'm not going to do this one. I haven't even tried walking there and back once. I started volunteering there after work on Thursdays instead of going there leisurely on Saturdays. So there's no time to walk there and the walk back would be in the dark, which isn't safe. So I won't be accomplishing this one.

18. Try 5 times to give blood
I've tried 1 out of 5 times. My doctor suggested I not give blood since I have so much trouble with the process (lately it's been the pulse rate, but other times it's the iron or bleeding slowly or them not being able to find a vein).

19. Grow hair out to 10+ inches past chin and donate to Locks of Love
I'm almost there! I just bought some new conditioner a few days ago that's supposed to help prevent split ends in longer hair. So I'm going to see it through another inch or so then chop it off!

20. Send 30 care packages to soldiers through AnySoldier.com
I've sent 8 out of the 30. I've slacked off a bunch with this one (I used to send one or so a month) but I have a bunch of things set aside for care packages. So I'll have to step this up. I want to get this done but, if I fall short, I want to send at least half the goal number.

21. Donate 100 books to charity/the library
I've done 80 out of 100. I'm collecting books to donate right now because of the Accio Books! project. I have about 200. So... that's a little more than 20 :-) I'm planning on donating the kids books to ECHO and the adult books to the library or the hospital where I used to candy stripe (though I haven't heard back from them)

24. Get involved with the Cairn rescue group somehow
I got involved! However, I haven't had time yet to make any of the website pages for the memorial section of their website, as I promised I would. That's awful of me. I resolve to rectify that soon.

25. Buy fruit at a farmer’s market
Last week at a girl scout meeting I met a woman who sells her food at some of the local famer's markets. Apparently there's a really nice one in Kingstowne. So once the spring & summer roll around and the markets open, I'll head over and check that one out some Friday afternoon.

26. Put a recycling bin in the laundry room and empty it myself regularly
I have one there that I've used. But I filled it once and never emptied it. LOL What a lazy arse I am! I feel so embarrassed about that that I'll do better now.

27. Get rid of 5 boxes of things in my room/storage unit
I've gotten rid of 2.5 out of 5. But I have every intention of doing a huge spring cleaning this year and getting rid of A LOT. So I should be able to do this one.

28. Separate laundry (don’t just wash all at once on cold)
I've been doing an excellent job with this one, actually. Kind of proud of myself. I've been separating lights and darks and hots, colds, and warms.

29. Clean from 3pm-5pm every Sunday- no excuses!
Yeah, well, not so good here either. I've cleaned a few times but mostly I have had better things to do 3pm-5pm on Sundays :-)

31. Keep car gas level at least half full at all times
Wow, I totally forgot I made this goal as well. I've been awful about this, but I'll try to do it from now on because it's a good idea. Glad I thought of it at one point. LOL

33. Start making smoothies again
I haven't. Doesn't seem that hard to do, though.

34. Pair down closet and move all clothes out of Simon’s room
I've made a lot of progress here, but there's still a ways to go. I'm hoping to try out the space-saver thing in my wardrobe this weekend. If it works all right, I'll buy a few more and that will make room in my wardrobe for the clothes left in the closet upstairs in Simon's room (which is now Sugar's room)

35. Clean out/sort Outlook Express Inbox
It was clean and organized at one point... but I really need to do this again. Now. Tens of thousands of unorganized e-mails need homes!

36. Back up computer completely once every two months
Ever since I installed FreeByte Backup, I've backed up my important files quite often, sometimes more than once a week. I no longer live in complete fear of losing it all. heehee Definitely a great improvement.

38. Get/buy some sort of cataloging software & catalog all books, CDs, tapes, DVDs, video games, and videos
I have about half my collection cataloged and I'm hoping to get a little more done this weekend.

39. Go through Real Simple magazines and create a binder of useful pieces
I've started this project, but it's unfinished. I bought a bunch of sleeve inserts that should make it easier (no more hole-punching and worrying about ripping pages when I leaf through them in the binder).

40. Go through digital camera cards and print/save/delete all photos
Why haven't I done this yet? I need to do this now! My old camera died so I need to make sure I have all the photos saved off the cards that fit in that camera. Since I've tried out the 'send a file on your computer to CVS to print' and it worked nicely, I am less worried about keeping the cards around in order to print the pretty photos :-)

41. Register all books waiting to be registered for BookCrossing
So close and yet so far. I still have about a hundred unregistered books sitting by my computer. Maybe I'll make a mass effort this weekend.

44. Start a state map postcard for book trade on BookCrossing
Haven't started this yet but I'll get to it. A list of the ones I do & don't have are here: http://www.kintailscape.com/BC/mappostcards.html

45. Create the Around the World in ? Days Challenge on BookCrossing
I'm having second thoughts about this one. Maybe I'll revise what I thought I was going to do for this one.

46. Send out 25 Ray it Forwards at BookCrossing (books I've actually read first)
I've sent 11 out of 25. Not bad but I need to step it up!

50. Start an LGBT BookRelay and keep it going
I've participated a lot, but it hits its slow moments

51. Start an anime BookRelay and keep it going
I've participated a lot, but it hits its slow moments

52. Make a better list/system of books I mail out (spreadsheet) and keep up with it
My list system rocked... but I didn't keep up with it. So maybe it wasn't as good a list/system as I thought it was. I'll have to think about how to do a better job of this

53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase
I'm not sure what my current count is, but I don't think I'll have trouble finishing this one within a year (if I haven't already). My last documented amount was 46 out of 50. I'm sure I've read 4 off my bookcase since August.

54. Watch every nominated movie from the Academy Awards (excluding foreign film) from 2007-2009
I still have quite a few left. 84 to be exact. Yikes!

55. Get a P.O. Box and do PostCrossing; send out 50 postcards
I've sent 20 out of 50. I'm not sure if the stamps I have are the proper amount now for international postcards. So I'll check on that next time I'm at the post office and get back into the game here.

56. Finish my website portfolio
Totally haven't done this.

57. Add to Max’s scrapbook
I just figured out where I PUT this the other day. I'll open it up and add some things :-) Maxwell's sitting right here between my keyboard and monitor right now. He agrees. heehee

63. Bring TG’s Realm website up to date
Whoa. SO not done with this. It's a huge project and only getting huger.

64. Bring Kintail: the Dreamscape & BookCrossing websites up to date
Same deal. The BookCrossing website is doing all right, but the Dreamscape needs lots more love. I'm such a slacker.

65. Make Remus & Sirius sock puppets
Aw, why haven't I done this one yet? I must. I really must!

66. Catch up on Stargate
I recently bought the entire series on DVD. So I should be able to get through it now, so long as I can make the time.

69. Finish Farscape series
Having trouble with this one since Blockbuster online has difficulty getting the discs to me. I might have to put this one on hold since I don't think I want to buy the whole series on iTunes just yet.

70. Finish Gabaldon series to date (reread Outlander-Fiery Cross and read A Breath of Snow & Ashes)
So far I earread Outlander and Dragonfly, then began Outlander again for a book club and didn't finish it. I should really get back on this one.

71. Mark up Harry Potter paperbacks with post-its
Haven't done this, but I'd still like to.

72. Go to at least one hockey game every season
Yes! So far, I've managed this one!

73. Read the entire Hornblower series of books
I have just one book left until I'm done with this, so it should be a breeze. I'll be SO sad to finish the series, though! *sob*

74. Finish archiving the Chronicle and complete the Photo Archives
I did finish the Chronicle archives but I have been slacking on the photo archives. I need to get back on top of that project. It feels overwhelming but it'll be worth it when I'm done.

77. Bring goodies to work bi-weekly
Not sure I've managed every other week, but I've certainly brought in a lot a lot more often than I used to. So I consider this a success so far

78. Update Webmaster/Admin html manual
I've done a little work on this but I'm far from finished

81. Do & win NaNoWriMo 2007, 2008, etc.
I did it for 2007 and 2008 and plan to do it for 2009. I guess we'll see in November if I've accomplished this.

82. Keep an ongoing master list (spreadsheet) of all stories I finish
Beyond keeping this list, I've actually enjoyed keeping it! I wrote up a nice recap of everything I wrote in 2008 and could nicely analyze it. I'm really glad I kept this list now (it totally paid off) so am encouraged to keep it up this year.

83. Finish 5 more Strokes stories
I've written 4 of 5 so I think I'll be able to finish this goal within a year.

85. Make one entry every month to my Rectacular journal
I started a new twitter account that feeds into my Rectacular journal (http://twitter.com/rectacular). This makes it quicker to update and quicker means I'm more likely to update. Once a month might still be beyond me but I'm doing a much better job with this.

86. Finish 25+ WIPs which have been waiting/ignored for a while
Um... ACK! I would LOVE to be able to finish 25. But so far I've only finished 2. The likelihood of me finishing so many more in just a year is small since it means I'd have to increase the rate significantly. But at least I've managed a few and maybe I'll finish a few more.

87. Submit something to be published
Hmm. Haven't even really thought about this since my last rejection. I haven't written anything good enough or ready enough. But I'll keep this goal in mind.

88. Start a file of rejection letters
I haven't done, but it's an easy goal so I'll do it soon.

89. Enter more dreams in my dream journal
I keep thinking "I should enter that!" and then I don't and I forget the dream soon thereafter.

90. Read 5 books on writing
I've read 1 of 5 and I have plenty of others to choose from. I'll definitely try to finish this goal

91. Start reading slash-dot and try to keep up with techie news
I get the e-mails and I check it out from time to time at work thanks to the RSS feed in the toolbar. I definitely feel more informed.

92. Set up a special savings account and put $1 into it every day for a total of 1001 days- 06/13/07 (set up special, separate ING savings account with weekly direct transfer)
Easiest one so far since it takes the money from me automatically. I'll have no trouble with this.

93. Go to a Free-For-All Friday at Mix 107.3
I'd definitely still like to do this one!

95. Go to the International Spy Museum in DC (for the first time)
I gave my family money for tickets for us all to the museum. So I'm hoping we'll actually go soon!

97. Go to Mount Vernon to see the new museum/exhibits/theaters
I would certainly love to do this. Maybe in April or June on a weekend when I don't have so much scheduled.

98. Visit a lighthouse
Of all my goals, this is the one I most wanted to accomplish. So I'm going to make this one a priority during the next year. I'm going to do some research and find a nice one not too far away and take a road trip there.
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Blood and Smoke by Stephen King
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius by Terrance Dicks
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Lost Laysen by Margaret Mitchell
Lucasfilm's Alien Chronicles: The Golden One by Deborah Chester
Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson
Tales of the Vampires by Joss Whedon et. al.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2001 edited by Lawrence Block
The Jester by James Patterson & Andrew Gross
The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World by Ken Alder, Brian Jenning
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
Tooth and Claw by T.C. Boyle

Which makes 46 out of 50!
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase

Wow. I really haven't been keeping track like I should have been! But I can say I've read these books since my last update and all were on my TBR bookcase:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Blood and Fog by Nancy Holder
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Kids Joker: Volume 1 by Maki Fujita
Miracle Girls: Volume 3 by Nami Akimoto
Spike: Asylum by Brian Lynch & Franco Urro
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
Shout Out Loud Vol 2 by Satosumi Takaguchi
Anything Considered by Peter Mayle
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle
Autumn Bridge by Takashi Matsuoka
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

Unless I'm much mistaken, that makes 32 of 50.
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase

I've read 7 more:
Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Lovely Sick by Shoko Ohmine
X-Men Evolution Vol 2 by Devin Grayson et al
Beat to Quarters by C.S. Forester
Murder at the National Gallery by Margaret Truman
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

20 read... 30 to go!
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase

3 more read books to report! Of course, I just put another 10 or so on the bookcase in the last few weeks. *facepalm*

Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen (abridged audio)
Golden Compas by Philip Pullman
Gorgeous Carat by You Higuri

13 down... 37 to go!
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase

This week I read 3 more that were on my bookcase!
The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers by Lilian Jackson Braun
Lovers in the Night by Fumi Yoshinaga
Man's Best Friend by Inu Mo Arukeba

10 down, 40 to go!
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase

I read two books during vacation that have been on my bookcase for a while now:

Naked by David Sedaris

Cursed by Mel Odom

7 down, 43 to go :-)
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase


I recently read three more:
Horatio Hornblower and the Hotspur by C.S. Forester
Inu-Yasha, Book 1 by Rumiko Takahashi
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

5 down, 45 to go! I'm planning on bringing two or three along with me on my trip to Iowa.
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase

Ah-ha! It's not true that I haven't read any, as reported in yesterday's post. I read the first two Hornblower books! So I'm taking those off the shelf right now.

2 down, 48 to go!

Thing 53

Jul. 7th, 2007 03:37 pm
just_the_things: (Hobbies)
53. Clear 50 books off my To Be Read bookcase

I haven't made any progress on this yet... except for adding another book to the bookcase today. But for the first time ever I counted all the books in my posession (not including reference books) that I need to read. Came to 484. Not all of these are on my bookcase, but most are. I'm also including the three boxes stacked next to the bookcase (one has Star Trek, Star Wars, Dinatopia books, the other two have audio books) since these books used to be on the bookcase before I reorganized the whole thing.

Anyway... 484. That's fewer than I thought, to be honest, but still a heck of a lot of books! LOL If I can clear 50 off in 2+ years it will be a MIRACLE!

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